Review: Insane Coaster Wars

Since July, the Travel Channel has been airing a show on Sunday nights called “Insane Coaster Wars.” The premise of the show was to showcase the best coasters from around the United States. For each episode, they categorized the coasters into groups. These included G-Force Giants, Hang ‘Em High, Splintering Speedsters, Wrong Way Up, Extreme Heights, and Speed Demons. At the end of each episode, online voters had weighed in on their favorites, and one coaster in the category was chosen as the best.

For coaster fans, this show was a God-Send. It had been years since a documentary had been made that focused on just roller coasters. The concept was also new, pitting coasters against one another. Fans also had the chance to pick their favorites, providing interaction with viewers. The Travel Channel spent a lot of time on this show, and it was evident in the finished product. Interviews were done with workers at the park, as well as coaster experts and fans.

After all of the episodes were aired, an hour-long special displayed the best of all of the coasters that had been featured. This showed the crem-de-la-crem of the coasters in the U.S. They also went behind the scenes of the show, giving viewers a glimpse into the world of filming coasters.

The show was a great start to what will hopefully be a series. The interest in amusement parks has peaked in the past decade, and roller coasters continue to evolve in creativity. What I hope to see next season (if there is one) are the best coasters in Europe. This was the main thing that seemed to be missing from the show. Other than that, it was enjoyable and informative. The Travel Channel did a great job documenting these amazing works of art and engineering, and I hope to see more in the future.