USA’s ‘Summer Camp’ preview: Can we hope for a good competition show?

If you’re missing “Bachelor Pad” on the air this summer, don’t worry: In many ways, it feels almost like USA is providing something very similar with “Summer Camp.” It’s a show that touches on such familiar reality TV topics like flirting, outdoor activities, and losing your clothes. We don’t really know whether to be happy for some of these people, or just roll our eyes at them.

Basically, the entire premise of this show feels in some ways like “Bachelor Pad” meets tame “Survivor” to even a little bit of “High School Reunion,” in that the show is trying to bring back some sort of experience from your past and charge it up to the 10th degree.

This competition was reportedly held at a retreat in Big Bear, California (a place where we probably have a little too much history from our “Beauty and the Geek” days), and is hosted by former “American Idol” contestant Matt Rogers. One of the biggest changes that this show has from some other competitions out there is that there is a “camp” that will emerge victorious at the end of the show, and split the cash prize among themselves. Therefore, we’re not just looking at one or two winners.

We’re in desperate need of some good new competition shows, especially given the lack of “Bachelor Pad” this summer; if this show is a winner on the same level as “Whodunnit?” over on ABC, we’ll be thrilled.

So for now, just enjoy the promo below, and start packing up your camping supplies. “Summer Camp” premieres on Thursday, July 11 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, joining a USA lineup that already includes “Burn Notice” and “Graceland.”

Photo: USA