Have we become too complacent when it comes to reality television? Does the slightest inkling of ingenuity and originality in these shows cause us to turn our backs and instead crave something more familiar? They’re all indications of a stagnant mind, petrified of change, but big change is coming to Dragons’ Den, whether we’re accepting of it or not: on February 6, David Chilton, one of the five “Dragons” on the CBC show Dragons’ Den, revealed that after three years he will be leaving the show to focus on other projects.
The studio will undoubtedly have big shoes to fill after the 53-year-old author’s departure, but I’ve already found the perfect solution for CBC. That’s right. I propose that Chilton’s successor for the show should be an actual, fire-breathing dragon.
I know, I know. Adding a legendary flying creature to the cut-throat business environment of Dragons’ Den might seem a little incongruous at first, but it makes sense the more you think about it. Where else are you going to find someone with skin as leathery as original Dragon Jim Treliving or someone with a personal style even wilder than Michael Wekerle’s? A mystical beast would fit in perfectly.
The new Dragon should be ruthless. They should take these aspiring entrepreneurs who file in week after week, pick apart their hopes and ideas, chew them up, and spit them out. Does this sort of behaviour sound familiar? The only way to have this happen literally is if there’s a real dragon sitting alongside the other four business tycoons.
After nine seasons, any show can start to show fatigue. While the seemingly revolving door of Dragons on the show has managed to keep things fresh to some extent, they’re not mythica creature-fresh.
Would adding a dragon to the mix bring with it a slew of complications? Perhaps. Is it possible that a dragon might kidnap young female contestants and whisk them away to his lair until a brave knight comes to her rescue? It seems fairly likely. Maybe it could launch a story arc that spans several episodes, with each subsequent business and product being pitched revolving around ways on how to rescue the captured contestant? I’m just spit-balling here, obviously, but you can see the potential this type of casting holds.
It’s time the show lived up to its name and added a dragon to the mix to help spice things up. Even just having the dragon guest star occasionally, without any significant screen time or contributing anything important to the plot, would be enough to attract viewers.
Hey, it worked with Game of Thrones.
