Deadliest Drive

I just got the weirdest press kit for a new History Channel show called "Ice Road Truckers." Actually, the press kit isn't that weird: A toy semi truck and a splashy brochure on the show. But what a weird show. It seems to be a rip-off of Discovery's "Deadliest Catch," because it's about the most dangerous trucking job in the world. Which is apparently delivering supplies to diamond mines in Canada over frozen lakes.

I can see how getting footage of a semi truck crashing through the ice would make cable TV execs swoon, but the concept seems to lack the natural drama of "Catch." Crab fishermen are contending with the unrelenting sea, but they're also chasing crabs, ringing up dollar signs, dealing with sleep deprivation. What are ice truckers doing, other than shifting gears and getting paid by the hour?

And how the hay does this fit in with the History Channel?

I'll try to watch it this week and report back.