Alliance Ep 1 review: Kushal-Zaid's history, Ravi Kishan's charm in a deja vu show
Prime Video's Alliance opens with 16 contestants entering Kunal Lok and forming early equations. Actor Kunal Kemmu stands out as host, but the premiere saves its only real spark for a late risk.
There was a time when a new reality show meant a new kind of madness. Now, every few months, we get a new house, a new set of contestants, new strategies but the same promise of unlimited drama. Prime Video's Alliance enters the crowded reality TV space with 16 contestants making and breaking alliances over 42 days. It also arrives a day ahead of Lock Upp, which will stream on rival platform Netflix with almost the same drama on offer.
Hence, the first episode, which premiered today, had the responsibility of making viewers believe that this six-week journey would be worth investing in. After watching the premiere, our biggest takeaway was simple: Alliance has a decent idea, but the excitement is still waiting to enter the bunker.
The show starts with actor Kunal Kemmu introducing the format and taking us inside the underground bunker, 'Kunal Lok', where the contestants will compete. And surprisingly, Kunal turns out to be one of the better parts of the show. He is an unconventional choice for a reality host, but that works because he does not bring the usual over-the-top energy. He is funny, relaxed and manages to become the sane voice among the already rowdy contestants.
The only genuinely fresh element here is the game structure. Unlike other reality shows, where the same faces remain until the finale, Alliance will keep replacing eliminated contestants with new ones, ensuring that the number of players remains the same. This constant change could create new equations and unexpected drama. For now, that is the biggest reason to stay curious.
Because when it comes to everything else, the first episode feels like reality TV dj vu. The house is new, but the behaviour is very familiar. Everyone enters knowing exactly what they have signed up for: create a moment, get noticed, and make sure the camera finds them.
Zaid Darbar and Daisy Shah enter as friends who claim they understand each other without words. Niti Taylor and Ruhee Dosani talk about their bond and how they bring out different sides of each other. Nikhil Chinapa and Mini Mathur enter as the experienced names on the show, and while everyone initially seems impressed, that excitement disappears pretty quickly once the game begins.
Kushal Tandon and Arslan Goni's entry is where the drama meter starts rising. The "dono bhai, dono tabahi" introduction feels straight out of a cringe Instagram reel, but their presence does create an interesting situation because of Kushal's past relationship with Gauahar Khan, who is now married to Zaid Darbar. Zaid's slightly uncomfortable reaction does not go unnoticed and considering everyone knows the history, it will be interesting to see whether this awkwardness turns into a storyline.
Payal Dhare aka Payal Gaming immediately creates curiosity because of her popularity, while Dolly Javed and Vansh Singh enter with full reality show energy: loud opinions, instant judgements, and a clear desire to occupy maximum screen space. The drama begins almost immediately, with gossip, foul language, and even age-shaming making an appearance before the game has properly started.
Ravi Kishan and his daughter, Riva, bring a more emotional angle. Ravi talks about wanting to support his daughter and help her win the show, while Riva speaks about wanting to spend more time with her father. The contestants look visibly intimidated by Ravi, while also being charmed by him, and his equation with the younger contestants could be one of the more interesting things to watch.
But the moment the alliances are formed, the show starts walking down a very familiar path. Groups are formed, loyalties are announced, "girl power" discussions begin, and everyone starts calculating friendships and betrayals. It is this behaviour that makes you believe contestants now come too prepared.
The first episode does end with a smart move when one contestant (not telling you who) chooses the game over loyalty and decides to take a risk. While his teammates react strongly, it is exactly the kind of decision that reality shows need because, at least, someone seems to understand that playing safe does not create memorable moments.
Overall, Alliance is not unwatchable, but the first episode does not have the pull needed for a daily show. The format has potential, but the contestants currently do not bring enough unpredictability. Some familiar faces seem to be returning to the reality TV space, while others feel like typical social media personalities brought in purely for noise.
The next few weeks will decide whether Alliance becomes a proper reality drama or just another show that ends up being an IMDb listing. Given the format, we are hoping the team has some surprises up its sleeve when it comes to casting. For now, though, it's quite thanda(cold).
The bunker has opened up, but the real chaos is definitely missing.
There was a time when a new reality show meant a new kind of madness. Now, every few months, we get a new house, a new set of contestants, new strategies but the same promise of unlimited drama. Prime Video's Alliance enters the crowded reality TV space with 16 contestants making and breaking alliances over 42 days. It also arrives a day ahead of Lock Upp, which will stream on rival platform Netflix with almost the same drama on offer.
Hence, the first episode, which premiered today, had the responsibility of making viewers believe that this six-week journey would be worth investing in. After watching the premiere, our biggest takeaway was simple: Alliance has a decent idea, but the excitement is still waiting to enter the bunker.
The show starts with actor Kunal Kemmu introducing the format and taking us inside the underground bunker, 'Kunal Lok', where the contestants will compete. And surprisingly, Kunal turns out to be one of the better parts of the show. He is an unconventional choice for a reality host, but that works because he does not bring the usual over-the-top energy. He is funny, relaxed and manages to become the sane voice among the already rowdy contestants.
The only genuinely fresh element here is the game structure. Unlike other reality shows, where the same faces remain until the finale, Alliance will keep replacing eliminated contestants with new ones, ensuring that the number of players remains the same. This constant change could create new equations and unexpected drama. For now, that is the biggest reason to stay curious.
Because when it comes to everything else, the first episode feels like reality TV dj vu. The house is new, but the behaviour is very familiar. Everyone enters knowing exactly what they have signed up for: create a moment, get noticed, and make sure the camera finds them.
Zaid Darbar and Daisy Shah enter as friends who claim they understand each other without words. Niti Taylor and Ruhee Dosani talk about their bond and how they bring out different sides of each other. Nikhil Chinapa and Mini Mathur enter as the experienced names on the show, and while everyone initially seems impressed, that excitement disappears pretty quickly once the game begins.
Kushal Tandon and Arslan Goni's entry is where the drama meter starts rising. The "dono bhai, dono tabahi" introduction feels straight out of a cringe Instagram reel, but their presence does create an interesting situation because of Kushal's past relationship with Gauahar Khan, who is now married to Zaid Darbar. Zaid's slightly uncomfortable reaction does not go unnoticed and considering everyone knows the history, it will be interesting to see whether this awkwardness turns into a storyline.
Payal Dhare aka Payal Gaming immediately creates curiosity because of her popularity, while Dolly Javed and Vansh Singh enter with full reality show energy: loud opinions, instant judgements, and a clear desire to occupy maximum screen space. The drama begins almost immediately, with gossip, foul language, and even age-shaming making an appearance before the game has properly started.
Ravi Kishan and his daughter, Riva, bring a more emotional angle. Ravi talks about wanting to support his daughter and help her win the show, while Riva speaks about wanting to spend more time with her father. The contestants look visibly intimidated by Ravi, while also being charmed by him, and his equation with the younger contestants could be one of the more interesting things to watch.
But the moment the alliances are formed, the show starts walking down a very familiar path. Groups are formed, loyalties are announced, "girl power" discussions begin, and everyone starts calculating friendships and betrayals. It is this behaviour that makes you believe contestants now come too prepared.
The first episode does end with a smart move when one contestant (not telling you who) chooses the game over loyalty and decides to take a risk. While his teammates react strongly, it is exactly the kind of decision that reality shows need because, at least, someone seems to understand that playing safe does not create memorable moments.
Overall, Alliance is not unwatchable, but the first episode does not have the pull needed for a daily show. The format has potential, but the contestants currently do not bring enough unpredictability. Some familiar faces seem to be returning to the reality TV space, while others feel like typical social media personalities brought in purely for noise.
The next few weeks will decide whether Alliance becomes a proper reality drama or just another show that ends up being an IMDb listing. Given the format, we are hoping the team has some surprises up its sleeve when it comes to casting. For now, though, it's quite thanda(cold).
The bunker has opened up, but the real chaos is definitely missing.
