TV show- soldiers of good fortune

A reality show seeks the military police's top cop by pitting contestants against the hardest hardships and toughest troops.

The soldiers are awoken by the screech of a reveille at 2 am and, standing drowsily in the cold, are blasted with frigid water from high-pressure sprinklers.

Their eruptive drill sergeant barks: "So! Now you're awake!"

The shivering privates are then loaded with weights and sent through a grueling obstacle course and faux battlefield.

These scenes are from Soldiers' Sortie, the country's first reality show to identify elite military police.

The 18-episode series, which took three months to film, pits 100 officers from Yunnan province in a competition to see who will be crowned the "King of Cops".

Contestants will undergo a three-day "demonic training" that includes running, climbing, jumping and wilderness survival to test their speed and endurance. The 18 toughest competitors will go on to the second round, tackling such missions as defusing explosives and nabbing spies.

Three finalists will be recruited by the Yunnan Special Armed Police.

"The initial idea was to make a program for Chinese born after 1990," producer Chen Wudong says.

"The country's reality TV has produced many talent shows that not only attract young fans but also put out new youth idols. But it has yet to be seen what this generation can do aside from singing and dancing. That's what I want to explore."

Chen came up with the idea after seeing a military exercise of young officers in Yunnan, who impressed him with their toughness.

Through Yunnan Satellite TV, Chen contacted the province's Armed Police Corps, the authority of which then agreed to the production of "a documentary-style program about young soldiers' Bildungsroman that will present pulse-quickening training programs".

Chinese TV has offered little insight into what Special Forces officers have to endure to become guardians of the country, Chen says.

"Even if some shows have some scenes about military training, it's likely fictionalized," he says.

"The totally real show will, therefore, be more appealing."

All scenarios are taken from actual training, including the physical readiness tests and active shooter responses, says Zhao Wenzhong, with the station's program department. The Yunnan Armed Police Corps' senior officers selected every situation the contestants face, Zhao says.

"Many will be revealed to the public for the first time. Some training scenarios, such as those related to weaponry and high-tech military devices, can't be shown because they're classified."