The camera work is shaky, the music is gritty, and the endings aren't always happy. But the fact that you can almost smell the B.O. on some of the people piling into that truck makes it a raw, more real alternative to the usual sugary sweet. [21 Nov 2005, p.43]

"Random 1" is not nearly as melodramatic [as "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"], but it doesn't manufacture its miracles. It offers small, random acts of kindness, and that is sometimes a much better deal.

Ultimately, ''Random 1" is a portrait of the giving spirit in action, not a fantasy show about happy endings.

The meandering pace of this show feels a little tedious... Still, "Random 1" does offer a more inspiring aftertaste than the saccharine "Scooby-Doo" endings of "Three Wishes."

It's uplifting, but not hugely entertaining. After a while, I sort of think the show will feel tired; once you've seen one good deed done, you've seen them all.

Unfortunately, what could be an inspiring antidote to the never-ending stream of unreal "Reality TV" turns out to be a jumbled, mediocre program with little going for it except its intended goodwill.

There's something a little bit annoying at the core of this reality travelogue that surrounds the means by which the ends are achieved.