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Don't touch that dial: Test Pattern tunes into television, movie, music and pop culture links, as well as gossip and idle chat from around the Web.

Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



Reality TV worth falling for

Posted: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 7:54 AM by Kurt Schlosser
Filed Under: , ,

There are two groups of people in this world who take delight in watching people fall down. One group is probably teenage boys. The other is Japanese television audiences. I don't belong to either of these groups, but I might as well because when it comes to moving pictures of people, nothing's better than when those people leave their feet.


I've spent a good deal of time on the Internet (YouTube specifically) watching videos of people accidentally slipping and tripping. I've laughed at people falling off treadmills and others crashing hard on buttered floors. I also laugh pretty hard every time I come across "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge" on cable, which basically answers the question, "What would happen if that guy lost his balance while jumping over that moving thing 8 feet above that muddy water?" Sadistic? Perhaps. Hilarious? Indeed.

Tuesday night ABC brought "Wipeout" to American audiences and for an hour I laughed while 24 mostly talentless people humiliated themselves on national TV (kind of like "American Idol" only with a lot of slippery water hazards). For my money, the entire hour could have been filled with the obstacle where contestants jump from a stable platform onto a big, bouncy ball suspended above water -- Boing! Splash! Repeat.

Hosts John Henson (E!'s "Talk Soup") and John Anderson (ESPN's "Sportscenter") managed to come up with enough nicknames for those involved to keep my wife laughing. I like that there's no sappy backstory to the contestants. It's pretty much all action. We know their names, what they do for a living and what they look like before, during and after a nasty fall. What else is there?

 

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Comments

I havent seen it yet, but I hope its just as funny as MXC.

Des, Fall River, MA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 10:18 AM)

The show was funny for the first minute of each challenge... but then got repetitive. I can't see them having 24 new people do the same challenges next week... it'd just get old.

Nick, Omaha, NE (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 10:50 AM)

I laughed so hard while watching this show that there were tears and snot flying everywhere - it's a MUST SEE!

Joni Sparkman-Strawn, Odessa, Texas (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 10:56 AM)

Ninja Warrior on G4 is amazing.  Athletes from around the world attempt the course and rarely does anyone make it through.  It is so fun to watch Navy Seals, Olympic gold medalists, and other elite athletes use their own unique approach to try to tackle the excoriating course.  You feel like they are all on one team and it is all competitors vs. the course.

Scout Omaha, NE (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 10:59 AM)

I watched it last night and thought it was great.  It's pretty obvious the show is modeled after MXC, which is funnier because it's not on a major network and doesn't have to consider family values.  Think Shrek vs. Austin Powers.  That said, the commentary for Wipeout was still rather witty.  Jill Wagner (from Mercury commercials & Stargate Atlantis) is a nice break from Jim and John and seems to have a good sense of humor.

Looks like they'll have new obstacles next time, so that should help keep it fresh.

JC, Scotia, NY (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 11:13 AM)

I think that MXC is one of the stupidest 'shows' on television.  The fact that not one, but TWO new network shows are being released on the same format shows the remaining impact of the writer strike and that television studios are desperate to fill air time.

Allan, Omaha (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 11:14 AM)

I thought Wipeout was pretty funny-much better than the show after it about surviving a Japanese game show. As long as they mix up the challenges every week, it should continue to be watchable.

Cee Harvard, MA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 11:26 AM)

I love MXC, Ninja Warrior and Most Extreme Elimination Challenge so naturally I love Wipeout. The show is hilarious and without the backstories for every person I am able to watch contestants fall off of obstacle after obstacle. I hope it stays on air for seasons to come! :)

Jessica, Southern California (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 11:32 AM)

I would MUCH rather watch Men In Trees...

Kathy, Connecticut (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 11:46 AM)

This was clearly MXC in America. Even my wife laughed at this mess and she's not fond of it's japanese original. The narrators have to close their color commentary just a little and Jill Wagner has to show a level of respect towards the vic's, laugh with them, not at them, but otherwise, it's what MXC fans have wanted for a lnog time- new episodes .

Paul, Lansdale PA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 11:55 AM)

I watched it last night - it was hillarious.  Although i love watching people fall.  I like that none of the contestants took themselves so seriously, they were just out ot have  good time and it showed!  Fun summer time watching!

Gil, Scottsdlale AZ (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:07 PM)

It's not as funny as MXC, but it was pretty funny in it's own right.   The commentary could be a little snappier, but I think they'll grow into it, as the series continues.

JMK (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:16 PM)

i don't know what this MXC is, but my daughter and i could not stop laughing in the beginning until a commercial aired.  then we went back to laughing until the final challenge which was not to be funny.  we thought it was great and can't wait until next week to watch again.

kim wright (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:41 PM)

I thought it was hilarious.  The big red balls and the hosts comments were the best.  I also liked "I Survived a Japanese Gameshow."

Matt, Tallahassee FL (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:41 PM)

What makes MXC so hilarious, IMHO, is the commentary, the made-up battles between the porn stars and televangelists, the Captain and Tenelle, Guy LaDouche and the not-for-primetime-network blue humor. Sure, the wiping out is great, which is what "Wipeout" is capitalizing on, but watching it for 40 minutes (thank goodness for DVR) last night got a little boring. Even the slightly funny (Jazz Hands!) commentators got grating. I can't imagine a whole summer's worth.

Plus, the last obstacle course seemed like something lifted from American Gladiators....

Bianca Indianapolis IN (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:42 PM)

I had to do a double take because this didn't sound like Gael's writing.  Yes, I see it was written by a man named Kurt.  At the risk of making a generalization, men seem to really enjoy slapstick action like that.  Personally, watching people fall makes me hurt and feel bad for how they must be hurt or humiliated.  I do not enjoy watching it.

marilyn (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:44 PM)

Although funny in it's own right, Wipeout couldn't compare to the classic MXC. The ridiculous obstacles make MXC funny; the voiceovers make MXC hilarious.

Joshua, Oxford, MA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:45 PM)

I thought it was hilarious.  Like you said there is no backstory and the action was great.  This show reminds me of Ninja Warrior.

monica, east lansdowne, pa (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:56 PM)

The show sounded horrible in theory, but like with a car crash, I couldn't turn away... It was pretty hilarious.  Worse yet, I want to know how I can be on the show.  I'm pretty sure I could have taken some of those people down.

tiffany, goodyear, az (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 1:00 PM)

I can't remember the last time my wife and I laughed that hard at a people falling flat on their rear ends. Funny, funny, funny. I agree with Joni from Texas, I had to wipe down the TV screen after each segment to clear it from tears and snot, yuk...

Greg, Springfield, MA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 1:01 PM)

I laughed my you-know-what off. The "announcers" were annoying in the beginning, but their material got better as it went on....

Lynette, Dallas, TX (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 1:03 PM)

I LOVE THE SHOW,  I WAS ON THE FLOOR WITH LAUGHTER
PLEASE BRING THIS SHOW TO CHICAGO

DARRYL WILLIAMS (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 1:20 PM)

For those people who do not know what MXC is, it stands for Most Extreme Elimination Challenge and is a show that took an old 1980's japanese game show called Takeshi's Castle and dubbed over the japenese commentators with new funny english commentary. Wipeout is definitely an off-shoot of this show, and I thought it was almost as hilarious. I am glad to see a fun show during the summer that can appeal to the whole family.

Anne, Madison, WI (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:03 PM)

Wonderful,mindless summer fare! My husband and I were just cracking up! The "Mouth from the South" was the one that had me crying! I'll continue to watch!

Laura, Omaha NE (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:04 PM)

Absolutely loved this show...too funny! I laughed so much my cheeks ached afterward. Can't wait until next week, looks like from the previews they change the challenges a bit.
On the other hand, "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" not so funny. It did remind me of the old Soupy Sales show called "Anything Goes". Now that was funny!

Dana, Sandy, Utah (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:08 PM)

I thought the show was hilarious -- I liked the commentary, the contestants and of course, the balls.... the japanese thing after was kinda funny.  Although that Staten Island girl made me want to pluck her nose hairs out one at a time -- what an annoying child!

Cindy, Hackensack, NJ (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:09 PM)

I love this show and MXC. No games, no scripts, no plotting, no acting. One person immediately reacting to a situation. When they make the wrong decision and screw up, it's halarious.

Tom Wendland, Bethlehem, Pa (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:12 PM)

My four year old and I watched this show together, and if you don't have a four year old to watch the show with you, GET ONE.  It makes it that much more enjoyable.  We loved it.  I really enjoyed the part where that Go Go Dancer wasn't paying attention and that sweeping arm took her out.  Oh yes, I am a 33 yo woman, but a kid at heart.

Natalie (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:29 PM)

Sorry, I strongly disagree. I DON'T find it funny to watch people potentially hurt and/or humiliate themselves and I find it disturbing that so many people do find it so amusing. For the record, I have a great sense of humour. It's just that this sort of "humour" panders to the lowest common denominator...I'm better than that, and I'm hopefully raising my children to think so too.

Chrissy, Edmonton, Alberta Canada (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:34 PM)

I'm going to stick to Ninja Warrior, and Unbeatable Banzuke (G4) and MxC (Spike).  I tried watching Wipeout and it felt strangely reminiscent of the whole U.S. anime knock-off wave that hit Cartoon Network a few years ago.  Or Iron Chef America. *gag*
This brings up a question though...how many of our cliched entertainment conventions do other countries run with?  I know we've taken novellas from Mexico and just about everything Japanese and tried to re-produce it sometimes successfully, sometimes not.  But what of ours is going abroad and being remade?

Leslie, Albuquerque (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:35 PM)

I don't agree with Paul, Lansdale PA, "Jill Wagner has to show a level of respect towards the vic's, laugh with them, not at them,". I found that very refreshing that she was doing what everyone else was doing, "Laughing" without the PC police watching over her.

Lloyd, Mpls, MN (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:02 PM)

Yeah, Chrissy, you sound like you'd be a ton o'fun to hang out with.

My 3 year old and I laughed hard for the first 45 minutes. The last challenge was very anti-climatic.

Mike, Springfield, MA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:03 PM)

I thought Wipeout was hilarious, my 19-year-old though it was hilarious, my 8-year-old thought it was hilarious, my 3-year-old thought it was hilarious. Finally something all of us could watch at one time. "Jazz Hands" was priceless. Sure I encourage them to watch the History Channel and Discovery Channel quite a bit, and I tend to stick to the more cerebral stuff when I get a chance to watch TV, but there's always room for a little bit of classic slapstick.

Keri, New Orleans, LA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:06 PM)

I guess I'll just have to rent movies.  I'ts obvious
that the only thing worth watching on TV will be the
"news" and sporting events.

Mike Taylor, Odessa, Tx (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:06 PM)

Wow. The American public will sit in front of the boob tube and watch just about anything. No wonder we have leaders who can lie to us day in and day out and get away with it.  No wonder we have an obesity problem and a diabetes epidemic.  We have some pretty weird things that pass for entertainment in this country.  No wonder the rest of the world considers us a bunch of bozos.

Tony, Ardmore, OK (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:39 PM)

I have to agree with most of the other posts.  Me, my kids had a good laugh.  I particularly liked the nicknames the announcers gave the contestants, "jazz hands", "candy man", etc.

Paul, Mukilteo WA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:43 PM)

When my 10-year-old & I saw an advertisement for Wipeout several weeks ago, we marked the date on our calendar -- so glad we did!!  Not only was it hilarious, but it's a show I can watch with my children w/o having the remote ready in hand.  

Dee, Long Beach, NY (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:54 PM)

I don't see what could be better than sitting with your family and laughing! This show is not focused towards the uptight, suburban chic, Ultra PC, do-rights of our country. Simple, blue collar, everyday people who can't drive their gas-guzzling SUV to the lake house on a Tuesday will watch the show. If you don't like it, don't watch it! In the meantime, I'll sit on the couch after a long days work, play a board game with or read a book to my kids, all while catching a "funny" new TV show that we can all laugh at. Loosen up people! Laugh! Show uptight people like CHRISSY that there's a little more to life when you can laugh a bit.

Ben, Elk River, MN (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 4:08 PM)

It was great to watch Wipeout. We laughed so hard...which was wonderful. The combination of regular folks getting beat up and the quick wit of the annoucers and shots of the field reporter laughing, was fabulous.

Jill M. Eagan, MN (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 4:28 PM)

Of course you laughed at Wipeout. It's MXC with a different title. So naturally, I made a point of not watching.

EZ, Tacoma, WA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 4:31 PM)

Loved it, laughed through 1/2 a box of tissues, and can't wait until next week. How about the Brit who wimpered "Mommy" when she hit the mud in the first chalenge? It's just regular, out of shape people trying to grab the brass ring, and having it snatched away.
Love the commentary, love the challenges, love the show

Robyn Winterville NC (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:21 PM)

Gosh people - RELAX!!  If you don't like it, don't watch it!

Joni - Odessa, Texas (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:27 PM)

And to the rest of you that laughed like I did - look me  up if you come to Texas - you're my kind of peeps!

Joni - Odessa, Texas (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:46 PM)

Just try to remember the next time you take a tumble in front of a crowd that it's funny to see people get hurt. That should make you feel MUCH better on your way to the emergency room.

Not laughing in Washington St. (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 6:29 PM)

I agree - lighten up people - it's a mindless bit of fluff posed as entertainment.  AND it had us laughing out loud for an hour.  Nowadays anything that can make me laugh that hard has to be a good thing.  Keep it coming ABC; I'll be there.  

Donna Cheshire, MA (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 7:34 PM)

If it's such an awful form of entertainment- why did you read the article and why did you bother watching the show. I'm quite sure the promos gave you enough information as to what the show was about. If watching one hilarious show on tv is going to make me a obese diabetic, well- so be it, but it probably means that a steady diet of News-show watching will lead to bleeding ulcers, so really- what difference does it make. You uptight hypocrites are probably the same car wreck rubber-neckers that cause all the traffic jams in the morning.
I thought it was the greatest show since MXC. The commentators were Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano back in action. Can't wait for next Tuesday!

Tiffany, Cincinnati, OH (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 7:49 AM)

"Wipeout" was a funny show. "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" was stupid.

Ted, Little Rock, AR (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:16 AM)

I don't usually find these kinds of shows entertaining, but the commentators cracked me up. Personally, I'd love to see an hour of people just trying to jump across those balls. And the contestants on these shows know they're going to be laughed at and humiliated, so we might as well watch it. Yes, it's not the most stimulating show, but after a long day of work, I just want to kick back and relax. If you don't like it, change the channel.

Megan, Des Moines (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:36 AM)

Not laughing in Washington: I'm sure the contestants are  made fully aware of the potential hazards and as adults they choose to do it anyway.  And most people who stumble in front of a crowd don't have the benefit of helmets, teeth guards, padded obstacles, etc.  And the only injury I saw was the girl with the broken nail.  Which yes can be painful but hardly worth a visit to the emergency room.

Joni - Odessa, Texas (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 11:29 AM)

 
I still have not heard the answer to many question How many people get hurt while playing that game in Wipe out. Or does not Wipe tell that side of the show.

Pam Whitmore Lake Mi. (Sent Sunday, February 01, 2009 5:18 PM)



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