Right, one to thing to start of with: This show may not be to everyone's taste. Especially if you're eating something at he time. Got that? Good.
Everyone's favourite Japanese Gamshow has been given a lease of life on an unsuspecting British audience thanks to Challenge TV and Flexitech television and it includes clips from the Japanese version and puts 8 domestic contestant through their paces.
The show is hosted by Paul Ross (who I thought wouldn't actually be that good - but actually he's not bad) and he is ably assisted by his two Nipponese assistants Hoki and Koki. They're there to introduce games, clips and generally be a nuisance to the contestants. They're also surprisingly funny at times although whether they're really Japanese remains to be found out (they occasionally use some REALLY corny lines because they reverse their Rs an Ls).
The other regular person is the lovely Olivia, who plays no real role other than to not wear many clothes and bang the gong that starts each round. The amount of innuendo based around this is staggering!
The eight contestants (of which over 5000 applied but only 144 were selected) are all lined up and then brought forward one by one for a quick chat with Paul. The contestants are all 'up-for-it' and have an extraverted personality and in some cases, just a big head. This provides some funny moments when they lose but ultimately, this is what makes the show acceptable. These people are willing and applied to do this, therefore it's their own bed they're lying in. And what are they playing for? A place in the final for a Round-the-world trip for 2. Not bad!
Each game has a Japanese clip shown before it, some related to what's about to happen, some are not. Let's take a look at the games in the first programme, shall we?
Round 1
Contestants are given a locust quiche to eat as quickly as possible. Mmmmm! however, at the same time, they're feet are being tickled by a machine and they're wearing an eye-mask full of live locusts. The first four people to finish their quich were onto...
Round 2
The four contestants left are split up into twos for the next round. Contestants have to hold onto a bar for as long as possible. Easy! However, the bar is house to several 'starving' live rats, the contestants have an egg in their mouth and live cockroaches down their shirt (they're shown giant ones but the ones that are actually put down are far smaller - a psychological thing). The person out of all four of them who stays on there for the least amount of time is out. However, it gets a bit worse then this. Whilst hanging, Hoki and Koki are trying to break the egg in the mouth with a boxing glove on a stick and sponge the contestants with a big bucket of shit. ('Only joking, it's "only brown!"' but they still don't say what it's actually made from!). The three people who hang on the longest go through to...
Round 3
Contestants have their head into a big clear plastic 'thing'. This thing gradually fills up with lager from a barrel. Contestants have two choices. "They can either dlink rots and have good times or they can drown rike stinking lats". When the gong goes, the lager starts rising. The contestant who can take no more and tips their head forward, emptying the lager is out. This leaves 2 people for...
Round 4
Get this. Contestants have to support themselves on two parallel bars. These are suspended over a toilet seat surrounded by barbed wire and holly and is being heated from below by a bunsen burner. At the same time, they have hot vindaloo poured into their extra-large pants. The person who can stay up on the bars the longest wins (obviously, it's easy to avoid the deadly toilet seat from hell if the contestants get off the bars from one of the ends.) While this is going on, eggs are being thrown against their head and flour and lager are being flung in their faces. The person who stays on the bars the longest is the winner.
And that's it, the winner getting a crown, a sash and a cigar (hilariously, Paul says "Olivia, just a little kiss?", sort of indicating that the winning contestant would get a kiss but in a moment of comic brilliance, she kisses Paul instead. Genius!) and they are through to the final.
What happens to the losers? Ritual humiliation. The contestant is asked if they've had a good time (to which they reply "I've had a marvellous time, you've looked after me really well(!)" then Paul says goodbye the Japanese way (Sayonara) then Hoki and Koki shout "NOW GO HOME!", which the audience start shouting as well. But the contestants can laugh at it so that's alright.
Just before the break of the show they is an audience challenge, where one member of the audience is challengfed to do something for a small amount of money, on the first show it was stuffing 10 baby octopui in their mouth for £10, on Sunday, it was different and a little bit contrived involving a puppet of a one-eyed cock. Exactly.
At the end of the show, everyone sings the Endurance song. Here are the lyrics.
There sees to be a decent variety of games which is a good thing (Of the two episodes they've shown so far, only the ratrun game was repeated) and all in all, I find the show great fun. Not everybody will however. Take it as a celebration of trash TV and Endurance in general and it's great.
VERDICT: 8/10 - A revolutinry truning-point for television that may not be to everyone's taste.
Sayonara... NOW GO HOME!!!!!
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