I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the Japanese game show videos on posted on YouTube that grabs my funny bone and tickles it to death. A few of the game shows are actually quite cruel but hilarious all the same. I first discovered Japanese game shows when my husband introduced me to the TV program Most Extreme Elimination Challenge in which contestants run through an obstacle course that is obviously a take off of video games like Super Mario Brothers. Contestants are both male and female as there are noticeably no restrictions on body size, shape or gender. There must be a rule in their game show contract that requires them to come dressed in costume because most of the players on the show are wearing them. Narrators are also dressed in costumes however theirs are far more outrageous. As soon as I saw that YouTube had Japanese game shows in their databases I was ecstatic. I’m including in my list of top 10 favorite Japanese game show clips several different game shows, some of them are like Most Extreme Elimination Challenge while others are far more devious.
1. Evidently the Japanese people find it hysterical to beat the snot out of each other because in this video not only are they being beaten they are laughing about it and coming back for more. I guarantee you that these gentlemen won’t be sitting down for a month of Sundays. Watch for yourself what happens when a classroom full of grown men try not to laugh while one man attempts to speak English. There are no dangerous or gruesome violence in this YouTube video so without giving it away I’ll just say Don’t spare the rod and spoil the…err..children? Watch the video.
2. My. The things you can find on YouTube. Would you venture on to a game show if you knew someone was going to dump you out of a chair and into the snow, backwards, naked? Well these Japanese people did and it’s positively hilarious. No full nudity is shown in these clips but they are indeed naked. Watch the video.
3. For a Most Extreme Elimination Challenge like video this YouTube special goes all out. The obstacles that the contestants run through are full scale and someone always ends up in the water. I’m reminded of the Mario Nintendo games when I watch these clips; the only thing missing is the background theme song. It runs through my head each time I see these. Watch the video.
4. Wouldn’t you rather just watch them beat each other up? Ask and ye shall receive said the wise man. In this YouTube video two Japanese men are playing what looks to be rock, scissors, paper and the loser gets hit over the head with some sort of paper folded like a fan. It’s done at a very fast pace and both men have a helmet to put on if they can manage doing it before they get bonked over the head. One guy finally loses it and goes bananas on his opponent. Watch the video.
5. Japanese game shows are crazy. They’ve gone over the edge, literally in this YouTube video when a grandmother answers a question incorrectly. Her grandson is rigged to a rocket and then bungeed over the edge of what appears to be a small mountain side as punishment for her mistake. Watch the video.
6. The guys in this movie have gone loco. From what I can tell the contestants of this game show are supposed to perform in time to the music using their facial expressions and body gestures. They must have done a good job because the people sitting around watching applaud at the end. Wat
7. Here is another example of strange costumes, beatings and paper fans. I’m not well versed in Japanese culture so I’m assuming these are ordinary every day items in Japan. In this game show there are several men who have their pictures on an inflatable ball. One man rolls the ball and who ever it lands on gets the beating with the paper fan. Watch as more than one get upset but still continues to play. Watch the video.
8. This YouTube movie gives a whole new mean to the term work out. Here we have a group of young kids who are supposed to do as many sit ups as they can as fast as they can. I have no idea why there is a monkey and a dog in this video but they sure do steal the show. Watch the video.
9. Takeshi’s Castle is just like the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. In fact the hosts are the same two guys as well. This is one of my favorite episodes of Takeshi’s Castle because the hats worn by the contestants are the strangest ones I’ve ever seen. I love the commentaries given by Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano. Watch the video.
10. Last but not least, here you can see for your self how funny the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge game really is. If you happen to get addicted, never fear there are plenty of these videos uploaded at YouTube, use Most Extreme Elimination Challenge as your search term to find them. Watch the video.
