Very few things are more fun than watching other people hurt themselves. For years, we’ve laughed along with ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ and cringed as self-proclaimed jackasses maimed themselves on MTV. There’s something extra special, though, when the stunt men are crazy and Japanese.

My roommates and I almost canceled cable this summer because it wasted precious partying time. But when my friend brought over a tape of ‘Most Extreme Elimination Challenge,’ my love for television was renewed.

Forget ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien,’ ‘The Daily Show’ and even ‘The Simpsons.’ This is the most worthwhile show on TV. On their way to becoming ‘The First Network for Men,’ the guys at Spike TV (formerly TNN) stumbled across a gem of broadcasting unsurpassed by even the most creative big-budget productions.

MXC is based on a Japanese game show, ‘Takeshi’s Castle,’ which challenges two teams of ordinary people to compete in elaborate, ridiculous events that test their pain threshold much more than their athletic ability. Boulder Dash competitors race up a steep incline, and if they don’t dodge the rocks that avalanche down the ramp, they get clobbered. The boulders are foam, but they’re about eight feet in diameter, so it makes for some very painful eliminations.

The helmet-clad contestants compete in a seemingly limitless array of other wacky events. In Floaters and Sinkers, they must dash across a river. Most of the stepping stones are solid, but some sink on impact, sending the enthusiastic racers face-first into a pool of sludge. In Big Brass Balls, they carry a golden orb across a narrow, wobbly bridge while weird-ass Japanese monsters pummel them with volleyballs.

The contestants also swing on ropes across lakes to land on a wet, unstable platform, get chased across docks by pirates and fall from perilous heights into a few feet of muddy water. In the obstacle course, they must hurl themselves into one of four identical doors. One is paper-thin and leads to victory, the others are solid plywood and lead to a world of pain.

The first team to complete each event gets a point toward the final trophy. And since corporate sponsorship is awesome, we relive the most bone-crushing defeats through the Taco Bell Impact Replay.

The visuals are funny on their own, but MXC’s voiceovers are its main hook and most uproarious attraction. Apparently the guys who brought the show to the United States don’t speak Japanese, because they skipped translating and just made up an entirely new script, packed with clever quips and colorful commentary. It’s all done in a thick, poorly dubbed Japanese accent, and there’s almost no limit to its crudeness. No social group is spared from torment, and no sexual reference is left to the imagination.

In case you still want more ethnic confusion, characters like fake Frenchman Guy le Douche – one more reason to hate the French – introduce the events. The two commentators, Ken and Vic, appear in ancient Japanese imperial garb and keep listeners entertained as injury and horror unfold before their eyes. Four people do all the show’s voices, and the script is expertly fabricated – not a moment goes by without a sick joke or a rip on pop culture.

The real shocker of Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, though, is its popularity among its audience members. Everyone who watches the show falls in love with it (or falls on the floor laughing), and my friend has been known to skip work when he cannot tape all the episodes. And though Spike claims to be just for men, even my aunt is enamored with MXC. She watches the show religiously and described all of her favorite events at last week’s family reunion. Apparently she’s also a big fan of seeing strangers in pain, because they all ended with a Taco Bell Impact Replay.

Published on August 26, 2003 at 12:00 pm