Japanese reality game show Takeshi’s Castle is strange enough on its own. A huge group of Japanese contestants (many dressed in random, bizarre costumes) run through obstacle courses to “storm” the castle and win.
The show is fascinating to watch, with creative obstacles that are almost impossible to overcome. One game has contestants trying to run across huge spinning logs suspended above a mud pit. Another forces them to jump from floating rocks to solid rocks across a lake of mud. “The Spinning Surfboard of Death” challenge has contestants jump onto a rotating suspended surfboard 30 feet in the air, then jump over huge stuffed objects and land back on the board. If not, you guessed it: into the mud they go.
The people who participate in the game seem incredibly enthusiastic, even after some painful-looking falls and mouthfuls of sludge. It’s like a strange amalgamation of Fear Factor, Jackass and American Gladiators, so naturally it’s been reborn in the United States.
Starting its third season re-branded as MXC (Most eXtreme elimination Challenge), Takeshi’s Castle has morphed into something even more hysterical in the States. Taking the video and re-dubbing the voices in the show, Spike TV has created a new cult hit.
The narration in MXC is brilliant. Pretending the contestants are divided into two comedic teams (such as “Religious Right vs. Gay Rights” or “MySpace vs. Superheroes”) commentators spit out joke after joke. Although it’s not a family-friendly show, MXC is incredibly detailed and well thought in its type of humor. The re-dubbed voices of contestants saying ridiculous things in ridiculous voices only adds to the absurd hilarity. Toward the end of the show, the 10 most painful eliminations are replayed in slow motion.
MXC begins its third season on Spike TV Nov. 10 at 11p.m. CT. If you find any amusement at the thought of a huge group of people struggling to climb up a greased incline only to slide down the other side right into a mud trench while commentators make off-the-cuff remarks, MXC is the show for you.