I know from the credits that the original footage is taken from a show called “Takeshi’s Castle.” And it’s pretty patently obvious that the show’s creators are riffing on MST3K by overdubbing most of the commentary.
Is the show basically the same in Japan, or is it played more “straight?” What’s the perception of the show over there?
What do you think the odds are that those people really have the professions given by the announcers?
The original is a “reality” type game show, but I’m pretty sure it’s done straight, not as a comedy.
They may have gotten the idea from Woody Allen’s first film.
IMHO, it’s one of the funniest shows on TV.
Sorry. I don’t know the answer to question.
I agree with Capri though. The show is hilarious.
Anyone see the guy do a cartwheel and then attempt a backflip only to land right on the back of his head? I love there names and occupations too.
I just watched it for the first time about 2 weeks ago.
-Shaggarito-
I don’t know the answer to the OP’s question but MXE is great! I record it using ReplayTV so I can bypass all the bad John Henson jokes during the commercials.
Put me down in the MXC fan camp! I love it!
I would really like to hear someone in Japan describe the original “Takeshi’s Castle” so we can know just how much it is being “riffed”. I suspect that the show isn’t entirely done “straight” and has its own humor elements – just not as good as MXC, of course! 
From Takeshi’s Castle Online. Note that this is the site for the UK version of the show, voiced over by Craig Charles (Red Dwarf).
**Takeshi’s Castle is guarded by Count Takeshi ** (Vic Romano - D.) and his henchman. Different henchmen appear in different games throughout the program. The toughest of these are the Elite Guard who graud the castle from General Lee (also known as General Tani) ** (Captain Tenneal - D.) and his volunteers.
In each show, General Lee gets 100 volunteers together who have to pass all the challenges to get the chance to storm Takeshi’s Castle. Each round the numbers of volunteers is dramatically cut down in size as there is loads who do not make it through to the next round.**
From what I gather, the actual show in Japan was played pretty straight, although there was a comedic element in it.
There’s also a decent MXC site here.
Guess I’m not the only fan here, then! 
Good news for you fans (to counteract the bad news I got earlier about Angel’s cancellation): New episodes of MXC will begin in April.
By the way, I would have loved to have been in on this Spike TV pitch meeting:
“Okay, I was in Tokyo about a month ago, and caught this great show where people injure themselves for money…”
Dante, that sounds about right to me. I work for a Japanese company, so one day I asked one of our guys who comes over for assignments about the show. He said it was on about 10 years ago, and your description is pretty accurate. The 100 contestants were trying to join Takeshi’s army, IIRC. (He watched MXC, too!)
It was considered very bad TV over there - the school “PTAs” and such always rated it as the worst show out there for TV - apparently the language wasn’t very appropriate on the original version either.
Count me in as a big fan, too!
I love how they take an obviously Japanese, obviously dubbed show and introduce people as “Janet from Grand Forks, ND”. Cracks me up everytime.
One of my all-time favorite lines was when they were doing the activity where they have to run through doors (some of which are breakable, others aren’t). One guy went diving through and landed on his feet only to slip on his ass. The announcer said “He’s going for the head-first jump … and OH! Gets the butt-first landing!”
“Right you are, Ken!”
My GF stares at me in utter dismay every time I watch. I’m ashamed, but count me in as a big fan.
This show is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I almost stroked out the other night when they had the Monsters vs. Mascots. Very cool to see everyone as Ultraman in the final event.
MeanJoe
This is a little old, but not quite stale yet…
A freind of mine from work grew up in Japan. We started talking about MXC once, and he said that he used to watch Takeshi’s Castle in its original form. His take on it was that Spike TV’s raunchy overdubbing isn’t entirely off the mark compared to what they are actually saying. He said that suggestive humor and innuendo often finds its way into Japanese entertainment. In other words, you might be surprised how close the dialog is to the real thing.
And come on…it doens’t matter what his original character’s name was, there’s no way the Guy La Douche character could be a straight man. You can just look at him and tell he’s there for comedic value, whatever he might really be saying.
I was at my PC with MXC on in the background, my gf entered the room.
“What…the hell…it this?”
As I was attempting to explain it, the announcer made some crude phallic joke about a pole-vaulting female contestant . I got the big :rolleyes: and the head shake as she left the room.
Kind of like what she gets from me when I see her watching Friends.
As others have said, Takeshi’s Castle originally ran in the 80’s and early 90’s, and you can see this from the clothes the contestants are wearing. I think I remember it being an hour-long show, and the beginning is usually cut from MXC. Sometimes they show it, though (it’s the part where the contestants storm the castle en masse, after getting the go signal from General whatsisname). But, I’ve never seen MXC show the final battle. Each episode of Takeshi’s Castle ended with a giant battle in the castle courtyard, with contestants and defenders riding bumper cars armed with water cannons. The object was to take out your opponents by piercing a paper target that each bumper car had as a hood ornament. Occasionally on MXC they end the show with the hosts sitting inside a tank-like thing, and that happens to be the bumper cars from the final part. You’ll also notice that this segment takes place at night. Takeshi’s Castle took place over an entire day, with the contestants supposedly laying siege to the castle, culminating in the final fight. Anyway, that’s pretty much all I remember that’s missing from MXC.
Oh, and Takeshi is Takeshi Kitano, Vic from MXC, who’s a fairly famous actor in Japan now.
Too bad everything else on Spike TV is beyond utterly terrible (except ST: TNG). At least they show MXC for hours on end most of the time.
I forgot to mention, Takeshi’s Castle was on back when American Gladiators was popular, and I remember comparing them and thinking that the Japanese did the format better.
While I enjoy MXC, I would like to see un-edited episodes done for American audiences.
Been watching this one since it started last year. One of my favorites. Been looking for some sites. Thanks Dante.
She’s a dirty girl! has been a running joke in my family ever since we saw it.
I love this show.
The one where they have to run in mud to try to steal a base and beat the catcher, and one guy falls, lands head first in the muck and flips over…I thought he snapped his neck…and they make fun of him as he is trapped.
What is not to love.
This beats American Gladiators hands down. No nancyboy leotards and rippling pecs on MXC. Just japanese in short shorts, grinning for the camera.