I have been watching a brutal game show on SPIKE called Most Extreme Elmination Challange or MXC. My question is, what prizes are these people competing for? I certinly hope they get prizes cause the obstacles they gotta go through are insane!
When the original “Takeshi’s Castle” ran in Japan in the late 80s, early 90s, the contestants were competing for about $5000, as well as something like a VCR or toaster oven.
The purpose of the show was to successfully make it through all the events, in an attempt to storm the castle of Count Takeshi (Vic Romano on MXC, and famous Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano in real life). Each show culminated in a final battle with Takeshi and his henchmen. The games were intentionally so difficult that in all the years the show ran, it was only won a handful of times.
Also, it wasn’t a team-based competition like the overdubbed MXC is. It was every man for himself.
So basically, most of the time, you’re seeing people get banged up for nothing. And even if they won, the prize was pretty nominal.
The show is (was?) broadcast in the UK in its original format—merely translated, like “Iron Chef.” The MXC format is totally different, and doesn’t have any resemblance to TC, except for the footage.
Here’s some info from a fan site…there’s lots of stuff out there if you Google “Takeshi’s Castle”
Oh, and I absolutely love MXC. It’s got to be my favorite show going right now…
Let me add that I was sooooo glad to see the regular MXC back this week after that annoyingly stupid “Live” special they did for the season premiere. I mean, they dubbed ‘new’ footage of already english-speaking contestants?! And Tony Hawk and that Heidi Fleiss looking chick added absolutely nothing.
It was nice to see that the show has become popular enough for this sort of home-spun special, but it just wasn’t that funny.