One of my regular blog haunts is the game show news site BuzzerBlog, and when I logged into it today and saw this post, I couldn't believe my eyes: FOX and Fremantle Media are apparently putting together an American version of the popular Japanese game show Hole in the Wall. I was so flabbergasted that I had to see who else reported on it; sure enough, it was right there in Variety for all to see.If you're not sure what Hole in the Wall is, take a look at the video after the jump. Basically, it's a game of human Tetris: contestants have to bend themselves into the shape of a cutout on a fast-approaching wall. If they do it in time, they go through the wall. If they don't, the wall pushes them into a pool of water. That's it. That's the whole game.
You've seen clips of this show on YouTube, and they've been picked up by the Ellen show and others who are amazed at how dopey the concept is. To those people, of course, it's so dopey it's fascinating. To me, it's just dopey. Like Deal or No Deal before it, the simple concept seems fun during the first few episodes, but gets very old when you realize that's all there is.
I wonder how FOX is going to modify the game for American audiences. Will the brightly-colored set give way to ominous lighting and music? Will the contestants who fail to pretzel themselves through the wall be pushed into a vat of hungry bees? And will they be able to get Regis to host?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-13-2008 @ 2:24PM
Andrew said...
I dunno, it looks kind of entertaining to me...I'd watch the first episode.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:04PM
ac said...
If they did the show like the video clip it would work, but I doubt they would do that. They have to have the dramatic music and sob stories that are supposed to inspire us. Yes this is a dumb idea, its Tetris for chrissake with people! But it did make me laugh. It reminds me of MXC on SpikeTV.
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2-13-2008 @ 2:44PM
amazo said...
dude that clip was hilarious. this might be the best game show ever.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:06PM
Paul said...
Another simpleton Japanese game show that will quickly grow old. The first few shows will probably draw the curious, then even they will prefere re-runs of other shows.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:07PM
JPN said...
Fox will ruin this show. Instead of the quick pace in the clip, they'll do three of these in an hour, with 57 minutes of dramatic lighting, mood music, and contestant profiles.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:09PM
Colin said...
That's the funniest thing I've seen in a while. Who knows, it might get old fast, but I'll definitely give it a shot.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:09PM
Rogphi said...
that was Hilarious!Beats Deal or No deal any day
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2-13-2008 @ 3:10PM
MCW said...
Joel Keller, you are insane, this is going to be the best game show EVER!! I remember seeing clips of it, but that Youtube video collects all of the best clips from it. I am very excited. Fox needs a game show without Bob Saget in it.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:17PM
Gwen said...
I don't see these Japanese game shows except as a YouTube clip so I wonder if it's the same game show but with different challenges. It's a great homage to the zany Japanese if there was an American show that would reformat and have different outlandish challenges.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:20PM
Paul said...
I think there's a possibility to this if they do it right. Like maybe an obstacle course. I don't think fox is going to copy this exactly as it is. But there may be some sort of a leveling to this....maybe a combination of this with the tried and true formula of increasing money prize, or maybe a tag team, or something ridiculous like 5 blocks in a row, and other things. I can see this actually lasting maybe 1/2 a season, at most though 1 season if they really do it right with cool twists. But if they just copy it as is and do the stupid profiles and have like 5 challenges a show, it sure ain't gonna last.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:26PM
Lenny said...
I'd rather spend my time shaving rabid badgers than watching that.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:26PM
Sam said...
I vote for more usage of the "dumb" tag.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:34PM
khamel said...
too many fat people will feel excluded. im fat and wont but im just saying, we americans be chubby.
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2-13-2008 @ 3:49PM
Romain said...
We have this show in France too, it's getting popular...
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2-13-2008 @ 4:05PM
edd said...
Dammit, I'm irritatingly amused! But agreed, will grow old quick. If anyone's seen Takeshi's Castle, it has longetivity through all the different obstacles/challenges it has. This will be very samey unless they shake it up a bit.
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2-13-2008 @ 4:06PM
Cody said...
Deal Or No Deal is so bad, I'm pretty sure it was one of the signs of the apocalypse in the Bible. But at least the idiots who watch it have something to scream at their sets about. If they were to watch this show, what are they going to scream? Americans like to feel like they're smarter than the person on the show they're watching, and so I predict that this won't be successful.
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2-13-2008 @ 5:27PM
Argus said...
Best. Game show. Ever.
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2-13-2008 @ 7:48PM
nattyff said...
a friend of my show me that show in youtube, and i LOL for about an hour. It's hilarius, but i'm not sure if i would enjoy and hour of that. Either way, it's funny as hell.
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2-14-2008 @ 12:38AM
Nathaniel said...
WHY THE BLOODY HELL IS EVERYONE DISSING DEAL OR NO DEAL?
Deal is a legitimately difficult strategy and betting game. It's quite fun to watch, too. I don't know what there is to not like about it.
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2-14-2008 @ 8:21AM
Willy said...
I've seen some clips of this show in the past and laughed really hard. I think it's funny.
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