Game shows can be a lot of fun to watch. You can watch people test their skills, knowledge, and endurance, all in the pursuit of cash and prizes. Sometimes, you can even play along from home. Game shows first started popping up on radio and TV in the 1930’s. By the 1950’s, with television becoming more a regular fixture in homes, game shows really started to take off. The longest running game show on network TV in the world is “The Price is Right”, which has been around since 1972. Some game shows like “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” and “Deal or No Deal” have enjoyed massive world-wide success. With all the game shows out there over the years, you know there are some bizarre ones out there. We definitely found a few.
Japan is an amazing place, and people there are nothing if not inventive! The Japanese people also extend that ingenuity to their game shows. Remember the “Is It Cake?” craze from a few months ago? Well, this show was doing that before it was cool. The premise of “Candy Or Not Candy” is quite simple. The host offers contestants objects to put in their mouth. It’s up to that person to open up, take a bite of the object, and find out if it’s candy, chocolate, or just a regular old object. It’s actually pretty hilarious to watch. Though, we were seriously concerned for the lady who bites the table for a minute.
This game show is actually based on a centuries old children’s game. In it, four adults (2 men and 2 women) would play a giant board game set up in an arena. The goal was for contestants to navigate the 63 spaces set up, to lend at the end by exact count. Players would “roll” an electronic dice to advance along the board, earning money for each roll. They would then use that money to wager how well they thought they would perform at challenges. Seems pretty standard, right? But then, you get to the challenges themselves. One resulted in horrible haircuts, or shaved heads after failing to answer trivia questions. Another was called “kiss or a slap”. Other consequences for failing challenges included leg hair waxing and having your feet licked by a goat.
Back over to Japan for this one. Game shows can certainly be entertaining, and this one definitely is. “Brain Wall” is actually a part of the game show “The Tunnels”. But, this particular portion of it became a hit and actually spawned several other spin-off shows in other countries. The premise is something like human Tetris. Players have to manipulate their bodies to fit through the cut out holes in an advancing wall. Simple, weird, and pure gold.
