Japanese TV

While everyone is talking about Korean TV, I promised a little shout out for Japanese TV.

Of course, I'm not talking about a show currently on TV. Ice Charades deals in the past. That's why I don't twitter, my best stuff comes from 2 decades ago, not 2 hours ago.

So back in 1987 there was one show that we discovered that was an instant hit with all the skaters.

Takeshi Jo (Takeshi's Castle)

At that time, I swear, there was no other TV show that made you laugh so hard. Probably because it made you laugh at another's pain.

So, we made duplicate video copies before our contracts were up, and when we got back to the states we were ready to show our friends and relatives our prize from Japan. I'm serious, this was as good as any Kimono or pearl necklace you could bring back.

And Charles, if you're reading this, I'm still waiting to get back the special Foreigner Episode I loaned you.

When we did show this to our friends and relatives, their friends and relatives and so on and so on all wanted copies.

Thank God we have You Tube today.

It was a crazy show where the Japanese (and occasional foreign) contestants had to go through dangerous stunts to make it through to the finals. It usually involved dodging giant bolders, swinging ropes, or characters dressed as monsters and ended with the contestants landing in water, or worse, mud.

Think you know this show? If you've ever watched Spike TV, you'll know it by the name of Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. Somebody at Spike realized the genious behind this show and re-aired it, dubbed over with funny, dialogue in English. But even in its original format, it was still hilarious.

This show only lasted until 1989 in Japan. It's star, Takeshi, had so many TV shows airing at that time, that we figured something had to go. Or maybe one of the contestants was paralized doing a stunt and they had to shut things down. Who knows.

But it put Japan on the map for some of the craziest stuff you would ever see on TV.