20May2008
FOX Greenlights “Hole in the Wall”
Just to firmly establish the point that the summer rarely has any good shows on and you should really be outside enjoying yourselves instead of watching television, FOX greenlit the game show Hole in the Wall for 13 episodes. The show’s basically human Tetris to some extent: just fit your body through hole in a wall that’s coming at you rapidly. If you do it you move on. If you don’t you fall into water. Cynopsis says that it’s a hit in several foreign territories but I think they need to be aware that the show is not stand alone; it’s part of a larger show because no one is that obsessed with television to watch an hour of this. But hey, if you think you can, watch the clip below eight times in a row.
I think the first couple of eps. will do well but its gonna get old quickly, like you said,
and I’m having slight concerns about injuries, like the fall that guy took at around 2:05 I fell on some ice like that back in February and the doctor told me I narrowly avoided a concussion. I was having a migraine when the ambulance came.
What makes many of these “Human Tetris” clips on YouTube so enjoyable are the personalities. Most of the “contestants” are famous comedians of Japan, and there is a lot of playful banter and shenanigans to make the segment/show memorable. In the States, it seems, that once you introduce money-driven competition and TV-approved eye candy with lackluster personalities, the show isn’t as worthwhile.
For the general viewing audiences, it’s funny seeing people get hurt (look at the successes of “America’s Funniest [Home] Videos” and the like), but without the personality driving the show, this will be yet another show that will fade away without many people caring.
Ugh, another snoozefest. Thanks, FOX.
Why is this a YouTube hit? Because YouTube’s all about clips of up to ten minutes in duration, sometimes a lot less.
Translate that to television, and you have something that needs to be part of a variety show. There’s got to be other similarly amusing oddities on YouTube that could be allied with this to create some weird hybrid format.
I’ll wait and see how the US version ends up…
Looks funny and entertaining, but yes it may get old.
Thing is, it’s getting picked up by MANY countries around the world. So it may just be a hit in some areas, maybe.
Looks like an extended Truth or Consequences stunt…hard to imagine building an entire show around that. Bring back the broken crockery and safety goggles from Beat the Clock — now that’s dangerous TV for you…
I wills ay this — Fox has variety. This and The Moment of Truth demonstrates that.
Surprised you haven’t commented on ABC’s new show “Wipeout” – can you say “Takeshi’s Castle”?
I disagree with some you. I think it is interesting that they have a game show for humans jumping through holes. It is original. I can see myself watch all 13 episodes.