Synopsis
I like to consider myself both wild and out. Not knowing a helluva lot about Nick Cannon, other than he seems to be an entertainer that’s heavily produced to appear in movies and release the occasional rap/R&B album, kinda like a taller version of Bow Wow, with a little bit more emotional depth and a lot less charisma. The kind of guy that the ladies (that what I like to call them) take a fancy to, without knowing…what he’s famous for.
I wasn’t too surprised to see that MTV would give him…a show, I mean after all, they routinely provide a forum for wealthy teenagers to act(?) like spoiled brats in the runup to the celebration of their 16th birthday. I’d expect something that was high on production and entertainment, minus the fun. Instead, Wild ‘N Out is equal parts sketch and improvised comedy (with a sprinkling of musical performances), with a slew of artists and actors designed to cater to the young demographic. So now, Paramount has released the first season of the show onto DVD, all 10 episodes. Is it worth it?
First off the episodes are split over 2 of the 3 discs, with disc 3 covering the extra features. The episodes aren’t too bad, and feature introductions by Cannon. They aren’t without musical performances however, and most of the artists are apparently people that are big in the water park and roller coaster ride circuits during the summer. The comedy troupe is broken down into two teams, and the winning team on each episode is ruled the funniest. So it’s kinda like Martin meets Whose Line Is It Anyway? meets Fight Club. There’s a good mix of guest stars in this little 10 episode run too, starting with Orlando Jones Evolution in the first episode and later Kenan Thompson Fat Albert. You’ve also got artists like Kanye West and the Ying Yang Twins that appear too. The wrinkle is that the artists do some improv comedy, which is occasionally worth a chuckle or two.
Audio
A slight disappointment here, as this show that’s full of fun and activity and airs on MTV only gets a Dolby Stereo mix. You’d expect a little more from it, but considering there’s not much music associated with it (which was what I presumed this had in it), it sounds clear as a bell.
Video
Just like 97% of all the other shows on TV, full screen treatment, which doesn’t appear to be neither wild nor out. But it all looks OK, much like the days they were broadcast, so why bother to gripe about them?
Special Features
Aside from two discs worth of uncensored material, the third disc has the stuff that was too hot for TV. You’ve got a bunch of sketches that didn’t make the air, along with a “Best of WildStyle” compilation. For those who don’t know what WildStyle is, picture the rap battles in 8 Mile, with people that like to mug for the camera and aren’t as imaginative. But there’s a half hour of it here, so I guess they’re doing something right. There’s a still gallery, a look at the “Fly Girls” or “Wild N’ Out Girls”, and there’s a bunch of bloopers or really tired improv that completely bombed.
Closing Thoughts
Those of you who have seen the show before and enjoyed it will be glad to know that the first season of Wild ‘N Out is loaded with some nice extras that make it worth buying. If you wanted to be a real completist, commentaries with Cannon and his comedy posse would have been the icing on the cake, but this is a worthy pickup for fans of the show and/or Cannon.
Special Features List
- Unaired/Extended Sketches
- Unaired Games
- Best of Wildstyle
- F’Ups and Bombs
- Photo Gallery
