Synopsis
It’s fairly common to bring ideas from other cultures and bring them into American television shows. We have done it with gameshows (Lingo) and we have done it with movies (Ring). However, sometimes we simply wish to recreate shows in our image. Rarely, we just go ahead and use the same show and edit it to suit our tastes. Enter Most Extreme Elimination or MXC. This show (part of SpikeTV’s late night lineup) is simply the Japanese show; Takeshi’s Castle peace me…led together with new commentary and a different focus. (I’ll explain more later in the extras).
The idea of the show is that there are two made up teams (like Beauty Pageants Industry vs Military Personnel) who run thru several events trying to not get eliminated along the way. Being eliminated is sometimes falling off something (into muddy water usually) or other times falling down and unable to continue. The person who makes it through scores a point for their team. What sets it apart though is the hilarious commentary during the show by hosts Kenny Blankenship & Vic Romano. There are also the sideline reporters; Captain Tenneal and Guy Le Douche. Some of the eliminations really are painful to watch but would be nothing without the commentary. Sure it’s silly, sure it’s childish at times. It is like watching Nascar for the wrecks or hockey for the fights. Simply, it is good entertainment.
Video
The video is in the standard 1.33:1 television aspect ratio. It looks pretty good, nothing too alarming. The footage is actually from the late 80’s and then reedited, cleaned up and shown for broadcast. So it does reasonable for what is presented.
Audio
Audio we get in Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 in English Only. The dubbed audio is clear since it was recorded only a couple of years ago. There are some good sound effects but they are just the thud and splash of the water for the most part. It’s exactly what’s needed, but nothing special.
Special Features
Automatic Trailers: The Host (a Japanese Horror film of some sort…looks to be rather scary but not quite as scary & creepy as some Japanese Horror flics) & Tears of the Black Tiger (looks to be a Japanese spaghetti western, about as bad it sounds)
Disc One Extras
Original Episode of “Takeshi’s Castle” (Episode #61): A brilliant extra on the part of MXC crew. This is how the episodes play out in Japan. Let me tell you upfront, it’s not the same show. Yes it is supposed to be funny. However, the show runs roughly an hour and it starts out with about 100 contestants. They run about 7-9 events and there are no teams, you get eliminated, you don’t get to continue. There are prizes for bravery and an overall prize. There is some good dry Japanese humor included here and it does seem to run a bit long compared to the edited MXC. It is vital though to watch this if MXC interests you at all. This makes for a very interesting transition from Show A to Show B.
Disc Two Extras
Kenny Blankenship’s Top 25 Most Painful Eliminations of the Season: This is a collection of what they consider the 25 most painful eliminations. Most of them I agree with, however some are a bit weak.
Behind the Scenes of “MXC”: A look at how they produce the show. Kinda destroys the magic of the show but explains some of what is going on when they edit and provide commentary for it.
Final Thoughts
MXC is a fascinating show. It’s not for everybody to be honest and some people simply won’t get it. It’s taking a Japanese show that probably wouldn’t be a really big hit if it was simply regurgitated over here. So they edit it massively and the American audience accepts it and enjoys. It has some great (but a little silly) humor and provides for a nice 22 minutes of leave your brain at the door and appreciate what is in front of you. Naturally you probably should watch it on Spike TV’s late night lineup or buy the first season before you dive into Season 2. However, since there is no continuation from season to season; it really doesn’t matter. So enjoy, and don’t get eliminated!
Episodes
Food Service vs Hobbyists
Hi-Tech vs Civil Service
Cable Tv Workers vs White House Employees
Reality TV vs Animal Lovers
Toy & Games vs Office Workers
Beauty Pageants vs Military Personnel
Entrepreneurs vs Hotel Staff
Former Olympians
Entertainment Media vs Unions
Wedding Industry vs Trucking Industry
Financial Industry vs Alcohol Industry
*Real Monsters vs Commercial Mascots (AKA “The Monster Show”)
Fast Food vs Aerospace (AKA “The Winter Show”)
*-edited
Special Features List
- Original Episode of Takeshi’s Castle (Ep. 61)
- Kenny Blankenship’s 25 Most Painful Eliminations of the Season
- Behind the Scenes of “MXC”
- Automatic Trailers (2)
Screenshots
