TV Recommendation: Ninja Warrior, from Sam Humbert
Ninja Warrior, a Japanese television show, was playing incessantly on one of the cable channels when we were in the Caribbean a couple of weeks ago. Great fun for both kids & adults. Contenders (some of them real athletes, Olympians & etc.) try to scramble across an obstacle course without falling into the moat below, while a breathless hysterical announcer (whose comments are printed as subtitles, in a sort of ESL English) encourages and heckles them. To get the flavor, run the "Top 5 Wipeouts" clip on the site.
Michael Ott adds:
My favorite show along that vein is Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC), which airs on Spike TV. It's an old Japanese show that has been re-dubbed by comedians who make fun of the participants. They come up with hilarious names and preposterous occupations while the contestants do ridiculous stunts. It's a fun way to waste half an hour. My favorite contestant name is Mahatma Running Bear, who is half Indian and half Indian.