But there is one reality competition show that's even more entertaining : The obstacle-course show Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, which aired on Spike TV from 2004 to 2007.
Although a few full episodes are available on Daily Motion , and you can pay to see it on Amazon Prime or iTunes, its now a pop-culture footnote. But in the aughts, you couldnt not watch it. Spike TV aired it all the time, with all-day marathons on the weekend. If you were anything like me-single, bored, and easily amused-youd watch in 10-hour stretches. My brother and I once had to turn it off because our faces hurt too much from laughing.
The show was created using repurposed footage from the 1980s Japanese obstacle-course show Takeshis Castle, which was then overdubbed with American-accented English. Despite the fact that the host and casts were Japanese, MXC was an incredibly American show. The premises were entirely re-imagined by the producers. The hosts, who wore samurais-in-Las-Vegas get-ups, were named Vic Romano and Kenny Blankenship. The field reporter was Guy Le Douche.
Two teams were established at the beginning of the show. It might be the Cable TV Workers versus White House Felons, for instance. Or Real Monsters vs Product Mascots. Players were given names like Lance Boil or Loretta Salzano or Rob Tussin. The jokes were stupid-and sexual and scatological-but the stupidity matched the sensibility of the original show so perfectly that it was somehow smart. And it was hilarious from start to finish. (The ABC show Wipeout, which aired from 2008 to 2014, was based on MXC, but it never achieved the outrageousness of either the original or MXC.)
The challenges always resulted in physical contortions and flailing. A contestant had to run up a corridor while Indiana Jones boulders rolled down and they could sneak into cubby holes but there were people in them who would try and push them in front of the boulder. Or a contestant would stand in the middle of a mud pit and try and catch a ball dropped from a crane. (This is more hilarious than it sounds.) The challenges always seemed way, way too difficult . And way too painful .
The best part was: It was never clear what anyone was competing for. The show ended with an arbitrary score and a rundown of the 10 Eliminations of the Day. But its arbitrariness was the whole point: Every reality show that has ever existed-from The Real World to The Masked Singer-is just as random. The show existed to amuse you. No forced drama. All fun. Great show.