Banzai (television show)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Banzai | |
|---|---|
 Banzai's Logo |
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| Genre | Comedy Game Show |
| Creator(s) | Gary Monaghan |
| Starring | Masashi Fujimoto Jit Loi Chong |
| Narrated by | Burt Kwouk Eiji Kusuhara |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 min |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Channel 4 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Banzai is a comedy gambling gameshow spoofing the Japanese gameshow and general television style. Each segment of the show was a silly or bizarre contest. The viewing audience is encouraged to bet with each other on the outcome of each segment.
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[edit] Show segments
Betting contests on the show include grannies playing chicken with motorized wheelchairs, amputee football, egg eating, blindfolded gas pumping, and the length of time it would take an object to hit the ground after being dropped off a roof. The show also sometimes intentionally skirts the bounds of what some people would consider appropriate television content, as in contests to guess which person in a lineup has the longest penis, or the biggest breast implants, or which prostitute offers the cheapest services. Some minor celebrities took part in the stunts, including Keith Harris and Ian Smith and the occasional more major celebrity like Rutger Hauer.
The show's MC, Mr. Banzai, played by opera singer Masashi Fujimoto, does not speak except for saying and singing the word "Banzai" in different ways.
[edit] Regular Segments
- 'Mr. Shake Hands Man' (Ryozo Kohira), who maintains a handshake with a celebrity for as long as possible. Eventually, he began to be recognised by his intended targets and was replaced by American actor, Tadao Tomomatsu. The longest handshake was with Donna Air and lasted just over 4 minutes.
- 'Lady One Question' played by non-professional Shizuka Hata, who poses as a celebrity reporter, asks a single interview question and then stares silently at the interviewee. Whereas Mr. Shake Hands Man would be met with bemusement and laughter, when Lady One Question would be silent the interviewee was often very concerned, thinking they'd offended her; the most notable being June Whitfield.
[edit] Broadcast History
Banzai first aired in the UK on E4, and it was repeated a few months later on parent channel Channel 4. It was later picked up for broadcast in Canada by Citytv, which broadcast the original uncut episodes of Banzai on Wednesdays at 10:30pm. It was picked up by USA for a short time. In this incarnation it was cut up and wrapped around a movie. Then in 2003, FOX picked up the series in the United States, airing its first episode on July 13. After six episodes, however, pressure from Asian-American groups led FOX to drop the show. In early 2004, the show found a new American home on Comedy Central. Reruns moved once again on March 6, 2006 to G4's late night block, Midnight Spank, but as of December 8, 2006, G4 has dropped Banzai from its schedule, but shows it to fill in unused air-time. The recently-opened Philippine cable channel Jack TV also runs Banzai in a primetime weekend slot.
Banzai is sometimes mistaken for a Japanese-produced show, such as on Comcast's interactive guide. It is, in reality, a British show.
[edit] DVD Game
RDF, the license-holder of "Banzai", has also worked in conjunction with Screenlife, the makers of the popular Scene It? DVD games, to make possible the creation of a DVD board game for the show (Banzai.com). The game DVD is packed with lots of the best clips from the actual show and uses plastic sushi pieces as the main betting and winning device. Players must use chopsticks to transfer four types of wacky sushi characters (King Fu Carl - the world's last starfish assassin, Lois - the Louisiana Squirrel Roll, Chum and Tako's Tentacle) into the main community betting bowl. Whoever transfers the most for that round gets to put down a numbered or lettered betting card in conjunction with the "Banzai" clip in the hopes of getting it right and winning all the sushi in the community bowl. The player with the most sushi wins the game. The "underground" appeal of the show and the game has also contributed to drinking game rules. The show's MC Mr Banzai, also stared in the making of the DVD as the man who jumped out and shouted "DVD!" and done a number of comical things on the DVD.
[edit] Controversy
In 2001, two years before FOX aired its first episode of Banzai, USA Network aired clips of the Channel 4 edition of the show as part of their Banzai Movie Friday. Asian-American groups objected to the clips. Meanwhile, the show's website (now removed) maintained:
| “ | THIS SHOW CONTAINS SILLY BEHAVIOR, UNREALISTIC CHARACTERS, AND BAD VOICE OVERS. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO INSULT OR OFFEND. DO NOT TRY ANYTHING AT HOME, TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY, OR IMITATE OUR IMITATIONS. ABOVE ALL, ENJOY THE SHOW. | ” |
When FOX picked up the show, the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans protested outside the a presentation of the show in Hollywood. Group co-founder Guy Aoki told BBC News, "It's just all the backward images of Asian-American people. This is like an Asian minstrel show. Can you imagine the black version of Banzai?" [1][2].
The show also caused controversy in 2002 when they attempted to record a sketch during the Queen Mother's funeral. The film crew were reportedly trying to measure the speed of the funeral procession with a speed gun to allow viewers to bet on the speed. The police however stopped this before the procession could pass. [3]
[edit] External links
- Banzai at ukgameshows.com
- Boycott FOX to Stop Banzai - Modelminority.com's article on their online petition to FOX to keep Banzai off the air.
- FOX Defends 'Banzai' Against Charges of Racism - News story from Zap2it.com.
