Takeshi's Castle Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Takeshi's Castle (風雲!たけし城) was a Japanese reality/game show that aired from 1986 to 1989. It featured the Japanese actor, Kitano (Beat) Takeshi as Count Takeshi. The show has become cult television in Japan, where the fans are referred to as "Keshi-heads." It aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System in Japan.
In the United States, it airs as MXC (formerly Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) on Spike TV. The American version provides dubbing and commentary in English that effectively spoofs the original show. In England, a shortened version given a comedic voiceover by Craig Charles has been shown on cable TV channel Challenge since 2002, and Germany also had a dubbed version (DSF).
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2 Challenge/UK 'version' 3 MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) 4 External links |
The show featured such challenges as crossing over a bridge while being fired at by cannons, jumping on a circling mushroom spinning over a lake, or running into/through doors as well as many other types of challenges. There have also been special competitions such as the couples challenge, the children's competiton and the international challenge (featuring all countries except Japan).
In the original show, it involved 100 - 150 contestants who General Tani (known as General Lee in the English version, and Captain Tenneal in the US) effectively tested and challenged, eliminating some and keeping others. Each show finished with the Final Showdown/Final Battle where Count Takeshi was faced by the remaining contestants. If they hit the paper ring on his cart with their water gun the castle was taken and the game "won".
In April, 2003, Spike TV (then called The New TNN) began airing a comedy-oriented dub of the series, called Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (or MXC).
In MXC, two random teams are pitted against each other (eg. Inventors vs. Former Child Actors) in events with names like "Sinkers & Floaters," "Rotating Surfboard of Death," and "Wall Bangers." "Vic Romano" and "Kenny Blankenship" provide commentary throughout, and at the end of each show, Kenny counts down ten "Most Painful Eliminations of the Day."
Each contestant has been nicknamed by the show's translators after a famous celebrity. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see participants with names of famous athletes or Hollywood stars (e.g. Hugh Grunt) competing on the United States version. As well, nearly every episode features one contestant with the family name "Babaganoosh." Contestants of that name are said to have some connection with the Middle East.
On April 22, 2004, Spike TV aired a special edition of the show to start the second season, featuring Tony Hawk and snowboarder Tara Dakides. This was filmed at the Nickelodeon studios in Orlando, Florida using students from nearby colleges, and appropriately dubbed MXC: Almost Live. The special edition is not based on the original Takeshi's Castle footage, but only has some added in for Vic, Ken, the Captain and Guy LeDouche. Actors were hired to play those who would replace the roles of the latter two. With the second season, Spike TV officially changed the name of the US version to MXC.
The staff give no regard to what is really happening in the original footage, and instead resort to non-sequiturs, crude humor, and innuendo. This is done to facilitate the tastes of the intended audience as well as for the creative fun of it.
Many of the characters and contestants are played by producers of the show. Vic Romano, whose lines replace those of Count Takeshi, is played by Victor Wilson. Kenny Blankenship, the MXC counterpart of Takeshi's advisor, is played by Christopher Darga. While Romano is kind of level-headed, Blankenship is kind of stupid. John Cervenka plays "Captain Tenneal", who replaces General Tani. Tenneal's views are conservative and self-absorbed. Cervenka also acts as the voice of the field reporter, whose MXC name is "Guy LeDouche", a Frenchman who has strange fetishes. Cervenka is also the announcer for the opening and the breaks. The female voices are mostly done by Mary Scheer.
This is an Article on Takeshi's Castle. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Takeshi's Castle Original Takeshi's Castle
Characters
Challenge/UK 'version'
Craig's Quotes
~ What a wazzock
~ He's a Happy Clappy Jappy Chappy
~ New ribs/teeth/spine/balls etc please!
~ Protect your love spuds/gunnels/Ted Evans/happy sacks etc.!
~ I've never said this before - no winners this time on Takeshi's Castle
~ Don't let the guards penetrate the ring on your shiny red helmet!
~ Specially shipped in from a pig farm in Southern Japan
MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge)
Characters
Quotes
External links
