Welcome to Thunderdome

Posted: **Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:18 am**

This is a show on ABC like MXC (a Japanese show that used to air on Spike). Essentially, contestants run through crazy mazes and obstacles to try and win $50,000.

It's a harmless show and one really watches it to see people wipe out and/or make asses of themselves.

Anyway, no woman had ever won before. In fact, they had never gotten close. So when the final 4 last night was all women my wife was thrilled.

So they went to the last obstacle course where the best time wins the prize. If memory serves me (bonus points for naming that quote - it was the opening line for a hugely popular show), I believe a time between 4-7 minutes was usually what won it last season.

Here are there results:
Contestant #1 - Quit after 13 minutes.
Contestant #2 - 17:02
Contestant #3 - Injured 7 seconds in and quits.
(The first obstacle is sliding down a slide into water. She got hurt. Did I mention that she's a fireman?)
Contestant #4 - Did not finish as she couldn't beat 17:02.

If you were watching this show and getting all pumped up about "girl power" like my wife was, then the finale could not have been much worse. I could visibly see my wife's negative reaction to the efforts put in by the four contestants.

As Paula Abdul once said "Two steps forward, one step back".

On a related note, the producers of the show had better rethink their obstacle courses. The opening obstacle course had 5 obstacles and they have something like 24 people go through it to establish who is going forward. Of the 24 people, not a single person was able to complete any of the obstacles.

In order:
Obstacle 1: A line of beams far enough apart that you really have to be running to land on them. The twist: One is loose. The loose one they stuck in the most obvious position meaning everyone entering the course on a run would go there first just on instinct and then fall.
Obstacle #2: 4 giant balls that I'm sure you've all seen in promos for the show. In last year's full season, I believe 2 people made it across them. One was by accident.
Obstacle #3: A long spinning and circular "log" they have to cross while giant balls are swung at them.
Obstacle #4: 5 huge spinning and circular platforms hung like hammocks the contestants have to cross.

I forget what #5 was, but add in the fact that it was raining and the course becomes impossible. A show featuring obstacle courses gets pretty boring when nobody has a chance to complete even a single obstacle.

Posted: **Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:09 am**

Season 1 was very enjoyable, but so far I'm unimpressed with season 2. I thin kthey made the obstacles impossible in an attempt to get more wipeout moments, but it turns it into a contest to see who can swim the fastest.

The obstacles change every week, so hopefully they'll realize the problem and retune them appropriately.

Posted: **Tue Jun 09, 2009 12:18 pm**

Plus the big balls have changed. People can't fall in between them and get all caught up. It seems to be all one piece now.

Also how friggin hard is the sucker punch wall. I know you are getting hit but it doesn't seem like it is that hard and no one seems to be able to handle it except for a few people.

I also sometimes wish this show was or there was another show that is like Ninja warrior with a more serious slant.

Posted: **Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:07 pm**

Leisher wrote:If memory serves me (bonus points for naming that quote - it was the opening line for a hugely popular show)

Iron Chef.

Posted: **Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:10 pm**

WSGrundy wrote:I also sometimes wish ... there was another show that is like Ninja warrior with a more serious slant.

Ninja Warrior is something I can take seriously when the legit competitors are on there. Some of those hundred spots are given away clearly for novelty's sake. But there's about a dozen or so folk (making it to stage III there confers legitimacy) that have pulled off some INSANE runs thru that obstacle course. Ninja Warrior IS getting to the point of nigh-impossible.

Edited By Malcolm on 1244574623

Posted: **Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:19 pm**

I have a bit of a man-crush on Nagano.

Posted: **Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:15 pm**

Malcolm wrote:
Leisher wrote:If memory serves me (bonus points for naming that quote - it was the opening line for a hugely popular show)
Iron Chef.

Bonus points awarded.

Posted: **Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:29 pm**

I miss The Sweeper. King of the Mountain is stupid.

Posted: **Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:22 pm**

What are the rules as far as skipping an obstacle? Since no one ever makes it across all the challenges in the first stage what would keep me from coming up to the sucker punch wall and just leaping as into the mud as far as I can and make my way across? Same with big balls why not just dive into the water from the start?

Some people seem to take longer making it past a challenge then those that fail and have to swim.

Since object of the show is people making asses of themselves I can see why they don't want people to do this but has anyone heard a rule that says you must attempt the challenge?

Posted: **Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:54 pm**

The rule seems to be that only on the first part can you skip a failed obstacle, after that you have to keep at 'em until you pass or quit.

There may be a "have to try" rule on the first part, but I don't know. It may just be that everyone is optimistic.

Posted: **Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:42 pm**

What are the rules as far as skipping an obstacle? Since no one ever makes it across all the challenges in the first stage what would keep me from coming up to the sucker punch wall and just leaping as into the mud as far as I can and make my way across? Same with big balls why not just dive into the water from the start?

Some people seem to take longer making it past a challenge then those that fail and have to swim.

Since object of the show is people making asses of themselves I can see why they don't want people to do this but has anyone heard a rule that says you must attempt the challenge?

The same thing occurred to me during the episode that inspired this post. It would have been faster to simply jump into the water at the start and then swim all the way across to the finish than to attempt all the obstacles.

Posted: **Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:11 pm**

Well, it seems those obsticals aren't completely impossible. This week one guy almost did the whole first round without getting wet. He barely missed completing the Big Balls. The rest he did fine, even the Fenders.

Amazing.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:05 pm**

I liked the latest addition of having the better looking female contestants wear a bikini top.

At first I wondered what would happen if a really unattractive woman got though and while they can do anything about the face I think the course weeds out those who wouldn't look fine in the top.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:16 pm**

TPRJones wrote:I have a bit of a man-crush on Nagano.

Then you really shouldn't watch the latest Ninja Warrior/Sasuke.

Spoiler below (if anyone cares) ....................

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

No all-star finishes the first round.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:22 pm**

I know, I was speechless when he tanked the Spider Jump. It was unbelievable.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:29 pm**

TPRJones wrote:I know, I was speechless when he tanked the Spider Jump. It was unbelievable.

That's the second-most recent one. He checked out on the first round again next time.

Posted: **Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:44 pm**

Malcolm wrote:
TPRJones wrote:I know, I was speechless when he tanked the Spider Jump. It was unbelievable.
That's the second-most recent one. He checked out on the first round again next time.

He is still competing I thought I saw an episode a while back talking about he was the old man of the competition and that he was going to be retiring.

Posted: **Sun Jun 28, 2009 12:20 am**

WSGrundy wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
TPRJones wrote:I know, I was speechless when he tanked the Spider Jump. It was unbelievable.
That's the second-most recent one. He checked out on the first round again next time.
He is still competing I thought I saw an episode a while back talking about he was the old man of the competition and that he was going to be retiring.

I'm still somewhat impressed there's one dude that's been there for all of them. Nagano has at least a few legit tourneys left.

Posted: **Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:52 am**

Malcolm wrote:
TPRJones wrote:I know, I was speechless when he tanked the Spider Jump. It was unbelievable.
That's the second-most recent one. He checked out on the first round again next time.

Wait, the 23rd is already out?

Any idea where I can find it? G4 just premiered the 22nd last week.

Posted: **Sun Jun 28, 2009 12:38 pm**

TPRJones wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
TPRJones wrote:I know, I was speechless when he tanked the Spider Jump. It was unbelievable.

That's the second-most recent one. He checked out on the first round again next time.

Wait, the 23rd is already out?

Any idea where I can find it? G4 just premiered the 22nd last week.

Alright, shit. I guess I was counting wrong. But he didn't go out on the spider jump last time. It was the weird-ass ring-to-rope-net transfer on the penultimate obstacle of the first round, wasn't it? Was putting on a damned clinic up to that point, too.

EDIT : I suppose we'll kick of a new thread when a new course comes out.

Edited By Malcolm on 1246207279

Welcome to Thunderdome

Wipeout