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Conveyor
Restaurant/Big Bugs Splat on Windshield
June 24
It all starts with a montage
of Japan, its culture, its technology, and the point of the game, that
ten Americans will go where none have gone before, into the wild world
of Japanese game shows. They'll perform the craziest stunts, and the
most humiliating challenges, all in pursuit of the prize of $250,000.
But of course, like all of the craziest reality shows out there, the
contestants know nothing about what they're getting into. They just
thought they'd be competing in a traditional reality show.
Cut from the sunrise in Japan to the sunrise at...
LAX, 7 AM.
In come the contestants from
their various planes. Let's meet them, shall we?
Andrew Kelly-Hayes: 28; Boston
Bilenda Madison: 38; Charlotte
Justin Wood: 24, Trussville, AL
Darcy Sletager: 31, Sandpoint, ID
Cathy Nardone: 21, Staten Island, NY
Ben Hughes: 44; Punxsutawney, PA
Donnell Pittman: 32, Chicago
Olga Medvedev: 26; Medford, MA
Meaghan Cooper: 22, San Antonio
Mary Greenawalt: 23, Matthews, NC
Onto the bus they go, to meet the host, Tony Sano (Previously known as
one of the hosts for MTV's Spring Break in Japan). He introduces
himself, then asks the contestants whether they're ready to begin the
game. They respond pretty excitedly, and then the bus stops...at the
International Departures terminal. Everyone looks shocked when Tony
tells them they're at their destination, before he reveals that they're
going to...Japan! There's celebration among the contestants, and they
take off to...
SHIBUYA SQUARE, TOKYO 8:15
PM
A bus pulls up, and the
contestants step off it, most of them shocked at the extreme differences
between America, and the busiest intersection in the world. Justin puts
it best: "I've never left the States, much less rarely leaving the
South, and we're in a Times Square, but instead of seeing English ads,
you see nothing but hieroglyphics." Tony greets them in Japanese, and
then reveals one of the twists. They didn't know how much they were
playing for, but he tells them about the quarter mil in it for the
winner. Everyone is understandably excited, I mean, who wouldn't be?
They then jump back on the bus to go to their Japanese house in Kasai,
across the Rainbow Bridge from Tokyo. The contestants take a look around
the house, a little surprised at the food left out for them and the fact
that the beds are on the floor. But then, the magic happens. They find
out the toilet...has a remote control. Donnell does his best William
Shatner impression in the
confessional, stating this fact. Of course, all fun times must come to
an end...down comes Mama-san. Everyone thinks how cute she is, until she
yells out to take off their shoes and meet in the living room. Mama-san
ain't joking as she teaches them Japanese custom, including how shoes
are not allowed in the house. And then, she shoos them off to bed.
Cut to the next morning. The contestants wake up, and load onto a bus.
They were told they're going on a tour, and head through the heart of
Tokyo to the legendary Toho Studios. (Oh my god, it is Gojira studio!)
Tony meets them there, and gives them their guest passes before they
head in. They take the tour, until they get to Stage 10, where they're
told a Japanese show is filming right now. "Unexpectedly", the door
opens and they're led inside the set, thinking they would see a show
being filmed...instead, they're ushered onto a dark set, with a
spotlight on them. And then, a voice...
"Hello Americans! Welcome to...Majide!"
The lights come up to reveal
the game show set... "And the game starts right now!"
And then the contestants
realize exactly what they've gotten themselves into as we go to break...
After the break, a slight flashback on the Majide set. The host tells
the audience that the guests are Americans today, then asks the crew to
turn off the lights and everyone to be quiet until the Americans walk
in. And we come back to the point where the contestants walk in, and
they realize what's going on. We meet the "Majide" host, Rome Kanda
(from The Pink Panther), though the contestants can just call him Rome.
They're given the information that Majide means "You've Got to be
Crazy!" They're told to go backstage and get ready for the first game,
where they will be split into two teams. A yellow bib puts you on the
Yellow Penguin team, and a green bib puts you on the Green Monkey team.
At the next 'break' on the Majide set, they're sent backstage to put on
their outfits: a business suit, their contestant bibs, and a helmet with
a box on top. And the teams are:
Green Monkey Team
Ben, Donnell, Mary, Meaghan, Olga |
Yellow Penguin Team
Andrew, Bilenda, Cathy, Darcy, Justin |
And now, with the players on
set, time to reveal the first game:
CONVEYOR RESTAURANT
One player is the Eater, and stands in an elevated box while his
teammates, one at a time, run down a treadmill to get to the Eater, who
must eat a mochi ball, a Japanese delicacy, from their teammate's helmet
without using their hands. They then hit a buzzer, signaling their
teammate to drop down on the treadmill and get pulled back into a vat of
flour. The team with the most mochi balls eaten in 4 minutes wins.
So, time for the teams to choose their Eater. For the Green Monkeys,
it's Donnell, and the Yellow Penguins choose Andrew. And to make sure
there's no cheating, we introduce Judge Bob, who will watch the events
and make sure everything is fair. Judge Bob then decrees that the Green
Monkey team will go first, so the Yellow Penguins go backstage to watch.
Ready? GAME START!
Mary gets on the treadmill first, it takes a few seconds for Donnell to
get the mochi, but...it's good! He buzzes her to fall back while he
tries to eat the mochi. Of course, to get the point, he has to swallow
the whole thing. The first time he checks with Judge Bob, Bob buzzes
him, but he soon gets it down. (1)
Olga...good! (2)
Ben...no good! He falls, and into the flour he goes.
Meaghan...good! (Some were edited out, score at 5)
Mary...good again! (6)
Two minutes left, the treadmill goes faster now.
Olga...no good! She falls.
Ben...good! He falls, though his leg catches the glass wall where they
enter, causing him to spin around before he hits the flour. Andrew:
"Dude, he eats it!" Good enough for an instant replay too. (no score
display)
Mary...3 for 3! (9)
Meaghan...good! (10) GAME END!
That leaves the Green Monkeys with 10 mochi. Big man-hugs between
Donnell and Ben as they head off the stage, flour and all.
After the break, it's the Yellow Penguins' turn to play. To win, the
Yellow Penguins need 11 mochi or more. So with that...GAME START!
Justin's first...and it's good! (1)
Cathy...drops the mochi ball! No good!
Darcy...no good, she falls as soon as she gets on the treadmill.
Bilenda...drops the ball, no good!
Justin...good! (2)
Darcy...falls again! No good!
Cathy...good! (3)
Justin...good! (4)
Bilenda...good! (5)
Darcy...still batting .000!
Bilenda...good! (7)
Justin...good! (8)
Bilenda...good! (9)
Thirty seconds left...can they do it?
Cathy...gets the mochi to Andrew, but can he eat it in time? No! GAME
END!
GREEN MONKEY WIN!
Now for the fun part...the winning team in a team challenge gets a
reward. In this case, it's a helicopter tour of Tokyo! However, failure
in a challenge gets a punishment. The Yellow Penguins, instead of
getting a tour, will be giving a tour, running their own rickshaw
service in Old Tokyo. Not only that, but they must choose two members to
participate in the Elimination Game, one of who will go back home.
[audience oohs]
The next day, Mama-san comes into the house and drops a pile of clothing
into the Yellow Penguins' room. "Losers! Wear this!" I love Mama-san.
They put on authentic rickshaw drivers' outfits, while the Green Monkeys
get dressed nice for their tour. And Cathy seems to be one of those
people who just can't get ready on time...first fixing her clothes, then
heading to the bathroom as everyone waits outside for her. Mama-san
eventually gets her out, and the Green Monkeys head out with Tony in a
limo, while the Yellow Penguins head over to Old Tokyo to learn how to
drive rickshaws with Yoshi, their boss for the next few hours.
The winners are surprised when they get the red carpet treatment leading
up to their helicopter, and love the amazing helicopter ride over Tokyo,
seeing such sights as the Rainbow Bridge and the Imperial Palace. They
then take a limo ride to the Tokyo Tower.
The losers, on the other hand, get to take their two hour shift as
rickshaw drivers. Plenty of shots of the Americans looking dumb trying
to speak English to the people wanting to ride the rickshaws, and Andrew
puts it best. "I can pretty much say whatever I want, right?" And then,
the sumo wrestler. You just KNOW there had to be one they'd grab that
day, and Cathy gets him. And I have to say, the sumo wrestler is quite
cute, in a bizarre way, just the way he gives that wide smile every time
the camera's on him. They finish their punishment, and bus it back to
Toho Studios, where the producer lays down the rules once more...they
have to choose two people for the Elimination Game, and they have to do
so now.
First choice is naturally Darcy, and she was willing to head into the
Elimination Game anyway, considering her performance, so that leaves one
more. They bounce around between Cathy (for being late) or Bilenda (for
getting the second least mochi balls in the Team Game), and eventually
settle on Bilenda. The two suit up as large insects (Darcy: "Why? Why am
I a bug?"), as the Green Monkeys return from their tour to watch the
game. And now, the elimination game is:
BIG BUGS SPLAT ON WINDSHIELD
The contestants run up a ramp, then jump onto a trampoline, where
they'll aim to stick their marker onto the targets on the wall they hit.
Oh, and did we mention each time they'll have a slime balloon attached
to their chest? Most points after 3 rounds stays in the game.
Judge Bob decrees that Bilenda shall splatter first, so with that, let's
begin:
ROUND 1!
Going for the lower right target here, 1-3 points.
Bilenda...Host: Are you ready? Bilenda: No. [audience laughter] Go! She
jumps and gets...2. (2-0)
Darcy jumps...Bullseye! 3 points! (2-3)
Darcy's in the lead going into...
ROUND 2!
Middle left target this time, worth 4-6 points.
Bilenda jumps and gets...Bullseye! 6 points! (8-3)
Darcy jumps and gets...Another bullseye! 6 points! (8-9)
ROUND 3!
Highest target on the board, worth a big 7-9 points.
Bilenda jumps, getting a big 8 points. (16-9)
Darcy needs 7 to tie, 8 to win...she jumps and gets...it's on the line!
Judge Bob needs to go over and decide this...it's worth 7 points!
(16-16)TIE!
So with that, it comes down to a tiebreaker. Highest target, best score
wins.
Bilenda jumps and gets...8 again! (8-0)
Darcy now needs 8 to force another tiebreaker, 9 to win. Host: "Are you
exciting?" Darcy: "Yes, I am exciting." She jumps and gets...7! (8-7)
BILENDA WIN!
Now, back at center stage, they have a surprise for Bilenda...send out
the special surprise! Out of a curtain rushes a stampede of men in
suits, which Bilenda jokingly refers to as the Men In Black. They are so
happy for her, but for the LOSER...[buzzz] SAYONARA!
The Men In Black pick her up and carry her around the studio as the
audience chants Sayonara, the contestants watching backstage wondering
what the heck's going on, before the MIB's finally carry her out the
curtain in a plume of smoke. Guess they expected a 'you tried your
best', classy departure. Not on this Japanese game show. Bilenda stays
to fight another day, while Darcy takes a walk out of the Toho Studios
and back to America.
This is Tom Beals, and until next week, say it with me... "Hai, [slicks
hair back]... Majide! [makes hand signal / | | ` ` ]" |
