I Survived a Japanese Game Show
Encyclopedia
I Survived a Japanese Game Show (originally titled Big in Japan ) is an American reality show that saw its first season premiere on ABC
June 24, 2008. The show followed a group of Americans, who leave the United States for Japan where they competed in a Japanese style game show
. The winner takes home US $
250,000. The series won both the Best Reality prize and the overall prize at the 2009 Rose d'Or
ceremony.
Season 2, which was supposed to have premiered on July 8, was moved up to June 17 at and debuted that night at 9PM EDT/PDT. The rating is TV-PG (L) for all shows.
Due to the second season having only half the ratings of the first season, ABC canceled the show in 2010.
, where it is revealed that they are to compete on a Japanese game show called . For Season Two, Majide host Rome Kanda
surprised each of the contestants in their hometowns informing them they were going to Japan. They are broken up into teams and, in the first six episodes of Season One and first seven episodes and the first half of the final episode of Season Two, competed in games against each other. The winning team was given a reward activity while the losing team was given a punishment activity. In the second season, the first game played saw the winning team have an advantage into the second game, where rewards and punishments were handed out afterward. In the final episode, the first two games reverted to the rules of Season One. Two members of the losing team are chosen to compete in an additional game head-to-head where the loser of that game is eliminated. (In general, the losing team chooses its two players as a team, although in the event that they fail to come to a decision, their opponents make the selection for them.) If the losing team has only two players remaining, then both have to compete in the elimination game. In the final part, the teams are broken up and the four remaining players face three elimination challenges in Season One, and final three facing two elimination games in Season Two; in all cases, the losing contestant was eliminated from the show and carried offstage and sent back to the United States by the "sayonara mob" (脱落者决定), dressed in black suits.
The series followed not only the Majide competition, but also the contestants' activities backstage and outside the game show in reality style. The contestants lived in a house together in the suburb of Kasai, with a Mama-san
(Kozue Saito), who generally expects the contestants to live in line with Japanese culture and customs. In season 2, they live in the Majide Guest House with Mama-san.
The host of season one was Japanese-American Tony Sano
, whose additional television credits include MTV Spring Break Japan and a recurring role on the The CW4Kids
series Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight
. About the show, Sano commented, "It's going to be like nothing American audiences have seen on network television." (Matt Hurwitz, Associated Press) Episodes are narrated by Robert Cait
.
The show was produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions (the producers of Gordon Ramsay
's Hell's Kitchen
and Kitchen Nightmares
in the USA) with Arthur Smith, Kent Weed of A. Smith and Co. and Tim Cresenti of Small World International Format Television as executive producers and Weed directing, and is distributed by Disney/ABC's Greengrass Productions
division. The format was created by Danish
producers Karsten Bartholin and David Sidebotham for Babyfoot ApS, and was originally titled Big in Japan.
, was not an actual Japanese game show, but was intended to resemble what a stereotypical Japanese game show is like. The American producers watched hours of these Japanese game shows, took the most common elements and created all of the games, with help from producers in Japan, who also produced the game segments at Toho Studios. In contrast to many American game shows, which are usually based on either trivia (such as Jeopardy!
) or mental skill (like The Price Is Right
), Japanese game shows tend to be more physically oriented, such as Takeshi's Castle
. The Nickelodeon
game show Double Dare was a hybrid of both the American and Japanese styles, while the reality show format also used a strategy base for who to eliminate, and who to keep such as Big Brother and Survivor
.
Majide is hosted by Rome Kanda
and judged by Masahiro Hurugori, known on the show as Judge Bobu (Bob). Kanda has translated "Majide" (マジで) as "You've got to be crazy!"
It was announced that ABC did not renew the show for a third season on March 5, 2010.
, Denmark on TV3
, New Zealand's TV2, Poland's AXN
, Singapore's Channel 5
, the Philippines' Studio 23
, Sweden's TV6, Slovenia's TV3 Slovenia
and Portugal's SIC Radical
. The Greek version of the show (under the original name Big In Japan) airs on Alpha TV
. In Malaysia 8tv
, Fridays 10:30pm, Brazil [People & Arts] 22:00. And South Africans see the show on Animax.
The Swedish version was also recorded in the Toho Studios but didn't include Tony Sano, Masahiro Hurugori and Rome Kanda. Instead, the show was narrated (and sometimes hosted) by Carolina Gynning
. The show-within-the-show
was not Majide, but Do Konjo and was hosted by Yoshi Amao
with Mr. Fu as the judge.
The winner of the final episode of "Hjälp! Jag är med i en japansk TV-show" was Kjell Eriksson, against runner-up Klasse Möllberg.
version of the Swedish
format has also been aired by the Norwegian
network
TV3
, aired their own version of the series called Portugal de Olhos em Bico. It only lasted for 2 episodes, and it's unknown if it was canceled or if those 2 episodes were the only scheduled ones.
This version had major changes. The contestants didn't travel to Japan, instead they played the game on a TV studio in Portugal. Also, the contestants consisted of 3 teams of 2 members each, and those members were family/friend related. Every episode the teams were different, and they played several games. In the end of that episode, the team with the most points overall, was the winner.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
June 24, 2008. The show followed a group of Americans, who leave the United States for Japan where they competed in a Japanese style game show
Japanese variety show
Japanese variety show is a entertainment television program made up of a variety of original stunts, musical performances, comedy skits, quiz contests, and other acts.-Current situation:...
. The winner takes home US $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
250,000. The series won both the Best Reality prize and the overall prize at the 2009 Rose d'Or
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
ceremony.
Season 2, which was supposed to have premiered on July 8, was moved up to June 17 at and debuted that night at 9PM EDT/PDT. The rating is TV-PG (L) for all shows.
Due to the second season having only half the ratings of the first season, ABC canceled the show in 2010.
Format
In Season One, contestants are informed that they are to take part in a reality-style competition, but not informed of the nature of the show. They are flown to Tokyo, Japan, and taken to the Toho StudiosToho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
, where it is revealed that they are to compete on a Japanese game show called . For Season Two, Majide host Rome Kanda
Rome Kanda
is a Japanese tarento, comedian and actor who resides in the United States.Born in Kishiwada, Osaka, Japan, Kanda spent his early career as an actor with his debut movie Tokyo Pop directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui and filmed both in Japan and the USA in 1987...
surprised each of the contestants in their hometowns informing them they were going to Japan. They are broken up into teams and, in the first six episodes of Season One and first seven episodes and the first half of the final episode of Season Two, competed in games against each other. The winning team was given a reward activity while the losing team was given a punishment activity. In the second season, the first game played saw the winning team have an advantage into the second game, where rewards and punishments were handed out afterward. In the final episode, the first two games reverted to the rules of Season One. Two members of the losing team are chosen to compete in an additional game head-to-head where the loser of that game is eliminated. (In general, the losing team chooses its two players as a team, although in the event that they fail to come to a decision, their opponents make the selection for them.) If the losing team has only two players remaining, then both have to compete in the elimination game. In the final part, the teams are broken up and the four remaining players face three elimination challenges in Season One, and final three facing two elimination games in Season Two; in all cases, the losing contestant was eliminated from the show and carried offstage and sent back to the United States by the "sayonara mob" (脱落者决定), dressed in black suits.
The series followed not only the Majide competition, but also the contestants' activities backstage and outside the game show in reality style. The contestants lived in a house together in the suburb of Kasai, with a Mama-san
Mama-san
A "mama-san", or "mamasan" is usually a woman in a position of authority, especially one in charge of a geisha house or bar in Japan and East Asia....
(Kozue Saito), who generally expects the contestants to live in line with Japanese culture and customs. In season 2, they live in the Majide Guest House with Mama-san.
The host of season one was Japanese-American Tony Sano
Tony Sano
Tony Sano, a Japanese-American born in Tokyo, was the host of ABC's I Survived a Japanese Game Show season 1. On the experience, Sano commented, "It was great to see people from different cultures coming together."...
, whose additional television credits include MTV Spring Break Japan and a recurring role on the The CW4Kids
The CW4Kids
The CW4Kids is a Saturday morning cartoon block on The CW Television Network that premiered on May 24, 2008 in the place of Kids' WB...
series Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight
Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight
Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight is the Daytime Emmy Award-winning American adaptation of the Japanese tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Ryuki, the twelfth installment of the Kamen Rider Series. It was brought to television by Steve and Michael Wang and produced by Jimmy Sprague through Adness Entertainment...
. About the show, Sano commented, "It's going to be like nothing American audiences have seen on network television." (Matt Hurwitz, Associated Press) Episodes are narrated by Robert Cait
Robert Cait
Robert Cait is a Canadian-born comedian and voice actor.Among the characters he voices are Duke the Golden retriever in Bush's Baked beans television commercials and Horace T...
.
The show was produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions (the producers of Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
's Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen (U.S.)
Hell's Kitchen is an American reality-television cooking competition broadcast on Fox...
and Kitchen Nightmares
Kitchen Nightmares
Kitchen Nightmares is an American reality television series broadcast on the Fox network, in which Chef Gordon Ramsay spends a week with a failing restaurant in an attempt to revive the business. It is based on the British show Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. The show is produced by ITV Studios...
in the USA) with Arthur Smith, Kent Weed of A. Smith and Co. and Tim Cresenti of Small World International Format Television as executive producers and Weed directing, and is distributed by Disney/ABC's Greengrass Productions
Greengrass Productions
Greengrass Productions is an independent television production company that is a subdivision of the Disney-ABC Television Group.It has, over the years, produced miniseries such as Oliver Stone's Wild Palms, game shows such as I Survived a Japanese Game Show, and reality series such as Extreme...
division. The format was created by Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
producers Karsten Bartholin and David Sidebotham for Babyfoot ApS, and was originally titled Big in Japan.
Majide
Majide (which is Japanese slang for "Seriously?!"), the show-within-the-showStory within a story
A story within a story, also rendered story-within-a-story, is a literary device in which one narrative is presented during the action of another narrative. Mise en abyme is the French term for a similar literary device...
, was not an actual Japanese game show, but was intended to resemble what a stereotypical Japanese game show is like. The American producers watched hours of these Japanese game shows, took the most common elements and created all of the games, with help from producers in Japan, who also produced the game segments at Toho Studios. In contrast to many American game shows, which are usually based on either trivia (such as Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
) or mental skill (like The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
), Japanese game shows tend to be more physically oriented, such as Takeshi's Castle
Takeshi's Castle
was a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1989 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It featured the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano as a count who owns a castle and sets up impossible challenges for players to get to him. The show has become a cult television hit around the world...
. The Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
game show Double Dare was a hybrid of both the American and Japanese styles, while the reality show format also used a strategy base for who to eliminate, and who to keep such as Big Brother and Survivor
Survivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
.
Majide is hosted by Rome Kanda
Rome Kanda
is a Japanese tarento, comedian and actor who resides in the United States.Born in Kishiwada, Osaka, Japan, Kanda spent his early career as an actor with his debut movie Tokyo Pop directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui and filmed both in Japan and the USA in 1987...
and judged by Masahiro Hurugori, known on the show as Judge Bobu (Bob). Kanda has translated "Majide" (マジで) as "You've got to be crazy!"
Season One
The first episode premiered on ABC on June 24, 2008. Tony Sano was host for this season. There were ten contestants in the first episode, with only one team game per episode. The season ran for seven episodes (unlike the second season) and the last episode screened on August 6, 2008.Season Two
The second season premiered on June 17, 2009. Tony Sano did not return to host. In addition, the number of contestants increased from ten to twelve, and there are two team games per episode instead of one. The team that wins the first team game is given an advantage in the second, while the rest of the format remains the same. It ran for eight episodes and finished on August 5, 2009.It was announced that ABC did not renew the show for a third season on March 5, 2010.
International formats
Besides the USA, fifteen other countries have bought this format. The American version of this show is airing in Australia on 7Two7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
, Denmark on TV3
TV3 (Denmark)
TV3 Denmark is a Danish television station.TV3 is one of the channels owned by the Viasat Corporation. The sister channel is TV3+. The channels shows a lot of American and British shows, such as: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, NCIS, Las Vegas, Bones, Two And A Half Men, Prison Break, American Idol...
, New Zealand's TV2, Poland's AXN
AXN
AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...
, Singapore's Channel 5
MediaCorp TV Channel 5
MediaCorp Channel 5 or Channel 5 is a 24-hour free-to-air English and Malay language television channel based in Singapore....
, the Philippines' Studio 23
Studio 23
Studio 23 is a Filipino television network owned by the ABS-CBN Corporation. The network is named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV, which is carried on UHF channel 23...
, Sweden's TV6, Slovenia's TV3 Slovenia
TV3 Slovenia
TV3 is a television channel in Slovenia owned by Modern Times Group . The channel was also known as Prva TV from 1 November 2004 to 1 October 2006....
and Portugal's SIC Radical
SIC Radical
SIC Radical is a cable television channel in Portugal owned by Sociedade Independente de Comunicação.SIC Radical is an entertainment channel targeted at teens and young adults. Programs are mostly imported, mainly from the United States and the United Kingdom...
. The Greek version of the show (under the original name Big In Japan) airs on Alpha TV
Alpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
. In Malaysia 8tv
8tv
8tv is a common name for television channels. It may refer to:*8TV in Catalonia, Spain*8TV *8TV 8TV in China*WISH-TV in Indianapolis, USA*Wood TV in Michigan, USA...
, Fridays 10:30pm, Brazil [People & Arts] 22:00. And South Africans see the show on Animax.
Greek
In 2009 and began airing with the title Big in Japan.The host was Kalomoira,a Greek singer,and Yoshi Amao.The show was produced and aired by Alpha tv in 1 February 2009.In the show took part 15 Greek persons and they competing each other.Sweden
In 2009, Sweden began airing its own version of the show called Hjälp! Jag är med i en japansk TV-show (Help! I'm in a Japanese television show) with Swedish celebrities competing against each other. The show was produced and aired by TV4.The Swedish version was also recorded in the Toho Studios but didn't include Tony Sano, Masahiro Hurugori and Rome Kanda. Instead, the show was narrated (and sometimes hosted) by Carolina Gynning
Carolina Gynning
Carolina Gynning Nilsson is a Swedish model, actress and television host. Gynning became especially well-known to the public after winning Big Brother 2004, and has since become a television host for shows such as Dagens Man, Idol 2007 and Förkväll.-Early life:Gynning was born in Malmö but grew up...
. The show-within-the-show
Story within a story
A story within a story, also rendered story-within-a-story, is a literary device in which one narrative is presented during the action of another narrative. Mise en abyme is the French term for a similar literary device...
was not Majide, but Do Konjo and was hosted by Yoshi Amao
Yoshi Amao
Yoshi Amao , is a versatile Japanese actor, talent, comedian, emcee, and martial artist based in New York City, and is the current emcee for the hit reality TV game show Big In Japan on air throughout Europe....
with Mr. Fu as the judge.
Contestants
- Kjell Eriksson (radio host) - winner of "Hjälp! Jag är med i en japansk TV-show"
- Klasse Möllberg (musician, actor) - runner-up
- Regina LundRegina LundRegina Charlotta Theodora Lund is a Swedish actress and singer. She is the daughter of actress Sonja Lund. Regina is no longer in a relationship with the Swedish rock star Joakim Thåström. She is frequently seen in Swedish magazines with new men by her side. The last in the row is an American...
(actress, singer) - third place - Sandra Dahlberg (artist) - 5th eliminated after episode 8
- Johannes BrostJohannes BrostJohannes Brost is a Swedish actor.He grew up in the Skåne province in southern Sweden. His mother, actress Gudrun Brost, worked at the Malmö City Theater. He followed in his mother’s footsteps and became a stage actor, working both in Malmö and Stockholm, and later starred in several movies and on...
(actor) - 4th eliminated after episode 7 - Dogge DoggelitoDogge DoggelitoDouglas León, known by his stage name Dogge Doggelito is a Swedish rapper, lecturer, social commentator and author. He is one of the founders Sweden's most successful rap group The Latin Kings . Doggelito is one of the most acclaimed artists in Sweden...
(artist) - Left the show after episode 6 - Anna BookAnna BookAnna Book is a Swedish pop singer. She participated in Let's Dance, the Swedish version of Dancing With The Stars, in 2006 and finished in 2nd place....
(singer) - 3rd eliminated after episode 6 - Marie PicassoMarie PicassoMarie Picasso is a Swedish singer, host and model who first rose to fame as a housemate on the popular reality television show Big Brother, before going on to win the fourth series of the Swedish singing competition Idol.-Big Brother:In 2002, Picasso appeared as a housemate on the hugely popular...
(singer, model) - 2nd eliminated after episode 4 - Tore Kullgren (TV-profile) - 1st eliminated after episode 1
The winner of the final episode of "Hjälp! Jag är med i en japansk TV-show" was Kjell Eriksson, against runner-up Klasse Möllberg.
Norway
A NorwegianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
version of the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
format has also been aired by the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
TV3
TV3 (Norway)
TV3 Norway is a commercial television channel targeting Norway owned by Viasat, which is a part of the Swedish media group Modern Times Group...
Portugal
In late November 2009, Portuguese TV station TVITVI
TVI may refer to:*Tamil Vision International, a Tamil language television channel in Toronto, Canada*TeleVideo, a manufacturer of computer terminals*Televisão Independente, Portugal's fourth television channel...
, aired their own version of the series called Portugal de Olhos em Bico. It only lasted for 2 episodes, and it's unknown if it was canceled or if those 2 episodes were the only scheduled ones.
This version had major changes. The contestants didn't travel to Japan, instead they played the game on a TV studio in Portugal. Also, the contestants consisted of 3 teams of 2 members each, and those members were family/friend related. Every episode the teams were different, and they played several games. In the end of that episode, the team with the most points overall, was the winner.