MXC
Encyclopedia
MXC was an American
comedy
television program that aired on Spike TV from 2003 to 2007. It is a re-edit of footage from the Japan
ese game show
Takeshi's Castle
which originally aired in Japan from 1986 to 1989. The re-edit created a new storyline, as a dub was added that centered on the game show hosts narrating the action as people tried to win points for their teams by surviving through different challenges. In the original program Takeshi's Castle, the characters Kenny and Vic are actually a count named Takeshi and his assistant creating challenges in order to fight off an opposing military leader and his troops.
MXC was produced by RC Entertainment, Inc. in Los Angeles, California, and is the property of both Tokyo Broadcasting System and RC Entertainment. The special episode Almost Live, is the property of Viacom International, which was filmed in the United States by the producers of MXC. In addition to this, MXC's distributor is Magnolia Home Entertainment.
For the first two seasons, MXC was an initialism
for the show's former title: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. Early commercials in 2003 promoted the show as just Most Extreme Elimination with the initials MXE.
The last episode premiered in February 2007, completing the series that spanned five seasons and 81 episodes.
During the production of the show, the network bosses stated that they did not want Cervenka and Wilson to repeat games from episode to episode, but Cervenka and Wilson ignored this, knowing that fan-favorite games would keep fans interested in the series. Some fan-favorite and recurring games included Log Drop, Wall Bangers, Dope on a Rope, Rotating Surfboard of Death, and Sinkers and Floaters, amongst many others. Due to the immense reception of MXC in the United States, several of the original Japanese actors whose acting careers were failing at the time MXC aired in the United States got massive career re-boots because of the fan-base in the United States.
While the basic premise of MXC is that of a legitimate game show, its true premise is that of a comedy not intended to be taken literally. All background audio is added by an audio technician, leaving none of the original audio from Takeshi's Castle in MXC. The script is completely unrelated to the original Japanese dialogue, in which Wilson and Cervenka stated that they specifically intended for the dialogue in the show to have nothing to do with Japanese or Asian culture. The only Japanese related term used for the show was the name "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge", which has a Japanese-like feel. Both producers openly admitted that they had no knowledge of what the contestants or actors were originally saying during the filming of Takeshi's Castle. In MXC's script, the dialogue is usually based on sexual puns, pop culture, or mocking various celebrities, athletes, sports announcers, and politicians. Contestants are given names and occupations based on their team and physical appearance. In addition, the various challenges are all given humorous names, such as "Sinkers & Floaters" or "Wall Bangers." The footage for a single episode of MXC can come from multiple episodes of Takeshi's Castle, and occasionally the same footage, including challenges, will be used in multiple episodes with different character names and dialogue. Unlike international editions of Takeshi's Castle, the original text that appeared on screen is left as is mostly uncovered, and sometimes the characters will play off of it.
vs. Republicans
vs. Third Party
do.
The contestants compete in a variety of challenges, usually four per episode, but occasionally as many as six. The challenges are extremely hard, and a majority of the contestants fail to complete the challenges. Throughout the show, painful failures to complete challenges are reviewed by Vic and Kenny in the "MXC Impact Replay", which is essentially a sports themed playback feature. Occasionally, the Impact Replay is used for Kenny's pleasure, in looking at the female contestants, items, or random events in the series which he finds funny or disappointing. Contestants who do complete a challenge earn one or two points for their team. The team with the most points at the end of the episode wins the competition. At the end of each episode, Kenny counts down the ten most "Painful Eliminations of the Day," which usually focus on the events shown in the Impact Replay, but sometimes includes random events that involved the main or recurring characters.
er Tony Hawk
and snowboard
er Tara Dakides
. The special was taped at the Universal Orlando Resort
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, named "Major Babe" (Michelle Sorrell) and "Guy LeDouche" (Eric Esteban). While everyone in the episode is American, everything said by any contestants besides Hawk and Dakides is still dubbed.
Three other special episodes have aired including the special nighttime episode, the monsters vs mascots episode, and the special winter episode. All of these special episodes were from Season 2.
, and Mary Scheer
.
Though uncredited, Jamie Alcroft
was the announcer for the first four episodes of MXC before Cervenka took over that role.
The episode entitled "Monster Edition - Real Monsters vs. Product Mascots" is heavily edited on this two-disc set. The episode has a running time of 11 minutes and 19 seconds, as opposed to the rest of the episodes on the disc, which have a running time of 20 minutes and 5 seconds. No official reason for the editing has been given, although it is most likely because the cut scenes involved copyrighted characters from Ultraman
and Astro Boy. (See Ultra Series#Licensing rights dispute)
Special Features (Disc One):
Special Features (Disc Two):
Special Features (Volume Three Disc One):
Special Features (Volume Three Disc Two):
Special Features (Volume Four Disc One):
Special Features:
has been accused of being "a blatant copycat" of shows such as Takeshi's Castle and MXC, and a copyright infringement
lawsuit has been filed by TBS against ABC. Among the charges is that ABC purchased search terms such as "MXC" on Google
to drive traffic to Wipeout.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television program that aired on Spike TV from 2003 to 2007. It is a re-edit of footage from the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
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...
which originally aired in Japan from 1986 to 1989. The re-edit created a new storyline, as a dub was added that centered on the game show hosts narrating the action as people tried to win points for their teams by surviving through different challenges. In the original program Takeshi's Castle, the characters Kenny and Vic are actually a count named Takeshi and his assistant creating challenges in order to fight off an opposing military leader and his troops.
MXC was produced by RC Entertainment, Inc. in Los Angeles, California, and is the property of both Tokyo Broadcasting System and RC Entertainment. The special episode Almost Live, is the property of Viacom International, which was filmed in the United States by the producers of MXC. In addition to this, MXC's distributor is Magnolia Home Entertainment.
For the first two seasons, MXC was an initialism
Acronym and initialism
Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
for the show's former title: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. Early commercials in 2003 promoted the show as just Most Extreme Elimination with the initials MXE.
The last episode premiered in February 2007, completing the series that spanned five seasons and 81 episodes.
Production
In the show, the contestants' names were usually names of celebrities, network bosses, or family members and friends of the producers or voice actors. Several recurring names appear in the show; the most common family name is Babaganoosh, since the producers of MXC were given short deadlines for producing episodes giving them limited time to write the scripts. Babaganoosh comes from Darga as his family is from the middle-east where Baba ghanoush is the name of a local eggplant dish.During the production of the show, the network bosses stated that they did not want Cervenka and Wilson to repeat games from episode to episode, but Cervenka and Wilson ignored this, knowing that fan-favorite games would keep fans interested in the series. Some fan-favorite and recurring games included Log Drop, Wall Bangers, Dope on a Rope, Rotating Surfboard of Death, and Sinkers and Floaters, amongst many others. Due to the immense reception of MXC in the United States, several of the original Japanese actors whose acting careers were failing at the time MXC aired in the United States got massive career re-boots because of the fan-base in the United States.
While the basic premise of MXC is that of a legitimate game show, its true premise is that of a comedy not intended to be taken literally. All background audio is added by an audio technician, leaving none of the original audio from Takeshi's Castle in MXC. The script is completely unrelated to the original Japanese dialogue, in which Wilson and Cervenka stated that they specifically intended for the dialogue in the show to have nothing to do with Japanese or Asian culture. The only Japanese related term used for the show was the name "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge", which has a Japanese-like feel. Both producers openly admitted that they had no knowledge of what the contestants or actors were originally saying during the filming of Takeshi's Castle. In MXC's script, the dialogue is usually based on sexual puns, pop culture, or mocking various celebrities, athletes, sports announcers, and politicians. Contestants are given names and occupations based on their team and physical appearance. In addition, the various challenges are all given humorous names, such as "Sinkers & Floaters" or "Wall Bangers." The footage for a single episode of MXC can come from multiple episodes of Takeshi's Castle, and occasionally the same footage, including challenges, will be used in multiple episodes with different character names and dialogue. Unlike international editions of Takeshi's Castle, the original text that appeared on screen is left as is mostly uncovered, and sometimes the characters will play off of it.
Show format
MXC is personified as a game show that is hosted by the eccentric characters Vic Romano and Kenny Blankenship, along with the field marshal Captain Tenneal and the field reporter Guy LeDouche. Usually, two or three teams of contestants compete in several turn-based and head-to-head challenges. The only episode done without a competitive team base was the first episode ever made, which was simply centered around the stereotypical antics of college girls. Even though this was the first episode made, it was the seventh episode of season one to air. Most other competitive teams do not truly have a real-life rivalry (e.g. Season 1, Episode 2 "Donors vs Addicts"), while others such as DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
vs. Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
vs. Third Party
Third party (politics)
In a two-party system of politics, the term third party is sometimes applied to a party other than the two dominant ones. While technically the term is limited to the third largest party or third oldest party, it is common, though innumerate, shorthand for any smaller party.For instance, in the...
do.
The contestants compete in a variety of challenges, usually four per episode, but occasionally as many as six. The challenges are extremely hard, and a majority of the contestants fail to complete the challenges. Throughout the show, painful failures to complete challenges are reviewed by Vic and Kenny in the "MXC Impact Replay", which is essentially a sports themed playback feature. Occasionally, the Impact Replay is used for Kenny's pleasure, in looking at the female contestants, items, or random events in the series which he finds funny or disappointing. Contestants who do complete a challenge earn one or two points for their team. The team with the most points at the end of the episode wins the competition. At the end of each episode, Kenny counts down the ten most "Painful Eliminations of the Day," which usually focus on the events shown in the Impact Replay, but sometimes includes random events that involved the main or recurring characters.
Special US episode
On April 22, 2004, Spike TV aired a special edition of the show to start the third season, featuring skateboardSkateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
er Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
and snowboard
Snowboard
Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...
er Tara Dakides
Tara Dakides
Tara Dakides, born August 20, 1975, is an American snowboarder and co-owner of O-matic Snowboards. She was born in Mission Viejo, California. She has snowboarded since she was 18 years old. She now resides in Mammoth Lakes, California.-Career:...
. The special was taped at the Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
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, named "Major Babe" (Michelle Sorrell) and "Guy LeDouche" (Eric Esteban). While everyone in the episode is American, everything said by any contestants besides Hawk and Dakides is still dubbed.
Three other special episodes have aired including the special nighttime episode, the monsters vs mascots episode, and the special winter episode. All of these special episodes were from Season 2.
Characters
Most of the characters and contestants on MXC are voiced by the producers and series' writers: Victor Wilson, Christopher Darga, John CervenkaJohn Cervenka
John CervenkaJohn Cervenka is an American businessman and television personality. Currently, a Financial Advisor with the Wall Street firm, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Cervenka co-leads an advisory team that has an exclusive roster of high net worth clients.CareerCervenka’s career in the...
, and Mary Scheer
Mary Scheer
Mary Scheer is an American actress and comedian. She is best known as one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series MADtv and for playing Freddie's mother, Marissa Benson, on iCarly...
.
Main characters
- Vic Romano (named after a character from a single episode of Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
) is the co-host and play-by-play commentator. In Takeshi's Castle, Vic's character is Count Takeshi himself, the main character of the show. In MXC, Vic is level-headed, has a dark past of alcohol abuse, failed marriages, and various addictions and generally treats MXC as a serious competition. Vic was once also a professional baseball player who became addicted to "everything", including every type of drug, alcohol, and easy women. He once was an airline pilot during his stint of alcohol abuse, but states, "Luckily, nobody noticed". Notable catch phrases include "Right you are Ken," "Indeed!", and "Kenny!" which is usually followed by him smacking Kenny's head with a paper fan, in response to Kenny's commentary of the action. When the show was filmed in Japan, Vic's character was played by the currently well-known Japanese actor and movie director Takeshi KitanoTakeshi Kitanois a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
. Victor Wilson provides his dub voice.
- Kenny Blankenship is Vic's co-host and color commentator. Blankenship is a high-school dropout whose uncle owns the network. Kenny's character is very unprofessional about hosting, far less serious about the job than Vic's character is. Despite his non-professional stand-point, he claims to make ten times the amount that Vic does because of his uncle being one of the network bosses. Kenny has also been stated to own a condo complex from all the money that he earns from hosting, and drives a Volkswagen Jetta. During hosting, Kenny usually spends his time commenting on the sexual appeal of the female competitors. Kenny's character was originally played by comedian Sonomanma Higashi, and his dub voice was provided by Christopher Darga.
- Captain Tenneal, whose name comes from the 1970s musical act Captain & TennilleCaptain & TennilleCaptain & Tennille are American pop music recording artists who achieved chart success from 1975 to 1980. The duo consists of husband and wife duo "Captain" Daryl Dragon , and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille . They are best known for their singles "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Do That to Me...
, is the field marshal who conducts the contestants through each challenge with a sharp "Get it on!" Near the beginning of each MXC episode, he is seen addressing the contestants as a group, asking whether some broad assertion relating to one of the topics in the episode is true. After the contestants raise their hands to show agreement, the Captain usually declares "Well, you're wrong!", but on one occasion, the Cops vs. Cons episode of season one, he actually agreed with the contestants. After further explanation and give-and-take with individual contestants, he bellows "Let's go!" and leads the contestants forward to begin playing the games. Captain Tenneal is played by Hayato TaniHayato TaniHayato Tani is a Japanese television actor.-Biography:He was born in Kirishima, Kagoshima, Japan and raised in Sasebo, Nagasaki...
and voiced by John Cervenka. In an early episode, Captain Tenneal's character was named Sergeant Toomey, after the insane drill sergeant in Neil SimonNeil SimonNeil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
's Biloxi BluesBiloxi BluesBiloxi Blues is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. The second chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy, it follows Brighton Beach Memoirs and precedes Broadway Bound....
. The name change was dropped and the character would permanently become Captain Tenneal.
- Guy LeDouche is the MXC field reporter. He is portrayed wearing a pith helmetPith helmetThe pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith...
, and his personality is that of a flamboyant man of suggested FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
descent who has a questionable sexual orientation, as he makes passes to many of the contestants he interviews, regardless of gender. In addition to this, he is seen to have a romantic interest in Captain Tenneal. He has other family member interviewers who show the same behavior, such as "Lyndon" (which plays off wacky political figure Lyndon LaRoucheLyndon LaRoucheLyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
), "Geek", "Giddy", "Gip," "Goon", "Gawp", and "Gawk", along with females named "Gay", "Grandma", "Gab", "Gin" , "Gidget" and "Gal". Guy is played by Junji Inagawa and the family is voiced by John Cervenka (male) and Mary Scheer (female).
Recurring characters
The following are characters who have established a semi-consistent name. However, their names may change to fit in with a show's theme or style of game.- Danny Glands (a play on the name of long-time Las VegasLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
entertainer Danny GansDanny GansDaniel Davies Gans was an American singer and comedian who found regional success as a vocal impressionist.-Career:...
) is an MXC staffer who works in many of the games. His primary responsibilities include asking questions in "Finger It" (later renamed "Hand Job"), knocking down contestants in "Brass Balls", and launching the soccer balls in "Dirty Balls." Also known as Jimmy Junk, Golden Shower Boy, and Barry Sosa. The original actor is actually the early 1980s J-PopJ-pop, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
star Michiru JoMichiru Jois an actor and J-Pop artist in Japan.He first became famous when he applied to a "star birth" audition, at the age of 15. He released his first single "irukani-notta-shounen" in 1973, which was his most well-known song. At the age of 20, he stopped singing, to study at the Komazawa university in...
; he is notably skinny, and his lack of appealing physique is often played for laughs, emphasized by his voice actor who adopts a nasal, nerdy tone.
- Skanki is a sixteen-foot samurai who punishes contestants that fail to complete the "Wall Bangers" game.
- Chief Otto Parts (a parody of the Chief Auto PartsChief Auto PartsChief Auto Parts was a United States-based auto parts store chain and had stores located in the states of Tennessee, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Arkansas and California. Chief was founded in 1955 in Norwalk, California. It was purchased by Southland Corporation in 1979, along with Citgo and Movie...
auto supply store chain) is a Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who taunts the contestants in "Rotating Surfboard of Death."
- Em on Em (a spoof of rapper EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, as well as a play on the pornographic film term "m on m", or man on man) is an apparently gay set of twin rappers dressed in rainbowRainbowA rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
ponchos and bowler hatBowler hatThe bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
s. Main games include "Tumbling Dominos of Doom" and "Irritable Bowl Syndrome." Also known as "Babe and Ruth" and "Bud and Pud." They are played by identical twins Shoji and Shoichi Kinoshita. In one of the episodes, there was a contestant named Marshall Mathers, the real name of Eminem.
- The BabaganooshBaba ghanoushBaba ghanoush, baba ganush, baba ghannouj or baba ghannoug is a Levantine dish of aubergine mashed and mixed with virgin olive oil and various seasonings. A popular preparation method is for the eggplant to be baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a...
Family is a family of contestants from the Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
who appear in nearly every episode.
- The Brown SpiderSpiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
taunts contestants in various games, including "Wall Buggers" and "Dash to Death." Usually played by Brad LesleyBrad LesleyBradley Jay Lesley is a former Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers from 1982 to 1985. Lesley, who was nicknamed "The Animal", was known for his aggressive style to motivate himself. He later became a television personality in Japan after playing 2 seasons for...
.
- Herbie the Steamy Pile is a strange, brown creature who taunts and sprays fallen contestants with a fire-extinguisher in "Buck Off!"
- The Zygote Brothers are the identical characters that appear in the game Dash to Death. They attempt to distract the contestants and knock them into the water as they run through the obstacle course.
Though uncredited, Jamie Alcroft
Jamie Alcroft
Jamie Alcroft is an American comedian and voice actor. He is half of the comedy duo Mack & Jamie.-Early life and education:Alcroft earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Ohio University in 1971.-Career:...
was the announcer for the first four episodes of MXC before Cervenka took over that role.
Season One
A two-disc DVD set, containing the first season episodes, was released on October 3rd, 2006. It includes several bonus materials, such as:- An original Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas 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...
episode (viewable with English subtitles, or an English announcer) - Kenny Blankenship's Most Painful Eliminations of the Season
- Original MXC sales presentation to the network
- Audio commentary by the producers and voice actors (featured on episode 1, episode 7, and episode 12)
Season Two
The second season was released on April 17th, 2007.The episode entitled "Monster Edition - Real Monsters vs. Product Mascots" is heavily edited on this two-disc set. The episode has a running time of 11 minutes and 19 seconds, as opposed to the rest of the episodes on the disc, which have a running time of 20 minutes and 5 seconds. No official reason for the editing has been given, although it is most likely because the cut scenes involved copyrighted characters from Ultraman
Ultraman
is Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
and Astro Boy. (See Ultra Series#Licensing rights dispute)
Special Features (Disc One):
- Original Episode of Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas 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...
. (Episode #61)
Special Features (Disc Two):
- Kenny Blankenship's Top 25 Most Painful Eliminations of the Season.
- Behind-the-Scenes of MXC
Season Three
Part of the third season was released on DVD on November 6, 2007. The set contained the first half - 13 episodes - of the third season of the show.. Volume Four was released on November 11, 2008, completing the third season.Special Features (Volume Three Disc One):
- Original Episode of Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas 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...
. (Episode #1) - Kenny Blankenship's Top 25 Most Painful Eliminations of the Season.
Special Features (Volume Three Disc Two):
- Original Episode of Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas 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...
. (Episode #67)
Special Features (Volume Four Disc One):
- Original Episode of Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas 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...
. (Episode #75 - College Girls)
Season Four
Volume Four and Volume Five of the show were both released on DVD on November 11th, 2008. The fifth volume contains every episode of the fourth season, except the "Most Best Of MXC" compilation episodes.Special Features:
- Original Episode of Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas 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...
. (Episode #86 - Snow Special)
Similar shows
The American gameshow Wipeout on ABCAmerican 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...
has been accused of being "a blatant copycat" of shows such as Takeshi's Castle and MXC, and a copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
lawsuit has been filed by TBS against ABC. Among the charges is that ABC purchased search terms such as "MXC" on Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
to drive traffic to Wipeout.