Santo, Sam and Ed’s Cup Fever
Encyclopedia
Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever was an association football themed comedy television show in Australia on SBS
. The show was produced by Working Dog Productions
. The nightly panel-style show aired for the duration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. The show's hosts were Santo Cilauro
, Sam Pang
and Ed Kavalee
, with Rob Sitch
making several guest appearances. Segments included Cup Update (a discussion of the previous day's World Cup matches), an interview with a special guest and various comedy sketches.
Socceroos midfielder Mark Bresciano
featured in his own diary segment, and also announced that he had signed for Serie A
club Lazio during an interview on the show. Other regular segments included ‘Take on my Nuts’, ‘Not Even Close’ and ‘The Rivaldo
Award’ which poked fun at World Cup proceedings and football in general. The latter made fun of incidents of diving (simulation). The show also had segments filmed at the World Cup by correspondent Tony Wilson
.
The show was well received by viewers and has a thriving Facebook community. Due to the show's popularity, fans are pushing for the show to continue in some form since completion of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On completion of the show's run during the 2010 World Cup, it was announced via the show's Facebook page that Santo and the Working Dog team were working on a new project, with an announcement to be made on Facebook.
(during which his fake moustache
regularly fell off his face), Ed impersonating the fashion-conscious German coach Joachim Löw, and Ed and Rob Sitch
pretending to be New Zealand sports commentators hosting "Kiwi TV", in which they would fit in as many popular New Zealand references as possible.
The most popular impersonation was Sam doing North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
, in which he would suggest that North Korea had won the cup as well as playing a Casio keyboard. In one episode, he claimed to have written the song "Walking on Sunshine
". In another, he predicted North Korea would win a game against Portugal
7-0. They subsequently lost 0-7. He would also make constant references to his oversized glasses by asking Ed if he liked big glasses or a big spectacle.
. A notable appearance was made by trumpeter James Morrison
who played a custom made Vuvuzelaphone.
styled box of "Diego Maradonuts", a pack of "Wayne Rooney
Disappointmints" which tasted bitter, a Red Bull
can labelled "Red Card" and a joke book supposedly released by solemn Japanese coach Takeshi Okada
.
Vítor Borba Ferreira, and the segment would begin with footage of Rivaldo having a football hit his leg, in which he reacted by clutching his face and falling to the ground.
recalling the day's events, up until Australia were knocked out of the tournament. However, his thoughts often centred on meals and walks to the lake
.
s from the impact.
A puppet of Argentinian player Lionel Messi
named "Messi Knee" (a parody of Hey Hey It's Saturday
puppet Dicky Knee) also made regular appearance during the segment to the panel's chagrin.
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
. The show was produced by Working Dog Productions
Working Dog Productions
Working Dog Productions is a small film and television production company based in Melbourne, Australia. It was originally known as Frontline Television Productions Pty Ltd...
. The nightly panel-style show aired for the duration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. The show's hosts were Santo Cilauro
Santo Cilauro
Santo Cilauro is an Australian television and feature film producer, screenwriter, actor, author, comedian and cameraman, a co-founder of The D-Generation...
, Sam Pang
Sam Pang
Sam Pang is a Chinese Australian radio and television host, writer and producer.-Career:A former Collingwood Football Club under 19s member, Pang turned to radio hosting at an age of 18 at the urging of his friends to do so. He co-hosted Triple R's Breakfasters program for 5 years.He then began...
and Ed Kavalee
Ed Kavalee
Edward Robert Kavalee is an Australian actor and radio host. He is currently co-host of a comedy program on the Nine Network, The Joy of Sets, with Tony Martin....
, with Rob Sitch
Rob Sitch
Robert Ian Sitch , is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter, actor and comedian.-Early life:Sitch attended St Kevin's College and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Trinity College. He worked at the Royal Womans Hospital...
making several guest appearances. Segments included Cup Update (a discussion of the previous day's World Cup matches), an interview with a special guest and various comedy sketches.
Socceroos midfielder Mark Bresciano
Mark Bresciano
Mark "Marco" Bresciano is an Australian football player who is currently playing for UAE Pro-League side Al Nasr SC as a midfielder. He represented Australia at all youth levels, including appearances at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship and 2000 Olympic Games...
featured in his own diary segment, and also announced that he had signed for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Lazio during an interview on the show. Other regular segments included ‘Take on my Nuts’, ‘Not Even Close’ and ‘The Rivaldo
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
Award’ which poked fun at World Cup proceedings and football in general. The latter made fun of incidents of diving (simulation). The show also had segments filmed at the World Cup by correspondent Tony Wilson
Tony Wilson (Radio Presenter)
Tony Wilson is a Melbourne based Australian radio and television personality, successful writer and prominent speaker. He gained notoriety as the winner of the second series of the ABC television show, Race Around the World, in 1998, and has since become somewhat of a cult figure in Melbourne...
.
The show was well received by viewers and has a thriving Facebook community. Due to the show's popularity, fans are pushing for the show to continue in some form since completion of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On completion of the show's run during the 2010 World Cup, it was announced via the show's Facebook page that Santo and the Working Dog team were working on a new project, with an announcement to be made on Facebook.
Impersonations
In many episodes, the show did live crosses to special guests, who were actually members of the panel dressed up. Some of the more popular impersonations were Santo impersonating Argentinian coach and football hero Diego MaradonaDiego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
(during which his fake moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
regularly fell off his face), Ed impersonating the fashion-conscious German coach Joachim Löw, and Ed and Rob Sitch
Rob Sitch
Robert Ian Sitch , is an Australian director, producer, screenwriter, actor and comedian.-Early life:Sitch attended St Kevin's College and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Melbourne, where he resided at Trinity College. He worked at the Royal Womans Hospital...
pretending to be New Zealand sports commentators hosting "Kiwi TV", in which they would fit in as many popular New Zealand references as possible.
The most popular impersonation was Sam doing North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
, in which he would suggest that North Korea had won the cup as well as playing a Casio keyboard. In one episode, he claimed to have written the song "Walking on Sunshine
Walking on Sunshine (song)
"Walking on Sunshine" is a song written by Kimberley Rew for Katrina and the Waves' 1983 eponymous debut full-length album. The re-recorded version was at first released on the band's 1985 self-titled album as the album's second single and reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 9 in the United States,...
". In another, he predicted North Korea would win a game against Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
7-0. They subsequently lost 0-7. He would also make constant references to his oversized glasses by asking Ed if he liked big glasses or a big spectacle.
Special Guests
Each show featured a special guest, often in the form of former footballers, current footballers, entertainers and on one occasion, ALP senator Stephen ConroyStephen Conroy
Stephen Michael Conroy is an Australian politician and the current Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in the Gillard Ministry...
. A notable appearance was made by trumpeter James Morrison
James Morrison
James Morrison is the name of:In music:* James Morrison , English singer/songwriter* James Morrison , Irish fiddler* Jim Morrison , poet and lead singer of The Doors...
who played a custom made Vuvuzelaphone.
Props
Props were a popular feature of the program. Some of the props included a packet of Argentinian "Tac-Tics" shaped like Tic-Tacs which weren't very good, a Champagne bottle of "French Campaign" which was said to taste flat, a Krispy KremeKrispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme is the name of an international chain of doughnut stores that was founded by Vernon Rudolph in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The parent company of Krispy Kreme is Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc...
styled box of "Diego Maradonuts", a pack of "Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
Disappointmints" which tasted bitter, a Red Bull
Red Bull
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
can labelled "Red Card" and a joke book supposedly released by solemn Japanese coach Takeshi Okada
Takeshi Okada
is a former football player that was head coach of the Japanese national football team between 2007 and 2010.-International career:Okada played 24 games and scored one goal for the Japan national football team between 1980 and 1985.-Coaching career:...
.
Regular Segments
Many segments were featured regularly, often based on the previous day's play, including:Cupdate
Cupdate occurred every night after the initial introductions of the panel, and was an overview of the games played since the last episode. Originally titled "Cup Update" and accompanied by an impressive graphics display, Sam changed it to "Cupdate" in the last few episodes as he felt the segment was getting stale and needed sprucing up. The result was an even more impressive graphics display.The Rivaldo Award
The panel would play clips of players taking obvious dives from the games played overnight. The segment was named in honour of Brazilian player RivaldoRivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
Vítor Borba Ferreira, and the segment would begin with footage of Rivaldo having a football hit his leg, in which he reacted by clutching his face and falling to the ground.
Bresciano's Cup Diary
The most popular segment involved Australia player Mark BrescianoMark Bresciano
Mark "Marco" Bresciano is an Australian football player who is currently playing for UAE Pro-League side Al Nasr SC as a midfielder. He represented Australia at all youth levels, including appearances at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship and 2000 Olympic Games...
recalling the day's events, up until Australia were knocked out of the tournament. However, his thoughts often centred on meals and walks to the lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
.
Not Even Close
The panel wore thick-lensed glasses and reviewed shots at goal which did not make it close to the net.Take On My Nuts
The panel highlighted examples of players attempting to block the ball who made no effort to protect their groinGroin
In human anatomy, the groin areas are the two creases at the junction of the torso with the legs, on either side of the pubic area. This is also known as the medial compartment of the thigh. A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a painful injury sustained by straining the hip adductor muscles...
s from the impact.
Bin Night
On Sunday nights, the panel revealed jokes which had been previously deemed not funny enough to make it to air. Such jokes were read and literally put in a bin. One controversial joke involved Sam showing footage of a Japanese spectator with an elongated face singing the Japanese national anthem, with Sam's tag being "I know the Japanese Anthem isn't very good, but why the long face?".A puppet of Argentinian player Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
named "Messi Knee" (a parody of Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday
Hey Hey It's Saturday was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 27 years , debuting on the Nine Network on 9 October 1971 and broadcasting its last episode on 20 November 1999. Its host throughout its entire run was Daryl Somers, who would later...
puppet Dicky Knee) also made regular appearance during the segment to the panel's chagrin.