The Bottom Line
Pros
- Watching people in shiny spandex getting knocked into a pool of water can be funny.
- The cute example graphics take a page directly out of the Japanese game show handbook.
- Mark Thompson and Brooke Burns are excellent choices for co-hosts.
Cons
- The set looks extremely tiny and cramped, and the noise from the audience can be overwhelming.
- Things seem overdone, which takes away from the kitschy concept.
- The show itself is definitely not for die-hard game show aficionados.
Description
- Two teams of three people take turns trying to fit through a variety of cut-out shapes in an advancing wall to earn points.
- If any contestant doesn't make it through the hole, he or she is knocked into a pool of water.
- Round One: Team captains go through the wall solo. (1 point)
- Round Two: The other two team members attempt the 'double wall.' (1 point per person through.)
- Round Three: All three team members face the wall. (1 point per person through.)
- Round Four: The wall moves at double speed. (2 points per person through, $5,000 bonus for all three through successfully.)
- The team with the most points wins $25,000 and moves on to the Blind Wall.
- Blind Wall: One person is blindfolded, and the other two must coach him on how to stand to get through the hole in the wall.
- The team wins $100,000 if they are successful with the Blind Wall.
Guide Review - 'Hole in the Wall' America's Version of a Japanese Classic
FOX rushed Hole in the Wall into the fall lineup, banking on the success of Wipeout to hook viewers. Both shows are based on Japanese games, and get their entertainment value from the physical comedy of contestants trying to accomplish the ridiculous.
While Wipeout embraces the fact that it's cheesy and goofy, Hole in the Wall tries to bring prime time glitz to the game. Contestants wear silver spandex suits accented with their team colors, while a subdued Mark Thompson tells them that "It's time (pause) to face (pause) the hole!"
Co-host Brooke Burns seems to get that the game is supposed to be silly, and has some fun laughing with (and at) the contestants. As for the contestants themselves, they're lively and loud, and provide all of the enjoyable moments on the show as they accomplish impressive glides through the holes, or fall into the pool and await assistance from the two lifeguards on staff.
One of the main reasons that this show format is so successful across the globe is the low-key presentation. Clips of the original Japanese show feature contestants in street clothes, including men in business suits, attempting to get through the holes as the host and audience go crazy cheering them on. This new version attempts to clean things up and present a slick program, and I'm not sure the overall effect is the same.
That said, the show is funny. My kids had a great time watching it, and will continue to do so throughout the season. Burns and Thompson do work well together, and the game moves along at a reasonable pace.
My very favorite parts, however, are the intro clips before each round, with animated "contestants" demonstrating how the round will work. This is exactly how the games are presented in Japanese game shows (and the idea was also used during I Survived a Japanese Game Show), and it was nice to see here.
