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Antics and brain teasers in TV games
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In China’s latest wave of light TV game shows, people wrap themselves up in toilet paper like mummies, dive into swimming pools, and catch little balls in wastepaper baskets on their heads.
The other extreme, less common but popular, is more challenging, involving knowledge quizzes and writing Chinese characters by hand — no keyboards.
Chinese TV game fare these days is not quite sublime, but some of it is quite ridiculous. It proves the adage that you can’t go wrong underestimating public taste.
The funny shows with 60-second games are perfect for airing on the new media of Metro lines and on cell phones.
While talent discovery shows, mostly singing contests, are still vastly popular, there are too many of them, they’re too sentimental involving contestants’ sob stories, and they are too much the same, according to China’s state media watchdog. In July, the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV issued its latest edict — calling a halt to new idol-type singing shows and postponing others in an attempt to elevate evening entertainment.
Tamer game shows
In the past, the watchdog has banned entertainment that it calls vulgar, of low taste and nonsensical. These shows include racy and “immoral” dating shows, in which women demand rich men; talent shows involving bitter comments by judges; live talent shows in which young female fans swoon and the audience votes by SMS; and “frivolous” and illogical fantasy time-travel shows. It has curtailed cop, spy and costume dramas in the past and called for more news, cultural and educational programming.
Today, it’s much tamer and game shows targeting young people are pretty safe, especially physical contests.
Following the British-format “The Cube” on Shanghai Dragon TV in which tasks are performed in a transparent cube, the local TV station has launched “Race Against Time.”
Contestants are two family members — husband and wife, brother and sister, for example — who must compete in performing tasks such as wrapping themselves up in toilet paper like mummies,
‘Chinese style’
“Chinese family ethics will be newly interpreted in the competition,” says director Mo Sheng who calls the show “very Chinese-style.”
The show, which launched last month, features ordinary people but celebrities are expected to join.
Tasks are up to 500 games and 20 are featured in each episode.
Mo and many viewers call many of the games “idiotic.” They’re just funny. Games, all 60-seconds long, include catching little balls in waste bins on the head, blowing ping pong balls, sitting knees-up on tiny blankets and moving fast, and nodding the head as many times as possible. That’s called the “crazy nodding game.”
Steven Wang, an IT professional in his 30s, says the game shows are relaxing after a tiring day at work. “They are good test of reflexes and quick wit and the contestants are as ordinary as we are,” he says.
Making a splash
Two celebrity swimming pool high-diving shows are hits: “Stars in Danger” on Jiangsu Satellite TV and “Splash” on Zhejiang Satellite TV. They are being renewed for a second season.
They are based on the format of the German show “Star In Danger: High Diving” and the Dutch show “Celebrity Splash.”
Both are very popular and quite funny but criticized by many people as an excuse to show off toned bodies in swimsuits. Diving from as high as 10-meter board can be dangerous without longtime professional training, critics say, though the show provides training, medical insurance and an emergency medical team is on hand for the plunged.
A judge panel comprising of professional diving athletes, sportsmen and celebrities score the contestants’ performance.
Producer of the Chinese “Star In Danger: High Diving” says the aim of the sports game is to show ordinary facets of celebrities and their daring.
The general knowledge quiz show “Open the Doors” on Jiangsu Satellite TV involves a team of two, one who answers questions and one who physically grabs prizes. It’s based on an Israeli TV show.
“Come On, Boys and Girls” on Anhui Satellite TV. It puts young lovers or potential couples together in amusement parks where they compete with each other in activities that put them in physical contact, like racing over a very narrow bridge and climbing up moving stairs.
On the more thoughtful side, contestants write Chinese characters by hand, without use of a keyboard, in Chinese Characters Dictation Competition on China Central Television.
Inspired by America’s “National Spelling Bee,” the show involves middle school students who write down less-common Chinese characters as they are read aloud. The show, which was launched in August, is so popular that it has been moved to Friday at prime time on CCTV1.
The program aims to restore appreciation of the beauty of Chinese characters among people who tend to use computer keyboards and forget how to write, says Jin Yue, CCTV-10 supervisor.
“The show is quite inspiring and meaningful for modern education,” says Wu Lihua, an accountant who has an eight-year-old daughter. “If we can’t write characters, we should feel ashamed.”
Still, the show is criticized by some people for being exam-oriented and using characters that are not commonly used — knowing 3,000 characters should be enough, they say.
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