Ah, Japan. We have so much to thank you for. Sushi, ramen, samurai movies, Wii music memes, weird porn. You know, the pillars of modern society. But the number one thing we have to thank Japan for isn't food, or movies, or the dark side of the internet. No. It's their game shows.
Hopefully, you're familiar with Japanese game shows by now, but if not, you're in for a treat. Japanese game shows are some of the most fun, chaotic, borderline disturbing game shows out there. Because in reality, they are the original prank shows. The premise of every Japanese game show is basically just, "let's watch these people try to do something completely ridiculous and embarrassing that we know they can't do." And if that doesn't sound like something you'd be interested in, you're wrong.
So let's get ready to count down our top 15 Japanese game shows of all time. It's a doozy.
Let's talk about game shows for a sec.
Game shows in the US are now just that one thing you put on when you're home sick from school.I cannot tell you how many episodes of The Price is Right I've watched with a bowl of chicken noodle soup on my lap.
I can tell you the exact price of any Sanyo TV from the mid-2000s. It's a useless skill, but a skill nonetheless. But do you know what types of game shows are even better than The Price is Right? Japanese game shows.Japanese game shows have flair. Innovation.
So let's get to counting down our favorites and you'll see just what we're talking about.15 - Ultraman DASH
via: YouTube
Why is it called that? No one knows. But the objective is to throw a frozen pizza into a microwave in a house across the street. Who thinks of this??Watch this master at work.
How?! How does that go in? There's literally no way I could do that even if I had years to practice.But wait... are we sure that's really pizza?
via: YouTube
It's a freaking frisbee! I feel completely lied to... And that's why this weird show is only number 15 on our list. Out with the liars!14 - Wall of Boxes
via: YouTube
Wall of Boxes is honestly something I need at like a fair or the next corporate event I begrudgingly attend. Here's how it's played. Four contestants sit atop a wall of boxes. They take turns picking numbers that correspond to items that will be used to knock them down. The last person standing wins and it's dramatic.Check out the whole episode here.
Eat your heart out, Jimmy Fallon. No game of Catchphrase will ever be as good as this.Can we also just point out the host's glorious mustache for a second?
via: YouTube
I would never be able to pull that off in America. Or Japan for that matter. This man is going places with that thing.13 - Staring Contest
Exploit the men! This show takes B-List Japanese celebrities, puts them in front of a woman in a low-cut dress, and then shames them for staring. Which is hilarious.Let's call out everyone for staring.
My favorite part of this show is that they have to watch on as they're publically shamed and laughed at.The fact that this one guy thought he could get away with staring for a full half-minute really says something.
via: YouTube
And that something is, "ew gross". Moving right along!12 - Death Prank
It starts off with a totally innocent elevator ride... right?And ends with this.
NO THANKS. It's so crazy we had to watch it twice. This actually sounds like a nightmare.Those poor people probably thought they were being devoured by some kind of Japanese game show elevator beast.
And for those of you that are super concerned (who isn't?), the participants are all told beforehand that a prank is coming -- they just don't know the details.11 - Mudders
This sounds like my kind of game show. I would kill this competition.Contestants just wade through mud and try to catch things.
I love that this idea has enough legs to be an entire show. Also, this might be my new favorite GIF.The pure defeat after she misses the ball is priceless.
via: Imgur
That's basically how I feel every day of my damn life.10 - WD Clock
"Why don't we run experiments on celebrities and see how dumb they make themselves look?"If only they were American celebs.
The point of this game is to see who can exit their sensory deprivation chamber (ish) in exactly 24 hours.By the way, shoutout to that old man.
via: DailyMotion
He has his retirement on lock. That's how I want to be in my 80s. Totally killing it.9 - Time Slip
Okay, this is incredible. It's like Groundhog Day in real life.This would drive me absolutely insane.
But by like the third blackout, I think I would have figured out what was happening. Getting that close with the water glass is a recipe for disaster.I feel for the second guy. He thought he was meeting his soulmate.
Only to find out it was just an elaborate trick to make him look silly.8 - Pussuma
I'll be honest with you, I have no idea what Pussuma means.But Extreme Limbo feels like a good way to describe this game.
Someone strap me to some ski boots and take me back to my middle school summer camp. I'm not going to embarrass myself this time.I wish I could be this casual with everything in life.
The way he performs this limbo is cooler than anything I've ever done in my life. Ever.7 - Cardboard Horror
from gifs
And then this happens.
Honestly, I would love to see a version where it's just a bunch of puppies. And we could watch grown adults be absolutely terrified.If they put me in there with my elementary school bullies, I think I would have a full meltdown.
Because this exact scenario is basically what elementary school was like for me. Minus the alpaca.6 - Prop Sneak
This is like Metal Gear Solid in real life.I don't know how these people do it.
I'm honestly just shocked at how well they did following people around a zoo.
The sauna in these costumes will make your skin feel great!
via: Streamable
Seriously, these look like the most uncomfortable things. But... Japanese game show!5 - King of the Hill
Alternatively, you could just call this game Slippy Stairs.I would absolutely play a game called Slippy Stairs.
Who signs up for these games? What do they win? Because it really just seems like they're volunteering to be in pain for life.How many people have died on Japanese game shows?
Because the answer is not zero. I guarantee that.4 - Downtown
Again, I have no idea why this game is called downtown, but Japanese people guessing English words is so much fun.I'm honestly impressed with how well they do.
If the shoe were on the other foot, I would be terrible. And probably accidentally racist. Who knows.I love the logic on the bottom row.
via: Imgur
From ten to teen to teeen. Just add more Es. That will definitely be right.3 - King vs Queen
A husband and wife prank each other endlessly until eventually their marriage fall apart.Kidding about the marriage, but watch this...
from JapaneseGameShows