This was a real treat for me, not just because of the great show itself, but it was the first place I ever saw comedian Jimmy Carr. He hosts this show that takes four contestants, one lost round by round, until one is left, who has the chance to win a car (often a Mini) or £5000. The questions consist of mostly simple and trivia based questions, with a single subject, a single letter answer or identifying pictures, and the contestant with the least correct answers is eliminated. But the hook is that each contestant has to do something painful, humiliating or disgusting, the distraction, in order to participate. Distractions included being electrocuted, peeing in toilets as a buzzer, sticking clothes pegs to faces, snapping and putting elastic bands on faces, cactus surrounded buzzers, ugly naked people joining them in sporting events, bubbles blowing in faces while wearing cheek retractors, paint balls fired when an question is wrong or not answered, wrestlers throwing them around, eating animal parts, and much more. The final round sees the surviving contestant given their car or cash, but they have to answer five questions (from an choice of two categories, e.g. bears or space, trousers and bacon) correctly to keep their prize intact, or their car loses parts, or their cash is burnt on a small furnace or in toasters. There were two special episodes in the series, the first starring Big Brother 2003 (the only boring series) contestants playing for charity, with Federico Martone, BB winner Cameron Stout, Anouska Golebiewski, and eventual winner Jon Tickle, and the second special where all contestants were police officers. It was so popular that it was taken to America, with Carr remaining as host, and I watched this all the time, I loved it, a very funny and original game show. It was number 64 on The 100 Greatest TV Treats 2003. Very good!
5 Reviews
Great!
scoptimus28 December 2004
I think that this show is brilliant. I think Jimmy Carr's jokes are hilarious and the ways in which the guests are put through pain is tasteful.
They aren't exactly whipped or beaten, but have to endure small electrical shocks as they answer. Other ways the guests are hurt is by being shot with a paint ball gun if you answer incorrectly, and being thrown about by wrestlers while you answer.
This show is by no means disgraceful and disturbing, there isn't any blood or gore or extreme violence, just ordinary people being hurt by a brilliant comedian to win some money! **** out of *****
They aren't exactly whipped or beaten, but have to endure small electrical shocks as they answer. Other ways the guests are hurt is by being shot with a paint ball gun if you answer incorrectly, and being thrown about by wrestlers while you answer.
This show is by no means disgraceful and disturbing, there isn't any blood or gore or extreme violence, just ordinary people being hurt by a brilliant comedian to win some money! **** out of *****
totally excellent
darkchylde00120 March 2006
Never before has TV stooped so low..its excellent. Where do they find the hapless contestants with the IQ to match? Being subjected to torture and pain is a big plus to to this outrageously funny excuse for a TV quiz show. Finally a TV quiz show how it should be run....Distraction is a funny and entertaining way of hosting and presenting a quiz show...if only who wants to be a millionaire was run like this, the contestants may want a million but it'd be worth watching the pain for the sheer entertainment we the audience would actually get out of watching something so dreary. Jimmy Carr (the host) is quick witted, intelligent and maybe in some poor woman's eyes (like me) extremely attractive and one of the only men I'd allow to talk during sex...but back to the show, please allow the UK to continue with its unique and inimitable sense of humour that we all love. Horrified as an Aussie at the messed-up Australian bloke they had on the show - but funny none-the-less. Written and absolutely loved by sexy convict (it's a wonder what two hundred years will do for one) :)
Easily the most puerile thing on terrestrial television at the moment - the only thing more depressing is that this accolade will soon be stolen by the next piece of `entertainment' that is wheeled out for o
bob the moo18 April 2004
Jimmy Carr hosts the game show where four contestants battle to win £5000 by answering the most general knowledge questions correct. However during each round the contestants must also go through a range of physical and mental distractions that will make it more difficult to concentrate. This show is yet another step on the `cruel tv' treadmill as television continues to try and get viewers by just trying to be as outrageous as it can be.
It was almost out of a morbid curiosity that I returned to this programme despite having bailed out of the first series after only a few episodes. I was rather unsurprised to see that series two continued to plough the rather depressingly dumb furrow that series one had begun in that it is, as it says, a very basic game show that's only value is in the infliction of pain. Let me be honest and say that this is about as dumb and stupid as it sounds; it is based around smut (and not subtle either) and cruelty - to me these are not the sole values I need a show to have to justify watching it. For a game show the questions are absurdly easy almost to the point to be insulting the intelligence of the contestants - however to me they have forfeited the right to be treated with respect by opting to appear on this show.
Mostly the contestants are yobbish, laddish clubber types who are happy to do anything to get on tv for a bit of a `laff'. Most of them seem more focused on screaming the loudest or talking the most and thus being seen than they are about actually winning - 15 to 1 this is not! Befitting the questions and contestants is a host who lacks charisma and is only ever funny when he has a really good line given to him that can survive his poor delivery. Most of Carr's jokes are awful and seem to define the word puerile. I have not seen his act so don't know what he is like but on the basis of this he is an unpleasant man and the only good will I would extend to him would be the granting of a fast death.
Sadly, the show is hypnotic once you start watching it. Each week I told myself I would turn it off for all the reasons above and more, but I couldn't stop. I think we all have that gladiatorial coliseum mentality and it is fixating to see others suffer in a variety of quite inventive ways. Of course after seeing two episodes of people hurting themselves I got tired of it and this minor novelty value gives way to the fact that it isn't clever, entertaining or funny and I switch off. The second series has just started and I doubt very much that it will get beyond a third series. No matter how inventive it tries to be in the dispensing of pain, the audience watching this will watch it to wince, be shocked and so on - once they get jaded they will be off after the next show that can demean people for their entertainment.
I'm honest and will admit that I can see why people stay with the show - once you watch 5 minutes it is hard to look away, partly out of amazement at the pain but also as it is always hard to pass a car wreck without looking. However it is easily the lowest form of entertainment on TV. What is amazing to me is that only a few years ago I saw `cruel' game show begin with Anne Robinson being verbally harsh to contestants, then Shafted did it again and other shows started picking up the `be cruel to get viewers' formula - how sad that it only took a few years for verbal digs at contestants to become full physical beatings. Years ago we used to watch clips of Japanese game shows where they punish contestants and we used to laugh at them - who'd have thought that so few years later we would have done exactly the same load of rubbish.
It was almost out of a morbid curiosity that I returned to this programme despite having bailed out of the first series after only a few episodes. I was rather unsurprised to see that series two continued to plough the rather depressingly dumb furrow that series one had begun in that it is, as it says, a very basic game show that's only value is in the infliction of pain. Let me be honest and say that this is about as dumb and stupid as it sounds; it is based around smut (and not subtle either) and cruelty - to me these are not the sole values I need a show to have to justify watching it. For a game show the questions are absurdly easy almost to the point to be insulting the intelligence of the contestants - however to me they have forfeited the right to be treated with respect by opting to appear on this show.
Mostly the contestants are yobbish, laddish clubber types who are happy to do anything to get on tv for a bit of a `laff'. Most of them seem more focused on screaming the loudest or talking the most and thus being seen than they are about actually winning - 15 to 1 this is not! Befitting the questions and contestants is a host who lacks charisma and is only ever funny when he has a really good line given to him that can survive his poor delivery. Most of Carr's jokes are awful and seem to define the word puerile. I have not seen his act so don't know what he is like but on the basis of this he is an unpleasant man and the only good will I would extend to him would be the granting of a fast death.
Sadly, the show is hypnotic once you start watching it. Each week I told myself I would turn it off for all the reasons above and more, but I couldn't stop. I think we all have that gladiatorial coliseum mentality and it is fixating to see others suffer in a variety of quite inventive ways. Of course after seeing two episodes of people hurting themselves I got tired of it and this minor novelty value gives way to the fact that it isn't clever, entertaining or funny and I switch off. The second series has just started and I doubt very much that it will get beyond a third series. No matter how inventive it tries to be in the dispensing of pain, the audience watching this will watch it to wince, be shocked and so on - once they get jaded they will be off after the next show that can demean people for their entertainment.
I'm honest and will admit that I can see why people stay with the show - once you watch 5 minutes it is hard to look away, partly out of amazement at the pain but also as it is always hard to pass a car wreck without looking. However it is easily the lowest form of entertainment on TV. What is amazing to me is that only a few years ago I saw `cruel' game show begin with Anne Robinson being verbally harsh to contestants, then Shafted did it again and other shows started picking up the `be cruel to get viewers' formula - how sad that it only took a few years for verbal digs at contestants to become full physical beatings. Years ago we used to watch clips of Japanese game shows where they punish contestants and we used to laugh at them - who'd have thought that so few years later we would have done exactly the same load of rubbish.
very dirty
thatGURLx4 June 2004
I watched this by chance today after big brother came on and there was nothing else on so I saw it to see what it was like. It's OK but like someone said before too much of cruelty TV with I'm a celebrity get me outta here, jackass, takeshi's castle.. do they think we get pleasure out of watching people getting hurt? yea only when it look's good like in films but seriously who wants to see contestants jumping over ugly fat old fogie's and they're naked.. what a sight for sore eye's and that jimmy carr is very annoying occasionally sayin a funny joke but he delivers his jokes in that smartass kinda way and I don't like that. Well if your the kinda person that like's cruelty TV then go ahead and watch it.
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