332 replies to this topic

[mtvcdm]

Usually, when you watch a show with any semblance of regularity, there are conventional reasons behind it. Good writing, a certain main cast member, things like that. Even bad shows have a train-wreck factor. But sometimes you're going to have this reason to watch that the production crew never, ever intended.

For me, this would be Univision's Sabado Gigante, the network's seemingly flagship show. You see, I don't speak Spanish, so anything on my cable operator's obligatory Spanish Channel's going to be completely and utterly incomprehensible to me. This actually draws me in. I'll be watching the host, whose name I have determined to be Don Francisco (if I'm wrong, someone correct me), talk for a while, and then all of a sudden some shirtless guy is dancing around (this happened less than half an hour ago). The only things I can determine that they regularly do are:

*Singing contests.
*Give away cars.
*Hand $1,000 to random members of the audience for seemingly no reason.
*On occasion, they'll dress half the audience in shirts bearing a last name, and the other half in shirts bearing a second last name. Best I can guess is that they all have that last name.
*Random sound effects- think the SNL 'Pranksters' skits.

As I was writing this, the President came up. 30 seconds later, they had a rapping musical guest. I don't know why, and I wind up watching for large blocks in a futile attempt to get a handle on the situation, which I know will never happen, but I do it anyway.

Discuss.

[Watermelon]

I love Passions. Mainly it's because I can miss a whole month(and usually do) and haven't missed much of anything at all. How can you not love that?

I love anything on Univision and Telemundo. I took 4 years of spanish but have retained next to nothing of it but still, there's something about it that draws me in. It doesn't help that they just don't believe in putting ugly people on TV. They have the cutest people. I'm in love with the Family Feud(dont know the real name but that's what it is) host. He's just sooo sexy.

[NYGirl]

I am drawn to that Extreme competition show on Spike TV. I have no idea what the full name is but it's Japanese. The funniest thing about it is that they dub in random remarks by contestants such as " my thong is too tight". You know they're not really saying that. I just sit there giggling like a 12 year old when the contestants fall into the water.

I love the two Japanese guys discussing the contestants. It looks like they use the same clip with different remarks every show. I think one's name is Vic Romano.

[GreenTeaLeaves]

MXC: Most Extreme Elimination! That show cracks me up...it's so completely random and bizzare.

It's one of those shows that I never sit down to watch deliberately, but whenever I am channel-surfing I will always stop and watch a little bit, because it just sucks me in. Also, Spike plays it 24/7, so between that and the James Bond marathons that they run, I watch and inordinate amount of SpikeTV, and channel that I should really dislike on principle.

[Add It Up]

I love to watch the local news beacuse the weatherlady sends me telepathic messages to my brain about the aliens that live inside of my shoes.

Edited by Add It Up, May 14, 2005 @ 10:02 PM.

[cinaminsweet281]

I love Passions. Mainly it's because I can miss a whole month(and usually do) and haven't missed much of anything at all. How can you not love that?

I know! I haven't watched Passions since March when we were on spring break, but I just saw Friday's episode and it's like I hadn't missed not one episode.

Also, even though I don't know how to cook, I don't have a need to learn how to cook, and I don't want to learn how to cook, I usually tune in to watch Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals. She's just so manic and chipper and out of control and it's like she's got me in this headlock where, if I miss an episode, she will invade my thoughts until I finally tune in to watch the next one.

[Morning Angel]

My love for infomercials trying to sell gadgets knows no bounds, and I don't know why. I would never consider buying any of them; they clutter your home, and you can do the same thing with traditional tools/utensils. Yet, spending 30 minutes hearing why I should buy the Magic Bullet to be able to make homemade salsa in 3 seconds appeals to me. After all, everything is better with (ultra-quickly made) salsa.

Infomercials really have a way to hypnotize my brain. It must be the combination of bad acting, cheesy sets, and increeeeedible offers that have a pull on me.

Ron Popeil is definitely the king though. Infomericals for his pasta maker, food dehydrator, and rotisserie filled many a Sunday morning growing up.

Edited by Morning Angel, May 15, 2005 @ 6:00 AM.

[SoImpossible414]

I'm addicted to CBS soaps because they're funny. I know they're not supposed to be, but they make me laugh. I mean, how can you take "Bold and the Beautiful" seriously? I saw Ridge fall into a furnace and burn to death, missed a few months, turned it back on, and he was alive and unscarred. It was awesome.

[steerstojapan]

I will watch any Baywatch episode involving Inky, the giant squid. I crack up at his antics. They're just so over-the-top.

[UnfamousLoser]

Morning Angel said:

Ron Popeil is definitely the king though. Informericals for his pasta maker, food dehydrator, and rotisserie filled many a Sunday morning growing up.

Don't forget the spray-on hair. The spray-on hair was the best.

[cosmom]

I used to watch Airwolf (Jan Michael Vincent) with the volume off just to count how many people would die each episode. You just knew if you were a guest on that show it was a one shot deal and you wouldn't make a return appearance because you were going to be in a plane or helicopter that flew into a cliffside.

I also thought it would be a great show to do bad or totally fake subtitles/translations to since they were always so dang serious.

[PrincessLuceval]

The old episodes of Little House On The Prairie are fun, because you can count on any guest star never appearing again, even though it's Laura's "best friend," and also, you can play a drinking game where you take a drink whenever one of the characters does a Turn and Run Away. Extra drinks if the same character does more than one in one episode.

[echopapa]

I'm surprised that "Sabado Gigante" hasn't shown up on Spike TV by now. Between the nonsensical contests and the enormous fake breasts, you'd think it would be a perfect fit.

[enchantress]

I mean, how can you take "Bold and the Beautiful" seriously? I saw Ridge fall into a furnace and burn to death, missed a few months, turned it back on, and he was alive and unscarred. It was awesome.

Macy's alive! Macy's dead! Macy's alive! Macy's dead! Taylor's Alive! Taylor's dead! Taylor's alive! Taylor's dead! Taylor's alive!

It's too bad Ridge survived that furnace incident. He's so frickin' annoying. I used to watch B&B all the time, mostly because it was the only soap that seemed slightly more grounded in reality than the others (I know, I'm very stupid). I used to be a big fan of the Bridget/CJ relationship, but TPTB killed their story so fast. That always has pissed me off.

[dorabelle]

For me, this would be Univision's Sabado Gigante, the network's seemingly flagship show. You see, I don't speak Spanish, so anything on my cable operator's obligatory Spanish Channel's going to be completely and utterly incomprehensible to me. This actually draws me in.

Oh, me too! My Spanish is rudimentary at best, so Sabado Gigante is awesome! They'll have some boy band from Uruguay, followed by a serious segment where Don Francisco interviews a couple of senators from the Mexican senate, and top it all off with some kind of talent competition where an enormous guy in a bear suit comes on stage to chase off the losers. And they have the commercials embedded in the show, like on 50s American TV, so the announcers will be all "Quaker Oats! Con mas frutas!" as a dancing instant oatmeal package skitters across the stage.

[Sandman87]

I watch the local station's news broadcast just so I can make fun of them. Not only do they get a lot of the stories wrong, but the reporters also do not have a firm grasp of the english language. Comedy gold!

[dhb]

My love for infomercials trying to sell gadgets knows no bounds, and I don't know why.

You probably watch them for the same reason I do, just to pick apart their crappy logic. Like for "Restore 4". You notice how they always say that you can let the stuff sit, and it will work on its own? But during the commercial, they never have time to let it sit (even though the commercial isn't live), so they "help it out" with a steel scouring pad, and everything comes out shiny and new again?

Univision's Sabado Gigante

I am going to have to find this program and watch it now.

[eejm]

Hunter brings on some excellent 80s cheese, but I'm also convinced that it was written into Fred Dryer's contract that he had to be shirtless at least once in every single episode. I'm catching all of the episodes on TVLand that I can to prove this theory, and I haven't seen one without Shirtless Fred Dryer yet.

Oh, Sabado Gigante ROCKS! A friend of mine and I acquired this addiction in high school Spanish and carried it with us through college. It's like a like combination of The Price is Right, Oprah, Meet The Press, Let's Make a Deal, and The Today Show, all rolled into one glorious show. I'm not sure if I'd love it nearly as much if it were in English. Somehow, not being able to really figure out what's going on makes it so much more enjoyable.

[Bungalow Joy]

For the hatred, as an energy. I don't know why I watch Rachael Ray's non-cooking shows except for that. It's like the taste of bittermelon. You want the astringency.

[Dinkadoo]

I love Most Extreme Elimination Challenge!
I'm not a heavy watcher, but I do watch it if there's nothing else on at all.
Some of the comments the hosts make are just silly and juvinile.

Edited by Dinkadoo, May 15, 2005 @ 4:16 PM.

[KatherineO]

When I lived in Nova Scotia, I made a point of watching the 5 o'clock ATV news on Fridays. The news out there is. So. Bad. There would always be at least one hunting accident related story. There would always be one story about children bringing joy to a hospital. The newscasters were exceptionally unattractive.

But the two BEST things only happened on Fridays. The first was how, for ten minutes, pictures of old couples celebrating their anniversaries would scroll by with things like "Congrats Harold and Midge for 47 years!". Then they'd have an award for "Maritimer of the Week" where someone would get a certificate for being nice, or being old, or whatever.

I like watching Slings and Arrows on Showcase, because there's a character that is ostensibly based on my father.

I also loooooooove watching the bad, non-subtitled Asian action movies that OMNI always shows at bizzare hours on the weekend.

[Morning Angel]

I also loooooooove watching the bad, non-subtitled Asian action movies that OMNI always shows at bizarre hours on the weekend.

Do you mean the Bollywood movies or more kung-fu-like movies? On weekends, every time I flip by OMNI 2, a Bollywood movie seems to be on.

Talking about OMNI 2, Yan the Wok cook? His show is such a trainwreck. His English makes it difficult to follow what he does. The whole show boggles the mind. The fun with that show resides mocking the novelty apron he is wearing. On many occasions, it contains glaring typos, but not in pun-like ways.

One of my favourite shows as a teen was Super Dave Osbourne, which aired on YTV at the time. I would watch only to know what stunt would get Dave injured at the end of the show.

[KatherineO]

Do you mean the Bollywood movies or more kung-fu-like movies? On weekends, every time I flip by OMNI 2, a Bollywood movie seems to be on.

Both, but mostly the action movies. I can't even count the number of times I've rolled home at 3AM on a Saturday, drunk and/or stoned, and became enthralled by some Hong Kong mobster extravaganza.

I also like to watch Forever Knight reruns on Space, because it is oddly satisfying to watch your ex-boyfriend's father play a vampire.

[C-Bo]

When I lived in Nova Scotia, I made a point of watching the 5 o'clock ATV news on Fridays. The news out there is. So. Bad. There would always be at least one hunting accident related story. There would always be one story about children bringing joy to a hospital. The newscasters were exceptionally unattractive.

But the two BEST things only happened on Fridays. The first was how, for ten minutes, pictures of old couples celebrating their anniversaries would scroll by with things like "Congrats Harold and Midge for 47 years!". Then they'd have an award for "Maritimer of the Week" where someone would get a certificate for being nice, or being old, or whatever.

AS a flight attendant, I have the honour of watching bad TV across the country. Yes, in the maritimes, it's interesting (although not as bad as the RDTV News Crew. For Red Deer. Yes you read right), but once on Prairie TV (manitoba) There was a show about these people who carried around chickens ala celebs with small dogs (Paris, Britney). THey had little chicken underwear, little chicken diapers, little chicken carry bags. Just your random Winnipegger carrying aroung their chicken.
Prairie TV plays some really weird shit late at night.

[senor coconut]

CHeck this: I was fucking ON Sabado Gigante!!! I was sitting on a bench in Orlando and the Sabado Gigante people were there with their cameras and I didn't notice them and I looked up and the camera was right in my face and all of Spanish TV Land will forever (OK, stretching, I know) as the white chick with the deer in the headlights look on her face.

I watch those design shows where they make the people sell or toss their stuff. "That cowbell is not your dead Gramma!!!!"

[KatherineO]

Is Sabado Gigante on anywhere in Canada? This sounds intriguing. It reminds me of, well, every single show on TVA or TV5 or whatever it's called (the Spanish station that's in between MuchMoreMusic and TLC on the Toronto cable line-up). Every time I surf by the channel there are colorfully and scantilly clad Spanish people singing and playing game shows.

but once on Prairie TV (manitoba) There was a show about these people who carried around chickens ala celebs with small dogs (Paris, Britney). THey had little chicken underwear, little chicken diapers, little chicken carry bags. Just your random Winnipegger carrying aroung their chicken.

That's whack, yo. I think it's a given that, even in large cities, the local news can be kind of weird. Here in Toronto, I always watch the CityTV news, where everyday they will report a) a shooting b) a carjacking/other violent crime c) the fact that the city has no money to do something d) a story involving homeless people and e) something bad happening at a public school BEFORE they get to the touching human interest tales.

Come to think of it, all the touching human interest stories on the CityTV news must have some combination of children, old people, a relatively small ethnic group, singing, dancing, a church and/or a hospital.

[Sibella]

I love Most Extreme Elimination Challenge!

Is this the same show that ran on Fox for a little while under a different name (Banzai, maybe?)

I used to watch Too Close For Comfort because my cats were extremely attracted to the theme music. OK, I'd just run the credits, but that was more than enough.

[davidmello]

"Most Extreme Elimination Challenge" is based on a Japanese game show that involves trying to storm a castle. "Banzai" was a British show.