I Survived a Japanese Gameshow

Did anyone watch I Survived a Japanese Gameshow? I just happened to flip over halfway through and thought it was a funny, interesting concept. I might give this show another shot next week. Doesn't look like you have to follow intently to enjoy it. Perfect "Surf the Internet and watch TV" kind of programming.

I Survived a Japanese Game Show is an American reality show that premiered on ABC on June 24, 2008. The show follows ten Americans, who leave the United States for Japan where they will compete in a Japanese style game show. The winner will take home $250,000. Format Ten contestants who are informed that they are to take part in a reality-style competition, but not informed of the nature of the show are flown to Tokyo, Japan, and taken to the Toho Studios, where it is revealed that they are to compete on a Japanese game show called Majide. They are broken up into teams and compete in a game against each other. Winning teams get a reward activity while losing teams are given a punishment activity. The losing team must also choose two members to compete in a second game head-to-head, with the losing contestant eliminated from competition. The series follows not only the Majide competition, but also the contestants' activities backstage and outside the game show in reality style. The contestants live in a house together, with a Mama-san, who generally expects the contestants to live in line with Japanese culture and custom. The host of I Survived A Japanese Game Show is Japanese-American Tony Sano. On the experience, Sano commented, "it was great to see people from different cultures coming together." Majide The show-within-a-show Majide is not an actual Japanese show that has aired to date. The actual Japanese translation of Majide (マジで？) is "seriously?!" in an inquisitive, yet exclamatory sense, meaning roughly "you have to be crazy." But, the Japanese characters for the on-screen logo shown on the wall in the program do not read "Majide." They actually read "Honki de" (本気で) (meaning simply "Seriously" or "Wholeheartedly"). The show is hosted by Rome Kande.