The Almost Impossible Gameshow

The Almost Impossible Gameshow
Genre	Game show
Written by	The Rubberbandits
Narrated by	The Rubberbandits
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	12
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Initial
Distributor	Endemol UK
Release
Original network	ITV2
Picture format	16:9
Original release	1 October 2015 – present

The Almost Impossible Gameshow is an adventure game show narrated by The Rubberbandits. It has aired since 1 October 2015 on ITV2, and is an adaptation of the German game show Crash Games.

Background

The Almost Impossible Game Show was written and narrated by the Rubberbandits, and produced by Initial, an Endemol subsidiary. It has aired since 1 October 2015 on ITV2, and was commissioned for six episodes.^[1] The show was first piloted to Comedy Central in August 2013, after which it was offered to the international Endemol group. Endemol Germany liked the idea, and rather than wait for Comedy Central to surrender the format, they came up with Crash Games.^[2]

Gameplay

In the Crash Games original, three pairs of two were given fifty lives to attempt seven challenges and complete five challenges, and they were given twenty-five attempts at each. The two teams with the highest number of lives left at the end of five challenges went on to race each other around the park and up Mount Crash. The winner takes home €5,000. The Almost Impossible Game Show does away with the pairs aspect, instead pitting ten individuals against five challenges, and away with the final, as well as giving them only fifteen attempts before forcing them to move on.^[3] In addition, it offers only a trophy as a prize for winning.^[2]

Games

Games are sorted into seven zones: Tunnel, Paddock, Hill, Runway, Mud Pit, Hangar and Pool.

Zone	Name	Description
Tunnel	Groin Croissant	Contestant given ten seconds to shake off several croissants that are stuck on various bits of their suit including on their crotch with Velcro.[4]
	Word Lick	Contestant must lick their way around a glass sheet containing a six-letter word whilst blindfolded and then identify the word.[4]
	Bum Magnet	Contestant uses a magnet in the bottom area of their suit to guide a metal disc around a vertical maze; a life is lost if the disc falls before the end.[5]
Paddock	Dizzy Hurdles	In 20 seconds, jump 2 hurdles while blindfolded and having been spun around for 10 seconds.[4]
	Blind Bender	Contestant has 10 seconds to limbo under a pole whilst blindfolded.[6]
	Eggy Hammer	Using a hammer attached to their helmet, contestants must smash five eggs, lined up at different heights, within five seconds. The egg only need be cracked.[6]
Hill	Slippy Hill	Contestant must slide down a slippery hill without falling over.[4]
Runway	Enter Trouser	Contestant has 25 seconds to reach and put on a pair of trousers that are hanging in the air while running on a treadmill, without falling over.[4]
	Bouncy Sprint	Contestants have 15 seconds to bounce across a treadmill on a spacehopper.[6]
	Yum Yum Run	Contestant must run along the treadmill and leap up to take a bite from a yum-yum hanging above the track.[5]
Mud Pit	Tiny Bike	Contestant must cycle across a narrow platform on a small bike without falling off, putting his/her feet down or unseating from the saddle.[4]
Hangar	Punch Your Own Face	A fondant fancy is dropped from height, contestants must punch their face and squash the fancy at the same time.[4]
	Hat Pop	Contestant, blindfolded and wearing a sombrero with a balloon on it, jumping around in order to bounce against the pin hanging from the ceiling and pop the balloon.[6]
	Cream Fling	Contestant throws a cream cake into his/her mouth, with a ceramic bar across their wrists to limit the height of the throw.[6]
	Teabag Thrust	Contestant hangs a teabag between his/her legs and tries to catch it in a cup attached to their crotch.[6]
Pool	Belly Flop	Contestant has to belly flop on to a ball which is being being spat out of a vent.[4]
	Tiny Boat	Contestant must travel from one end of the pool to the other in 30 seconds using a small boat and a stirring spoon as an oar without falling out of the boat.[6]
	Wet Slippy Discs	Contestants have to run across the length of the pool over a pathway of floating discs.[5]

Critical reception

Weaver's Week likened what they saw of it to a "cruder" Total Wipeout, mourning the lack of a character in the judges as "anonymous monitors blowing a whistle. We may have to withdraw our critique of Uriah Rennie on Freeze Out: the "Ice Judge"'s studied lack-of-character was, itself, a character". They also noted that the show had "spent no money on its set dressing, just enough crash pads and mud and water to make it safe for the players. Nor has the programme spent much money on its challenges. They feel like the sort of thing an ambitious village carnival might do". They didn't finish the review; it initially halted after Weaver mistakenly perceived the commentators to be using "blatant sexism", although after being contacted by The Rubberbandits, they amended the story to say that they had misheard and misinterpreted what had been said.^[7]

References

1. "The Almost Impossible Game Show". British Comedy Guide.
2. "Show Discussion: The Almost Impossible Gameshow". Bother's Bar.
3. "The Almost Impossible Game Show?". Bother's Bar.
4. "The Almost Impossible Gameshow". ITV2. 1 October 2015. Missing or empty |series= (help)
5. "The Almost Impossible Game Show". ITV2. 22 October 2015. Missing or empty |series= (help)
6. "The Almost Impossible Game Show". ITV2. 8 October 2015. Missing or empty |series= (help)
7. "Weaver's Week 2015-10-11". UKGameshows.com.