Those of you may remember the short lived “Hole in the Wall” on FOX and the “Brain Wall” Japanese game show video that helped spawned its popularity in the US:
Check out the review after the jump.
After a short stint on FOX, the show was re-tooled for a younger audience and put on Cartoon Network. It premieres October 6th and looks like it may have potential (with a younger audience). Most adults that I know don’t like the slapstick humor as much as kids do, that’s for certain. Consequently, the older iteration of “Hole in the Wall” tried to be both kid- and adult-friendly. This can be a tough balance, but has worked in the past with such classics as “Animaniacs” and “Rocko’s Modern Life.”
Cartoon Network’s version contains a team of two kids and one adult. The team members can be any relation from parents to teachers to some other peer. The show is hosted by Teck Holmes (from The Real World: Hawaii), and it seems like he is still trying to fit in as a regular host of children’s shows. Towards the end of the episode, I almost wanted to give him a glass of water- his voice seemed so stressed, yelling the show’s catch phrase, “Show me the Hole in the wall!” over and over.
Overall the game show reminds me of some of the earlier Double Dare episodes from Nickelodeon. The show still feels awkward but, if they play their cards right, this may be a hit with kids.
“Hole in the Wall,” hosted by Teck Holmes, premieres on Cartoon Network Wednesday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
From the press release:
Speed, agility and a hearty sense of humor are essential tools to survive HOLE IN THE WALL -one of the trickiest, fastest, funniest and wettest shows on the planet – as contestants contort their bodies every which way to fit through the wall or else end up being swept away into a pool of water. As the rounds progress and the pace heats up, mind over matter, quick thinking, coordination, and clever teamwork play a crucial role as each team strives to maneuver through walls literally closing in on them.