December 26, 2024
Column

G4 offers kung fu reality TV for Bruce Lee fans

Bruce Lee fans, this one’s for you. I had never heard of “Ninja Warrior” until a press release from G4 network made its way to my inbox, but apparently the show and the competition have been around for a while.

Starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, G4 is premiering all new episodes of the kung fu fighting show. Just a warning, the show has subtitles.

It originally was filmed by the Tokyo Broadcasting System, and has been a hit overseas since 1997 and known as “Sasuke.”

Each episode features a series of obstacle courses so challenging that they only can be completed by the “most extraordinary assassins.”

These ninjas in training have normal jobs, and include teachers, fishermen, even a gas station manager, but compete alongside world-class athletes from around the world.

Contestants have included U.S. Olympians such as gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm, who took home gold and silver medals at the 2004 Athens games, and decathlete Paul Terek.

But even the most serious athletes have difficulty with the “Ninja Warrior” competition, and only two entrants ever have completed the four-stage course.

I don’t think I’d make it through the first level that tests speed, strength and agility.

The challenges get more difficult as contestants move on and progress from an aerial challenge to the final stage where they must scale a 40-foot tall wall and then pull themselves up a 30-foot rope in only 30 seconds.

I think I’ll be tired just watching.

In celebration of the new episodes, G4 is running a “Ninja Warrior” marathon from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17, that will feature behind-the-scenes footage.

For those of you who have followed the show faithfully, G4 will continue to include “Ninja Warrior” in its Midnight Spank late-night viewing block on Tuesdays.

If kung fu fighting’s not for you, don’t worry because there’s plenty of new stuff on the horizon. Ryan Seacrest of “American Idol” hosting fame is producing his own reality series for E! called “Paradise City.” The show premiered Sunday, March 4, and although I missed it, I’ve read that I didn’t miss much.

The show follows eight people and their lives in Las Vegas, the city of slots and sin. According to “The New York Post,” the premiere was “truly horrible” and not worth tuning into in the first place.


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