In an underdog story for the ages, one clever little indie game has taken the world by storm. Made by a small team of developers and published by Devolver Digital, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a media sensation, quickly becoming one of the most downloaded PS+ games ever, selling over 7 million units on Steam, and launching an incredibly successful marketing blitz across Twitter and social media.
In game, 60 players go up against wacky obstacle courses and silly team games, gradually eliminating the bottom performers until only one person is left. Given that Fall Guys is “50% skill, 50% chaos,” as the devs put it, even the best players lose most of the time. So for everyone who lost because they were on the Yellow team, or because they had to play Tiptoe again, here’s a roundup of TV shows with the same spirit and appeal as Fall Guys.
Billed as the “World’s Largest” obstacle course, Wipeout ran from 2008 to 2014, and featured hosts John Henson, John Anderson, and Jill Wagner commentating and cracking jokes while participants attempted to navigate a diabolical obstacle course. Every episode featured four rounds of obstacles, starting with 24 contestants, and gradually whittling the field down to the top 4, or sometimes 3, who competed in “The Wipeout Zone” for a chance at a $50,000 grand prize. The show loved to take things to extremes, making huge courses that would be redesigned every now and then to keep things fresh. Certain obstacles would eventually become iconic fixtures, such as the “Big Balls” challenge that required contestants to jump across 4 giant rubber balls, with a large swinging pendulum at the start dubbed “The Motivator” for those who hesitated. The show is colorful, lighthearted, and energetic, and is sure to audiences on the edge of their seat with each wacky new obstacle or challenge introduced by John, John, and Jill.
One of the originators of the wacky obstacle course concept, Takeshi’s Castle originally ran as a Japanese game show from 1986 to 1990, but was subsequently re-cut and distributed around the world as a cult hit TV show. The most famous English version of the show is probably the UK distribution narrated by Craig Charles, in which the show was cut down to mostly just the actual obstacle courses, and aired as a sort of clip show of highlights from each episode. While the original comedy skits and player commentary is lost, the new narration does a good job of keeping the energy and spirits up, so long as you can tolerate the occasional joke about “those wacky Japanese folks.” Despite the obvious cultural differences, it turns out watching people fall into muddy water is a universal language, and the show is incredibly creative with its challenges and courses, from mazes filled with monsters to a bizarre cross of laser tag and bumper cars.
Floor is Lava, named after the popular children’s game, is pretty much what it says on the tin: the floor is lava, don’t touch it. Faced with a room where everything is submerged in a bright red goop, contestants have to navigate a series of obstacles based on a theme like a kitchen, or a study, and make it to the end without falling in. Teams that win receive $10,000 dollars and of course, bragging rights. Things aren’t always straightforward though, as the rooms are carefully laid out in a variety of potential paths, including some secret tricks that only appear when certain conditions are met within the course. The contestants and host, Rutledge Wood, are definitely giving it their all, and it has the classic gameshow draw of being able to plot your own personal strategy and then cheer/boo when the contestant chooses or ignores your preferred path. Each episode is around half an hour long on Netflix, making it a fun, low-investment option for those who just can’t seem find a show to watch.
A classic show from back when Nick was still Nickelodeon and hosted a range of game shows, few more lovingly remembered than Nickelodeon GUTS. Each episode took three children or teenagers and had them participate in “extreme” versions of recognizable sports. Depending on how well they did in each game, they would be assigned point scores based on their placement. At the end of every show, the final event would be a race to the top of a fabricated mountain called the Crag, and would award the most points of any round as a sort of tiebreaker for close games. At the end of every show, the highest point-scorer would win the gold medal, and a piece of the Crag as a trophy. The show is a charming blast from the past, a nostalgic reminder of a more innocent time when the only thing viewers had to worry about was when their favorite show was on, or whether to watch Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, or Cartoon Network. It’s a scrappy show, but full of heart and energy that more than makes up for its rough edges, and is worth watching for some youthful, charming entertainment.
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