When people talk about “comedic genius,” they often mention legends like George Carlin or Richard Pryor. But since the dawn of time, nothing has made humans laugh harder than watching other humans fall down. It’s something encoded deep in our DNA, and to deny that you find someone falling on their ass hilarious is to deny your humanity.
All of which is to say: It’s OK to laugh at these Japanese game show contestants struggling to get up a slippery staircase.
can someone explain why japanese game show 'slippery stairs' hasn't made its way to our part of the world yet pic.twitter.com/cd1BHvvoKl
— juan (@juanbuis) November 20, 2017
A video posted to YouTube Saturday shows the six Power Ranger-esque contestants struggling to get to the top of a stairway covered with some sort of mysterious goo. People fell in love with the clip, and it’s rapidly approaching 1.5 million views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKPz583WRpQ
The full nine-minute video is worth the watch. It contains several amazing moments as the desperate contestants struggle to reach what looks like a giant check waiting at the top.
This gem shows one competitor making it tantalizingly close to the top, only to slip and take out half the field on the way down.
This is a great moment of zen.
https://giphy.com/gifs/japanese-game-show-slippery-3o6fJ2cqCSV9lazX1K
According to one YouTube commenter, the clip comes from a show called All-Star Thanksgiving (Japan has a holiday similar to America’s Thanksgiving that occurs around the same time of year). Last year’s full program can be viewed on Dailymotion.
People are already hoping “Slippery Stairs” can pull off a “Hole in the Wall” and make its way to the U.S.
I don't get into social issues here on Twitter, but today that changes. I am going to make it my life's work to bring this television show to America. And maybe even the Olympics. Winter and Summer. #SlipperyStairs pic.twitter.com/kf0NPWFs99
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) November 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/JSNHaile/status/932764709568286722
We need to start importing Japanese game shows like Slippery Stairs immediately: https://t.co/S7B2zgob0h pic.twitter.com/YVkjgd16n2
— Nerdist (@nerdist) November 21, 2017
If you don’t have time to watch the full version, here is the exciting conclusion.
for everyone asking, here's the thrilling conclusion pic.twitter.com/YauKROArtL
— juan (@juanbuis) November 20, 2017
If the game’s fans were anywhere close to being as determined as this guy, the show would be premiering in the U.S. next week.