Because it’s quiet, I thought I’d link to a video.
Growing up, I had a lot of fond memories of an Italian show called Il Grande Gioco dell’Oca, an apparently live show that used to go out on Friday nights on Rai Due, back when you could get those sorts of channels on cable. The Grand Game of Goose, as it translates to, was a giant board game – contestants roll the dice (apparently pre-loaded so as to make sure the show doesn’t overrun too much, contestants pick their colour by lot) and move forward earning cash for each square passed. When they land they might earn a bonus or penalty, but more usually they’d be given a stunt to do. These were sometimes funny, sometimes action packed, usually scary and occasionally quite disgusting and almost certainly dangerous looking. The contestant makes a bet on them completing the stunt from the money earnt. The one contestant who manages to land on the final space by exact count (if time was running out they’d drop the stunts to find a winner) won whatever they had built up.
Well this just blew my tiny little 11-14 year old mind (I forget when), I hadn’t seen Fort Boyard by this point yet I don’t think, but I do remember Clive James mentioning it on one of his shows, alongside clips of a contestant with his feet in quick dry cement trying to chisel his way to freedom, and an older contestant trying to keep his heart rate down whilst some scantily-clad females danced around him.
I later discovered the Italian one decended from a Spanish show, El Gran Juego de la Oca, and the clips I’ve seen suggest it’s copied pretty much exactly. So with this in mind, here is a clip from a later version of the Spanish original, in which a man attempts to staple some overalls with himself to a bit of board with a view to hanging on for ten seconds when it’s lifted into the air. Also includes dancing girls!
I’ve always really wanted a full episode of this to do a feature on. Maybe it will happen in the future.
HA, brillaintly the Clive James feature’s on Youtube as well as one of the recommended clips!
It appears the Italian one led to a semi-sequel or sorts called Sette per Uno:
Ooh, VERY interesting find – turn of the Millenium as well.
Interesting. I come home to check my Twitter feed, and this is what I see: (note, contains generally offensive language) (also, it’s best if you read it from the bottom up) http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac27/artbegotti/tweetgeese.jpg
In university a month ago I got bit by a goose. And my friends have been taking the rip ever since.
Proving yet again that the Bar is on the pulse of current events the world over.
both the Gioco dell’Oca and Sette per Uno were created by Jocelyn Hattab, a famous TV host and director. he’s the man with a french accent you can hear in the Italian clips.
on a Wikipedia search I found that his first idea was to make an Italian edition of Fort Boyard but the pilot didn’t convince the network, so he applied the concept to a board game and there came the Gioco dell’Oca
before Sette per Uno, Jocelyn directed and hosted another similar show titled “Il Grande Gioco del Mercante in Fiera” on a minor network
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vKqh7J2r4Y
oh, I’ve got this piece of news from Italy:
Affari Tuoi is on hiatus
Ooh, Mercante in Fiera. I believe Brig did a thing on that a while ago…but it certainly didn’t involve spaghetti.
No, this is actually a bit more interesting as it’s a different show, I’ll throw up the old feature on the new Merchant in Fair in the next few days. Thanks Cele!
This is amazing! Does anyone know if copies of the show can be bought? Can’t find anything on Amazon…
Unlikely, unfortunately, but there’s a load of it up on Youtube.