| Genre: | Game show |
| Runtime: | 22 minutes |
| Executive Producer: | Cecile Frot-Coutaz (Fox) Scott St. John (Cartoon Network) |
| Producer: | Jon Peper David Ruskey (game producer; Fox) |
| Editor: | Narumi Inatsugu |
| Camera: | John Perry |
| Director: | Ron de Moraes (Fox) Rob George (Cartoon Network) |
| Presenter: | Brooke Burns Mark Thompson Teck Holmes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Company: | FremantleMedia North America |
| Network: | Fox |
| Network2: | Cartoon Network |
| Num Seasons: | 1 (Fox) 2 (Cartoon Network) |
| Num Episodes: | 18 (8 unaired) (Fox) 40 (Cartoon Network) |
Hole in the Wall is an American game show that has aired in two versions on American television.
The first version aired on the Fox television network from 2008 to 2009. The show was an adaptation of the Japanese game show (meaning Brain Wall, nicknamed by YouTube fans as "Human Tetris")[1] in which players must contort themselves to fit through cutouts in a large 13feet by 7.5feet Styrofoam wall moving towards them on a 50feet track. FremantleMedia North America produced the series. Brooke Burns and Fox announcer Mark Thompson were the hosts of this version. On May 20, 2008, Fox announced that it would commission 13 hours of Hole in the Wall from FremantleMedia North America. According to a Hollywood Reporter report, these hours could be split and aired as 26 episodes. Production began July 13, 2008, at CBS Studios-Radford.
On March 17, 2009, Fox pulled the series again, replacing it with reruns of King of the Hill and American Dad![2] The program's cancellation was announced in May 2009.[3]
On July 20, 2010, Cartoon Network announced that it picked up the series, now updated for its younger audience.[4] [5] FremantleMedia would return as the show's producers. The series premiered on October 6, 2010, with cast member Teck Holmes as host. Joining him as the show's lifeguard was model/lifeguard Emily Hedicke. A second cycle debuted in April 2011, and featured a new co-host, lifeguard Aaron Gingrich. On January 19, 2012, the CN version of Hole in the Wall aired its last episode.[6]
Two teams of three people play, with a hobby, occupation, or location as the team name. Two lifeguards, one male and one female, sit poolside. The contestants are dressed in the silver spandex zentai unitards and wear red or blue helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads depending on the team color.
A replay is shown each time the wall was passed and each time wall was not cleared, a diagram is shown of the best method.
One rule that is almost automatically assumed is that contestants must jump through the hole without breaking it all off or falling in the water. The rule that most players inadvertently break is that at least one foot must be in the play area.
After each team is announced, the team captain is then instructed to enter the play area. After a three-second countdown, the wall is shown. If the captain fails to get through, or "clear" the wall, either by falling into the pool or damaging the wall as it passes, the team earns zero points, clearing the wall earns one point. The opposing team captain then tries a different wall.
The two non-captains on each team then complete on a Double Wall. The team earns two points if both players clear the wall, if either player fails to clear, they earn zero points.
All three players try to complete the Triple Wall. The team scores three points if all three clear the wall. If any player fails to clear, the team earns zero points.
Like Round 3, all three players complete. The wall moves twice as fast as before. Each player who clears the wall earns two points, for a maximum of six. In addition, if all three players clear the wall, they win a guaranteed $5,000 bonus whether they win or lose the game. Both teams get a chance to play for the $5,000, even if the second team has been mathematically eliminated.
The team with more points wins a guaranteed $25,000 and plays the final "Blind Wall" for extra cash at $100,000. In case of tie, both teams advanced to the tiebreaker and final "Blind Wall" with $50,000 at stake.
One team member, blindfolded, is guided by Brooke to the center of the play area. The two remaining team members must then direct the blindfolded member through a standard solo wall by giving verbal commands, while the audience is asked to remain quiet. If the contestant clears the wall, the team wins $100,000. If both teams advance to the Blind Wall, the prize is split in half and each team tries a different blind wall for $50,000. During the show's opening run, there were only two teams that completed the blind wall. Raphael Xavier from the Freedom Rappers Philly team went through the blind wall, winning $50,000 due to a tie with the other team. The second was a teammate from the Gyrating Gents and they took home the full $100,000.
On October 24, 2008, Fox pulled the series from its schedule, replacing it with reruns of Kitchen Nightmares.[7] On January 21, 2009, Fox pulled the series again and replaced it with reruns of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?[8] After an airing on February 8, 2009, the show was quickly put on hiatus. After another month, the series returned on March 8, 2009. Reruns of the series began airing on Fox Reality (now Nat Geo Wild) on May 25, 2009. The program's cancellation was announced in May 2009.[3]
The show's producers announced that they planned on shooting celebrity and themed episodes of the game, even though one was shot.
4 specials were also made for the Cartoon Network version, all appearing in Season 2.
As was the case in previous versions, two teams of three people play. The difference is that the teams now consist of families. One member of each team is a child, and the second member must be the child's parent or guardian. The third member can either be one of the child's friends/siblings or a second parent/guardian. The contestants are dressed in the same attire from previous versions. (silver unitard, color coordinated helmets and pads)
The rules for the Double and Triple walls are the same, but points are now awarded based on how many players clear each wall, meaning that it is no longer required for every member to clear a group wall. Each person who gets through the hole and matches the shape earns 10 points. In the Speed round, the points are doubled. Round 2 always had some variant with the wall.
One player from each team tackles this wall. If the wall is cleared, 10 points are awarded.
Variants from Round 2
Two on each team then compete on a Double Wall. Each player clearing the wall is worth 10 points, with a total of 20 points at stake.
Variants from Round 2
All three players try to clear the wall. Each player clearing the wall is worth 10 points, with a total of 30 points at stake.
Variants from Round 2
The Speed Wall was always in the 4th Round which doubled the points with each player making it through being 20 points. It was mostly was a 2-Player wall with a variant. The exception was in the episode Tap and Destroy vs. Game On where the speed wall was a normal 3-Player wall since nobody had scored points. If it was a competition wall, on rare occasions it will have one of the two walls have a twist with it (In Musical Mayhem vs. Big Bro & The Disco Sistas, one wall was a mimic competition wall. In Ladies Love Us vs. Pizazz N Jazz, one wall was a prop competition wall)
One player from each team is chosen to play and will be given ten plastic balls. When the wall starts moving, the players must grab as many balls as possible, and clear the wall with the balls in their hand. The winner of the competition for the player's team is decided by whoever gets the most balls through their hole.
All three players of the winning team compete in the fifth round that has a final, more difficult wall, thus being named the Impossiwall. This round had 1-3 players take on the wall with a variant. If the wall is completed, the winning team will be immortalized in the Wall of Fame.
Variants
Since 2017, prime members can view 18 episodes of the FOX version.[10]