i spend a fair amount of time moaning about how things were better back when, back then. i used to watch a lot of weird foreign shows (again, whatever was on the two incredible channels we had available) but these two were probably the ones i loved the most.

telematch

Telematch was the name of a German television show broadcast during the 1970s till 1979 and based on its French counterpart Intervilles….For each game the participants would typically dress up in costume. Often the costumes were elaborate and designed to increase the challenge of the game by making movement awkward. Games were played against the clock, or as a race.

it’s german but we had hindi dubs, which made it about five times as hilarious to 8-year-old me. first order of business beween the sibling/assorted cousins would be to choose your teams and just duke it out, shouting at the tv like tiny insane people.

the crystal maze

The series is set in “The Crystal Maze”, which is set within four different “zones” set in various periods of time and space. A team of six contestants take part in a selection of challenges in order to win “time crystals”. Each crystal gives the team five seconds of time inside “The Crystal Dome”, the heart of the maze where the contestants take part in their final challenge.

i preferred the seasons hosted by the bald man who, according to wikipedia, has a name. there were four zones to cover (aztec being the worst - congested and crappy tools) and four types of challenges (mental was mental). basically a classier wipe-out with the added bonus of jumpsuits and wacko 90s hair.