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Distraction

 Distraction
type
TVTItem
 Distraction
label
Distraction
 Distraction
page
Distraction
 Distraction
comment
A Game Show that originated in Great Britain whose premise was to ask "How much humiliation will you endure to win some amazing prizes?" Hosted by brash comedian Jimmy Carr, contestants were required to answer rather simple questions while being distracted in various ways, such as being thrown around by wrestlers, having live geese eat feed off your body while lying face up in your underwear, and buzzing-in by sticking your fingers in mousetraps, stopping a fan with your face, or even urinating in a toilet onstage. Make it through three rounds of this (and non-stop harassment by Carr) and you win some lovely prizes! However, the game doesn't stop there... Carr asks you one more set of questions, and for each one you get wrong, one of your prizes gets destroyed (or, in case you've won a car, some part of said car gets vandalized).Lasted two seasons in the United Kingdom, then two more in the United States on Comedy Central (also hosted by Carr, but toned down a bit), and has spawned several foreign versions.
 Distraction
fetched
2023-04-21T13:29:04Z
 Distraction
parsed
2023-04-21T13:29:04Z
 Distraction
processingComment
Dropped link to Fanservice: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Distraction
processingComment
Dropped link to Slapstick: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Distraction
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Distraction / int_1bd4c0bf
type
Unwinnable by Design
 Distraction / int_1bd4c0bf
comment
Unwinnable by Design: This endgame, in which the winner's last opponent started shoveling her £5,000 (presented as 50-pence coins) into a full cement mixer immediately upon the start of the round, thus making it impossible to save all the cash. (Without chiseling the shoveled-in coins out of the resulting block of cement afterward, that is.) A similar round started with Carr putting £1,000 into each of five toasters and turning them on before asking five questions. Each correct answer allowed the player to pull the money from one toaster, starting with the last one Carr turned on. Since the first toaster corresponded to the last question, the money in it was most likely to burn up even if the winner breezed through the first four questions. (After all five questions had been asked, the contestant was allowed to salvage whatever money they could from any remaining toasters.)
 Distraction / int_1bd4c0bf
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1.0
 Distraction / int_1bd4c0bf
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1.0
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Distraction / int_1bd4c0bf
 Distraction / int_1d91d828
type
Deadly Game
 Distraction / int_1d91d828
comment
Deadly Game: Comes damn near close, and treated in-show as a running joke, especially in such rounds as "Bed Of Nails".
 Distraction / int_1d91d828
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1.0
 Distraction / int_1d91d828
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Distraction / int_1d91d828
 Distraction / int_2319aa2e
type
All or Nothing
 Distraction / int_2319aa2e
comment
All or Nothing: Losers leave with nothing, as is made quite clear by Jimmy. Sometimes the winner does, too, if he wipes out in the "Bonus Round".
 Distraction / int_2319aa2e
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1.0
 Distraction / int_2319aa2e
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Distraction / int_2319aa2e
 Distraction / int_235289d
type
Conveyor Belt o' Doom
 Distraction / int_235289d
comment
Conveyor Belt o' Doom: A wrecking ball awaits at the end if your prize gets there before you answer the question.
 Distraction / int_235289d
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1.0
 Distraction / int_235289d
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_235289d
 Distraction / int_2b694b8
type
Flawless Victory
 Distraction / int_2b694b8
comment
Flawless Victory: A grand total of three contestants left with either an unblemished car or all their prizes intact in the US. One of these was due to the spray-painter casually walking to the car instead of running after time expiring; the contestant gave the right answer just before he could start painting. It never happened in the UK.
 Distraction / int_2b694b8
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Distraction / int_2b694b8
 Distraction / int_3036294e
type
Scary Black Man
 Distraction / int_3036294e
comment
Scary Black Man: "Tiny" in the US, who was supposedly the "son" of one of the arm-wrestling old ladies mentioned above, and threatened destruction of the winner's car in the first taped episode (although he didn't get to do any work thanks to a Flawless Victory).
 Distraction / int_3036294e
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Distraction / int_3036294e
 Distraction / int_306b9de9
type
Electric Torture
 Distraction / int_306b9de9
comment
Electric Torture: "Blinking Electrocution", where you had to answer questions while strapped into an electric chair and were shocked every time you blinked. To make life interesting, Jimmy's assistants would light up cigars and blow smoke in the players' eyes. Another round had players getting electrocuted every time they buzzed in to answer a question.
 Distraction / int_306b9de9
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Distraction / int_306b9de9
 Distraction / int_31a2a33c
type
Stuff Blowing Up
 Distraction / int_31a2a33c
comment
Stuff Blowing Up: Your prizes, at random, via Plunger Detonator.
 Distraction / int_31a2a33c
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1.0
 Distraction / int_31a2a33c
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_31a2a33c
 Distraction / int_4631a57d
type
Carried by the Host
 Distraction / int_4631a57d
comment
Carried by the Host: Jimmy Carr's heckling and blatant sadism toward the suffering contestants is pretty much the point of the show.
 Distraction / int_4631a57d
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 Distraction / int_4631a57d
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_4631a57d
 Distraction / int_58019946
type
Anvil on Head
 Distraction / int_58019946
comment
Anvil on Head: Subverted in the "Rope Burn" game; the anvils fall on your prizes instead. In the US version, a 1,000-pound barrel of cement was occasionally used as well.
 Distraction / int_58019946
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-0.3
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Distraction / int_58019946
 Distraction / int_5af55436
type
Forced to Watch
 Distraction / int_5af55436
comment
Forced to Watch: The entire point. Naturally, the first missed question will almost always result in an Oh, Crap!.
 Distraction / int_5af55436
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1.0
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_5af55436
 Distraction / int_67792344
type
Grievous Bottley Harm
 Distraction / int_67792344
comment
Grievous Bottley Harm: Played two different ways. One game required contestants to buzz in by hitting themselves over the head with a bottle at first, then by hitting their neighbor halfway through. The other featured contestants buzzing in normally, but every time they got an answer right, a stunt person would hit them over the head with a bottle, then progress to larger objects such as vases and finally break a chair across the player's back.
 Distraction / int_67792344
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 Distraction / int_67792344
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_67792344
 Distraction / int_68d43ebc
type
Game Show Host
 Distraction / int_68d43ebc
comment
Game Show Host: Jimmy Carr, albeit with a very different style of hosting.
 Distraction / int_68d43ebc
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 Distraction / int_68d43ebc
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_68d43ebc
 Distraction / int_6af237f8
type
Think Music
 Distraction / int_6af237f8
comment
Think Music: Especially during the "Bonus Round". In the UK it was a reprise of the Theme Tune.
 Distraction / int_6af237f8
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Distraction / int_6af237f8
 Distraction / int_6c07693b
type
Carry a Big Stick
 Distraction / int_6c07693b
comment
Carry a Big Stick: The losers do, if you win a car.
 Distraction / int_6c07693b
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 Distraction / int_6c07693b
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Distraction / int_6c07693b
 Distraction / int_6c62b1a8
type
Covered in Gunge
 Distraction / int_6c62b1a8
comment
Covered in Gunge: The "Catapult" round in the American version, in which pies filled with various substances were launched into the contestants' faces as soon as they buzzed in. Another variation required them to smash eggs (some raw, some hard-boiled, some fertilized) on their foreheads to buzz in. The Italian version had its gungey contests as well.
 Distraction / int_6c62b1a8
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1.0
 Distraction / int_6c62b1a8
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_6c62b1a8
 Distraction / int_71e514b5
type
Don't Try This at Home
 Distraction / int_71e514b5
comment
Don't Try This at Home: "...come to our studio and try it here for everyone's enjoyment."
 Distraction / int_71e514b5
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1.0
 Distraction / int_71e514b5
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Distraction / int_71e514b5
 Distraction / int_982037d0
type
Tickle Torture
 Distraction / int_982037d0
comment
Tickle Torture: The Italian version utilizes this on two separate occasions on female contestants. The contestants were suspended by their ankles using inversion boots and had their bare feet tickled by either two women with long nails or one woman with long nails and a feather, all while trying to answer the host's questions. The British version did this to a male contestant using two women with sharp nails on his feet to distract him. The Indian version also attempted this. This time around, it was a male competitor who administered the tickling to the two female contestants. The first was fully capable of withstanding the tickling while the second had some trouble resisting it.
 Distraction / int_982037d0
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1.0
 Distraction / int_982037d0
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Distraction / int_982037d0
 Distraction / int_9d17b859
type
Made of Iron
 Distraction / int_9d17b859
comment
Made of Iron: One round had the "buzz-in" being to beat an old woman arm-wrestling... at which point her bodybuilder "son" zapped you with a cattle prod. One guy did not react to the prod. (He won, obviously.)
 Distraction / int_9d17b859
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 Distraction / int_9d17b859
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_9d17b859
 Distraction / int_9edfdf1f
type
Studio Audience
 Distraction / int_9edfdf1f
comment
Studio Audience: ...And you have to wonder how many went to a taping voluntarily.
 Distraction / int_9edfdf1f
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 Distraction / int_9edfdf1f
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Distraction / int_9edfdf1f
 Distraction / int_acde073a
type
Generic Graffiti
 Distraction / int_acde073a
comment
Generic Graffiti: Applied to your car, and usually pointing out one of the things you revealed to everyone at the beginning of the show.
 Distraction / int_acde073a
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1.0
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_acde073a
 Distraction / int_b01abe4f
type
Catchphrase
 Distraction / int_b01abe4f
comment
Catchphrase: "I'm guessing you were a little bit distracted!"
 Distraction / int_b01abe4f
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1.0
 Distraction / int_b01abe4f
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_b01abe4f
 Distraction / int_b4eff8a8
type
Epic Fail
 Distraction / int_b4eff8a8
comment
Epic Fail: The guy that answered all three questions wrong in the "Bonus Round" and subsequently left with nothing. One of his questions was about SpongeBob SquarePants, and Jimmy all but gave him the answer.
 Distraction / int_b4eff8a8
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1.0
 Distraction / int_b4eff8a8
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_b4eff8a8
 Distraction / int_bb18c92d
type
Mouse Trap
 Distraction / int_bb18c92d
comment
Mouse Trap: Rat traps were used as buzzers both in the US and the UK. At least one contestant received a broken finger.
 Distraction / int_bb18c92d
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1.0
 Distraction / int_bb18c92d
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_bb18c92d
 Distraction / int_bda018c5
type
Money to Burn
 Distraction / int_bda018c5
comment
Money to Burn: If the prize is £5,000 cash, the contestant has to throw £1,000 onto a fire for every wrong answer. At the end of the round, they can use a bottle of water to extinguish the fire and try to save some of the money. An alternate version has the money placed in toasters (see below).
 Distraction / int_bda018c5
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 Distraction / int_bda018c5
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_bda018c5
 Distraction / int_be9d4a56
type
Home Game
 Distraction / int_be9d4a56
comment
Home Game: A "Distraction Quiz Book" released in the United Kingdom, with questions and ideas on how to make some of the distractions at home.
 Distraction / int_be9d4a56
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 Distraction / int_be9d4a56
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_be9d4a56
 Distraction / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Distraction / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: To Pimp My Ride, normally when a contestant's brand-new car got covered in paint. Also, routine question categories about Kevin Bacon.
 Distraction / int_c75df49a
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 Distraction / int_c75df49a
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_c75df49a
 Distraction / int_d3435454
type
Bonus Round
 Distraction / int_d3435454
comment
Bonus Round: Inverted big time; you get the prizes up front, but must answer questions to keep them from being damaged or destroyed.
 Distraction / int_d3435454
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 Distraction / int_d3435454
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 Distraction
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Distraction / int_d3435454
 Distraction / int_d35193cc
type
Bonus Space
 Distraction / int_d35193cc
comment
Bonus Space: Some challenges awarded points to the contestant who did the most of something during a round (putting clothespins or rubber bands on his or her face, for example).
 Distraction / int_d35193cc
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1.0
 Distraction / int_d35193cc
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Distraction / int_d35193cc
 Distraction / int_dc4e0f9a
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Eat That
 Distraction / int_dc4e0f9a
comment
Eat That: Shots of (supposedly) Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce. Done much more extensively in England, with maggots, snails, lambs' testicles, and the contestant's own urine.
 Distraction / int_dc4e0f9a
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Distraction / int_dc4e0f9a
 Distraction / int_e24d2d5c
type
Reptiles Are Abhorrent
 Distraction / int_e24d2d5c
comment
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Especially when stuffed down your see-through pants.
 Distraction / int_e24d2d5c
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 Distraction / int_e24d2d5c
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Distraction / int_e24d2d5c
 Distraction / int_e54b7b17
type
Zonk
 Distraction / int_e54b7b17
comment
Zonk: What your legitimate prizes were turned into if you sucked at the "Bonus Round".
 Distraction / int_e54b7b17
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Distraction / int_e54b7b17
 Distraction / int_f10d3363
type
Distracted by the Sexy
 Distraction / int_f10d3363
comment
Distracted by the Sexy: Played with, naturally - most directly in a game where the male contestants answered questions while in bed, with each correct answer earning a scantily clad woman to join that contestant.
 Distraction / int_f10d3363
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Distraction / int_f10d3363
 Distraction / int_f870d50
type
Consolation Prize
 Distraction / int_f870d50
comment
Consolation Prize: One version of the "Bonus Round" featured a stereotypical one, such as Rice-A-Roni, as one of the available prizes. Other than that, none.
 Distraction / int_f870d50
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 Distraction / int_f870d50
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Distraction / int_f870d50
 Distraction / int_f8a43438
type
Eject the Loser
 Distraction / int_f8a43438
comment
Eject the Loser: Employed on occasion in the rounds involving wrestlers, roller girls or flabby nudists; the wrestlers carried the loser off, while the nudists conga'd the loser away.
 Distraction / int_f8a43438
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Distraction / int_f8a43438
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Distraction

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Distraction
hasFeature
All or Nothing / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Bonus Round / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Celebrity Edition / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
seeAlso
Distraction
 Distraction
hasFeature
Eject the Loser / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Electric Torture / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Game Show / int_b9813d3b
 GameShowMomentsGoneBananas
seeAlso
Distraction
 Distraction
hasFeature
Grievous Bottley Harm / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Hot Sauce Drinking / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Money to Burn / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Mouse Trap / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Plunger Detonator / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Tickle Torture / int_b9813d3b
 Distraction
hasFeature
Zonk / int_b9813d3b
 Game Show Moments Gone Bananas
seeAlso
Distraction