Games - Distraction

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	Games - Distraction

Distraction is a British game show shown on Channel 4. Presented by comedian Jimmy Carr, the show involves contestants answering questions, while being distracted in various bizarre, painful and humiliating ways.

The format was devised by Fremantle television and was sold to the U.S. network Comedy Central in 2004. The first season of the U.S. version was shown starting on January 18, 2005, and the second season began airing on January 10, 2006. Jimmy Carr has hosted all episodes of both versions.

Gameplay

At the start of the show there are four contestants, two women and two men. Before the first round, they "get to know each other", finding out about each other's embarrassing moments.

The first three rounds are usually quizzes involving rather easy questions. However, these rounds feature various distractions (hence the name) to cause pain and/or discomfort while contestants try to answer them. The distractions may be endured throughout the round, activated in order to answer questions, as punishment for incorrect answers, or as a result of getting a question right. At the end of each round, the player who has performed worst is eliminated and receives nothing.

Distractions have included being shocked with electricity such as with electric dog collars, pushing buzzers surrounded by cacti, sticking one's hand in live mousetraps to answer a question, being shot with paintball guns, having snakes and maggots put down the pant(ies) of the contestants, urinating in a specially designed toilet to activate one's buzzer, and contestants drinking shots of hot sauce or their own urine. Several of the most frequently seen distractions are explained in further detail below.

In the fourth and final round, the one remaining player wins a prize (or prizes) worth £5,000-10,000. However, the final condition of said prize(s) depends on how well they do in this round. Typically there are five questions, with each incorrect answer resulting in a prize (or part of a prize) being damaged or destroyed. For example, if the prize is a car, getting a particular question wrong could result in the losing contestants getting to spray paint graffiti on the side of it, smash the windshield, or key-scratch the door(s) of the car.

U.S. version

The format for the U.S. version is basically the same; however, each round may have its own special rules instead of merely answering the most questions. Round 1 is always an on-the buzzers quiz (the "buzzers" being some of the items described above.) Round 2 may be another on-the-buzzers quiz, or an individual time trial in which each player is given 45 seconds (or so Jimmy claims) to answer questions while continually being distracted by someone or something else. Round 3 is a head-to-head round similar to round one, and is usually a race to 4 or 5 points, although in the episode airing on March 14, 2006, the final two contestants played the Pig Pen game (see below).

Sometimes in round 1 or 2, players must attach clothespins or rubber bands to their faces while answering questions; the player with the most clothespins/rubber bands on their face at the end of the round gets five extra points, and usually moves on because of this bonus.

The final winner faces the prize round as outlined above.

Frequently Used Distractions

Cactus Buzzers (UK only) - This distraction is circulating as a Viral Video on the internet. Contestants must answer questions by buzzing in to a small hand buzzer surrounded by cacti. Halfway through the game, they are blindfolded and the cacti spin, making it harder for them to buzz in.

Nudist Relay - Taking place in the second round, the three remaining players don't answer questions, but instead have to do a relay race, featuring the wheelbarrow, the 3 legged race, and leapfrog (or "under the bridge"). The last place finisher is eliminated.

Nudist Turntable - players must find the answers on cards stuck to the bodies of nudists on rotating platforms, take them off with their teeth, bring back the card, and put it on the board. Successfully doing so scores a point. In the first or second round, the player with the lowest score at the end is eliminated; in the third round, the first contestant to get 4 points wins the game.

Pee Buzzers - There seems to be an obsession with urine on Distraction. As explained above, contestants are seated on specially designed toilets, with only a small door on the stall for privacy. To answer a question, they must "do a little wee" to activate their buzzer. This is the second most commonly featured game in the US version, with only the hot sauce drinking round being featured more often.

Drinking Urine - Although it has only been featured in the UK, it has been mentioned several times in the US (first on Comedy Central's behind-the-scenes videos with Jimmy, then on an actual episode or two.) The two final contestants compete against each other by drinking a shot of their own urine left over from drug testing. The final shot is usually the rest of the cup or the other contestant's urine. The US version usually substitutes shots of hot sauce for the urine.

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