FOX's Banzai Offers Up Cheap Laughs And a Lot of Controversy

By Jorgio Castro

When most people think of FOX, they think of one thing; edgy programming which pushes the boundaries of what we see on network television. FOX's latest concoction, the British cult classic "Banzai" (Sunday nights at 8:30 PST), continues that long-standing "tradition" by pushing the envelope to the extreme in ways you may have not even dreamed possible.

In a nutshell, the show presents a series of outrageous scenarios, the outcomes of which people at home can bet on online, (www.fox.com/banzai) or by their trusty cell phone. There is no money to be had, but the top 20 total point winners are displayed online every week. The contests themselves range from "The Michael Jackson Reverse Race Rendezvous", in which three Michael Jackson impersonators moonwalk across an ice rink, with the audience wagering on who will finish first, to "The Man Dog Stick Question," where Todd Bridges of "Diff'rent Strokes" squares off against a four-legged canine to see who can retrieve a stick the fastest.

To no one's surprise, "Banzai"'s depiction of its Japanese characters, and Asian Americans as a whole has been the hot button issue since it's premiere here on July 13th. The host of the show, Mr. Banzai, is a bald, angry martial artist who kicks a lot and shouts even more. The cast contains characters which many would deem to be stereotypical and offensive, such as Cheeky Chappy, a middle-aged man with thick glasses, a heavy accent, and a predilection for women.

The racial stereotypes have set off a frenzy of outrage and protests from the Asian American community at large. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans recently staged a demonstration outside the Television Critics Association in mid-July, demanding that the show be taken off the air. They have also been promoting petitions calling for a boycott of the FOX network as a whole, as well as all of its programs and sponsors. (The petition can be viewed online at www.modelminority.com/article464.html).

The whole "Banzai" gang aims to please, which has some up in arms. Courtesy of www.modelminority.com

Guy Aoki, co-founder of the MANAA, called "Banzai" a show of "all the backward images of Asian-American people…like an Asian minstrel show." The goal of Aoki and MANAA is to have the show canceled and to have FOX issue a public apology for airing it.

Those on the other side of the fence on this issue stand equally strong however. FOX spokesmen Scott Grogin says that the show is "a satire, a parody of Japanese game shows. It's very tongue-in-cheek and should not be viewed as anything but." With typically nimble PR maneuvering, FOX instead describes its show as "a wild and irreverent romp that cuts through the wide sea of traditional television." FOX currently plans to air six episodes, but no further plans have been decided on for the show's future.

While the broken-pidgin-English spat out en masse by the hosts and the nonsensical Asian characters thrown around on screen certainly do nothing in the way of promoting the overall image of Asian Americans, the seriousness and validity of the show must really be questioned. A lot of Asian Americans find the show's concept and delivery stupid, but not offensive. Furthermore, in this age of "reality TV," FOX is clearly king. Shows such as "Joe Millionaire," "Temptation Island," and "Married by America" have captured audience's attentions with style and novelty more so than substance. Many of these shows have drawn criticism on themselves by the public at large because of what the stand for (and also what they don't). Can we blame FOX for trying to bring in the ratings by producing shows so absurd and so inane that millions are forced by morbid curiosity to watch? And, are we really to believe everything we see on these shows, or reality TV for that matter? Apply these questions to "Banzai" and you may find yourself enjoying the mindless comedy the show offers. I'm proud to say I've seen all three shows, and laughed at every one.

Something important to consider is that the vast majority of the participants on Banzai are not Asian themselves. Who is to say that it is not demeaning when a Caucasian woman stuffs her mouth full of one-dollar bills, or when African-American Todd Bridges fights with a dog over a stick, especially considering the witty remarks offered by Mr. Banzai and his broadcast crew on the preceding events. Considering that the contestants themselves have to agree to be on the show, what kind of message does having two blind women race around in bumper cars until they hit each other send to the American viewing audience? "Banzai" is a show that can be viewed as crude and offensive to anyone with any sense of discerning taste, not just a particular group.

The bottom line is that FOX has never been a network to create programming which touches your heart or your mind, but instead has always set its sights much, much lower. To think that the show is a criticism of racial stereotypes or some commentary on race relations is to give it far too much credit, but to think that it aims to demean or offend Asians is equally hyper-sensitive. The actors on the show are acting, and to think that people will take their fictional roles as truths regarding the personalities and views of all Asians is akin to believing Gary Coleman is representative of all African Americans.

"Banzai" not only forgoes political correctness, but locks it in a metal container and gives it a burial at sea in favor of low brow humor and cheap entertainment. If you are able to do the same, then you are the audience "Banzai" was intended to capture. If you are highly culturally sensitive and shudder at the thought of an Asian man performing a karate chop, you should be watching PBS, not FOX.

August 1, 2003