Paul Abeyta admits he's the producer of a series that, frankly, confuses many of its viewers.
But Spike TV's quirky late-night comedy "MXC" — short for "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge" — isn't what viewers assume it is.
"The show is an anomaly," he says. "It's essentially lightning in a bottle."
It's not a Japanese import.
It's not footage from a current series.
It's not a poorly dubbed foreign show.
In fact, what you see on the screen has nothing to do with what you hear coming out of the actors' mouths.
"We get calls from people who want to know how they can get on the show," says Abeyta.
They can't because, essentially, "MXC" is a made-up game show.
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"MXC" takes pieces of footage from the 1980s Japanese game show "Takeshi's Castle," inserts new dialogue and completely changes what's being said — and sometimes seen — on-screen.
In re-creating the scenarios, "MXC," filled with silly physical humor, introduces its own characters and reactions. "Takeshi's Castle" had contestants submitting themselves to physical challenges, which usually involve running away from boulders or falling face-down into mud.
Abeyta's crew takes footage from several episodes of "Takeshi's Castle" and cuts them up to make one "MXC" half-hour.
Abeyta says his and his crew's mixing and matching could create up to 500 "MXC" episodes if needed.
He devised "MXC" after going through footage of foreign game shows at a video library. He liked the idea of dubbing a Japanese game show because the jokes can play upon cultural differences.
The show has caught on especially with college-age men. Hundreds of Web sites are devoted to the eccentric show.
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"MXC" airs at 1:35 a.m. Fridays on Spike TV.
