Coolest show ever on TV....

[ISUChippewa]

So, it was kind of a crappy day up in Steamboat Springs today, and I was feeling a little crappy myself, so I holed up all afternoon and gorged myself on a great, highly addictive new show on Spike called "Deadliest Warrior". The premise behind it is taking historical warriors from different cultures and time periods and pitting them against each other in mortal combat, for example, an Apache Indian warrior against a Gladiator from Roman times (Apaches are BAD-***). I was instantly hooked from the first minute.

Has anybody else seen this show?

[ISU_Alum_2000]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRrPntN0OlY]YouTube - Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?[/ame]

[LindenCy]

Is it all fiction? or recreation?

[AIT]

If they fight in an arena-type environment, I'll take the gladiator. If they fight in a more natural environment, I'll take the Apache warrior.

[burn587]

I liked the Ninja versus the Spartan but not so much the Yakuza vs the Sicilian Mafia. Not sure if I saw the Apache vs a Gladiator though.

[MNCyGuy]

Viking vs. Samurai was awesome as well. Some weeks are better than others, but I agree, very entertaining.

[bballisu11]

sounds stupid

[MNCyGuy]

sounds stupid

I thought so too, and the fight scene portions are really cheesy. But the parts where they examine the different weapons and such is very interesting if you're the type that can sit down and watch history or discovery channel for an afternoon.

[c.y.c.l.o.n.e.s]

Is it all fiction? or recreation?

It is a semi- scientific approach. For each warrior, there is an expert on that warriors ability and weaponry. They use various types of sensors and dummies made out of human-like material, etc. to gage the impact of the weapons and to measure whether their armor would protect them from the weapons being used by the other warrior.

They then take those results and use a computer program to simulate 1000 battles. They then show re-enactment of a battle and the winner of the computer program kills the loser. In Samari vs Viking, the Samuri won roughly 520 of 1000 computer battles.

My favorite so far, was when they tested the Samuri sword. A "One Man" sword was capable of slicing a person clean in half. They stacked 4 pig carcasses on top of each other. The Samuri was able to cut through 2 and a half carasses (bone and all) with one swing thus making that particular sword a "Two Man" sword. There are apparently stories of three and four man swords from back in the day.

[JP4CY]

BUT have they had Chuck Norris as one of the fighters?

[bufante]

Most Extreme Elimination Challenge...good stuff

[Mr Janny]

I thought so too, and the fight scene portions are really cheesy. But the parts where they examine the different weapons and such is very interesting if you're the type that can sit down and watch history or discovery channel for an afternoon.

It is an interesting premise. Didin't all of us, as kids, pose the question, "I wonder who would win in a fight?" at one time or another?

The problem is, that this particular show is almost entirely subjective, and employs very little in the way of actual science. The show basically goes like this:

Ok, take a sword and attack this model of a human torso. Look at the damage. Now, take this axe and attack another torso. Look at the damage. And then a bunch of guys sit around discussing which one was tougher. There's very little account for technique, defense, or anything beyond a basic attack. Then they plug their data into a "computer program" of which the viewer knows nothing and that's how they generate their result. What does the computer measure? How are the fights simulated? These questions are not answered at all. It is the equivalent of a magic 8-ball as far as the audience knows.

And honestly, I don't have a problem with it, because science and reasoning were rarely involved when these questions were discussed when we were children. But the show attempts to hide this subjectivity under a guise of science, and it's really an insult to the audience.

my opinion.

[mplscyclone]

It sounds cool if you're drunk... otherwise it sounds silly IMO

[AIT]

It is an interesting premise. Didin't all of us, as kids, pose the question, "I wonder who would win in a fight?" at one time or another?

The problem is, that this particular show is almost entirely subjective, and employs very little in the way of actual science. The show basically goes like this:

Ok, take a sword and attack this model of a human torso. Look at the damage. Now, take this axe and attack another torso. Look at the damage. And then a bunch of guys sit around discussing which one was tougher. There's very little account for technique, defense, or anything beyond a basic attack. Then they plug their data into a "computer program" of which the viewer knows nothing and that's how they generate their result. What does the computer measure? How are the fights simulated? These questions are not answered at all. It is the equivalent of a magic 8-ball as far as the audience knows.

And honestly, I don't have a problem with it, because science and reasoning were rarely involved when these questions were discussed when we were children. But the show attempts to hide this subjectivity under a guise of science, and it's really an insult to the audience.

my opinion.

I'm disappointed to hear that this program doesn't live up to the high production standards of other Spike programs

[RyCy04]

I was really expecting this to be a thread about The Golden Girls.