Killer Karaoke

***Killer Karaoke*** is a Transmanian reality music/karaoke singing game show competition program which is based on the format of the same-titled American game show produced by Zodiak USA and also based on and inspired by the international format of the British game show *Sing If You Can* created and owned by Zodiak Media Limited and developed in Transmanitain by KD Entertainment, Zodiak RT and Striker Media Group Productions. (KD Media Entertainment acquired and licensed the rights to the format in 2012 after they acquire the rights to develop the version of the international format *Sing If You Can*.) In this series, individual contestants attempt to sing in front of a live studio audience in physical challenges/stunts/obstacles while various bizarre attempts try to disrupt/distract and frighten their performances under enduring extremely underrated horrible conditions. *Killer Karaoke* is an adaptation and predecessor of the spin-off show *Sing If You Can* which is also based on the format of the British game show of the same name produced by RDF, and it premiered on TBN in June 2011 and ended in late 2012 and it ran for 4 seasons. It premiered on Spike on June 14, 2013, and ended in May 2015, and ran for 3 seasons. Hosted by comedian, entertainer and actor (TV's naughty prankster) Jack Gluckman (known as Jack-G) and actress Ruffa Ganzell. After the show ended, the show was rumored that the show would be revived under the new title *Killer Karaoke: The New Sing If You Can* to be premiered in January 2017.

## Production & broadcast history

In August 2012, Spike (not to be confused with the Viacom-owned network of the same name) caught interest of giving the green light for *Killer Karaoke* originally created by Zodiak Media with Striker Media Group producing.

The auditions for the first season were held in March 2013. The production team taped the show both pilots from April 2013.

The show taped its 16-episode first season to be commenced production from late April to June 2013. The Transmanian version of *Killer Karaoke* began airing on Spike TV on June 14, 2013, and ended on September 27 of that same year. The show aired every Friday nights at 8.30 pm. It premiered with a total of 3.9 million viewers, improving on Spike TV's Friday night performance from its other shows that season. In that time slot, it increased the Nielsen ratings from 3.7 million views to 10.47 million views.

It was announced in late-October 2013, that the series had renewed for a 16-episode second season, but with newer challenges. Auditions were held in November of that same year. Production occurred from late January to early March 2014 and began airing on March 28 and concluded airing on July 18 of that year. It began airing Thursday nights at 9.30 pm.

In June 2014, it was announced that the series renewed for the last two 13-episode part series-third season with even newer challenges. The auditions for the third season were held in July. The 13-episode third season was produced from late September to November of that year, and it returned to its Friday night schedule and began airing on February 13, 2015, and ended on May 8, 2015.

It was announced that *Killer Karaoke* has been cancelled before renewing the show due to rumors complaining about bringing back the format "Sing If You Can" into "Killer Karaoke", due to the show's format creator Zodiak Media being merged with the French company Banijay (Knockdown Entertainment acquired the format rights from the French multinational company Banijay since 2008 before Banijay rebrands Zodiak Media in 2017 and only other Transmanian companies would keep the "Zodiak Media/Zodiak Rights Limited" for use under "Banijay Rights" and "a Banijay Company/We are Banijay" rebranding until late 2020).

## Format

### Preliminary rounds

Six different contestants appear at the start of each show are separated into three preliminary rounds of two contestants, and each have approximately 90 seconds to sing their song in each singing game challenge. Contestants are introduced to the audience and told their challenge/game. Before every challenge/game, contestant is told whatever happens "Do Not Stop Singing." The winner for each round is picked by the live studio audience via popular vote and will automatically advance into the Killer Karaoke Final Showdown and the loser will be eliminated.

### List of Challenges/Games

* **Big Stank** – The contestant would sing while being danced on by two sweaty 500-pound strippers. (Seasons 1-3 only)
* **Balloon City** - Contestants sing on a platform surrounded by small balloons, the balloons are inflated until they pop and run like a city park. Until the end, a surprise was given and there was a large balloon filled with flour and worms that would be popped by Gluckman or the executioners. (Seasons 3-4 only)
* **Boom Boom Boom / Tricks while performing** - Contestants stand on the platform, then are given tricks to surprise them while they are performing. (Seasons 2-3 only)
* **Bite Club** – The contestant singing would be attacked and bitten by a series of guard dogs while wearing a heavily-padded suit. Usually, in the first season, the contestant would have to deliver six packages no matter what happened.
* **Behind the Door** - The contestant would sing while opening the door for someone to surprise him/her.
* **Blown Away** – The contestant (usually a female) would stand in front of three large fans for a "full-body facial style", while holding a rope steady to prevent a bucket of water above the contestant from tipping over and drenching him/her. The facial included a strong adhesive, oatmeal and paprika, along with another surprise or two throughout the song. (Seasons 1-3 only)
* **Bath of Delight** - Contestant sings in the bathtub, after which he or she is given a surprise in the form of water and also other surprises.
* **Boxing Bag** (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Bag Refill** (Seasons 2-3 only)
* **Bull in a China Shop** - The contestant wears a rubber suit and tries to grab all of the cash he/she can find. Usually, wherever the cash is found, something happens to that item that he/she can find the money on. (Falls, spills water, etc.) At the end, there are people in costumes who stand still, and after a while start to attack the contestant. (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Chained Melody** (Seasons 2-4 only) - The contestant lies in a coffin and is given a mummy-like shirt to sing, is given surprises and shaken the mummy's coffin by the two executioners.
* **Car Wash** (Seasons 1-2 only) - Different variants of the challenge exist and similar to **Blown Away**.
* **Cactus Maze** – The contestant would wear a Velcro suit on which balloons were stuck. Then he/she was given drunk (blurry vision) goggles to wear and advised to walk through a makeshift desert maze filled with cacti, on a trail that was clearly marked. As the contestant walked through the maze, landslides could fall on him/her, and the host could blow a horn in his/her ears. At the end of the maze, there was a tree with money attached to it (later on Seasons 2-3, there are big little coins that says the show's title "Killer Karaoke" attached to it. The purpose of the coin is to help add value.); however, unbeknownst to the contestant, the tree also had pythons on it, which the host would reveal to the contestant by removing the goggles from his/her face. (Seasons 1-2 only)
* **Cement Tube** - Contestants sing while entering in one box. Then given a surprise in the form of water liquid, water liquid given eel and colored water like casted on the road. (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Chemical Attack** - During the performance, the contestant must sing while being forced to inhale the smells from the five unpleasant vessels.
* **Dirty Dozen** (Seasons 2-4 only) - Similar to **Head Case**.
* **Electric Maze** (Seasons 2-4 only) - Same as the challenge **Cactus Maze** but with a difference, a contestant would wear drunk blurry vision goggles to wear and advised to walk through an Electric Maze with two pails or paint pans in both hands.
* **Flip Your Lid** – The contestant had a clear dog cone on his/her head. Then he/she would stand on a platform pulling a lever. After the lever was pulled, something nasty would come out (maggots, cow brains, dirty socks, etc.) and be poured into the cone. The items were then dumped into a bowl. (Seasons 2-3 only)
* **Four Seasons** (Seasons 2-4 only) - Same as **Car Wash**.
* **Flying Bird** - The contestant wears a bird costume while singing and flying like a bird. Then given a surprise in 5 boxes and took a golden egg. (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Fly Without Wings** (Seasons 2-3 only)
* **Hot & Cold Cooking** **/ Hell's Kitchen** (Seasons 2-3 only) - The contestant would sing while being cooked in hot and cold conditions. Contestant is tied using ropes and the contestant lying down in rope hammocks. Then dipped a large pan containing 3 waters, namely warm water, cold water and hot water. Each water was filled with surprises that made participants unable to concentrate.
* **Hair Raiser** – The contestant (usually a male) would sit back in a barber's chair and had various body hair removed by the way of a strip wax treatment. (Seasons 1-3 only)
* **Head Case** – The contestant had to stick his/her head or hand in various cases, with each case containing creatures and a Ð50 bill note. One case usually held a stuffed animal to confuse the contestant. (Seasons 1-3 only)
* **Human Target** - Contestants stand on the platform, then are given a surprise while singing. (Seasons 1-3 only)
* **Helmet of Terror** (Seasons 2-3 only)
* **Holes In the Wall** - Contestants sing in a very narrow box surrounded by boxes full of holes. The box full of holes was intended to give surprise to the box held by the executioner to disturb. The surprise is given materials that are usually made bathing or something. And also given another surprise on the fence. (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Mixing Fights / Whomp Out** - Contestants are given safety costumes to sing such as helmets, karate punching bags, arm and leg guards. Then a surprise was given in the form of a low-speed blow. Usually, the one hit by the executioner or martial artist. (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Party In My Pants** - The contestant has to deliver items to many tables, while wearing a suit that causes balloons to inflate and pop inside of them. (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Petting Zoo** - The contestant has to grab money out of animals' possessions (a dog, snapping geckos, lizard, porcupines, camel, etc.). (Seasons 3-4 only)
* **Pandora Box** (Seasons 2-3 only)
* **Ping Pong** - The contestant would sing while sticking his or her head on top of the hole of ping-pong / tennis table where tennis / ping pong balls were served to hit him or her in the head.
* **Puppet Master** – The contestant would get in a suit with a man or a woman who controlled his/her actions throughout the song.
* **Rocking Chairs** - The contestant has to sit on many different chairs, which each chair has their own danger. (Vibrating, spinning, breakaway, etc.) (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Running Treadmill** - The contestant would sing standing on a treadmill while other surprises are thrown at him/her. (Season 1 only)
* **Scary Tunnels** - The contestant would wear goggles to sing while crawling in a large hallway box. Each box contains surprises and on Seasons 2-4, he or she will take dolland bills along with big little coins that says the show's title "Killer Karaoke" in 5 large box aisles. The purpose of the coin is to help add the values.
* **Shock Therapy (1)** – The contestant will try to sing while wearing shock collars and bracelets. The goal was to walk over a staircase/platform and serve drinks on a table. To shock the contestant, someone in the background would pull down on a large switch. The contestant also wore gloves for protection. (Seasons 1-3 only)
* **Shock Therapy (2)** – The contestant would again sing while trying to serve them dinner with shock collars and bracelets placed on his/her body. All of the food and drinks were served to them in open glasses, bowls or containers, making them easy to spill or dump on the stage. (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Singing in the Rain** (Seasons 1-3 only)
* **Sleeping in the Rain** (Seasons 2-3 only)
* **See Saw** (Seasons 2-4 only)
* **Steaming Volcano** - The contestant would stand on a smoke belching volcano with a microphone in front of him/her while fiery steam surprise.
* **Swamp Swing** – The contestant (usually a female) would sit on a swing and get dipped into ice-cold water, usually with snakes and sometimes other reptiles or plenty of ice being dumped in or mud. (Seasons 1-2 only)
* **Trampoline Flight** (Seasons 2-3 only) -
* **Walk of Fear** – The contestant would "stroll down the catwalk" and step into as many boxes under the walk containing various items and creatures, including ice water, fish guts and maggots.
* **Water Tank Swing** (Seasons 2-3 only) - Different variants exist similar to that of **Swamp Swing**.
* **Wrecking Ball** (Season 3 only)
* **Walk the Line** – The contestant was spun around on a platform and then had to walk on a red line. Around the line, there was something to harm him/her (mouse traps, jagged ice, etc.) Sometimes, there was some money to grab while dizzy. (Seasons 2-4 only)

There are approximately up to 45 different challenges that are used during the four seasons of *Killer Karaoke*. Some or most of the challenges/games used on the program were either far more or less severe, rather similar or identical or restricted controlled and decided by producers and were used in the show's spin-off adaptation series *Sing If You Can* and its other global variants.

### Final Showdown

#### Seasons 1-2 (The Money Spinner Final Showdown)

In the final round called "The Killer Karaoke Final Showdown" usually, "The Money Spinner Showdown", the three preliminary round finalists will battle against each other for up to Ð50,000 in prize money while singing on the "World's Largest Spinning Stage Turntable," a spinning disk approximately eight feet in diameter and decorated with a radiation warning symbol. The jackpot grows throughout the round; as time passes, the turntable speeds up and begins to tilt, and the jackpot grows by Ð500 per second. Once the last player falls off, the jackpot stops building and he/she wins it. If the player can stay on the turntable for 90 seconds (1 minute and 30 seconds, 1:30), he/she wins the full Ð50,000. The first two players fall off wins nothing but to take home a consolation prize of Ð5,000 cash.

#### Seasons 3 (The *Killer Karaoke* Money Spinner Crag)

Starting in Season 3 and the rest of the show's run, the final round underwent a massive change that shares similarities to "Aggro Crag" from *Nickelodeon GUTS*. It pits the three finalists (with the highest score under ranking) battling against each other in a race to sing while climbing an obstacle on a mountain of spinning disks all decorated with a radiation warning symbol, called the "Money Spinner Crag". Players have a total of 7 spinning desk actuators to hit. The object of the Crag was for all three players to race to the peak of the mountain, while standing on a spinning disk turntable along the way to the peak. The climb is made more difficult by strobe lights simulating surprises that distracted/frightening them which are each triggered either at random or when the players stepped on specific switchbacks on the crag. If the player can reach the top of the mountain of spinning disks for 120 seconds (2 minutes, 2:00), he/she wins the full top prize of Ð50,000. The first two players to fall off from the mountain wins nothing. The last player climbs to the top of the mountain and hits the actuator while standing on the turntable, the jackpot stops building and he/she wins it.

## Season overview

**Total Ratings:** 41.77 views

## Reception

Avery Travis-Lewis of Rixteridon Herald described *Killer Karaoke* "a quadruple combination of *Pop Idol*, *The Singing Bee*, *Double Dare* and *Fear Factor*".