Having been a long-time fan of this outrageous improv game show, I was shocked to find myself covering my eyes and holding my breath in the Uncensored DVD viewing. I found myself hysterically laughing at moments of pure absurdities and awed by the talents of these men. How the host, Drew Carey, keeps a straight face at all is unbelievable to me. Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, and Ryan Stiles are the perfect team. Each one graces us with their own gifts in the comedy world.
This two-disc DVD has some of the most hilarious episodes, originating from 2001 through 2003. Each episode contains several games which the contestants are required to play, such as Human Props, where they have to work off each other as Drew Carey calls out the storyline. Watching full-grown adults pretend to be inanimate objects is bound to bring on tears. The most outrageous is when special guest Richard Simmons frolics onto the stage and is asked to be a lounging chair for a honeymooning couple. Warning: for sensitive stomachs, you may be covering your eyes just as I did. Richard Simmons is everything but modest with his freedom to be any kind of lounging chair he chooses; one can only imagine.
My favorite episode is with David Hasselhoff. He is fun and easygoing even when he has a hard time following some of the rules when singing to an audience member and only being able to sing one word at a time as the three contestants take turns making up the lyrics, one word at a time. It is all in good humor, as the original cast pokes fun at his Baywatch and European super stardom!
The episodes are defined more so by the special guests and fill-in contestants. The regular contestants are lighthearted and seem a bit uncomfortable themselves with certain guests. I do have to say they try their best to keep it in the realm of decency for the most part, but have little control over what is given to them to piggy-back off of from other players.
Other special guests are Florence Henderson (Mrs. Brady of The Brady Bunch), Loyola Marymount University Cheerleaders, bodybuilder Jane Tricker and to top them off, the king of absurd television, Jerry Springer. The laughs are countless and tears will fall for some, but I think I can live with the censor bars and bleeps removed. Some of the material is quite offensive to Christian eyes and puts a strange taste in your laughs; I think I would refer to it as “bitter.” The songs, the props and the skits are remarkably creative and I give my own props to the writers and stars of the show; but some of the material is crude and tasteless. Enjoy it with hands ready to cover those teary eyes and enjoy the laughs it offers.
