Double the Fist
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| Double the Fist | |
|---|---|
 Double the Fist |
|
| Format | Satire |
| Created by | Craig Anderson, Bryan Moses, Doug Bayne, Tony Walters |
| Starring | Craig Anderson, Bryan Moses, Doug Bayne, Tony Walters |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Craig Anderson, Bryan Moses, Doug Bayne, Tony Walters |
| Running time | 26 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Original run | 21 May 2004 – 16 July 2004 |
Double the Fist is a satirical Australian television show that airs on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; it has also been broadcast in the UK (Ftn), Canada (BBCK)[1], Spain (Buzz)[2], New Zealand (TV2)[3] and Brazil. It is often described as "a cross between The Goodies and Jackass". It follows the misadventures of four men and their pursuit of 'fistworthiness': The host, Steve Foxx (Craig Anderson), and his three offsiders, Rod Foxx (Bryan Moses), Mephisto (Doug Bayne), and The Womp (Tony Walters).
The show parodies many things about popular culture. Primarily the show is a spoof of shows like Jackass; where those shows do things that will injure and/or humiliate an individual, the Fist Team do things that would obviously kill them such as jumping off cliffs, being hit by trucks, getting shot in the head etc.
These dangerous stunts and outlandish actions are usually achieved with the use of computer generated imagery. Indeed one of the most innovative and noteworthy features of Double the Fist is its extensive and imaginative use of CGI, especially considering that the programme was produced for a very low budget, even by Australian standards ($250,000 for all 8 episodes).
In 2004, Double the Fist won an AFI award in the category of Best Television Comedy- Sit-com or Sketch. They also released a book the same year.
On July 14th 2004 the Double The Fist Volume 1 DVD was released in Australia, which contains episodes 1-4 as well as special features including a documentary called "How to Make Double The Fist", deleted scenes, and a 'photo gallery'.
On June 8th 2006 the Double The Fist Volume 2 DVD was released, which contains episodes 5-8 and also contains more special features and a never before seen episode.
After the first series, the show was on a prolonged hiatus, with the ABC divided over the issue of whether or not to continue making the show. In March of 2006, after a number of attempts by the creators and support from fans via an online petition, the ABC finally gave the okay for a second series to be made.
In July 2006, the ABC announced the upcoming release of the show's second series under the jtv sub-brand [4]. Filming of the second series ended July 2007, and post-production is currently underway. It is expected to air in early 2008. The second series is expected to involve variation from the episodic "game show" format of the first series, instead making greater use of overarching storylines.
Craig Anderson and Doug Bayne are currently working on a new interactive "Double The Fist" website [5], which will feature weekly content, tricks and games, and a Steve Foxx blog [6]. The site is currently up and running, although some of the promised features have yet to be completed[7].
The first series is regularly repeated on Comedy Channel. ABC2 has started screening the first series as of the 5th of December 2006, and screens regularly on Tuesday nights at 9:30pm and Saturday nights at 10:30pm.
As of the 29th of May 2008 the second series is complete.
[edit] Prehistory
The four men who play the central characters have a long history. Anderson, Moses and Walters met at the University of Western Sydney - Anderson and Walters 'performing absurdist theatre' and Moses making amateur films. The three teamed up to make a short film entitled Life in a Datsun which won the best comedy award at the 1999 Tropfest film festival. It was here they met Bayne, who caught their eye with his computer-generated effects and his 30-second film called God Saves the Titanic. The four men then made Video Dare, a spoof reality show for SBS, which received 100 complaints. From 2002 to 2003, the team, minus Anderson who was lecturing at the time, made Saturday Morning Fly, a kids music/comedy program for the ABC. Their work on Video Dare and Saturday Morning Fly allowed the team to perfect their use of special effects and the pilot for Double the Fist was soon made. It was eventually picked up by the ABC's head of arts and entertainment, Courtney Gibson, and an eight-part series was approved.
[edit] A typical episode
A typical episode runs like this: Steve will set the Fist team a task. Completing this task will result in the presentation of the "Full Fist", which earns an individual respect amongst the 'extreme community'. The team may have to compete with each other, or may have to work together. Steve Foxx is the only person who can present a Full Fist. Characters die frequently, sometimes several times an episode. Footage of the team attempting the task is interspersed with various recurring segments.
[edit] Recurring segments
- Letter of the Weak: Steve reads out a letter he received during the week, and answers. All the letters in this segment are false. Steve is usually quite mean - most responses end with Steve yelling "You make me sick!" or "Don't ever watch this show again!"
- Mephisto Knows: Mephisto gives an editorial on whatever takes his fancy. Athletes, vegetarians and anti-marketers all come in for a serving. Mephisto is perhaps at his most unhinged during these segments. In the final episode, it is revealed that Mephisto is gay during a 'Mephisto Knows' - the joke being that he and the rest of the characters don't mention it at all apart from this one time.
- Fistory: The Womp presents what he considers to be fistworthy figures in world history. He often nominates bizarre choices, such as the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. Although there is only one Fistory during the show, the DVD contains numerous other ones that were cut for reasons of time.
- Rod sporting clips: Although they have no collective name, there are numerous demonstrations of Rod's sporting prowess, including Fist Pong (ping pong with an insane amount of balls).
- What Was Weak?: Reversed footage of Panda smashing something with a cricket bat. The viewer has five seconds to guess from the rubble what it was that Panda destroyed. Items include a garden gnome and an ostrich egg.
- How Low Will You Go?: Steve hits the streets of Australia to find how little money people need to be offered to do something disgusting. He will set out the challenge (such as drinking water drained from rubbish bins or eating five jars of mayonnaise in under an hour) and take bids. The person with the lowest bid can attempt the challenge, and if they succeed they get the money. Note that these segments feature genuine passers-by, unlike the scripted pieces which make up the rest of the show.
[edit] Characters
- Steve Foxx is the host of Double the Fist. He invented the concept of Fistworthiness and "betterment through extremities." Steve's Page
- Rod Foxx (or "the Hot Rod" as he sometimes calls himself) is the younger brother of Steve Foxx. It is said he attends a sporting institute, and lists his job as 'all-round athlete'. His main interests include physical activity and singing. Although he does have a reasonable amount of sporting talent and can be successful on the dating scene, his ego knows no limits. He has 'released' a single, entitled "I C U (Picture Perfect)", which details a man's (Rod's) obsession with a woman as he stalks her and takes pictures of her changing and at the pool without her knowledge. Rod's Page
- Mephisto (aka James Wenham) may or may not have been a security guard at one time or another, but it is certain that he did take a three week training course in security guarding, and has retained some of the knowledge from that course. According to the Double the Fist website, he is on the run from multiple taxation agencies. He was at one time temporarily possessed by an Aztec demigod. It would be safe to say that Mephisto is of questionable sanity. (By safe, it is meant "probably true"; questioning Mephisto's sanity would likely land you in a position of danger if Mephisto found out). Mephisto's page
- The Womp (aka Womp aka Christopher Bradley) used to have a day job performing backbreaking labor, and was also an amateur wrestler. However, a groin injury on the job forced him to give up his wrestling career. He was then offered, and accepted, a position on Double the Fist.The Womp is also mentally disabled, due to a brain injury when he was a child. Womp's page
- Blue Womp is a clone of Womp, with exactly identical physical features, although he is more self-centered and mean. He is so called because he wears blue in order to avoid confusion with the other Womp (who always wears orange).
- Tina T is introduced in episode five, as a replacement for the missing-in-action Mephisto. She appears to be smarter than the rest of the team, but truthfully this isn't saying much. She and Rod had a brief romance, which ended when Rod tried to grope her while he thought she was dead.
- Panda is just that - a person in a panda suit. The character is almost always referred to as female. She will often show up to provide opposition (such as in episodes three and five), but will sometimes help Steve out by moderating races or chasing down enemies. It is revealed on the DVD's "How to Make Double the Fist" featurette that Craig Anderson usually plays Panda.
- Phillip Nugent First introduced in episode 2; Extreme Makeover. He is the mayor of Kanangra council and stops the fist team recording the show in Kanangra. Although this is the only episode he appears in, he is frequently mentioned and criticised in other episodes and also sends a letter complaining to the ABC about the Double the Fist show. On the Double the Fist website it is revealed that he is the cousin of the host of Town and Country.
[edit] Episode 1: Vertical Challenge
In this first episode Steve challenges the Fist team to abseil down a cliff - without any ropes or means of suspension. Mephisto decides to construct a batsuit to glide safely down; he fails due to a lack of updrafts. Rod decides his strategy will be to jump the distance from the top of the cliff to the water; however, that distance is about 2 metres longer than the world record long jump, and even though Rod has his legs waxed in order to reduce air resistance, he fails. The Womp tests several strategies by throwing watermelons off the cliff, but every watermelon splats on the ground; he eventually succeeds by wrapping himself in over 900m of Bubble Wrap. First aired 21 May, 2004.
[edit] Episode 2: Extreme Makeover
Steve challenges the Fist team to improve the lifestyles of some weak viewers. Womp is assigned a kid, Rod is assigned an old lady, and Mephisto is assigned a mediocre magician. To test the fistworthiness of the subjects at the end, they will have to get on a luge and do a jump over a ramp. The jumps of the kid and old lady end disastrously. The magician decides he will do his jump in a bag (tied up), in a locker on wheels that is chained and padlocked, which is on fire; this also ends in disaster as the fire warps the metal and is unable to roll (as told by Mephisto). The magician burns to death, but wins as he put himself in mortal danger (ie, a position where he couldn't get out of). This episode includes Mephisto's thoughts on vegetarians and Rod teaching his elderly lady a very painful way to drink tea. First aired 28 May, 2004.
[edit] Episode 3: Fistathlon
Steve pits the Fist team against each other in attempt to make sport more fistworthy. The first sport is golf; each contestant tees off as usual in a game of golf, but Panda is hidden somewhere on the course, armed with a Glock. Panda eliminates Rod and Womp (after teaching Womp to hit the ball off the tee) before they can get their ball into the hole; Mephisto then kills Panda with a knife. Mephisto triumphantly drops his ball into the hole, but does not receive any points because he was supposed to hit it in. The second game is clay pigeon shooting: each contestant is charged with making what Steve thinks is a boring sport into something more exciting. Womp decides to vary the angle at which the clay pidgeons are launched, but some of them end up being directed at him, and he is pelletted by them. Rodd decides to have targets that shoot back, and is killed by one. Mephisto decides that he will be launched (by catapult) as he attempts to shoot at a stationary clay pidgeon on the ground; however, he shoots too late and misses. No one receives any points. Several more events are briefly summarized, including bowling, the "fire sprint" (which resulted in all of the contestants exploding), and the smorgasbord event, which Womp won by eating 17 courses. The final challenge is a 'steeple chase', a run along the highway, over a space/time vortex, and through a "trap canyon" (basically a maze full of trapdoors, swinging blades, and spikes). The Womp gets off to a slow start and falls into the vortex; because the vortex transports him 5 minutes back in time, it effectively clones him. Womp falls in several times, so there end up being quite a few clones of him. Mephisto and Rod reach the trap canyon first, but are both quickly dispatched by it. The Womps get to the trap canyon, and by sheer numbers, one manages to get to the end. The Womp is declared the overall winner of the Fistahlon, and is granted the privilege of climbing "Mount Fistus" (a nondescript hill). This episode also divulges Mephisto's hatred of road safety campaigns and could be the first appearance of Blue Womp. The special features on the DVD of season 1 reveal that another sport, sprinting, was intended to be satired; however, there was a significant pyrotechnic mishap and the scene had to be cut. First aired 4 June, 2004.
[edit] Episode 4: Fear Factory
Reality television comes under fire this week, as Steve pits the Fist team and some guests against each other inside the world's most deadly factory. This episode includes Ugly Dave Gray in a cameo, Womp and Blue Womp arguing about cookery, shark-like creatures flying through the air and eating people, and Rod fighting evil flying furniture. During this episode, Mephisto gets possessed by an ancient Aztec demi-god, steals Steve's car, and disappears from the show until episode 6. First aired 11 June, 2004.
[edit] Episode 5: High School Challenge
In this episode, the Fist Team competes with some highschoolers in various challenges. Each challenge is worth 1 point. The team with the most points at the end is deemed the most fistworthy. Among the challenges were:
- Library Search: the teams were given the task of finding a golden key hidden in a book in the library. They were only given one clue. The Fist Team won by stealing the golden key after the highschoolers found it.
- Egg protection: Each team had to protect an egg from being smashed by Panda's cricket bat. The highschoolers made a contraption to protect it from high falls, and then dropped it off the side of the building, dissuading Panda from smashing it. The Fist Team quarrelled, so their strategy ended up being Blue Womp trying (and failing) to protect the egg with his body.
- Mathematics Challenge: One designated player on each team (Rod for the Fist Team, and Emily for the High School Team) lies head-first on a skateboard, which is attached to a long rope, such that it can be dragged towards an operating lawn-mower. Steve asks the teams numerical questions, and the number by which they are incorrect translates into the distance the skateboards are drawn forward (much like a game from The Price is Right). The Fist Team came from behind to win after the High School team incorrectly guessed Steve's weight, and Emily's head was pulverised.
- History challenge (worth double points): The two teams were given the task of recreating the Gallipoli landing from World War I, with the Fist Team playing the ANZACs and the school students playing the Turkish forces. The Fist Team were beaten when the school students didn't attack the Fist team, but as the ANZACs massacre was a more realistic interpretation of history, the Fist Team were victorious.
At the end of the episode, the Fist Team was the overall winner, 4-1. Also, Steve became frustrated with Blue Womp, and after beating him violently, forbade him from ever appearing again. (He did reappear in the final episode of the season, but only to be shot in the head with a cannon). First aired 18 June, 2004.
[edit] Episode 6: Bush Bash
The episode begins with Steve deriding the ability of nonviolent protestors to ever accomplish anything. He then announces that there is a major logging operation taking place in a forest in Australia, and gives the fist team the assignment of stopping it; whoever eliminates the most loggers will have won. After several misadventures, the Womp, Rod, and Tina T manage to reach the main site of the logging operation, where it is revealed that Mephisto, possessed by an Aztec demigod is cloning pandas in a giant pyramid. The Womp pokes Mephisto in the eye, detaching the demigod from him. The dazed Mephisto orders the pandas to stop logging. Steve says that because Mephisto stopped the most loggers, he won the challenge. First aired 25 June, 2004.
[edit] Episode 7: Terrorism
This episode is slightly different from the others - it does not feature any of the recurring segments, and instead plays as a story. Steve challenges the team to stop a mysterious terrorist group, but when they are all taken hostage, it's up to Steve to save the day - and it turns out the head terrorist has a grudge against him. The split-screen effects and timers used throughout the episode are clear homages to the TV series 24. The action-packed ending and particularly the ending credits are a parody of the film Armageddon. First aired 9 July, 2004.
The title "Terrorism" is often given to the episode by TV guides, but throughout the episode itself it is called "Episode 7".
[edit] Episode 8: Special Edition
This is a prank clip show episode, featuring previews for upcoming, and non-existent, episodes. It also has supposedly behind-the-scenes footage, expanded back stories for the characters, and some other miscellaneous clips like a music video featuring Rod Foxx on lead vocals. Steve claims on the website that he had a plan for a different episode, but ABC wouldn't let him broadcast it, so he had to throw together the "special edition" at the last minute. The false previews for the next eight episodes were paid off when they pretended the ABC had cancelled the series and faked being taken off air with two minutes left to go, with an intentionally bad replacement, Town and Country, being shown for the remainder of the time slot. First aired 16 July, 2004.
[edit] DVD Easter Eggs
The Fist DVDs are like complicated puzzles. Each DVD opens with unrelated footage, giving the consumer the impression that they have obtained the wrong DVD. There are several pieces of hidden content, also known as Easter Eggs, including:
- Steve Insults You: Watch any menu on volume one for about a minute without making a choice. A short clip will appear of Panda hanging around in the city. After cycling through four clips, Steve appears and tells you to hurry up. The words "Hidden Section" appear - click for a short video.
- Hello Future: A series of three 30-second television programs made a long time ago by members of the Fist team. The first one can be viewed by pressing "Enter" during "Vertical Challenge" when you see Phillip Nugent watching The Womp try out his garbage-bag-protection. The second one can be viewed by pressing "Enter" during "Extreme Makeover" when Steve is interviewing The Womp about throwing balls at Brad (and when you see a cow in the background being abducted by a UFO). The third one can be viewed by pressing "Enter" as Womp begins to ascend Mount Fistus (also when you can see Steve's arse through his pants).[8]
- Rod and Russel: Press "Enter" during "Fear Factory" when Mephisto pushes Russel into the room with Rod and Suzie. This will bring up an alternate version of the deleted scene where Suzie shoots Rod, only with Suzie replaced by Russel.[9]
