Quicksand Prank Show

[Billie Bonce]

This show has all the "authenticity" of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

After subsequent posts and further research convinced me that the "victims" are in fact highly paid celebrity stooges fully aware of the prank and knowingly transferring the prank to the viewers,

Did you really need all that research (and loud protests in some of your previous posts) to comprehend it? It was obvious from the very beginning. I'd say, from the trailer.

[QuicksandMania]

Did you really need all that research to comprehend it?

Yes.

Some of us watch almost no television.

Glad it was "obvious" to you.

[Viridian]

Episode 4
Guest: Khaled - Actor, Director

Khaled is wearing a light purple shirt. Support M has the same outfit as usual. Support F has a loose white blouse with thick shoulder straps, and khaki-colour jeans. Khaled is a much more docile participant, being older and not fazed by the prank as much as previous guests (seems to be a pattern).

The car is driven into the pit. The Support crew do most of the prep work, helping him out through the sunroof. We start seeing more camera angles that feature the flooding interior - in this case, we get a shot sequence with Khaled's legs and feet standing on the chair as the watery dirt seeps through the door. The three of them stand on the roof. Khaled is relatively calm, and in this instance Support F's damsel screeching is a bit excessive (compared to previous episodes) Support M jumps off and lands in a "deep spot", nearly going under entirely. Khaled follows and also sinks up to his shoulders. Support F also falls in. Both Support cast pull themselves down to neck or face level. Khaled spends much of the screen time trying to be a hero by lifting Support F up from the pit, and later holds onto both Supports while Ramez approaches. When Ramez does the reveal, the reaction is rather ambivalent. In a welcome change, Khaled's gentler personality has no excessive reaction and he just smiles and appreciates the setup. He takes it in good spirits. The rescue sequence is a little longer, as Khaled takes more time to get out, gifting us with some more footage of Support F chest-deep in the undulating wet pit.

Overall, this episode was less difficult to ingest due to Khaled's personality and his ability to play along with the prank. Support F is getting more screen time (and scream time), and the slower pace also means more continuous shots. It also seems that the crew are beginning to use more cameras and angles (more evident in the next episode).

Episode 5
Guest: Nadia El Gendy - actress, quite old but looks much younger

Nadia is wearing a blue blouse (with a decent figure too - she has aged well) and jeans and dark pants, along with a straw hat and handbag. Support F is wearing a khaki-coloured blouse and tan pants.

Compared to Khaled's gentle nature, Nadia is...nearly mute. The car trip prior to the pit nearly an awkward road trip. She doesn't speak much to the Supports. When the car hits the pit, there's no reaction. The driver gets out, opens the sunroof, then does the submergence as usual (btw, I presume he has an oxygen mask of some sort, as he has to stay under in every episode until the prank is over; in some episodes we see him in the background with a mask). Nadia doesn't really seem to be aware of what is going on and says nothing until they get on the roof. Due to the slow pace and lack of reaction, the show has more angles of the car sinking, including attached cameras outside the car doors and more interior shots. This is actually quite nice, as you can really get a feel for the car sinking into quicksand from the outside and the inside quite ominously.

Support F seems to take centre stage in this sequence due to Nadia's slow reactions - and by now, I'm getting a bit tired of her hammy acting. Support M takes the lead by pulling them all into the pit, where they sink to their waists. Nadia mostly tries to climb back onto the car by hanging into the roof rack while Support F does most of the reaction. They hang onto the roof (Support M tends to drop really low in most sequences). Ramez appears, flicks dirt in their face, then does the reveal. Nadia has nearly no expression. She says nothing for the entirety of the rescue, which becomes stretched out as Nadia can't hold onto the rope. The Support Ms have to push her out from the pit. Once she gets out, she gets a little riled up, but nothing erupts.

In my opinion, this episode was...really boring. Some nice camera angles of the car sinking, but the guest brought no life to the sequence.

[QuicksandMania]

Posted yesterday as I suspected would eventually happen:

Not so fast: Cleric bans 'terrifying' Ramadan prank shows

"These programmes harm their guests, who could even lose their lives if they suffer from certain medical conditions," Salman said.

He added that shows provoke the victims of the pranks to take part in "immoral activity" such as swearing and violence.

This news appeared near the top of the list when I searched for "Egyptian Quicksand Prank Show" just now.

The news article does include a nice still of the two women from the first episode in the depths of their difficulties.

I suspect, like me, this cleric watches very little television.

[Fred588]

If I was the producer of this series I would be very tempted to arrange for the final episode to involve the "guest" pranking the regulars by playing it straight until the reveal and then pretending to go under.

[Viridian]

Episode 6
Guest: Ola Al-Fares (31) - Jordanian news caster.

If you're looking for the more typical young female damsel in distress, this is the best one so far. Ola is cute woman, though her oversized sunglasses kind of make it hard to imagine. She wears a white t-shirt, jeans and sneakers (pretty much what we'd probably imagine as a "default" outfit". Support F is wearing a dark tank top and khaki shorts.

The car ride and entry are fairly mild. The setup is somewhat different. This time, the driver does not jump out and goes under. Instead, after opening the sunroof and helping Ola out, the driver stays on top of the vehicle. Ola hops off the roof and her legs immediately sink into the quicksand. She awkwardly clings onto the roof rack while facing the wrong way, and the Supports pull her back up, though her legs dangle in and out of the sand. We get an awesome shot of the interior of the car filling up with sand up to the seats' head rests. The scene cuts back to the roof. The driver has now fallen off and does the submergence as usual.

Ola spots Ramez and all three of them jump off together, plunging up to their chests. They flail around a bit while Ramez crawls closer. There are more Ramez shots inside the lizard, though he seems less vocal in his commentary (perhaps due to the fact that he's in a lizard suit in the middle of the desert). He reaches the pit and flicks dirt at the victims. Ola throws dirt back at the lizard. When Ramez does the reveal, Ola doesn't react much, though gives him the "not impressed" glare.

The victims are left in the pit for a short while. Ola seems to kick back and enjoy the pit a bit. She lifts her leg up and allows herself to sink deeper, from ribs to shoulders. Candid moment occurs when Ramez begins to pull her out. The Supports push her up a bit too much. She pops out of the sand, slips and tumbles into another patch on her back, partially submerging with her chest and arms sticking out. Ramez splashes her with a water bottle before pulling her out. They sit down and chat. We get a brief glimpse of her cute face when she removes her sunglasses during the rescue, and she puts them back on shortly after. Her clothes are noticeably soaked with a nice splattering of sand/dirt.

Overall, this episode was OK. This is the most attractive guest so far, but it makes you wish that there were more extended scenes and fewer jump cuts and breaks.

[Billie Bonce]

Some of us watch almost no television.

I also watch almost no television (except for some softcore after midnight)

He reaches the pit and flicks dirt at the victims. Ola throws dirt back at the lizard. When Ramez does the reveal, Ola doesn't react much, though gives him the "not impressed" glare.

Because everyone knows that such lizards don't live there in the desert. Also, the costume is just a costume.

[PM2K]

Thanks Viridian for the Nice Recap

Here is some screenshots from the episode

http://i.imgur.com/nudAxTc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gSj3KYc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uNUYdAA.jpg

Thanks for the screenshots.

[QuicksandMania]

Show host and chief prankster Ramez Galal is quite the public jackass.

Was he born that way, or did he have to spend years of practice to perfect his persona?

I am struggling to think of an American equivalent to this celebrity.

I never watched the American show Jackass, but I imagine those persons as comparable to Galal.

Actually, Sacha Baron Cohen of Borat fame now comes to mind as the closest American equivalent.

The latest show, Episode 7, spoken largely in the common language of English due to the Indian guest Shah Rukh Khan, demonstrated Khan's displeasure in full force. I half expected his security guards to tie a rock to Galal's scrawny neck and toss him into the deep end of the prank pit. It would have been The Wrath of Khan for real.

How does Galal stay gainfully employed or even alive?

I keep having to tell myself that the guests are part of the prank, but sometimes I wonder!

UPDATE: I never watched Punk'd with Ashton Kutcher, but that seems the closest equivalent to the Ramez Galal show though at a less intense level. I watched the Galal airplane segment with Paris Hilton from the 2015 season Ramez in Control on Shahid Plus today. A news article quoted her as saying, "I have seen Punk'd [a US television prank show] but you guys put me in a plane and almost killed me."

How far can Egypt's prank TV shows go?

I found the 2014 season Ramez the Sea Shark Episode 1 on a free site, and the guest looked like the same MILF as the 2017 season Ramez Underground Episode 1 MILF. She is! What makes Fifi Abdou such a target? Is she that desperate for money and publicity?

[Viridian]

Episode 7
Guest: Shah Rukh Khan, actor and director, the "King of Bollywood"

Surprise! This is an English-speaking segment, with Shah and the Supports communicating in English with Arabic subtitles. Shah is wearing a denim hoodie with a white shirt. Support F has a white blouse with stripe pattern, and white jeans. The pit entry is pretty quick. The driver climbs out and goes under right away. Shah doesn't seem to know what's going on, but reacts rationally. They climb onto the roof and Support M immediately falls off and sinks to his face. Support F also falls off and sinks to her waist. Shah pulls her back onto the roof and holds Support M up, who is playing along with something pulling him down. As Ramez approaches, Shah calmly gives out instructions while hanging onto Support M. Support F does the damsel squeal. The group stays on the roof and don't sink past their waists. When Ramez does the reveal, Shah is not impressed. Ramez explains that it's a prank show, but Shah does not find it funny. He seems to channel QuicksandMania: "You think this is funny? Get him out of the suit. Come over here if you think it's funny. The less you talk, the better for you."