I was in Seattle for a couple of days and while I was there, I saw the MTV version of Silent Library for the first time. Silent Library was originally part of a Japanese variety show. The basic premise of the game is for six contestants to sit in a library and stay as quiet as possible while one of them, the one who chooses the skulls & bones card, endures some sort of punishment.
My friends and I became big fans of the original ever since we first saw it on Youtube a couple of years ago. Although we never got past the planning stages, we even thought about re-enacting it someday. It’s been awhile since that time, but I started thinking about Silent Library again when my friend told me that MTV was making its own version. After seeing what Americans have done with other reincarnations of Japanese game shows, I had very low expectations for this one. I knew it wasn’t going to be the same but I thought there would be some laughs here and there.
Let’s just say that my low expectations were not even met. The show sucked. Big time.
The addition of a host and a monetary reward for completing challenges really hurts the show and sucks out any potential humour. The fact that the host has to explain each challenge before it happens takes out a lot of the fun. One of the best parts of the original was trying to figure out what the contestant had to do from a two to three word description. When someone tells you what’s gonna happen beforehand, it’s like they are telling you the punchline of a joke without setting it up. That’s stupid. In between challenges, the host decides whether or not the contestant has earned the money. This break before each challenge ruins the flow of the show and does not allow for non-stop laughter, if there were any laughs to begin with. Perhaps what is most ironic about Silent Library is the host, who speaks in the most serious, monotone voice possible. He seemed bored, angry, thinking “what the hell am I doing here?”. After spending 30 minutes of my life watching this garbage, I felt the same way……
It’s pretty safe to say that I think you should avoid the new Silent Library. I’ve only seen one episode, but I highly doubt that the other episodes will be much better.
Below are a couple of my favourite clips from the original. If you ever see the MTV version, I think you’ll agree that the original can’t be beat.
Til the next episode… Peace
