Web Soup
| Web Soup | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Infotainment |
| Presented by | Chris Hardwick |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Brad Stevens[1] |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | G4 |
| Release | June 7, 2009 – July 20, 2011 |
| Related | |
| The Soup The Dish Sports Soup | |
Web Soup is an American weekly infotainment series which aired on the G4 cable network. The show premiered on June 7, 2009, and was hosted by Chris Hardwick. The series focused on commenting on the latest viral videos, and had a very similar style as its sister network E!'s series The Soup.[2]
During the first two seasons, this show was taped in front of a green screen like The Soup. In the third season, the program taped on the set usually utilized by E! News with added studio audience seating. Chris Hardwick confirmed via a comment on his website that season three was the last and the show would not continue.[3] However, repackaged archived episodes returned to G4's schedule from December 2012 until the network's closure on December 31, 2014.
Regular segments
Firsties – The usual opening segment shows the hottest viral videos trending every week. Chris said that it was the internet phenom where "Trolls race to be the first to post and write "firsties!!!" as a comment" that prompted the segment's name change (it replaced The Big Upload). It is introduced by a gum chewing man (head writer and show runner Brad Stevens[1]) wearing a fake 1970s TV-cop mustache, sunglasses, and headphones recording the title in a sound booth (or some slight variation of this).
That's Un-Incredible! - Unusual, yet ridiculous talents are featured. The titlecard spoofs the ABC show That's Incredible!.
Skate or Almost Die - A showcase of skateboarding mishaps that has led to injuries.
Operators Are Standing By – Poorly made and unintentionally funny local commercials and infomercials are featured here.[4][5] The products shown are then mocked or lampooned. It is introduced by a blank-smiling female telephone operator (later named "Fran") spinning slowly in her desk chair and saying a different line each week.
Local News: Slowly Dying, But Still Funny – Embarrassing stories and moments from local newscasts are often aired.
Please Please Please For The Love Of God Don't Try This at Home – Clips of people doing things like jumping off roofs and other foolhardy stunts that get them unintentionally injured. It is introduced by a hard guitar riff as the words appear on screen, followed by an audio clip of a male voice saying, "Oh! My god...", and is represented between clips by just the "Don't Try This at Home" part of the title card displayed behind Chris on the big screen.
Micro-Budget Masterworks - In this segment, clips of low-budget movies made by aspiring filmmakers are shown. It is introduced by a 20th Century Fox-style titlecard.
Twittershots!! – Hardwick and the staff at Web Soup feed random funny viral videos through their Twitter profile and allowed viewers (or in this case "followers") to submit their own commentary. Although introduced during the first season, this segment wasn't officially featured until the show's second season, where the segment's title spoofs Duck Hunt. (Repeated episodes omitted this segment)
Web Soup Sports - Like the previous Sports Soup spinoff, this segment shows funny and often embarrassing moments in sporting events shot by spectators through their cameras.
Webcam Junction – This takes a look at opinionated people who comment through the use of their webcam. Its intro features an archetype country rube standing up shirtless, in overalls, with blackened teeth, Hee Haw-style in a cornfield. Sometimes he has an equally stereotyped female companion. This segment was previously We're Just Not That Into You.
This Week In FAIL! – Showcases videos of failures such as skateboarding mishaps, and various other stunts gone wrong. For a time during Season 1 and throughout Season 2, G4 partnered up with Break.com and revamped this popular segment a month after the show's debut to bring extreme fail content to its viewers.[6] For a couple of episodes, it was titled as "This Week in Amateur Stripper Fail". As of season 3, its new content partner is eBaum's World.[7]
Mixed Nuts Sampler – Features videos that show people taking shots to the groin, although usually doing so intentionally rather than accidentally.[8][9] The titlecard of the segment spoofs the Whitman's Sampler package.[10][11]
WTF? – A semi-regular segment featuring web videos which are distinctly odd, baffling, and/or disturbing in some way. Its introduction is a parody of an infamous (and equally disturbing & baffling) scene from the film The Shining.
Animals: Nature's Clowns – A semi-regular segment featuring animals and their comedic antics caught on camera.
Why Are You Friends? - A semi-regular segment featuring videos of people doing harmful stunts to/or making fun of each other. The titlecard shows a sunset and a woman's voice saying "I Hate You."
Is That Really a Thing?! – Another semi-regular bit which showcases web videos which are both bizarre and decidedly sexually fetish in nature. Appropriately it is introduced with a graphic of a red light district showing a store window with a donkey, a sex doll, and a plate of pancakes & syrup.
Please Stop the Music – This segment features videos of people singing, mostly off-key. The titlecard spoofs the Fox reality competition show American Idol.
WHY? – Another semi-regular segment similar to that of Please Please Please For The Love Of God Don't Try This at Home. Except the titlecard (shown in big capital letters with howling wind as background noise) abruptly shows at the end of each clip.
Things You Can't Unsee – Every week a disturbing, often graphic or grotesque video is aired. It is always followed by a random clip usually featuring a cute or cuddly animal known as Palate Cleanser to try and clear one's mind of the preceding unpleasant video (on September 22, 2009 what Chris Hardwick deemed "The most can't unsee worthy clip ever" displayed a man with a half-dollar size hole in the bottom of his foot, and maggots crawling within the wound).[12]
The Greatest Web Video Ever* (*this week) – A clip is considered to be the best clip shown on the internet in the past week. It is introduced Star Wars-style with titles on a moving starfield and the first few bars of a generic (but 'Star Wars-like') main title theme.
Regular characters
Like The Soup, this show had its own cast of recurring characters. They include the Watermelon Heads that are hideously maimed in more ways than one.[13][14][15] "G4 Censor" Redmond Pennyton; who takes offense to the jokes Hardwick was about to say or wouldn't say otherwise.[16] And the "Up-Top Hand" who appears and high fives Hardwick every time he comes up with a punchline.[17]
References
- ^ a b "Nerdist Podcast #92: Typical Internet (53 min mark)". Nerdist Podcast. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
- ^ G4 Brings You 'Web Soup' TheFeed Posted May 11, 2009 - By Stephen Johnson
- ^ Nerdist Nerdist
- ^ Video – Bad Ads: Neti-Pot, Goatee Saver, Don's Guns
- ^ Video – Bad Ads: Belt Sword
- ^ Web Soup & Break.com's "This Week In FAIL" – Break.com (accessed July 30, 2005)
- ^ WEBSOUP SEASON 3 THIS WEEK IN FAIL – eBaum's World Blog (released APril 10, 2011)
- ^ Video – Mixed Nuts Sampler: Angry Sack in the Audience
- ^ Video – Mixed Nuts Sampler: Whip out the Nut-Saurus!
- ^ 40 oz. Whitman's Sampler – Russel Stover (accessed January 18, 2010)
- ^ Whatman's Sampler – The Candy Wrapper Museum (accessed January 18, 2010)
- ^ You Can't Unsee The Maggot-Ridden Foot – G4TV.com (released September 22, 2009)
- ^ Alligator and the Watermelon Heads on YouTube (Uploaded August 2, 2009)
- ^ Electrified Melons on YouTube (Uploaded December 14, 2009))
- ^ Melonballin' (Watermelon Porno) on YouTube (Uploaded April 1, 2010)
- ^ Web Soup: Fat Kid Gets Served, Chris Gets Censored on YouTube (Uploaded December 11, 2009)
- ^ "Sexy Pizza Cops" on YouTube (Uploaded March 4, 2010)
