[Jon]

and its marked as an Amazon Original just for said commentary, though in fairness Challenge did the same thing so...

The new version is an Amazon original! It was commissioned for Prime in Japan, albeit still made by TBS.

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When you see the original uncut Japanese versions (or even the US MXC versions), it really gives the show an entirely different feel to the Challenge versions, which cut out all the contestant interviews, comedy bits and similar. It really did change the tone of the show.

I’d rather the Challenge version than MXC any day. The Challenge version at least follows more or less the format as the original show although it’s simplified. The US takes the original and basically makes up a narrative.

I think the commentators on this new version do a good job and much better than the Comedy Central effort using footage from other Asian nations versions (at least after they replaced Jonathan Ross).

The episodes are a bit shorter than the Japanese version which comes in at an hour and having seen their first episode it’s a good thing as it does start to drag.

The new end game does have a better mechanic for TV, and does seem possible despite being seemingly not.