Hurl!
Encyclopedia
Hurl! was an American
TV game show
from G4
that first premiered on G4 in the USA on July 16, 2008. It takes a unique twist on competitive eating
. The concept is for competitors to alternate between challenges of competitive eating several pounds of food is to play through extreme activities after eating a lot to see who will be last to vomit
. The winner receives $1,000 cash on the spot.
Prior to the game beginning, some information is provided via the narrators and on-screen text. All on-screen information for the viewer is done by holding up a post-it note
or a notebook with handwriting on them. The "one simple rule" of the game is incorrectly described by the narrator as "whoever eats the most and hurls the least, wins". In fact the winner is the contestant that eats the most and hurls the last or not at all. Five competitors are introduced by name, height, weight, and occupation. The five begin the game by eating large quantities of food, usually a single savory dish accompanied with a drink to help wash it down. All food and drinks are identified as being organic
. The food is placed on deli scales
, which are used to determine through subtraction how much each competitor eats. Of the five competitors, only the three that eat the most in a span of five minutes make it through to the second round.
The second round involves some sort of physical or recreational activity, usually one that involves large amounts of spinning, for five minutes. The activity can end early if one of the contestants vomits. A "hurl" is defined on the show as any swallowed food that comes out of the mouth. If a player vomits into their mouth and it does not come out, it is not a "hurl".
For the third round, competitors return to the scales and eat for another four minutes. Sometimes they eat the same food as the first round, while other times they move to a second food item, usually a dessert
. If three competitors make it to the third round, then the two that eat the most in the third round move on, unless somebody vomits first.
After the third round, if two competitors are left, a fourth round of extreme activities is done in a "sudden barf" format: first to "hurl", loses. Sometimes the extreme activity is done blindfolded to induce disequilibrium
and nausea
. If necessary, a fifth round of eating and a sixth round of blindfolded extreme activities are done as well. If both players make it through all six rounds without hurling, then the one that ate the most during just the fifth round wins the contest.
The game crew that runs the competition is called the "hazmat team". They are several people dressed in Level C hazmat suit
s, complete with gas masks, and act as a cleanup crew. Although they are dealing with bodily fluids, necessitating some precaution, their dress is exaggerated for comedic effect.
When a player vomits on-screen, the vomit is censored with numbered buckets and a pinball game sound effect. The buckets are used to arbitrarily rate the scale of the vomiting, up to an "epic five-bucket blowout", although in Episode 11, a contestant hurls while being spun by a Sumo
wrestler, and the narrator observes that on a scale of 1 to 5 buckets, this was an 11 bucket hurl. They are usually (but not always) preceded by a "hurl warning" with a handwritten note in front of the camera and a Klaxon, which also is sometimes used with close calls and fakeouts. The show also shows various "strategies" employed by some players to either eat more food or try to induce other players to vomit. Each strategy or technique has a number that is shown to the viewer on a handwritten note.
The last one remaining wins $1,000, which is paid immediately in cash by "Manny" (Manny Salcido), the leader of the hazmat team. If the winner also ate the most food in the contest, then they also win the "Iron Stomach Award". Sometimes the winner will vomit after their win; since they already won, this does not affect the outcome of the game. The show will also depict competitors that have lost and vomit after being eliminated.
The G4 network aired all 11 episodes in an uncensored (no buckets and no sound effects) format after the censored episodes had been shown.
Entertainment Weekly
gave it a positive review.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
from G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
that first premiered on G4 in the USA on July 16, 2008. It takes a unique twist on competitive eating
Competitive eating
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to consume large quantities of food in a short time period. Contests are typically less than 15 minutes in length, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner...
. The concept is for competitors to alternate between challenges of competitive eating several pounds of food is to play through extreme activities after eating a lot to see who will be last to vomit
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
. The winner receives $1,000 cash on the spot.
Format
The show begins with an unidentified person shopping for food and purchasing the food for the current episode, with a narration about competition. After the food is scanned through the register, the clerk asks "What are you going to do with all this stuff?"Prior to the game beginning, some information is provided via the narrators and on-screen text. All on-screen information for the viewer is done by holding up a post-it note
Post-it note
A Post-it note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. Although now available in a wide range of colours, shapes, and sizes, Post-it notes are most commonly a square, canary yellow in colour...
or a notebook with handwriting on them. The "one simple rule" of the game is incorrectly described by the narrator as "whoever eats the most and hurls the least, wins". In fact the winner is the contestant that eats the most and hurls the last or not at all. Five competitors are introduced by name, height, weight, and occupation. The five begin the game by eating large quantities of food, usually a single savory dish accompanied with a drink to help wash it down. All food and drinks are identified as being organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
. The food is placed on deli scales
Weighing scale
A weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. A spring scale measures weight by the distance a spring deflects under its load...
, which are used to determine through subtraction how much each competitor eats. Of the five competitors, only the three that eat the most in a span of five minutes make it through to the second round.
The second round involves some sort of physical or recreational activity, usually one that involves large amounts of spinning, for five minutes. The activity can end early if one of the contestants vomits. A "hurl" is defined on the show as any swallowed food that comes out of the mouth. If a player vomits into their mouth and it does not come out, it is not a "hurl".
For the third round, competitors return to the scales and eat for another four minutes. Sometimes they eat the same food as the first round, while other times they move to a second food item, usually a dessert
Dessert
In cultures around the world, dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food. The word comes from the French language as dessert and this from Old French desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve." Common Western desserts include cakes, biscuits,...
. If three competitors make it to the third round, then the two that eat the most in the third round move on, unless somebody vomits first.
After the third round, if two competitors are left, a fourth round of extreme activities is done in a "sudden barf" format: first to "hurl", loses. Sometimes the extreme activity is done blindfolded to induce disequilibrium
Disequilibrium
Disequilibrium is a term used to describe the lack of or opposite of an equilibrium.* in medicine:** Disequilibrium in cerebral palsy - a syndrome described by Hagberg & all** lack of equilibrioception...
and nausea
Nausea
Nausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...
. If necessary, a fifth round of eating and a sixth round of blindfolded extreme activities are done as well. If both players make it through all six rounds without hurling, then the one that ate the most during just the fifth round wins the contest.
The game crew that runs the competition is called the "hazmat team". They are several people dressed in Level C hazmat suit
Hazmat suit
A hazmat suit is a garment worn as protection from hazardous materials or substances. A hazmat suit is generally combined with breathing apparatus for protection and may be used by firefighters, emergency personnel responding to toxic spills, researchers, specialists cleaning up contaminated...
s, complete with gas masks, and act as a cleanup crew. Although they are dealing with bodily fluids, necessitating some precaution, their dress is exaggerated for comedic effect.
When a player vomits on-screen, the vomit is censored with numbered buckets and a pinball game sound effect. The buckets are used to arbitrarily rate the scale of the vomiting, up to an "epic five-bucket blowout", although in Episode 11, a contestant hurls while being spun by a Sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler, and the narrator observes that on a scale of 1 to 5 buckets, this was an 11 bucket hurl. They are usually (but not always) preceded by a "hurl warning" with a handwritten note in front of the camera and a Klaxon, which also is sometimes used with close calls and fakeouts. The show also shows various "strategies" employed by some players to either eat more food or try to induce other players to vomit. Each strategy or technique has a number that is shown to the viewer on a handwritten note.
The last one remaining wins $1,000, which is paid immediately in cash by "Manny" (Manny Salcido), the leader of the hazmat team. If the winner also ate the most food in the contest, then they also win the "Iron Stomach Award". Sometimes the winner will vomit after their win; since they already won, this does not affect the outcome of the game. The show will also depict competitors that have lost and vomit after being eliminated.
The G4 network aired all 11 episodes in an uncensored (no buckets and no sound effects) format after the censored episodes had been shown.
Episodes
| # | Title | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mac & Cheese" | Contestants eat Mac & Cheese, then strap into steel-caged Human Bowling Balls and careen down LA's famous 2nd Street Tunnel. |
| 2 | "Cream of Spinach Soup" | It's Zero G hurling as contestants slurp down as much Cream of Spinach soup as they can and then board the Flamethrower: a ride that flings them. |
| 3 | "Chicken Pot Pie" | Human Gyroscopes spin competitors in three gut-wrenching directions after they've consumed a collective 10 pounds of Chicken Pot Pie. |
| 4 | "Broccoli & Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce" | Contestants power down as much Broccoli & Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce as they can before gutting it out on the Octopus - a multi-armed carnival ride. |
| 5 | "Won Ton Soup and Dim Sum" | Contestants eat as much Won Ton Soup and Dim Sum as they can and then test their iron stomachs on the Megaloop - a 60 feet (18.3 m) vertical loop... |
| 6 | "Peanut Butter and Jelly" | Contestants binge on peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and ambrosia salad then endure a merry-go-round ride. |
| 7 | "Hot Dogs and Chili Dogs" | Contestants gobble hot dogs then battle centrifugal force on the wildly rotating Round-Up. Surviving the ride earns a second course of... chili dogs! |
| 8 | "Franks 'n Beans and Creamed Corn" | Contestants binge on franks 'n beans and creamed corn and then ride a mechanical bull. |
| 9 | "BBQ" | Contestants enjoy a BBQ and then go for a stomach churning swim. Those who make it to round 2 gobble up blueberry pie and then hit the water. |
| 10 | "Noodle Soup and Sushi" | Contestants competitively chow down on noodle soup and sushi and then endure the captain's chair and sumo bump! |
| 11 | "Clam Chowder" | Contestants pig out on clam chowder and then ride nausea inducing spinning tea cups. |
Reaction
Viewer reaction was mixed. It currently is rated as a "fair" program with a 6.2/10 score on sixteen total votes at TV.com.Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave it a positive review.