Ridiculousness is an American comedy clip show that began airing on August 29, 2011, on MTV. It is hosted by Rob Dyrdek and co-hosted by Sterling "Steelo" Brim, Chanel West Coast (formerly) and Lauren Wood. Ridiculousness strictly showcases various viral videos from the Internet, usually involving failed do-it-yourself attempts at stunts, to which Dyrdek and his panelists add mockery and reaction. The producers of the series and MTV refuse any submitted videos for the show for the safety of their viewers (as mentioned in disclaimers at the beginning and end of each episode), instead licensing already-existing content.
| Ridiculousness | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by |
|
| Directed by | Michael A. Simon |
| Presented by |
|
| Theme music composer | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| Opening theme |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 42 |
| No. of episodes | 1,545 (including 2 specials from season 17) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | MTV |
| Release | August 29, 2011 – present |
| Related | |
Production
editOn September 11, 2012, Ridiculousness was renewed for a twenty-episode third season.[1][2] It premiered on February 14, 2013,[3][clarification needed] and included a crossover with Jersey Shore when Pauly D guest-starred. The season took a hiatus from April 2013 to July 18, 2013.[4] Season 3 averaged a 1.6 P12-34 rating and is the No.1 original cable series in its time slot with P12-34.[5]
The series is produced by Superjacket Productions, Rob Dyrdek's production company, under a multi-year deal with MTV.[6]
The theme song, a cover of Devo's "Uncontrollable Urge", was done along with Devo member Mark Mothersbaugh, with Dyrdek providing the "yeah"s. Music supervisor Ben Hochstein said that "Kids think the song is original to our show and have never heard of Devo, but hopefully, their parents appreciate the connection."[7][8]
Due to the series being consistently[9] marathoned[10] on MTV[11][12] and MTV2, beginning in October 2015, some episodes of Ridiculousness were repackaged with lower-cost production music. The new music was under blanket licenses overlaying the former tracks. The former tracks would have required MTV to pay music licensing fees to artists.
In 2023, after co-hosting 30 seasons of the series, Chanel West Coast left the show to pursue her solo career.[13][14] The West Coast Hustle, a reality TV series about the former co-host, premiered on MTV on July 18, 2024.[15] After Chanel West Coast's departure, several guest co-hosts were tried out, and eventually Lauren "Lolo" Wood became part of the cast.[16]
Episodes
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 16 | August 29, 2011 | December 19, 2011 | |
| 2 | 20 | April 30, 2012 | November 5, 2012 | |
| 3 | 20 | February 14, 2013 | September 19, 2013 | |
| 4 | 21 | January 2, 2014 | April 3, 2014 | |
| 5 | 18 | July 10, 2014 | October 30, 2014 | |
| 6 | 32 | January 1, 2015 | June 25, 2015 | |
| 7 | 30 | October 8, 2015 | June 30, 2016 | |
| 8 | 30 | July 7, 2016 | September 27, 2016 | |
| 9 | 30 | January 20, 2017 | June 22, 2017 | |
| 10 | 30 | September 1, 2017 | January 26, 2018 | |
| 11 | 41 | August 5, 2018 | October 12, 2018 | |
| 12 | 43 | October 19, 2018 | February 13, 2019 | |
| 13 | 41 | February 17, 2019 | May 10, 2019 | |
| 14 | 42 | May 17, 2019 | September 6, 2019 | |
| 15 | 39 | September 7, 2019 | December 29, 2019 | |
| 16 | 39 | January 6, 2020 | March 11, 2020 | |
| 17 | 41 | April 20, 2020 | September 14, 2020 | |
| 18 | 43 | September 15, 2020 | November 19, 2020 | |
| 19 | 42 | November 30, 2020 | January 28, 2021 | |
| 20 | 42 | February 8, 2021 | April 18, 2021 | |
| 21 | 42 | April 23, 2021 | July 18, 2021 | |
| 22 | 42 | July 30, 2021 | October 1, 2021 | |
| 23 | 58 | October 8, 2021 | January 7, 2022 | |
| 24 | 28 | January 14, 2022 | March 11, 2022 | |
| 25 | 42 | March 18, 2022 | May 18, 2022 | |
| 26 | 39 | May 20, 2022 | June 22, 2022 | |
| 27 | 31 | June 22, 2022 | August 10, 2022 | |
| 28 | 37 | August 12, 2022 | October 7, 2022 | |
| 29 | 58 | October 7, 2022 | January 16, 2023 | |
| 30 | 43 | January 16, 2023 | March 29, 2023 | |
| 31 | 8 | April 3, 2023 | April 12, 2023 | |
| 32 | 22 | April 17, 2023 | May 8, 2023 | |
| 33 | 85 | May 8, 2023 | July 7, 2023 | |
| 34 | 24 | July 7, 2023 | July 24, 2023 | |
| 35 | 68 | July 28, 2023 | September 25, 2023 | |
| 36 | 31 | September 25, 2023 | October 30, 2023 | |
| 37 | 33 | November 3, 2023 | December 22, 2023 | |
| 38 | 51 | December 22, 2023 | April 14, 2024 | |
| 39 | 4 | April 14, 2024 | April 21, 2024 | |
| 40 | 20 | April 21, 2024 | May 26, 2024 | |
| 41 | 12 | June 2, 2024 | June 16, 2024 | |
| 42 | TBA | June 23, 2024 | TBA | |
Reception
editIn 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that Ridiculousness "is most popular in rural Alaska, New Mexico and Montana, and least popular in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and San Francisco".[17]
Scheduling
editBy 2020, many journalists and media commentators noted that the series frequently occupied a great majority of MTV's programming lineup.[18][19] In September 2020, John Gonzalez of The Ringer observed that the network often schedules marathon repeats of Ridiculousness that span multiple days, including one 36-hour period in August 2020 when MTV broadcast nothing else except episodes of the show. He speculated the show's success could be attributed to its "lowbrow content" and "familiar and formulaic" structure.[20]
That same year, Michael Schneider and Kate Aurthur of Variety reported that reruns of Ridiculousness were broadcast for 113 of 168 total hours (67.3%) during one week in June 2020. They attributed its ubiquity to media companies, such as ViacomCBS, prioritizing streaming content at the expense of their linear television networks. In response, MTV released a statement saying that the television network was "just a single sliver" of their overall operations, and that an array programming was being developed for other mediums, and Tanya Giles, a ViacomCBS executive, said that the show was prioritized on the schedule as "escapist" entertainment with wide appeal for viewers at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.[21] Contrary to that statement, as of May 2022, its repeats continue to make up a majority of the network's weekly schedule, with an unofficial Twitter account compiling the network's schedule showing the extent of MTV's dependence on the series to fill its broadcast week.[22]
In November 2020, Adam Buckman of MediaPost also wrote about the show's prominence on MTV, and reached similar conclusions to its cause as Schneider and Aurthur. Buckman called it "an abuse of the end-user that today's low-rent cable TV channels presumably wish to reach -- i.e., cable subscribers at home who pay steep fees every month for dozens of name-brand cable channels that seem to have abandoned the idea of developing and producing original, attractive content worth paying for."[23]
Spin-offs
editAmazingness
editMTV premiered Amazingness on December 8, 2017 and ended on January 19, 2018. Presented by Rob Dyrdek, with Chris "Drama" Pfaff, Eddie Huang and Krystal Bee. Every episode features six contestants showcasing their unique talents. After each performance, the judges decide who moves on and who is eliminated. The last performer standing is awarded $10,000.[24]
Deliciousness
editMTV greenlit Deliciousness on November 23, 2020 and the series later premiered on December 14, 2020. It is hosted by Tiffani Thiessen, with Angela Kinsey, Kel Mitchell and Tim Chantarangsu.[25]
Adorableness
editOn June 21, 2021, MTV greenlit Adorableness, hosted by James Davis, with Alyson Hannigan, Ross Mathews and Dulcé Sloan. The series premiered on July 19, 2021.[26]
Messyness
editOn June 4, 2021, MTV greenlit, Messyness, hosted by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, with Tori Spelling, Adam Rippon and Teddy Ray. The series premiered on August 23, 2021.[27]
International versions
edit| Country | Channel | Title | Year | Reference | Hosted by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chile | Canal 13 | Ridículos Chile | 2015–2016 | [28] | Luis Fernando Flores Alvarado |
| France | MTV France | Ridiculous Made In France | 2016– | [29] | Jean-Baptiste Goupil |
| Spain | MTV Spain | Vergüenza Ajena: Made in Spain | [30] | Luiz Fernández | |
| Brazil | MTV Brasil | Ridículos MTV | [31] | Felipe Titto | |
| South Africa | MTV Africa (Simulcasts on MTV Base Africa) | Ridiculousness África | [32] | Thomas Gumede | |
| Mexico | MTV Latin America | Ridículos MTV | [33] | Fred Lammie | |
| Sweden | MTV Sweden | Ridiculousness Sverige | [34] | Unknown | |
| Poland | MTV Poland | Niemożliwe Made In Poland | [35] | Wojciech Łozowski Tomaza Torrez Paula Tumala (series 1) Katarzyna Pytel (series 2-) | |
| Netherlands Belgium |
MTV Netherlands | Dutch Ridiculousness | [36] | Edson da Graça | |
| Italy | MTV Italy | Ridiculousness Italia | 2016–2017 | [37] | Stefano Corti |
| Denmark | MTV Denmark | Ridiculousness Danmark | 2017– | [38] | Unknown |
| Middle East | Comedy Central Arabia | Ridiculousness Arabia | 2017 | Mohanad AlHattab |
References
edit- ^ Patten, Dominic (September 10, 2012). "MTV Renews 'Ridiculousness' For Third Season". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (September 10, 2012). "'Ridiculousness' Renewed by MTV For a Third Season". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ Kondology, Amanda (January 17, 2013). "'Ridiculousness' Returns February 14 at 10PM". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 7, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 20, 2013). "MTV is Heating Up This Summer With the Return of Rob Drydek's 'Ridiculousness', 'Money From Strangers' and 'Nikki & Sara Live'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (September 17, 2013). "'Ridiculousness' Renewed for Season 4 & 'Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory' Renewed for Season 6 by MTV". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Archived from the original on September 22, 2013.
- ^ "Rob Dyrdek and His Production Company Super Jacket Sign Multi-Year Deal with MTV". The Futon Critic. June 25, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Hawks, Asa (August 3, 2014). "VIDEOS What is the Ridiculousness theme song that goes Yeah, yeah...?".
- ^ "Ben Hochstein". Pop Disciple | Film Music & Music Supervision Interviews | Music in Media News. May 5, 2017.
- ^ Hughes, William (February 6, 2021). "Jesus Christ, there's a lot of Ridiculousness happening on MTV". AV Club.
- ^ Williams, Kori (April 27, 2021). "MTV Plays 'Ridiculousness' Enough to Last Us a Lifetime". Distractify.
- ^ Anderson, Lauren (May 20, 2021). "'Ridiculousness': Why Does MTV Air the Rob Dyrdek Show so Much?". Cheat Sheet.
- ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (May 13, 2021). "When MTV Debuted 40 Years Ago, Everyone Thought It Would Fail. Here's Why It Didn't". Vanity Fair.
- ^ Caplan, Anna Lazarus (March 27, 2023). "Chanel West Coast Exiting MTV's 'Ridiculousness' After 30 Seasons". People. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Winger, Stephanie (March 29, 2023). "Chanel West Coast Teases More About Her Next Project After 'Ridiculousness' as MTV Names New Co-Hosts". People. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Esquibias, Lisa (June 27, 2024). "Chanel West Coast to Give 'Intimate Look' into Her Life with New MTV Show — See the Trailer (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Tinoco, Armando (July 11, 2024). "MTV's 'Ridiculousness' Names Lauren "Lolo" Wood As Permanent Host After Chanel West Coast's Exit". DeadLine. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ Katz, Josh (December 27, 2016). "'Duck Dynasty' vs. 'Modern Family': 50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide". The New York Times.
- ^ Jenkins, Craig (August 31, 2020). "The 2020 VMAs Tried Like Hell to Avoid the Elephant in the Room". Vulture.
- ^ Dehart, Andy (May 1, 2020). "Why doesn't MTV repeat The Challenge when it airs Ridiculousness a ridiculous amount?". Reality Blurred.
- ^ Gonzalez, John (September 15, 2020). "How Did MTV Become the 'Ridiculousness' Network?". The Ringer.
- ^ Schneider, Michael; Aurthur, Kate (July 21, 2020). "R.I.P. Cable TV: Why Hollywood Is Slowly Killing Its Biggest Moneymaker". Variety.
- ^ "@MTVSchedule Twitter account". Twitter. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ Buckman, Adam (November 24, 2020). "Sad State Of Basic Cable Today: In A Word, Ridiculousness". MediaPost.
- ^ Ossad, Jordana (December 1, 2017), "Rob Dyrdek is Seeing Some Seriously Awesome Amazingness", MTV News, archived from the original on December 3, 2017, retrieved January 26, 2020
- ^ "MTV Greenlights "Deliciousness" Hosted by Tiffani Thiessen with Panel of Foodies Including Angela Kinsey, Kel Mitchell and Tim Chantarangsu" (Press release). MTV. November 23, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ Ossad, Jordana (June 21, 2021), "MTV is About to Get a Dose of Adorableness", MTV News, archived from the original on June 21, 2021, retrieved June 28, 2021
- ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (June 4, 2021). "'Messyness': MTV Greenlights 'Ridiculousness' Spinoff Hosted By Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "Ridículos Chile - 13.cl". 13.cl.
- ^ "Ridiculous Made in France : Les présentateurs sont... - MTV France". www.mtv.fr. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Vergüenza Ajena Made in Spain - Programa - MTV España". www.mtv.es. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Ridículos - Programa de TV - MTV Brasil". MTV Brasil. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017.
- ^ "Ridiculousness is coming to Africa! and these are your hosts… - MTV South Africa". www.mtv.co.za.
- ^ "Ridículos MTV - MTV America Latina". mtvla.com.
- ^ "Ridiculousness Sverige - Shows - MTV". m.mtv.se. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Niemożliwe PL - Shows - MTV". m.mtv.pl. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Dutch Ridiculousness - Tv Show - MTV Nederland". m.mtv.nl. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Ridiculousness Italia - Programma - MTV Italia". ondemand.mtv.it. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Ridiculousness kommer til Danmark". MTV.dk. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2017.