"Hole In the Wall" Review: Cheese Over Charm

Last week I said that “Hole In the Wall” shouldn’t be entertaining, yet somehow it is.

Or at least it was until I actually saw the show…

The overall concept is endearing as teams try to squeeze through oddly shaped holes, but FOX makes it so unbelievably cheesy, the charm wears off rather quickly.

The cheesiness begins with Thompson, the over-the-top announcer FOX uses for all of its game shows. But this time, he’s not just the announcer, he’s the co-host. He stands on a perch above the playing area making smart aleck comments about the team members and bellowing “It’s time to face the hole,” while Brooke Burns stands below talking to the teams.

You almost get the impression that FOX is looking for a Michael Buffer type thing. I kept waiting for Thompson to yell, “Let’s get ready to rumble”…

I said I was disappointed that Burns has gone back to hosting game shows. Now I’m just embarrassed that she’s chosen this one. A gifted comedic actress like her deserves so much better than to stand around in a short dress and scream “Let’s see it again!” In all honesty, I’m not even sure what her purpose is…

FOX toned down some of the cheesiness of “Moment of Truth” after viewers complained. I’m hoping they’ll do the same thing here. I would start by giving Burns more to do and just using Thompson to introduce the teams. After all, if she’s going to be a game show host, she might as well get to actually do it…

“Hole in the Wall” gets another preview tonight at 9:35 on FOX. It premieres in its regular timeslot Thursday, September 11th at 8 p.m…

Photos Credit: Patrick Wymore
Provided by FOX