Episode 5: Varieties in Malaysia

I think there are probably many variety shows in Malaysia. It's just that I don't watch it as much. There are a few programs that is popular but as far as I'm concerned, it lacked a bit of creativity in making the show entertaining and amusing enough to last for a very long time. 

Most variety shows are singing competitions, comedy shows and cooking programs. The famous ones usually are produced by cable TV and involves text message voting to crown the winner.  

MAHARAJA LAWAK

Maharaja Lawak is a competition for comedians to battle it out each week to claim the prize and title of The Kings of Comedy. It is somewhat a continuation of Raja Lawak, a program that search for the best comedians in Malaysia as the competitors for the Maharaja Lawak is the previously mentioned program alums. Comedians both new and well-known names compete for about 12 weeks and this show gained tremendous amount of attention.

Produced by Astro (Malaysia’s direct broadcast satellite company), the show started in the year 2011 and had been around for 3 seasons. The format for the show is that people can vote for the contestants they like. There are a panel of critics that will critic their performance and affect their voting percentages.

It has been a pop culture phenomenon as it started the whole fascination in comedy in Malaysia. There has been a growing number of reality or competition shows to search for comedians these days. Whether or not it’s good or bad, it definitely made its name in the entertainment industry. Both competitors and winners also gain popularity after joining the program; becoming CF models, actors, hosts and radio DJs.

Maharaja Lawak Mega, which is a program abbreviated from Maharaja Lawak is a program of the same format but involves both veterans and new comedians from three countries, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Having been around for 3 seasons, it gave a platform for them to show their skills and gain popularity in three countries. In 2012, the program was nominated for the Screen Awards’ Best  Entertainment Program and won the Best Reality Show category.

MASTERCHEF CELEBRITY MALAYSIA

Masterchef Celebrity Malaysia is a spinoff from the cooking show adapted from the original British show, Masterchef. I'm sure it's familiar as it is also available in Australia, USA and even Korea. The Celebrity version though, received more popularity than Masterchef Malaysia program. Maybe that's because the viewers are able to see their favorite celebrities battle it out in the kitchen. 

It had been around for two seasons, the first one started in the year 2012. The celebrities that joined the program to compete consist of singers, actors, TV hosts, film directors and former Miss Malaysia.