It’s not quite what you might be thinking. China has been bitten by the reality TV bug. In one of their first installments they are staging a competition to determine the next “kung fu superstar” along the lines of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. They are holding this in the “Shaolin Temple” in Henan, the “birthplace of kung fu”. Yes, because it seems to make the kung fu more authentic. Here is the company line:

The Global Chinese Kung Fu Star TV Competition follows the international success of similar musical competitions such as Pop Idol in Britain, American Idol in the United States and last year’s Super Girl in China, which had a 400 million-strong audience.

So like American Idol, only the contestants get to beat the crap out of each other? I hope it’s like Ultimate Fighting Championship meets Super Voice Girls. Now that would be worth tuning in to!

Also, in the tradition of low quality fakes making cheaper to produce representations of other products, an “Apprentice” copycat has been launched in China. The role of Donald Trump will be played by… wait for it… all of China! Yes, the audience will serve as the savvy business guru. I am sure all those high school graduates and housewives will be well suited to this task. Anyhow, expect to heard throngs of people yelling “你被炒了”, or in English, “You’re Fired”. Yes, you are fired, and your penalty is you haev to fight in the kung fu reality show.