Episode 9 Officially Amazing

This is the world of records. Officially...

-# Biggest

-Shoe!

-# Weirdest

-Face!

-# Fastest

-Loo!

-Tightest

-Space!

-# Longest

-Snake!

-Smallest

-Van!

-# Heaviest

-Cake!

-Tallest

-Man!

-# Longest ears on a dog

-Aw!

-# Most poisonous frog!

-Wah!

-# And a woman with a beard

-What?!

# Officially, officially Officially...

# Amazing! #

Hello, and welcome to Officially Amazing,

the show that brings you the weirdest, wackiest and wildest

Guinness World Records and record attempts that are out there.

And today really is a wild one, as we witness a record attempt

made by one of nature's most majestic creatures,

the horse.

OK, so this one is less than majestic, more mangy, really,

but this still could be a record-breaking horse.

Here's what's coming up in the rest of today's show.

Down, boy.

Down, boy!

Scary!

We see a man try and smash two height-based world records

without smashing himself to pieces.

Slicey!

We're in Japan to witness a chef try and slice and dice his way

into the record books with some raw fish.

Squeaky!

And our Officially Competitive competitors

compete in a balloon keepy-uppy challenge

which you can have a pop at home.

But first, I'm about to get roped in to something...

Officially Skippy!

Wah, wah, wah... Oo-er! Argh!

Hello. Today I'm in London

to witness some officially amazing people

hopefully jump their way into the record books

with an extreme skipping record attempt.

Hello there. Ah, we're getting faster, aren't we?

This isn't good. I'm less comfortable with the...

I'm getting sweaty... Oh, no!

As you may have guessed, these are our record-breakers

and it's time to see them in action.

Meet Beci, Gemma and Rachael.

They're already world champions -

they all performed at the 2012 Olympics

and today they want to become world-record holders too.

Greedy.

They've been bezzies for years.

They joined their after-school club when they were seven

and now they can do all sorts of sensational skippy stuff.

Check this out!

OK, so we're here to break a record today.

What is this record?

It's actually a Double Dutch record that all three of us are doing.

It's the most Double Dutch snappers in 30 seconds.

OK. I'm not quite sure what that is. Can you explain?

Yeah. Basically it's three of us doing the record, two turners,

one person in the middle, jumping, and there's two ropes.

Both ropes have to go under her feet at the same time.

So, Gemma, this is a brand-new Guinness World Record.

How many jumps do you have to make?

The minimum we have to do is 100 in 30 seconds.

-So that's more than three a second.

-Yep.

That sounds really, really fun!

Time to see if I can mess this up as badly

as everything else I try and do on this show.

Got my skipping brogues on.

-Yes, you do. I see that.

-Standard issue.

That's good! OK, so just start jumping, up and down.

Oi - mind the quiff!

And that's Double Dutch.

OK.

That's it. Keep jumping nice and high.

OK, when I say "go", jump even higher.

-OK.

-There. Go.

Ah! Ooh! Ooh!

There you go, that's snappers, what you're doing right now.

Believe it or not, it's harder than it looks,

and I'm only going a fraction of the speed the girls will be going

in their record attempt.

Well, there you go - textbook Shires, two left feet.

While I untangle myself, you take a look at the rules.

Standard skipping ropes must be used.

Both ropes must pass under the jumper's feet on each jump.

There's a 30-second time limit

and in that time they need at least 100 Double Dutch snapper jumps

to set this new world record.

OK, well, listen, girls, very best of luck,

and if you want to take up your positions.

We've already seen some incredible skipping records broken

on Officially Amazing.

In Japan, Mittyan set a new record for handspring backflip skips.

Mark, of Sam-and-Mark fame, set a new ridiculous record in flippers.

And these Japanese jumpers - well, they're just barking.

The ladies are ready to take on the record

for most Double Dutch snappers in 30 seconds.

Remember, to set it, they need more than three snapper skips per second,

and time starts on their first skip.

And here they go - 100 needed to set the record.

Sensational speed-skipping. 20 seconds. Come on.

Just look at the concentration on Gemma's face.

The trick is to keep your body still,

move your feet as fast as possible but don't jump too high.

It's super-tiring for the skipper and the turners.

They're a flipping, gripping, skipping machine.

-Stop.

-Oh. Wow! Wow! Wow!

That was fast. Girls, do you want to come join me?

I know you're probably out of breath a little bit there,

cos that is physically intense.

I mean, how are you feeling? How did the attempt go?

-Do you think you could have a record?

-Good, I think.

They were skipping so quickly, official adjudicator Anna

needs to watch the super slow-mo to double-check their total.

Have they managed more than 100 snapper skips

and set a new world record?

OK, it's the exciting part, so let's skip to the results.

Anna, you've had a chance to review the footage.

Yes, so I've counted the footage twice,

cos you achieved 113, so it's a new Guinness World Record.

-Congratulations.

-Oh, congratulations. Wow.

Delightful, daring and deeply devoted Double Dutch jumping there.

And from Double Dutch to triple butch - sort of - in something...

Officially Competitive!

On Officially Amazing, we've perused the planet

to find three hulks of international record-breaking proportion.

Representing the UK it's Sizzling Steve,

the one-man-riddle wrapped in a mystery...and a flag.

The Sizzler holds more Guinness World Records

than you've had hot dinners...

if you've only ever had 12 hot dinners.

Stepping out for Japan is timid hermit Mr Cherry.

he has a steely will to win

and sports an unrestrained look of joy when carrying flags.

Finally, our man in the USA is US Ray.

I call him the one musketeer because his clothes are all-in-one

and one-fits-all.

So far in the competition,

Sizzling Steve has come out on top with four magnificent victories.

Mr Cherry is in second place with three wins.

And US Ray is lagging behind on one, but he's still in the game!

Today's challenge involves

trying to keep three balloons in the air for as long as possible.

This sounds pretty simple, but keeping control of them

is a lot harder than it looks.

Go ahead and try it at home if you don't believe me.

If anyone can win this one, it's the nimble thimble, my man US Ray.

So, Ray, I know you have a lot of skills with being an acrobat,

but how does that translate into keeping balloons in the air?

It's a lot of co-ordination involved, a lot of agility.

So, I mean, if I've got to karate-kick them in the air

to do whatever I have to do, I'm going to... "Tah!"

Even though these balloons are unpredictable,

the one constant is you.

I believe in US Ray.

US Ray. US Ray.

US Ray.

OK, Team America, don't get too cocky.

This ain't over until it's over.

Whatever, Ben. Let's do this.

If you want to try this at home,

the rules for you are the same as they are for these guys.

For this attempt, the time starts

when all three balloons have been released.

Any body part can be used to keep the balloons in the air,

but if they touch the floor or the ceiling, it's over.

The record to beat is five minutes and 35 seconds.

All right, assume your position. I'll count you in from three.

Three, two, one, go.

The balloons are in the air and US Ray is under way.

Check out his focus.

He's locked in and he has hit his rhythm already.

It feels like he could do this all day.

He's got grace, balance and poise.

Speaking of which,

I'm guessing Sizzling Steve has none of these things.

Well, he's just started and it already seems out of control.

The balloons are running rings around him. Come on, Sizzler.

He's losing it.

Oh, well, we did say this record was harder than it looked.

Back to US Ray, and he's looking good. It's almost hypnotic.

He's in control - it's like he's got these balloons on a piece of string.

He doesn't, of course. I mean, that would be cheating.

Mr Cherry in Japan has just started his attempt

and, well, his approach is a bit unorthodox.

He's down, he's up - he doesn't seem to know where he is.

Can't help thinking that a low-ceilinged Dojo

is not the right place to be doing this.

And that red balloon's looking a bit high - no!

That is a ceiling collision,

and Cherry's balloon-bouncing days are over.

And he's clearly deflated.

So US Ray is our last man standing, and it's getting a bit more frantic.

The longer the record goes on, the more the balloons space out

and the trickier it gets.

He's using his hands, his feet, whatever he can.

Look at his speed! This is a heroic effort from US Ray...

but even he can't keep this going for ever.

No! The red balloon's touched the ground, the attempt is over

and Ray is exhausted!

But what a performance.

The results are in and have been verified.

No surprises that in third place is Sizzling Steve,

with a particularly dismal 9.12 seconds.

In second place was Cherry,

with a slightly better, but still not great 37.56 seconds.

So the clear winner is US Ray, but has he broken the world record?

The time to beat was 5 minutes and 35 seconds.

Your time for that round was...

Two minutes and three seconds.

A great effort by Ray at two minutes and three seconds.

It may not be a world record,

but it's an emphatic and much-needed victory for him in the competition.

He's now on two wins.

Mr Cherry is on three,

but still leading the way on four is Sizzling Steve.

Can you beat them at home?

Join us next time for more record-breaking revelry

in Officially Competitive.

But now it's over to Haruka for something...

Officially Japanese.

Here on Officially Amazing, we love to see people

play with their food in extraordinary ways.

In the US, we've seen the world's most terrifying

and unhealthy burger.

And we met a man who thinks it's OK to make a sandwich

with his feet.

In the UK, Stephanie here is the chip-wrapping world's answer

to Usain Bolt.

Japan has shown us fish that can kill

and a man who makes a meal out of making a fruit salad.

Chop-chop.

Hoping to join this pantheon of culinary powerhouses is...

Chef Shunichi Inouea,

who's hoping to make his mark on history

with a slightly fishy record,

A record that is currently held in...Sweden?

Can you imagine what happened

when we found out that the world record for the fastest sushi-making

is not held by the Japanese but by someone from Sweden.

Attempting the record for most pieces of sushi rolls in two minutes

is Sushi Master Shunichi Inouea,

and he's here today to wrestle the record back from Sweden,

a record that stands at an impressive 12 pieces of sushi

in two minutes.

GREETINGS IN JAPANESE

So, Mr Inouea, are you confident to get this record?

TRANSLATION: Of course I am.

And do you have any secret to get this record?

Oh, I can't tell you that, my love!

OK. This is a precision record.

Japanese sushi chefs are real masters of their art.

They see their knives as being like Samurai swords

and they are sharpened and reshaped every day.

For this record attempt,

each sushi piece must be cut to a very precise 30-40mm diameter.

And they must weigh at least 25g.

Remember, the record to beat is 12 pieces in two minutes.

Let's start the attempt.

Fingers crossed. Aya, over to you.

Three, two, one, go.

Mr Inouea starts by putting some sticky rice onto a sheet of seaweed.

He's now spreading the wasabi paste on,

which is a very spicy Japanese delicacy.

Very speedy-going here, and now the last ingredient is salmon.

He just has to roll it. Done.

He'll chop that up later, so on to the next one.

High-quality sushi is a real delicacy.

The most expensive sushi in the world was in the Philippines,

where someone paid a staggering £1,313 for five pieces.

Now for the chopping.

Mr Inouea trying to make sure they have the crucial 30-40mm diameter.

And that's the two minutes up.

That is a lot of sushi.

It looks like more than 12 pieces,

but official adjudicator Aya needs to measure and weigh the pieces

to make sure they meet the incredibly precise specifications.

Mr Inouea, after measuring and weighing all the pieces,

what you have achieved now is...

..eight.

SHE SIGHS

That's such a pity.

Why do you think you couldn't get the record today?

TRANSLATION: I just panicked a bit.

So, while he made an impressive 26 pieces,

they just weren't precise enough

and only eight measured up to the regulation diameter and weight.

That means the record remains in, ahem, Sweden,

but I'm sure it won't be long before Japan wins it back.

For now, though, here's some more dangerous records.

# Dangerous, these guys are much braver than us

# Whatever you do Don't try this at home

# Let me tell you

# Over in Australia In the year two-triple-O

# 171 people gave a dangerous record a go

# The most people fire-eating Now how about that?

# If that didn't amaze you Try this record instead

# The heaviest car balanced on the head

# John Evans held up a mini for 33 seconds flat

# Which is what he'd have been if he got that wrong

# Dangerous, these guys are much braver than us

# Whatever you do Don't try this at home

# I bet you've never seen a record like this before

# A guy catching a running chain saw

# That's what Gordo Gamsby did when the space cowboy threw in the blade

# Can it get crazier?

# You should be assuming so

# A lady flew and she was used as a human arrow

# She flew 22.9 metres from a giant crossbow

# Hey, hey, hey

# Dangerous, these guys are much braver than us

# Whatever you do Don't try this at home

# Take it away

# How about those guys

# The longest motorcycle ride through a tunnel of fire?

# That was crazy

# Andre De Kock and Enrico Schoeman Ho-ho-ho

# All the way from South Africa

# And how about the highest altitude for a balloon sky walk?

# I never thought I'd see a thing like that before

# Some of these guys are just crazy but that's the way it goes

# You know when records get dangerous

# You've got to keep your head down

# And you've gotta look after number one

# Here we go... #

HE SCATS

-Officially...

-Terrifying!

ROAR!

HE SCREAMS

Talking of danger,

we're in Portsmouth, on the south coast,

to see a man attempt a record

that involves going down the outside of the world famous Spinnaker Tower.

I'm actually 18 metres above the ground

and you definitely shouldn't try this at home.

Ben, we're ready for you on set now.

OK. Heights aren't really my thing, but they are this man's -

it's adrenaline junkie Colin Greenwood.

He's been jumping headfirst off buildings for 26 years

and today he's going for two Guinness World Records.

Yes, Colin is an expert RAP jumper.

Colin, tell me, what is RAP jumping?

Abseiling with a twist. We're going to turn it round and go forwards.

We're going to run and we're going to jump off this building.

Hang on. Hang on, Colin.

I thought you said you were going to jump off a building

-whilst facing down.

-Oh, yes, mate.

Colin's trying to set two new world records today -

the fastest 80-metre RAP jump and the longest cat jump.

Presumably that's you chasing a ball of yarn down the building.

-Not quite, no, no, no.

-There's a mouse there -

-you've got to catch it?

-No, no, there's no mouse involved. No, no.

Actually, a cat jump is where you jump off the building

and fall as far down as you can before landing back on your feet.

He needs to cat-jump a minimum of 27 metres to get the record.

And if he wants to get the record for RAP jumping,

he'll need to descend the entire 80 metres

in less than 11.27 seconds.

To make things that little bit more difficult,

he's going for both records in one go.

It's looking pretty windy out there.

Now, remember, no-one goes down the side of buildings

without the right equipment and a team of experts around them,

so don't go leaping off your shed roof.

Look how big it is!

And where's Colin?

There?! That is a very scary height.

It's time to face my fears

Oh, Colin.

I don't think he's thought this through.

He's stepping out onto the 80-metre start line.

Oh...

Away, but he's running... There he goes. A little jog.

And into the cat jump. He's soaring! Look at that. Incredible.

Majestic through the air.

Now he's just got to land...

Oh, the wind... Oh, no!

Oh, that didn't look good. Was it regulation? It might not count.

Oh, he needed to land on his feet.

He's just got to focus on the other record now.

11.27 seconds to beat the fastest ever RAP-jump down to the bottom.

Come on Colin! Go for it!

And there he is, solid ground.

Phew!

What is going through your mind,

that moment when you step off the ledge?

What is going through my mind? "Can I go home now, please?"

BOTH LAUGH

Official adjudicator Rob is checking the footage to verify the attempt.

Colin's after two world records, remember.

First up, the 80-metre RAP jump.

The time to beat was 11.27 seconds.

Has the wind blown his chances?

I definitely don't think the conditions were on your side.

The time in the end was 13.78 seconds,

so unfortunately not a new record this time.

That was to be expected, to be honest with you,

with the conditions, so...

Close but not close enough.

What about the cat jump?

Colin needed 27 metres, and he seemed to fly well past that,

but was it legal?

You did clear 49 metres.

Unfortunately, though, your point of contact with the building

was with your leg and your shoulder,

so it wasn't a landing that we can count

-as a successful landing I'm afraid.

-GROANS

That's such a shame.

I'm so gutted for you.

There we go. That's such is life.

Colin, thanks for being such a good sport.

No worries, man. No worries at all.

So Colin comes back to Earth with a bump,

but there's one more

extreme adrenaline-fuelled record to try today - and this one's mine.

Officially Horsey.

Ha!

Ha! Ha! Ha!

HE SCREAMS

Welcome to Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool,

home to the world-famous Grand National horse race.

Today it hosts a very special Officially Amazing race.

Calling all thoroughbreds.

For centuries, man has mastered this beautiful balletic beast,

but this is actually my chance to help make history

and get into the record books.

This is the annual pantomime animal race

for horses, cows, unicorns and even a camel.

And this year they have an extra reason to be here,

to try to break the world record for the largest pantomime animal race.

And I am going to enter it with them,

but I'm going to need some help.

I need a sidekick, a stable hand,

someone to be the back end of my Ben Shires horse.

Now, he genuinely has no idea what he's about to partake in,

but I'm delighted to tell you

that that man is none other than Sizzling Steve.

Yes, our regular record reaper

and Officially Competitive competitor, the Sizzler,

thinks he's coming out for a day at the races,

but I have bigger and better plans for him.

I'm sure he'll love it. Here he is now.

The Sizzle Man!

Oh, and look at you.

Welcome to Aintree, Steve, and don't you look the part.

Unfortunately, you're dressed wrongly.

This isn't going to cut the mustard today, I'm afraid,

because today, Steve, we're here to do something slightly different.

Dobbin!

HE LAUGHS

Sizzling Steve, today, for one day only,

you and I are going to be taking part in a 100m dash

dressed as the Ben Shires horse.

-You're the back end.

-HE SIGHS

-Cheers.

-'Not a problem.'

Poor Sizzle cakes. Dressed in his best suit

when he's going to spend most of the day as a horse's bum.

Little does he know that I had egg and beans for brekkie -

bad idea in hindsight.

Anyway, we've got a world record to break and a race to win.

We need to unite and become The Shires Horse!

OK, well, here goes nothing.

Right, Steve, this is it.

Think togetherness. Think team.

We are The Shires Horse. Got it?

-Yes.

-Giddy up!

'Time to put in some last-minute training.'

No, no, that's the wrong way, Steve.

Steve, we discussed this.

Steve, back up. Steve...

'I thought we should try a few jumps.'

Jump. Jump. Jump.

BOTH LAUGH

'Well, we're not exactly working in harmony.

'I need to give Sizzler the inspirational speech of his life,

'but instead my egg-and-beans breakfast pops up to say hello.'

HE FARTS He just farted!

HE GIGGLES There's always one.

'Whilst I get some clean air into The Shires Horse,

'you have a look at the rules.'

Animals must contain two people, one in the front and one in the back.

Animals must remain in costume for the race,

which has to be at least 100m long.

And the record to break is 37 teams across the finishing line.

-CAR HORN BEEPS

-Oh, sorry.

LAUGHTER

As we get into the zone,

let's check out today's runners and riders.

Over to race commentator John McClipclop.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the biggest panto race of the year

for the biggest prize on the planet - a Guinness World Record.

All these panto animals are hoping to win.

Oh, no, they're not!

-ALL:

-Oh, yes, they are!

Here are the three to see today.

Nellie the Nag is favourite, followed by Hefty Horace,

who's definitely one to trumpet about,

and the massive outsider is The Shires Horse.

Assembling on the course, tensions running high.

The world record is 37 panto animals completing the race.

With 42 starting today, every animal needs to be on top of their game.

-So, where are we running?

-See what I mean?

That Shires Horse is an idiot.

-They're under starters orders.

-Come on Steve!

-HORN BLARES

-And they're off!

Early bunching at the start, all animals away quickly.

Come on, Steve!

Shires Horse is off to a blinder, front and back in total unison.

Gracefully gliding over the grass,

rippling muscles driving this enigmatic beast forwards.

A lean, mean pantomime machine.

And the crowd loving every maniac minute.

The pack bunching in the middle.

Cameron's Camel running sideways - is that even legal?

The field separating further

and it's Black Beauty leading by a detachable head.

Looks unbeatable, dips to the line, and Black Beauty wins the race.

No need for a photo finish,

and just as well, because they're not looking their best.

Ah...

Anyone got a sugar cube?

So, 42 started the race,

to break the record, we need 38 or more to have finished.

And the result...

-Was 42.

-CHEERING

It's a new world record!

You are all Officially Amazing!

'What an ending!

'A new record, and Steve and I were part of it.

'I'm going for a lie down and Steve's going for some fresh air.

'See you next time.'

# Well, our competitive guys kept balloons in the skies

# For as long as they possibly could

# US Ray was the winner overall

# But none of them were really very good

# Chef Inouea's sushi stuff just wasn't precise enough

# The skipping ladies were quick

# But Colin's RAP jump didn't do the trick

# And Ben and Steve did us proud as a pantomime horse

# It's all Officially Amazing. #