Episode 5 Officially Amazing

# Officially, officially, officially

# Amazing! #

Throughout the years on Officially Amazing,

I think it's fair to say I've proven myself

to be a natural-born athlete of some stature.

Ow, that actually hurts.

And, today, if you can believe it, I intend to reach even greater levels

of epic awesomeness, as the record that we're attempting features

a sport that requires above-average height.

Check. Panther-like agility.

CAT MEOWS I mean, check.

And mind-bending ball skills.

Check.

BEEP Check.

BEEP

As I was saying, mind-bending ball skills...

Check.

Who threw that? Why do I even bother?

HE SIGHS Here's what's on today's show.

A massive speeding red truck.

But what exactly is it gearing up for?

And the dice-men cometh.

But first, let's play ball.

Oh, yes, I'm not much of a baller, really.

Luckily, this guy is.

Meet international street-basketball superstar, Tom Connors,

nicknamed the Con-man because he will bamboozle you

with his ticklish tricks that have brought him

numerous world records, including the longest time spinning

a ball on the elbow, and the longest time spinning three basketballs.

But, today, he's throwing everything into reverse as he attempts the

record for most backwards basketball three-pointers in one minute.

That's shooting hoops from a distance of 7.23 metres...

without looking!

-So we're in a basketball court...

-Yeah.

But you're not strictly a basketballer, are you?

You're a streetballer.

Yeah, professional streetball player, so it's slightly different.

It's more of a style that you play, more of a swagger, the tricks.

-Right, OK.

-You know, entertaining the public and crowd.

How much training does it involve in a week, let's say?

When I was growing up, I'd never stop. I'd sleep with the basketball,

I'd wake up, I'd be dribbling to school with the basketball. I'd be

dribbling... It's just part of...

That's an odd relationship. One man and his ball.

So, Tom, you're going to be attempting essentially a blind shot.

-You can't see the shot you're making.

-You can't see the basket.

And, you've got to shoot over your head. I got a bit of a knack for it.

-I can't wait to see it.

-Yes, it's going to be fun.

-Good luck.

Thank you very much.

Here are the rules... Throws must be performed backwards,

with Tom's heels behind the three-point line.

And the target for this new record is six baskets in one minute.

Three, two, one, go.

HOOTER

Tom says it's crucial to get a basket early so he can try

to replicate that exact throw using muscle memory.

Yes.

And there's one.

-Yes.

-And immediately a second.

If he can keep that going, he has a real chance.

But, frustratingly, he keeps hitting almost exactly the same spot.

Time for an adjustment.

Ten, nine, eight, seven...

-Oh, yes.

-Six...

That step made all the difference.

-Time.

-HOOTER

Now, did he get that target of six baskets?

In that attempt, it was just three.

-Aww, halfway there, Tom.

-Mm-hmm.

-I'd love to go again.

-Come on.

Let's smash this one.

-Go.

-A second attempt, then.

But a lot of near-misses again.

I'm not sure my ball boy skills are helping either.

Once again, Tom scores three.

Well, after two attempts from Tom,

it's been decided that I was in fact the problem

and my poor feeding, so in fact we've brought this bin in

for additional support so I can grab the balls more quickly.

Go.

Final attempt. Can Tom's tired arms keep up the pace?

Oh, how did that one stay out?

But that's in.

Can he establish the muscle memory and get some momentum going?

Nothing but net.

Astonishing accuracy from Tom.

But is he capable of keeping this hit rate up?

He's really finding his range now.

Come on, Tom.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...

And that one could be crucial.

Will Tom's HOOPS and dreams come true?

Time.

Well, that seemed a lot better.

But did he shoot at least six hoops?

On that attempt, you achieved...

Six. So that is a brand-new Guinness World Record title.

-Oh, yeah!

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

Yet another record for streetball sorcerer, Tom Connors.

Now, let's ramp things up further with Al, Haruka and a big truck.

I love trucks - especially big red trucks.

So what's the record?

Well, this is Zhang Haiou,

and he's going to attempt the longest ramp-jump by a truck.

And as these spine-tingling graphics show, he's going

to fly his truck over some other trucks and land on the other side.

This is dream stuff.

And his target to set a new record is a jump of 26 metres.

26 metres!

I'm not sure if I'm ready, Haruka.

Too late, he's off.

Wow.

All of my trucking dreams have just come true, Haruka.

Did he clear the required 26 metres?

Aww, 25.5.

That's just half a metre shot.

Come on, Zhang, I know you can do this.

Believe.

And keep on trucking.

Attempt number two now.

I can hardly watch.

What a jump.

What a lorry-load of lovely leaping.

But has he flown far enough?

Yes, he's done it.

26 metres.

This man is my hero.

I thought Ray was your hero?

-Nah.

-Never mind, Ray.

This will cheer you up.

# It's time to move It's time to groove

# Check out these dudes who dance in different ways

# Let's dance

# Everybody loves a conga line

# But how many could conga at one time?

# It was 119,986

# It happened in 1988

# The vibe was good The dancing was great

# The Miami super conga really moved its hips

# That's right They dance in different ways

# Ballroom dancer Frederick Salter

# Was a record-breaking waltzer

# And a master of Latin dance too

# At 100 years old He still competed for the gold

# I guess the dancing made him feel brand-new

# They dance in different ways

# Record-breaking dance fanatics

# Did a class that was aquatic

# 74 students jumped in the pool

# That's right They dance in different ways

# Now Krunoslav came up moonwalking

# Let his footwork do the talking

# He wanted to break a record so he took a chance

# He did 5.7km

# Now that's a record that's hard to beat cos

# He really knew how to dance

# This song is done and we've had some fun

# By seeing different record-breaking dancing ways. #

Listen...

..they have arrived.

The gemstone of Japan, Mr Cherry.

The Emerald of the Americas, US Ray.

The...Brick of Britain, Sizzling Steve.

Three Herculean heroes here to h-attempt world records

you can have a crack at at home.

This is...

Previously, on Officially Competitive...

In a romantically lit, don't-actually-try-this event,

US Ray blew away the opposition

to claim his first world record of the series.

With two wins on the spin, my man is the king of the castle.

But, for how long?

Uh, I don't know.

This is the great Pyramid of Giza.

It took tens of thousands of men 20 years to build it.

It is truly a marvel.

Whereas this...is sizzling Steve. He's also a marvel.

It once took this man just 17.23 seconds to build a 36-dice pyramid

all on his own and break a world record.

Steve still holds that record today,

but these two want to grab it off him.

Yes it's the...

Let's get to the team talks.

Are you going to better your current record?

I will try.

Yeah? To that end, how's training been going?

I haven't done any training.

Good. So, it hasn't been going.

Confidence from the Sizzler.

Less so from Ray.

Cos, as we know, dice are not his friends.

I am not good with dice.

LAUGHTER

US Ray.

While Ray bizarrely celebrates likely failure,

Cherry has been pondering his tactics.

Well, Cherry-san, what's more important, speed or precision?

I think precision, not speed.

But, maybe speed.

No, precision.

An unusually indecisive Cherry.

Is this record messing with his mind?

Here are the rules...

Only one hand can be used.

Only one die can be picked up at a time.

The 36-dice pyramid must remain standing

for five seconds after the time is up.

And the record to beat is Sizzler's Pharaoh-nomenal 17.23 seconds.

Cherry-san, are you ready?

OK.

Pyramid Power!

Are the dice ready?

DICE: Pyramid power!

Shantha, are we ready to dice with destiny?

Three, two, one, go.

HOOTER

For this record, you need a base of eight dice,

with each additional layer

being one die shorter until a pyramid is achieved.

What cunning cubic craftsmanship.

Yes, his dice work looks as neat as that of a champion bricklayer.

But is he building fast enough?

Well, I suspect he'll be quicker than Ray.

Hey, there's no need for that.

HE SPEAKS JAPANESE

Although to be honest, you're probably right.

Go.

Now, can Ray do this?

His history with dice challenges is not great.

Don't write him off yet.

Ray has a plan.

Does that plan involve knowing what a pyramid looks like?

Well, he certainly didn't seem to know in our last series.

OK, so his plastic cup pyramid attempt did reduce me to tears

but he won't make that mistake again.

Right, Ray?

Sorry, Al, looks like he's in DICE-ARRAY once more.

What is that?

LAUGHTER

Let's just call it a massive DICE-APPOINTMENT.

Steve, it's your record.

Keep it that way.

Shantha, over to you.

-Go.

-The Sizzler may claim not to have done any training,

but look at this incredible finger speed.

Perhaps he might even break his own...

Oh, no!

A crucial brick in his structure slips, and tumbles to the ground.

Was that blunder down to his lack of practice?

It was a rare slip.

Could those dice be slick with the finger sweat of Ray or Mr Cherry?

A gruesome thought, but doubtful.

And here comes the crowning dice...

DIE-LICIOUS.

Yeah!

Steve is in awe of himself, as well he should be.

No-one can build dice pyramids as quickly as the Sizzler,

and that is a fact.

At the moment.

Has one of our competitors built their way

to a new dice pyramid world record?

No.

Aww. A mild DICE-SASTER.

However, there's still that all-important

Officially Competitive point to play for.

Please can you reveal the results.

Ray, you were disqualified,

because your pyramid was not a pyramid.

When is a pyramid not a pyramid?

Then, Ray. Then.

And, in first place, with a time of 22.889 seconds...

is Steve.

CHEERING

Well done, Sizzler. Not a new world record,

but he holds on to his current one and that's what's important.

Get in.

Incredibly, Steve's win sees three-time champ Mr Cherry

rooted to the bottom of the league.

But, he could make it a three-way tie next time...

with a loo roll.

Join us then for more 24-carat tremendousness like this...

# Well, who'd have thought that out on the court

# You could do this with a basketball?

# Tom's amazing ball throwing was all done without knowing

# Where he was aiming them at all

# Our heroes had to be precise

# When speed building pyramids with dice

# Steve was the fastest man

# But I'm not sure Ray even had a plan

# And we saw a massive truck fly through the air

# But here comes the rubbish bits

# The outtakes. #

-Steve, are you ready?

-Yes.

Five...

Are you ready?

-No, I'm not ready.

-Shantha's not ready.

-Sorry!