Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever!

Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever!
Company type	Television series
Industry	Television production
Founded	2010
Founder	Working Dog Productions
Headquarters	Australia
Area served	Australia
Products	Comedy television series

Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever! is an Australian comedy series centered around association football, produced by Working Dog Productions and broadcast on SBS throughout the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The program was hosted by Santo Cilauro, Sam Pang, and Ed Kavalee, with occasional guest appearances from Rob Sitch. This nightly panel format included segments like Cup Update, interviews with guests, and comedic sketches.

Socceroos midfielder Mark Bresciano contributed a diary segment and revealed his transfer to Serie A club Lazio during the show. Regular features comprised 'Take on my Nuts', 'Not Even Close', and 'The Rivaldo Award', all of which offered satirical commentary on World Cup happenings and football culture. Tournament coverage was further enriched by correspondent Tony Wilson.

The series developed a dedicated audience and an engaged Facebook fanbase, leading to demands for the show to continue after the World Cup concluded. Building on this momentum, the spin-off Santo, Sam and Ed's Sports Fever! premiered on the Seven Network in January 2012.

Special guests

Episodes regularly included special guests from diverse backgrounds such as former and current football players as well as entertainers, including ALP senator Stephen Conroy. A notable appearance was by trumpeter James Morrison, who performed using a custom-built Vuvuzelaphone.

Impersonations

The show often featured live segments with special guests who were actually disguised panel members. Among the popular impersonations were Santo portraying Argentinian football icon Diego Maradona, humorously battling with a slipping fake moustache; Ed taking on the role of stylish German coach Joachim Löw; and Ed alongside Rob Sitch acting as New Zealand sports commentators on "Kiwi TV," filled with local humor.

The most memorable impersonation was Sam's portrayal of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who comically claimed North Korea had won the tournament while playing a Casio keyboard. In one sketch, he joked about composing "Walking on Sunshine" and predicted a 7-0 victory over Portugal, which instead resulted in a 0-7 defeat. His oversized glasses became a running joke, frequently prompting him to ask Ed whether he preferred big glasses or a big spectacle.

Props

Recurring props featured included a packet of Argentinian "Tac-Tics" (a parody of Tic-Tacs), bottles of "French Campaign" champagne described as flat, "Diego Maradonuts" styled after Krispy Kreme donuts, bitter "Wayne Rooney Disappointmints," a "Red Card" can spoofing Red Bull, and a joke book attributed to Japanese coach Takeshi Okada.

Regular segments

Several recurring features highlighted recent matches:

Cupdate

Originally titled "Cup Update," this segment recapped games played since the previous episode using distinctive graphics. Later episodes saw Sam rename it "Cupdate" to refresh the segment’s style and improve its visual appeal.

The Rivaldo Award

This segment, named after Brazilian footballer Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira, presented clips of players performing obvious dives, beginning with Rivaldo’s exaggerated fall after being struck by the ball.

Bresciano's Cup Journal

Australian footballer Mark Bresciano contributed daily updates up until Australia's exit from the tournament, often emphasizing his dining experiences and strolls more than the actual game analysis.

Way Off Target

The panel members donned thick glasses to humorously critique shots that missed the goal by a substantial margin.

Taking One for the Team

This segment showcased players who bravely blocked shots without any groin protection.

Trash Talk Night

On Sunday evening, the show featured previously unaired jokes, which were read aloud before being discarded. One contentious joke depicted Sam presenting a Japanese supporter with an exaggeratedly long face singing the national anthem, followed by the quip, "I know the Japanese Anthem isn't very good, but why the long face?"

A puppet caricature of Argentinian star Lionel Messi, named "Messi Knee" (a nod to Hey Hey It's Saturday puppet Dickie Knee), made frequent appearances in this segment, much to the irritation of the panel.

The Commentator's Jinx

The panel pointed out the so-called "Commentator's Curse," where praising a player's skill was immediately followed by a mistake. A memorable instance involved a commentator admiring Arjen Robben's pace just before he mishit a toe-poke pass to the opposing team.

References