Cautionary warning

TV sports programs and talent competitions love to feature “cheer dance” groups from colleges and universities, showing off increasingly more impressive and complicated cheerleading routines. While we agree that the gymnastic performances are prodigiously compelling and entertaining, we fear that, with competitive groups now trying to top each other on point of increasing “degree of difficulty,” accidents do happen even to the best of them, so cheer acts should be sternly dissuaded from placing their members’ limbs and even lives at risk, before something really bad happens!

Our fears aren’t mere theoretical: Some months ago, we caught a US special on top schools’ cheer dance groups, and were shocked to see a high column of gymnasts teeter and fall, resulting in injury to some participating students! —So, cool it, everyone. We can do without the potentially dangerous “excitement,” thank you very much.

In a related instance, “Eat Bulaga” now has a regular tilt involving tansan—it’s a speed competition for contestants to pry the caps of soft-drink bottles open—with their teeth!

Again, we worry, that in their desire to win the speed tilt, some players could injure their mouths. Can’t the show think up a less risky competition that requires players to demonstrate their skill at a less basic and more creative “talent?”

—And, kids, please don’t try this at home!

‘X Factor UK’

For weeks now, we’ve been watching “X Factor UK,” and have noted that this year’s batch of auditionees appears to be a truly outstanding lot, especially those in the young female category.

True enough, when the show recently came to its “top six per category” stage, the competition between young female semifinalists was truly fierce!

Some of the talents who were rejected were exceptionally beautiful and talented, and could have emerged as potential winners. Too bad, they’ll just have to make it on their own. —Well, at least the TV exposure they got on the show, all too brief though it was, has opened other doors for them.