The place: Dangerous Dan’s Diner on Queen East. The people: Wipeout Canada co-host Ennis Esmer and Triumph of the Will star Kenny Hotz. The subject: the things people will do for a buck

Our collective craving for thrill-and-spill television is boundless. If it weren’t, we would have long moved beyond watching complete strangers and D-list celebrities lose their heads, hearts and dignity over cash prizes, skeevy bachelors or a shot at fame. The comedy stunt film Jackass 3D opened at number one across North America last fall, a stat that bodes well for Wipeout Canada, our very own version of the popular American game show on which contestants must complete the ultimate obstacle course to claim $50,000. As co-host, actor Ennis Esmer (seated on the left) is expected to dish out quips while players do their best not to plummet into a mud pit or get socked in the face/gut/groin by giant red balls. Kenny Hotz is a bona fide cult TV hero, having created and starred in the lewd and crude hit Kenny vs. Spenny. His new comedy series, Kenny Hotz’s Triumph of the Will, is about accomplishing tasks that most people would think are insane, from building a mosque at Jones and Gerrard (“I must be the first Jew to ever give the gift of a mosque to Islam”) to asking recent moms for their placentas—and getting one. In keeping with the reigning spirit of sadism, we sat the funny guys down at the viciously greasy east-end diner Dangerous Dan’s, bought them artery-busting burgers and listened in.

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