The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Ramadan has always been about candid camera shows, even before Ibrahim
Nasr’s El Kamera El Khafeya. These
prank shows have become integral though unnecessary components to the Ramadan
TV show formula. One of the most popular shows this Ramadan is Makansh Youmak (Not Your Day), where celebrities are
the pranks’ victims instead of being the hosts or the orchestrators.Think Punk’d, minus the humour.

The show revolves around celebrities being taken on an imaginary trip
from Cairo to the North Coast, and on the way they go through (orchestrated)
hell. The passenger simply gets in the vehicle and starts a very long and
annoying journey to the destination. For starters, the driver (who’s probably
the highlight of the show) spends around four to six hours on the road, while
it’s supposed to take half that time to reach the North Coast. In that period,
the driver doesn’t stop talking to the guest, hitting the brakes, and creating all
sorts of annoying situations to drive them crazy.

Aside from driving manically, the driver really tests the celebrities’
patience with pranks. Some of these incidents can be funny, but in most cases
they’re really not and you’re just left watching a celebrity getting hot-headed
and anxious. For example, the driver gets into choreographed fights with other
microbus drivers, which aren’t at all funny and just send the celebrity into a
state of worry and irritation.

Just like Ramez Qalb Al Assad,
the same scenario is repeated in every episode, with very few changes. So, Makansh Youmak gets boring after a few views.
The celebrities are the only perk to the show and they occasionally
provide the laughs. For instance, singer Ehab Tawfeek (who’s a very respectful,
soft spoken man) switched seats with the driver and decided to
give him a taste of his own medicine; a clever, entertaining, and also a very
funny episode.

In a nutshell, Makansh Youmak
is only entertaining if you enjoy watching other people being put in uncomfortable
and stressful situations. We know it’s evil, but sometimes it ends up being
funny to watch.