In the US, variety shows rely on singers, dancers and comedians to keep their audiences entertained. In Germany, however, the stars of the show are heavy machinery.
In this clip from the German variety program “Wetten Dass?” — which is German for “Wanna bet that …”? — a Liebherr excavator is used to climb an 80-foot tower by using its shovel as its “arms” and placing its treads on the tower’s rungs in the way person might climb a ladder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBMUvAUPTGM
This program– which is the most successful Saturday television program in Europe — often features heavy equipment, mechanics and engineering in its stunts. Previous episodes featured an excavator operator using the vehicle’s shovel to light a pocket lighter, a person assembling a V8 engine from parts and making it run within 10 minutes, and 13 swimmers towing a 312-ton ship a distance of more than 25 meters.