The talk show wars just might have a new contender as an Iowa State student enters the chit-chat ring. Fritz Junker’s Ordinary Iowa is ISU’s answer to “Late Night.”

It breaks the mold of common programming by offering a format rarely seen in this day and age. It is comedy at a breakneck pace, talk show with a twist. Ordinary Iowa seems like a hybrid cross of “Conan O’Brien” and “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” at times, with a dash of Cheech and Chong and a sprinkle of Mr. Bean thrown in.

Host Fritz Junker said the show is catching on. “It is going to continue to spread through campus like wildfire,” he said. “Soon every student will be watching it, and so will their parents, grandparents, children and pets.”

That is quite the lofty aspiration, but the show must have something special going for it.

“By next semester we should have animated segments to air and a live house band,” Junker explained. “We might even be able to have guest bands on the show. There will be a blitz of promotion, various contests for the shows and even new equipment.” The studio has just switched to BETA and has received new editing station, a new graphical computer and newer cameras.

“Best of all,” Junker said, “next semester we’ll be going live.”

“The original plan for the first two shows which run this week was to have them live as well,” Joel Grondek creative director of the show said. “Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out as planned so we had to postpone the live aspect until next semester.”

Additionally, as both Junker and Grondek pointed out, the show is still looking for motivated people to add to its cast. This includes creative writers, stage technicians, photographers, actors, animators and advertisers. “Anyone that is interested can reach me at 232-9226. I’m always willing to talk to people about the show,” Junker said.

“Ordinary Iowa” will be aired twice this week, on Tuesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. on cable channel 9. “Don’t miss out,” Junker said, “or you’ll be very, very sorry.”