VIDEO: Ever wonder what happened to Billy Blanks?
Matt Hawkins Long story short, the inventor of Tae Bo is now a superstar in Japan.
Like many muscle-bound, combat-inclined African Americans in the land of the rising sun (well, at least one other, aka Bob Sapp), first he made a big splash on all the variety shows on the dial, and then becamce the star of his own video game…
Apparently when he released his Boot Camp regimen (which I guess was his next line of workout videos, after Tae Bo finally ran it course) in Japan, it was a HUGE hit. Eventually he settled there with a brand new bride, his Japanese interpreter to be exact, and opened a gym there as well.
Anyhow, America is riddled with crappy witness games for the Wii starring fitness “celebrities” (see also: that annoying chick on Biggest Loser… God I hate that woman), so Japan is no different. BTW, fun-fact: Billy was apparently the main source of inspiration of the character of Dee Jay in Super Street Fighter. No doubt it was this fight scene that provided whomever that flash of inspiration…
From Punching Faces To Swinging Wii Remotes [Kotaku]
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