History WebVideo / TheBenHeckShow

** Quite a number of multi-part episodes were aborted throughout the show's run (usually when RealityEnsues and Ben realizes that the project is actually undoable or infeasible). For example, episodes centering around the designing of the ''Pinball/AmericasMostHaunted'' pinball machine prototype, pretty much only ran until the first half of the design stage of the machine[[note]]However, coverage continued on Ben's personal channel, albeit without going into the details of the design as he usually does on the show[[/note]], and the "[=GameBrain=]" modular console project has also become this.

'''The Ben Heck Show''' is a web series hosted by legendary console modder and ascended pinball fanboy Benjamin Heckendorn, better known on the web as Ben Heck. Sponsored by [=Element14=], most episodes of the show takes place in Ben's workshop, where he attempts to solve day to day problems by building contraptions to do it for him, if he's not showing off his legendary console modding skills or imparting knowledge on topics revolving around electronics.

The show started in 2010. New episodes of the series appear every Friday afternoon on Youtube. They can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/user/thebenheckshow/videos here]], except for a few exclusives which can only be reached from the [=Element14=] website.

In February 2018, Ben announced that the show is finally coming to an end in Mid-2018, with a contest now in place by [=Element14=] and overseen by Ben to find Ben's successor and start a new show, as Ben wishes to pursue video directing as a career. Matthew Eargle was announced the winner, and the channel was shortly after renamed to a more generic ''Element 14 Showcase''. The last ''Ben Heck Show'' episode was released on the channel on 20th July, 2018.

Ben's own personal [=YouTube=] channel, on the other hand, can be reached [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeStlUnitobx8QcSxTw2aQ here]], and is usually his [=vLog=] and soapbox, but bonus materials meant for the show and outtakes also ends up there from time to time, along with short films of his own creation. With his web show ended, Ben is starting to put more effort into his personal channel, which now sees content much more frequently than when he was filming The Ben Heck Show (and to prove that he's still as capable as ever, he even rebuilt a UsefulNotes/NeoGeo Mini into a handheld, and detailed the build on said personal channel).

The Ben Heck Show contains the following tropes:

* AbortedArc: Quite a number of multi-part episodes were aborted throughout the show's run (usually when RealityEnsues and Ben realizes that the project is actually undoable or infeasible). For example, episodes centering around the designing of the Pinball/AmericasMostHaunted machine prototype, pretty much only ran until the first half of the design stage of the machine[[note]]However, coverage continued on Ben's personal channel, albeit without going into the details of the design as he usually does on the show[[/note]], and the "[=GameBrain=]" modular console project has also become this.

* AscendedFanboy: Ben is one of the rare fan of both arcade machines and pinball machines. He eventually gets to design and build the world's first indie-made Pinball machine- Creator/BillPaxton Pinball. Even later, he gets roped in to design America's Most Haunted, another indie machine in the sense that there's a limited run of 1000 units.

* BedsheetGhost: ''The Ghost of Unfinished Projects'' (and as an added bonus, is styled to look like the ghost from America's Most Haunted Pinball).
* EdutainmentShow: Cannot be denied that the show is this. Every episode has Ben teaching the viewers how to build or mod something, or imparting knowledge on topics around electronics.
* HalloweenEpisode: There's one every year. But notably, the 2011 episode served as the thinly-veiled spinoff pilot for Pinball/AmericasMostHaunted Pinball.
* LargeHam: One of the things that makes the show entertaining is Ben's hammy acting and random hammy quips.
* RecapEpisode: Several episodes with the title ''Rewind and Recap'' revisit old failed projects to see what went wrong or if it can be improved.
* SpinOff: The 2011 Halloween episode [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHcesBau4X4 Ghost Hunting with Ben Heck!]] itself is the basis of America's Most Haunted Pinball.
* UnsoundEffect: Part 2 of The Roomba Nerf Dart collector arc has Ben and Felix firing Nerf guns in the prologue- with the word "SHOOTING!" flashing on the screen every time a Nerf dart is fired.
* WaxingLyrical: In the 2015 Halloween episode, Ben quotes word-for-word the ending rap/speech of Michael Jackson's ''Thriller''.

* ArtisticTitle: For the final episode, Ben created [[https://youtu.be/H7pT9XJh8f4 The Ballet of Pieface]] which pokes fun at Bond openings.

Ben's own personal [=YouTube=] channel, on the other hand, can be reached [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeStlUnitobx8QcSxTw2aQ here]], and is usually his [=vLog=] and soapbox, but bonus materials meant for the show and outtakes also ends up there from time to time, along with short films of his own creation.

In February 2018, Ben announced that the show is finally coming to an end in Mid-2018, with a contest now in place by [=Element14=] and overseen by Ben to find Ben's successor and start a new show. Matthew Eargle was announced the winner, and the channel was shortly after renamed to a more generic ''Element 14 Showcase'', and the last Ben Heck video was released on 20th July, 2018.

Ben's own personal [=YouTube=] channel, on the other hand, can be reached [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeStlUnitobx8QcSxTw2aQ here]], and is usually his [=vLog=] and soapbox, but bonus materials meant for the show and outtakes also ends up there from time to time.

In February 2018, Ben announced that the show is finally coming to an end in Mid-2018, with a contest now in place by [=Element14=] and overseen by Ben to find Ben's successor and start a new show.

Ben's own personal channel, on the other hand, can be reached [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeStlUnitobx8QcSxTw2aQ here]], and is usually his [=vLog=] and soapbox, but bonus materials meant for the show and outtakes may also end up there.

In February 2018, Ben announced that the show is finally coming to an end in Mid-2018, with a contest now in place by [=Element14=] to find Ben's successor and start a new show.

In February 2018, Ben announced that the show is finally coming to an end in Mid-2018, with a contest now in place to find Ben's successor and start a new show.

New episodes of the series appear every Friday afternoon on Youtube. They can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/user/thebenheckshow/videos here]], except for a few exclusives which can only be reached from the [=Element14=] website.

--> Cuts to Ben during the ''Zombie Apocalypse'' episode being hammy.

* AbortedArc: Quite a number of multi-part episodes were aborted throughout the show's run (usually when RealityEnsues and Ben realizes that the project is actually undoable or infeasible). For example, episodes centering around the designing of the Pinball/AmericasMostHaunted machine prototype, pretty much only ran until the first half of the design stage of the machine[[note]]However, coverage continued on Ben's personal channel, albeit without going into the details of the design as he usually does on the show[[/note]], and the "[=GameBrain=]" modular console project looks like it has become this.

* UnsoundEffect: Part 2 of The Roomba Nerd Dart collector arc has Ben and Felix firing Nerf guns in the prologue- with the word "SHOOTING!" flashing on the screen every time a Nerf dart is fired.

* HalloweenEpisode: There's one every year. But notably, the 2011 episode served as the thinly-veiled spinoff pilot for Pinball/AmericasMostHaunted Pinball.