Wipeout (2008 game show)

This article is about the 2008 ABC game show. For the 1988 game show hosted by Peter Tomarken, see Wipeout (game show).

Wipeout is a game-show series that premiered on June 24, 2008 on ABC. Each week, 24 contestants go head to head through the world's largest obstacle course to win the title of Wipeout Champion and a $50,000 grand prize. The course changes each week; common obstacles include the "Big Balls" (the show's trademark obstacle), the "Dizzy Dummy", and the "Spinner". The concept of the show has been compared to many Japanese game shows including Sasuke and Takeshi's Castle (the former of which was adapted into Ninja Warrior in the U.S. and U.K., and the latter of which was redubbed into MXC in the U.S.), which had become increasingly popular through YouTube clips. Executive producer Matt Kunitz, who also created NBC's Fear Factor, states Wipeout is "90 percent Fear Factor- inspired, 10 percent Japanese game show." Kunitz claimed, in the Los Angeles Times, that "'Wipeout' was really born from a desire to do a funny stunt series. He wanted to sell the show as "Fear Factor" meets 'America's Funniest Home Videos.'"

Wipeout
Presented by	John Anderson John Henson Jill Wagner
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	11
Production
Executive producer	Matt Kunitz
Production location	Los Angeles (county), CA
Running time	approx. 43 minutes
Production companies	Endemol USA Pulse Creative
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	June 24, 2008 – present

Wipeout is hosted by John Henson (E! Entertainment's Talk Soup) and John Anderson (ESPN's SportsCenter). Jill Wagner co-hosts. The executive producer is Matt Kunitz (Fear Factor), and the co-executive producers are Scott Larsen and Shye Sutherland. The series producer is Trice Barto.

The show is taped on a ranch just outside the city of Santa Clarita, Ca.

On its premiere night, Wipeout scored the highest premiere rating of any new show in Summer 2008. It also beat a competing veteran summer show Hell's Kitchen. Nielsen Media Research put it at the top of the 18-49 demographic, but NBC's America's Got Talent still outpaces it slightly.

Gameplay

Round One - "The Qualifier"

In the first round of the competition, 24 contestants attempt to qualify for the next round by passing a four-part obstacle course. The twelve with the fastest times move on. The course consists of four distinct parts, the second and third of which are constant. If the contestant fails to pass a particular obstacle, they only have to swim or crawl through mud or water to the next one.

The first part of the course usually consists of two sections of stacked items which the contestants must cross, occasionally separated by an additional obstacle. Though the items vary (donuts, rectangles, etc.), they fall over easily, dumping contestants into mud. The next obstacle is the "Sucker Punch", a wall covered in boxing gloves which punch out at random intervals to knock the contestants into a mud pit. This obstacle has only been successfully completed once, by soccer mom Gwenisha Robinson. The third part of the course, and the show's hallmark obstacle, is the "Big Balls", four gigantic inflated rubber balls placed in a line on steel supports over a pool of water, which the contestants must cross. Only four contestants have managed to successfully cross all four balls from platform to platform: Ariel "Never Been Kissed" Tweto, "Ball-Lover" Ben Kronberg, "Self-Proclaimed Nerd" Jeremy Olsen and "One Word" Dana Jamison. The final part challenges the contestants to land on a distant platform through various means (pole vault, rope swing, etc.).

Round Two - "The Sweeper"

In the second round, the twelve remaining contestants stand on platforms and must jump over a rotating hurdle that increases in speed and height with each rotation. The precise details of the challenge vary slightly in each episode, usually adding an additional obstacle or handicap, such as making the contestants wear sacks, throw dodge balls, or attaching things to the sweeper arm (a ring, foam swimming pool noodles, smoking artificial crows). The first six to be knocked off their platforms are eliminated, and the last contestant standing receives a $1,000 bonus.

Round Three - "Road to the Final 4"

The six remaining contestants participate in a unique stunt that varies with each show. The top four finalists move on to compete for $50,000.

One challenge is the Dizzy Dummy, wherein the contestants are strapped to a spinning cylinder for a short period then released to cross one of two sets of obstacles over a pool of water. The first contestant to cross the obstacle will advance, and the contestants are forced to go back to the beginning of the obstacle if they fall off. Once a contestant has crossed the obstacle, the remaining contestants must return to the Dizzy Dummy again, which spins for a longer period each time until four contestants manage to pass. (On episode 5, the contestants had to eat a Mexican lunch before the challenge; this really affected the contestants performances)

An alternative to the Dizzy Dummy is the Dreadmill. The Dreadmill consists of a large treadmill with various obstacles for the contestants to overcome: doors, tennis balls, inflatable fish, a giant wrecking ball, etc. If a contestant falls off, they are eliminated or forced to start over, depending on the objective.

Round Four - "The Wipeout Zone"

The final four contestants compete in the "Wipeout Zone". Though slight variations are used in each episode, each contestant must slide down a long ramp (Killer Surf), swim to and then cross a ramp with large barrels rolling down it that are released at regular intervals (Barrel Run), cross a narrow platform to the other side, leap onto a large spinning wheel with foam pillars and then leap off onto the opposite platform (Spinner), then finally cross a series of trampolines at different heights to the final platform (Launch Pads). Whoever completes the course in the fastest time is crowned "Wipeout Champion" and takes home $50,000.

After the competition is finished, John Henson closes out the show with the phrase "Goodnight, and big balls."

Episode list

Episode 1

Legend

Female

Male

Top 12

Top 6

Top 4

Eliminated

Competition:		Finals
Week:		Qualifier	Sweeper	Semi-Final	Wipeout Zone
Place	Contestant	Result
1	Arthur Sevick	4th	6th	2nd	1st
2	Travis Mitchell	2nd	4th	1st	2nd
3	Jessi Duran	6th	3rd	4th	3rd
4	Nick Leland	3rd	2nd	3rd	4th
5	Kevin Ashmuhs	5th	5th	Elim
6	Andrew Ritter	8th	1st	Quit
7	Jerry Huson	7th	Elim
8	David Anderson	1st	Elim
9	Ruben Sears	9th	Elim
10	Glenn-Marie Endris	11th	Elim
11	Amy Kline	10th	Elim
12	Kim Beetlestone	12th	Elim

Episode 2

Competition:		Finals
Week:		Qualifier	Sweeper	Semi-Final	Wipeout Zone
Place	Contestant	Result
1	Jim Wakefield	4th	1st	1st	1st
2	Darrin Miller	1st	6th	3rd	2nd
3	David Goryl	3rd	4th	2nd	3rd
4	Joey Byham	2nd	6th	4th	Quit
5	Ingel Catindig	5th	3rd	Elim
6	Kelly Duffy	7th	2nd	Quit
7	Donald Pietranczyk	6th	Elim
8	Gayla Johnson	9th	Elim
9	Jessica Burd	10th	Elim
10	Ronni Peck	11th	Elim
11	Alyssa Grube	12th	Elim
12	Carin Chea	8th	Elim

Episode 3

Competition:		Finals
Week:		Qualifier	Sweeper	Semi-Final	Wipeout Zone
Place	Contestant	Result
1	Kyle Adler	2nd	1st	1st	1st
2	Nick Louis	8th	4th	3rd	2nd
3	Ariel Tweto	7th	6th	4th	3rd
4	Neil Smith	11th	3rd	2nd	4th
5	Chris Lekawa	12th	5th	Elim
6	Jarran Joshu	1st	2nd	Quit
7	Delmar Montgomery	6th	Elim
8	Will Rideau	10th	Elim
9	Mike Pyszcynski	3rd	Elim
10	Jennifer Tapiero	4th	Elim
11	Dena DePompa	5th	Elim
12	Vanessa Berghorn	9th	Elim

Episode 4

Competition:		Finals
Week:		Qualifier	Sweeper	Semi-Final	Wipeout Zone
Place	Contestant	Result
1	Marc Natividad	7th	5th	2nd	1st
2	Saye Yabendah	8th	4th	4th	2nd
3	Robert Schweitzer	1st	3rd	1st	3rd
4	Gabriel Lawrence	9th	1st	3rd	Quit
5	Keith Biondi	6th	2nd	Elim
6	Gwenisha Robinson	11th	6th	Elim
7	Grace Mathis	5th	Elim
8	Kat Negrete	4th	Elim
9	Phillip Ventimigila	12th	Elim
10	Cheryl Kazel	2nd	Elim
11	Rado Pagac	3rd	Elim
12	Taylor Johnson	10th	Elim

Episode 5

Competition:		Finals
Week:		Qualifier	Sweeper	Semi-Final	Wipeout Zone
Place	Contestant	Result
1	Casey O'Farrell	3rd	1st	4th	1st
2	Dana Jamison	5th	3rd	3rd	2nd
3	David Matz	4th	2nd	1st	3rd
4	Jeremy Olson	1st	5th	2nd	4th
5	Ben Kronberg	2nd	4th	Elim
6	Jacob Mann	12th	6th	Quit
7	John Ames	8th	Elim
8	Shawn Kirby	10th	Elim
9	Katie Graham	9th	Elim
10	Richard Gale	7th	Elim
11	Jessica Horton	11th	Elim
12	Jodi Elliot	6th	Elim

Episode 6

Competition:		Finals
Week:		Qualifier	Sweeper	Semi-Final	Wipeout Zone
Place	Contestant	Result
1				1st	1st
2					2nd
3					3rd
4					4th
5				'
6				'
7			'
8			'
9			'
10			'
11			'
12			'

Ratings - Season One

#	Air Date	18-49	Total Viewers	Weekly Rank
1	June 24, 2008	3.7/12 (#1)	9.98 (#1)	#2
2	July 1, 2008	3.6/13 (#1)	9.45 (#1)	#2
3	July 8, 2008	4.0/13 (#1)	10.59 (#1)	#2
4	July 15, 2008	3.2/11 (#2)	8.65 (#3)	#6*
5	July 22, 2008	3.7/12 (#1)	9.98 (#1)
6	July 29, 2008
7	August 5, 2008
8	August 12, 2008
9	August 19, 2008
10	August 26, 2008
11	September 2, 2008

*Against MLB All-Star Game

International versions

• In Spain, Telecinco acquired the rights to air a local version of the show.
• In Australia, Channel Nine will produce a local version, to be filmed on the Argentinian course, following the strong ratings the US Version achieved after airing on Nine.
• In Germany, ProSieben acquired the rights to air a local version of the show.
• In Turkey, Show TV acquired the rights to air a local version of the show.

References

http://www.wipeoutepisodes.com