Whats Hot On TV

There are two types of people in this world, people that enjoy laughing at others falling, and those who definitely don’t enjoy it. The new game show Wipeout was obvious created with those that enjoy it, and while I’m not normally one of those people, I just couldn’t help but laugh at this.

The closest I could describe Wipeout would be to say it’s like an adults version of the old Nickelodeon show Double Dare, yet without the quiz part of the show, and mud instead of slime. Reaching back in the annals of TV, it’s also very similar to the old Almost Anything Goes that was also on ABC.

The goal, I don’t think, is for people to win this show, but for us to laugh at people trying to win this show. A group of twenty-four people race through an obstacle course that is designed for them to “wipe out,” falling hard in the water or the mud while trying to jump onto big rubber balls, stacks of thick mats, and walking over a thin platform while being “sucker punched” by robotic arms. The design seems to not be to make it difficult for them, but make it easier for us to laugh. The top twelve finishers move on through more elimination rounds until only the final four are left to compete through one last obstacle course.

The host, Jill Wagner, laughs at the contestants, and the two commentators, John Anderson and John Henson, have the best jokes. I’m not sure what was more funny, the contestants falling and wiping out, or the hilarious jokes from these two. There were lots of jokes about the big rubber balls, as well as the contestants, as they would freeze the replay and point out a dancing contestants “jazz hands,” and talked of a 6′9 contestant being 11′3″, 18′13″, and later Sasquatch.

But our favorite joke of the two Johns was the one that made us rewind and play it over and over. The two Johns exclaimed a karate expert that was a little effeminate “wears a rainbow belt and attends the Bob Fosse dojo.” I should add we’re a family of martial artists. That was funny, and something I can’t wait to share with my fellow tae kwon do instructors tomorrow.

I think Wipeout has what it takes for a great summer series. It’s light-hearted enough to keep us entertained without any heavy drama for the rest of the summer. If we missed a week, it wouldn’t matter, but I don’t think anyone would want to miss this.

Photos Courtesy of abc.com

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