# Anyone Watching "Wipeout"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 4, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874 "2009-07-04T05:20:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/1 "2009-07-04T05:20:07Z")
My family loves this show. It’s my guilty pleasure. It’s childish and silly, but we can’t help laughing our heads off at it. Maybe it’s just that it’s a complete release from anything serious. There are no reality show dramas, no heavy themes, no deep message. People jump on big balls, people go flying and land in mud. Hosts make fun of them as they do it. It’s a riot.
Lately, it’s also gotten impressively hard. They’ve had several injuries on the show from spectacular wipeouts, and the ‘Eliminator’ at the end looks downright threatening - and many contestants can’t make it through, even with $50,000 dangling at the end.
Anyway, I’m guessing there’s a lot of fans out there - but they’re like 'Three’s Company" fans - it was a hugely popular show, but no one would admit to liking it.
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### Author:  [@Clovernook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clovernook)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/2 "2009-07-04T14:52:43Z")
I love this show and will watch it whenever it’s on. I’ve been thought of starting a similar thread.
Big Balls!
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/3 "2009-07-04T16:22:29Z")
I watch bits of it sometimes. After a while it gets frustrating, though. I’d rather watch people who are good at something. If anybody ever gets across the big, red balls I’ve never seen it.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/4 "2009-07-04T16:42:58Z")
We like this show at my house too. My kids get a kick out of it. I’ve never seen anyone get accross the big red balls, but my wife and daughter said a guy made it on the last episode, but I was out of the room. I was starting to think it was impossible, but my daughter said he just “stepped across.” I wish I could have seen a replay.
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### Author:  [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/5 "2009-07-04T19:33:47Z")
I’m a fan. I think it is a great summer show. I’m almost always in a good mood on Wednesdays at work now because I know when I get home I’ll be watching Wipeout. I think the Big Balls have been crossed three times. Once last year and two times this year. I’m also a bit of a John Anderson fan since we’re both Cheeseheads. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/6 "2009-07-04T20:02:46Z")
By the way, I just discovered that Britain has a version of this show, called “Total Wipeout”, hosted by Richard Hammond (of Top Gear fame). Has anyone seen it? They have a celebrity wipeout show, which would be awesome.
I would pay a large pay-per-view fee to see Rosie O’Donnell or Perez Hilton try to make it across the Big Balls.
Anyway… The new catapult launcher in the Wipeout zone looks actually scary. It’s about as high as a 5m diving platform, and it looks like it throws you out into the water at a good 20 mph. One contestant was already injured by hitting the water wrong.
I also noticed in the last episode that the contestants are wearing wetsuits and protective gear. Some of those shows have had Jill Wagner bundled up in a parka while these people were being thrown into unheated water over, and over again. It must be extremely cold.
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### Author:  [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/7 "2009-07-04T21:00:55Z")
I love this show. Even the contestants seem to be having a great time. They all seem to be in on the joke. “Yeah, this is painful and humiliating, but hey! I’m on TV!!”
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/8 "2009-07-04T21:15:41Z")
My wife and I have our rules for watching this show. After the first round, but before they do The Eliminator (the “jump over the spinning bar” bit), we each pick three players – we rank them as our 1st, 2nd and 3rd picks. Whoever’s higher ranked pick makes it the furthest, wins.
Damn, I love this stupid-ass show…
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### Author:  [@Rin\_Twisted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rin_Twisted)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/9 "2009-07-04T21:45:14Z")
I freely admit to loving this ridonkulous show! It can get a bit repetitive at times, but that’s what the fast forward button on the Tivo is for, right? And I love the nicknames/running jokes that the hosts will assign players.
**Hal** , we also place bets on the show at my place, usually for who ends up having to go get dessert.
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### Author:  [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/10 "2009-07-04T22:02:48Z")
MXC on Spike TV does it better. They take episodes of the Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle and dub it over with hilarious commentary - plus since’s it’s Japanese, the obstacles are much more cruel. The commentary on Wipeout is a clear and poor imitation of what they did on MXC.
Hey, look up “ninja warrior” on youtube. They have superhuman-level obstacles in multiple stages and start with at least 100 people. Maybe one will finish all stages and be crowned ninja warrior. It. Is. Insane. For the latter levels, you need to be both world class free climber and circus acrobat to win. It’s very much like the game show a super villain would create.
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### Author:  [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/11 "2009-07-04T23:54:36Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#):
>
> Hey, look up “ninja warrior” on youtube.
Or just tune in to G4.
In any event, I think Wipeout is a harder course than Ninja Warrior, but overall the show is easier by virtue of being more forgiving. Fall once on NW, you’re out. Fall once on WO, get up keep going, just take more time and maybe lose if the next guy doesn’t fall as much. If the Wipeout course had Ninja Warrior’s rules, no one would ever even make it to round 2.
Good night, and big balls.😃
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### Author:  [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/12 "2009-07-05T01:42:28Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#):
>
> We like this show at my house too. My kids get a kick out of it. I’ve never seen anyone get accross the big red balls, but my wife and daughter said a guy made it on the last episode, but I was out of the room. I was starting to think it was impossible, but my daughter said he just “stepped across.” I wish I could have seen a replay.
One guy did make it just like that. It was impressive really. He just sprinted across.
boink-boink-boink-boink.. done.
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### Author:  [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/13 "2009-07-05T04:20:16Z")
I enjoy Wipeout but from what I’ve seen, some of the obstacles just look plain impossible! I can’t imagine any good way to get across the moving hurdles without looking like a fool or still getting hurt…
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### Author:  [@Rin\_Twisted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rin_Twisted)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/14 "2009-07-05T04:39:08Z")
I do enjoy MXC (or did, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen it!), but I look at it as basically a MSTing of a Japanese game show. It’s a real show in Japan that they dub over without any intention of an accurate translation to hilarious effect. Wipeout is basically just making fun of things that people actually say and do on a silly course…though I do completely agree that the origins of the show have got to be from crazy Japanese game shows.
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/15 "2009-07-06T15:10:45Z")
Wipeout is our family’s favorite show. IIRC, there was a woman who made it across the big balls last season, by frog jumping from one to another - she’d land directly on top on her hands and knees. Took her a little while, but she made it across. I think she had clean balls, which helped - by the time they’re covered in mud it’s pretty much impossible. She made it to the Wipeout Zone, but didn’t win.
I miss last year’s Wipeout Zone though - especially the spinning platform with the red blocking dummies on it.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/16 "2009-07-06T15:24:49Z")
I tried watching it. I’ve rarely seen anything more boring in all my life. There are only a small number of ways that people can fall down.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/17 "2009-07-06T15:56:07Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> There are only a small number of ways that people can fall down.
Then you didn’t watch it for very long - there are an incredible number of ways in which to fall down, smash your face, completely misjudge a jump, unintentionally do the splits, bend over backwards, get thrown 50 feet by a hydrolic catapault, and/or get punched in the face.
[QUOTE=TBG]
If the Wipeout course had Ninja Warrior’s rules, no one would ever even make it to round 2.
[/QUOTE]
I dunno. It’s a completely differenty type of course. There’s no reason for anyone to really try making it across the punching wall, because falling early and “swimming” across is faster than taking your time. Plus, Wipeout contestants are normal people. Ninja Warrior contestants (at least those who make it to Round 2 and beyond) are training specifically for the course all year long. If you gave a Ninja Warrior a year to practice, he’d make Wipeout look like a joke.
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### Author:  [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/18 "2009-07-06T16:10:53Z")
I love the show. I’m always yelling at the screen for people to keep moving! Most obstacles could be overcome by going as fast as possible (provided they are in decent shape, of course! 🙂 ) The contestants are not usually the most athletic, however… I can usually call the winner by the middle of the second round.
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### Author:  [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/19 "2009-07-06T16:20:36Z")
The host commentary makes the show. If they have a contestant who they can mock mercilessly they can have me on the floor laughing.
People falling is funny. Snarky hosts is funnier.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-wipeout/501874/20 "2009-07-06T16:34:46Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#):
>
> The host commentary makes the show.
Yep, and most contestants are wearing giant snark bullseyes. It and the complete lack of contestant athleticism can be pretty amusing and will elicit belly laughs from the kid and I ever so often. I never knew peoples were so bouncy.
Plus… where else can you find _that_ much Jill Wagner? That is one lovely woman.
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