# Wipeout - ABC **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854 "2010-07-16T00:12:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/21 "2010-07-16T15:27:24Z")
I like Wipeout, but they do seem to be moving away from physical trials and more into smacking the contestants in an unavoidable manner. A good example is the new obstacle they introduced last night, the one with the spinning bars and the whacking wall panels. There’s no way to anticipate that or avoid it- you’re just going to get knocked into the mud. Sure, it’s funny, but it’s not really a test of skill, now is it? They also seem to be showing the future Mrs. Lightnin’, Jill Wagner, less often. This is sadmaking. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/22 "2010-07-16T15:27:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I wonder what the rules say about attempting each piece of equipment. Last night, for example. Rather than even trying to run along the ribs, I would have just done a racing dive from the platform and swam to the next challenge. You lose too much time falling off the ribs, and you’re going to have to swim part of the way anyway. So just get a diving start and skip the fall. I don’t think the contestants knew in advance that the ribs would give way. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/23 "2010-07-16T16:06:22Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > I don’t think the contestants knew in advance that the ribs would give way. In either last week’s episode, or the one before that, they confirmed that (at least on the final round) the contestants don’t get to see the course before they run it. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/24 "2010-07-16T16:43:05Z")
The producers say that they try to achieve an 80% - 90% failure rate on the obstacles for the qualifier. Last night’s swinging door was a refinement of an obstacle from one of the first episodes of the season that everyone got knocked down on. Tonight, there was only one person who didn’t get knocked into the mud by one of the doors (but he failed on the 2nd anyhow). During the last Couples episode, one couples team managed to both get across the Big Balls. (I miss the telestrator too…and the lovesick wrecking ball.) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/25 "2010-07-16T16:45:40Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > (I miss the telestrator too…and the lovesick wrecking ball.) The wrecking ball is exactly what I was thinking of when I mentioned the treadmill. The sad pathetic voice they used for it when it had a crush on that adorable Alaskan girl who’d never been kissed before was hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/26 "2010-07-16T17:05:05Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The wrecking ball is exactly what I was thinking of when I mentioned the treadmill. The sad pathetic voice they used for it when it had a crush on that adorable Alaskan girl who’d never been kissed before was hilarious. Ariel Tweto - she was the first person ever to cross the Big Balls successfully! How could lovesick wrecking ball resist her? Here’s a summary of her [appearance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cslbz3X2mQE). ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/27 "2010-07-16T17:12:43Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Ariel Tweto - she was the first person ever to cross the Big Balls successfully! How could lovesick wrecking ball resist her? > > Here’s a summary of her [appearance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cslbz3X2mQE). Holy crap - I completely forgot she was ALSO the “where’s the pole?” girl! ---
**Author:** ![J-P\_L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/j-p_l/32/3156_2.png) [@J-P\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J-P_L)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/28 "2010-07-16T20:32:11Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I wonder if the contestants have any time to practice on the obstacles before the show. I’m pretty sure I heard one of the annoucers say once that contestants are not allowed to see the previous players on the course, so I assumed that they do not even let them see the course beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/29 "2010-07-16T22:20:12Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Holy crap - I completely forgot she was ALSO the “where’s the pole?” girl! What the…? Does she have, like, the opposite of tunnel vision so she can’t see things right in front of her? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/30 "2010-07-16T23:31:58Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > If you haven’t seen it, you might want to seek out _[Ninja Warrior](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Warrior)_ reruns. There’s some silliness in the first round but it is generally a serious effort. The one I saw was [Viking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_(TV_series)), but it seems pretty similar. I’d rather watch one guy complete [this](http://fliiby.com/file/125101/w11a75l28h.html) that a dozen goofballs get knocked into the mud by pneumatic boxing gloves. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/31 "2010-07-16T23:46:28Z")
You can’t ever get enough Jill Wagner. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/32 "2010-07-17T01:21:57Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Which is sort of my problem with it; in the early rounds they spend more time replaying and describing the people falling on their asses than the people who are good at it. There was an obstacle-course type show I saw a few times on ESPN several years ago. It looked incredibly difficult (swinging over chasms, climbing poles, and worse), but they had some incredible athletes who could actually complete it. Sounds like Ninja Warrior. The obstacles in that show are insane. I believe only 3 people have ever finished the entire course. Loooove watching it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/33 "2010-07-21T15:12:40Z")
Hope you were watching last night, Munch, the Wrecking Ball and his slower brother returned… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/34 "2010-07-21T15:30:13Z")
I saw it last night - in less than ten minutes the agonized writhing of my soul forced a channel-change. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/35 "2010-07-21T15:33:37Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > Hope you were watching last night, Munch, the Wrecking Ball and his slower brother returned… I was, but the goddamn weather guy interrupted the entire time to tell me about tornadoes 100 miles away. I got to see a bit of them, which was great. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/36 "2010-07-21T16:23:10Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I would much rather watch a show that focused on people who are good at something than on the people who suck. Whaaat? No way. That’s the whole point of the show. Seeing average, everyday people compete on this extremely difficult obstacle course is what gives the show entertainment value, especially when the occasional fatty thinks they have what it takes and gets their ass handed to them. It’s called “wipeout” for a reason… What you’re describing has already existed in shows like American Gladiator. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/37 "2010-07-21T16:57:38Z")
I’d like to see Celebrity Wipeout. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/38 "2010-07-21T18:39:04Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > I’d like to see Celebrity Wipeout. What, you don’t see enough Lindsay Lohan footage as it is? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/39 "2010-07-21T19:06:04Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > Whaaat? No way. That’s the whole point of the show. Seeing average, everyday people compete on this extremely difficult obstacle course is what gives the show entertainment value, especially when the occasional fatty thinks they have what it takes and gets their ass handed to them. I was talking on the phone a few weeks ago with a friend of mine. She was saying how much she liked _Wipeout_, and I said pretty much the same thing I did in this thread. She said I didn’t get it. I get it, I just don’t particularly like it. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854/40 "2010-07-21T19:31:43Z")
I don’t remember much of my life before Jill Wagner other than everything was in black and white and it always smelled like burnt toast. _sigh_ That gal makes a T-shirt look like a prom dress. Her smile is a licensed defibrilator. The contents of her PedEgg are more precious than a Ferrari. I’m soooo glad she’s not my sister. Love the show. I wish for one episode they’d put some people with actual athletic ability in there but readily admit it wouldn’t garner near the laughs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wipeout-abc/546854.md?page=3)