In the reality show Hellscape that we are now confronted with on a daily basis, there are a few that standout. The competition shows ranging from the likes of Top Chef and Project Runway to So You Think You Can Dance and The Amazing Race make this realm tolerable. Some of it is mindless entertainment but sometimes a show blends true mindlessness and entertainment so well that you can’t not watch it. So when you’ve worked a long day and your brain hurts and all you want to do is sit down and veg out, there is no better way to accomplish this than by watching ABC’s Wipeout.
Here are my top five reasons why this show makes me laugh hysterically, recoil violently and tune in each night:
5. People Who Are Not You Are Getting Creamed – I seriously have to wonder what the contestant waiver on this show looks like. Typically, the “you may end up paralyzed or dead” comes at the end of any release you sign before you undergo surgery or go skydiving. But here, based on what I have seen, those two things should be at the top of the list. At the very least, you’re going to need to see a chiropractor and maybe a rolfer. Some may argue a psychiatrist isn’t out of the question.
4. Best Use of America’s Food Excess – Haven’t you always wanted to get tossed around in mustard and onions and then beaten about the head with a hot dog? Of course you have.
3. “The Blob” – What’s not to love about seeing people flying uncontrollably through the air? Answer: nothing.
2. “Big Red Balls” – The most intimidating of all the obstacles also end up being the source for some of the most unbelievable body contortions and feats of physics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vumpo9e-48s
1. “The Sweeper” – I bet you expected me to put the “Big Balls” here but that would be so predictable. In reality, the Big Balls have lost some other their flair because most people no longer try to make it across them and thusly just fall off the first ball – NO FUN! I much prefer watching the 12 contestants who make it to phase two try to negotiate jumping over an ever rising bar while atop a three foot wide circular perch raised 10 feet over the water. It makes for spectacular falls, especially when it happens in one fell swoop.
Here’s one last taste of what you are missing.