What is it about a person falling that amuses me so? I don’t know, but because of it I have really enjoyed America’s Funniest Videos and more recently ABC’s Wipeout. For those of you unfamiliar with Wipeout perhaps you remember Spike TV’s MXC (Most Extreme Challenge). Wipeout is similar if not a blatant rip off of it. I loved MXC and I now love Wipeout.
The objective of Wipeout is to get through various obstacle courses as quickly as possible. Those with the best times move on to the next round. The last man or woman to not be eliminated wins the $50,000 prize.
Contestants are generally not athletes so it’s kind of fun to imagine yourself competing for that $50k, fun to imagine until you see someone bounce off of a giant rubber ball after having formed a perfect letter “U” with their body. The people on the show are usually pretty goofy and the two announcers John Henson and John Anderson give the action some often times hilarious play by play.
There are many pitfalls awaiting each contestant during their run though the obstacle course. These pitfalls may come in the form of flying objects ranging from snowballs to giant hockey pucks being hurled at the contestants. Rapidly opening doors or hatches may launch people a distance of 15 feet through the air into muddy water. Giant swinging arms may catch people right in the midsection and send them spinning into a pool of water 20 feet below. Also of note is how the final obstacle begins. Three finalists are shot out of a cannon for a distance of what appears to be about a third of a football field into a pool of water. I can only imagine the legal waivers people have to sign before being allowed to take part in this show.
Thoughts that cross your mind while watching Wipeout may include: The human body is NOT meant to bend that way. That WOULD be fun. That WOULD NOT be fun. That had to hurt. I hope that guy wasn’t planning on having children.
So if you find yourself holding in a laugh when you see someone trip in public, you might want to check out Wipeout.
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