Nancy Franklin reviews Wipeout, the silly competitive game show imported from Japan, that involves contestants of all shapes and sizes running through an obstacle course meant to highlight our bodies clumsiness at its worst.
While watching the ABC competition show “Wipeout” when it premièred six weeks ago, I became at moments a truly happy idiot, and I could hear my brain cells, one after another, packing their suitcases and walking out of my head, saying regretfully but firmly, “I’m sorry, I just can’t live here anymore.” Well, fine. Go, then. Still, it’s not as though I’m addicted to stupidity, so after a couple of episodes I forgot about “Wipeout” and moved on to Bill Moyers. Then, scanning last week’s onscreen TV schedule, I was stopped by the description of “Wipeout” and was pulled back in: “Obstacles include Foamy Launch Pads and Killer Surf.” That’s all I needed to hear.
It's not the most meaningful of TV shows, but as Franklin concludes "you'd have to be a fool not to appreciate that kind of stupidity." I typically catch this show at the gym and it causes me to be that annoying guy on the treadmill who can't help but guffaw loudly. Idiocy is so hilarious sometimes.