OK, so Wipeout! Is one of those shows that you’ll just hate yourself for watching. I hate to admit to watching it myself (my interest being entirely professional, of course). It’s a bit like admitting you watch Australia’s Funniest Home Videos or The Farmer Wants a Wife. It’s cringe-worthy, embarrassing and somehow, completely addictive.At its most basic, Wipeout! is a kind of athletic game show in which contestants race against the clock around an obstacle course with the winner taking home a wad of cash. Sounds pretty boring, right – the Amazing Race without the scenery.But two things conspire to make this a rather addictive concoction. The first is the fact that the people doing this are Americans – not regular Americans mind you, but the kind of Americans whose ultimate desire in life is to get their mug on television, no matter how dire the show. They’re an eclectic mix of type - A jocks, people well past their prime who think they can still cut it in sports and the plain deluded. Oh, and they usually include someone whose job description contains the words “exotic” and “dancer”.
