August 5, 2008
If you think reality series are dead, think again. This midseason, a fresh batch of shows surprised us with the craziest antics and most foolish ideas, and surprisingly, viewers caught the reality competition bug and stuck toe the tube like moth to the flame. In fact, the Baltimore Sun reported last month that ABC’s Wipeout has emerged as the highest-rated new program of the summer season, garnering around 10 million viewers per week. That 10 million is comprised of mostly adults with ages ranging from 18 to 49, which make up the demographic most favored by advertisers. Another game show to hit it big with the ratings is ABC’s I Survived a Japanese Game Show, which earned around 8 million viewers per week. So what do these game shows have that attract viewers?
July 15, 2008
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Apparently, the sight of helpless people falling flat on their faces against fake mud is a joy that doesn't go away that easily. The goofy ABC reality-competition show Wipeout drew in 9.5 million viewers on its second week, just a slight decline from its debut, and second only to NBC's America's Got Talent. Amazingly, Wipeout also topped the finale of Hell's Kitchen by some 1.8 million viewers.
One of the producers of MXC, a redubbing of a Japanese cult favorite Takeshi's Castle, however, is not jumping for joy. Wipeout is understandably reaping comparisons with MXC, which, when you think about it really, is a ripoff in itself.
June 24, 2008
Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, the Japanese game show which aired on SpikeTV from 2003-2007, is the only reason Wipeout exists. MXC took the Japanese show Takeshi's Castle, which aired in Japan for a few years in the late 80's, and re-dubbed it with American commentators and fictional dialogue for the contestants. The show featured ridiculous competitions and challenges, often resulting in humorous falls and faceplants. MXC was a cult hit, the kind of series college students watch at 2am on a Wednesday. Wipeout debuted tonight on ABC and, while the series doesn't have MXC's kitsch factor (how could it?), it's a harmless little summer series, and one which you won't feel guilty for watching.
June 11, 2008
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Imagine a larger-than-life-sized obstacle course, with more far-fetched hurdles to overcome, all in the name of achieving the most spills, wipeouts and face plants ever witnessed on television. That's exactly what ABC's newest reality series, Wipeout, promises to deliver.
Hosted by John Anderson of ESPN's SportsCenter and John Henson of E! Entertainment's Talk Soup, Wipeout is a weekly dose of physically arduous yet hysterical challenges guaranteed to have you in stitches.