wipeout
The Boss, ‘Office’ to Battle ‘Wipeout’ in Super Bowl of the Soul
5:10AM STV | Chalk up another victory for the creative class: US network, ABC’s obstacle-course competition hit Wipeout will return for two episodes on Super Bowl Sunday, directly challenging both NBC’s halftime show featuring Bruce Springsteen and a special postgame edition of The Office. It’s the biggest such counterprogramming battle in five years, and as with everything else pertaining to the network these days, the Peacock might be in trouble. More »
Japan Stands Up to U.S. In international Crisis of Reality-Show Diplomacy
8:10AM STV | Bad television is still recognised as “intellectual property” no matter how stupid it is, as ABC has discovered in recent months with its hit Wipeout. After some vocal complaints from a producer who claimed the network not only ripped off his “inbreds on an obstacle course” idea but conspired with YouTube to pull evidence from the site, the Japanese network that launched the original show officially filed suit today against ABC to reclaim its fragile sense of propriety over irredeemably dumb shit — not to mention unspecified monetary damages: More »
Is This Bizarre Show Fox’s Ace in the Fall ‘Hole’?
7:00AM Defamer Hollywood | There was a time when the aesthetic of the Japanese game show was thought to be too bizarre to translate to America, but the times, they are a-changin’. Hot on the heels of the summer hit Wipeout comes Hole in the Wall, a Fox remake of the Japanese show in which contestants contort their bodies to pass through a strangely-shaped hole in an advancing wall, lest they be knocked backwards into a pool. Sound simple? It is — gleefully so, as you’ll see from this clip. We could have used some more J-pop songs or cute, lightning-spouting rat/dogs watching from the sidelines, but otherwise, we think we’ve found the crown jewel of the fall lineup. It’s bold for Hole in the Wall to premiere on the anniversary of September 11, but if this show can’t heal America’s wounds, what can? [Fox] More »
