Post by wipeout on Sept 13, 2008 14:50:37 GMT -5
~From the wipeout website~
I’ve been pondering, as many Wipeout viewers undoubtedly do, which Wipeout obstacle is the most challenging? Which of the myriad of man-manglers is the most menacing? What obstacle most strikes terror in the heart of contestants?
Well, this week’s double shout of Wipeout gave me much to consider.
First there was a special edition of Wipeout with 32 contestants instead of the usual 24 and a truckload of new obstacles. The entry ramp on the Qualifier had been replaced by “Human Pinball,” a water slide through padded pillars that looked disorienting but not particularly punishing. Also new to the contest was “The Cookie Cutter,” where semi-finalists had to jump from a rotating disc through wall panels of various shapes. I gotta say, that looked really hard and utterly exhausting.
They also mixed up the Wipeout Zone on the special edition, with varied results. Those wobbly triangle platforms and the water drenched balance beam seemed pretty easy, to be honest, but it looks like they cranked up The Spinner by a few hundred RPMs – that sucker was moving ridiculously fast.
So now that I’ve seen a pretty good sampling of the wicked obstacles that the imagineers at Wipeout have constructed this season, I feel like I’m qualified to hold forth as to which is the most difficult. We here at Live From L.A. consider ourselves experts, even when we’re obviously not.
The Sucker Punch – This obstacle is an equal opportunity pulverizer: every contestant gets a dose of Sucker Punch indignity. First you get punched in the face (or even worse) by merciless robotic boxing gloves, and then you have to extract yourself from a clinging mud pit designed to tire you out before the next obstacle. I’ve only seen one contestant – this week’s pro cheerleader Katie Mayfield – make it past Sucker Punch without getting, um, sucker punched. A brutal obstacle.
Big Balls – Described as “the world’s most inefficient bridge,” the Big Balls are the source of much hilarity and some of the most spectacular wipeouts on the show. However, if memory serves I’ve witnessed at least three contestants bounce their way to safety without falling off the Big Balls, so it can be done.
The Sweeper – Nobody escapes The Sweeper – nobody. It’s the one obstacle on Wipeout that you just try to survive. Because the rotating arm of The Sweeper can be sped up, slowed down, raised, or lowered, it presents an escalating challenge to contestants – the goal is not so much not to get knocked off your ten foot platform by The Sweeper, but rather to be the last person to get knocked off. Fear the Sweeper, baby.
Dizzy Dummy – This is the only obstacle that has made contestants vomit. ‘Nuff said.
The Spinner – If you want to conquer the Wipeout Zone and claim your $50K grand prize, you have to conquer The Spinner. A madly rotating disc of doom studded with padded pillars that are both boon and bane, The Spinner is a formidable obstacle. Many contestants have been thrown from The Spinner repeatedly, and each time they have to make the long swim back to try their luck again. The pillars on The Spinner are helpful, in that they give players something to cling to, but they can also swat you into the night sky if you hit them wrong. The Spinner shows no mercy, it just… spins.
That is my rogue’s gallery of the most wicked Wipeout obstacles. So which is the worst, the obstacle that fills the hearts of challengers with fear?
I have to go with The Spinner.
It’s the ultimate Wipeout Zone obstacle. The Spinner is intimidating, fiendishly hard, and the cost of failure is so very high. Plus, if you get ejected from The Spinner you have to swim back, climb up, and try again – and by then you’re even more exhausted and frightened. The Spinner has broken many a contestant, and deserves my vote for most challenging obstacle.
What do you think? Which Wipeout obstacle would you least like to attempt? There’s no shortage of brutal barriers to choose from.
I’ve been pondering, as many Wipeout viewers undoubtedly do, which Wipeout obstacle is the most challenging? Which of the myriad of man-manglers is the most menacing? What obstacle most strikes terror in the heart of contestants?
Well, this week’s double shout of Wipeout gave me much to consider.
First there was a special edition of Wipeout with 32 contestants instead of the usual 24 and a truckload of new obstacles. The entry ramp on the Qualifier had been replaced by “Human Pinball,” a water slide through padded pillars that looked disorienting but not particularly punishing. Also new to the contest was “The Cookie Cutter,” where semi-finalists had to jump from a rotating disc through wall panels of various shapes. I gotta say, that looked really hard and utterly exhausting.
They also mixed up the Wipeout Zone on the special edition, with varied results. Those wobbly triangle platforms and the water drenched balance beam seemed pretty easy, to be honest, but it looks like they cranked up The Spinner by a few hundred RPMs – that sucker was moving ridiculously fast.
So now that I’ve seen a pretty good sampling of the wicked obstacles that the imagineers at Wipeout have constructed this season, I feel like I’m qualified to hold forth as to which is the most difficult. We here at Live From L.A. consider ourselves experts, even when we’re obviously not.
The Sucker Punch – This obstacle is an equal opportunity pulverizer: every contestant gets a dose of Sucker Punch indignity. First you get punched in the face (or even worse) by merciless robotic boxing gloves, and then you have to extract yourself from a clinging mud pit designed to tire you out before the next obstacle. I’ve only seen one contestant – this week’s pro cheerleader Katie Mayfield – make it past Sucker Punch without getting, um, sucker punched. A brutal obstacle.
Big Balls – Described as “the world’s most inefficient bridge,” the Big Balls are the source of much hilarity and some of the most spectacular wipeouts on the show. However, if memory serves I’ve witnessed at least three contestants bounce their way to safety without falling off the Big Balls, so it can be done.
The Sweeper – Nobody escapes The Sweeper – nobody. It’s the one obstacle on Wipeout that you just try to survive. Because the rotating arm of The Sweeper can be sped up, slowed down, raised, or lowered, it presents an escalating challenge to contestants – the goal is not so much not to get knocked off your ten foot platform by The Sweeper, but rather to be the last person to get knocked off. Fear the Sweeper, baby.
Dizzy Dummy – This is the only obstacle that has made contestants vomit. ‘Nuff said.
The Spinner – If you want to conquer the Wipeout Zone and claim your $50K grand prize, you have to conquer The Spinner. A madly rotating disc of doom studded with padded pillars that are both boon and bane, The Spinner is a formidable obstacle. Many contestants have been thrown from The Spinner repeatedly, and each time they have to make the long swim back to try their luck again. The pillars on The Spinner are helpful, in that they give players something to cling to, but they can also swat you into the night sky if you hit them wrong. The Spinner shows no mercy, it just… spins.
That is my rogue’s gallery of the most wicked Wipeout obstacles. So which is the worst, the obstacle that fills the hearts of challengers with fear?
I have to go with The Spinner.
It’s the ultimate Wipeout Zone obstacle. The Spinner is intimidating, fiendishly hard, and the cost of failure is so very high. Plus, if you get ejected from The Spinner you have to swim back, climb up, and try again – and by then you’re even more exhausted and frightened. The Spinner has broken many a contestant, and deserves my vote for most challenging obstacle.
What do you think? Which Wipeout obstacle would you least like to attempt? There’s no shortage of brutal barriers to choose from.
