Blog Archives
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (EPILOGUE): “BIG BLUE 2.0”
Big Blue rides again!
So, I had made it on Wipeout. I had a blast playing in the biggest playground imaginable. I even ended up on national television and had a permanent recording of me battling the Big Balls (and losing spectacularly).
And when I say I didn’t have any regrets about losing, that’s the god’s honest truth. But that doesn’t mean I was 100% satisfied. I would have liked the chance to run the final Wipeout zone. Just once.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to run the course unless you’re a contestant and they typically didn’t do “second chance” episodes.
I guess it’d just have to remain a wish. Or would it?
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (PART 4): “BYE BYE BIG BALLS”
Round two!
We’re near the end, so let’s dive right in.
The gameshow “Wipeout” consists of four elimination rounds. The first Wipeout zone trims the number of participants from 24 to down to an even dozen. So I had survived to “Wipeout” for another day… or should I say 45 minutes, which was basically the time I had from the exhausting first round to eat and prepare for the next go-round. Or should I say Merry-Go-Round. Or better yet, the Merry-Go-Round from hell!
Round two featured the aptly named “Scare-o-sel.”
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (PART 3): “IN THE ZONE”
The calm before the storm.
In PART 1 and PART 2 of “Wipeout Memories” I talked about everything leading up to my actual time in the Wipeout Zone.
Let’s be honest. You want to hear about how I got my ass kicked. Well, the wait is over.
Let the ass kicking commence.
The first Wipeout Zone consisted of four obstacles:
- “Bowled Over”
- “Spring-o-vator” (Big Balls)
- “Spring Fling”
- “Wipeout Kitchen”
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (PART 2): “YOU’RE GOING TO GET WET.”
Yesterday I gave the skinny on how I became a contestant on the gameshow Wipeout (back in 2011)… so give it a look see. I’ll wait.
(Cue gameshow waiting music)
Okay, where were we? Oh yes, filming day.
“Let’s get Nasty!”
Wipeout is shot at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita, where they’ve also filmed numerous westerns as well as scenes for “The A-Team” and “24.” Well Hannibal Smith and Jack Bauer were nowhere in sight on this chilly January morning when myself and 23 other contestants rolled into the makeshift parking lot. Now while our show was being filmed to air on the Spring version of Wipeout, we were in the middle of January and it was about 45 degrees outside when we showed up pre-dawn and were hustled into the trailers. And did I mention there was a lot of water there? More on that in a bit.
So as we got ourselves settled, it was natural to size up the competition and I must say the Wipeout gang for Episode 412: “Wizard of Owws” was a rather diverse bunch. About an equal number of men and women varying in age from late teens to mid 5os. And while we were going to be battling against each other in a few hours, the mood was positive and energetic as we said our “Hellos” and exchanged stories about how (and in god’s name why) we wanted to be on the show. A good bunch of people.
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (PART 1): BEFORE THE BIG BALLS
It’s spring… time to Wipeout!
Nestled on my iPhone, right between Foursquare and Instagram is a little app I downloaded called “Timehop,” which basically looks at all of your past social media postings to remind you what you were doing on this date over the past few years. Well, Timehop showed me some pictures of what I was up to this week back in 2011. It made me smile, a tad nostalgic and I wanted to share the story with you… serial style (over the next few days).
Don’t worry, it’s not an overly mushy experience. In fact it’s quite funny and you get to read about me getting smashed in the face repeatedly, plunged into freezing water and flung head over heels into a giant mud puddle. Interested?
You see, I was a contestant on the gameshow “Wipeout.”
Yes, that Wipeout.
Tripping The Kenyans 