Spud's Favorite Posts

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Silly Entertainment: Wipeout

I've been quite harsh toward reality television these days (and still won't be caught dead watching Jersey Shore), but Winter Wipeout has me literally lmao.

Maybe it's because of its similarity to an old favorite - the Japanese series "Ninja Warrior" (which is way better - more intense and the contestants actually train for the honor to compete).  The Wipeout commentary is campy and a weak attempt at mimicking Japanese shows of this kind (Extreme Elimination Challenge comes to mind), but people crashing and falling (in a controlled environment of course) is hilarious no matter the side chatter, and in fact tends to make the cheesy comments more entertaining than they really are.  The competitors are usually a loony loopy bunch (but with a lot of heart, maybe).  I especially enjoyed a recent episode with the guy who helped a woman avoid falling (upon her request), showing that chivalry isn't dead, not even in cut-throat game shows.  She beat him in that segment (right after and because he helped her!), but his good karma earned from being a gentleman helped him defeat her in the final round and nabbed him the grand prize.  I was totally rooting for this one - such poetic justice.

Sometimes we all need a dose of brainless fun, and watching people slip and fall IS most amusing (heck I even cracked up at myself when I slipped and fell the other day).  The show also does not take itself seriously - it knows it's corny and is making the best of it.  As such, I am cutting myself a break and making this show the one exception to my reality TV boycott.  Laughter is the best medicine after all ...

No comments: