''Total Wipeout'' is a British game show hosted by

Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, and author. He co-hosted the BBC Two motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James Ma ...

and

Amanda Byram Amanda Byram (born 16 June 1973) is an Irish television presenter and former model, best known for co-presenting BBC One game show ''Total Wipeout'' with Richard Hammond, the Irish version of ''Dancing with the Stars'' on RTÉ1 and for hosting ...

which first aired on the BBC on 3 January 2009. In each episode, contestants competed in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challenges were based in large pools of water or mud and generally involved large

assault course An assault course (also called a confidence course or obstacle course) is a trail (or course) that combines running and exercising. It is often used in military training. The prime use is to evaluate progress and weaknesses of the individual or ...

s that contestants had to cross. These were gradually eliminated over four rounds until one contestant remained, who won a £10,000 cash prize, except for the “Celebrity Specials,” in which the money was donated to the winner’s chosen charity. ''Total Wipeout'' was a licensed version of '' Wipeout'', the

Endemol Endemol B.V. (stylized in all lowercase) was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted gen ...

show that originated in the United States in 2008, with the name slightly altered to avoid confusion with the BBC version of the earlier game show of the same name. The show originally ran for six series, including a special winter-themed series, from 3 January 2009 until 31 December 2012. In the summer of 2020, ''

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...

'' presenters Freddie Flintoff and

Paddy McGuinness Patrick Joseph McGuinness (born 14 August 1973) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television presenter. He rose to fame with the help of fellow comedian Peter Kay, who invited him to appear on the television comedy series '' That Peter ...

hosted a six-episode best-of series, featuring the presenters narrating shortened episodes of the show, called ''Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover''.

Format

The show was hosted by

, who commentated as the contestants attempted to complete the challenges. He was also seen in a studio to provide certain links within the show. Although the main footage was filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hammond recorded his sections from a studio in England. Meanwhile,

interviewed the contestants during the show and remained on the sidelines as they made their way through the course.

Gameplay

During ''Total Wipeout'' contestants are put through a series of obstacle courses and challenges. After each challenge a certain number of them are eliminated from the competition. After the fourth and final round the fastest of the remaining three competitors around the course wins the game and the cash prize. The eliminated contestants can be seen sitting at the side during later challenges.

Stage 1

Qualifier

''The Qualifier'' involves contestants attempting to complete a short obstacle course in the least time possible; the eight contestants with the slowest times are eliminated, with the fastest twelve advancing to the second round (although in the case of the Celebrity specials, all participating contestants take part in the first two rounds). The Qualifier contains the dominant Sucker Punch and Big Balls. The first and last obstacles change every week, however the first obstacle is always set over a pool of water or mud, and the final obstacle is always a 'swing' to the goal. 54 contenders in the show's history have conquered the Big Balls, declared by Hammond as the hardest Wipeout obstacle ever. Those are: Jo and Carole (Series 1, Episode 5), Kierron (Series 1, Episode 7), Alice (Series 2, Episode 2), Alex (Series 2, Episode 6), Eliza, Julian and Victoria (Series 2, Episode 8), Chris and Katie (Series 2, "Champion of Champions"), Paul and Nix (Series 3, Episode 2), Colm, Nic, Ed and Becky (Series 3, Episode 5), Junior and Andy (Series 3, "Champion of Champions"), Jason King and

Sarah Cawood Sarah Louise Cawood (born 7 August 1972 in St Pancras, London) is an English television presenter, voice over artist and narrator. She is best known for presenting the BBC children's Saturday morning show '' Live & Kicking''. Career Cawood g ...

(Series 3, "Celebrity Special #2"), Liam (Series 4, Episode 1), Andy (Series 4, Episode 3 and Champion of Champions), Katie (Series 4, Episode 5), Fran (Series 4, Episode 6), Tamara (Series 4, Episode 7) Scott, Frankie, Mikey and James (Series 4, "Champion of Champions"),

Chris Simmons Christopher Matthew Simmons (born 8 January 1975) is a British television and stage actor from Gravesend, England. He is best known for his roles as DC Mickey Webb in ''The Bill'', Mark Garland in ''EastEnders'' and Stuart Summer in ''Hollyoak ...

(Series 4, "Celebrity Special #1"),

Tupele Dorgu Jacqueline Tupele Dorgu (born 13 December 1977 in Preston, Lancashire) is an English actress and voice over artist. She is known for playing the role of Kelly Crabtree in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2004 to 2010. Early lif ...

and Dean Macey (Series 4 "Celebrity Special #2"), Marina (Winter Wipeout, Episode 1), Dan (Winter Wipeout, Episode 3 and Champion of Champions), Lawrence (Winter Wipeout, Episode 6), John W (Winter Wipeout, Episode 6 and Champion of Champions), Tom (Winter Wipeout, Episode 7) Edward (Winter Wipeout, Episode 8), Jon, Helen, Mikey and John C (Winter Wipeout, "Champion of Champions"),

Nicola McLean Nicola Mary McLean (born 18 September 1981) is an English glamour model, and television and media personality. She was a contestant in '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'' in 2008, and ''Celebrity Big Brother'' in 2012 and again in the s ...

(Series 5, "Celebrity Special #1"),

Clare Nasir Clare Lyn Nasir (born 20 June 1970) is an English meteorologist, author, and TV presenter. Early life Born in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Nasir's family is musical, with Nasir playing the saxophone, while three of her brothers are profess ...

(Series 5, "Celebrity Special #2"), Becky and Amanda (Series 5 Episode 1), Ron and Alex (Series 5, Episode 4) William and Helene (Series 5 Episode 7), Amy, Ellen and Liam (Series 5 Episode 8), and Ashley, (Series 5 "Champion of Champions"). Only 7 contestants; Kierron (Series 1, Episode 7), Becky and Ed (Series 3, Episode 6), Junior (Series 3, "Champion of Champions"), James (Series 4, "Champion of Champions"),

(Series 4, "Celebrity Special #1") and William (Series 5, Episode 7) have not fallen off any obstacle during the Qualifier. The fastest time on the Qualifier is 0:56 by Dean Macey (Series 4, Episode 12), but given the celebrity course is easier, the civilian record is 1:02 by "Non-Toff" Will (Series 5, Episode 7). The slowest time is 16:44 by ‘Bouncy’ Jill (Series 3, Episode 1).

Do & Don’ts (Series 2)

Richard Hammond would explain the "dos & don’ts for success" for a particular Total Wipeout moment from the course in Argentina. *Episode 1: Big Balls *Episode 2: The Sweeper *Episode 3: Interviews *Episode 4: Dizzy Dummies *Episode 5: Sucker Punch *Episode 6: Speeches (note: filmed during an episode of a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n adaption of Wipeout) *Episode 7: Swings *Episode 8: Wipeout Zone

Stage 2

The Sweeper (Series 1–2)

''The Sweeper'' involves the twelve remaining contestants standing on podiums, over water, while a robotic arm with a long metal rod sweeps across the podiums in a circular motion. Before the Sweeper starts,

tells who is on what podium by naming the podiums from 1–12 in order. The contestants have to jump over it, with the arm getting faster and higher in random sections of every rotation. The game continues until a single player remains, but unlike the American version the winner does not receive a prize. The six contestants who are first to fall are eliminated; the rest move on to Dizzy Dummies. In Series 2 the rules were modified so that only the final five advanced instead of six (depending on the next challenge). Series 2 saw modified versions of The Sweeper, including "The Crusher" and the addition of Potato Sacks. Claire (Series 2, Episode 4 and Champion of Champions) is the only contestant who has come first in the Sweeper round twice.

Crash Mountain (Series 3–4)

Series 3 introduced a brand new challenge, in the form of ''Crash Mountain''. Crash Mountain involves the twelve remaining contestants standing on 10 ft tall podiums over water while three robotic arms swing round in a circular motion. Before Crash Mountain starts,

will tell who is on what podium by naming the podiums from 1–12 in order. 1 arm is designed for the contestants to jump onto to reach the centre of the mountain; the other 2 arms are designed to knock the contestants into the water while spinning in opposite directions. If any contestants falls into the water they must go to any unoccupied podium, climb and attempt it again. Contestants do not have to attempt to reach the mountain on every rotation of the arm. The five who make it to the centre first advance to Dizzy Dummies. Brian (Series 3 Episode 7 and Series 3 Champion of Champions) and James (Series 4 Episode 3 and Series 4 Champion of Champions) were the only 2 people to win Crash Mountain twice. Series 4 episode 9 (the Champions of Champions) was the only episode when it was an all-male crash mountain.

Double Cross (Series 5)

In Series 5, ''Double Cross'' was introduced and is the same as the American version: contestants enter on the three green platforms and exit from the single red one as four sweeper arms come the other way. The fastest six go through to Terror-Go-Round.

Ski Lift (Winter Wipeout)

For Winter Wipeout, the ''Ski Lift'' is used instead of Double Cross. The ''Ski Lift'' works the same as the American version, which involves the twelve remaining contestants standing on podiums on a "human merry-go-round", over water, while two robotic sweeper arms, called the Scary quid Ski-poles, spin around trying to knock them over. The contestants have to use the grab-bars provided to lift themselves over the sweepers, which spin faster and higher in random sections of every rotation. The game continues until a single player remains, but unlike the American version the winner does not receive a prize. The seven contestants who are first to fall are eliminated; the rest move on to the next round – Winter Blunderland.

Stage 3

In Series 2–3, both Dizzy Dummies and The Dreadmill were used. Either Dizzy Dummies or The Dreadmill was played in each episode for stage 3. The Dreadmill was only used once, in episode 7 of Series 3, but both obstacles were used more equally in the second series.

Dizzy Dummies (Series 1–4)

''Dizzy Dummies'' involves two rounds with one contestant being eliminated in each round. The five contestants are strapped onto a "human merry-go-round" and spun at speed for 40 seconds. When they are released, the contestants must make their way to the finish line by crossing the obstacles in their way. The challenge has two different routes: round 1 uses the first route, round 2 uses the second. The final contestant in each round to reach the finish line is eliminated. The rest spin again and take part in the next round. Examples of obstacles in Dizzy Dummies include the Tippy Tables, Teeter Totters, Dock Maze, Crazy Beams, Doughnuts and the Barrel Crossing. In Series 3 Dizzy Dummies was upgraded, including the addition of The Spinner (from the American challenge "Dizzy Dummy 2.0") and further new obstacles.

The Dreadmill (Series 2–3)

''The Dreadmill'' also involves three rounds in which the six semi-finalists are paired up. There are two challenges on the dreadmill, which change from show to show. In the first challenge the participants must stand on two parallel treadmills, and when the klaxon sounds they must duck to avoid a giant swinging wrecking ball, which is being lowered and getting faster with every swing. The first person who falls from The Dreadmill is eliminated. In the second challenge, when the klaxon sounds the contestants must lift three rubber doors to reach the end of The Dreadmill. The last person to reach the end of The Dreadmill, or the first to fall off, is eliminated. In both challenges the dreadmill is going against them, making the challenge even harder. The winners of each of the three heats advance to 'The Wipeout Zone'.

Terror-Go-Round (Series 5)

''Terror-Go-Round'' is the same as the American version except for the name; the American version is called 'The Spinner Round'. Contestants need to keep running while the sweeper arms move and the Terror Twins throw things at them. The game is played over three heats, with the winner of each heat going through to 'The Wipeout Zone'.

Winter Blunderland (Winter Wipeout)

For Winter Wipeout, ''Winter Blunderland'' is used. The course is the same as the American version; except for the name which is different. The five contestants are strapped onto a "human merry-go-round" and spun at speed for 40 seconds (same as Dizzy Dummies). When they are released, the contestants must make their way to the finish line by crossing the obstacles in their way. The obstacles remain the same each week but a different course "theme" may be used (Ice Hockey or The Alps for example). The game is played twice and each time the final contestant to reach the finish line is eliminated. The remaining three contestants advance to 'The Wipeout Zone'.

Final stage

The Wipeout Zone

''The Wipeout Zone'' is the final stage of the competition. The three remaining contestants must complete the "toughest obstacle course in the world" in the quickest time possible. This is usually in reverse order of the result from the previous 3rd round (either Dizzy Dummies, The Dreadmill, Winter Blunderland or Terror-Go-Round). Whilst one contestant goes ahead, the other contestants aren't allowed to see the run and stay in the tent until their run is complete. The contestant who completes the zone fastest wins the grand prize of £10,000. The Wipeout Zone is made up of five/six obstacles. In later series and Winter Wipeout (Series 2 onwards), the contestant does not have to re-attempt the obstacle if they fall off; they simply swim to the next to save time. After 6 series of Total Wipeout, only 5 episodes have seen a female winner: Rachel of Series 2, Episode 2,

Danielle Lloyd Danielle Lloyd (formerly O'Hara; born 16 December 1983) is an English TV host, model, businesswoman and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss England 2004 and Miss Great Britain 2006. Lloyd first rose to prominence when she was strippe ...

of the second Celebrity Special,

Mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as ''perfect basal cleavage''. Mica is co ...

of Winter Wipeout Series 1, Episode 5, Kia of Series 5, Episode 3 and Nicola of Series 5, Episode 8. In addition, Series 5, Episode 3 was the first and only episode to feature an all-female Wipeout Zone. Tor (Series 1 Episode 2), Stuart (Series 1 Episode 4), Kevin Adams (Series 2 Episode 10 Celebrity Special),

Andy Akinwolere Odunayo Andrew Akinwolere (born 30 November 1982), previously known as Andy Akinwolere, is a British television presenter. Early life Akinwolere was born in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1982, and moved to the United Kingdom with his family when he was ei ...

(Series 4 Episode 12 Celebrity Special), Jade (Series 5 Episode 5 Last Chance Saloon) and Simon (Series 1 Episode 2 Winter Wipeout Christmas Special) all gave up in The Wipeout Zone due to either injuries or quitting in the end. Whilst in its existence, not a single contestant fell off the Seesaw of Truth. Course times The fastest time of 1:10 on the old Wipeout Zone was set by James (Series 2, Episode 8), and he matched that time in Champions of Champions in order to win again. The fastest regular contestant time in the new Wipeout Zone was set by both Scott and William with 0:58 albeit during different shows. In the Celebrity Special #8,

Dalton Grant Dalton Grant (born 8 April 1966) is a former high jumper. Athletics career Grant won a total number of four national titles for Great Britain (AAA Championships) in the men's high jump event. His personal best jump is 2.36 metres, achieved a ...

beat the record with 0:54, making him the record holder. The slowest winning time on the Wipeout Zone is 4:53 (set by Steve, Series 1 Episode 2). The slowest time in a regular Wipeout Zone of 7:52 was set by Lucy, Series 1 Episode 6. The nine main episodes of Series 4 winning times were 100 seconds or under, with 0:58 being the fastest and 1:40 being the slowest. Winter Wipeout The winning times have varied for those who competed in ''Winter Wipeout''. The fastest winning time is 1:34 (set by Dan A, Episode 8) and the slowest winning time is 4:29 (set by Mica, Episode 5). The slowest time ever was set in Episode 5, by Ross who finished in 9:13. The times set were generally slower this series due to the obstacles being much harder than in previous series; out of the 33 contestants who took part in the Wipeout Zone, only 6 crossed the "Impossible Snowflakes" obstacle - Dan B (Episode 4), Aaron (Episode 6), Mikey (Episode 8), Dan A and Olly (Episode 9 "Champion of Champions") and John W (Episode 6 and Episode 9 "Champion of Champions"). John W was the only contestant who crossed the Impossible Snowflakes twice. The Course layout

Specials

Alongside the regular episodes, a variety of special episodes were held after the main competition. Present in all series so far is The Total Wipeout Awards show (called The Snow Globes in ''Winter Wipeout''), which served as a recap of all of the best moments from the series, from "Best Big Balls Moment" to "Best Wipeout Zone Wipeout". Series 2–5
Starting from Series 2 was a Final, in which the finalists from the previous episodes would tackle the course again to determine who would be crowned "Champion of Champions". Although meant to feature all three Wipeout Zone contestants from each heat, no Final has featured all of them. Series 3 & 5
Series 3 also introduced The Legends special, which gave competitors from across all the previous series a second chance to reach the Wipeout Zone. A similar special episode, called Last Chance Saloon, featured in Series 5. Series 4
In Series 4 there has been a North vs. South Special with individuals from the North and the South of the country to see "who is better". Also in Series 4 there was an International Special in which a handful of British contestants went head-to-head with contestants from around the world as ''Total Wipeout'' went global for the first time, each side captained by a former ''Total Wipeout'' "legend", Les (Series 2, Episode 3) (captain of Team GB) and Ali (Series 3, Episodes 1 and 9, Series 4, Episode 9) (captain for rest of the world). Honourable Mention: Ali (Series 3 Episodes 1 and 9, Series 4 Episode 8 and 9) was the only contestant to have more appearances than others and was the only person to have the highest appearances in Total Wipeout (appearing 4 times).

''Celebrity Total Wipeout''

During Total Wipeout's run, celebrity specials have been aired since series 2. The format is slightly different from the original show. There are ten celebrities in each show and all of them compete in both the Qualifier and the following round. After these rounds points are given, with the best performing celebrity scoring ten, and the worst performer receiving one. After the two rounds the points are added up and the five highest scorers progress to Stage 3. In the case of a tie, the celebrity with the faster Qualifier time goes through. This mainly happened in Series 3 celebrity specials: Episode 11: Michela Strachan and Tony Tobin both had 12 points, Michela went through as her qualifier time was faster than Tony's Episode 12: Nina Toussaint-White and John Regis has 12 points, Nina went through as her qualifier time was faster than John's but Jeremy Edwards was injured so John replaced him.

Contestants

The first episode, which aired on 26 December 2009, featured fitness expert Kevin Adams, ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' professional dancers

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

and

Ola Jordan Aleksandra 'Ola' Jordan ( Grabowska; born 30 September 1982) is a Polish-British professional ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin American dancing. She appeared as a professional on the British BBC One television show ''Strictly Come Danci ...

, actor Luke Bailey, '' I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!'' 2008 winner and former ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' star

Joe Swash Joseph Adam Swash (born ) is a British actor and television presenter from London, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and various presenting roles with ITV2. He won the eighth series of '' I'm ...

, TV presenter

Kaye Adams Kaye Rintoul Adams (born 28 December 1962) is a Scottish television presenter and journalist. She was an anchor on ITV topical discussion show ''Loose Women'' from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2013 and was a regular panellist on Channel 5's d ...

, stand-up comedian and actor

Tim Vine Timothy Mark Vine (born 4 March 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter best known for his puns and other one-liners and his role on the TV sitcom '' Not Going Out'' (2006–2012, 2014). He has also released a number of stand- ...

, vocal coach and session singer Carrie Grant, soap star

Adele Silva Adele Silva (born 19 November 1980) is an English actress. She played the role of Kelly Windsor in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' on and off from 1993 to 2011. In 1989, she had a minor role in the final classic series ''Doctor Who'' story ' ...

, and javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread. The winner was Luke Bailey with James Jordan in second and Kevin Adams in third after having to withdraw because of an injury. In the special Richard Hammond filmed his segments on set in Buenos Aires. The second episode, which aired on 2 January 2010, featured ex-''

'' star Chris Parker, comedian

Joe Pasquale Joseph Ellis Pasquale (born 20 August 1961) is an English comedian, actor and television presenter. He is well-known for his squeaky, high-pitched voice. In 1987 he was the runner-up on the TV talent show New Faces, since then he has appeare ...

, presenter

Dominic Littlewood Dominic Littlewood (born 29 March 1965), is a British television journalist and television presenter who specialises in consumer protection. He has appeared on the BBC and Channel 5, presenting programmes such as '' Fake Britain'', ''Cowboy ...

, actress and former Kenny Everett sidekick

Cleo Rocos Cleo Rocos (born 24 July 1962, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a UK-based comedy actress, producer, presenter and businesswoman who starred alongside Kenny Everett on '' The Kenny Everett Television Show''. Early life Rocos was born in Brazil. Her ...

, ex-Olympic hurdler

Sally Gunnell Sally Jane Janet Gunnell, OBE, DL (born 29 July 1966) is a British former track-and-field athlete, who won the 1992 Olympic gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles. During a 24-month period between 1992 and 1994, Gunnell won every international ...

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

presenter

Kirsten O'Brien Kirsten Lindsey O'Brien (born 23 February 1972) is an English television, radio presenter and actress. She is best known for her work presenting for the BBC, including the popular CBBC art programme ''SMart'' from 1999 to 2009, the CBeebies pr ...

, ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about aspects of ...

'' presenter Andrea McLean, model

and children's TV duo

Sam Nixon Samuel Nixon (born 21 March 1986) is an English singer and television presenter. He came third on the '' Pop Idol'' television series in 2003 and is now one half of the duo Sam & Mark, with the other being fellow ''Pop Idol'' contestant Mar ...

and

Mark Rhodes Mark Thomas Rhodes (born 11 September 1981) is an English singer and television presenter, best known as one half of Sam & Mark, the other being Sam Nixon. Career Born in Wolverhampton, England, Rhodes finished in second place in the second ...

. The winner was Danielle Lloyd with Dominic Littlewood in second just one second behind Lloyd (Lloyd finished in 2:43 while Littlewood finished in 2:44) and Chris Parker in third. Series 3
In September 2010, another two ''Celebrity Total Wipeout'' specials were aired. The first, which aired on 18 September 2010, featured

Michaela Strachan Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan (, born 7 April 1966) is an English television presenter and singer. After beginning her career in theatre, she ventured into presenting and fronted the children's television shows '' Wide Awake Club'' (1986–1989 ...

Siân Lloyd Siân Mary Lloyd (born 3 July 1958) is a Welsh television presenter and meteorologist from Maesteg. She was the United Kingdom's longest-serving female weather forecaster, having appeared on ITV Weather for 24 years, from 1990 until 2014. ...

Joe Absolom Joe Absolom (born 16 December 1978) is an English actor known for his roles as Matthew Rose in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Al Large in the ITV comedy drama ''Doc Martin''. Early life Absolom was born in Lewisham, London. A former ...

Antony Costa Antony Daniel Costa (born 23 June 1981) is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the boy band Blue. Early life Costa was born in Edgware, North London, Costa attended Hendon School in nearby Barnet. He is half-Greek ...

, Kate Lawler,

Ninia Benjamin Ninia Benjamin is a British comedian who makes frequent appearances at the Edinburgh Festival. Benjamin has also appeared on the TV shows ''3 Non-Blondes'' and ''Twisted Tales''. She appeared on the Sky One show '' Cirque de Celebrité'' and was ...

Jeff Brazier Jeffrey Carl Brazier (born Jeffrey Carl Smith; 27 May 1979) is an English television presenter. He rose to fame after appearing on the third series of '' Shipwrecked'' (2001), before going on to present television shows including '' Finders Keep ...

Iwan Thomas Iwan Gwyn Thomas (born 5 January 1974) is a Welsh sprinter who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympic Games in the 400 metres, and Wales at the Commonwealth Games. Thomas is a former European, Commonwealth Games and ...

and Tony Tobin.

Nancy Lam Nancy Lam (born in Singapore in 1948) is a Singaporean celebrity chef famous for her Southeast Asian cuisine and television appearances. Beginnings Nancy Lam moved to London, United Kingdom from Singapore at the age of 22. After originally tra ...

was supposed to take part, but had to pull out and spectate.

won, with

and Kate Lawler coming second and third respectively. The second aired on 25 September 2010, the contestants were former international athletes John Regis and Katharine Merry, TV presenters

Cheryl Baker Rita Maria Stroud (''née'' Crudgington; born 8 March 1954), known professionally as Cheryl Baker, is an English singer and television presenter. She was a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, which won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and, followi ...

and

, actresses

Margi Clarke Margi Clarke (born 25 May 1954) is an English actress and radio and television presenter. She had a leading role in the film '' Letter to Brezhnev'' (1985), a low-budget film which had an international release. Later, Clarke played Jackie Dob ...

and

Nina Toussaint-White Nina Toussaint-White is a British actress, known for her roles as Syd Chambers in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Jude Thomas in the ITV2 drama ''Switch''. Her other credits include '' GameFace'' and '' The Feed''. Career In 2009, Toussai ...

, actor

Jeremy Edwards Jeremy Edwards (born 17 February 1971) is an English actor, known for his roles as Kurt Benson in ''Hollyoaks'', Danny Shaughnessy in ''Holby City'' and Mike Taylor in ''Millie Inbetween'', as well as being a regular panellist and guest host ...

, comic actor

Rowland Rivron Rowland John Rivron (born 28 September 1958) is a British writer, comedic actor and television personality. Early career Rivron played the comic character 'Dr Martin Scrote' on the Jonathan Ross chat show ''The Last Resort'', and also played S ...

and DJs & TV presenting pair

JK and Joel Jason King (né Griffiths) and Joel Ross (né Hogg), known professionally as JK and Joel, were a radio presenting duo, best known for hosting the official UK chart on BBC Radio 1 between 2005 and 2007 and presented the CBBC shows '' Hider in ...

, the former being the first ever celebrity to cross the big balls, as well as the equal fastest celebrity (with James Jordan) to complete the qualifier. JK won with John Regis coming second and Katharine Merry third. Series 4
Another two specials were broadcast at the close of the series. The first episode aired on 9 April 2011 and featured

Aggie MacKenzie Agnes MacKenzie (born 12 October 1955) is a Scottish television personality, professional cleaner and writer. She is known for co-presenting the Channel 4 series ''How Clean Is Your House?'' (2003–2009) with Kim Woodburn and the ITV (TV networ ...

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, Chantelle Houghton,

Chico Slimani Yousseph "Chico" Slimani (born 1971) is a Welsh singer who rose to prominence in the United Kingdom after reaching the quarter-finals of the 2005 series of the talent show ''The X Factor''. In 2006, he had a number one hit on the British cha ...

Gemma Bissix Gemma Bissix (born 6 June 1983) is an English actress. She has been acting since the age of 9. Her most prominent roles have been in soap operas, as Clare Bates in ''EastEnders'' and Clare Devine in ''Hollyoaks''; she was awarded with two Brit ...

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, Phoebe Thomas and Rob Deering. It was won by John Fashanu with Chico in second and Calum Best in third. The second episode aired on 25 April 2011 and was contested by

Ali Bastian Alexandra Louise Bastian (born 27 February 1982) is an English actress, known for her roles as Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', Sally Armstrong in the ITV drama series ''The Bill'' and Becky Clarke in the BBC soap opera ...

, Caroline Faraday, Dean Macey, Ian Watkins, James Redmond,

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, Malandra Burrows,

Martin Offiah Martin Nwokocha Offiah MBE ( (''original pronunciation''), (''commonly used'')); born 29 December 1965) is an English former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Offiah was inducted ...

and

. Dean Macey won the show with Ian Watkins finishing as runner-up and Andy Akinwolere in third place, after retiring from the competition because of an injury. Series 5
The fifth series kicked off with another two celebrity editions on 27 August 2011 and 3 September 2011. The first episode featured

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, Charlie Stayt, Roxanne Pallett,

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, Brian Belo,

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and Julie Peasgood. It was won by Dalton Grant, with Ricky Groves in second and Gail Emms in third place. The second episode, aired on 3 September 2011, featured

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, Peter Duncan, Susie Amy,

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and

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. It was won by Marcus Patric, with Peter Duncan in second place and Susie Amy in third.

''Celebrity Winter Wipeout''

During Winter Wipeout's run, two celebrity specials were aired. The first winter special, aired on 24 March 2012, featured Eddie Edwards,

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, Charlie Baker, Nicola T and

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as the contestants. Eddie Edwards won the show with Tony Mortimer coming runner-up and Steven Arnold in third place. The second special was aired on 31 March 2012 and featured James Sutton, Ashia Hansen, Andrew Stone,

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and

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. James Sutton won the show with Ashia Hansen coming runner-up and Andrew Stone in third place.

Differences from the American version

The American version is filmed in California, whereas all international versions including the British version are filmed on the same set in Argentina, which could be seen from Google Maps and the British show format is similar to the American version, '' Wipeout'' (available to British viewers on Challenge as ''Total Wipeout USA''). Most games are almost identical to the originals, and most games and a few obstacles retain their American names. Differences are relatively minor, but are as follows:

Qualifier

: The course is almost identical to the American version, albeit with a slightly smaller selection of obstacles to end the course. The main difference is that whereas the American show begins with 24 contestants, ''Total Wipeout'' begins with 20, though in both versions 12 progress to the second round.

The Sweeper

: The British version used the "classic" version of The Sweeper in series 1 and some episodes in series 2, as well as "The Crusher" and the Sacks variation, in the other episodes of the second series. The British version reduces the players from 12 to 6 in series 1 and to 5 or 6 (depending on whether the next round is Dizzy Dummies or The Dreadmill) and then continues until one player remains. However, the American version sounds a siren when the "elimination" part of the game is over and offers a $1,000 bonus prize to the winner. The British version does neither, with commentary often mocking the fact that players may well be unaware that they need not continue, and that they are putting such effort into something that offers no reward. The round is continued in the British version to see who is the 'last man or woman standing'. In celebrity editions a player's ranking (first to last to fall) in these round counts towards their points score.

Dizzy Dummies

: The courses and obstacles are identical to the American version, but the format of the round differs. In the American version, the round is played 4 times, with the winner of each round automatically winning a place in the Wipeout Zone and thus taking no further part in Dizzy Dummies. In the UK, it is played 2 times (3 times in Series 1), with the last person to complete the course eliminated. Thus, the finalists for the British version are not decided until the last Dizzy Dummies round is complete. This process also means that the British show has 3 contestants in the Wipeout Zone, rather than the American version's 4.

The Dreadmill

: In the American version, there is only one Dreadmill, but in the British version, there are two; because of that, the format differs. In the Wrecking Ball variation, the contestants had to stay on as long as they could, but unlike the American version, the contestant that wipes out on the Dreadmill gets eliminated from the competition. In the Doors variation, the British version doesn't use tennis balls. The pit that contestants wipe out on is always a pool of water, unlike the Single Dreadmill where the pit changes (e.g. pit of flour and foam pieces).

The Wipeout Zone

:The course was almost identical, albeit with the UK only ever using the "waterfall" version of the WaterWall obstacle, never the "Waterjet" version. The American version's 4-part "Launch Pads" section was changed to the "rolling beam", followed by two Launch Pads. Finally, American contestants heard a horn when their time exceeded that of a previous contestant, whereas British contestants were not told of their opponents' times until after they complete the course. One significant change of the rules in the American version is that if a contestant wiped out on an obstacle in the Zone, they had to go back to the start of that obstacle and re-attempt it until they cleared it but in Season 7 the contestants were allowed to skip the obstacle once they fell off. As a publicly funded broadcaster, large prizes are extremely rare on BBC gameshows. In that context, the prize money was relatively low at £10,000, though this is tax-free, as are all British gameshow prizes. American winners received $50,000 (approx £30,000).

General

:In presentation, the major difference is the use of one commentator (Hammond), rather than two. Also, contestants are referred to by first name only (unless they win the episode), with much greater use of nicknames. The show retains the gentle mockery of the contestants, although the style of humour is generally drier than the American version. Although the courses are near-identical, the American courses are in California, while the British version is filmed on the "international" ''Wipeout'' set in Argentina, along with the other non-American versions of the show. The commentary makes great use of this fact, referencing the location constantly, and often gently mocking contestants for having travelled so far to take part. :The slight change to the show's name is to differentiate it from an earlier BBC gameshow named '' Wipeout'', hosted by

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, and later

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Episodes

Series 1 (2009)

Series 1 contained eight episodes, airing from 3 January to 21 March 2009, and one ''Total Wipeout'' Awards special, which aired on 4 April 2009. Ratings from BAR

Series 2 (2009–2010)

Series 2 contained twelve episodes, comprising eight regular episodes, plus four specials including a second ''Total Wipeout'' Awards. The series debuted on 4 July 2009 and concluded on 9 January 2010. The final three episodes of the series, including the first two celebrity specials of the show, were broadcast months after the first episodes because they were shown as part of the BBC's Christmas line-up.

Series 3 (2010)

The first episode of series 3 aired on BBC One on 30 January 2010, with the rest of the series airing from 3 April 2010. The series contained seven regular episodes and five specials. Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram continued as the presenting team. The course was re-designed for the series, including the introduction of a brand new Wipeout Zone.

Series 4 (2011)

Series 4 aired in early 2011 and was similar to series three, with some new obstacles introduced to the course. The first seven episodes of the series aired from 8 January to 19 February, with Episode 8 aired two weeks after Episode 7. Episode 9 aired on 26 March 2011, with the next three episodes following over the next four weeks.

Series 5 (2011–2012)

Series 5 began airing on 27 August 2011 with two celebrity specials, with the rest of the series beginning a year later on 18 August 2012 and running weekly until 13 October. The series saw significant changes to the course, including the replacement of the Crash Mountain round with Double Cross and the Dizzy Dummies round with the Terror-Go-Round. On 29 March 2012, the BBC confirmed that they would axe ''Total Wipeout'' after series 5. The final episode, an awards special which was held back to be broadcast at a later date, aired on 31 December 2012.

''Winter Wipeout''

A winter-themed series, called ''Winter Wipeout'', started on 17 December 2011. The new series, still presented by

and

, introduced a winter-themed course, with new rounds (Ski Lift and Winter Blunderland) and new obstacles (such as the Candy Hoops and Granny's House). The series consisted of eight regular episodes, a Champion of Champions special, an awards special (the 'Snow Globes'), and two celebrity specials. The executive producers for ''Winter Wipeout'' were Andy Rowe for Initial and Mirella Breda for the BBC, and the series producer was Emma Taylor.

''Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover''

In May 2020, it was announced that ''

'' presenters Freddie Flintoff and

would host a six-episode best-of series, featuring the presenters narrating classic episodes of the show, called ''Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover''. The first episode aired on 8 August 2020 and received negative reviews.

''Total Wipeout'': ''Big Ball Run''

The show's producers, Endemol UK, launched a social game based on the ''Total Wipeout'' format. Available on Facebook and through a standalone Downloadable Application, the game adopts the use of 'Motion Sensor Technology' available through a

webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in Videotelephony, video telephony, live streaming and social media, and Closed-circuit television, security. Webcams can b ...

, whereby the user negotiates the obstacle course through a variety of movements common with the show.

References

External links

*
''Winter Wipeout'' programme website''Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover'' programme website
on '' Challenge'' * {{Wipeout (game show) 2009 British television series debuts 2012 British television series endings 2000s British game shows 2010s British game shows BBC television game shows British television series based on American television series Television series by Banijay Wipeout (Endemol TV series) British English-language television shows Television shows filmed in Argentina

Format

Gameplay

Stage 1

Qualifier

Do & Don’ts (Series 2)

Stage 2

The Sweeper (Series 1–2)

Crash Mountain (Series 3–4)

Double Cross (Series 5)

Ski Lift (Winter Wipeout)

Stage 3

Dizzy Dummies (Series 1–4)

The Dreadmill (Series 2–3)

Terror-Go-Round (Series 5)

Winter Blunderland (Winter Wipeout)

Final stage

The Wipeout Zone

Specials

''Celebrity Total Wipeout''

Contestants

''Celebrity Winter Wipeout''

Differences from the American version

Qualifier

The Sweeper

Dizzy Dummies

The Dreadmill

The Wipeout Zone

General

Episodes

Series 1 (2009)

Series 2 (2009–2010)

Series 3 (2010)

Series 4 (2011)

Series 5 (2011–2012)

''Winter Wipeout''

''Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover''

''Total Wipeout'': ''Big Ball Run''

See also

References

External links