I was dumb enough to go on WipeOut. AMA!

Im sure Im not the only one that has ever said "that doesn't look so tough I could do that." How physically demanding is the course really and how many waivers did you have to sign to be on the show?

It was very very difficult. I am not an athlete but I am in good shape and I did train for this, running, swimming, boot camps etc. They actually showed us the course before hand and gave us tips on how to do it. Still, I had a very hard time

I had to sign an 80 page waiver to get on the show. Pretty sure Disney owns me at this point.

Disney employee here, Disney owns everyone and everything at this point. Seriously.

Yep. pretty soon I expect to look at my paycheck and see that a portion goes to Disney every pay period.

How many other people trained? So basically the waiver releases them from all liability for injuries? It seems that people sustain some pretty hard falls that could have seriously injured them. Do they try and hide those?

I doubt that anyone gets too seriously injured - the show is designed so that they generate bad looking falls, but the contestants are clearly padded up, the surfaces are padded, the falls aren't from that high, and they have medics standing by. So I figure that injuries are rare, but bruises are very common.

Edit: This article says that dislocated shoulders are the worst injury that they've seen, but that was from three years ago. This article says that someone suffered a stroke on the show and later died, but it's not clear that this should be blamed on the show.

I have a friend that went on and broke her ear drum...

Ugh. damn. Ill take a fucked up knee. Sorry for your friend. How do they feel about the experience?

Really? I tried watching an episode recently, and my nobody completed the first round. Some of the things seemed literally impossible, like they may as well have said, "Ok, your task is to walk across the bridge, but the bridge will collapse and you'll get thrown into some water, and there's nothing you can do."

It seemed much more difficult than the old MXC.

Yep, some of the stuff is literally impossible. The stair thing we had to do was impossible I think.

I don't know if it changes, but in the one I saw, they had a little bridge with a gap, and you had to jump over the gap while dodging something. The thing was, as soon as people got to the gap, the bridge would start jerking up and down, throwing them off.

I think 2 people made it to the other side, and that was only because the jerking bridge happened to throw them face-first and out-of-control into the other side of the bridge. It was luck, not skill.

Nobody completed the ball thing on the episode I saw, because they made people run up this thing and they were obviously tired when they got to the top. If they hesitated at all (and sometimes even if they didn't hesitate), the ground fell out from under them and they were thrown into the water.

The whole thing just seemed kind of cruel and stupid, and not even funny. I don't understand the appeal of the show.

I watch Ninja Warrior to see skilled athletes compete on an obstacle course. I watch WipeOut to watch idiots get hurt on ridiculously unfair courses.

Me too...and I was ON wipeout. Love Ninja Warrior

Did you get paid for being on the show?

Yeah, got TEN WHOLE DOLLARS! for gas money. It was a 3.5 hour drive, there and back. Oh, and breakfast and lunch.

Did you read the 80 page contract and are you allowed to tell us that you only got 10 bucks?

Or is it just to make sure that you don´t sue them if you get hurt?

By signing it, you waived your right to sue them for bodily harm or death. and yeah, someone died once. apparently he had a heart problem he didnt even know about. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/12/tom-sparks-wipeout-contes_n_356122.html

Now they do more fitness testing, especially on your heart and your lungs.

So...I'm guessing Tom Sparks died before they implemented the EEG. Damn.

Glad you weren't more seriously hurt. Sorry about your knee.

Edit: I know now that an EEG wouldn't have caught it. Thank you.

It's all good. I knew what I was getting into. I am incredibly clumsy...so i think i was lucky.

Where do they film? Always wondered that

santa clarita CA

Hope you enjoyed the middle of nowhere awesomeness that is Santa Clarita!

actually, it was really pretty there! Driving back in rush hour with a busted knee (i drive a standard) sucked though.

Is all that foam shit soap? They were shooting someone right in the mouth with it one time, and I was hoping for their sake it was delicious, although it did NOT appear that way.

for my episode, it was whipped cream. The did that on purpose because of me...I am vegan and they knew it, so they made sure to put dairy in there. haha. I totally deserved it. So it was sweet. DEADLY sweet.

Do you have Vegan Powers?

Not anymore. I got some of the whipped cream they had on the qualifier in my mouth. It will take another few years to get those back.

Wait, there is a fitness testing process???

haha yeah. No idea how that one made it on. Had to do an EEG (hook up to your chest for heart problems) and a breath test http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirometry as well.

Oh and a drug test too of course. Funny though, they told us in an email, if we could not pass the drug test for the assigned time, we could re-schedule.

It would have been an EKG (also called ECG). An EEG is to look at brainwaves.

yeah sorry you are right sir!

How painful is it to wipe out? Do they make the course extra tricky (making it slippery on purpose) to make you wipe out or is it naturally difficult? How does the team decide your 'persona' for the show and what was yours?

Thank you so much! I feel a little sadistic admitting this to a contestant but I love watching Wipeout, it's hilarious.

Oh and the persona? yeah they wanted one. I went to the casting call in a revealing outfit, but with a paper bag over my head. Said that if they wanted to see my face, they would have to book me. It worked! too bad for them...my face ain't great.

Also, I played up the chicken thing (I actually go by the name Chicki) and I am vegan, so they loved that angle as well. You really gotta work it to get on the show. But work it beliveably. Guys in gorilla and banana outfits ended up being retards in front of the cameras, didnt make it through casting. They wanted truly quirky people that are good on camera. and LOUD people.

no worries, it is hilarious! well not for me anymore, i get anxiety when i watch it now haha.

YES they do make it extra tricky. They showed us the course ahead of time. Some things you CANT avoid. Like the 'trick steps' in my episode. I knew it ws coming. ALso, they purposly put like KY or lube or something on the course so you can't see it, but it is SUPER slippery, and not in a good KY lube kind of way :(

• get anxiety when i watch it now haha.

Damn got some PTWD huh?

I literally had to take a xanax and about half a bottle of wine to watch my episode. HAHA. I can laugh at myself (you have to be able to do this) but it did freak me the fuck out.

Why does everyone act so god damn weird, like the contestants. Do they give them a script?

Yep, unless you are a naturally weird person (like me) but even I was scripted. They had me do a few takes before the whistle blew yelling random weird shit about chickens, and eating meat.

And some of the more 'normal' contestants, they scripted the entire interview for themost part.

Wow. I never knew it was so orchestrated.

Yes, but to be fair to the show, the course was the same for everyone. we all had the same chance. Sure some of the personality fluff was scripted or 'prompted' but the actual race itself was on the up-and-up. I am a stickler for cheating, i would call it out if I thought it was unfair.

Were the other competitors assholes or did you guys get along?

Everyone else was very cool! obviously we were all kinda weirdos. You have to be to A) want to go on the show and B) make it through the auditions.

It was fun up until I ran the course haha. We were kicking it all day.

Were there any injuries that didn't make it on camera?

yes mine. I very badly sprained my knee, a Meniscus Sprain, which is the inside of my knee. Stupid balls. I finished the course, but needed to be helped to the trailer, and then to my car

Do most people have bad injuries?

I dont think so, considering I was the only person on my episode that got hurt.

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-I sprained my knee badly. Crutches for 2 months, 6 months before I could work out again. It still bothers me

-EEG, drug test (urine) and a breath test.

-I thought it would be fun! (i was wrong. it was torture)

-I FREAKING LOVE MXC. huge fan

-the biggest challenge was the water. it was about 40 degrees (F). just breathing when you hit the water was the hardest part

-I am not an athlete, but in good shape. I trained by running, swimming and boot camps. I do think fitness was a factor, but not always. Sometimes it was luck to get through some of those

-I was 31, and I was in great shape. Only a couple of other contestants that episode were in as good of shape as me (we spent the whole day together!)

-I only regret it because my knee is fucked up. :(

-Nobody was that surprised. haha I am kind of a dork. They were excited. My fiancee was VERY worried for me, that I would get hurt (and I did.

Oh, everyone on reddit know about me? I actually go by the name Chicki, like in real life (whatever that is). Love chickens.

Did they cover your medical costs for your knee?

Nope, I signed my life away. I didn't realize how bad it was until I got home either, and couldnt walk.

At least you got a good story! Plenty of people screw up their knees doing normal boring things like normal sports.

Yep, and I have awesome pictures too!

The course seems padded, does it still hurt anyway?

yes and yes

Now that you went through that experience, would you recommend others to go on WipeOut?

I would only advise going on the show if I don't like you. Seriously, it was HARD. the water was cold (on purpose). it was NOT FUN. The other contestants agreed. 2 girls that made it to the second round literally said "FUCK THIS" and got in their cars and left.

Really? That's awesome...don't suppose you have any screen shots of which girls they were on the episode?

lol no I dont really remember. I went back and watched the episode. I think the brunette with the huge boobs was one of them. but honestly, if you didnt make it though to the second round (and participate), you got very little screen time. I got about 1.2 seconds of screen time

:( That's sad because it looks fun on TV. Demanding, and painful, but fun.

That's what I thought too. Thats why I did it. I wanted to have fun!

I actually applied and got the call back but decided that I didn't want to put my wife through that much shame. Lol

You are smarter than I.

Do you feel that the pain was worth it?

Was it a good/fun experience?

Would you do it again?

I would not do it again. My knee will be messed up for the rest of my life. I guess as a life experience though it was good. I did it, and I didn't quit. They told us we were the first episode in a long time where we didnt have anyone quit on the qualifier. So I am proud of myself for doing it, and not quitting halfway through.

Two questions!

What was your nickname?

Is that interview girl as hot in person???

Chicki (which is my nickname in real life...my friends call me that)

and yes Jill was SUPER HOT. And funny!

Why did they intentionally make the water so cold?

So that it would be harder. It had been very cold (for S. California anyways) the night before, and the crew were talking about how they didnt have to ice the water this time.

Seriously, you hit the water and you COULD NOT BREATHE. It was so cold. That was the hardest part.

The balls section always seems like one of the most difficult. I've never seen anyone complete it. Did you see anyone making it all the way across?

You know, they showed up the course ahead of time. Even saw a video of one of thier guys running the course. They tell you EXACTLY how to do it (one foot at a time, huge jumps). Guess i did it wrong!

My episode was especially hard since we were on a tredmill right before the balls. They told us that it was extra hard.

Stupid fucking balls. thats where i got hurt. I shoulda tried to land on my face instead.

The banana penis image isn't working?

I had no idea the people on WipeOut got so hurt. I'm so naive. What was the worst injury you got, in your opinion?

oh no! thats the best one! Imgur try again!

Sprained my knee very badly. owie. I also was bruised and cut up pretty bad, but that went away.

Do they take care of your injuries if you get hurt? pay portion of medical bills etc?

nope. they had medics on site, but I didnt realize how bad my knee was until I got home. I would not have taken medical care anyways, because I was not sure if they took my insurance. I would not have wanted to get stuck with a huge medical bill.

It has always been on my dream to become very rich then buy the course once they stop filming. All because they don't let people with perfect vision on the show...

If you kept the water at a normal temperature, then I would love to come run the course again! It was pretty awesome in real life. It looks HUGE. like MILES long! Very intimidating looking at it at sunrise

I've noticed that stuff on the show is obviously controlled remotely (things that flip out and hit you on command). Are the people controlling them nearby? Do you get to see the sadistic look in their eyes while they send your ass flying into mud?

Yes, and those people can go fuck themselves. The crew would not tell us which one of them did that stuff...probably feared for thier own safety!

Ok, seriously, it seems like so many of those courses are rigged to the point where the contestant can't win. For example, those wall sections that only pop out as you're in mid-jump - physics-wise, that's borderline impossible to get past. Did you feel the courses were unfair at all to the point where no matter your skill level, you were going to wipe out, as it were?

There was one that was basically impossible to not get through on my qualifier. But everyone has to do it, so everyone has the same chance. So yes, you were going to Wipeout pretty much no matter what. But since each contestant had to do it, I think it was fair. Mean but fair LOL. (j/k I knew what i was getting into)

Any funny stories about other competitors?

One girls name was Ann Hooker. Her jersey said A. Hooker. That was pretty awesome

Man this looked fun up until you said those things about fitness test and long applications. How long was the process from filling out the application to finally doing the obstacles?

My casting call was in September of 2010, then I taped the show in January 2011. Had to go in (all the way to Burbank, 1.5 hours for me each way) for the tests, and the casting call/application. During the week, so had to take days off for that.

The application took about 2 hours to fill out, mostly because I read EVERYTHING on it.

Anything surprising in the application? "Your first born child will be a wipeout contestant"

YES. Great question.

The application was crazy. They wanted to know your sexual orentation, which I though was very innapropriate. (and I put 'none of your business' on the application.

They asked about your police record. Not just convictions, but arrests, parking tickets etc. For a few pages they were asking if anyone you have ever lived with has been convicted or arrested. They even asked if you had ever had the cops called on you, or if you had called the cops on anyone else, ever!

They wanted every single website you were on: facebook, twitter, etc (no reddit!)

They wanted to know every place you have lived in the last 10 years, where you worked, whom you have lived with etc.

My friend did this, she fractured her leg in three spots and had a cast on for over a month. It's apparently brutal pain to go through that course, and much harder than it looks. True?

very very true. Sorry about your friend. How does she feel about the expereince?

What was the most fun obstacle to do? Least fun?

Well, once you hit the 40 degree water, none of it was fun! the audition process and the interviews were the most fun I think. And hanging out with the other contestants and the crew was fun too.

I FAILED at every obstacle! I do wish that the punch wall was there though. that was always my favorite. I can take a punch! :)

2 questions I have always wondered 1. Do you have to act dumb once you start the course? 2. Do you want to punch the commentators?

Yeah, they want you to yell funny stuff. I kept yelling "FUCK YOU DISNEY" which was probably why I got so little camera time. I just could not stop the profanities.

You dont even see the commentators, they are added in post-production. but they are funny :)

Any advice on how to get on the show in the first place? Like, what do you have to do?

Be very quirky, loud and fun at a casting call. But don't go over the top. Case in point: there were dudes dressed as gorillas, babies, bananas etc. They were really stupid, and usually froze up when they got in front of the crew/cameras.

I did have a shtick. I wore a nice, revealing outfit, and I wore a bag over my head. When it came time to get in front of the crew/cameras, I played it up, but didnt rehearse anything. I am pretty naturally loud and funny (well I think I am funny) and they liked me a lot. In fact, they told me I was very authentic.

So be funny, loud, quirky. Dont be retarded. Dont wear a banana suit.

Oh, and they LOVE hot chicks. and hot guys. That will work in your favor if you got it going on in that department.

Do you recommend Wipeout to someone who wants to try it?

Well...not really. I have some friends that wanted to do it. they no longer do, after what I went through. I wouldnt want them to get hurt.

I would only do it if you have the time to devote to the process, and you know how fucking HARD that shit is. It is no joke. And you can get injured.

Just know what you are in for.

Okey, I see.
It's a bit sad that it hurts so much because it looks fucking awesome!

Yeah, and you know, maybe some other people had better experiences. It was not just me though, all the other contestants were like in shock when they finished running the course. I was the second to last to run it, and I saw them all come back. Nobody was laughing. Couple people puked. 2 girls quit when they learned they made it to the second round. One guy quit after the second round.

Do you feel like the course/show was designed more to make you fail in an entertaining way? As opposed to ninja warrior where the course looks very difficult but is more about being able to beat it with individual athleticism, wipeout looks like they want the contestant to hurt themselves to make the audience laugh. Considering you said you weren't really paid do you think the show is exploitative?

Also I hope those pictures are prominently displayed somewhere in your home, they're glorious!

Yes, I feel this way exactly. The whole thing is set up for you to fall/get hurt in a funny way. I am a big Ninja Warrior fan as well, that is not the intention with that show.

You know what you are getting into, so I do not feel it is exploitative at all. They make it pretty clear what is going to happen. They ask you up until the last minute if you want to back out.

Those pictures? A private company took them and they CHARGED US FOR THEM. Now that I think was exploitative! That shit should have been free!

How long did you wait around between the different events?

Not long, like a few hours between the qualifier and the second round. I didnt stick around though (since I FAILED!!!). They came back 2 days later for the 3rd round and another day for the final round I think. They do it differently though for each episode, the schedules are different.

They tell you to expect there to be 4 full days of filming though, just in case.

If everyone is shown the course beforehand, in the show, why does it look like no one is expecting any of the things that come at that? (mainly the platforms that throw people up into the air)

No, you know they are coming. But...well, its almost WORSE knowing it is coming. Like, the first thing I had to do was go up these stairs, and one would pop out and I would go flying. I KNEW that shit was coming, but it still scared me. I flew like 20 feet, could see my reflection in the water below. It was unreal.

are you glad you did it? would you do it again?

most importantly, did you have fun?

I am proud of myself for not quitting. Otherwise, no it was not fun and I wouldn't do it again.

I love extreme stuff (white water rafting, crazy hiking, ziplining) and I am a bit of a dork, so I thought this was right up my alley. but it was so difficult, and you were basically set up to FAIL, which was dissapointing.

I did it with the intention of having fun (I never thought I would win) so it was pretty dissapointing for me.