Wipeout

Huge fans of wipeout but this doesn't feel right. We tried to watch the first episode and it was painful and eventually turned it off toward the end. It seems to be trying to hard and the host need to scale it back.

Just being back John and John. Cena and Byers aren't funny.

And we all know we watch for the big ball fails. Add more of those.

The older version of Wipeout focused on the obstacles whereas this version is spending too much time on the hosts. The hosts should be more background colour commentary less show feature.

Watching Holey Moley and seeing Rob and Joe go back and forth is a pleasure. Floor is Lava is also quite entertaining. I even liked Cannonball even though it was not up to that level. I also thought John Cena did a credible job on American Grit and Nicole Byer's work on Nailed It is first rate. I say all of this to illustrate that I was so looking forward to a new Wipeout.

However, this iteration of Wipeout may be the worst new television show of ANY kind I've seen in decades. The course is fine and the structure of the rounds works well. However, something is seriously wrong here. The lines John and Nicole are given are not just unfunny, they are truly, as my subject line says, cringe-worthy. Additionally, none of their reactions to the contestants seem genuine. It's like they are watching a tape of the contestants and then trying to come up with a line that fits.

The editing of the early rounds is also choppy and disjointed. It's almost like they need to skip those rounds and move on to the two semi-final heats and then the final.

The contestants are just as wacky as they've always been. As I said, the course is fine and the format of the rounds works, too. I beg TBS to take a step back and re-cut this with new hosts or new writing before showing any more episodes. And, while you are at it, stop showing the ones you've aired so far. We KNOW this premise works. Do something or take this garbage off the air.

Like many here I'm a big fan of the original, Henson's contrast to Anderson's straight man was the strength of this show, mainly, it was natural and believable. The chemistry in this incarnation seems forced, just a couple of people (Cena's the only known person) reading cue cards. Same with Camille, just eye-candy, not much more, Jill had charm, wit, and good looks, and she was natural and believable in her spot. I do hope hope they find a new audience who never saw the original, they might be entertained, but sadly, I couldn't even finish the first episode. I'll pass.