3 S.R. Johannes: Am I a "diabolical sadist"?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Am I a "diabolical sadist"?

As embarrassing as it is to talk about this subject... I have decided to sequester my ego and speak out - at the risk of exposing my addiction to "trash" T.V.

Who thinks that "Wipeout" is the funniest show on T.V.? http://abc.go.com/primetime/wipeout/index?pn=index


I do! (I think my hubby would agree but he is English so he may not be able to politely admit it. Crumbs!)
Ok people seriously - this show is HI-Larious! It is mindless and really quite pointless. But it is "crack up, laugh out loud, pee in your pants" funny.

For some reason, to me, there is nothing funnier than watching people trip and fall. It happens to me all the time when I am at the mall, when I am walking in neighborhood, or at the airport. I'll see a grown woman or man walking along and then take a trip. Now of course, if someone goes down, it's not as funny. (Not to mention, they are usually hurt and I do not laugh at pain.) The funny part is them TRYING NOT TO FALL. The waving of the arms, the shuffling of the feet, and then the infamous look back to see what large object reached up and grabbed their leg. Just thinking about it gives me the giggles. And for the record, I do it all the time. I am clumsy and could trip on a thread.


But in Wipeout, bizarro people choose to do an obstacle course and what is worse - they all brag about how they are going to whoop the course's arse. Then of course, they head into the "Sucker Punch" (they get punched in the face by fake fists), bounce off "The Big Balls", hurl in "The Spinner" fly into "The Launch Pad" , and get fired up in "The Flaming Sweeper".

Let's face it, even the names of the events are funny.

This year, they added an obstacle called "The Butt Kicker". Which is really "The Sucker Punch" made-over. They swapped out the boxing gloves for tennis shoes which spring from the wall and kick players in the face and gut, launching them into a discusting mud pit. The contestants basically get a "swift kick in the ass" and I get another great laugh. Seeing someone kickedin the face with a fake foot is funny, I don't care who you are.

I think what makes it even funnier is 1) sometimes the hostess (Jill) laughs so hard she cannot talk to the contestants from the sideline, and 2) The commentator guy is hilarious - the same guy that used to do Talk Soup - John Henson (no not Kermit's friend!).

Some of my favorite lines from Henson?


"It's OK. He broke the fall with his face."
"You know it's bad when they give you a mouthpiece."
“I love the explosion of those colored balls against the night sky.”
"On paper, Jared is one of our toughest competitors. Unfortunately, we
don't play the game on paper, we play it on the big balls!."


Yesterday, I was kinda cranky. (My hubby is out of town and I am on my own so the day was longish and I was beat). I finally got the kids down and sat down to have my TV dinner in front of - where else but the TV (isnt that what its for? and Yes, I know what you are thinking and you are probably right - I should have been writing!!!! )

I flipped on "Wipeout" and cracked up for 2 hrs (Lucky for me - it was the season kickoff so they had 2 episodes back to back. 8D We are talking face-planting, butt smacking, ass whooping funny. Remember those days in college or with your friends (maybe even after a few martinis) where you would laugh and laugh. The real belly laugh where you get the giggles and just can't stop. I love to laugh like that.


And though I am a bit embarrassed about coming out of the trash Tv closet, today I feel much lighter after going to bed on a natural high.

So here's a shout out to Wipeout - for giving us laughs and the best human carnage.

1 comment:

Carrie Harris said...

You know what I think you'd like? Ninja Warrior! It's another one of these obstacle courses, but this one is CRAZY. All these "ninja" kinds of things like climbing across a wall full of curtains and crossing ledges while you're hanging by the tips of your fingers. And when they fall, it's into this murky, yucky water.

I find it hilarious, of course.