Wipeout (1988 U.S. game show)
| Wipeout | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Bob Fraser |
| Directed by | Jerome Shaw |
| Presented by | Peter Tomarken |
| Narrated by | Jim Hackett Robert Ridgely John Harlan |
| Theme music composer | Otis Conner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 195 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Rob Dames Bob Fraser |
| Producer(s) | Bill Mitchell |
| Location(s) |
Paramount Pictures Studios Stage 30 Hollywood, California |
| Running time | approx. 22-26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Dames-Fraser Productions |
| Distributor | Paramount Domestic Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndicated |
| Original release | September 12, 1988 – June 9, 1989 |
Wipeout is an American game show that aired from September 12, 1988 to June 9, 1989, with Peter Tomarken as host. The series was produced by Dames-Fraser Productions and distributed by Paramount Domestic Television.
Reruns of the series later aired on the USA Network from 1989 to 1991.
Three contestants competed on each episode. Initially, each game featured three new contestants. After several weeks, the show instituted a returning champion policy.
The players were given a category and shown 16 possible answers on a 4-by-4 grid of monitors. Eleven answers were correct, while the five incorrect ones were referred to as "Wipeouts" (In one episode, Tomarken accidentally referred to them as "Whammies" from Press Your Luck, Tomarken's well known game show), The contestant in the leftmost position began the round.
The contestant in control chose one answer at a time; each correct answer awarded money, while finding a Wipeout reset the score to zero and ended his/her turn. After each correct answer, he/she could either choose again or pass control to the next contestant. The first correct answer of the round was worth $25, and the value of each subsequent answer increased by $25, with the last one worth $275.
The round ended once all eleven correct answers were found or if all five Wipeouts had been selected. The two contestants with the highest money totals continued on, while the third place player left with parting gifts and, if he/she had been the champion, any prior winnings.
If there was a tie for low score, the tied players were given a new category and shown 12 answers (eight right, four Wipeouts). They alternated choosing one answer at a time, with a coin toss to decide who would start, and the first contestant to find a Wipeout was eliminated. If all eight correct answers were found, the contestant who gave the last one advanced.
One of the eleven correct answers was referred to as the "Hot Spot", with a prize attached to it. Once the Hot Spot was uncovered, Tomarken would take a token from inside his podium and place it on the desk of the contestant that found it.
In order to win the Hot Spot prize, a contestant had to both be in possession of the token at the end of the round and have a high enough score to advance to the Challenge Round. If the contestant holding the Hot Spot uncovered a Wipeout, the token was taken away and another answer was designated as the Hot Spot.
The two remaining contestants advanced to the Challenge Round, playing for a bonus prize and to become the day's champion.
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