I guess I probably shouldn't be too annoyed at a show that rips off another show, which is basically a comedic American re-dubbing of a Japanese show (Takeshi's Castle), but I can't watch "Wipeout" without immediately thinking of Spike's "MXC: Most Extreme Challenge." The obstacle course names, the way the announcers try to crack visual pun jokes and call all the contestants by nicknames, its all borrowing from MXC, but the show seems to lose something without the whole "people ad-libbing over Japanese stock footage" part. It's like if MST3K were re-made, but done "seriously," and with new actors trying to replace the old B-movies that were being mocked.
"Wipeout" tries to be "MXC" like "Repo: The Genetic Opera" desperately tries to be "The Next Rocky Horror Picture Show," and like Repo, Wipeout is barely as good as what it attempts to copy. I've even read on Wikipedia that ABC tried to buy up the search term "MXC" through Google to try to re-direct traffic to their official Wipeout website. If "MXC" hadn't come first (and been made 5 years prior, 17 if you count the age of the source material for the re-dub), maybe I could watch this show and just take it for what it is; people competing in a crazy foam prop obstacle course for money.
Oh and btw, contrary to the belief of some, you didn't have to be an anime-obsessed "weeaboo" to enjoy the hilarity of MXC.
"Wipeout" tries to be "MXC" like "Repo: The Genetic Opera" desperately tries to be "The Next Rocky Horror Picture Show," and like Repo, Wipeout is barely as good as what it attempts to copy. I've even read on Wikipedia that ABC tried to buy up the search term "MXC" through Google to try to re-direct traffic to their official Wipeout website. If "MXC" hadn't come first (and been made 5 years prior, 17 if you count the age of the source material for the re-dub), maybe I could watch this show and just take it for what it is; people competing in a crazy foam prop obstacle course for money.
Oh and btw, contrary to the belief of some, you didn't have to be an anime-obsessed "weeaboo" to enjoy the hilarity of MXC.