COVID-19 testing was probably the most expensive part, as an on-set team of at least 10 medical workers regularly monitored contestants and the 300 crewmembers. Basic tasks like loading equipment took longer because it took more Teamsters and more trucks, since tasks had to be handled more individually.
That included building a break tent the size of two football fields, so that crew could take their lunch and still be socially distanced. Adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols ultimately ballooned the show’s budget by 25%, which translated to several million dollars more in costs.
The pandemic presented some unique challenges to producing “Wipeout,” however. “It would be heartbreaking if I wasn’t able to come back and produce the show again.” “I would say it’s the most important show of my career,” he says.
Yet much of the production team remains the same, led by Kunitz, who is currently based at Lionsgate under an overall deal - but had negotiated the ability to still do “Wipeout” (which is produced by Endemol Shine North America) should it be brought back. The chemistry is fantastic.Īlso new to the mix is sideline reporter Camille Kostek. And that natural interaction as they’re yelling at the contestants is very different than what we’ve had before. It’s the pivotal moment if they can get through this obstacle, and do it faster than that last team did it, they’ll win the $25,000. “We designed the set so that the host booth is maybe nine feet away from the final obstacle,” he says. Kunitz says that’s where some of the best interaction takes place. In another change, for the first time, the hosts are actually stationed in the final “Wipeout” zone as contestants aim to complete the course. “But John Cena plays an amazing straight man to her sort of bad girl, and she does it all with such an innocence in her delivery.” “It took us a while to dial in how far we could take it,” says Henson.
Providing those laughs are WWE star and actor Cena and “Nailed It” host and comedian Byer, who manages to toss in plenty of blue gags while still keeping it family-friendly. “I think America is ready to just have a just a silly, fun show that you don’t have to think too hard to enjoy and the whole family can get together and laugh.” “I always felt that this show was going to come back, that it was just a timing thing,” Kunitz says. Now, “Wipeout” 2.0 comes as audiences are in the midst of a global pandemic and also presumably looking for merriment. The original “Wipeout” launched in 2008, in the midst of the economic crisis, and became the kind of feel-good show that viewers were looking for. “Creatively, we felt we felt like there was a way to update the format.” “I was looking for big, broad formats and I wanted a legacy franchise that I could bring back,” Henson says of the show, which went off the air in 2014.
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