Quick. Name the #2 rated show in America. No, it’s not CSI: Law & Order Unit. It’s ABC’s Wipeout.
I have to admit, I love it. Our society has had a long love affair with pratfalls and groin shots. America’s Funniest Home Videos was built on the concept, and YouTube exploded into the collective conscious with hits like the Grape Lady.
Evidently, Americans still have an incredible appetite for watching their countrymen fall flat on their faces, because Wipeout is followed by I Survived a Japanese Game Show, which puts the helpless victims in lower-impact settings but more embarrassing outfits. But, where Wipeout revels in the simple glee of a face plant in the mud, I Survived muddles it up with a reality show subplot. I’ll take the former.
But, while I couldn’t stop laughing at the juvenile Wipeout, I can only tolerate so much TV. After all, it is summer and evenings are made for ice cream. While I can’t argue with the appeal of Cold Stone Creamery, I’ll go local every time. When I lived on the east side, I went to Heyn’s Ice Cream. When I lived downtown, it was Whitey’s Ice Cream. Now, as a flood transplant on the west side of town, I’m going to hop on my bike for my first taste of Dane’s Dairy. I’m guessing it will be every bit as good.
