Wipeout is a show on ABC where twenty four contestants compete each week to conquer an extreme obstacle course and win $50,000. While the contestants navigate the obstacle course, John Anderson and John Henson commentate on both their wipeouts and successes.

Contestants begin Wipeout by going through the qualifier course. If contestants fail an obstacle, they must swim through the muddy water to the next one. Only the twelve fastest contestants are able to advance to the next round. The twelve who make it through the qualifier advance to round two, where players compete in a test of endurance to be the last six standing to advance to the third round.

Wipeout contestants who reach the third round can be challenged by a few different obstacles depending on the episode. Sometimes contestants must race each other through an obstacle course after being placed on a spinning platform for a time and other times they must navigate through a slippery obstacle course. Occasionally contestants do time based challenges where the top four advance but these are rare.

The final round in Wipeout has the four finalists compete to finish a very large obstacle course in the fastest time. Contestants begin the course by sliding down a water slide or being launched by a catapult. the obstacles change slightly per episode but generally stays the same. The contestant with the fastest time wins $50,000 and is named the champion of the episode.