Season 1’s Sucker Punch
The Sucker Punch is one of the more famous obstacles on Wipeout, firstly introduced as the second obstacle in the Qualifier of Season 1.
It is a big wall with 23 punching gloves that contestants must cross while standing on a narrow 8-inch (20.32-centimeter) ledge over mud with only rock-climbing elements helping them along the way. It is almost always featured as the second obstacle of the Qualifier; it’s rarely ever featured as the third obstacle.
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Season 2’s Sucker Punch
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Season 2’s Sucker Punch (Australia Special)
The stunt appeared in every episode of Season 1, 3, and 7, as well as in most of Season 2.
Only a handful of contestants have made it across, of which Gwenisha Robinson is the first shown.
Season 3’s Sucker Punch
In Season 3, the wall added more holes, which spray out paint to blind the contestants.
In Season 4 of Summer Wipeout, it was retired and replaced by Driver's Ed.
In Season 5, no obstacles appeared in the second mud pit.
In Season 6, the Failboxes and Tropic Blunder took the place of this obstacle.
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Season 7’s Sucker Punch
It returned in Season 7, once again as the second obstacle in the Qualifier with the addition of an airbag (similar to the ones used on Driver's Ed (which was used as the second obstacle in the Qualifier of Season 4’s Summer Wipeout, being interchanged with the Big Balls' Dreadmill Motivator from Winter (Snow-tivator) and Spring (Springivator) of the same season)) and a smack wall to knock contestants into the mud pit.
Variations[]
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Season 1’s Sucker Punch (pilot episode)
In most episodes, there were handles attached to the wall to make it easier for the contestants to hang on. In some episodes (including the pilot episode), they weren't there, and the contestants had to cross by hanging onto nothing. One of the only people who passed this wall is Katie Mayfield.
Season 1’s Butt Kicker
In 1x08, it was modified into the Butt Kicker, a similar obstacle where contestants must run across a small ledge to the other side with their backs faced to the wall. The gloves were replaced by shoes and boots.
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Season 1’s Sucker Punch (with balls)
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Season 1’s Sucker Punch (with fruit punch)
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Season 1’s Sucker Punch (with pudding)
The mud had some additions as well. These additions include balls, fruit punch, and foam to resemble pudding during the food finale of Season 2.
The biggest addition are the paint holes, which were introduced in Season 3 to blind and distract contestants.
The airbag and smack wall were added in Season 7, which made the obstacle all but impossible to clear.
Other Appearances[]
Total Wipeout (UK)[]
In the UK version, the Sucker Punch appeared as the second obstacle of the Qualifier for Series 1 to 5. In Series 1 and 2, it looked similar to the US Season 1 variant. In Series 3 and 4, it adopted the design from the US Season 2 variant. The paint holes were then added in Series 5.
Wipeout Canada[]
In Wipeout Canada, the Sucker Punch appeared as the second obstacle of the Qualifier. Unlike other Qualifier obstacles in this version, if contestants fails, they have to attempt the obstacle again. A special feature was added in this version: one of the boxing gloves in the Sucker Punch is a white boxing glove with a red maple leaf on it, and if they tap the white glove, they’ll move on to the Big Balls without going to the Sucker Punch a second time, regardless of if they clear it or not.
Trivia[]
- The Wipey for best Sucker Punch went to Jessica Threvethick. The runner-ups were Dana Jamison, James Simpton, Jessica Bertoni, and Craig Johnson.