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The Sweeper from Season 7

​​The Sweeper is an obstacle used in the second round of Seasons 1, 2, and 7. The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles/pedestals as the arm moves in a sweeping motion. They must jump over the arm to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the arm will move faster and faster and rise higher and higher. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.

​​In Season 1, Episode 9, the rules are the same, except the round starts with sixteen contestants, and the final eight contestants standing move on to the next round.

​​In some episodes of Season 4 of Spring and Summer Wipeout, the Sweeper was placed as the third round, with six contestants competing to advance to the Wipeout Zone. There are three rounds, and the last person standing at the end of each round moves on to the Wipeout Zone. This obstacle also featured several themes, like the Dive Bar, Jump the Shark, the Sushi Bar, and the Singles Bar, as well as variations to make it harder, like the Super Tramp and the Super Sack.

​​In Season 7, the Sweeper returned with a modified look and a reduced $500 bonus and was dubbed as the Classic Sweeper. In episodes 1, 6, and 10, this was placed before the Wipeout Zone.

Versions of the Sweeper[]

Season 1:

Sack Sweeper: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles while wearing sacks as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must hop over the arm to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Sweeper will move faster and faster and rise higher and higher. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Toothbrush Sweeper: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must jump over the arm and the toothbrush bristles to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Sweeper will move faster and faster and rise higher and higher. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Sweeper Dodgeball: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles while holding dodgeballs as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must jump over the arm to avoid being knocked into the water below. They can throw their dodgeballs at each other during the game. As time goes on, the Sweeper will move faster and faster and rise higher and higher. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Hoop Sweeper: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must jump over the arm and through the giant hoop to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Sweeper will move faster and faster and rise higher and higher. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Crowbar Sweeper: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must jump over the arm and the smoking crows to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Sweeper will move faster and faster and rise higher and higher. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
The Crusher: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles as two arms move in a sweeping motion. They must jump between the arms to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the arms will move faster and faster and squeeze tighter and tighter . The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Triple Threat Sweeper: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles as the Crusher moves in a sweeping motion. They must jump through the Crusher, dodge the junior wrecking ball, and overcome the ice-cold smoke to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Crusher will move faster and faster and squeeze tighter and tighter. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.

Season 2:

Gyro Sweeper: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high pedestals as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must jump over the Sweeper to avoid being knocked into the water below. But when John Henson pulls the magic lever, the gyro arm at the end of the Sweeper will begin to gyrate in a circular motion as well. Then they’ll have to time it correctly and decide whether to jump over or duck under the gyro arm. As time goes on, the Sweeper and the gyro will move faster and faster. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Classic Sweeper: The rules are the same from Season 1. In Season 7, this version returned with the same rules from the first two seasons, except the last person standing wins a $500 bonus. In episodes 1, 6, and 10, this was placed before the Wipeout Zone.
Mace Sweeper: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high pedestals as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must jump over the arm and dodge the hanging mace to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Sweeper will move faster and faster and rise higher and higher. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Gyro Sweeper (with distracting fingers): The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high pedestals as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must jump over the Sweeper and through the fingers to avoid being knocked into the water below. But when John Henson pulls the magic lever, the gyro arm at the end of the Sweeper will begin to gyrate in a circular motion as well. Then they’ll have to time it correctly and decide whether to jump over or duck under the gyro arm. As time goes on, the Sweeper and the gyro will move faster and faster. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Sack Gyro Sweeper: The twelve all-star contestants stand on 10-foot-high pedestals while wearing sacks as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. When John Henson pulls the magic lever, the gyro arm at the end of the Sweeper will begin to rotate as well. They’ll have to time it correctly and decide whether to hop over or duck under the gyro arm to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Sweeper and the gyro will move faster and faster. The final six all-star contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Gyro Crusher: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high pedestals as the Crusher moves in a sweeping motion. They must jump through the Crusher to avoid being knocked into the water below. But when John Henson pulls the magic lever, the gyro arm at the bottom of the Crusher will begin to gyrate in a circular motion as well. Then they’ll have to time it correctly and decide whether to jump over while avoiding the top arm or duck under the gyro arm. As time goes on, the Crusher and the gyro will move faster and faster. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Ball Crusher: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high poles as the Crusher moves in a sweeping motion. They must jump through the Crusher and the hanging balls to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Crusher will move faster and faster and squeeze tighter and tighter. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.
Cheese Sweeper: The twelve contestants stand on 10-foot-high pedestals as the Sweeper moves in a circular motion. They must jump over the arm and the wedge of cheese to avoid being knocked into the water below. As time goes on, the Sweeper will move faster and faster and rise higher and higher. The final six contestants standing move on to the next round, and the last person standing wins a $1,000 bonus.

Season 4:

Super Tramp: The six contestants start together on trampolines elevated 10 feet above the water. They must bounce over the rising sweeper bar as it rotates around and around in order to avoid being knocked into the drink. If they go under the bar, they're out. There are three rounds, and the last person standing at the end of each round moves on to the Spring Wipeout Zone.
Clean Sweep: The six contestants start together on platforms elevated 10 feet above the water. They must jump over the rising sweeper bar as it rotates around and around in order to avoid being knocked into the drink. If they go under the bar, they’re out. There are three rounds, and the last person standing at the end of each round moves on to the Spring Wipeout Zone.
Dive Bar: The six contestants start together on platforms elevated 10 feet above the water. They must jump over a rotating giant snorkel in order to avoid being knocked into the water. If they go under the snorkel, they’re out. There are three rounds, and the last person standing at the end of each round moves on to the Wipeout Zone.
Jump the Shark: The six all-star contestants start together on platforms elevated 10 feet above the water. They must jump over a rotating great white shark in order to avoid being knocked into the water. If they go under the shark, they’re out. There are three rounds, and the last person standing at the end of each round moves on to the Wipeout Zone.
Sushi Bar: The six contestants start together on platforms elevated 10 feet above the water. They must jump over a rotating salmon sushi roll-covered sweeper bar in order to avoid being knocked into the sake. If they go under the bar, they’re out. There are three rounds, and the last person standing at the end of each round moves on to the Wipeout Zone.
Super Sack: The six contestants start together on platforms elevated 10 feet above the water while wearing potato sacks. They must hop over the rising sweeper bar as it rotates around and around in order to avoid being knocked into the drink. If they go under the bar, they’re out. There are three rounds, and the last person standing at the end of each round moves on to the Wipeout Zone.
Singles Bar: The three blind date couples start together on platforms elevated 10 feet above the water. They must jump over the rising sweeper bar as it rotates around and around in order to avoid being knocked into the sea of love. If they go under the bar, they’re out. The last person standing wins the round, but has to wait for their date to also win a round, so they can move on together. The first two complete blind date couples to make it out of the event move on to the Wipeout Zone.

Trivia[]

  • Season 1, Episode 9's Sweeper was the first version of the Sweeper. Filmed for the pilot episode, it featured a blue bar pointed upwards, instead of the classic red bar used in future episodes.
  • In Season 1, the poles contestants stand on featured no side ladder to climb up on. However, in Season 2, a side ladder can be seen on the pedestals, most likely because it was the same podium as alternate obstacle "King of the Mountain", which allowed contestants multiple tries. Contestants still only had one try at the Sweeper, though some used this side ladder to their advantage when being swept off.
  • The Sweeper is typically filmed in the large circular pool where most round two obstacles are built. Only in Season 4, the Sweeper was built in the square round-three pool, and featured only 6 contestants instead of 12.
  • Since Season 2, the Sweeper became a more common obstacle, being featured in smaller one-off variations in the other rounds like the Qualifier and Wipeout Zone. Its first non round two appearance was in Season 2’s "Wipeout Bowl I: Cheerleaders vs. Couch Potatoes", where the Wipeout Zone introduced the "Crazy Sweeper".
  • Season 6, Episode 3 has a "Chainsaw Sweeper" that's played as a joke.
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