The Best Total Wipeout Courses in the UK
The game show Total Wipeout debuted in 2009 and with its first episode set to change the landscape of not just this genre of television but also of hen parties, stag parties, corporate team bonding sessions and birthday occasions.
Hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, each episode saw contestants compete in a series of challenges with the goal of winning a prize pot of £10,000. The challenges mainly involved large assault courses set in vast pools of water and/or mud, and contestants competed across four elimination rounds until just one remained; with that person claiming the money and a special Total Wipeout charity.
What is West Country Games?
West Country Games embraces all the stereotypes of the West Country in one great day out, comprising of 9 totally hilarious games suitable for all sorts of groups.
If you have an upcoming, Stag do, Hen Weekend, Birthday Party or Team Building Day, then why not give us a try?
Choosing your Total Wipeout Course
Originally an Endemol show from the US, it was adapted for British television and speedily gained a passionate audience of viewers and was commissioned for six series including a winter-themed edition and alongside several celebrity versions. While the programme ceased in 2012, it was picked up again for re-runs in 2020 with Top Gear presenters Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff narrating over some of the most popular and shocking classic episodes in a series named Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover.
The fun of the show alongside the loyal following of viewers it gained had a real “I could do this!” feel-good factor for those at home on the sofa, and as a result a myriad of Total Wipeout courses based on the programme opened to glorious commercial success across the world. These courses are available for visitors of all ages to give the assault courses made famous on the show a go and are extremely popular amongst those celebrating occasions such as stag dos, hen dos and birthdays, as well as corporate team bonding and building sessions.
Total Wipeout Stages...
The first round of any Total Wipeout course is known as ‘The Qualifier’ and involves participants attempting to finish a short obstacle course in the quickest time. 20 contestants begin but the 8 with the slowest times are eliminated, so 12 remain. Obstacles in The Qualifier vary but always include the Sucker Punch, Big Balls, and a swing to the goal at the end.
A Total Wipeout course’s second stage varies, as it changed every two series throughout the show, but these were named The Sweeper, Crash Mountain, Double Cross and Ski Lift (for the special winter edition).
As the Total Wipeout course furthers and fewer contestants stay in the game, the obstacles get more difficult. Stage three again changed between series of the show but these included Dizzy Dummies, The Dreadmill, The Terror-Go-Round and Winter Blunderland (again, for the winter edition).
Wipeout Contestants
Only a few contestants (usually two or three) make it to the final round of any Total Wipeout course, The Wipeout Zone. Nicknamed ‘the toughest obstacle course in the world’, the winner must complete this section in the quickest time possible to claim the prize. Made up of five or six obstacles, this is designed specifically to be tricky and, of course, to make the best possible television.
While the show was filmed in California and Argentina, most of us don’t have quite the same budget when it comes to planning a team or friend outing. Instead, a Total Wipeout course in the UK can make for an experience everyone will remember… and you’re not likely to pick up sunburn or jet lag along the way!
Total Wipeout Bristol
For those looking for a course to try Total Wipeout, Bristol is the ideal city to visit: as there’s a locationally-themed version of the assault courses open to the public as well as a myriad of other activities to try, places to visit, restaurants to eat at and bars to sample drinks at. If you’re planning an event, Brizzle makes for a fantastic destination surrounded by tourist amenities, great transport links and plenty of places to stay.
Total Wipeout Courses
With a variety of games themed around Total Wipeout, Bristol’s West Country Games makes for a comprehensive day out with something for everyone! Indeed they have a whopping NINE games on offer for visitors to try:
- Cider Run – Get your pint as far down the bar as you can before the bungee pings you back!
- Pitchfork Duel – Knock your farmer rival off their podium with your pitchfork!
- Wurzel Knockout – Hit those Wurzels with your apple firing slingshot!
- West Country Wipeout – Jump on the pedal powered sweeper arm and knock ‘em down! Total Wipeout, West Country Style!
- Pull the Pig - Get the stag, hen or VIP to ride that muddy pig and fight to pull them over the line in a game of tug o' war with a difference!
- Welly Wangin' – Lob your wellies into the targets, it's harder than it looks!
- Drunk Pub Skittles – Spin round the pole and then try bowling a few rounds.
- Mangold Danglin' – Human skittles with a bag on a bungee... ooh err!
- Farmer's Shower – Like Mastermind for the Stag or hen but with a big old bucket of Somerset's finest slurry.
Total Wipeout Cardiff
If you’re a little further west and would like to try a Total Wipeout course, Bristol needn’t mean you have to travel a long way. Our sister centre, The Welsh Games is situated near Cardiff.
The Welsh Games also comprises of nine games, and locally themed; designed for every member of the group to take part in all of them.
- Sheep Shenanigans - Sheep jokes will become a distant memory as you struggle to hold on tight for the Sheep Rodeo!
- Drunk Dragons - A relay race in giant dragon costumes!
- Welsh Celebrity Knockout - Slingshot those limelight-hogging stars like Tom Jones and Charlotte Church!
- Duffin Daffyd - Don your enormous sumo suit and take on your opponent armed only with a daffodil!
- Across the Taff - Can you ferry your team across the River Taff and back before the other side? Careful not to slip in!
- Leek Duel - Give your opponent a proper walloping with a giant leek and knock them off their podium!
- Pull the Pit Pony - Saddle up the hen/stag/VIP and try and pull them into the pit in a twist on the classic tug o'war!
- Rugby Run - Can you score a try before you get twanged back by the bungee cord!?
- Miner’s Shower - Finish the games with a special treat for the VIP...
Of course, for your experience at Total Wipeout, Bristol could always be the second destination on your list after Cardiff. There’s plenty to do, see, eat and drink in the Welsh capital and with Bristol just down the round you can even fit both in a weekend. Staff at both centres can help advise on things to do in the local area and of the best transport options between the two sites.
The sites are both so memorable and make for such a laugh it’s not uncommon for us to see groups attend one and then the other – so as soon as you find an excuse to come visit, be sure to book it in!
