Fun in the sun and maybe in traction

kw: tv shows

I am not in a serious mood today. I've watched about half of the showings of ABC's Wipeout since it began airing just before July 2008. It is just the right mix of slapstick and, well, slapstick to help me while away an hour when I need some mindless entertainment. I got curious about where it is produced, and found a link with an address (25975 Sand Canyon Road, Canyon Country, CA 91351). Plopping this into Google Earth I find this:

The actual production site is about half set and half logistical space. At the time this image was taken, July 15, 2011, they were clearly remodeling the set for the next season, which was probably recorded in the fall months. In this area west of Magic Mountain (not the amusement park, which was moved to Ventura years ago, but the actual mountain), summer gets pretty hot.

The three linked pools at the right make up the initial qualifier. There are three pools, a circle and two rectangles, in which the second- and third-level qualifiers can be constructed (they don't use all three at once, typically). The unfinished bone-shaped pool at the left is the Wipeout Zone, clearly undergoing a major overhaul at the time.

As much as I like water sports, I have no desire to try out for the show. I'm a bit older than their to-date-oldest competitor, and more easily bruised than when I was half this age. On the short list of "things I might do for $50,000", Wipeout is not included!