Wipeout, the Japan game show import, has been picked up by ABC for a second season. Will this trend of Japanese game show imports continue? We may eventually see at least one on every network. Fox will be launching Hole in the Wall in September.

THE BIG BALLS ARE BACK!! ABC PICKS UP “WIPEOUT” FOR A SECOND SEASON

“Wipeout,” ABC’s wildly popular new reality series, has been picked up for a second season. Twenty-four thrill-seekers will compete in the world’s largest extreme obstacle course designed to provide the most spills, face plants and wipeouts ever seen on television.

A hit summer series for ABC, “Wipeout” dominates Tuesday’s 8:00 o’clock hour in Total Viewers and across each of the key Adult demographics (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). In its six telecasts to date, “Wipeout” has consistently ranked as the No. 2 show of the week in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. On average, the ABC freshman series leads NBC’s competing new series, “Celebrity Family Feud,” in the hour by 2.4 million viewers and by 81% in Adults 18-49. Since its debut, “Wipeout” stands as the summer’s No. 1 TV program with Men 18-49 and Men 25-54, and is the No. 2 show in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, behind only NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” respectively. The No. 1 new series of Summer 2008 in viewers and young adults, “Wipeout” represents TV’s highest-rated freshman summer series (for any net) in three years in Adults 18-49 — since the initial season of “Dancing with the Stars” in Summer 2005.

Each week 24 daring new contestants of all ages, shapes and sizes will go head to head through four rounds of grueling and physically demanding but wildly hilarious obstacle courses to win the title of “Wipeout Champion” and the grand prize of $50,000. The contestants and the courses change every week, with over-the-top obstacles including the crowd favorite, the Big Balls. In the end, only one contestant will win, while everyone else will Wipeout!

“Wipeout” is hosted by John Anderson (ESPN’s “SportsCenter”) and John Henson (E! Entertainment’s “Talk Soup”). Jill Wagner is co-host.

Wipeout