During the noughties and early 2010s, therewerean abundance of gameshows for TV viewers to feast their eyes on. One of the most popular BBCprogrammeswhich lasted for six seasons was Total Wipeout, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram.
The iconic cult show was known for its imaginatively constructed course, whereby players had to tackle numerous obstacles such as muddy pits and giant red balls in order to win a cash prize.
Twelve years after the show last aired, former contestant Tomasz Wisniewski spoke exclusively on behalf of Zingo Bingo about what it was like winning the show and detailed some behind the scenes secrets.
Reflecting on his ‘horrendous’ audition process, Tomasz explained that he was ‘asked to dress up’ and that he had to complete six ‘difficult’ auditions before he was selected to go on the show.
Elsewhere, the41 year oldrevealed that he ‘didn’t take it seriously’ when it came to trying to win themoney, andnoted what Amanda was really like when camerasweren’trolling.
Speaking exclusively on behalf of Zingo Bingo, Tomasz Wisniewski reveals:
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Why do you think you were chosen in the application process?
Getting into that show was actually quite difficult because there were so many auditions.I would say six auditions. At one of theauditionsthey asked me to dress up so I thought, ‘I'm going to be really outrageous.’SoI dressed up as a male version of a Playboy Bunny.
Through the audition, it was just horrendous. I had to pretend like I was a cow.Sowe all had togo and makeourselves look likean idiot.It'sbecause they wanted to see your personality.At the end of the day, it's a reality show on the BBC which everyone watches, so you have to have a personality to be on that show.
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What was filming like?
I had no idea that it was going to be so hard. Ididn'tthink I had the strength, and every single night at the hotel in Argentina you had a choice whether to stay in and sleep or go out. I was going out withonefriend.
Everyone was so competent and keen to win, but I was like, ‘Idon’tcare.I'min Buenos Aires.’ To me I was winning by just being in Buenos Aires.Honestly, no one could believe that I actually won because I didn’t take it seriously.I was very upfront about it. Ididn’tknow how much money I would win.
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Were you nervous about getting injured?
Somepeople did endup with injuries. I remember there was a girl in my series - she broke her arm.I'mone of those people who may watch a fewepisodesand Idon'treally care that much. If I get through the audition, then I will worry. I had no clue. I only watched one episode.
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What did it feel liketo winthe show?
So, youdon'tget a trophy.It'sjust for TV. For five seconds you haveitand they take it back from you. There were three people and then one of the guys who was with me at thefinal, he actually was sharing a bedroom in the hotel with me.
He was a lovelyguyand he had throat cancer beforehand. I wanted him to win, but then obviouslyit'sthe competition, sowe'regoing to fight for it. And then when I won, I could not believe it. I felt sorry for him becauseI felt hedeserved it more than I did.
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How quickly did you get your prize for winning?
I had to wait for quite a long time. Usually with reality shows, youdon'tget money straight away. Youhave towait for a couple of months, and usuallyit'safter the episode is aired on TV.Sotheykind of holdit back in case you do something silly, something stupid, ormaybe saysomething bad. It was usually four or five months.
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Did you speak to Amanda Byram off camera?
I did.She’sa very lovely person. I remember I wanted to talk to her and she said, ‘I've got no time now, sorry,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, that was a little bit harsh.’
And then she came back to me a few hours after I had mylunchand she said, ‘Thomas, you wanted to speak to me.Let'shave a chat.’ She gave me a hug. She wasvery supportivewhen she wasreally busy.
