CONTESTANTS HAVE TO TAKE A STAND OR GET "BOWLED OVER," AND THERE'S NO SOFT OPENING FOR THE CHOCOLATE SHOP IN THE WIPEOUT KITCHEN, ON ABC'S SPRING "WIPEOUT"

"Spring Wipeout: The Wizard of Owws" - "For years, bowling has lacked one crucial element -- full body contact. �Wipeout' corrects that oversight, bringing an entirely new meaning to the phrase STRIKE!," says Host John Henson. Spring is in the air and a fresh crop of contestants will have to take a stand as they face the new obstacle, "Bowled Over." Plus, there'll be �oohs', �ahhs' and �owws' heard on the course when the Chocolate Shop leaves its mark on players in the Wipeout Kitchen. Once the field is narrowed to six individuals indulging in Wipeout surprises, three will see their day come to an end on an Arabian Nights-themed challenge. The other three will then race their way through the Spring Wipeout Zone, and the player with the best time will win a cool $50,000. Hosted by John Anderson (ESPN's "SportsCenter"), John Henson (E! Entertainment's "Talk Soup") and co-hosted by Jill Wagner, "Wipeout" airs THURSDAY, APRIL 14 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Each week, 24 enthusiastic new contestants of all ages, shapes and sizes go head to head through four rounds of demanding but hilarious obstacle courses to win the title of "Wipeout Champion" and the $50,000 grand prize. In the end, only one contestant will be victorious, while everyone else will Wipeout!

"Wipeout" executive producers are Matt Kunitz ("Fear Factor") and Scott Larsen. Shye Sutherland, Kevin Wehrenberg, Trice Barto and J. Rupert Thompson are co-executive producers. The series is produced by Endemol USA. David Goldberg is the chairman of Endemol North America.

About Endemol USA

Endemol USA is a leading producer of television programming specializing in reality and non-scripted genres for network and cable television. The company produces the break-out hits "Deal or No Deal," "Wipeout," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Big Brother." Endemol USA is a division of the Endemol Group, a prominent international content developer, producer and distributor of television and online programming. The company, headquartered in the Netherlands, has subsidiaries and joint ventures in 25 countries, including the major European markets, the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Endemol is owned by a consortium consisting of Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Mediaset Group and Cyrte Group. For more information, please visit http://www.endemolusa.tv. Endemol is a privately held company.

"Wipeout" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5/1 channel surround sound. This program carries a TV-PG, L parental guideline.

For more information on "Wipeout," visit ABC.com