CONTESTANTS FACE THE SNOWBOARD HALF PIPE, AVALANCHE ALLEY AND THE SNOW BOOT, ON THIS WEEK'S EPISODE OF WINTER "WIPEOUT" ON ABC

"Wipeout -- Winter Wipeout: Ice, Ice Baby"- Host John Henson says "'Winter Wipeout': so naughty it's nice!" In order for contestants to get their mittens on the cold, hard $50,000 grand prize, they must first face the Snowboard Half Pipe, as they try to defy gravity but find themselves falling to the ground like scintillating snowflakes. Next on the course, players receive a swift kick in the ski pants from the abominable Snow Boot, followed by a frosty trip to Avalanche Alley, where conditions are perfect for scattered flurries of Wipeouts. Only the final three players who can weather the chilly conditions on the course will make it to the Winter Wipeout Zone, where the race for the fastest time really heats things up. Hosted by John Anderson (ESPN's "SportsCenter,"), John Henson (E! Entertainment's "Talk Soup") and new co-host Vanessa Lachey ("ABC's True Beauty"), Winter "Wipeout" airs THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

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

"Wipeout" executive producers are Matt Kunitz ("Fear Factor" "100 Ways to Leave a Game Show") 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