CONTESTANTS FACE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE, COLD HEARTED SNAKE AND ONE OF THE CLOSEST RACES TO THE FINISH IN AN ALL-NEW WIPEOUT ZONE, ON ABC'S WINTER "WIPEOUT"

"Wipeout -- Winter Wipeout: That Snow Way to Fall Down" - In another winter edition of "Wipeout," contestants will battle the Arctic Circle, featuring Garry the Eskimo and a germaphobic Polar Bear. Among those fighting for the $50,000 prize are "Katie GaGa," "Mr Gum," "The Dark Artist" and a "Treasure Hunter." All bets are off for the most entertaining "Cold Hearted Snake" to date, where only three will advance to the exciting conclusion in the Winter Wipeout Zone. Hosted by John Anderson (ESPN's "SportsCenter"), John Henson (E! Entertainment's "Talk Soup") and new co-host Vanessa Lachey ("ABC's True Beauty"), "Wipeout" airs THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 (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 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; 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