ABC'S "WIPEOUT" SALUTES THE ARMED FORCES WITH A SPECIAL MILITARY-THEMED EPISODE AIRING THURSDAY, JULY 5

In Addition to the Grand Prize, a $20,000 Donation from ABC and Wipeout will go to the USO in Honor of the Winner

"Wipeout Salutes the Armed Forces" � In this "Wipeout" military special, 24 of America's finest men and women from all branches of the Armed Forces take on the all-new "Private Bee-jamin," followed by the "Drill Sergeant" and lastly try their best on getting over the "Hangover." Among the courageous contestants competing for the $50,000 grand prize are a Marine recruiter, a Dental Fly-genist and an Army medic in a mouse-kini. In addition to the grand prize, a $20,000 donation from ABC and Wipeout will go to the USO in honor of the winner. Hosted by John Anderson (ESPN's "SportsCenter,"), John Henson (E! Entertainment's "Talk Soup") and co-hosted by Vanessa Lachey (ABC's "True Beauty") "Wipeout" airs THURSDAY, JULY 5 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET)

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, while everyone else will Wipeout!

"Wipeout" executive producers are Matt Kunitz ("101 Ways to Leave a Game Show" "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. A TV-parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.

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