Overnights
A socko premiere for ABC's 'Wipeout'
By Toni Fitzgerald
Jun 25, 2008 - 11:36:17 AM

A strong premiere for the new reality show “Wipeout” knocked ABC into first place on a competitive Tuesday evening.

The 8 p.m. show drew a 3.6 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, easily winning its timeslot and tying Fox’s veteran “Hell’s Kitchen” as the top program of the night.

It marked the best premiere for a new summer show this season, and it was ABC's best premiere for a summer show since 2005's "Brat Camp." It was also the network's top summer series in the Tuesday 8 p.m. slot since 2001.

"Wipeout" outdrew another premiere in the same timeslot, NBC’s “Celebrity Family Feud” with a 2.3, by 57 percent, though NBC points out that was still the network’s best result in the time period in 10 weeks.

“Wipeout,” in which regular people compete in a giant obstacle course that frequently ends with them plunging into the mud, rose 28 percent from its first half hour to its second, from a 3.2 to a 4.1 rating.

It also helped boost 9 p.m. lead-out “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” to a 3.1 rating, though that show fell from a 3.3 in its first half hour to a 2.8.

“Wipeout” pushed ABC to a victory on a night where Fox and NBC both air their top summer shows, “Kitchen” and “America’s Got Talent,” respectively.

“Talent” was the night’s top show in total viewers, averaging 11.5 million from 9 to 11 p.m., down from 12.8 million for last week’s premiere.

For the night, ABC averaged a 3.1 average overnight rating and a 9 share. NBC was second at 2.8/8, Fox third at 2.4/7, Univision fourth at 1.5/5, CBS fifth at 1.4/4 and CW sixth at 0.6/2.
 
At 8 p.m. ABC led with a 3.6 for “Wipeout,” followed by NBC with a 2.3 for “Feud.” Univision was third with a 1.7 for “Al Diablo con los Guapos,” Fox fourth with a 1.3 for a repeat of “Kitchen,” CBS fifth with a 1.2 for an “NCIS” rerun and CW sixth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Beauty and the Geek.”
 
Fox took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 3.6 for an original “Kitchen,” while ABC slid to second with a 3.1 for “Survived.” NBC was third with a 2.8 for the first hour of “Talent,” CBS fourth with a 1.6 for “48 Hours Mystery,” Univision fifth with a 1.5 for “Fuego en la Sangre” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “Reaper.”
 
At 10 p.m. NBC took over first place with a 3.3 for more “Talent,” with ABC second with a 2.5 for “Primetime.” Univision and CBS tied for third at 1.3, Univision for “Aqui y Ahora” and CBS for a repeat of “Without a Trace.”
 
NBC led the night among households with a 6.6 average overnight rating and an 11 share. CBS was second at 5.0/9, ABC third at 4.8/8, Fox fourth at 3.5/6, Univision fifth at 2.0/3 and CW sixth at 1.0/2.