The pilot episode of Wipeout was first taped over one year prior to its premiere broadcast date. While the gameplay on the entire episode was exactly the same, (with the exception of the "Free Pass"), there were several physical changes to the game shows set, plus, a co-host.

As I just stated, the biggest changes were only physical. To start, Peter had a co-host on the show. She was to be the "Vanna White" of the show. Since the original pilot did not have computer based spaces, and used trilians instead, it was her job to spin the box to reveal if the answer was correct or not. Since the actual series used computers, I guess Paramount decided that she wasn't needed. (Of course, they don't reall need Vanna White on Wheel Of Fortune anymore either, but that's another story for another time.)

In the show that was aired, the question that Peter asked would be displayed on the screen at the top of the round, using computer embedded sources. On the pilot, however, again, with the lack of computers, used a slide that had the question on it, that would be displayed at Tomarken's podium.

The only small, gameplay difference, was that at a point, the player in the lead would be given a "Free Pass", in which in the event that s/he was in control and didn't know an answer, they could pass with no penalty. (In the series, you had to give at least one correct answer before passing.)

In the bonus round of the game, there were no computerized touch screens. So for a contestant to make their selections, they would put a large yellow ring on a hook on the top of the answers they wanted. These signs resembled "Do Not Enter" signs if you look at them the right way. The premise of the game was the same. If you got the 6 correct answers in 60 seconds, you won a car of some sort. (It was more of a luxury car than a typical sedan though). Also, since there were no on-screen graphics yet, the correct number of answers was indicated by a trillian lighting up with the appropriate number.)

Original Tape Date: September 2, 1987
Tape Editing Date: September 4, 1987
Series Premiere Date: September 12, 1988

As you can tell from the above dates, it took almost a year for the show to get off the ground. It would enjoy one year under syndication in first run episodes, and almost two years in reruns via the USA TV Network.