The balls are back in town, folks. Yes, “Wipeout,” American TV’s favorite inducer of schadenfreude is back and looking to Southern California residents for new victi—uh—contestants.

The former ABC show returns to television after a six-year hiatus and its new home, TBS, promises it will remain true to its original premise of contestants trying to finish a giant obstacle course, the signature obstacle being giant, red balls that tend to produce the most spectacular fails (photo above). Producers promise “new fails, new falls and bigger balls,” the winner getting $25,000, which can buy a lot of bandages.

Currently, “Wipeout” is casting for teams of two to debut on their upcoming 20 episodes, who may or may not tackle their new three-stage obstacle course together—the show’s casting director, Katy Wallin, wouldn’t budge on the details. But what Wallin did reveal is that they’re looking for teams with “great chemistry” with contestants from “all walks of life” with any athletic background.

“You can be incredibly athletic, you can be non-athletic, you can be the clumsiest person on earth,” said Wallin, who’s worked on the show for seven years. “It’s just [about] bringing out these fun, fierce personalities and different occupations. We’ve had COVID nurses, newlyweds, farmers [apply so far].”

The cut-off to apply for the show is Sept. 22. Wallin encourages people to apply ASAP as they’ve already received thousands of applicants so far. But don’t feel defeated, Wallin said her team looks over each and every application. Castings will be done over Zoom, however, applicants can expect a pre-qualifying phone call before the official Zoom interview.

Traditionally “Wipeout” allowed people from all over the country to apply for the show, but in light of the pandemic and consequent health precautions, the show is looking for Southern California residents who are available to film in Los Angeles for approximately three non-consecutive days. Applicants must apply as a team of two and be at least 18 or older, but Wallin said, the teams don’t necessarily have to be from the same household and will be allowed to have the interviews separately.

“We’re looking for people that are ready to have this great adventure, ace these big red balls and have probably one of the most memorable experiences of their life,” Wallin said.

Such was the case for former “Wipeout” contestant Steven David, who admits that while he has trouble remembering his mother’s birthday, he can still remember the date when his episode aired on TV.

David, who you’ll find at the 58-second mark of the video below, made a lasting impression on season four dressed as his alter-ego “Grapie” who looks more or less like the grape Fruit of the Loom character, except with a purple tutu and fairy wings. He says, without a doubt, that his costume helped him get noticed by the show, but the costume wasn’t a gimmick.

Long before “Wipeout,” he was dressing as Grapie, visiting children’s hospitals and running marathons, including the Houston half-marathon where he raised $15,000 for the Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer Center.

David was 48 when he landed himself a spot on the show nine years ago. As a self-described “couch potato” he stresses that athletic ability really isn’t what will land you a moment on the “Wipeout” platform—although winning it is, arguably, another matter—but by playing up your personality.

“Be yourself, but be entertaining. No TV show wants a quiet person,” said David. “You’re going to be embarrassed, but who cares? I’m a 48-year-old man wearing purple and a tutu and angel wings. So, don’t be embarrassed, go out have a lot of fun. When you do the audition, you need to have fun.”

For more information and to apply, visit the “Wipeout” Casting website, here. The show is free to apply for.