American Ninja Warrior - NBC

[tiams]

I think there is a show with a similar name on a cable network, but I am OTA only.

These obstacles are hardcore! I was recently thinking they should bring back the Strongest Man show so I was happy to see this. It will be a nice summer show that I can watch with the kid.

The contestants are a lot older than I would expect!

[Donbadabon]

I think this is a continuation of the show on the G4 network. Same contestants, just further down the qualifying line.

It is amazing the strength these people have.

The show is so sloooowwwww. 2 hours was way too long for this, for me. I found myself hitting FF a lot.

[DancnDude]

I was thinking it was interesting but agree that it's really slow. It's not like Wipeout where they have the comedy to fall back on with the same obstacles. Here they position it like a real sporting event and thus watching the contestants is still impressive but gets to be a lot of the same.

It almost felt like NBC's practice for the olympics. Lots of backstories on the contestants and hype and very little actual sport.

[Fleegle]

The Japanese series feels more like a game show, but this American version is being treated more like a sports show. I can't say I am a fan of their format. I'm a little disappointed in it.

[bryhamm]

Too much on the backstory stuff. Need to just show them running the coarse.

Also, couldn't believe that some contestants were running the course during the day and others at night when the temp dropped significantly and the course became slicker with condensation.

[busyba]

Too much on the backstory stuff. Need to just show them running the coarse.

Through the magic of TiVo, that's exactly what the show was for me. :)

That obstacle course is freaking insane. But after about 15 or so runs, I got bored watching it, even with my FFWDing past the fluff.

I doubt I'll watch much more of the qualifying rounds and just catch the later rounds that have the main "only-ever-been-completed-3-times" obstacle course.


It's like the exact opposite of how I watch America's Got Talent, where I watch the initial auditions, but then have zero interest in watching anything after that. :)

[busyba]

One thing that I found odd.... there was one guy who was running the course, and on the salmon ladder he made a bad "jump" and only one end of the bar caught the support while the other end missed and went down, but he managed to raise that end of the bar back up onto the supports and make it up the ladder and move on to complete the course.

Now, guys who whiff completely and fall while holding the bar, their fall would be stopped a little bit below the bottom of the ladder by a pair of safety lines attached to each end of the bar. And at that point, the airhorn would sound and the guy's run would be terminated.

When this guy missed with just one end of the bar, it was very obvious that the descent of that end of the bar was stopped by the safety line on that end. Absent that safety line, the bar would have rotated to near vertical and then slid off of the rest of the ladder. The only reason he was able to recover was because the safety line held up the loose end of the bar.

I though for sure that they would have sounded the airhorn at that point, or at least "upon review" changed his result to ending the course at the ladder. But as far as I can tell, they never did (unless it happened well after his run and I FFWDed past it).

[bryhamm]

I thought the lower end caught the last rung/peg/whatever and that's what stopped his fall.

[busyba]

I thought the lower end caught the last rung/peg/whatever and that's what stopped his fall.

I replayed it multiple times, paying specific attention to that. He clearly passes the lowest peg.

Also, you can see the safety line coming out of the bar go taut, and you can see the other end of the safety line in the background (it goes up from the bar, over a pulley and then down to the ground, presumably where it's tied to an anchor of some sort) go taut as well.

[NatasNJ]

I replayed it multiple times, paying specific attention to that. He clearly passes the lowest peg.

Also, you can see the safety line coming out of the bar go taut, and you can see the other end of the safety line in the background (it goes up from the bar, over a pulley and then down to the ground, presumably where it's tied to an anchor of some sort) go taut as well.

If that is the case he should have been HORNED OUT!
I thought it also caught a lower rung...

[MikeMar]

Is this like Ninja Warrior? If so those guys were INSANE! That was a great show to watch (no comedy, just crazy fast guys)

MXC and Ninja Warrior are 100x better than Wipeout (which is horrible)

[busyba]

If that is the case he should have been HORNED OUT!

This is what I'm saying! :) So either there's a rule that lets you stay alive if you have at least on end of the bar on a rung, or they just missed it.

I'm leaning towards they just missed it (as unlikely as that seems), since the "one end" rule doesn't make sense since it's pretty evident that the safety line is what kept the bar at a close enough angle to horizontal for the other end to stay on the rung.

I thought it also caught a lower rung...

So did I at first, but then I totally Zaprudered it. :)

[busyba]

Is this like Ninja Warrior? If so those guys were INSANE! That was a great show to watch (no comedy, just crazy fast guys)

MXC and Ninja Warrior are 100x better than Wipeout (which is horrible)

Based on the intro they did at the beginning of the show, yes this is the exact same show, just brought to America, and apparently the very same big bad-ass mother-of-all-obstacle-courses that they use on the Japan version is used in the finals of this version.

[MikeMar]

Based on the intro they did at the beginning of the show, yes this is the exact same show, just brought to America, and apparently the very same big bad-ass mother-of-all-obstacle-courses that they use on the Japan version is used in the finals of this version.

Might have to check it out then, it's crazy for sure.

[NatasNJ]

Might have to check it out then, it's crazy for sure.

The show is great. The editing/stories/fluff added to it kind of sucks.
I also think they way they present the TOP 15 or TOP 30 (if watching on G4)
leaves a lot to be desired. They could easily drop the show from a 2hr show to 1hr. Also Present the Qualifiers in a more easily understood fashion.

I like the fact they showed the BOTTOM guy on the chair and how each person after them who gets a better score knocks them out but I never followed it well for some reason. I think they did it better last year.

Also if they have 6 qualifying events where the top 15 of each get to go to Vegas. They said 100 people will be in Vegas. Where are the extra 10 coming from?

I trained with one of the last year Ninja's Chris Wilzeckski. He runs a local parkour gym here in NJ. Don't know how he did but I know he tried out again this year down in Miami. Hopefully he makes it to Vegas. :)

[DouglasPHill]

Wow Levi had a real brain fart. I've been watching Ninja Warrior for years. As a contestant you have to focus on each obstacle as it comes. You can't take any of it for granted. So Levi has done well in the past. No excuses, he said he was thinking about his overall time rather than accomplishing the first obstacle. Maybe next year.

[NatasNJ]

Wow Levi had a real brain fart. I've been watching Ninja Warrior for years. As a contestant you have to focus on each obstacle as it comes. You can't take any of it for granted. So Levi has done well in the past. No excuses, he said he was thinking about his overall time rather than accomplishing the first obstacle. Maybe next year.

Each year there are 2-3 guys who are A level performers who try to go for the TOP time vs just getting through with a qualifying time. Levi was one of those guys this year.

I wish they showed us how they determined the order. Random or scheduled by some other criteria. Actually I can probably find that out. :)

[Fleegle]

But the format they're using for American Ninja Warrior requires that the contestants try for the best time. In the Japnese version, they are only competing against the countdown timer, but in American Ninja Warrior, they're competing against all of the other contestants to get one of the top 15 times. Its an annoying change.

[LordKronos]

But the format they're using for American Ninja Warrior requires that the contestants try for the best time. In the Japnese version, they are only competing against the countdown timer, but in American Ninja Warrior, they're competing against all of the other contestants to get one of the top 15 times. Its an annoying change.

I haven't seen this version on NBC, but if it's like the American Ninja Warrior they've been showing on G4 for years, then the reason for the annoying timing is because this show isn't the real contest. It's because they are fighting for the chance to get into the real contest....at Mount Midoriyama in Japan. The Japanese show only grants us so many free spots in the contest, but that at least guarantees that the people we take will be in the contest for sure. The rest of the contestants also go through a (much simpler) qualifying round in Japan, but they just never televise that part (though you occasionally see small clips of it in the contestant's back stories).

[tiams]

I haven't seen this version on NBC, but if it's like the American Ninja Warrior they've been showing on G4 for years, then the reason for the annoying timing is because this show isn't the real contest. It's because they are fighting for the chance to get into the real contest....at Mount Midoriyama in Japan. The Japanese show only grants us so many free spots in the contest, but that at least guarantees that the people we take will be in the contest for sure. The rest of the contestants also go through a (much simpler) qualifying round in Japan, but they just never televise that part (though you occasionally see small clips of it in the contestant's back stories).

I thought they were qualifying to go to the U.S. version of Mount Whatever in Las Vegas, not Japan.

[busyba]

I thought they were qualifying to go to the U.S. version of Mount Whatever in Las Vegas, not Japan.

Yes, my understanding is that they moved/rebuilt Mount Whatever to/in LV.

[Fleegle]

I think they built their own version of Mt Midoriyama in Vegas. They aren't flying the American contestants to compete in the original Japanese version anymore, they are running the whole thing here in the US.

Thinking about that, they ARE narrowing these Regionalis down to 100 contestants, so maybe the countdown clock will be back once they're in Vegas. That could also explain why this round mixed Stage 1, 2 and 3 obstacles.

[DouglasPHill]

After they complete the American Ninja contest, they should fly the top 5 to the Japanese Ninja contest. (not as a separate Americans only but right there with the Japanese contestants.)

[LordKronos]

I thought they were qualifying to go to the U.S. version of Mount Whatever in Las Vegas, not Japan.

Well, like I said. I haven't seen the NBC version (never knew about it until this thread...I had a recording rule set for it, but only for channel episodes G4). Everything else in this thread sounds exactly like how the G4 version has worked for several years now, so I was assuming it's the same.

If they are setting up their own course independent of the Japan event, that's a bit disappointing. I think part of the appeal of the Japanese version is that they have no qualms about the course appearing unbeatable. If they go 5-10 seasons without a winner, they don't care. For an american version, I'd be afraid they'd tame it down just enough to ensure we get a winner at least half the time. That probably makes for good ratings.

[DancnDude]

They certainly were hyping up the difficulty of the course on the American version. Didn't they say that only a few have ever gotten through the whole course? Sounded like they were bringing the exact same Japanese Mount whatever to LV.

[tiams]

Does anyone know for sure whether the Las Vegas version is an exact replica of the Japanese one?

[DancnDude]

Does anyone know for sure whether the Las Vegas version is an exact replica of the Japanese one?

According to the show's website (http://www.nbc.com/american-ninja-warrior/about/):
The national finals will culminate in Las Vegas with the top 100 competitors trying their hand at the punishing four-stage obstacle course fashioned after the original Mount Midoriyama in Japan.

Based on the global hit from the Tokyo Broadcast System titled "Sasuke," the original series had 2,700 competitors attempt to complete the challenge, with only three successfully completing the course.

[spear]

After they complete the American Ninja contest, they should fly the top 5 to the Japanese Ninja contest. (not as a separate Americans only but right there with the Japanese contestants.)

Unfortunately, the Japanese show (Sasuke) is done. Due to low ratings, there were no plans to run a new competition, and that was even before the production company went bankrupt.

[LordKronos]

Holy crap. So there is no japanese version anymore? Well that sucks. Even worse is, from what I'm reading it sounds like they aren't even letting any of the japanese all-stars compete in the US tournament. Is that really true? No Nagano? No Yamamoto? No Yamada? Sorry, but that's just BS if true. They should give these guys a free pass to the finals like they did for the american team.

I haven't even seen an episode yet and I'm already not feeling good about this show.

[Queue]

The Japanese series feels more like a game show, but this American version is being treated more like a sports show. I can't say I am a fan of their format. I'm a little disappointed in it.

Japan has a tv show to find the next American Ninja!?

[LordKronos]

Japan has a tv show to find the next American Ninja!?

The japanese show is called Sasuke (pronounced soss-kay), and it's been running for 27 seasons (14 years). I'm not sure what the translation for Sasuke is, but it's been referred to as Ninja Warrior, and it has been aired in many countries. About 5 years or so ago, the show began letting a team of americans compete (before that individual americans were allowed to apply and qualify for the show). In america, they aired a show called American Ninja Warrior that was all about the selection process of this team of americans. The finale of each season was the americans going to japan to compete on the Sasuke show.

[mattack]

(I watched it almost completely at 1.5x, even the competition.. usually when I use that on reality shows, I watch the 'main parts' at normal speed.. e.g. on America's Got Talent, until an act gets boring, I watch it at normal speed.. then watch the rest + judging + filler at 1.5x.)

But even with that semi-backhanded compliment, this was entertaining. The salmon ladder.. wow. I don't quite get how they go forward on the rings right after that, though? Are people just sliding themselves forward?

I've liked Wipeout, but wished it had actually finishable stunts. One of the guys on the Engadget HD podcast called this something like "Wipeout with real athletes". I don't think that's QUITE an accurate description, but it's not 100% wrong.

The "go straight up the 15 foot wall" one is pretty unfair though. I can't imagine ANYONE short, despite how in shape they are, being able to do that.

[NatasNJ]

This upcoming week "Northeast Regional" one of the contestants is a former ANW contestant that opened up a Parkour gym in my area and I trained with him. Chris Wilizeski (I think I spelled that wrong) Anyway. He started posting pics of him running the course on his facebook from the event. Hopefully he makes it to Vegas. Based on his skills last year he should be a LOCK.

[gchance]

But even with that semi-backhanded compliment, this was entertaining. The salmon ladder.. wow. I don't quite get how they go forward on the rings right after that, though? Are people just sliding themselves forward?

Speaking of the salmon ladder, they're building one at my Crossfit gym. Can't wait to fail at it!

Approaching the rings, they're sliding themselves forward, but it catches on the bends in the bars. At that point they either just hang there and use their strength to lift the left hand over the bump, or start bouncing up & down to bounce up and over. I've noticed the more successful people have been doing it as a combination of strength and momentum (never let yourself completely get caught on a bend). Remember the one IT guy? He lost his momentum and was hanging there for a good minute and a half, trying to get over the last hump.

I've liked Wipeout, but wished it had actually finishable stunts. One of the guys on the Engadget HD podcast called this something like "Wipeout with real athletes". I don't think that's QUITE an accurate description, but it's not 100% wrong.

Wipeout is more cartoony, silly obstacles, and the silliness makes them impossible to pass.

The "go straight up the 15 foot wall" one is pretty unfair though. I can't imagine ANYONE short, despite how in shape they are, being able to do that.

Again, it's momentum. Watch the guys who are successful at it closely vs. the guys who miss. Typically when they miss, their momentum isn't as great and they more or less try to jump from where they lose it to the top of the wall. Taller guys have the advantage after losing momentum, but if you never lose it, height isn't a factor.

Greg

[TheMerk]

Again, it's momentum. Watch the guys who are successful at it closely vs. the guys who miss. Typically when they miss, their momentum isn't as great and they more or less try to jump from where they lose it to the top of the wall. Taller guys have the advantage after losing momentum, but if you never lose it, height isn't a factor.

True. Frosti wasn't very tall and he got passed the warped wall.

[omnibus]

Yesterday, sunday 7/9, G4 broadcast 3 straight hours all of the 1st section of the finals course. According to my Dish network EPG there's more scheduled for this week but all reruns of qualifying rounds and none of the last 3 sections of the finals. WTF!!!!

[NatasNJ]

Yesterday, sunday 7/9, G4 broadcast 3 straight hours all of the 1st section of the finals course. According to my Dish network EPG there's more scheduled for this week but all reruns of qualifying rounds and none of the last 3 sections of the finals. WTF!!!!

These should be last 3 airings.

7/23/12 (Mo.) 8:00 PM NBC (#416-120) FINALS
7/16/12 (Mo.) 9:00 PM NBC (#415-60) FINALS
7/9/12 (Mo.) 9:00 PM NBC (#414-60) FINALS

[mattack]

True. Frosti wasn't very tall and he got passed the warped wall.

Yeah, I guess I was wrong. IIRC, one 5 foot 4 guy, maybe Frosti, made it.