smst
11-10-2007, 08:36
I've recently become hooked on Ninja Warrior, a "sports entertainment" show on Challenge. It's known as Sasuke in its native Japan, and is being re-broadcast here with the incomparable Stuart Hall commentating.
It's basically a very tough obstacle course. 100 people start out on a timed 7-obstacle first stage; those who make it through move on to the 2nd and 3rd stages (in the current series, the 2nd is timed and requires speed, whereas the 3rd is untimed and requires strength). The few who get all the way through have 30 seconds to climb a very big tower (and if they don't make it up the final rope climb in time, the rope drops).
As far as I've seen it, only one person has ever completed the course, although I recently saw somebody miss by a tenth of a second.
Sample obstacle: Jump Hang. Competitor uses a trampette to jump some water and grab the underside of a rope net (changed to a set of dangling ropes in later series). There's bound to be footage on YouTube.
Unlike Craig Charles on Takeshi's Castle, Stuart Hall has a much less mocking tone -- he 's commentating seriously, but he's having fun too. He'll sometimes laugh if somebody fails spectacularly, but he'll seem genuinely frustrated when a good competitor falls on a tough obstacle.
Watch it, it's great! Double-bill at 6pm and 6:30pm on Challenge, every weeknight I think (maybe every day?).
It's basically a very tough obstacle course. 100 people start out on a timed 7-obstacle first stage; those who make it through move on to the 2nd and 3rd stages (in the current series, the 2nd is timed and requires speed, whereas the 3rd is untimed and requires strength). The few who get all the way through have 30 seconds to climb a very big tower (and if they don't make it up the final rope climb in time, the rope drops).
As far as I've seen it, only one person has ever completed the course, although I recently saw somebody miss by a tenth of a second.
Sample obstacle: Jump Hang. Competitor uses a trampette to jump some water and grab the underside of a rope net (changed to a set of dangling ropes in later series). There's bound to be footage on YouTube.
Unlike Craig Charles on Takeshi's Castle, Stuart Hall has a much less mocking tone -- he 's commentating seriously, but he's having fun too. He'll sometimes laugh if somebody fails spectacularly, but he'll seem genuinely frustrated when a good competitor falls on a tough obstacle.
Watch it, it's great! Double-bill at 6pm and 6:30pm on Challenge, every weeknight I think (maybe every day?).