Who needs old obstacles when American Ninja Warrior will have half of the course be brand new for Kansas City’s qualifying round this season?
Although many might have both Monday and Tuesday off, meaning that some shows will skip airing a new episode this week, American Ninja Warrior has a lot of action to show in season 9, and taking the week off just isn’t in the cards. That’s why there’s a fresh episode tonight.
And just to boost interest, tonight’s course will have not the expected two new obstacles, but three fresh ones, according to NBC’s press page.
Last on that list is Crank It Up, which will be the fourth obstacle according to this week’s behind-the-scenes video:
That’s going to be a tough test even for experienced ninjas, because it asks for a combination of skills that includes body control and keeping a hold while moving. Even in the above, you can see two different strategies. The first is to go for several big cranks, while the second is a series of shorter exertions that might end up being faster. The faster you go, the less time you have to hang. That might make it the dominant strategy.
In fact, the three new obstacles will come right in a row, as shown in the below preview:
Yes, that’s the Hang Glider and the Broken Pipes making their ANW debuts. That’s a pretty tall order for contestants, because they’ll only be familiar with the Floating Steps before they have to figure out their approaches to these three articles. Now, neither the Hang Glider nor the Broken Pipes will be particularly difficult, because they’re like previous obstacles in that they’re test of grip with drops and an agility run.
The only mystery is the fifth obstacle here, because even the promo focuses on those first few obstacles.
"Date: Monday, July 3Start Time: 8 p.m. ETChannel: NBCEpisode: “Kansas City Qualifiers”Live Stream: Stream 1 | Stream 2"
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The press page also confirms that Sunday night repeats will be happening for at least a few weeks, with the Daytona Beach episode airing again on July 9, for example.