Piston Plunge

The Piston Plunge is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the fifth obstacle during the second episode of qualifiers on American Ninja Warrior 14.

The obstacle involves five inverted pistons in varying heights which are all connected by a crankshaft, which meant that once competitors apply their weight into the piston, the piston would drop at least a foot and the other pistons would change their heights as well. The second piston would spin around itself, similar to the one in Fallout. The third piston would have its front and back parts of the piston covered, while the fourth piston would have its sides covered, limiting competitors' grip towards the subsequent pistons.

Competitors would have to first jump off a mini-tramp to reach a stationary bar. From there, they must swing forward to the first piston. Once on the first piston, they must build enough swing and momentum to make a transition to the second spinning piston. Having one hand on the current piston and the subsequent piston on the other is not allowed. Upon reaching the third piston, the position of the fourth piston restricts the competitor to just swing front and back, forcing them to rotate 90 degrees in mid-air to grab the piston. Once competitors reach the last piston, competitors must make a transition to a steering wheel similar to the Tire Run which would be connected by a bungee cord and bounced up and down once the competitors applied their weight onto it to allow them to make the dismount.

At least 20 competitors fell on this obstacle in its first appearance in Episode Two, including big names such as Lucas Reale, Dave Cavanagh, Joe Capo, Sophia Lavallee, Abby Clark, Cara Mack, Rachel Degutz, Jennifer Stefano, Branden McWilliams, John Uga, Anthony Eardley, Darion Bennett, Xavier Dantzler, Tyler Behrle, Stewart Mahler, Steve Donelly, Ryan Hermstein, and James Burns. Many competitors were unable to make the laches as a result of previous obstacles gassing them out, or having limited space due to the fingertip grasps required to advance. This obstacle served as the cut-off for the Top 30 and Top 5 Women.