Body Prop (ボディプロップ) was an obstacle introduced into SASUKE's Third Stage following Akiyama Kazuhiko's Kanzenseiha in SASUKE 4.
Its function was similar to Spider Walk, but because the walls were considerably farther apart, competitors had to wedge themselves between two wall panels and cross five meters while facing downwards, with their hands on one panel and their feet on the other. Along the way, there were gaps which made the obstacle even more difficult.
This obstacle was proven to be a deadly obstacle in Third Stage, as it took out at least one competitor in eleven out of thirteen tournaments in which it was used, with SASUKE 5 and SASUKE 9 being the two tournaments to have 100% clear rate (and in SASUKE 5's case, it was only attempted by Yamamoto Shingo), alongside eliminating four of the six All-Stars at least once.
Body Prop's blueprint
It was removed from the Third Stage following Nagano Makoto's Kanzenseiha in SASUKE 17, marking it the obstacle with most appearance in the Second Era (tied with Pipe Slider, however, it had received major modification at one point). It should also be noted that during its last tournament appearance, it eliminated three highly skilled competitors, in which two of them were SASUKE All-Stars (Shiratori Bunpei and Yamamoto Shingo), more competitors than any other obstacle in Third Stage during that tournament.
In SASUKE 35, a similar obstacle was introduced in the form of Planet Bridge, where the wall in which the competitors must put their hands onto was replaced with a series of spheres, while the wall for the footholds moved back and forth automatically and continuously by 20 cm.
Other Appearances[]
The Curved Body Prop would later be the basis for all international SASUKE/Ninja Warrior appearances of the Body Prop, as seen below.
Body Prop[]
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 5's Body Prop in Baltimore
American Ninja Warrior 6's Body Prop in Venice Beach
The Body Prop appeared as the ninth obstacle on:
- American Ninja Warrior 5 during Baltimore finals,
- American Ninja Warrior 6 during Venice Beach finals, and
- American Ninja Warrior 7 during Kansas City finals.
The obstacle used on American Ninja Warrior 5 and American Ninja Warrior 6 was similar to the Body Prop from SASUKE, being 24 feet (7.32 meters) long, except that there were no gaps for the back wall. The remaining gap is 2 feet (60.96 centimeters) wide.
American Ninja Warrior 7's Body Prop in Kansas City
An improved version (unofficially called the Down Body Prop in American Ninja Warrior: Crashing the Course) was used on American Ninja Warrior 7. The length was increased to 29 feet (8.84 meters), since instead of gaps, competitors needed to go down a 4-foot (1.22-meter) vertical section at the midway of the obstacle.
This version of the Body Prop was proven to be deadly than the previous version, as, among the 16 competitors who attempted the obstacle, only three of them could complete it (Lance Pekus, Ian Dory, and Brendan Couvreux). The obstacle also took out Isaac Caldiero, which prevented him to have a perfect season, by completing all the obstacles from that season during city qualifiers, city finals, and Las Vegas national finals (Stage One to Stage Four).
Curved Body Prop[]
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 8's Curved Body Prop in Stage Three
From American Ninja Warrior 8 onwards, the Body Prop appeared as the obstacle after the modified Ultimate Cliffhanger (as the fourth obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 8 and the fifth obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 9 and American Ninja Warrior 10) in Stage Three. It was a curved version of the Body Prop, renamed as the Curved Body Prop, which was 30 feet (9.144 meters) in length, with a 6 feet (1.83 meters) descent and a 10 feet (3.048 meters) ascent.
The difficulty of this version of the obstacle now comes from the way competitors move through it, instead of simply trying to cross over gaps in the panels. It is also worth noting that this obstacle comes after the Cliffhanger, not before it like how it was in SASUKE.
On American Ninja Warrior 8, only Drew Drechsel attempted this obstacle and completed it on that season. During USA vs. The World 3, six competitors attempted the obstacle, and two of them failed to complete it (Santiago de Alba from Team Latin America and Sean McColl from Team Europe).
On American Ninja Warrior 9, only Joe Moravsky attempted this obstacle and completed it on that season. While on American Ninja Warrior 10, due to Sean Bryan and Drew Drechsel being the only two competitors to attempt Stage Three, with both of them failing on the Ultimate Cliffhanger, no one had attempted the obstacle. However, during USA vs. The World 5, the obstacle was attempted by Drew Drechsel from Team USA, and he could complete it.
It was replaced by the slightly harder Pipe Dream on the next season.
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
Australian Ninja Warrior 2's Body Prop
On Australian Ninja Warrior 2, the Curved Body Prop (simply called as the Body Prop) appeared as the first obstacle in Stage Three. Similar to American Ninja Warrior 8, competitors must grab a resting bar after completing this obstacle in order to advance the next obstacle, the Hang Climb. However, since no competitor was able to complete Stage Two on that season, the obstacle was unattempted.
Then, on Australian Ninja Warrior 3, the Body Prop appeared as the second obstacle in Stage Three. This time, after reaching the top part of the walls, competitors must grab a slanted pole as a medium to reach the landing platform, and the obstacle eliminated one competitor (Rob Patterson).
Australian Ninja Warrior 4's Body Prop
No change was made to this obstacle on Australian Ninja Warrior 4, and no one failed it out of four competitors. It was revealed on this season that two walls were 1.7 meters apart and it was replaced by the Doorknob Drop in the next season.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
Ninja Warrior Germany 2's Curved Body Prop
Ninja Warrior Germany 3's Curved Body Prop
The Curved Body Prop (Spannungsbogen, literally Arc of Tension) appeared as the first obstacle of Stage Three in Ninja Warrior Germany 2 and Ninja Warrior Germany 3.
Ninja Warrior Germany 4's Curved Body Prop
It was relocated to the second obstacle of Stage Three in Ninja Warrior Germany 4, with a rope added at the end this time.
Ninja Warrior Austria[]
Ninja Warrior Austria 3's Curved Body Prop
In Ninja Warrior Austria 3, the Curved Body Prop, locally known as Gekrümmte Gletscherspalte (literally Curved Crevasse), appeared as the eighth obstacle of the First Stage. It had a similar appearance to the iterations used in other International Ninja shows.
Ninja Israel[]
Ninja Israel 2's Curved Body Prop
On Ninja Warrior Israel 2, the Curved Body Prop, locally called ארבע על ארבע (literally Four by Four) appeared as the first obstacle of Stage Three, with a rope added at the end.
The red line in Ninja Israel's 2 Curved Body Prop
Unlike other Body Prop versions, there was a red line in which competitors must cross over before grabbing the rope. If they grab the rope before doing so, they would be disqualified. Only Gil Marantz attempted and completed the obstacle.
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
Ninja Warrior Poland 3's Curved Body Prop
In Ninja Warrior Poland 3, the Curved Body Prop, locally called Podpora (literally Support) appeared in the final as the eighth obstacle of Stage One, with the horizontal gap of the obstacle being revealed to be 6 meters.
In a fan vote made by Ninja Warrior Poland, it was voted as the most difficult obstacle in the finals. Even though it only eliminated one competitor, it is a massive energy-waster for those competitors who completed this obstacle.
Ninja Warrior France[]
Ninja Warrior France 2's Curved Body Prop
In Ninja Warrior France 2, Curved Body Prop, locally called Le Piège de Cristal (literally The Crystal Trap) appeared as the second obstacle in Untimed Section on Finals' Stage Two.
Ninja Warrior France 5's Curved Body Prop
Ninja Warrior France 6's Curved Body Prop
The Curved Body Prop later reappear as the third obstacle during several qualifications in Ninja Warrior France 5 and Ninja Warrior France 6. The obstacle would feature a rope right at the end of the obstacle that competitors can hold onto when they dismount to the platform. The gap between the walls was 1.60m.
Ninja Warrior France 8's Curved Body Prop
Then, in the First Stage of the Finals of Ninja Warrior France 8, the Curved Body Prop appeared once again as the third obstacle. And once again, the obstacle remained unchanged, with it having the same configuration as in the second Qualification of the same season.
However, compared to the aforementioned second Qualification, in this stage, the Curved Body Prop proved to be somewhat difficult for many competitors and, apart from that, it also shockingly took down Jean Tezenas du Montcel, resulting in him losing his Joker in the First Stage.
It made another appearance in Ninja Warrior France: Clash of Nations as the third obstacle in the First Stage. In this tournament, a rule was revealed where competitors are not allowed to go back to the starting platform after they have already propped themselves between the walls. Yamamoto Yoshiyuki was disqualified for breaking this rule when he went off the walls for a moment just to wipe down his shoes for extra grip.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS/NBC/Polsat/Keshet 12 broadcasts and external information found.
SASUKE[]
| Body Prop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| SASUKE | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| 6 | 2 | 5 | 40% |
| 7 | 3 | 4 | 75% |
| 8 | 3 | 4 | 75% |
| 9 | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| 10 | 3 | 4 | 75% |
| 11 | 5 | 7 | 71.43% |
| 12 | 9 | 10 | 90% |
| 13 | 4 | 5 | 80% |
| 14 | 6 | 9 | 66.67% |
| 15 | 5 | 6 | 83.33% |
| 16 | 7 | 8 | 87.5% |
| 17 | 4 | 7 | 57.14% |
| Total | 55 | 73 | 75.34% |
American Ninja Warrior[]
| Body Prop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| ANW5 | 9 | 15 | 60% |
| ANW6 | 2 | 4 | 50% |
| ANW7 | 3 | 16 | 18.75% |
| Total | 14 | 35 | 40% |
| Curved Body Prop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| ANW8 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| ANW9 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| ANW10 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| USA vs. The World 3 | 4 | 6 | 66.67% |
| USA vs. The World 4 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| USA vs. The World 5 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 7 | 9 | 77.78% |
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
| Curved Body Prop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NWP | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| NWP 3 | 12 | 13 | 92.31% |
| Total | 12 | 13 | 92.31% |
Ninja Israel[]
| Curved Body Prop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NWI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| NWI2 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||