The Dangerous Curves is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the third obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 11 in Baltimore.
Competitors must grab the first board (the S-shaped board) placed on a upward-angle incline and climb it up to reach the top. Then, they must make the transition to the second board (shaped like a hourglass) and rotate it on a counter-clockwise direction to reach the other side. From there, they must grab and work their way across the next two boards placed on a downward-angle incline with a 18-inch gap between the boards. Finally, they must make the dismount from the fourth board to the landing platform.
The obstacle was proven to brutal during Baltimore qualifiers, as 33 competitors fell on it. This includes several top competitors like Jon Alexis Jr., Miles Avery, Cara Poalillo, Karter Ohlson, Casey Rothschild, Taylor Johnson, Tamika Catchings, Nick Green, Brandon Singletary, and Desi Singletary. This obstacle was also the cut-off for the top 5 female competitors for advancing to Baltimore finals. The obstacle also took out the most competitors out of any city qualifier obstacle that season.
During Baltimore finals, only Cara Poalillo and Tristan Poffenberger fell on the obstacle.
Other Appearances[]
Ninja Israel[]
In Ninja Warrior Israel 3, the Dangerous Curves, literally translated הקימורים המסוכנים appeared as the third obstacle in Semifinal 2 and Semifinal 4.
In Semifinal 2, compared to the one used in American Ninja Warrior 11, the obstacle still have four boards, but all four boards have lower angle. This making the obstacle very easy, as it eliminated only 2 out of 14 competitors who attempted it.
While in Semifinal 4, for an unknown reason, the producer staff decided the last board was to be removed to make the obstacle just like the unused version of this obstacle (see Trivia), albeit without the rope at the end of this obstacle. This making the obstacle much easier, as no competitor failed on it.
Ninja Warrior France[]
In Ninja Warrior France 5, the Dangerous Curves, locally called Les Tapis Volants (literally Flying Carpets) appeared as the fourth obstacle of Path A in Heats 2 and 3, which was very similar to the one used during Semifinal 2 in Ninja Warrior Israel 3.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
In Ninja Warrior Germany 5, the Dangerous Curves, locally called Hangel-Kurven (literally Hanging Curves), appeared as the seventh and penultimate obstacle in the fifth Preliminary Round. This time, there were three notable differences compared to the original Dangerous Curves obstacle in American Ninja Warrior 11:
- The obstacle was placed almost directly after the Salmon Ladder, with only a laché bar seperating them,
- The first board (the S-shaped board) was installed horizontally, rather than diagonally (at an upward-angle incline),
- And the two downward-angle inclined boards were installed at a much gentler downward incline, similar to Ninja Warrior Israel 3's version.
This obstacle was quite difficult as out of 15 athletes who attempted it, six of them failed to complete it.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the NBC/Keshet 12/RTL broadcast and external information found.
American Ninja Warrior[]
ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
ANW11 (qualifiers) | 38 | 71 | 53.52% |
ANW11 (finals) | 32 | 34 | 94.12% |
Total | 70 | 105 | 66.67% |
Ninja Israel[]
NWI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWI3 (Semifinal 2) | 12 | 14 | 85.71% |
NWI3 (Semifinal 4) | 16 | 16 | 100% |
Total | 28 | 30 | 93.33% |
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
NWG | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWG5 | 9 | 15 | 60% |
Total | 9 | 15 | 60% |
Trivia[]
- The Dangerous Curves shared similar qualities to several obstacles:
- Hourglass Drop and Wave Runner: the first board (the S-shaped board) was similar to the one used on the second board of the Hourglass Drop on American Ninja Warrior 7 in Venice Beach and the first board of the Wave Runner on American Ninja Warrior 8 and American Ninja Warrior 9 in Stage One. The second board (the hourglass-shaped board) was similar to the one used on the first board of the Hourglass Drop on American Ninja Warrior 7 in Venice Beach. The last two boards were similar to the ones used on the Hourglass Drop during American Ninja Warrior 8's Indianapolis finals and American Ninja Warrior 9's San Antonio finals.
- Spin Hopper: the placement of the boards for the Dangerous Curves was incredibly similar to the one used on the Spin Hopper.
- Originally before the filming of Ninja Warrior Israel 3's Semifinal 2, the obstacle was very different in that it featured only three boards, as the fourth board was replaced by a rope. However, the producers decided to revert back to the one used in American Ninja Warrior 11 with a bit of modification for an unknown reason.
- This version was shown during the introduction of the Dangerous Curves in the broadcast of the Semifinal 2, and was finally used in Semifinal 4, without the rope.