The Inverter is an obstacle, firstly introduced as part of the Split Decision at the ninth obstacle in the first and second episodes of the semifinals on American Ninja Warrior 13, paired with the Tuning Forks in both two episodes.
This obstacle consists of two upward horizontal panels, with the first one being placed in a much greater angle and supported by a metal structure at each end, which will force the board to lop-side to either left or right, similar to the Wave Runner. However, there are ledges and handles placed in just one side of each board, forcing the competitors to keep their grip when the board rotated.
In order to complete this obstacle:
- Firstly, competitors must grab two sides of the first board, in a similar approach with the Unstable Bridge or Wave Runner.
- Then, they must grab a small ledge placed at the right side of the first board, which will become Cliffhanger-shaped after the rotation. The middle part of the left side is covered by a piece of Plexiglas wall to avoid competitors grabbing this part.
- Next, they must grab a handle placed at the top of the other side of the first board and lock the first board after the rotation.
- From there, they must transit to another ledge which also placed at the right side of the second board, however this time they need to firm the grip when the board rotates down.
During the promo, it was shown that competitors must grab back two sides of the second board and traverse to the landing pad. However, it was possible to skip this section, as shown firstly via Max Feinberg's run when he dismounted right after grabbing the ledge of the second board, and later was done by all competitors attempting this part.
During the first semifinal episode, eight of the fifteen competitors who reached the Split Decision chose the Inverter, and it proved to be brutal for those who did so. Only Max Feinberg was able to complete it, while Lance Pekus, Anthony Porter, and Ryan Meeks amongst others failed on it, mostly at the transition to the second board.
During the second episode of semifinals, six of the seven competitors who reached the Split Decision chose the Inverter. This time around, Dan Champagne was the only competitor who failed the obstacle, while the other five competitors (Jay Lewis, Joe Moravsky, Kaden Lebsack, True Becker, and Amir Malik) all completed the obstacle and subsequently the entire semifinal course.
The Inverter later appeared at Split Decision for the second Women's Championship, with the ledge on the second board being replaced by a handle. Only Allyssa Beird failed the obstacle.
Other Appearances[]
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
The Inverter appeared as the sixth and last obstacle of Stage Two on Australian Ninja Warrior 6, with minor modifications:
- the Plexiglas wall at the left side was removed,
- the second board was placed vertically, meaning the board didn't drop down and just swayed left and right,
- the ledge on second board which competitors had to grab when transferring from the first board was replaced by a long handle, and
- a resting bar and two ropes were added after the second board, in which competitors must swing across and use the second rope to climb 4m to reach the buzzer.
Compared to the American Ninja Warrior version, competitors were allowed to grab to the side when transferring to the last handle of the first board, which helped them avoid a drop, as shown firstly via Ashlin Herbert's run. Competitors also tended to skip the last portion entirely and swing straight to the resting bar.
The obstacle was extremely challenging, eliminating multiple veterans and new competitors, including Daniel Watermann, Jake Baker (during his first attempt due to his second-chance advantage), Alex Bigg, and most shockingly, Ben Polson.
Ninja Warrior France[]
In Ninja Warrior France 7, Inverter (Le Twister) appeared as the fourth obstacle of Crossroads Path B of Qualification 3 and 4. In this appearance, the second board was replaced by two lache bars.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
In Ninja Warrior Germany 7, Inverter, locally called Rotierende Leisten (literally Rotating Ledges) appeared as the fifth and penultimate obstacle in the Third Stage, with a few significant differences:
- The first board of this iteration was installed horizontally, rather than being installed at a slant.
- The second board of this iteration was positioned perpendicular to the first board, rather than being placed almost parallel to the first board.
- The second board of this iteration was also installed at an outward inclination and would tilt into an inward inclination as soon as the competitors completed the transfer from the first board to the second board.
In addition to these differences, this obstacle was preceded by the Stalactites with a lachรฉ bar between two obstacles. After the competitors would reach the second board of this iteration, they must transfer to another lachรฉ bar at the end of the obstacle and would then have to climb onto the resting bar, that was positioned next to the second lachรฉ bar.
The obstacle rather proved to be a stamina waster for the competitors, as only Sladjan Djulabic failed on it due to running out of stamina and failing at the transition to the handle of the first board.
Ninja Israel[]
On Ninja Warrior Israel 5, the Inverter, locally called ืืืืจ ืืืชื (literally Voltage Converter) appeared as the sixth obstacle in Heat 2 and Heat 7, which was very similar to the one used in Australian Ninja Warrior 6, except that competitors will grab a rope from the second board and swing to the landing platform.
Like American Ninja Warrior 13 and Australian Ninja Warrior 6, the obstacle was considerably challenging, as it eliminated 5 out of 14 competitors who attempted it.
An interesting malfunction appeared when Kfir Atzmon attempted this obstacle. One of the sideline reporters, Yuval Shemla, noticed that first board was turned upside down. Because Kfir at that moment was on the first board, he had to come back to the start platform, wait until a staff worker turned the board the right side up, and attempt the obstacle again. His timer was reset to the time before he attempted this obstacle.
Competitor's Success Rate[]
- All results based on the RTL/Keshet 12 broadcast and external information found.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
NWG | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWG7 | 6 | 7 | 85.71% |
Total | 6 | 7 | 85.71% |
Ninja Israel[]
NWI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWI5 (Heat 2) | 4 | 8 | 50% |
NWI5 (Heat 7) | 5 | 6 | 83.33% |
Total | 9 | 14 | 64.29% |