The Kaleidoscope is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the fifth obstacle in the first and fourth episodes of semifinals on American Ninja Warrior 14.
It consists of four crystal-shaped panels with ledges embedded for the competitors to hold onto. These panels are interconnected in a way that once the competitors rotate one panel, the rest of the panels will also rotate (a similar mechanism to the Clockwork). Competitors will have to:
- Rotate the first panel in a clockwise direction which allows the ledge of the second panel to be rotated in a way that competitors can make a transition.
- From there, they must make a transition to the next two ledges in a similar fashion to the Flying Shelf Grab.
- Then, they must rotate the third panel once again in a clockwise direction which allows the ledge of the last panel to be rotated in a way that competitors can make a transition.
- Finally, they must make a transition to the final panel that will allow them to make the dismount over a rotating wall at the end before the landing platform, similar to Sideways and Dragonback.
The ledges vary per panel. In the first panel, the ledges surround the whole panel. In the second and fourth panels, there is only one ledge embedded on each panel. The third panel is similar to the first panel, but with small gaps in the corners. In addition, the ledges gradually decrease in thickness from 1 inch (25.4 millimeters) in the first panel to a quarter of an inch (6.35 millimeters) in the last panel.
During the first episode of semifinals, the obstacle was brutal, preventing many competitors from reaching the back half of the course. It eliminated twelve competitors, including Addy Herman, Cara Mack, Rachel Degutz, Jordan Carr, and Xavier Dantzler. Many of the falls were simply due to competitors losing their grip on one of the ledges, with the transition to the final ledge proving to be the most challenging. Only 15 competitors got past this obstacle, which means everyone clearing this obstacle would automatically advance to National Finals.
During the fourth episode of semifinals, it once again proved to be lethal, eliminating competitors such as Isabella Wakeham, Barclay Stockett, Sem Garay, Isaiah Wakeham, Dan Polizzi, DeShawn Harris, James McGrath, and David Tomassoni. Once again, everyone clearing this obstacle would automatically advance to National Finals, since only 14 competitors got past this obstacle. Since Jody Avila reached the obstacle the fastest despite falling there, he would also advance to the National Finals.
Other Season Appearances[]
American Ninja Warrior: Couples Championship[]
The same version of Kaleidoscope appeared in the first ever American Ninja Warrior: Couples Championship, once again as the fifth obstacle. It was slightly easier as only four ninjas had failed the obstacle during the qualifying round, it only eliminated Sem Garay, Joe Capo, Charlie Zimmerman, and MyKayla Skinner. But James McGrath and Barclay Stockett both got their revenge on the obstacle after failing it in the fourth round of the semifinals.
In the second round, it shockingly took out James McGrath as its only victim (who had cleared it in the qualifying round).
Other Appearances[]
Ninja Warrior France[]
On Ninja Warrior France 8, Kaleidoscope appeared as the fourth obstacle of Qualifications 2. It was slightly modified as there were three panels in total and at the end is a cargo net of which the contestants must scramble down. It is currently unknown if the obstacle is modified for female competitors.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
On Ninja Warrior Germany 9, Kaleidoscope (Kaleidoskop) will debut as the sixth obstacle in the final two preliminary rounds.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the NBC broadcast and external information found.
ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
ANW14 (SF EP 1) | 15 | 27 | 55.56% |
ANW14 (SF EP 4) | 14 | 24 | 58.33% |
Total | 29 | 51 | 56.86% |
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
NWG | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWG9 (Preliminary Round 5) | TBA | TBA | TBA% |
NWG9 (Preliminary Round 6) | TBA | TBA | TBA% |
Total | TBA | TBA | TBA% |