American Ninja Warrior 5's Pole Grasper in Denver
American Ninja Warrior 6's Pole Grasper in Dallas
Pole Grasper is an obstacle, firstly introduced on American Ninja Warrior 5 during Denver finals as the ninth obstacle, and then appeared again on American Ninja Warrior 6 during Dallas finals as the ninth obstacle.
Competitors must get across a series of hanging poles to the landing platform. During American Ninja Warrior 5's Denver finals, there were seven poles to get across. While during American Ninja Warrior 6's Dallas finals, the number of poles was reduced to six, and the gaps between each pole ranging from 2 to 5 feet (0.61 to 1.524 meters), with the bottom part of the poles was attached to the bottom of the water area.
The Pole Grasper had a similar concept with the Hariyama, which was used as the third and final obstacle during the Third Stage in SASUKE 1, except the poles were not elastic. A similarly made obstacle to this one was used as part of American Ninja Warrior 12's Power Tower.
Other Season Appearances[]
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
American Ninja Warrior 7's Pole Grasper in Stage Three
The Pole Grasper returned on American Ninja Warrior 7, as the fifth obstacle in Stage Three, replacing the Propeller Bar from the previous season, which was moved to the second obstacle in Stage One on that season.
Instead of the poles being in the water, they were suspended from the top, making them react differently when moving from pole to pole. The poles were much shorter and thinner than those used in Denver or Dallas courses. The number of poles was reduced to five, and the fourth pole would drop down when the competitors were on it (similar to the second and third poles for the Sidewinder R in SASUKE 32). Once on the fifth pole, they must make the transition to the next obstacle (the Hang Climb). Despite that, no competitor fell on this obstacle.
Pipe Dream[]
American Ninja Warrior 11's Pipe Dream in Stage Three
A variation of the Pole Grasper, called as the Pipe Dream appeared as the fifth obstacle in Stage Three on American Ninja Warrior 11, replacing both the Curved Body Prop as well as the Peg Cloud in favor of this obstacle from the past two seasons.
The difference was subtle from its variation, incorporating some ideas from the other obstacles. Competitors must grab a laché bar and swing to the wall, similar to the ones used on the Wall Drop and Cat Grab, with a small platform on top. Then, they must transit 8 feet (2.44 meters) to the first two poles, four in total, and make it across to another sets of poles which were thicker in size. Those poles looked similar to the Wind Chimes and would drop down when they put their weight on them (a very similar concept to the Sidewinder R). After going through those, competitors would then transit to the resting bar as a medium to the next obstacle (the Cane Lane).
Out of 11 competitors who reached the obstacle, only three of them fell (Karsten Williams, Tyler Smith, and Lucas Reale). However, many competitors had trouble locking in their lower body, and had to rely only on their upper body, this resulted in them falling on the next obstacle, the Cane Lane. During USA vs. The World 6, both Magnus Mitdbo from Team Europe and Matt Tsang from Team Australia fell on the transition to the unstable wall.
Other Season Appearances[]
American Ninja Warrior 13[]
American Ninja Warrior 13's Pipe Dream in Stage Three
The Pipe Dream returned on American Ninja Warrior 13, with a slight modification being that the dropping poles being much thinner compared to its previous appearance. During this season, no one failed on the obstacle.
American Ninja Warrior 14[]
The Pipe Dream returned on American Ninja Warrior 14 with little changes. This time around, two competitors: Cameron Baumgartner and Ethan Bartnicki, failed on the obstacle.
American Ninja Warrior 15[]
The Pipe Dream returned on American Ninja Warrior 15 with very little changes. No one failed on this obstacle.
Due to the low knockout rate, it was replaced in American Ninja Warrior 16 by Pizza Party.
Pipe Descent[]
Ninja Warrior Poland 7's Pipe Descent
In Ninja Warrior Poland 7, a fusion of Utility Pole Slider and Pole Grasper, locally called Zjazd na Rurze (literally Pipe Descent) appeared as the second obstacle in Heat 2 and Heat 6. In this version, the pole was much thinner (similar to the poles used in the Pole Grasper), and the bars were removed (similar to the Pole Rider in Australian Ninja Warrior). Despite the fact that the obstacle seemed to be more difficult because of it, the obstacle was not a major difficulty for the competitors.
Other Season Appearances[]
Ninja Warrior Poland 9[]
Ninja Warrior Poland 9's Pipe Descent
Then, in Ninja Warrior Poland 9, the Pipe Descent appeared as the second obstacle in Heat 2 and Heat 6.
Other Appearances[]
Pole Grasper[]
Ninja Warrior UK[]
Ninja Warrior UK 3's Pole Grasper
Ninja Warrior UK 5's Sliding Pole Grasper
On Ninja Warrior UK 3, the Pole Grasper appeared as the eighth obstacle during the semi-finals, which was very similar to the one used during American Ninja Warrior 5's Denver finals, except the number of poles was increased to 10. This version of the Pole Grasper was proven to be easier, as only one competitor failed on this obstacle (likely due to the placement of the poles, as most of the competitors who completed the obstacle skipped several poles altogether).
Then, on Ninja Warrior UK 4, the Pole Grasper appeared as the fifth obstacle during the finals' Stage 1. This time, the number of poles was decreased to nine. Similar to its appearance on the previous season, only one competitor failed on this obstacle.
Later, on Ninja Warrior UK 5, the Pole Grasper appeared as the fifth obstacle during the semi-finals. Now renamed Sliding Pole Grasper. This time, the number of poles was decreased to six and the first pole was attached to a zip-line, requiring the competitors to grab and slide the first pole to reach the other poles.
Ninja Warrior UK 6's Pole Grasper
On Ninja Warrior UK 6, the Pole Grasper reappeared as the fifth obstacle in the semi-finals, which was very similar to the one used in American Ninja Warrior 7, except that the number of poles has been increased to eight.
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
Australian Ninja Warrior's Pole Grasper
On Australian Ninja Warrior, the Pole Grasper appeared as the eighth obstacle during the semifinals, which was very similar to the one used during American Ninja Warrior 5's Denver finals, except the number of poles was increased to eight.
Australian Ninja Warrior 2's Pole Grasper
Then, on Australian Ninja Warrior 2, the Pole Grasper appeared as the first obstacle in Stage Two. This time, the number of poles was decreased to six and the first pole was attached to a zip-line, requiring the competitors to grab and slide the first pole to reach the other poles.
Ninja Warrior Austria[]
Ninja Warrior Austria 1's Pole Grasper
On Ninja Warrior Austria 1, Pole Grasper appeared as the fifth obstacle of Heat 3. It featured six poles.
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
Ninja Warrior Poland's Pole Grasper
On Ninja Warrior Poland, Pole Grasper, locally called Spacer Hydraulika (literally Plumbing Walk) appeared as the seventh obstacle on the Finals' Stage One, which was very similar to the one used on American Ninja Warrior 6. The obstacle was very easy, as only one competitor failed this obstacle.
Ninja Warrior Poland 2's Pole Grasper
Then, on Ninja Warrior Poland 2, Pole Grasper returned as the fifth obstacle on the Finals' Stage One, which was same as the one used in the previous season. Despite that, three competitors failed on this obstacle.
Later, on Ninja Warrior Poland 4, the Pole Grasper appeared twice during the season:
Ninja Warrior Poland 4's Dancing Stone with Poles in Stage One
- Firstly, the Pole Grasper was combined with Dancing Stones, locally called Taniec Hydraulika (literally Plumber Dance) as the third obstacle in Stage One. The obstacle featured four dancing stones, with three poles placed between the second and third stones. Competitors had to go from the stone to the poles, walk over them and then descend to the third stone.
Ninja Warrior Poland 4's Pole Grasper in Stage Two
- Secondly, the Pole Grasper appeared as the eighth obstacle in Stage Two. The obstacle featured five poles, with the gap between each two poles were 1m.
Ninja Warrior Poland 6's Pole Grasper
On Ninja Warrior Poland 6, the Pole Grasper appeared as the seventh obstacle in Stage Two following the Cliffhanger, which was very similar to the one used in Australian Ninja Warrior (since the obstacle have eight poles).
Ninja Warrior Poland 8's Pole Grasper
Then, on Ninja Warrior Poland 8, the Pole Grasper appeared as the eighth obstacle in Stage Two, replacing the Window Hang from past two Ninja Warrior Poland appearances. The obstacle was similar to the one used in season four, except that the number of poles was reduced to 4. The Grasper started immediately after the previous obstacle, and next to the last pole there was a platform on which competitors had to descend to successfully complete the obstacle.
Ninja Warrior Poland 9's Pole Grasper
Later, on Ninja Warrior Poland 9, the Pole Grasper once again appeared as the eighth obstacle of Stage Two, with no changes compared to the one used in the previous season.
Ninja Israel[]
Ninja Israel's Pole Grasper in the Semifinals
In Ninja Warrior Israel, the Pole Grasper, locally called 12 המחטים (literally 12 Needles) first appeared as the first obstacle in Semifinals, and was very similar to the one used during American Ninja Warrior 5's Denver finals, with the difference here being the number of poles, which was increased to 12 (hence the number in the official name). Just like in Ninja Warrior UK 3, this version of the Pole Grasper was proven to be easier, as only two competitors failed it in the Semifinals.
Ninja Israel's Pole Grasper in the First Stage
It then reappeared as the seventh obstacle in the First Stage. This time, only one competitor in Stage One failed on this obstacle (likely due to the placement of the poles, as most of the competitors who completed the obstacle skipped several poles altogether).
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
Ninja Warrior Germany 2's Pole Grasper
Ninja Warrior Germany 2's Pole Grasper
(from a side view)
In Ninja Warrior Germany 2, the Pole Grasper, locally called Hangel-Mikado (literally Hanging Pick-up Sticks), appeared as the fifth obstacle in the First Stage. This time, the obstacle was very similar to the Pole Grasper used during American Ninja Warrior 5's Denver finals.
Ninja Warrior Germany 3's Pole Grasper
Later in Ninja Warrior Germany 3, Pole Grasper reappeared as the fifth obstacle in Stage One.
Ninja Warrior Germany 5's Pole Grasper
Then, in Ninja Warrior Germany 5, the Pole Grasper appeared as the eighth and penultimate obstacle in the First Stage.
Ninja Warrior Germany 6's Pole Grasper
During the semifinals of Ninja Warrior Germany 6, the Pole Grasper appeared as the second obstacle, which was very similar to the one used in Ninja Warrior UK 3 (since the obstacle consisted of ten poles). No competitor failed on this obstacle.
Ninja Warrior Germany 7's Pole Grasper
(in the Duel Course)
In Ninja Warrior Germany 7, the Pole Grasper appeared as the second obstacle in every round of the season's post-Preliminary Round gimmick, the Duel Course. Due to the nature of the Duel Course's direct duel Ninja vs. Ninja format, the obstacle only consisted of four poles that were arranged in a straight line (similar to SASUKE Vietnam 3's version).
Ninja Warrior Germany 7's Pole Grasper on Stage Two
Then, it returned as the fourth obstacle of Stage Two, with ten poles placed in an irregular pattern.
Ninja Warrior Germany 8's Pole Grasper
During Ninja Warrior Germany 8, Pole Grasper returned to the First Stage, serving as the sixth obstacle there. This time, the obstacle comprised of nine different poles, with the last four poles being split into two sets with two poles each. In addition to that, the transition from set to set here functioned similar to the first transition of Pipe Dream (on which ninjas have to throw themselves off the two poles into the next pole to transfer), with the difference here being the fact that competitors could choose between throwing themselves off the first set of two poles into both of the next poles, and throwing themselves off the first set of two poles into just one of the next two poles (as on the first transition of Pipe Dream).
This obstacle proved to be extremely lethal and served as one of the two "Ninja-Killers" of the stage, as out of the 16 ninjas who attempted the obstacle, nine failed it, including Leon Wismann, Frank Schmidpeter, Yasin El Azzazy, Christian Balkheimer, Lukas Kilian and (most shockingly) the three-time Last Man Standing Alexander Wurm, who all fell victim to the crucial transition from the first to the second set of poles. The seven ninjas (Philipp Göthert, Jona Schöne, Henry Lorenz, Sandro Scheibler, Sladjan Djulabic, René Casselly & Lukas Homann) who managed to clear the obstacle at the end of the day also ended up clearing the entire First Stage afterwards.
Ninja Warrior Germany 8: Celebrity Special's Pole Grasper
In Ninja Warrior Germany 8: Celebrity Special, it returned to Round 1 as the fifth obstacle. This time it comprised of only eight poles.
Ninja Warrior Arabia[]
Ninja Warrior Arabia's Pole Grasper
Pole Grasper appeared as the sixth obstacle of Stage Three in Ninja Warrior Arabia.
SASUKE Vietnam[]
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SASUKE Vietnam 5's Pole Grasper
The Pole Grasper appeared from SASUKE Vietnam 3 to SASUKE Vietnam 5, as a part of the Hang Climbing (Vách Nghiêng) in Stage 3, which was very similar to the Pole Grasper on American Ninja Warrior 7, except there were only four poles instead of five, with the fourth pole being suspended on a spring so it drops under weight, and after reaching the fourth pole, competitors must make the transition to the Hang Climbing. Just like on American Ninja Warrior 7, no competitor fell on the obstacle.
SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia[]
On SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, the Pole Grasper appeared twice during the season.
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SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017's Pole Grasper in Semifinal Stage 1
Firstly, as the first obstacle during Semifinal Stage 1, which was very similar to the Pole Grasper on American Ninja Warrior 7, only with one less pole, from five to four (similar to SASUKE Vietnam 3's version), and the third pole being suspended on a spring so it drops under weight. The poles were also arranged in a zigzag pattern. However, during SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: International Competition, the number of poles was reduced again from four to three.
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SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017's Pole Grasper in Final Stage
Secondly, as the third obstacle during Final Stage, which was very similar to the Pole Grasper on American Ninja Warrior 6, except there were only four poles once again.
Ninja Warrior France[]
Ninja Warrior France 2's Pole Grasper
On Ninja Warrior France 2, the Pole Grasper (Les Mikados, literally The Pick-up Sticks) appeared as the fourth obstacle in Qualification Heats 1 and 3. This version consists of six poles suspended from above.
Ninja Warrior France 4's Pole Grasper
Ninja Warrior France 4's Pole Grasper (viewed from top)
It returned in Ninja Warrior France 4 (now named Les Mikados Suspendus, literally The Suspended Pick-up Sticks), as the second obstacle of Stage Two. It had a similar configuration to the Ninja Warrior UK 5 version.
Ninja Warrior France 8's Pole Grasper
On Ninja Warrior France 8, Pole Grasper appeared as the second obstacle of Qualifications 2. A rope was present at the end of the obstacle.
Team Ninja Warrior[]
Team Ninja Warrior's Pole Grasper (front view)
Pole Grasper appeared as the fifth obstacle of Episode 1 of Team Ninja Warrior 1.
Team Ninja Warrior Germany[]
Team Ninja Warrior Germany's Pole Grasper
Pole Grasper appeared as the fifth obstacle of Episode 1 of Team Ninja Warrior Germany 1.
Team Ninja Warrior Germany 2's Pole Grasper
On Team Ninja Warrior Germany 2, Pole Grasper appeared as the fourth obstacle of every K.O. round, with visibly less poles compared to Season 1.
Team Ninja Warrior Denmark[]
Team Ninja Warrior Denmark's Pole Grasper
Pole Grasper appeared as the fifth obstacle of an episode of Team Ninja Warrior Denmark.
Trivia[]
- The Pipe Dream is named after the term meaning a dream widely considered unattainable.
- On Ninja Warrior France and Ninja Warrior Germany, the local names of the Pole Grasper contain the word "mikado", which is the name of the game "pick-up sticks" in much of Europe, and is also an archaic term for referring to the Emperor of Japan.
- On Ninja Israel, the Pole Grasper had the local name 12 המחטים (literally 12 Needles), as its shape and function resembled the needles.
- Pole Grasper was the only obstacle in SASUKE Vietnam that not featured the Vietnamese local name.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the NBC/Polsat/Keshet 12/VTV3 broadcast and external information found.
American Ninja Warrior[]
| Pole Grasper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| ANW5 | 5 | 9 | 55.56% |
| ANW6 | 7 | 9 | 77.78% |
| ANW7 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| USA vs. The World 2 | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| Total | 22 | 28 | 78.57% |
| Pipe Dream | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| ANW11 | 8 | 11 | 72.73% |
| USA vs. The World 6 | 1 | 3 | 33.33% |
| ANW13 | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| ANW14 | 7 | 9 | 77.78% |
| ANW15 | 12 | 12 | 100% |
| Total | 31 | 38 | 81.58% |
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
| Pole Grasper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NWP | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| NWP1 | 7 | 8 | 87.5% |
| NWP2 | 15 | 18 | 83.33% |
| NWP4 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| NWP6 | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| NWP8 | 7 | 7 | 100% |
| NWP9 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Total | 30 | 34 | 88.24% |
| Pipe Descent | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NWP | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| NWP9 (Heat 2) | 20 | 29 | 68.97% |
| NWP9 (Heat 6) | 20 | 29 | 68.97% |
| Total | 40 | 58 | 68.97% |
Ninja Israel[]
| Pole Grasper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NWI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| NWI1 (Semifinal 1) | 19 | 20 | 95% |
| NWI1 (Semifinal 2) | 21 | 21 | 100% |
| NWI1 (Semifinal 3) | 20 | 20 | 100% |
| NWI1 (Semifinal 4) | 20 | 21 | 95.24% |
| NWI1 (Final) | 13 | 14 | 92.86% |
| Total | 93 | 96 | 96.87% |
SASUKE Vietnam[]
| Pole Grasper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| SASUKE Vietnam | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
| 3 | 10 | 10 | 100% |
| 4 | 20 | 20 | 100% |
| 5 | 8 | 8 | 100% |
| Total | 38 | 38 | 100% |
Gallery[]
American Ninja Warrior[]
