Rope Jungle is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the first obstacle in Stage Two on American Ninja Warrior 6, replacing the Hang Slider from the previous season.
Competitors must swing across a series of ropes (in a similar fashion to the Tarzan Rope) to reach the landing platform. Each rope had a different function:
- Some were attached to a bungee cord, which caused them to drop down when competitors applied their weight to them
- Some would slide on a track, which threw off competitors' momentum; if they failed to grab another rope when the rope that they were on reached the end of its track, it would slide backwards.
- Some ropes were only attached to the scaffolding, meaning those ropes were stationary.
Although no competitor failed this obstacle, it was a massive time and energy waster. Most competitors took around 20 seconds to complete it, and quite a few top competitors took even longer than that. Several competitors later failed on the next obstacles, either the Double Salmon Ladder (e.g. Lorin Ball, JJ Woods, and Isaac Caldiero) or Unstable Bridge (e.g. Paul Kasemir, Brian Arnold, and Noah Kaufman).
During USA vs. The World, the obstacle took out two members of Team Japan: Matachi Ryo and Kanno Hitoshi. Both of them got hung up on the ropes and spent more than 50 seconds at the obstacle, resulting their grip giving out.
To clear this obstacle, competitors had to plot out a course beforehand, knowing in advance which ropes to swing on and which to avoid. They would have to take into account the physics of each rope. Once on the obstacle, competitors had to utilize their lower body to generate enough momentum to make it through the obstacle quickly and efficiently.
Other Season Appearances[]
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
The Rope Jungle returned on American Ninja Warrior 7, once again as the first obstacle in Stage Two. There were slight modifications made to the placement and function of each individual rope. The Rope Jungle was not quite as brutal this time around: competitors spent less time on the ropes, taking around 15 seconds to clear. Although quite a few competitors spent a bit longer than 15 seconds to clear, they did not spend a significant amount of time struggling. This was likely due to the competitor field being stronger and more explosive, the modifications made to the obstacle, and the fact that competitors had seen this obstacle before. However, it took out two competitors: Dustin McKinney and Kevin Klein.
On American Ninja Warrior 8, it was replaced by the Giant Ring Swing.
Other Appearances[]
Ninja Warrior UK[]
The Rope Jungle appeared as the first obstacle in the finals' Stage 2 on Ninja Warrior UK and Ninja Warrior UK 2. Although no competitor failed on the obstacle, just like on American Ninja Warrior, it was a massive time waster.
The obstacle became one of the reasons why no competitor completed Stage 2 on both seasons of Ninja Warrior UK. As a result, it was removed on the next season as part of the redesign of Stage 2 that resulted in two competitors completing the stage for the first time in Ninja Warrior UK history.
Ninja Warrior Austria[]
Rope Jungle was the first obstacle of the Semifinals of Ninja Warrior Austria, There were six ropes and one sliding rope only.
It later returned as the first obstacle of Stage 2, with no modification.
Ninja Warrior Denmark[]
Rope Jungle appeared as the first obstacle of Stage 2 in Ninja Warrior Denmark. There were six ropes in total.
Ninja Warrior France[]
Rope Jungle (La Jungle) appeared as the first obstacle in the finals' Stage 2 on Ninja Warrior France 1. It had a similar configuration to the one from Ninja Warrior UK.
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
On Australian Ninja Warrior, the Rope Jungle appeared as the first obstacle in Stage Two. It was named the Jungle Ropes. However, the number of ropes was drastically reduced to four, making the gaps between the ropes much larger.
Just like the first two seasons of Ninja Warrior UK, the obstacle was a massive time waster. Combined with the very tight time limit, competitors had to complete the obstacle flawlessly; getting hung up on the ropes would result in competitors running out of time later on the stage, either timing out or falling due to rushing. The obstacle eliminated four out of nine competitors who attempted it, and no competitor could complete the first five obstacles of Stage Two on that season.
On Australian Ninja Warrior 3, the Rope Jungle returned as the first obstacle in Stage Two. This time, the obstacle featured five stationary ropes; in other words, each rope was connected to the scaffolding by a chain, making it easier to swing. Combined with the more lenient time limit, the obstacle didn't eliminate any competitor who attempted it.
This version would eventually return on Australian Ninja Warrior 4, once again as the first obstacle in Stage Two. One more stationary rope was added at the end.
SASUKE Vietnam[]
On SASUKE Vietnam 4, the Rope Jungle, locally called Hãy Chọn Dây Đúng (literally Choose the Right Rope in Vietnamese; see Trivia) appeared as second obstacle in Stage 2, replacing the Cross Bridge from the past three SASUKE Vietnam seasons. The obstacle featured 8 ropes, with the first and sixth rope were the sliding ropes. Due to the Stage Two have no time limit, the obstacle served as energy waster only, as most competitors after cleared it later failed at the next obstacle, such as Roulette Row and Salmon Ladder with Rope. As a result, the obstacle eliminated only three competitors: Lindsay Eskildsen (special competitor), K'Phong, and Võ Văn Quang Vinh.
Then, on SASUKE Vietnam 5, the Rope Jungle was moved as the fourth obstacle in Stage 1B. This time, the obstacle featured seven ropes, with several changes about the ropes compared to the previous season. This made the obstacle significantly more brutal than the one used in American Ninja Warrior, as several competitors struggled when trying to reach the sixth rope, the stationary rope placed after the sliding rope. It eliminated seven competitors, including three competitors who had completed this obstacle before on the previous season, Nguyễn Văn Thi, Kiều Văn Nghĩa and Mat Redho.
Ninja Israel[]
On Ninja Warrior Israel 2, the Rope Jungle, literally translated ג'ונגל החבלים, appeared as the second obstacle in Heat 3 and Heat 8. The obstacle featured four stationary ropes with a bungee cord between the third and fourth rope. Since the Heats have no time limit, just like SASUKE Vietnam 4's version, the obstacle served as energy waster only, as only three out of 15 competitors failed on it.
Later on the same season, the Rope Jungle appeared the seventh obstacle in Stage One. This time, the obstacle consisted of four ropes and two poles at end. Due to the time limit in Stage One, just like American Ninja Warrior, the obstacle was served as a massive time waster and energy waster, as most competitors after cleared the Rope Jungle later failed or timed out on the next obstacle, such as Swinging Spikes and Salmon Ladder. Only two out of eighteen competitors failed on it.
On Ninja Warrior Israel 3, the Rope Jungle appeared as the second obstacle in Repechage Heat, which was very similar to the one used in Australian Ninja Warrior 4. The obstacle served as energy waster once again, as no competitor failed on it.
On Ninja Warrior Israel 4, the Rope Jungle appeared as the second obstacle in Heat 13. The obstacle featured five stationary ropes, with the third rope as the bungee rope (similar to the Bungee Rope Climb). Due to the fact that in this season, competitors must complete the first three obstacles of qualifying within a certain amount of time, the obstacle would serve as a time waster as some competitors would clear the obstacle with little time left to attempt the rest of the timed course. As a result, no competitor failed on it once again.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the NBC/Keshet 12 broadcast and external information found.
American Ninja Warrior[]
ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
ANW6 | 18 | 18 | 100% |
ANW7 | 36 | 38 | 94.74% |
USA vs. The World | 7 | 9 | 77.78% |
USA vs. The World 2 | 9 | 9 | 100% |
Total | 70 | 74 | 94.59% |
Ninja Israel[]
NWI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWI2 (Heat 3) | 7 | 8 | 87.5% |
NWI2 (Heat 8) | 5 | 7 | 71.43% |
NWI2 (Final) | 16 | 18 | 88.89% |
NWI3 | 16 | 16 | 100% |
NWI4 | 17 | 17 | 100% |
Total | 61 | 66 | 92.42% |
Trivia[]
- The local name of the Rope Jungle (Hãy Chọn Dây Đúng) on SASUKE Vietnam 4 was named after Hãy Chọn Giá Đúng, the Vietnamese version of American game show, The Price is Right. The show itself was broadcast on VTV3 every Saturday on 1:00 PM (13:00 in 24-hour format) from 2004 to 2020.