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ANW15 The Gambler

American Ninja Warrior 15's The Gambler

The Gambler is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the fifth obstacle of Stage One on American Ninja Warrior 15, replacing the Tetherball from the previous season.

This obstacle was fittingly themed after casinos, specifically for Las Vegas. Competitors must first run across two breakaway ramps themed after a slot machine and a bunch of playing cards. They must jump up to a hanging disk themed after a poker chip, attached to a swinging beam, then lache over to a bar hanging under a board themed after a craps table. Then they must drop down onto an angled spinning platform resembling a roulette wheel, then jump onto a hanging board themed after a playing card (dubbed as the Ace of Spades), attached to another swinging beam, and finally jump down onto the landing platform. Since the poker chip board and playing card both spun, they also were major strength and time wasters.

This obstacle was incredibly difficult, causing numerous problems for competitors. Overall, 12 competitors failed the obstacle including Mike Silenzi, Emily Gardiner, Rachel Degutz, David Bergstrom-Wright, Jaleesa Himka, and most shockingly, four other veterans, such as: David Campbell, Nate Hansen, Max Feinberg, and Sean Bryan. Many competitors who attempted the obstacle were also tripped up by it, especially on the roulette wheel with many tripping on it and having to then restabilize and jump to the playing card. As a result, they lost a lot of time and either got tired earlier on the later obstacles of the stage or timed out, or in some cases both.

Other Season Appearances[]

American Ninja Warrior: Womenโ€™s Championship 4[]

The Gambler reappeared as the fifth obstacle of Round One in the American Ninja Warrior: Women's Championship 4. It received two modifications: the second breakaway board no longer tilted down, and the playing card was able to be locked into place.

These modifications made the obstacle easier as out of 12 attempts, only Caitlyn Bergstrom-Wright failed it on the rotation of the poker chip.

American Ninja Warrior 16[]

The Gambler reappeared as the fifth obstacle for Stage One in American Ninja Warrior 16 with the same modifications as the previous season. It kept up its brutality as it eliminated 15 competitors including Levi Enright, Chris Behrends, Sydney Yee, Vincent Pane, Xavier Dantzler, Kyle Schulze, Gavin Obey, Ryan Stratis, Ben Behrends, Conor Galvin, James Sannella, and most shockingly, three veterans who completed the obstacle on the previous season: R.J. Roman, Enzo Wilson, and in his final ANW appearance, Najee Richardson. In R.J.'s case, he was disqualified when he grabbed the support structure upon landing, which counted as off the course.

Trivia[]

  • The Gambler shared similar qualities to several obstacles:
    • Slide Surfer/Walk the Plank/Balance Bridge: The breakaway ramps were similar to the boards on Slide Surfer. The dropping mechanisms were similar to the once used on Balance Bridge, and the fact that the ramps only dropped in one direction made the obstacle similar to Balance Bridge.
    • Tire Run: The presence of the roulette wheel was similar to the large tire, even having a limited number of times it could rotate just like the tire, while the hanging poker chip and playing card (dubbed Ace of Spades) attached to the swinging arms were similar to the steering wheels.
    • Disc Runner: The roulette wheel was similar to the discs on Disc Runner, except with the middle being filled in.
    • Fallout: The poker chip and playing card spun just like the discs on Fallout.
  • This obstacle holds the record for most ninjas eliminated by a fifth obstacle for Stage One in its debut season with 12, beating the Half-Pipe Attack with 10 from American Ninja Warrior 4.
    • This obstacle then beat its own record the next season, eliminating 15 athletes. This is also the first instance in which the fifth obstacle is responsible for the most eliminations on Stage One in a season.

Competitors' Success Rate[]

  • All results based on the NBC broadcast and external information found.
ANW Clears Attempts Percentage
ANW15 40 52 76.92%
Women's Championship 4 11 12 91.67%
ANW16 41 56 73.21%
Total 92 128 71.86%
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