The Tick Tock (stylized as Tic Toc in its appearance on ANW9's San Antonio course) is an obstacle first introduced as the second obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 8 in Los Angeles.
The obstacle consisted of a trapeze swing, a 100-pound (45.36-kilogram) tube with a ledge on the bottom that is on a pendulum, and a cargo net. Competitors must swing from the trapeze to reach the pendulum, which was 11 feet (3.35 meters) away. Then, competitors must work their way around the pendulum and jump to the cargo net (10 feet/3.048 meters away), which they must climb down.
This obstacle is similar to the Double Pendulum, which was used from SASUKE 32 to SASUKE 34 and in KUNOICHI 2017 Summer, except:
- There is no trampoline at the start
- A cargo net was added at the end
- A different type of trapeze was used
The Tick Tock proved to be brutal, with many competitors failing to reach the middle of the pendulum. Several competitors also had trouble dismounting, as they failed to swing enough momentum to hang onto the cargo net. A total of 43 competitors fell on this obstacle during Los Angeles qualifiers, including Brennan Mejia, Sandy Zimmerman, and Arnold Hernandez (who was disqualified for tapping the truss at the end).
During Los Angeles finals, the cargo net was removed, and the distance between the trapeze swing and the pendulum was increased by 1 foot. Ted Jung, Natalie Duran and Steve Seiver failed on this obstacle.
Other Season Appearances[]
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
The Tick Tock (renamed as the Tic Toc) returned as the second obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 9 in San Antonio.
During qualifiers, the obstacle was proven to be just as deadly as during Los Angeles qualifiers on the previous season, taking out Kat Ratcliff, Artis Thompson III, Chynna Hart, Trevor Parks, Brittany Hanks, and many other competitors. Ultimately, it eliminated the same amount of competitors as in Los Angeles qualifiers on the previous season, with a total of 43 eliminations. The Tic Toc eliminated the highest number of competitors on a single obstacle during city qualifiers round on American Ninja Warrior 9.
Also during San Antonio qualifiers, only four female competitors were able to complete this obstacle. Because of this, it ultimately served as the cut off for the top 5 female competitors.
Unlike during Los Angeles finals on the previous season, no modification was made to the obstacle during San Antonio finals. As a result, no competitors failed on the obstacle.
Swing Surfer[]
A variation of the Tick Tock appeared as the fourth obstacle in Stage Two on American Ninja Warrior 9. It was named as the Swing Surfer, replacing the Butterfly Wall from the past three American Ninja Warrior seasons.
Competitors must run up and leap to the pendulum, which was 13 feet (3.96 meters) away. This pendulum was thinner and shaped like an upholstery hammer, with one side of the foothold being 1 foot (30.48 centimeters) longer than the other. Then, they must work their way around the pendulum and jump to the rope, which was 12 feet (3.66 meters) away from the pendulum. From there, they must climb up using the rope (in a similar fashion with the Rope Climb, but with addition of logs placed horizontally to the wall). Finally, they must drop down to the landing platform.
Just like the Butterfly Wall in its first appearance on American Ninja Warrior 6, the Swing Surfer only eliminated two competitors: Ian Dory and Mike Bernardo. Both failed to get a good run-up from the starting platform and hold on to the pendulum.
During USA vs. The World 4, the Swing Surfer eliminated Morimoto Yลซsuke from Team Asia and Marco Jubes from Team Latin America.
Other Season Appearances[]
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
On American Ninja Warrior 10, the Swing Surfer returned as the fourth obstacle in Stage Two. This time, the obstacle was extremely easy, as no competitor fell on it.
During testing for the obstacle, Nate Burkhalter broke his foot while attempting it. He would eventually complete the obstacle the next year. Also, during USA vs. The World 5, Jesse Labreck sustained a painful injury on this obstacle. On the transition to the rope, she landed awkwardly and tweaked her back. Still, she was able to clear Stage Two and win two points for Team USA.
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
On American Ninja Warrior 11, the Swing Surfer returned once again as the fourth obstacle in Stage Two. This time, the jump to the pendulum was reduced to 11 feet, and the rope wall was removed and replaced with a slightly slanted wall with four 3-inch (7.62-centimeter) deep ledges embedded in it.
Although two competitors (Alex Blick and Lorin Ball) fell on the obstacle, numerous competitors, such as Nate Burkhalter, had some problems climbing up the ledges. During USA vs. The World 6, the obstacle eliminated Team Europe's Damir Okanovic. Burkhalter's attempt was also interesting since he cleared the obstacle that injured him the previous season.
On American Ninja Warrior 13, the obstacle was replaced by the Hammer Drop.
American Ninja Warrior 15[]
On American Ninja Warrior 15, the Swing Surfer returned once again as the fourth obstacle in Stage Two, replacing its successor from the past two American Ninja Warrior seasons. Although the wall remains unchanged from its previous appearance, a rope was added back. Due to the nature of Stage Two being a side-by-side course, there were instances where competitors would fail the obstacle due to rushing. This season, it only took out Alex Romer during the non-winner runoffs.
American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja version[]
A fusion of Tick Tock and Swing Surfer appeared as the second obstacle on American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja, with:
- The run-up at the same height as the pendulum.
- The pendulum was made more similar with one from Tick Tock,
With this version, competitors simply had to jump to the pendulum and again to the cargo net. Most people made one fluid move, not waiting for the pendulum to swing back, and some even skipped the cargo net completely. However, most competitors who failed did so either because they had a poor jump to the pendulum, mistimed their jump to the cargo net, or failed to jump on their first opportunity and lost momentum.
Other Appearances[]
Tick Tock[]
Original version[]
SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia[]
On SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, the Tick Tock appeared as the second obstacle during Final Stage. Compared to its appearance on American Ninja Warrior, the obstacle had a few obvious differences:
- The cargo net was removed.
- The pair of starting blocks that competitors had to stand on to reach the trapeze swing was removed, meaning that competitors had to run and jump to reach the swing.
- The distance between the trapeze and the pendulum - and the distance between the pendulum and landing platform - were smaller.
As a result of these modifications, the Tick Tock was more similar to the Double Pendulum. Among the three competitors who attempted it (Tri Mardyanto, Yosua Laskaman Zalukhu, and Angga Cahya), only one (Mardyanto) failed it.
During SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: International Competition, the obstacle took out Asrul Sani from Team Indonesia, who was the only competitor to fail this obstacle.
SASUKE Vietnam[]
On SASUKE Vietnam 4, the Tick Tock, called locally as รm Trแปฅ (literally Hugging Pillar) appeared as the second obstacle in Stage 1, replacing the Log Grip from the past three seasons. The obstacle had a similar specification from the Tick Tock used on American Ninja Warrior, but with a few obvious differences:
- The trapeze swing was replaced with a trapeze bar used for the Giant Swing and Double Pendulum.
- The trapeze was hooked by a rope to prevent wind blowing the trapeze swing.
- The cargo net was similar to the Tick Tock used on American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja.
- If the competitors touched the pendulum with any parts of their bodies but didn't transition to it on their first attempt, they would be disqualified.
As a result, the obstacle was a kind of combination of the regular Tick Tock and the Double Pendulum. This obstacle became deadly on its debut season, as many competitors either had a poor transition to the pendulum (fell straight to the water or losing balance and hanging on the pendulum with just two hands till they got tired) or got disqualified by the "one-touch" rule. The latter caused a lot of controversies, with many competitors not knowing they had just accidentally touched the pendulum until the red signal came up. SASUKE Vietnam 2's winner, Lรช Vฤn Thแปฑc, was one of the victims of that rule. Also, the pendulum used in SASUKE Vietnam swung slower and weaker than the one used in American Ninja Warrior, making some competitors lose time to gain enough momentum to grab the net and dismount, just like the same problem for the Swing Surfer in Ninja Warrior France 3.
Then, on SASUKE Vietnam 5, the obstacle was moved to the second obstacle in Stage 2. This time, the "one-touch" rule from the previous season was removed, meaning competitors could wrap or touch the pendulum any time they want until they gained enough momentum to transfer. Also, the pendulum was fixed to swing faster and stronger than the one used in the previous season. As a result, the obstacle became much easier, as only three competitors failed on it; two of them were disqualified for touching the starting platform, while Nguyแป n Phฦฐแปc Huynh was shockingly the only one failed to hold on the pendulum after the transition.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
On Ninja Warrior Germany 3, Tick Tock, locally called Pendel-Stamm (literally Pendulum Trunk) appeared as the fourth obstacle in Preliminary Round 2 and 3. The obstacle had a similar specification from the Tick Tock during Los Angeles finals in American Ninja Warrior 8, albert the pair of starting blocks that competitors had to stand on to reach the trapeze swing was replaced by a trampoline, making the obstacle was very similar to the Double Pendulum, hence the local name of the obstacle.
On Ninja Warrior Germany 4, Tick Tock appeared as the second obstacle in Preliminary Round 5 and 6. With a similar specification to the previous season.
Ninja Warrior Austria[]
On Ninja Warrior Austria 2, Tick Tock appeared as the seventh obstacle of Stage One, which was very similar to the one used in SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, except the trapeze bar was replaced by a stationary lache bar.
It returned next year in Ninja Warrior Austria 3, once again as the seventh obstacle of Stage One, with the same exact configuration.
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
Tick Tock appeared in Ninja Warrior Poland 2 and Ninja Warrior Poland 3 as the seventh obstacle in the final's Stage 1, locally called the Wahadลo (literally The Pendulum), which was very similar to the one used in SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, except the trapeze bar was replaced by a stationary lache bar.
Team Ninja Warrior Germany[]
On Team Ninja Warrior Germany 1, Tick Tock appeared as the third obstacle of the K.O. round of Episode 4 and 5. It was similar to the Austrian version.
Ninja vs. Ninja Version[]
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
In Australian Ninja Warrior 4, the Tick Tock, called Tic Toc to Net appeared as the second obstacle in Heat 1 and Heat 2.
However, unlike American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja, there was a trampoline added to the starting platform as a medium to reach the pendulum, making the obstacle was very similar to the Double Pendulum.
Ninja Warrior UK[]
The version that appeared on American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja arrived to Ninja Warrior UK 4, as the second obstacle in Heat 1 and Heat 3, with the name Tic Toc. However, the distance to the pendulum had been made larger.
Ninja Warrior France[]
The version that appeared on American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja, literally translated Le Tic-Tac also appeared in Ninja Warrior France 4 as the second obstacle in all Semifinals. It knocked out five ninjas during the head-to-head matches.
Ninja Israel[]
The version that appeared on American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja, locally called ืืืง ืืืง (literally Tik Tok) also appeared on Ninja Warrior Israel 3 as the first obstacle in all Semifinals.
American Ninja Warrior Junior[]
The version that appeared on American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja appeared as the second obstacle in American Ninja Warrior Junior, for all brackets. This obstacle took out 23 competitors, including Karina Choi, Madelyn Madaras, Bella Palmer, and Paris Juarez.
Swing Surfer[]
Ninja Warrior France[]
On Ninja Warrior France 3, the Swing Surfer, locally called Le Pic ร Glace (literally The Ice Pick) appeared as the third obstacle in Heat 3 and Heat 4, which was very similar to the one used in American Ninja Warrior 9. However, the wall was softer than the one used in American Ninja Warrior to avoid injury for competitors, so that the logs placed horizontally to the wall was removed. Also, the pendulum swings slower just like the pendulum used for the Tick Tock in SASUKE Vietnam 4, so that it was the main reason that the obstacle became significantly more brutal than the one used on American Ninja Warrior, as several competitors failed to grab the rope. The height of the entire pendulum was revealed at 7.50m.
Then, on Ninja Warrior France 6, the Swing Surfer appeared as the second obstacle of Heat 2, and was very similar to the one used in Ninja Warrior Germany 4 (since the rope and wall were replaced by a cargo net).
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
On Australian Ninja Warrior 3, the Swing Surfer appeared as the second obstacle in Heat 1 and Heat 3, with a trampoline added to the starting platform and the foothold reversed. The distance to the pendulum was also lowered to 3m, after reaching the pendulum, competitors must make a jump directly to the landing platform.
This time, the obstacle became significantly more brutal than the one used on American Ninja Warrior, as several competitors either failed to land on the pendulum after bouncing from the trampoline or failed to jump to the landing platform. It shockingly eliminated Jack Wilson from the competition in Heat 3.
Ninja Israel[]
In Ninja Warrior Israel 2, the Swing Surfer, called locally ืืคืืืฉ (literally The Hammer) appeared as the fourth obstacle of Heat 1 and Heat 4, and was almost similar to the one used in American Ninja Warrior 9, except for the foothold being reversed (like Australian Ninja Warrior 3's version), the removal of logs placed horizontally to the wall (due to the wall being smaller than the one used in American Ninja Warrior), and the rope being changed to a bungee rope (similar to the Bungee Rope Climb).
The long bungee rope of this version resulted in the obstacle being significantly more brutal than the one used on American Ninja Warrior, as several competitors failed due to grabbing the low end of the bungee rope, resulting a high stretching of the rope that caused the competitors touch the water. As a result, the obstacle eliminated 7 out of 18 competitors who attempted it.
Then, in Ninja Warrior Israel 3, the Swing Surfer appeared as the fourth obstacle of Heat 13 and Heat 18. It was paired with the Tire Swing as Route B of the Crossroads. This time, the obstacle was modified again, with the rope now being shorter than before. Due to this, the obstacle was less brutal than the one used in the previous season, as it eliminated 4 out of 17 competitors who attempted it.
Later, in Ninja Warrior Israel 4, the Swing Surfer appeared as the second obstacle in Semifinal 2 and Semifinal 3. The obstacle was modified yet again and was now similar to the one used in Ninja Warrior Germany 4 (since the rope and wall were replaced by a cargo net), except for the fact that the foothold was still reversed and the trampoline was replaced by the springboard. This modification made the obstacle easy, as no competitors failed it.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
On Ninja Warrior Germany 4, the Swing Surfer, locally called Pendel-Brett (literally Pendulum Board) appeared as the second obstacle in Preliminary Round 7, with a trampoline added to the starting platform (like the Australian Ninja Warrior 3's version) and a cargo net (similar to Jump Hang) as a medium to reach the landing platform.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the NBC/Polsat/Keshet 12 broadcast and external information found.
American Ninja Warrior[]
Swing Surfer | |||
---|---|---|---|
ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
ANW9 | 27 | 29 | 93.1% |
ANW10 | 14 | 14 | 100% |
ANW11 | 23 | 25 | 92% |
USA vs. The World 4 | 4 | 6 | 66.67% |
USA vs. The World 5 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
USA vs. The World 6 | 3 | 4 | 75% |
ANW15 | 23 | 24 | 95.83% |
Total | 98 | 106 | 92.45% |
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
Tick Tock | |||
---|---|---|---|
NWP | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
NWP2 | 13 | 15 | 86.67% |
NWP3 | 13 | 16 | 81.25% |
Total | 26 | 31 | 83.87% |
Ninja Israel[]
Tick Tock | |||
---|---|---|---|
NWI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
NWI3 (Semifinal 1) | 16 | 16 | 100% |
NWI3 (Semifinal 2) | 14 | 15 | 93.33% |
NWI3 (Semifinal 3) | 15 | 17 | 88.23% |
NWI3 (Semifinal 4) | 17 | 18 | 94.44% |
Total | 62 | 66 | 93.94% |
Swing Surfer | |||
---|---|---|---|
NWI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
NWI2 (Heat 1) | 8 | 11 | 72.73% |
NWI2 (Heat 4) | 3 | 7 | 42.86% |
NWI3 (Heat 13) | 8 | 8 | 100% |
NWI3 (Heat 18) | 5 | 9 | 55.56% |
NWI4 (Semifinal 2) | 11 | 11 | 100% |
NWI4 (Semifinal 3) | 12 | 12 | 100% |
Total | 47 | 58 | 81.03% |
Trivia[]
- Its name is an onomatopoeia, derived from the sound of a ticking clock.
- On SASUKE Vietnam, the Tick Tock instead shared the same local name as the Log Grip (รm Trแปฅ).
- On Ninja Warrior Germany 3, the Tick Tock instead locally called Pendulum Trunk, due to the function of the obstacle was very similar to the Double Pendulum.
- On Ninja Warrior Poland, the Tick Tock instead locally called Pendulum (not to be confused with Double Pendulum).
- On Ninja Israel, the Tick Tock is instead locally called Tik Tok, which shares a name with the Chinese short-form video hosting service owned by ByteDance. Although, this naming may just be a coincidence.
- The Tick Tock was designed after a punching bag. However, its name suggests that it takes inspiration from the pendulum on a grandfather clock.
- The obstacle was originally going to have two pendulums but was decided to just have one pendulum due to it becoming far more difficult.
- With the Tic Toc's appearance on American Ninja Warrior 9's San Antonio course, the obstacle became one of three times the cut-off for the Women's Leaderboard was on the second obstacle. The other examples of this are with Ring Swing on ANW9's Denver course, and Walk the Plank on ANW9's Los Angeles course.