American Ninja Warrior 11's Walk the Plank in Los Angeles
Walk the Plank is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the second obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 11 in Los Angeles.
Competitors must crawl up a see-saw board, which would gradually start to tip. Then, they must time their jump from the board to grab a bar, which would slide down a track (similar to the second track on the Double Dipper or Dragon Glider), and finally made the dismount to landing platform.
During Los Angeles qualifiers, the obstacle was proven to be brutal, as several competitors either misjudged their timing to grab the bar or lost their grip after grabbing the bar. In the end, the obstacle eliminated 31 out of 70 competitors who attempted it, including Anna Shumaker, Tiana Webberley, and Benjamin Humphrys.
In a strange reversal, during Los Angeles finals, the obstacle eliminated Emmi Rose, Rebekah Bonilla, and Samantha Bush, who were the only three female competitors to complete the obstacle during Los Angeles qualifiers. Whereas, Tiana Webberley and Anna Shumaker (whom both failed on the obstacle during Los Angeles qualifiers) were the only women who completed the obstacle.
Giant Walk the Plank
American Ninja Warrior 11's Giant Walk the Plank in Stage Two
A variation of Walk the Plank, (called as Giant Walk the Plank), appeared as the first obstacle in Stage Two on American Ninja Warrior 11, replacing the Epic Catch & Release from the previous season.
This version involved a rope at the start as a medium to reach the plank. In addition, the plank and the track were made bigger and longer than the original counterpart.
The obstacle only eliminated two competitors: Ben Wales and Dave Cavanagh (who later completed the obstacle, thanks to the Safety Pass that earned during Baltimore finals).
Competitors' Success Rate
- All results based on the NBC broadcast and external information found
Walk the Plank
| ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANW11 (qualifiers) | 39 | 70 | 55.71% |
| ANW11 (finals) | 30 | 33 | 90.91% |
| Total | 69 | 103 | 66.99% |
Giant Walk the Plank
| ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANW11 | 29 | 31 | 93.55% |
| Total | 29 | 31 | 93.55% |
Trivia
- Walk the Plank was one of the obstacles that won the third edition of American Ninja Warrior: Obstacle Design Challenge, designed by Jeff Thompson.
- Walk the Plank is the first obstacle on American Ninja Warrior to eliminate all top 5 female competitors in a qualifying city course at least once. Its appearance in Los Angeles course on American Ninja Warrior 11 wiped out Tiana Webberley and Anna Shumaker during city qualifiers, and Emmi Rose, Samantha Bush, and Rebekah Bonilla during city finals.
