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ANW9 Wingnuts

American Ninja Warrior 9's Wingnuts in Daytona Beach

The Wingnuts is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the third obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 9 in Daytona Beach.

Competitors have to jump a trampoline and must grab a ledge which about 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) thick, which is shaped like a wingnut, and must swing horizontally to grab the second ledge. Then, they must repeat that to the third ledge, and swing to the landing platform to advance. The trampoline and the first ledge are parallel to one another. There is a transparent barrier placed on one side of every wingnut to force competitors to grab each nut laterally.

The obstacle was proven to be surprisingly difficult for many competitors, taking out many notable competitors like Emily Durham, Adriane Alvord, Adam Grossman, Jo Jo Bynum, Casey Suchocki, Mack Roesch, Caleb Watson, John Loobey, and tons of others. A total of 40 competitors failed the obstacle. One of the main flaws with many competitors were due to weak laché/technique. A few competitors also fell due to rushing/hitting the Plexiglas on the wingnuts. The Wingnuts was served as the cut-off for the top 5 female competitors to advance to Daytona Beach finals, with Emily Durham and Adriane Alvord failing the obstacle and placing fourth and fifth places in the top 5 female competitors respectively.

During Daytona Beach finals, Cedric Idudu and Jonathan Lorch were the only competitors to fail on the obstacle.

Other Season Appearances[]

American Ninja Warrior 10[]

ANW10 Wingnuts

American Ninja Warrior 10's Wingnuts in Philadelphia

The Wingnuts returned on American Ninja Warrior 10 in Philadelphia. The obstacle remained the same from the previous season, except it was being moved a position forward to the fourth obstacle, after the Broken Bridge. Both obstacles were coincidentally used in the Daytona Beach course on the previous season.

Likely due to its placement as the fourth obstacle, the obstacle did much less damage than during Daytona Beach qualifiers on the previous season, as only 14 competitors fell on this obstacle during Philadelphia qualifiers, including Daniel Eiskant, Annika Nieshalla, and Josh Shriber.

A total of five female competitors were able to complete the obstacle. However, this obstacle was once again served as the cut-off for the top 5 female competitors to advance to Philadelphia finals, as McKinley Pierce (who failed the obstacle in qualifying) landed in the women's top 5 in the 5th and final spot. However, this instance occurred because Angela Gargano, who was one of the five female competitors completed the Wingnuts, had to withdraw from the competition due to her injuring her ACL from the dismount.

During Philadelphia finals, the obstacle eliminated more competitors than during Daytona Beach finals on the previous season. As opposed to only two competitors fell on it during Daytona Beach finals, six competitors fell on this obstacle during Philadelphia finals: Mike Bernardo, Cody Coppola, Darion Bennett, Christian DeRubeis, Shawn Johnson, and Paul Rugerri III. On the flipside, McKinley Pierce (who failed the obstacle during Philadelphia qualifiers) completed the obstacle during Philadelphia finals.

American Ninja Warrior 11[]

ANW11 Wingnuts

American Ninja Warrior 11's Wingnuts in Cincinnati

On American Ninja Warrior 11, the Wingnuts appeared as the fourth obstacle in Cincinnati.

During Cincinnati qualifiers, the obstacle did much less damage once again, as only 10 competitors fell on it, including James Wilson, Naeem Mulkey, Hugh Birky, and Alex Bienz.

During Cincinnati finals, the obstacle eliminated 5 competitors: Mike Bernardo (who fell on the same obstacle during Philadelphia finals on the previous season), Jamie Ross, Zane Paksi, Cameron Nave, and Eddie Russell.

American Ninja Warrior 15[]

On American Ninja Warrior 15, the Wingnuts appeared as the third obstacle for the Safety Pass race in Semifinals 1 and 2.

Because the Safety Pass races involved top competitors of each semifinal, it wasn't meant to be deadly, and it shows with all four competitors who attempted this obstacle clearing it.

Wingnut Alley[]

ANW9 Wingnut Alley

American Ninja Warrior 9's Wingnut Alley in Stage Two

On American Ninja Warrior 9, a variation of the Wingnuts, named as the Wingnut Alley, appeared as the fifth obstacle in Stage Two, replacing the Double Wedge from the previous season, unlike the standard Wingnuts, there was no Plexiglas attached to the wingnuts, allowing competitors to put their hands over the wingnut. Each nut was also hung lower relative to their axles. On this obstacle, competitors have to:

  • Jump from a trampoline and grab the first wingnut, which was perpendicular to the trampoline.
  • Then, they must swing horizontally to grab the second wingnut, which was 11 feet (3.35 meters) away from the first wingnut.
  • After that, they must swing again and grab the third wingnut, which was 12 feet away and was perpendicular to the second wingnut, requiring competitors to switch their momentum.
  • Then, they must repeat that to the fourth wingnut 10 feet away, which was nearly perpendicular, albeit slightly askew, to the third wingnut, once again requiring competitors to switch their momentum.
  • Finally, they must lock the fourth wingnut to a proper position and swing 12 feet (3.66 meters) to the landing platform to advance.

This version of the Wingnuts was proven to be ruthless and brutal, as it eliminated almost every competitor who attempted it, in which:

In Drew Drechsel's case, he overshot the distance from the third to the final wingnut, slightly injured his bicep and resulted in him not having enough swing and momentum to reach the landing platform.

In total, 24 competitors failed this obstacle. Only three competitors (Sean Bryan, Najee Richardson, and Joe Moravsky) could get past this obstacle and eventually go on to finish Stage Two.

As if it wasn't difficult enough, during USA vs. The World 4, the Wingnut Alley was modified by reducing the number of wingnuts from four to three, making the gap between one wingnut to the other much larger. As the result, the obstacle took out Sean Bryan from Team USA, when he failed to generate enough swing and momentum to the landing platform, slammed his back to the side, and fell into the water.

Other Season Appearances[]

American Ninja Warrior 10[]

ANW10 Wingnut Alley

American Ninja Warrior 10's Wingnut Alley in Stage Two

On American Ninja Warrior 10, the Wingnut Alley returned once again as the fifth obstacle in Stage Two, with an identical configuration as the previous season, except with the landing platform being made much wider.

Once again, the obstacle proved to be lethal, as it eliminated 11 competitors, including Chris Wilczewski, Ethan Swanson, Josh Levin, Brian Burkhardt, Mathis Owhadi, R.J. Roman, and Zach Day.

It is worth noting that on this season, less competitors attempted the obstacle, as only 14 competitors had been able to do so. Even still, four particular competitors (Jamie Rahn, Karson Voiles, Drew Knapp and Josh Salinas) were eliminated by the obstacle for the second season in a row. In Voiles' case, he fell in the exact same fashion he did the previous year.

Just like on the previous season, only three competitors were able to complete the obstacle, with two of them having completed it before on the previous season (Sean Bryan and Najee Richardson). The other competitor who completed the obstacle on this season was Drew Drechsel, who failed to complete it on the previous season.

During USA vs. The World 5, the obstacle was once again modified by reducing the number of wingnuts from four to three, just like on the previous tournament. This time, it eliminated Iris Matamoros from Team Europe.

Even though the obstacle had a decent knockout rate, due to only two competitors making it to Stage Three that season, it was replaced by the Grim Sweeper on the next season.

Other Appearances[]

Wingnuts[]

International appearances of the Wingnuts would often remove the transparent barrier, which makes the obstacle easier (see below).

Australian Ninja Warrior[]

AusNW2 Wing Nuts

Australian Ninja Warrior 2's Wing Nuts

The Wingnuts (named as the Wing Nuts) appeared:

AusNW4 Ben Polson - Wing Nuts

Ben Polson attempting the Wing Nuts in Australian Ninja Warrior 4, with Olivia Vivian on the sidelines

Aunw5 wing nuts

Australian Ninja Warrior 5's Wing Nuts

Aunw6 wingnuts

Australian Ninja Warrior 6's Wing Nuts

A very unique way to complete this obstacle was discovered by Ben Polson on Australian Ninja Warrior 4, when he used the Monkey Bar technique to traverse from one wingnut to the other, relying on his long arms.

Ninja Warrior Germany[]

NWG 3-Semi-finals Qualification 1, 4 & 5-Obstacle-Wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Germany 3's Wingnuts (Schwing-Flügel)

In Ninja Warrior Germany 3, the Wingnuts, locally called Schwing-Flügel (literally Swing Wings), appeared as the second obstacle in the first, fourth and the fifth Semi-finals Qualification of that season. Just as the original version of the Wingnuts, this version consisted of three wingnuts, with Plexiglas attached to the wingnuts. However, unlike the original version of the Wingnuts, this version featured a laché bar that was installed perpendicular to the wingnuts as a medium to reach the first wingnut.

Nwgr four nations special 1 wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Germany: Four Nations Special 1's Wingnuts

On Four Nations Special 1, the obstacle returned as the fourth obstacle of Stage 1. However, the lache bar was made parallel to the first wingnut. And a rope was added before the lache bar.

Nwgr4 wingnuts semifinals

Ninja Warrior Germany 4's Wingnuts in Semifinals Qualification

On Ninja Warrior Germany 4, the Wingnuts first appeared as the second obstacle of Semifinals Qualification 2 and 3. There were three wingnuts, with the transparent barrier removed.

Nwgr4 wingnuts stage 1

Ninja Warrior Germany 4's Wingnuts in Stage One

It later reappeared as the fourth obstacle of Stage One. It featured two wingnuts and a rope as a medium to first the one. Four competitor failed out of 27 attempts.

NWGER5 - Stage 2 - Wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Germany 5's Wingnuts

Nwgr5 wingnuts

Competitor attempting Ninja Warrior Germany 5's Wingnuts

On Ninja Warrior Germany 5, the Wingnuts appeared as the second obstacle of Stage Two, with the same configuration with the one in previous tournament, with the exception of the rope placed nearer to the starting platform. Only one competitor failed out of 16 attempts.

NWGermany2021 Wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Germany 6's Wingnuts

On Ninja Warrior Germany 6, the Wingnuts appeared as the third obstacle during the semifinals, now featuring three wingnuts and a trampoline as a medium to reach the first one. Most competitors would do a technique in which they would swing from one side of the wingnut and have enough momentum to launch them to the next wingnut.

Nwgr7 wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Germany 7's Wingnuts

On Ninja Warrior Germany 7, Wingnuts, paired with Floating Steps, appeared as the third obstacle of Stage One. Two wingnuts were present without the transparent barrier, and a parallel lache bar was placed behind the first wingnut.

Nwgr8 wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Germany 8's Wingnuts

On Ninja Warrior Germany 8 , Wingnuts appeared as the fourth obstacle of Stage 2. Two wingnuts were present without the transparent barrier, and a rope was present at the start.

Ninja Warrior France[]

Nwfr3 wingnuts

Ninja Warrior France 3's Wingnuts

On Ninja Warrior France 3, Wingnuts (Les Balances Infernales, literally The Infernal Scales) appeared as the fourth obstacle of Stage One. It consisted of three wingnuts, spaced 2.30m apart, the starting trampoline was also removed. Unlike other international spinoffs, the transparent barriers were not removed.

Nwfr8 wingnuts

Ninja Warrior France 8's Wingnuts

Wingnuts returned after a four-year hiatus in Ninja Warrior France 8, appearing as as the second obstacle of Stage 2. It featured three wingnuts. However, the barriers were removed this time.

Ninja Warrior UK[]

NWUK5 Wing Nuts

Ninja Warrior UK 5's Wing Nuts

On Ninja Warrior UK 5, the Wingnuts (also named as the Wing Nuts) appeared as the fourth obstacle during the semi-finals.

The obstacle eliminated 10 out of 35 competitors who attempted it, the greatest number of competitors than any other obstacle during the semi-finals. Also, most of the competitors made the transition from one wingnut to the other by grabbing only one side of the wingnut instead of both sides.

NWUK6 Wingnuts

Ninja Warrior UK 6's Wing Nuts

Then, on Ninja Warrior UK 6, the Wing Nuts was moved as the seventh obstacle during the semi-finals. This time, instead of a springboard, a rope was placed as the medium to reach the first wingnut.

This time, the obstacle eliminated six out of 24 competitors who attempted it. As in the previous season, most competitors used the transition to consecutive wingnuts by grabbing only one side of the wingnut instead of both sides, but a few competitors used the tactic of grabbing both sides.

Ninja Warrior Austria[]

Nwat2 wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Austria 2's Wingnuts

In Ninja Warrior Austria 2, Wingnuts appeared as the second obstacle of Stage Two. It consisted of two wingnuts only.

Nwat3 wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Austria 3's Wingnuts

Nwat3 wingnuts behind

Ninja Warrior Austria 3's Wingnuts (viewed from behind)

It returned the following year in Ninja Warrior Austria 3, once again as the second obstacle of Stage Two. Two wingnuts and a starting mini trampoline were present. This time, however, the second wingnut was placed offset to the left with respect to the first wingnut.

In the demonstration for the Wingnuts, the course tester managed to land on the opposite lateral side of the second wingnut after only using one side of the first wingnut to swing on.

Ninja Warrior Poland[]

NWP2 Wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Poland 2's Wingnuts

In Ninja Warrior Poland 2, Wingnuts, locally called Motylki (literally Butterflies) appeared in the final as the second obstacle in the Stage Two, consisted of three wingnuts. It didn't eliminate any competitor.

NWP3 Wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Poland 3's Wingnuts

Then, in Ninja Warrior Poland 3, the Wingnuts reappeared in the finals as the second in the Stage Two, however, there were only two wingnuts. It eliminated one competitor.

NWP4 Wingnuts

Ninja Warrior Poland 4's Wingnuts

Later, in Ninja Warrior Poland 4, the Wingnuts appeared as the seventh obstacle in Stage Two, preceding the Cliffhanger. Only Igor Fojcik attempted and completed this obstacle.

NWP9 WIngnuts

Ninja Warrior Poland 9's Wingnuts

In Ninja Warrior Poland 9, the Wingnuts appeared as the seventh obstacle in Semi-finals, which was same as the one used in Ninja Warrior Poland 3, except the second wingnut was placed higher than the first wingnut.

Ninja Israel[]

NWI2 Wingnuts

Ninja Israel 2's Wingnuts

On Ninja Warrior Israel 2, the Wingnuts, called locally שלושת הקולבים (literally Three Hangers) appeared as the fourth obstacle in Heat 9, Heat 12 and Against the Route Heat. However, the trampoline was removed, requiring competitors to perform a high jump to reach the first wingnut.

NWI3 Wingnuts

Ninja Israel 3's Wingnuts

Then, on Ninja Warrior Israel 3, the Wingnuts appeared as the fourth obstacle in Heat 2, Heat 5 and Heat 9. The obstacle was paired with the Iron Maiden as part of Route A of the Crossroads. There was a rope was placed as the medium to reach the first wingnut.

NWI4 Wingnuts

Ninja Israel 4's Wingnuts

Later, on Ninja Warrior Israel 4, the Wingnuts appeared as the fourth obstacle in Heat 7. Due to Heat 7 being the heat for women competitors only, there were two laché bars placed after the rope as the medium to reach the first wingnut to made the obstacle easier for women competitors.

American Ninja Warrior Junior[]

Wingnutsanwjr2

American Ninja Warrior Junior 2's Wingnuts

The Wing Nuts appeared as the fifth obstacle for American Ninja Warrior Junior 2, specifically Bracket 2; kids aged 11-12.

Besides the pattern painted on the Wingnuts, no changes were made. 11 competitors fell here, including Iris Flink, Taylor Richards, Sitara Canada, Cassidy Short, Carson Dean, Emerson Hebel, Luke Milman, Lindsay Ferrara, Michael Sherman.

Team Ninja Warrior Germany[]

Tnwgr2 wingnuts

Team Ninja Warrior Germany 2's Wingnuts

On Team Ninja Warrior Germany 2, Wingnuts appe ared as the fourth obstacle of Seeding and Rely in Episode 3 and 5. It consisted of a trampoline and two wingnuts without the transparent barrier, and a chain trapeze at the end.

Wicked Wingnuts[]

On American Ninja Warrior: All Stars Special 3 and 4, a variation of the Wingnuts, named the Wicked Wingnuts, appeared as an event within the Skills Competition of the special. The obstacle consisted of a supersized version of the Wingnuts/Wingnut Alley, with the obstacle's second appearance taking place in Stage Two, in the spot where Wingnut Alley is usually placed. It consisted of two wingnuts (using the same axle configuration as Wingnut Alley), with the second nut placed perpendicular to the first, and a much larger gap between each wingnut (starting at 13 feet/3.96 meters). Competitors much generate a very powerful lache to launch themselves from one wingnut to the other.

The competition worked in an elimination fashion. Each competitor was given just one attempt to clear the obstacle in required distance. If they completed it, they moved on the next round (with the distance between the wingnuts being made larger in the next round). If not, they would be eliminated from the competition. The competition continued until only one competitor cleared the required distance in any round or the remaining competitors in any round failed to clear the required distance.

The farthest distance ever set on this obstacle is 20 feet (6.096 meters), achieved by Drew Drechsel on American Ninja Warrior: All Stars Special 3. When Najee Richardson tried the same distance, he failed, crowning Dreschel as the champion of the event, with Richardson as runner-up.

Trivia[]

Wingnuts

The prototype design of the Wingnuts, in which Kevin Carbone submitted for the American Ninja Warrior: Obstacle Design Challenge

  • The Wingnuts was one of the eight obstacles that won the first edition of American Ninja Warrior: Obstacle Design Challenge, and designed by Kevin Carbone, who also competed in Daytona Beach as a walk-on competitor (since he didn't get a call to compete), and most notably, he beat his own obstacle creation and finished the Daytona Beach qualifiers course.
  • According to Kevin Carbone, the obstacle's name was brought up from his father's impression on the obstacle's appearance. His father, Jerry Carbone, commented that the obstacle "looks like a wingnut", as the protrusions of a wingnut look similar to those on the obstacle.
  • The original design of the obstacle had six bars and competitors must swing horizontally to grab the next bars.
  • Kevin Carbone made a reference to the Hunger Games imagining the amounts of competitors "ghosts" fly up into the air, acknowledging the high amounts of casualties during the Daytona Beach qualifiers.
  • For the third consecutive season, the fifth obstacle of Stage Two was a modified obstacle from the city qualifiers/city finals course, as:
  • On American Ninja Warrior "Crashing the Course", the Wingnut Alley was stylized the Staggered Wingnuts, but in the actual broadcast itself, it was called the Wingnut Alley, similar with the relationship with the "Down Up Salmon Ladder" being entitled the "Double Salmon Ladder".
  • So far, three competitors had completed both the Wingnuts and Wingnut Alley on American Ninja Warrior:
  • Both Najee Richardson and Drew Drechsel coincidentally landed as the top 2 competitors during American Ninja Warrior: All Stars Special 3's skill competition on the Wicked Wingnuts, with Drew winning the competition by clearing the 20-foot transition and Najee finishing as the runner-up after clearing the 19-foot transition.
  • The Wicked Wingnuts on American Ninja Warrior: All Stars Special 3 break the record for the longest distance transfer for an obstacle in American Ninja Warrior history, with the obstacle being expanded to a record distance of 20 feet apart at maximum.
  • In other international SASUKE/Ninja Warrior formats, the Wingnuts were thought to resemble several things, such as:
    • When the Wingnuts appeared during the semi-finals on Ninja Warrior UK 5, co-host Chris Kamara nicknamed the obstacle as the "Flying Sombreros", since he thought the shape of the wingnut was more similar to a sombrero hat.
    • On Ninja Warrior Germany, the Wingnuts had the local name Schwing-Flügel (literally Swing Wings), as its shape looks more like a wing than a wingnut.
    • On Ninja Warrior France, the Wingnuts had the local name of Les Balances Infernales (literally The Infernal Scales), as its shape and function resembles a traditional weighing scale.
    • On Ninja Warrior Poland, the Wingnuts had the local name Motylki (literally Butterflies), as its shape resembles the top half of a butterfly's wings.
    • On Ninja Israel, the Wingnuts had the local name שלושת הקולבים (literally Three Hangers), as its shape and function resembled clothes hangers.

Competitors' Success Rate[]

  • All results based on the NBC/RTL/Polsat broadcast and external information found.

American Ninja Warrior[]

Wingnuts
ANW Clears Attempts Percentage
ANW9 (qualifiers) 39 79 49.37%
ANW9 (finals) 30 32 93.75%
ANW10 (qualifiers) 34 48 70.83%
ANW10 (finals) 24 30 80%
ANW11 (qualifiers) 30 40 75%
ANW11 (finals) 22 27 81.48%
Total 179 256 69.92%
Wingnut Alley
ANW Clears Attempts Percentage
ANW9 3 27 11.11%
ANW10 3 14 21.43%
USA vs. The World 4 2 3 66.67%
USA vs. The World 5 3 4 75%
Total 11 48 22.92%

Ninja Warrior Germany[]

Wingnuts
NWG Clears Attempts Percentage
NWG3
(Semi-finals Qualification 1)
11 17 64.7%
NWG3
(Semi-finals Qualification 4)
12 18 66.6%
NWG3
(Semi-finals Qualification 5)
8 16 50%
NWG4
(Semi-finals Qualification 2)
9 13 69.2%
NWG4
(Semi-finals Qualification 3)
12 17 70.5%
NWG4 23 27 85.1%
NWG5 16 16 100%
NWG6 50 65 76.9%
NWG7 30 32 93.7%
Total 171 221 77.3%

Ninja Warrior Poland[]

Wingnuts
NWP Clears Attempts Percentage
NWP2 8 8 100%
NWP3 11 12 91.67%
NWP4 1 1 100%
NWP9 (Semi-final 1) 9 9 100%
NWP9 (Semi-final 2) 8 8 100%
Total 37 38 97.37%
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