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.
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[]
American Ninja Warrior 11's Wingnuts 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.
On American Ninja Warrior 15, the Wingnuts appeared as the third obstacle for the Safety Pass races in Semifinals 1 and 2. This time, there was no transparent barrier placed on the first wingnut.
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.
American Ninja Warrior: Couples Championship 2[]
During the American Ninja Warrior: Couples Championship 2, the Wingnuts returned as the third obstacle on the side-by-side course with the same specifications as in American Ninja Warrior 15 (due to the filming schedule).
It eliminated Charles Zimmerman on the second Wingnut (in the first round of racing) and Jaelyn Bennett on the final Wingnut (in the second round of racing). It was also the deciding factor between Austin Gray and Ian Weber’s race.
American Ninja Warrior 16[]
On American Ninja Warrior 16, the Wingnuts appeared as the third obstacle during the runoffs and semifinals with the same specifications as the previous season.
Wingnuts made an appearance during the American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja's final rounds of the championship. It was slightly modified as there were only two wingnuts along with a bar that would move. Only Chris DiGangi, Flip Rodriguez, and Meagan Martin (her only loss throughout the competition) failed the obstacle, none of whom had attempted the obstacle before.
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 (3.66 meters) 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 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 a 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[]
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.
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.
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 five competitors making it to Stage Three the past two seasons, it was replaced by the Grim Sweeper on the next season.
Other Appearances[]
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
Australian Ninja Warrior 2's Wing Nuts
The Wingnuts (stylized as the Wing Nuts) appeared:
as the fifth obstacle in Semifinal 1 and Semifinal 2 on Australian Ninja Warrior 6. Two fixed bars were added between the trampoline and the first wingnut.
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.
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.
Apart from that, competitors were also allowed to skip the third and final wingnut entirely to make an early dismount to the landing platform. This was proven and demonstrated by René Casselly during the fifth Semi-finals Qualification, with him generating so much lateral swing that he skipped the third wingnut.
Ninja Warrior Germany: Four Nations Special 1's Wingnuts
On the Four Nations Special 1, the obstacle returned as the fourth obstacle of Stage One. However, the lache bar was made parallel to the first wingnut and a rope was added before the lache bar.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ninja Warrior Germany 8's Wingnuts
On Ninja Warrior Germany 8, Wingnuts appeared as the fourth obstacle of Stage Two. Two wingnuts were present without the transparent barrier, and a rope was present at the start.
Ninja Warrior Germany All Stars 1's Wingnuts
On Ninja Warrior Germany: All-Stars 1, Wingnuts appeared as the fifth obstacle of Preliminary Round 1 of Episode 1 and 5. Three wingnuts were present without the transparent barrier, and a lache bar was present at the start.
Ninja Warrior France[]
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.
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 Two. It featured three wingnuts. However, the barriers were removed this time.
It then appeared in Ninja Warrior France: Clash of Nations as the second obstacle of the Second Stage. And while the entire layout of the obstacle remained unchanged, a new rule was revealed for the obstacle. This rule stated that competitors would only be allowed to do the laché/jump from the first to the second wingnut laterally (so that the body would be in a sideways position), and not forwards (so that the body directly faces the second wingnut). Shockingly, Jean Tezenas du Montcel was the only one of the eighteen competitiors who attempted the obstacle to fall victim to this exact rule. Apart from that, Marvin Mitterhuber failed the transition from the first to the second wingnut.
Ninja Warrior UK[]
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.
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[]
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.
Ninja Warrior Austria 3's Wingnuts
It returned the following year in Ninja Warrior Austria 3 (Die Hängenden Kleiderhaken, literally The Hanging Coat Hooks), 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. Each wingnut also faced each other, with both axles pointing inward.
In the demonstration for the Wingnuts, the course tester managed to cleanly land both hands on the second wingnut after using the front-facing side of the first wingnut to swing on, in a similar motion to the Crazy Cliffhanger.
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
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.
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.
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.
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 and eight ninjas failed the obstacle throughout the six rounds of the semifinals.
Ninja Israel[]
Ninja Israel 2's Wingnuts
On Ninja Warrior Israel 2, the Wingnuts (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.
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.
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.
It uses the extended axle design from Wingnut Alley. 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[]
Team Ninja Warrior Germany 2's Wingnuts
On Team Ninja Warrior Germany 2, Wingnuts appeared as the fourth obstacle of Seeding and Relay 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 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.
Because of this, the Wingnuts is the first Obstacle Design Challenge obstacle to be attempted and cleared by its creator.
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.
Wingnut Alley on ANW9 and ANW10 respectively have the two lowest clear rates of any obstacle on Stage Two, with 11.11% and 21.43% respectively.
Along with the Metal Spin on ANW6, it is one of two obstacles on Stage Two to ever have a clear rate of less than 30% during the regular season.
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. Later episodes that feature the Wingnuts on the course would also involve both hosts donning colourful sombreros, which is more noticeable when competitors pass by their desk after clearing the Warped Wall.
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.
