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'American Ninja Warrior': New 'corkscrew' obstacle stumps contestants, fans call it 'ninja killer'

Ninja Warrior Josh Norton's new obstacle design called the 'corkscrew' is being hailed as the 'ninja killer' after several ninjas fail to clear the obstacle

With just three episodes left in the ongoing Season 12 of 'American Ninja Warrior', things are getting heated. The Ninjas' skills are being tested like never before in the semi-finals round. In order for the ninjas to secure a spot in the finals, they will have to be one of the top 12 ninjas. To get to the top 12 positions, they will first have to complete an extremely challenging 10-obstacle course.

During round 1 of the semi-finals, we saw several ninjas — both veterans and new ones — giving their best shot to complete the challenging 10-obstacle course, but unfortunately, many of them seemed to fail at one particular obstacle — the newest addition to the already tough course, the corkscrew. The corkscrew was introduced in the semi-finals round as the eighth obstacle on the course. 

To successfully finish the corkscrew, the ninjas will have to hold on to three pins that twirl and spin. If the ninjas lose the grip on these pins, they are dropped into a pool. The corkscrew was designed by none other than ninja warrior Josh Norton as part of the Season 11 Obstacle Design Challenge. The corkscrew was also revealed to be the winner of the design challenge. The new obstacle saw many pro ninjas falling into the pool, thus risking their chance of making it to the top 12.

Fans both loved and hated the new obstacle. Several of them took to their Twitter to express their opinion on the new addition to the course. A fan tweeted, "Corkscrew gives me vertigo just watching on TV #AmericanNinjaWarrior." Another said, "That corkscrew looks tough but it looks too dangerous as an obstacle. Someone can tear their rotator cuff on that. I love the @islandninja  #AmericanNinjaWarrior." Another fan observed, "That corkscrew looks like it's gonna be a ninja killer. #AmericanNinjaWarrior."

Few ninjas such as Tyler Gillett, Cameron Baumgartner and Jake Murray managed to complete the corkscrew obstacle. In an interview, Norton explained the inspiration behind his design that is being hailed as the "ninja killer". He said, "The original inspiration for Pogo Wheels/ Corkscrew actually came from seeing a Submarine hatch. I liked the way the wheel on a submarine hatch spins to open and thought it would make a neat obstacle. After that I tried to think what I could do to spice it up and that’s when I had the idea to have it both drop and spin when you catch it and bounce back up when you release it, similar to a pogo stick. Of course, the final product of the obstacle built for the course doesn’t bounce back up, rather it drops and spirals down quite fast before coming to a jolting stop. Personally, I love the changes and think it makes for a very exciting obstacle!"