Shocking claims that Ninja Warrior is rigged
It’s obvious from the number of wipeouts that the Australian Ninja Warrior course is no mean feat – but did you know it could be literally impossible to complete?
The American series took seven years to see a contestant through to the end of Final course, Mount Midoriyama.
Viewers should also be warned to keep an eye out for clever editing as the competition progresses to the semi-finals.
In 2015, producers in the UK were accused of misleading viewers by switching footage and promoting an unsuccessful female contestant into the otherwise all-male final.
It was alleged Katie McDonnell, 24, actually competed in the first semi-final and didn’t make the cut, but her race was then aired in the second semi-final, where she clocked a time fast enough to qualify for the grand final.
At the time, an audience member told The Sun: “I couldn’t believe it when I watched the show. Katie was being portrayed as the star of the second heat even though she was never in it.”
ITV were quick to deny the shocking allegations, with a spokesperson saying: “We strongly refute any suggestion of any wrongdoing around the positioning of the semi finalists of Ninja Warrior UK.
“In common with all television programmes, we followed standard production processes in making Ninja Warrior UK.”
A version of this article originally appeared in this week's New Idea - Out now.
This article first published on New Idea.
