gregh  2007-07-01 19:52  aor  liability  ninjawarrior   

Perhaps I've just missed it, but recently I've seen a few episodes of Ninja Warrior on G4.

Wow. I can't imagine this thing set up in the United States. I don't know that there's a liability waiver alive that could save the producers. The thing that strikes me is how limited the margins for error seem to be. One guy in the show that I most recently watched almost went over backwards, the wrong way, off an obstacle with the huge "log" he was suppose to be grasping onto on top of him. Another made it to the end, only to come up short on a leap, plunging 10 or 15 feet to the hard ground on his back. The pools of water placed to catch those who foul up seem to account only for the typical, but not the atypical, failure.

The more skilled of the competitors are amazing athletes. It's a stunning show to watch, in part because it is so raw. In many respects, it's a shame we would be unlikely to have such a thing in the U.S.