Who will finally conquer Mount Midoriyama in the finale of “Ninja Warrior” on RTL? René Casselly and Moritz Hans achieved it for the first time in Germany. Everything you need to know about the final hurdle that changed RTL 2022.
Cologne – Mount Midoriyama remained undefeated in the first five seasons of “Ninja Warrior” on RTL. Then two athletes made it to season 6. First Moritz Hans (“Let’s Dance”) failed, then René Casselly failed even faster: the circus performer became the first “Germany’s Ninja Warrior” in the RTL show and won 300,000 euros.
At least 13 legends from around the world conquered Mount Midoriyama in “Ninja Warrior,” including Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten, as well as some “Sasuke” stars from Japan. RTL showed the grand finale in two programs (each starting at 8:15 pm): Final 1 on November 11 and Final 2 on November 18 (read also here: These 12 obstacles await in the grand finale of “Ninja Warrior” on RTL).
“Ninja Warrior” (RTL): Mount Midoriyama – 11 important questions about the obstacle
In 2022, RTL overcame the last hurdle. The new Mount Midoriyama is now 32 meters high. Previously it was 20 meters high. Furthermore, it is no longer just a rope obstacle, but contains three obstacle elements (also read here: The “Ninja Warriors” couple, Stefanie Noppinger and Oliver Edelmann, a portrait in numbers).
Laura Wontorra describes Mount Midoriyama as a “32-meter-high steel behemoth” and a “grueling combination of chimney, sky ladder and rope” that must be mastered within a 30-second time limit. A cash prize of 300,000 euros awaits the fastest conqueror.
But first there is the grand finale of “Ninja Warrior.” Only athletes who master all obstacles in Final 1 (Stage 1) and Final 2 (Stages 2 and 3) will have the opportunity to attack the final obstacle (Stage 4), Mount Midoriyama. Only two athletes were able to defeat him in Germany. Read 11 important questions and answers about the final hurdle:
1. What is Mount Midoriyama in the RTL show “Ninja Warrior”?
Mount Midoriyama is the last obstacle in the RTL show “Ninja Warrior”. Until 2021 it was a 20 meter long rope that hung freely and you had to climb to the top in 25 seconds using the strength of your arms and legs, but since 2022 it basically consists of three obstacles: chimney, ladder to heaven and rope .
| Last name | Ninja Warrior Germany |
| First transmission | July 9, 2016 |
| Channel | RTL |
| Moderators | Laura Wontorra, Jan Köppen, Frank Buschmann |
| Manufacturing company | RTL Studios |
| Film location | Cologne (since 2020, formerly: Karlsruhe) |
2. What does the conqueror of Mount Midoriyama gain?
Whoever climbs to the top of Mount Midoriyama, built outdoors for the first time in season five, and rings the bell within the time limit will win the RTL show in Germany, provided no other athlete goes even faster. 300,000 euros and the title “Ninja Warrior Germany”.
4. Where does the difficult name of the last obstacle in “Ninja Warrior” come from?
The name comes from the Midoriyama studio in Yokohama, Japan, where the original “Sasuke” from “Ninja Warrior” was first produced in 1997. Midoriyama means “Green Mountain,” so there is often a false rumor that Midoriyama is a real mountain in Japan. But that is not correct.
5. Why is the obstacle named after a study from Japan?
“Sasuke” is a competition show that has been produced in Japan since 1997 and is the model for “Ninja Warrior.” “Sasuke” was invented by Ushio Higuchi and the show was first produced at the Midoriyama studio. The “Ninja Warrior” edition in the United States has been around since 2009. “Ninja Warrior” is now featured in at least 18 other countries outside of Japan.
6. How long did it take for the “Ninja Warrior” in the US until the first conqueror of Mount Midoriyama and therefore the first “Ninja Warrior” appeared?
In the American version of “Ninja Warrior”, it took seven years until the first “Ninja Warrior” existed. In 2015, Isaac Caldiero overcame the last obstacle. He won $1 million for being slightly faster than Geoff Britten, who also reached the top of Mount Midoriyama in the time limit in 2015.
7. Was there already an athlete on Mount Midoriyama in “Ninja Warrior” in Germany?
Yes, three times. Alexander Wurm, who recently won “Ninja Warrior” three times in a row as “Last Man Standing,” was the only “Ninja” in Germany to reach Mount Midoriyama in 2018, but narrowly missed the time limit. The climber reached the top. He was about three seconds away from the doorbell ringing. In 2021, Moritz Hans and René Casselly overcame the obstacle.
8. How many other Ninja Warriors athletes made it to Mount Midoriyama?
In addition to Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten, who climbed Mount Midoriyama in the US in 2015, Drew Drechsel also took the title of “Ninja Warrior” in the United States in 2019 by conquering Mt. In Great Britain in 2019, Tim Champion managed to overcome the last hurdle. In Australia in 2020, Ben Polson (winner), Charlie Robbins and Zak Stolz did it. In Japan, only Kazuhiko Akiyama (1999), Makoto Nagano (2006), Yuuji Urushihara (2010, 2011) and Yusuke Morimoto (2015, 2020) have overcome all obstacles.
9. Is Mount Midoriyama the same height in all Ninja Warior countries?
No. In the original Japanese Sasuke, the first version of Mount Midoriyama was about 15 meters high (time limit: 30 seconds). Starting in season 4 it was increased to 20 meters. Currently, the obstacle is almost 23 meters (75 feet) high. In Ben Polson’s win in Australia in 2020, where he pocketed $400,000, the obstacle was also 75 feet high (time limit: 30 seconds). The 27-year-old completed Mount Midoriyama in 25.56 seconds.
Tim Champion had 45 seconds to climb 22 meters in his 2019 victory in Great Britain. In the United States, as in Japan, the rope is almost 75 feet (23 meters) high. There is a 30 second time limit. Geoff Britten did it in 29.65 seconds, Isaac Caldiero in 26.14 seconds. In Germany, the mountain has been 32 meters high since 2022.
10. Why was the time limit for Mount Midoriyama in “Ninja Warrior” shorter in Germany than in other countries?
RTL announced in November 2018: “There was criticism here and there about the timing (…). We have 25 seconds for 20 meters of rope. In the US the rope is 22.86 meters (75 feet) long. In the United States there are 30 seconds for this. Therefore, the time available to athletes per meter is very close to our time goal (1.31 seconds vs. 1.25 seconds).
Isaac Caldiero, who defeated the mount alongside Geoff Britten in the seventh season of American Ninja Warrior, had almost 4 seconds left on the clock at the end and only needed 1.09 seconds per meter of rope. What makes it even more difficult in the United States is that the total distance is almost 3 meters longer, which has an impact on strength and endurance, especially at the end… it’s not impossible!
Video: Samuel Faulstich, the “ninja warrior”, runs a bouldering hall in Fulda
11. What technique is used to conquer Mount Midoriyama in “Ninja Warrior”?
Samuel Faulstich from Fulda was present in 2018 when Alexander Wurm was the first in Germany to try Mount Midoriyama. “It actually takes years of rope climbing training to have perfect technique and speed. 20 meters in 25 seconds: this is a stable time that is needed. “It’s intense,” says the boulderer.
“You can’t do the 20 meters completely with your arms. To have a constant speed to the top, you need perfect foot technique. And climbers may not have it yet, but circus performers like René Casselly do.” Mount Midoriyama is also very difficult because you can hardly train one on one. In 2020, “Ninja Warrior” finalist Samuel Faulstich said, “I estimate the chance of anyone making it to the mountain is 10 to 20 percent.”
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