THE season return of Australian Ninja Warrior has a Mornington Peninsula flavour.
The competitors include fan favourite Ashlin Herbert, of Mornington, alongside his mates Troy Cullen and Zak Stolz, of Rye, and last year’s winner Charlie Robbins, also of Rye.
Joining the Channel 9 show is Herbert’s girlfriend Sarah Blackmore, also of Rye, who, after training with the boys for the past three years, decided to give the course a go.
Fans believe there’s a good chance one of the peninsula’s team will take out the title of Australia’s first Ninja Warrior.
The show is being contested by 140 “everyday Aussies who just happen to be inspirational athletes” training hard to take on the obstacle course.
Ninjas will compete head-to-head for the first time, and the fastest Ninja on the Power Tower will receive a time advantage going into the semi-finals.
There, the two fastest Ninjas each night will compete on a tougher Power Tower set-up, and the fastest Ninja will earn a rerun if he or she splashes out in the grand finals.
The competitor who goes farthest and fastest wins $100,000. A competitor who conquers the so-far-unclimbable Mt Midoriyama in the fastest time will win $400,000 and claim the title of Australia’s first ever Ninja Warrior.
The ninja warrior course is at the Melbourne Showgrounds.
In a new, later program the best competitors from each state will team up to battle it out for $100,000 as Australian Ninja Warrior: State of Origin.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 21 July 2020
