Antena 3 premieres 'Ninja Warrior', the Spanish adaptation of this format with physical and mental improvement tests

This large format produced by Globomedia required a spectacular assembly in record time since in Spain, unlike other countries, it was decided to place the circuit in a closed place with a live audience. Due to its dimensions and levels, the Madrid Arena venue was chosen.

Antena 3 premieres this Friday in prime time the Spanish adaptation of Ninja Warrior, the most demanding sports competition in the world produced by Globomedia (Mediapro) and only suitable for all those men and women willing to face the most difficult of challenges: surpassing themselves.

Four programs and a grand finale to show who completes the most tests in the least time. A challenge for the agility, strength, dexterity and mind of 200 participants, with only one winner: the first winner of Ninja Warrior Spain.

Arturo Valls, Pilar Rubio and Manolo Lama will look for the first Ninja Warrior Spain among 200 anonymous men and women, who have been the best in the casting tests, mixed with elite athletes

Arturo Valls hosts this great format for the whole family accompanied by sports journalist Manolo Lama, who makes the technical comments, while the presenter Pilar Rubio collects the impressions of the participants and their companions at the foot of the track. Together they will look for the first Ninja Warrior Spain in a spectacular obstacle course set up in the Madrid Arena.

The program is one of the most successful formats in the world. Ninja Warriors is inspired by the show Sasuke, which premiered in Japan in 1997 and is now broadcast by the Japanese network TBS. The eighth season is broadcast on the North American network NBC after reaching an average of 6 million viewers. In England, Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark it has also gained a large following.

selection tests

After the selection tests supervised by professionals in charge of casting, each country adjusts the toughness of the circuit to the results obtained by the applicants. In the Spanish case, 5,572 people took the physical tests in gyms set up for the occasion in Bilbao, Seville, Barcelona and Madrid. Of them, 597 achieved results above the average of the candidates who participated in other European versions of the competition. In addition, 10 people surpassed the highest score obtained in the castings carried out in the rest of Europe.

Only 200 participants, among whom there are 11 different nationalities, stood out in the strength, agility and speed tests proposed in the casting. Divided into groups of 50, they will participate in the first 4 elimination programs.

Only 24 applicants will reach the fifth and final program. The grand finale culminates with the toughest challenge on television: reaching Mount Midoriyama, the most emblematic test of Ninja Warrior, and one that very few contestants around the world have managed to overcome. Mount Midoriyama consists of a 22-meter-high rope that you have to climb with the only help of your hands and in a short period of time. The one who achieves it will win the title of the first “Ninja Warrior” in Spain. In addition to the warrior's honor, the winner will receive 30,000 euros and a trip to Japan.

Madrid Arena

Ninja Warriors It is a blockbuster with a spectacular montage in record time. In Spain, unlike other countries, the decision has been made to locate the circuit in a closed place with a live audience. Due to its dimensions and levels, the Madrid Arena venue has been chosen.

The Spanish version includes the variation of some tests in each program, a feature that adds diversity but also complexity to Globomedia's production. Bar fall, floating frames, the dangerous hug, the domino, the periscope, the rotating bridge, the floating stairs or the poisonous mushrooms... are the suggestive names of some of the many obstacles that make up the circuit.
Among the numerical data, the 315 tons of material that make up the scenery stand out, which were distributed over the 10,000 m2 of the Madrid Arena.

A total of 21 trailers traveled 3,208 kilometers to transport the tests of a circuit made up of 30 obstacles and 12 pools with 250,000 liters of water. 200 people made up the team that put on the show in the record time of 10 days. The technical resources extend to 963 lighting fixtures, with 750,000 kilowatts and 15 kilometers of cable.