Do you ever watch a movie or television show and think, “I could do that?”
My husband, Justin, and I love watching competitive reality television shows like “American Ninja Warrior,” “America’s Got Talent” or “The Voice,” (three very different shows, but still competitive in different ways). Every Monday night over the summer, we would watch these men and women compete on “American Ninja Warrior,” who have spent years of training in the gym, rock climbing, or whatever it is they do to keep physically fit, endure a grueling obstacle course.
Some areas of the obstacle course seem fairly easy, such as leaping or running across the Quad Steps and wrapping yourself around a giant log (Log Grip) as it descends down a slope. Of course, Justin and I say, “We could totally do that.”
Other areas of the course seem hard, but with enough training, we both think we could conquer those specific sections as well. For example, the Silk Slider, Devil Steps and Peg Board would cause us to work on upper body and grip strength.
We feel pretty good about our odds on the show until a contestant gets to the part of the course that would make Bruce Lee look like an amateur. These obstacles look impossible! With names like the Ultimate Cliff Hanger, Rolling Dice, Jumping Spider, Inverted Rock Climb and others, who would want to take them on?
What gets me is the back story on these contestants. You watch approximately 5 minutes of video about a certain individual’s background and the struggles they’ve faced to get to where they are today, and then he or she fails on the first or second obstacle. You have hope for them and then BAM … They fall into the water or ram their face into a gym mat, which means their chance to be the next American Ninja Warrior is over.
I enjoy the show. I even like working out. However, I don’t think I could completely devote a year or more of my life to be the next American Ninja Warrior. So, Justin and I will settle with eating popcorn while laughing at the television and telling the contestants where they went wrong in the quiet of our own home.
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