The Wingnuts is a new obstacle which debuted on American Ninja Warrior 9 in the Daytona Beach Qualifiers as the third obstacle. Competitors have to jump a trampoline and must grab a ledge shaped like a wingnut and must swing horizontally to grab the second ledge, they must also repeat that to the third ledge and must swing to the platform to advance.
The obstacle was surprisingly difficult for many competitors, taking out many notable competitors like Jo Jo Bynum, Caleb Watson, and tons of others with the total being 40 failing the obstacle. One of the main flaws with many runners were due to weak laches/technique. A few runners also fell due to sometimes rushing/hitting the plexiglass on the wingnuts. In the city finals, only Cedric Idudu and Jonathan Lorch failed this obstacle.
The idea of the Wingnut obstacle were created by Kevin Carbone, who also competed in Daytona Beach and most notably finished the qualifying course, beating his creation.
Trivia
- The Wingnuts are currently the only obstacle to be attempted from its own designer, which obstacle-design winner Kevin Carbone managed to attempt and consequently finish.
- According to Carbone, the obstacle's name was brought up from his father's impression on the obstacle's appearance. His father, Jerry Carbone, commented that the obstacle "looks like a wingnut".
- The original design of the obstacle is that there are six bars and must be swing horizontally to grab the next bars.
- Carbone made a reference to the Hunger Games imagining the amounts of competitors "ghosts" fly up into the air, acknowledging the high amounts of seasons ended from the obstacle.