As many of us found out a few weeks ago, TBS in Japan has seemingly decided to cancel the SASUKE series in Japan [EDIT: G4TV is running ads for American Ninja Warrior 3, so it looks as if there will be a SASUKE 27]. Many of you in the US know the series as "Ninja Warrior" on G4, and it's been one of the fan favorite shows for the network.
With the acquisition of NBC Universal, Comcast actually has a couple of options they could use to make sure Ninja Warrior (and the SASUKE tournament itself) continues on.
One option is to continue to show the reruns of the show on G4. This has worked with them in the past, but with the loss of the tournament in Japan, this option would only last for so long.
The other option is to purchase the assets and broadcasting rights for SASUKE itself, then hold their own tournaments to broadcast on NBC to a larger television audience. This does seem like the best option, as the latest American Ninja Warrior trials have had large crowds there to watch the participants, and it would be a natural evolution from a series of trials to becoming the actual tournament.
I've given it some thought as to how they could get people to participate in the tournament, as well as who would be invited and how to generate additional interest. The following is what I've come up with. Bear in mind that this is only a rough draft, and I would appreciate any feedback I receive on this idea.
SASUKE (USA EDITION)
- Hour-long episodes (to fill standard network time slots)
- Run anywhere from 20-25 players per episode (full runs, meaning no "fast forwards"
- 100 players per season (to keep with SASUKE tradition)
- Minimum of six episodes (would like to find a way to push this number to 13)
AUTOMATIC INVITES
These are players who have proven in the past to be successful in the tournament and should be given an automatic entry into the new format. They are more than welcome to accept or not accept, opening up another spot for qualifiers (more on this later).
- Japan's All-Stars (Nagano, Takeda, Yamamoto, Akiyama, Shiratori, and Yamada)
- US All-Stars (Levi, Brian Orosco, David Campbell)
- "Big Name" Stars (Yuuji Urushihara, Okuyama, Hitoshi Kanno, Lee En Chi)
- The Trio of Death (The Octopus, Hang-Glider Man, Creepy Sculptor Guy)
- Additional International Spots (anywhere from 4-9 spots, meaning a full quarter of the field would be automatic invites)
That would leave 75-80 spots open for other contestants. This is where we would bring in the old standard SASUKE used to go by...
SASUKE TRIALS
The trials would consist of five different events, each of them testing a potential player's speed, agility, and endurance. A player must pass THREE of the events to secure a spot in the actual show.
- 100m Dash (eight players race, top two get the victory)
- Balance Run (cross a 25m balance beam in 15 seconds)
- Hang Time (four players hang onto bars until they fall, last one hanging gets the victory)
- Hill Climb (climb a 20 foot high, 45 degree incline in 30 seconds)
- High Jump (use a trampoline to jump over a 7' 6" high bar)
Trials would continue until all of the open spots are filled.
THE ACTUAL TOURNAMENT
As far as running order goes, I think it'd only be fair that the people that were invited get the option to choose their spot if they want a particular number. The later numbers DO seem to have a better chance at finishing a stage due to their time watching the other players run and learning from their mistakes.
The qualifiers from the trials would fill the remaining spots via lottery, with each player reaching into a basket and making a blind draw at the numbers. If they choose to, they can trade numbers up to half an hour after the final number has been drawn. The running order after that half hour is locked and no further position changes can be made.
The standard course rules for SASUKE would apply (players eliminated if they touch the water, go off course, or time expires). The course designs should stay roughly the same as the previous tournament, with the occasional change to make sure players aren't too familiar with a given course.
PRIZES
It does seem to be a shame that I would have to set some sort of value on finishing parts of the course. No one in the previous tournaments were worried at all about receiving any sort of money. However, since it's an American version of the game, money would most certainly have to be involved every step of the way. I've thought of how to split the money between everyone evenly, and this is what I've come up with...
Keep in mind that all prizes ARE cumulative in regards to money won, with the exception of the final prize.
STAGE 1
- For finishing the stage within the time limit: $500
- For every full second above ten seconds that a player finishes the stage: $50 (ex., a player finishes with 15.6 seconds left on the clock, his reward would be $750)
STAGE 2
- For finishing the stage within the time limit: $2,500
- For every full second above ten seconds that a player finishes the stage: $250 (ex., the above player finishes with 11.2 seconds left on the clock, his reward would be $2,750 for a two stage total of $3,500)
STAGE 3
I felt that the prizes for Stage 3 needed a modification to them, due to the lack of a time limit during the stage.
- For every obstacle completed (a successful transfer from one obstacle to the next): $500
- For finishing the stage: $10,000
FINAL STAGE
- Successfully finishing the Final Stage: $100,000*
*in the event that no one reaches or completes the Final Stage in a given season, the prize money would be held over until the next tournament, making a growing jackpot of sorts that would max out at $1,000,000 (one million dollars)
OTHER PRIZES
- The player that finishes each stage in the fastest time will receive a $2,500 bonus
- The player that gets the furthest in each tournament (without finishing the Final Stage) will receive a $25,000 prize in addition to the money they have already won
- Players that finish the First Stage will have an automatic invite extended to them for the next season's tournament
If they were to follow this format, I would love to see them focus the first couple of episodes on showcasing some of the qualifier's top finishers, as well as introducing new viewers to the All-Stars. After that, I'd start the runs on the actual course (starting with 20 players an episode for the Stage 1 runs), followed by episodes that focus on the players that made it to Stage 2, along with their runs. The last episodes would be their Stage 3 and Final Stage runs.
Again, these are just my thoughts on what I think the tournament format should be if they decide to continue doing it. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this as well. Feel free to leave me a comment at the bottom of the page and I'll try to reply to them or make whatever changes you believe would please the audience more.
