Based on Japanese show Sasuke, there are now countless versions of Ninja Warrior broadcasting around the world.
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However the success of the program has been tainted by comments from Lorenzi Dos Santos, a competitor who tried the dizzying course during a shoot in Cannes. On his Facebook account the young man talks about his disappointment with an experience he did not hesitate to describe as ‘catastrophic.’
His first complaint was about the travel organisation of the production which was almost nonexistent.
‘Forget about the shuttles supposedly planned to transport you, there are about 3 to 6 seats for 60 candidates, you’re left to figure it out yourself!’ he explains, stating that he and his group had been abandoned at the train station without a ticket.
‘The casting directors understood my weak point was my family’
‘On location, the candidates who sufficiently interested the production had the chance to have their headshots taken’ continues the young man. ‘The profiles which interested the production had the chance to quickly attempt the course at around 7 pm.’ It was not his turn until 4:30 in the morning, and this was for a good reason.
‘During the casting, the directors understood my weak point was my family, including my mother who I had not spoken to in years. I was repeatedly and insistently told that it would be great for us to reconnect on the show, which I refused and we ended up having an argument.’
Dos Santos' last complaint was that the course was located by the sea, meaning the obstacles were permanently soaked and therefore slippery. Lorenzi therefore fell at the very beginning, and the production then told him to pack his bags on the spot, leaving him to pay his accommodation out of his own pocket. Not very professional to say the least...
