# What is the best obstacle course reality show?

> Ninja courses, giant red balls and a Napoleonic sea fort full of tigers all share one rule: slip once and you're out. Some of these shows crowned elite athletes, others just wanted to watch strangers splash.

*By YPB Team · Published October 26, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-obstacle-course-reality-show*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Wipeout** — score 1000/1000
   ABC's slapstick course of big red balls, sucker punchers and endless splashdowns into muddy water.
2. **American Ninja Warrior** — score 832/1000
   NBC's long-running adaptation of Sasuke where athletes attack the Warped Wall and Mount Midoriyama.
3. **Australian Ninja Warrior** — score 636/1000
   Nine Network's ninja version, a ratings smash in Australia from its 2017 debut.
4. **The Titan Games** — score 636/1000
   Dwayne Johnson's NBC competition pitting everyday people against head-to-head strength and obstacle challenges.
5. **Takeshi's Castle** — score 538/1000
   Takeshi Kitano's chaotic 1980s Japanese game show where hordes of contestants storm the count's castle.
6. **Sasuke** — score 538/1000
   The Japanese original from TBS, a brutal four-stage course that only a handful of competitors have ever completed.
7. **MXC** — score 538/1000
   Spike TV's Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, which redubbed Takeshi's Castle footage with absurd commentary.
8. **Holey Moley** — score 538/1000
   ABC's extreme mini-golf competition where putts must survive windmills, ramps and water traps.
9. **Ninja Warrior UK** — score 418/1000
   ITV's British version of the ninja format, hosted by Ben Shephard, Chris Kamara and Rochelle Humes.
10. **Ultimate Beastmaster** — score 418/1000
   Netflix's multinational competition in which athletes from six countries climb through a giant mechanical beast.
11. **Total Wipeout** — score 418/1000
   The BBC's Argentina-filmed take on the format, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram.
12. **Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge** — score 0/1000
   NBC series built on Spartan Race obstacles, with teams of three racing a stadium course.
13. **Fort Boyard** — score 0/1000
   The French classic set in a real Napoleonic sea fort, full of physical trials, puzzles and tigers.
14. **Gladiators** — score 0/1000
   The British hit whose contestants battled lycra-clad Gladiators and finished on the frantic Eliminator course.
15. **Floor Is Lava** — score 0/1000
   Netflix's family-friendly series where teams cross rooms flooded with bubbling fake lava.

Tags: reality tv, tv shows, game shows, obstacle course