Australian Ninja Warrior: The only relatable person on the show

WHEN I watch Ninja Warrior I find it virtually impossible to relate to any of the contestants.

They’re ripped, I’m not.

They’re stupidly fit, I’m not.

The majority of them have overcome horrific injuries or traumatic experiences in their pasts. I got a paper cut once but it healed up pretty quickly and I rarely have nightmares about it.

And the Ninja’s are able to conquer the show’s challenging obstacles whereas I still get scared jumping into the foam pit at SkyZone.

But that all changed during the first episode of season two of Australia Ninja Warrior. Finally there was someone featured on the show that I could relate to. Her name, ladies and gentlemen, is Anne.

During the background package on Ian Newland aka Pa Rambo, we got a glimpse inside the 64-year-old’s backyard at his Sunshine Coast home where he’s built his own Ninja Warrior training course.

The sight of the buff grandpa effortlessly swinging across the monkey bars was impressive, but then the camera panned over to his wife, Anne.

There she was, sitting on a deck chair watching her man train while she sipped on a glass of champagne.

As he sweated, she sipped, and occasionally yelled out inspirational comments like “keep going” and “well done”.

I’m not ashamed to say it; I am Anne.

Desperate to learn more about this Aussie legend, I caught up with Anne and Ian after the episode of Ninja Warrior aired, and Ian explained it was his wife’s suggestion for him to go on the show.

“I’ve got a full weights gym set up in my garage and I’d been doing five years of weight training at home for six days a week,” the former gymnastics champion told me.

“I got all my strength back again and I was pretty fit and healthy and as I was watching Ninja Warrior [season one] I thought to myself, ‘These guys are doing this all wrong, they’re not swinging properly.’

“I said out loud, ‘I could probably do that.’ And my wife said, ‘Well why don’t you?’”

That’s it Anne, tell him to put up or shut up!

For a Ninja Warrior producer, an application from a fit 64-year-old like Ian is a gift from the gods and the ageing athlete quickly landed a spot on the show.

But as Ian explained, Anne was less than enthusiastic about her hubby’s successful application when she discovered he was planning to build a Ninja course in their backyard.

“Oh yeah, that was a sore point,” Ian said.

“Once I’d been accepted, I thought, ‘Hell, I’d better pull my finger out and do some training.’ I just started building basic monkey bars out the back of the house and it grew from there and it’s still growing.”

According to Anne, she knew nothing about Ian’s plans for the backyard course until she came home from work one afternoon.

“He’d already started building it,” Anne said. “I cracked it of course.”

But Anne managed to use the backyard course as a bargaining chip.

“We compromised and I got things done around the house that I wanted done,” she said.

“We’ve got a new kitchen, I got him working on that ... so it’s all good now.”

Part of the deal is that Ian also has to keep the fridge stocked with a few bottles of Anne’s favourite beverages.

“I just love a nice bubbly as long as it’s icy cold,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be top range, whatever we’ve got.”

Ian’s recently installed a shadecloth for Anne in the backyard and has added some new chairs and a table for her.

“I’ll just sit out the back and watch him work on the equipment and he’ll often say, ‘don’t you have anything better to do than drinking while I’m bloomin’ training?’” Anne laughed.

Ian failed to make it through to the semi-finals on Ninja Warrior but he’s vowed that he will be back.

“I want to be the oldest guy in a Ninja Warrior show anywhere in the world to do a completion [finish the course] in a qualifying round,” he said. “I want that record.”

And you can bet that Anne (and a bottle of bubbly) will be right by his side the whole way.

Australian Ninja Warrior continues on Monday at 7.30pm on Nine

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