Watch ‘Arrow’s’ Stephen Amell Destroy The ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Obstacle Course For Red Nose Day 2017
Fans of the Arrow on The CW Network already know that Stephen Amell is in amazing shape. The six-foot-one actor does regular workouts that would make lesser beings cry. After all, he has to be able to realistically portray a superhero on a weekly basis.
Amell has long wanted to take a crack at the obstacles on American Ninja Warrior, but never had the time or opportunity. Busy shooting schedules prevented him from training and competing. Still, the dream was there. When he found out that American Ninja Warrior was taking part in Red Nose Day 2017, the opportunity was there. And Stephen jumped at the chance.
The preview clip shows Amell absolutely demolishing the first three obstacles: the floating steps, an angled ball drop, and the fly wheels.
He clambered over the floating steps with natural ease, and then with some advice from his compatriot, Kacy Catanzaro, he slid down the angled ball drop like a natural.
The fly wheels were where Amell showed off his strength. Using his fingertips to grip the flywheels, he flew from one to the next, holding himself up with an amazing strength. All of those workouts that he does with grip strength training really paid off on those.
The video teaser ends with Amell lining up on a balance run, but that should be a piece of cake for the Arrow star.
https://youtu.be/baHfmHeySkE
You can catch Stephen Amell’s entire run on May 25, 2017, when Red Nose Day 2017 is being celebrated in the U.K. and in the United States. Joining him on the celebrity edition of American Ninja Warrior will be Natalie Morales (TODAY Show), Mena Suvari, Olympic decathlete Ashton Eaton, comedian Jeff Dye, Erika Christensen, Flip Rodrigues, Nikki Glaser, former New York Yankee first baseman Nick Swisher, and Derek Hough.
What is Red Nose Day?
Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign that was started by Comic Relief. Comic Relief started in 1985 in the United Kingdom to help raise money for the famine in Ethiopia at the time. Today, the charity raises funds for children all over the world that are in need due to poverty or other circumstances. The official mission statement reads as follows.
“To bring about positive and lasting change in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people, which we believe requires investing in work that addresses people’s immediate needs as well as tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice.”
Comic Relief (UK) should not be confused with the American version that ran from 1988 to 2010. Although that charity was inspired by the British version, its goal was to provide services for the homeless in the United States. That charity was helmed by Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Whoopie Goldberg.
A new Comic Relief was founded in 2015 and is more closely related to its sister charity in the U.K.
The highlight of the Comic Relief charity is Red Nose Day, which occurs on odd-numbered years. This massive telethon takes over the airwaves of BBC at 7 p.m. and hosts a variety of skits and bits performed by numerous celebrities. Also part of the telethon are numerous raffles and chances to purchase goods. One of the most popular items has been the red nose, which people wear on Red Nose Day to show their solidarity.
This year, Red Nose Day is raffling off an opportunity to have breakfast with seven of the actors who played the Doctor in the long running BBC drama, Doctor Who. By donating money, people can earn raffle entries; the charity is even offering the first 10 entries for free.
Some of the actors taking part of the global event are Key and Peele, Paul Rudd, and the cast of Love Actually. Past skits have included the cast of The Walking Dead hamming it up, and Sarah Silverman and Emma Watson.
[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
