I'm pretty sure this is actually Ninja Warrior and not Viking. I watched a Ninja Warrior marathon on cable when i was up at my parents' place over XMas, and was quite impressed with Nagano. He almost made it in a previous attempt. If you get a chance to see the whole program, watch for the performances by Paul Terek, the American decathlete who lost because his mass (relative to the other contestants, almost all of whom were japanese) slowed him down, and Nagasaki Shunsuke, the 19 year old gymnast who made it to the final stage on his first attempt.