Ultimate Beastmaster

All seasons are great. The show and the way they score the athletes gets better each season. Great insight in body types myths dispelled

Only disclaimer : season 2 has American comedian host, Chris DiStefano, run his comedy style without correction. His NJ frat boy jokes that goes into racist and sexual harassment moments throughout season. I wish Netflix would re-edit he season to edit out Chris DiStefano to the greatest effort possible.

How cheap can it get to prize 10K to the winner? C'mom, you TV PRODUCERS can do better than that! Guys are busting themselves!

It's a good show and I've finished nearly all of season 1, however, there's a ton of things wrong on it. First of all the last round is a huge rock climbing wall, giving the advantage to any and all walk climbing competitors. The slits on the wall are so tiny that if you're a bigger competitor you stand no chance. Secondly, there's a ton of jumps here, so it's much easier for taller people. Women never make it through, and I feel bad they're even on the show because it's false hope. Third, PLEASE for the love of God stop replacing the chain with a rope. It rips through all the contestants hands. You have no reason to do this other than wanting to be a sadist.

So to win you generally have to have the shape of a tall, slightly thinner male contestant who is a rock climber.

This is some fun TV, the production value is very high, the commentators are fun, competitors are interesting. The premise of different countries competing against each other also adds another fun element.

Obstacles do tend to get a bit repetitive and, in my opinion, focus too much on upper body strength and climbing skills. Climbers dominate this show...

And as some other reviewer said, female representation is low and none of female athletes cast, are climbers. Which unfortunately results in them being eliminated early and makes it seem like they cannot be a threat to the male athletes, which is not the case in other shows like this.

This said, I do enjoy watching it and will also watch future seasons... hopefully they can iron out some of the kinks...

I'm not joking around when I call myself a die-hard fan of the "extreme obstacle course" genre that has exploded in the past few years. But how does Ultimate Beastmaster, Netflix's newcomer compare to other long-running shows like Sasuke, S and American Ninja Warrior?

In a word: well! The show is visually stunning and awesome in design thanks to the work of ATS, the company responsible for the construction of other obstacle course shows like American Ninja Warrior. The Beast is large and impressive enough to leave a lasting impression, with obstacles that range from creative and memorable to bland and boring, although the course composition in itself is highly derivative of the tried and tested "Ninja Warrior" formula: four stages, each more difficult than the last, with a finale involving scaling a tower and an increased emphasis on upper body as the show goes on.

So what unique elements does Ultimate Beastmaster bring to the table? Simply put, its emphasis on international competition helps the show immensely. The six different languages and sets of show presenters gives the show worldwide appeal, and watching all six nationalities react to both their representatives and those of other nationalities adds a unique dimension found almost nowhere else. Even if the American announcers are relatively low in quality (at least in my opinion), they are more than compensated for by the charisma of the other countries, which caught me off-guard when watching the show.

In conclusion, Ultimate Beastmaster is a fairly by-the-books Extreme Obstacle Course programme format-wise, but juiced up immensely by a Hollywood budget and stunning visual presentation. Even if it lacks the ingenuity, competitor pool and history of shows in the "Ninja Warrior" franchise, the international focus helps it to stand out and fill a niche in the genre. If you have a Netflix membership, I wholeheartedly recommend giving Ultimate Beastmaster a try!