Australian Ninja Warrior fans vented their frustration after the show failed to crown a winner in its anticipated season finale on Tuesday night.
The episode saw a host of the show's most successful ninjas tackling a three-stage course that would culminate in an attempt to scale the series' famed Mount Midoriyama.
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But only eight contestants managed to break through to stage two, which quickly claimed victim-after-victim thanks to its brutal time limit.
The anticlimactic ending left viewers scratching their heads, with some saying they felt cheated after having invested so much time into the Nine hit over the past few weeks.
"Is there a winner?" comedian Dave Hughes asked on Twitter, echoing viewer confusion.
"Congratulations on ruining such a good show with the time limit," added another.
The series - based on the US's American Ninja Warrior, itself a spinoff of Japanese progenitor Sasuke - has a strict finals format that's been notoriously difficult to conquer in overseas incarnations.
To date, only two competitors have successfully completed the overall course over the nine seasons the show has aired in the US.
![Ashlin Herbert, who recorded the fastest time in the heats, failed to complete all eight obstacles under the strict time ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170727122518im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/i/j/t/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxirbn.png/1501080716472.jpg)
The rarity of a 'Total Victory' has long been part of the show's appeal - although judging by the backlash, it seems Nine failed to communicate that useful information to viewers ahead of Tuesday's finale.
Host Rebecca Maddern was forced to defend the show on social media, reminding viewers it took seven seasons before an ultimate winner was crowned in the US version of the show.
"I thought the Aussies were exceptional! Bring on season two," she wrote.
Ninja Warrior finalist Tom O'Halloran, the rock climber who finished the course with the second best time on Tuesday evening, said he understood why fans were disappointed. However, he said that's just the way the show works.
"It's not about beating other people," he said. "It's like climbing Mt Everest. If you don't make it to the top, you didn't make it to the top. That's it. Mt Everest wins."
O'Halloran said he suspected people were disappointed with the finale because they were so in love with the show and wanted to see someone make it through to the very end.
The show, broadcast over just three weeks, has been a ratings juggernaut for Nine, even outperforming Ten's Masterchef grand final earlier this week.
Tuesday night's episode was watched by an average national audience of 3.08 million, making Ninja Warrior the biggest rating non-sports program of 2017.
"It's been crazy," O'Halloran said. "It's great people are so passionate."
It took 7 seasons in the US for a ninja warrior to be crowned. I thought the Aussies were exceptional! Bring on season 2 #NinjaWarriorAU
— Rebecca Maddern (@RebeccaMaddern9) July 25, 2017
Is there a winner? #NinjaWarriorAu
— Dave Hughes (@DHughesy) July 25, 2017
Why a unrealistic time limit for stage two We want to see these superman get by Give them a realistic time #NinjaWarriorAU @RebeccaMaddern9
— Darren Symes (@SymesDarren) July 25, 2017
65 seconds to complete the #NinjaWarriorAU final course!?! Meanwhile I'm over here like pic.twitter.com/SXi46d3GLA
— Mellow Johnny 🇦🇺 (@GIJohnny1982) July 25, 2017
What a flunk the Grand Final of #NinjaWarriorAU is. Better watching contestants able to finish. Time limits ruined it for mine.
— Az (@SwannyAz) July 25, 2017
- with Broede Carmody