Australian Ninja Warrior hosts reel over brutal ‘mic-drop moment’

Host Rebecca Maddern was lost for words as another contestant found themselves booted from the show due to a controversial ruling.

Australian Ninja Warrior delivered another “mic-drop moment” during Monday night’s semi-final, as another hot favourite in the competition was disqualified over a seemingly minor infraction.

It comes one episode after contestant Trudie Horskins was booted out of the competition when her shoe fell in the water — a ruling Horksins’ supporters angrily protested in scenes that did not make it to air.

West Australian rock climber Zed Colback was the first contestant to attempt the course during Monday’s semi-final, with expectations high as he’d finished third in his heat.

Zed Colback prepares to take on the course.

Newly married, he’d even postponed his honeymoon to compete.

Colback coasted through the first few obstacles with ease but had more difficulty navigating the “bar hop”. After some fumbling with the bars, he didn’t quite stick the landing at the end of the obstacle — and rather than fall backwards into the water, he instead leapt to one of the safety mats on the side:

After an awkward dismount, Zed leaps back onto a mat rather than fall into the water.

Colback picked himself up and carried on, but host Ben Fordham immediately knew what it meant.

“No, he’s out. He’s going to be disqualified because he went on the side mats,” he said.

“And he hasn’t realised it yet,” co-host Rebecca Maddern said.

“It’s a mic-drop moment for Rebecca Maddern. Poor Zed Colback,” said Fordham, as Maddern looked particularly stricken:

Rebecca, it’s gonna be OK.

“All the way to the semi-finals, postponed his honeymoon, only to get disqualified,” she sighed.

SUNDAY’S ‘UNFAIR’ DISQUALIFICATION

Colback’s disqualification — or “DQ” — followed Horskins’ controversial axing from the competition during Sunday’s semi-final.

An emotional Horskins said she was “so devastated” by the decision to disqualify her after her shoe came loose and fell into the water during the gruelling “rolling log” obstacle.

“I wanted this so bad. I had this course wrapped up, I was so focused. Far out, to finish like that, with a SHOE? Far out. It was on so tight — double knot, check it out.

“I’m so shattered. I’m just so shattered.”

Trudie Horskins after her disqualification on Sunday.

And in scenes not aired on screen, members of the aqua aerobics team Horskins teaches — the “Aquaducks” — protested her disqualification from their position in the studio audience.

“They were like, ‘That’s not fair, let’s protest, let’s protest’,” Horskins told Nine, revealing they started a chant of “re-run” to demand the decision be reversed.

“They were so shattered. A few of them were crying,” she said.

The ruling split news.com.au readers — more than 15,000 of you voted in our poll asking whether Horskins deserved to be disqualified, with an even 50/50 split at last count.

SO WHAT ARE THE NINJA WARRIOR RULES?

With two surprise disqualifications in two episodes, let’s remind ourselves what the rules actually are for those running the course on Australian Ninja Warrior, as published on Nine’s website:

• Ninjas can never use the scaffolding.

• Ninjas cannot return to the platform once they have left it (unless otherwise specified).

• Ninjas cannot touch the water with any part of their body or clothing (even if it has fallen off their person).

• Exiting/falling off an obstacle results in a disqualification (DQ).

Australian Ninja Warrior continues 7:30pm Tuesday.