Channel 9
Viewers watched on last night as competitors battled it out to secure a spot in Australia Ninja Warrior’s esteemed grand finale.
But in a tragic turn of events, one of the successful contenders lost his life before the show went to air.
Just seven months ago, 28-year-old Johann Ofner was killed in an accident on the set of a Bliss n Eso film clip.
According to the leaderboard, the stuntman had made it to the sixth position – a place that would have seen him progress to the semi-finals.
While reports have described the inclusion of the leaderboard as an accident, a Nine spokesperson denied to New Idea that this was the case.
‘Contrary to reports, Johann Ofner’s inclusion in the leaderboards throughout Australian Ninja Warrior were intentional and part of our tribute to an incredible athlete.’
Hosts Rebecca Madden and Ben Fordham made no mention of the athlete when reading from the list and out of respect for Johann’s loved ones, his run of the course had also been edited out of the show.
Instead, the network paid tribute to the Gold Coast dad by dedicating Sunday night’s episode to him.
A happy snap of the fitness guru was displayed on screen, alongside the words: “Dedicated to the life of Johann Ofner 1988 – 2017”
The Nine network also shared the photo on Ninja Warrior’s social media accounts.
“Johann Ofner’s infectious energy and kindness made a great impact on all who worked and trained with him during his time on #NinjaWarriorAu,” the post read.
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