American Ninja Warrior

History

American Ninja Warrior succeeded G4's American Ninja Challenge as the qualifying route for Americans to enter Sasuke. Beginning with the fourth season in 2012, regional finalists and wild card competitors competed on a nearly identical Mount Midoriyama course in Las Vegas, Nevada, rather than traveling to Japan to compete on Sasuke.

Hosts and co-hosts

American Ninja Warrior was originally hosted by G4's American television personality Blair Herter, and actress and former television correspondent Alison Haislip. In the second season, American actor, comedian, and television host Matt Iseman joined the show, replacing the former host, Blair Herter. Additionally, Jimmy Smith was brought in as a co-host, while Alison Haislip was demoted to sideline reporter. The panel remained the same throughout season three. For season four, skier Jonny Moseley was brought in as a new co-host, replacing Jimmy Smith. Also, American journalist, sportscaster, and documentary filmmaker Angela Sun replaced former sideline reporter, Alison Haislip. For season five, two newcomers were added. Former NFL football player and sports analyst Akbar Gbaja-Biamila replaced season four co-host, Jonny Moseley, while ESPN sportscaster and model Jenn Brown replaced Angela Sun as sideline reporter. The season five panel remained the same through the sixth season. For season seven, CBS Sports reporter Kristine Leahy joined the show as the new sideline reporter, replacing Jenn Brown.

The current panel consists of Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, and Kristine Leahy.

Format

Potential contestants go through a rigorous series of steps before the possibility of becoming the next American Ninja Warrior. Over 3,500 athletes have attempted to conquer Mount Midoriyama and become an American Ninja Warrior since the series began in 2009.

Contestant eligibility

There are some requirements possible contestants have to meet before participating at a regional qualifier. Contestants must be legal residents of the United States of America, and be in decent physical shape. There is no upper age limit, but participants must be at least 21 years old. Contestants have to fill out a 20-page questionnaire and make a video about themselves. The required length of the video has differed over the years. Submission video length requirements have varied from 2–8 minutes, depending on the season. Producers select 100 applicants from each region to participate in their regional qualifiers. 20-30 "walk-ons" who in some cases wait for weeks camping outside are also selected by producers to get a chance on the course. 1,000 people applied to compete in season one, 5,000 people in season six, 50,000 in season seven, and 70,000 in season eight.

City finals

City finals courses are the follow-up to each city qualifying course. Qualifying and finals courses are filmed back-to-back, usually over two days. The top 15 finishers from each city finals course move on to compete in the National Finals. Small prizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 are awarded to first, second, and third fastest competitors who complete the finals course.

Mount Midoriyama

Mount Midoriyama is the finals course for American Ninja Warrior. Located on the Las Vegas strip, it consists of four stages, each containing various obstacles of increasing difficulty. Competitors must complete all of the 23 obstacles. Should they complete the first three stages, competitors will advance to Stage 4, where competitors attempt to climb the 75-foot rope climb, known as Mount Midoriyama, in 30 seconds or less. Should a competitor achieve Total Victory, he/she receives a money prize of $1,000,000. Beginning in season 8, if multiple competitors complete stage 4, the competitors split the prize money, although in prior years the fastest competitor would receive the full amount.

Season 1 (2009)

The first season of American Ninja Warrior was held in Los Angeles, where hundreds of competitors came to challenge themselves against the course and qualify for a shot at making it to Japan to compete in Sasuke 23 later in the year. The special premiered on December 12, 2009, on G4 TV and was hosted by G4's Blair Herter and Alison Haislip.

Notable competitors this season included freerunners Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco, mixed martial artist Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and Hollywood stuntman Rich King.

Out of the 10 Americans who qualified to compete at Mount Midoriyama in Japan, only Rich King, Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco successfully completed Stage 1. The majority of the American Ninja Warrior competitors ran out of time or failed the obstacles. Levi Meeuwenberg was the only American competitor to complete Stage 2. The sole American competitor on Stage 3, he fell on the "Shin-Cliffhanger", and his run came to an end.

Season 2 (2010)

The second season premiered on December 8, 2010 on G4 and concluded on January 2, 2011. It began in Venice Beach, California where 300 competitors took on the course. The 15 semi-finalists moved on to the "Ninja Warrior Boot Camp" in the remote California mountains, where they competed in a series of team challenges. Then the final moved on to compete in the season finale of American Ninja Warrior 2 as a part of Sasuke 26 at Mount Midoriyama in Japan. No competitor made it beyond Stage 3. This season was hosted by Matt Iseman and Jimmy Smith, with G4's Alison Haislip as a sideline reporter.

Season 3 (2011)

The third season began airing on July 31, 2011 on G4 and concluded with the finale airing on August 22, 2011 as a two-hour primetime special on NBC. Tryouts took place in May 2011 at Venice Beach, California. After the tryouts, the top 15 competitors competed in Ninja Warrior Boot Camp with the top 10 moving on to Japan for the finals of the competition as a part of Sasuke 27 and a chance at becoming the first American to conquer the course and win a $500,000 endorsement deal with K-Swiss. No competitors made it beyond stage 3.

Season 4 (2012)

The fourth season of American Ninja Warrior began airing on May 20, 2012 on both G4 and NBC. There were six regional competitions held in three locations: Venice Beach, CA (Southwest and Northwest), Dallas, TX (Midwest and Midsouth), and Miami, FL (Northeast and Southeast) that determined the 100 competitors to participate in the qualifying rounds. The winner of the ANW Season Four competition would receive $500,000 and the coveted "American Ninja Warrior" title. The season finale, held in Las Vegas, NV, was the first time that Mount Midoriyama was held on U.S. soil. Submission videos for American Ninja Warrior Season 4 had been collected since January 25, 2012. The entire format was changed as well - regional qualifiers in different parts of the country were aired and the Mt. Midoriyama course was recreated just off the Las Vegas Strip for the national finals. The regional qualifiers would narrow down its selections down to 30 contestants who finished its qualifying course in the fastest time as well as the contestants who finished the furthest the fastest. Qualifying obstacles would include common Stage 1 obstacles such as the Quintuple steps and the Warped wall, but its contents would change from city to city. The 30 contestants were then cut in half in the regional finals where the course would extend to include common Stage 2 and Stage 3 obstacles such as the Salmon Ladder, Cliffhanger and Body Prop. The 90 contestants who qualified (including wild cards) earned tickets to Las Vegas to challenge Mt. Midoriyama.

This season was again hosted by Matt Iseman, with a new host, skier Jonny Moseley, and newcomer Angela Sun as the sideline reporter. Brent Steffensen was the first American to Defeat the Ultimate Cliffhanger on Stage 3, and he made it the farthest that season, falling on the Hang Climb. He was the only competitor to reach Stage 3 in this competition.

Season 5 (2013)

The fifth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on June 30, 2013 on G4 with subsequent shows airing on NBC and G4. Notably, the sideboard advertising along the course listed Esquire Network as the broadcaster as the fifth season was to premiere after G4's transition to Esquire on April 22, 2013. The network switch was eventually delayed to September 23, 2013 and Esquire took over Style Network's channel space instead. Because of this, additional reruns of the season aired on Saturday nights on NBC through the summer, to maintain ratings momentum due to G4's lame duck status, with ANW being their only new program since they wound down all their original programming in January 2013. The success of the NBC re-airings led to the series being considered for NBC's main summer schedule for the next season.

Regional competitions were held in Venice Beach, CA; Baltimore, MD; Miami, FL; and Denver, CO. Tryouts for the season began in February 2013, and ended with the last of the regional rounds taking place the following May. The finale was once again held in Las Vegas, NV.

The season is again hosted by Matt Iseman, while two newcomers joined the panel: co-host Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and sideline reporter Jenn Brown.

No one defeated Stage 3, but Brian Arnold fell on the last obstacle, the Flying Bar, making him the farthest-going American on the Mount Midoriyama course since Kane Kosugi reached the final stage on SASUKE 8.

Season 6 (2014)

The sixth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on May 26, 2014 on NBC with subsequent shows airing on Monday nights at 9:00pm EST and Tuesday nights at 8:00pm EST on Esquire Network. Regional competitions were held Venice Beach, CA, Dallas, TX, St. Louis, MO, Miami, FL and Denver, CO. The season finale was again held in Las Vegas, NV, the permanent home of the U.S. version of Mount Midoriyama. This season was hosted by commentators Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, with Jenn Brown as the sideline reporter. Notable competitors this season included The Biggest Loser personal trainer Kim Lyons, U.S. Olympic gymnasts Jonathan Horton and Terin Humphrey, among others. Female competitor Kacy Catanzaro became the first female to make it up the "Warped Wall" in the Dallas Qualifiers. Later in the Dallas Finals, she became the first woman to complete that finals course in 8 minutes, 59 seconds. Again, no competitor achieved "total victory." Kacy's run has over ten million views. Joe Moravsky, the "Weatherman", made it farther than anyone on Season 6, Falling on the Hang Climb, where Brent Steffensen failed two years ago.

Season 7 (2015)

The seventh season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on NBC on May 25, 2015. Hosts Matt Iseman & Akbar Gbaja-Biamila returned for their respective sixth and third seasons while newcomer Kristine Leahy joined as sideline reporter, replacing Jenn Brown. In addition, this season's grand prize was increased from $500,000 to $1,000,000. Qualifying and finals courses were held in Venice Beach, Kansas City, MO, Houston, Orlando, Pittsburgh, as well as a special military-only course in San Pedro. Stage 1 had a total of 36 finishers including Brent Steffensen and Dustin McKinney. In Stage 2, 27 of the 36 competitors failed. Only 8 were remaining in Stage 3 including Drew Dreschel, Abel Gonzalez, Isaac Caldiero, Ian Dory, Kevin Bull, Joe Moravsky and Geoff Britten. Only two competitors finished the course: Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten. It was the first time that any American had finished Stage 3. The season concluded with a victory: Geoff Britten was the first to complete Stage 4 with a second remaining, however, Isaac Caldiero achieved the stage 4 rope climb in a faster time and was awarded the grand prize of $1,000,000 and the title of "American Ninja Warrior." Geoff Britten was the first Ninja to complete all six courses in a single season.

Season 8 (2016)

Season eight of American Ninja Warrior began on June 1, 2016, on NBC, with encore episodes airing the following day on Esquire Network. Matt Iseman returned for his seventh season as lead commentator while Akbar Gbaja-Biamila returned for his fourth season as color commentator. Sideline reporter Kristine Leahy returned for her second season. Regional competitions were held in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, and Philadelphia, with twenty-eight new obstacles. Over 40% more women registered for season eight compared to the previous season. Additionally, prize money for possible Stage 4 winners will now be split equally among competitors who complete the rope climb in under thirty seconds.

In Philadelphia's city finals, no competitors completed the finals course, a first in American Ninja Warrior history. In Stage 1 of the National Finals, many veterans of the show such as Geoff Britten and Brett Steffensen were eliminated early, while Jessie Graff became the first woman to complete Stage 1, placing fifth. Tyler Yamauchi, 5'1, became the shortest person ever to complete the Jumping Spider obstacle at 5'1. Only 17 competitors successfully completed Stage 1, the lowest in ANW history. On Stage 2, all athletes were eliminated except Drew Drechsel and Daniel Gil. During Stage 3, both Drechsel and Gil could not complete the course. Gil fell on the Ultimate Cliffhanger, while Drechsel went the farthest, but fell on the Hang Climb. Contrary to season seven's multiple winners, no season eight competitor was even able to complete Stage 3.

USA vs Japan (Las Vegas, January 2014)

During the Season 5 finale of American Ninja Warrior, NBC announced that a special USA vs. Japan matchup would take place, the first-ever team competition in American Ninja Warrior's history. The two-hour special premiered on January 13, 2014 at 8pm EST on NBC and matched five Japanese Sasuke All-Stars and New Stars - heroes of the original Ninja Warrior - against five American stars representing American Ninja Warrior at the American reconstruction of the Mount Midoriyama course in Las Vegas. At stake was the United States vs. Japan championship; also branded as the first world championship for Sasuke/American Ninja Warrior, and a trophy to match. The special featured American Ninja Warrior's regular broadcasting crew: analysts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila along with sideline reporter Jenn Brown.

The teams faced off on each stage in turn, with each stage hosting its own round of five one-on-one matches and no competitor allowed to run the same stage twice. The first national team to win three matches out of five earned the point(s) for that stage. Stage One was worth one point, while Stage Two was worth two points and Stage Three was worth three. In the event of a 3-3 tie after the first three stages, the tiebreaker would be a one-off showdown where each country would pick one team member for a race to the top of the Final Stage.

The winners of the special were the Americans, winning 6-0 over Japan.

Rosters

USA vs. The World (Las Vegas, September 2014)

During the Season 6 finale, NBC announced that another special entitled USA vs. The World matchup would take place in Las Vegas under a new format. On September 15, Team USA competed against a returning Team Japan, and a new team, Team Europe. This was the "Second Annual International Competition" that pitted top competitors from the United States 'American Ninja Warrior', Japan Ninja Warrior (Sasuke), and also European All Stars. . The three-hour special aired on September 15, 2014 on NBC with an encore to air September 16, 2014 on Esquire. The special once again was hosted by hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila as well as sideline reporter Jenn Brown.

The winners of the special were the Europeans, winning over America and Japan.

Rosters

Team rosters were revealed late summer 2014.

Final Score: Europe:10, USA:9, Japan: 0

Highlights

Joe Moravsky beat Brent Steffenson's record (from ANW4) for the fastest time in Stage 1, beating Steffenson's time of 1:14.53 with a time of 1:12.72. However, Tim Shieff beat Moravsky's time in a subsequent heat by finishing in 1:02.70 - the fastest time ever on Stage 1 in ANW history.

Travis Rosen achieved the fastest time by an American on Stage 2 with 1:48.00, but Sean McColl finished with a time of 1:46.51, the fastest of the season. All three Americans (Travis Rosen, Elet Hall, and Brian Arnold) completed Stage 2, with Sean McColl also completing it for Team Europe.

Yusuke Morimoto made ANW history by becoming the first athlete to ever finish Stage 3 with a time of 5:38.91. Stefano Ghisolfi also completed Stage 3 in the same heat, beating Morimoto's time finishing in 4:46.89. Ryo Matachi followed by becoming the third athlete to complete Stage 3 with a time of 5:04.67. In the last run of Stage 3, Brian Arnold became the second American athlete to complete the stage (after Kane Kosugi did it in Sasuke 8) with a time of 4:39.90, the fastest time of the four finishers. Arnold's finish moved the USA into a tie with Team Europe, forcing a deciding tiebreak on Stage 4.

For the first time in ANW history, the athletes competed on Stage 4. Travis Rosen was selected as the first competitor on ANW to attempt the final stage and he made it all the way up Mt. Midoriyama's 90-foot tower with a 77-foot rope with a time of 0:35.77. However, Sean McColl beat Rosen's time by 3/10th of a second (0:00.31), winning the competition for Team Europe as they became the World Champions of ANW. Rosen missed on his first attempt at hitting the buzzer at the end of the rope climb.

USA vs. The World II (Las Vegas, January 2016)

NBC announced that another USA vs. The World matchup would again take place in Las Vegas. It will be the second such worldwide special to unite ANW alumni, Sasuke all-stars, and European competitors for the season 7 finale. The 3-hour special aired on January 31, 2016, on NBC. It is to be hosted by the current American Ninja Warrior hosts, Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, and co-host Kristine Leahy.

The winners of the special were the Americans, winning over Europe and Japan.

Rosters

Team rosters were revealed in December, 2015.

Note: *Britten was unable to compete due to flu-like syptoms with a fever of 103 and was replaced by alternate Joe Moravsky who was standing by.

Highlights

On Stage 1, Drew Drechsel gets the fastest time of the season with a time of 1:18.61, beating Tim Shieff's time of 1:25.33.

On Stage 2, Sean McColl edged out both Drew Drechsel's time of 1:34.46, and Joe Moravsky's time of 1:23.69, beating them with a speedy time of 1:19.86, the fastest of the ANW season.

On Stage 3, in the last heat, Yusuke Morimoto was the only member of Team Japan to finish this stage with a time of 6:29.38. However, Sean McColl got a faster time with 5:42.25, putting Team Europe in the lead. Isaac Caldiero was the last to compete and needed the 3-point win in order to put Team USA on top. Caldiero brought his team to victory with an impressive time of 4:28.84, the fastest of the season.

Final Score: USA: 10, Europe:9, Japan: 0

American Ninja Warrior: All Stars (May 2016)

On May 29, 2016, prior to the premiere of season eight, NBC aired a two-hour all-star special in which hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila chose their own all-star teams composed of three veterans, one rookie, and one woman. Teams competed on stages two, three, and four of the regular season finals course, Mt. Midoriyama, as well as competitions on a supersized course by testing their skills in competitions on the giant peg board, 40-foot Salmon Ladder, Flying Shelf Grab, Jump Hang, and concluded with a race to the top of the "Mega" Warped Wall.

The all-star winners were Team Akbar who won the team competition, beating Team Matt 5-3. Additionally, competitor Joe Moravsky completed Stage 2 in a record time of 1:08:52.

American Ninja Warrior: All Stars II (February 2017)

On February 20, 2017, NBC aired a second two-hour all-star special. Like last year's competition, ANW hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila chose their own all-star teams, this year composed of one veteran, one breakout star, and one woman. Team Matt featured Chris Wilczewski, Najee Richardson, and Jesse "Flex" Lebreck. Team Akbar featured Grant McCartney, Neil "Crazy" Craver, and Meagan Martin. Also, sideline interviewer Kristine Leahy got to pick her own team, which consisted of Jessie Graff, Flip Rodriguez, and Nicholas Coolridge. Teams competed as a relay race to finish sections of stages one, two, and three of the regular season finals course, Mt. Midoriyama. Next, was the skills competition on a supersized course where individual contestants tested their skills in competition on the 75-feet tall Endless Invisible Ladder, the 4-story high Super Salmon Ladder, Supersonic Shelf Grab, Striding Steps, and the Mega Wall, which is now 20 feet high.

The all-star winners were Team Kristine who won the team relay race competition, beating Team Matt and last year's champions Team Akbar. They're highlight of the night was completing Stage 3, in a record time of 5:30:62, making this the POM Wonderful Run of the Night.

Team Ninja Warrior

On October 9, 2015, Esquire Network announced a spin-off of American Ninja Warrior which would feature twenty-four 3-person teams (two men and one woman) of popular ANW alumni. The teams competed head-to-head against each other, running the course simultaneously, thus creating a new live duel dynamic. The two teams with the fastest times advance to the finale where one team will be crowned the winners and receive a cash prize. Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila host alongside actor and journalist, Alex Curry. The series is Esquire Network's most-watched program in the channel's history.

On May 31, 2016, Esquire Network ordered a sixteen-episode second season that will also include a five-episode special college edition that will have college-aged competitors go head-to-head against rival schools.

Format

Each first-round episode consists of five matches: two seeding-round matches, two elimination matches (always pitting a seeding-round winner against a seeding-round loser) and the championship relay race. The four standard rounds features three heats, with the captains selecting opponents (men vs men only), with the women racing against each other. The third heat is worth double points, with an extra race as a tiebreaker in the event of a 2-2 tie, while the relay race takes place on an extended course.

Once the contestant reaches the Dancing Stones, a contestant who fails any of the next obstacles (which alternates) or the Warped Wall (three-attempt rule in play) automatically loses. The player who advanced the furthest wins the heat, with whoever reached the previous obstacle the fastest being the tie-breaker. A ten-second penalty applies for failure to clear obstacles in the relay race, assessed to the next player on the team. In the relay final, the course's additional obstacles are the Salmon Ladder, Tilting Ladder, and conclude with a 30-foot spider climb leading to a 10-foot rope climb.

Season 1 (2015)

The season was taped from October 21–23, 2015 in Long Beach, California. Premiering on January 19, 2016, the season consisted of eight, hour-long episodes, exclusively on Esquire Network. The season ended with "Party Time", consisting of members Brian Arnold, Jake Murray, and Jennifer Tavernier crowned Team Ninja Warrior Champions, winning over "TNT", which included members Travis Rosen, Adam Arnold, and Joyce Shahboz.

Team Ninja Warrior: College Madness

The five-episode special is a part of the second season of American Ninja Warrior, which premiered on November 22, 2016 on Esquire Network. Each episode featured teams, comprising two men and one woman, competing against other teams from various colleges and universities across the United States. At the end of each episode, the top two teams faced each other in a relay race, with the winner advancing to the finals. Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila hosted with ANW fan favorite Kacy Catanzaro as the sideline reporter. The tournament was ultimately won by the University of Wisconsin.

International broadcasts

In Australia and New Zealand, the show is broadcast on SBS 2, TV3 and Four.

On April 25, 2016 it was announced Canadian broadcaster CTV picked up Ninja Warrior for its 2016 Summer broadcast schedule.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the show is broadcast on Challenge. In Israel, the show is broadcast on Yes-action. In 2016 Croatian RTL started broadcasting the show. The show is also shown in Finland is Sub-TV.