American Ninja Warrior
American Ninja Warrior (sometimes abbreviated as ANW) is an American sports entertainment reality show based on the Japanese television reality show Sasuke, which also serves as a successor of American Ninja Challenge. It features a set of obstacle courses in various cities, which contestants attempt to conquer. The obstacle courses are divided into Qualifiers courses, Semifinals courses, and a four-part Finals course which is based at Las Vegas Strip (sometimes called Mount Midoriyama). The contestant who finishes all the courses in the fastest time wins a cash prize of $1,000,000. Starting with season 10, if one remaining contestant fails on any of Finals course parts but has completed it more than the others in the fastest time, he wins a consolatory $100,000 prize. The show is hosted by Matt Iseman (the show's moderator) and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila. To date, only Isaac Caldiero, Drew Drechsel, and Vance Walker have won the main cash prize. Furthermore, Geoff Britten and Daniel Gil are the only two runners-up who have achieved Total Victory.
For other uses, see Ninja Warrior (disambiguation).American Ninja Warrior
Sasuke
by Ushio Higuchi
- Jay Hunter
- Patrick McManus[1]
United States
English
15
223
- Craig Piligian
- Andrea Richter
- Arthur Smith
- Kent Weed
- Holly Wofford
- Viki Cacciatore
- Brian Richardson
- Anthony Storm
- Kristen Stabile
36–128 minutes
- Pilgrim Films & Television (season 1)
- A. Smith & Co. Productions (season 2 – present)
- Lake Paradise Entertainment (season 2–5)
- Tokyo Broadcasting System Television
December 12, 2009 –
present
The series premiered on December 12, 2009, on cable channel G4. For the first three seasons, the show only screened a single qualifies and semifinals course while the top contestants travelled to Japan to compete at the Sasuke seasons' finals course. In 2012, the show changed its format by creating the fixed Finals course in Las Vegas and moved to NBC for its fourth season. In 2020, following COVID-19 restrictions, the show abolished the usual format and filmed a shorter season in St. Louis studio with no live audience. Production for the 13th season resumed in traditional format. In 2023, the series was renewed for 15th and 16th seasons, which are filmed simultaneously. The 15th season premiered on June 5, 2023, while the 16th season will premiere on June 3, 2024.[2][3]
History[edit]
In late 2006, the American cable channel G4 began airing broadcasts of the Japanese sports entertainment television special Sasuke (subtitled or dubbed in English and re-titled Ninja Warrior).[4] Coinciding with this, the channel held the first American Ninja Challenge, in which Americans gained the opportunity to be sent to compete on Sasuke. Over time, the semi-annual Sasuke broadcasts on G4 gained a cult following in the United States and eventually almost became the channel's most-watched broadcasts. This led to the creation of the American adaptation of the show, American Ninja Warrior, in 2009.[5][6] American Ninja Warrior followed American Ninja Challenge as the qualifying route for Americans to enter Sasuke.[7]
Since the fourth season, American finalists compete on a nearly-identical finals course on the Las Vegas Strip instead of traveling to Japan to compete on Sasuke.[8] NBC began broadcasting the city finals and national finals episodes in the fourth season.[7]
By the fifth season, G4 was set to be replaced by Esquire Network and had wound down all original programming except American Ninja Warrior by January 2013. Notably, the sideboard advertising along the fifth season's courses listed Esquire Network as the broadcaster[9] because G4 was going to transition into Esquire Network by April 22, 2013—before the season premiere. However, the channel switch was delayed to September 23, 2013, and Esquire Network took over Style Network's channel space instead. As a result, NBC became the sole broadcaster of the original episodes while Esquire Network aired reruns until the eighth season.[10]
Format[edit]
Contestants[edit]
Before being eligible to compete, all contestants must first meet several requirements. There is no maximum age limit, but the minimum has consistently been lowered. For the first nine seasons, it was 21, then it was lowered to 19 for the next three seasons. Starting with season 13, specific teenagers from 15 are invited to the show as specific guests, while the minimum age lowered to 15 years was officially regulated in season 15. Contestants must fill out a 20-question questionnaire and make a video about themselves which would be displayed on the show before their runs.[11] Video length requirements have varied from two to eight minutes, depending on the season (currently two to three minutes).[12] Some of the contestants may be given more screen time, with full run and background shown; other runs may be shown briefly or edited out of the episode. Producer Anthony Storm said that the screen time is divided between athletes based on their performance, story originality, and the amount of competitions they have already participated in before.[13]
About 1,000 people applied to compete in the first season,[14] 3,500 in the fifth season,[15] 5,000 in the sixth season,[16] 50,000 in the seventh season,[14] 70,000 in the eighth season,[17] and 77,000 in the ninth season.[18] Producers then select 100 contestants from the applicants to participate in each qualifier. Until season 11, applicants could also camp outside a qualifying course and wait days or weeks to be one of the 10-30 participants selected as walk-ons.[14] Beginning in Season 11, a lottery system was instituted to randomly select 15-20 walk-ons per qualifier.[19]
Seasons overview[edit]
2009–2011[edit]
The first season of American Ninja Warrior began production in July 2009.[5] The season premiered on December 12, 2009, on G4, and concluded on December 19, 2009. It consisted of eight half-hour episodes. The qualifying and semifinals rounds took place in Venice Beach, where a tryout was opened, meaning, competitors from across the United States had to fly themselves there to compete.[26] Levi Meeuwenberg was the Last Man Standing, having gone the farthest in the least amount of time among the American competitors on Sasuke 23.[7]
The second season premiered on December 8, 2010, on G4, and concluded on December 23, 2010, after 10 hour-long episodes.[43] Qualifying and semifinals were held in Venice Beach in August.[44] Out of the 10 competitors sent to Japan to compete on Sasuke 26, five completed Stage 1, four completed Stage 2, while none completed Stage 3.[27] David Campbell was the Last Man Standing, having been the American gone the farthest in the least amount of time on Stage 3.[7]
The third season had the same format as the second season but aired in the summer. Qualifying and semifinals were held in Venice Beach in May.[45] It premiered on July 31, 2011, on G4, and concluded on August 21, 2011.[43] The finale was aired again on August 22, 2011, as a two-hour primetime special on NBC.[27] In addition to the 10 Americans sent to compete on Sasuke, one fan of ANW got the chance to compete as well. This was the result of an eBay auction in which proceeds were sent to the American Red Cross to help with recovery efforts following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.[36] During Sasuke 27, four of the six competitors who reached Stage 3 were American—a new record. Previously, only one American would reach Stage 3 per Sasuke competition.[6][46] David Campbell was again the Last Man Standing, having gone the farthest in the least amount of time among the American competitors on Stage 3.[7]