American Ninja Warrior

American Ninja Warrior
Genre	Documentary Sports Entertainment
Directed by	Patrick McManus
Presented by	Matt Iseman Akbar Gbaja-Biamila Jenn Brown
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	87 (+ 2 Specials)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Arthur Smith Kent Weed Holly M. Wofford Vittoria Cacciatore
Camera setup	Multiple-camera
Running time	42-85 minutes
Production company(s)	A. Smith and Company Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Lake Paradise Entertainment
Distributor	G4 Media (2009-2013) NBCUniversal Television Distribution (2014-present)
Broadcast
Original channel	G4 (2009–2013); Esquire Network (2014-present) NBC (2012–present)
Original run	December 12, 2009 (2009-12-12) – present
Chronology
Preceded by	American Ninja Challenge (2006–08)
Related shows	Sasuke
External links
Website

American Ninja Warrior is a sports entertainment competition spin-off of the television series Sasuke, in which competitors try to complete a series of obstacle courses of increasing difficulty called "stages". The series began on December 12, 2009, in Los Angeles, with the top 10 competitors moving on to compete at "Mount Midoriyama"^{[note 1]} in Japan. 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. NBC (who owns G4) announced in September 2013 that it would air a special USA versus Japan series later that year where in top American and Japanese competitors would go head-to-head on the Las Vegas Mount Midoriyama course.^[1] Aired on January 13 the competition resulted in shocking humiliation for Team Japan who despite being more accomplished lost 6:0 to Americans.

The seventh season premiered on May 25, 2015 on NBC. As of September 15, 2014, no one has won the grand prize.

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 included: famed freerunners Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco, mixed martial artist Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and Hollywood stuntman Rich King.

Finalists

Season 1 (Sasuke 23) finalists

1st	Brian Orosco	73*	Unstable Bridge (Stage 2)
2nd	Levi Meeuwenberg	95*	Shin-Cliffhanger (Stage 3)
3rd	Travis Furlanic	44	Jumping Spider (Stage 1)
4th	Paul Darnell	43	Half-Pipe Attack (Stage 1)
5th	Rich King	42	Unstable Bridge (Stage 2)
6th	Caine Sinclair	41	Timed Out Rope Ladder (Stage 1)
7th	Shane Daniels		Timed Out Tarzan Rope (Stage 1)
8th	Geoff Iida		Warped Wall (Stage 1)
9th	Joop Katana		Timed Out Slider Jump (Stage 1)
10th	Rick Huelga		Timed Out Slider Jump (Stage 1)

• Despite Orosco finishing first overall, Meeuwenberg received a higher number due to his SASUKE experience.

Sasuke 23 (Mount Midoriyama)

Stage 1: only Rich King, Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco successfully completed this stage. The majority of the American Ninja Warrior competitors ran out of time.

Stage 2: Levi Meeuwenberg was the only American competitor to complete this stage.

Stage 3: Levi Meeuwenberg was the only American competitor to advance to this stage, but he fell on the "Shin-Cliffhanger".

Season 2 (2010)

The second season called American Ninja Warrior 2 began on December 8, 2010 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.

This season was hosted by Matt Iseman and Jimmy Smith, with G4's Alison Haislip as a sideline reporter.

Notable competitors this year included: professional freerunner Brent Steffensen, former American Gladiator Evan Dollard, and former Survivor contestant Ozzy Lusth.

Finalists

The 15 semi-finalists headed to "Ninja Warrior Boot Camp" where they were broken down into three teams: Red Dragons, White Tigers, and Blue Monkeys. From then on, 5 were eliminated from competition and 10 moved onto Mount Midoriyama in Japan to compete in the season finale of American Ninja Warrior 2 for a chance to win $250,000 and be the first "American Ninja Warrior".

The 10 finalists earned the chance to compete at Sasuke 26 (Ninja Warrior) which aired on January 2, 2011 on G4.

Final 10: In order they received their American flag "colors" (bandannas):

Red Dragons:

Order #	Competitor
1	Brent Steffensen
2	Travis Furlanic
3	Paul Kasemir
4	David Campbell

White Tigers:

Order #	Competitor
1	Shane Daniels
2	Levi Meeuwenberg

Blue Monkeys:

Order #	Competitor
1	Brian Orosco
2	Patrick Cusic
3	Adam Truesdell
4	Evan Dollard

Season finale in Japan

None of the American Ninja Warrior season 2 competitors were able to complete stage 3, but half (5 out of 10) completed stage 1 and progressed onto stage 2, where 4 out of 5 made it onto stage 3.

Stage 1

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle/time
1	Adam Laplante *	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
2	Patrick Cusic	Failed	Rolling Escargot
3	Paul Kasemir	Completed	Time: 129.15
4	Adam Truesdell	Failed	Giant Swing
5	Evan Dollard	Failed	Rolling Escargot
6	Brent Steffensen	Completed	Time: 121.29
7	Travis Furlanic	Completed	Time: 115.27
8	Shane Daniels	Failed	Timed Out Final Climb
9	David Campbell	Completed	Time: 108.49
10	Brian Orosco	Completed	Time: 109.04

* alternate, replaced Levi Meeuwenberg who broke his wrist during a taping of Jump City: Seattle

Stage 2

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle/time
1	Paul Kasemir	Completed	Time left: 2.57
2	Brent Steffensen	Completed	Time left: 21.64
3	Travis Furlanic	Failed	Balance Tank
4	David Campbell	Completed	Time left: 23.43
5	Brian Orosco	Completed	Time left: 5.76

Stage 3

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle
1	Paul Kasemir	Failed	Doorknob Grasper
2	Brent Steffensen	Failed	Ultimate Cliffhanger
3	David Campbell	Failed	Ultimate Cliffhanger
4	Brian Orosco	Failed	Roulette Cylinder

American Ninja Warrior Season 1 and 2: Format changes from Sasuke

The first and second seasons of American Ninja Warrior has a few notable differences from the Japanese ("Sasuke") version. They are:

• Stage 1: in the American version competitors compete against each other for the 30 fastest times to advance to stage 2, while in Japan competitors are required to complete the course in a designated time limit. Consequently, the American version sets a fixed, predictable number of 30 competitors advancing to stage 2, while in the Japanese version, the number of qualified competitors could technically range from any number between from 0 to 100, making the result highly unpredictable. There's no official limit of competitors for stage 1 stated, whereas in Japan, only 100 competitors can attempt stage 1.

• Stage 2: in the American version, it is an expanded version of stage 1 (a repeat of Stage 1 with a few additional obstacles at the end), while in Japan, Stage 1 and 2 are entirely different. Again, in the American version, competitors are competing against the course and each other, only 15 competitors with the best times advance to stage 3, whereas in Japan competitors are competing against a rigid time limit.

• Stage 3: In stage 3, competitors have to complete 4 different tasks with the lowest combined time (consisting of carrying 10 bricks across a beach while being held back by bungee cords, carrying barrels over logs, hopping through tires, etc.). Only the 10 competitors with the lowest times win a trip and a chance to compete at Mount Midoriyama in Japan. As such, there is no "final" stage in the American version.

• Results: Rather than between 0 and 100 competitors achieving total victory, the top 10 competitors of ANW were sent to compete on Mount Midoriyama in Japan, with the original course restrictions.

Season 3 (2011)

The third season began airing on July 31, 2011 on G4. 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.

The final episode aired on August 22, 2011 as a two-hour primetime special on NBC.^[2][3]

This season was once again hosted by Matt Iseman and Jimmy Smith, with Haislip as a sideline reporter.

Notable competitors this year included: Denver Broncos wide receiver Matt Willis, professional freerunners Tim "Livewire" Shieff (2009 World Champion) and Michael "Frosti" Zernow (who competed in Survivor: China and Jump City: Seattle).

Stage 1

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle
1	Brent Steffensen	Completed
2	Paul Kasemir	Completed
3	David Campbell	Completed
4	James McGrath	Completed
5	Drew Dreschel	Failed	Warped Wall
6	Travis Furlanic	Completed
7	Travis Rosen	Completed
8	David "Flip" Rodriguez	Completed
9	Ryan Stratis	Completed
10	Jake Smith	Completed

Stage 2

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle
1	Brent Steffensen	Failed	Metal Spin
2	Paul Kasemir	Completed
3	David Campbell	Completed
4	James McGrath	Completed
5	Travis Furlanic	Failed	Metal Spin
6	Travis Rosen	Failed	Metal Spin
7	David "Flip" Rodriguez	Failed	Slider Drop
8	Ryan Stratis	Completed
9	Jake Smith	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder

Stage 3

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle
1	James McGrath	Failed	Ultimate Cliffhanger
2	Ryan Stratis	Failed	Ultimate Cliffhanger
3	Paul Kasemir	Failed	Ultimate Cliffhanger
4	David Campbell	Failed	Ultimate Cliffhanger

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 receives $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 have been collected since January 25, 2012.^[4]

This season was again hosted by Matt Iseman, with a new host, skier Jonny Moseley, and newcomer Angela Sun as the sideline reporter.

Notable competitors this year included: British film actor William Moseley, Tennessee Titans defensive end Kamerion Wimbley, stuntman Dan Mast, stuntwoman Luci Romberg, "Roam" (a.k.a. A.J. Amores) and "Chairman Platinum" from MMO video game company Artix Entertainment, freerunners from Jump City: Seattle David "Young Flip" Rodriguez and Drew Drechsel, and Harlem Globetrotters basketball player Bull Bullard.

100 finalists made it out of the regional competitions and were invited to Las Vegas.

Stage 1

Order #	Competitor	Outcome	Obstacle/Result
1	Tom Hutchman (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Swing
2	David Money	Failed	Final Climb
3	Cade Halada	Failed	Jumping Spider
4	Ronnie Shalvis Sr. (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
5	Michael Pericoloso	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
6	Marcus Ramos (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Swing
7	Alan Connealy	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
8	Ben Wicks (Wild Card)	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
9	Michael 'Frosti' Zernow	Failed	Jumping Spider
10	Nick Kostner	Failed	Rope Ladder (Time Out)
11	Matt Mings	Failed	Jumping Spider
12	Andres De La Rosa (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
13	Tremayne Dortch	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
14	Paul O'Connor	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
15	Ronnie Shalvis Jr.	Failed	Jumping Spider
16	Nathaniel Aye	Failed	Giant Swing
17	John Sapsoto	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
18	Gunner Bahn	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
19	James Wyatt	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
20	Tony Reddick	Failed	Giant Swing
21	Dylan Curry	Failed	Jumping Spider
22	Andrew Lowes	Failed	Spin Bridge
23	Natalie Strasser (Wild Card)	Failed	Rolling Log
24	Phillip Pirollo	Failed	Spin Bridge
25	Brian Kretsch	Failed	Jumping Spider
26	Nathaniel Spencer	Completed	00:00.00
27	Niko Bogucki	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
28	Kelvin Antoine (Wild Card)	Failed	Fell Off Course after Giant Swing
29	Ryan Thompson	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
30	Joshua Grant	Failed	Spin Bridge
31	Bradley Smith Jr.	Failed	Jumping Spider
32	Ben Snead	Completed	00:22.98
33	Selena Laniel	Failed	Jumping Spider
34	Bob Pondrom	Failed	Giant Swing
35	Adam Grossman	Failed	Giant Swing
36	Dan Mast	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
37	Will Dodd	Completed	00:07.77
38	Ryan Saegert (Wild Card)	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
39	Danny Johnson	Completed	00:27.69
40	Kevan Reoli	Failed	Rolling Log
41	Jake Smith	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
42	Brendon Kelly	Failed	Jumping Spider
43	Patrick Cusic (Wild Card)	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
44	Paul Darnell	Completed	00:25.02
45	Ryoga Vee (Wild Card)	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
46	Scott Robinson	Failed	Jumping Spider
47	Andrew Wood	Failed	Step Slider
48	J.B. Douglas	Completed	00:12.98
49	Lorin Ball	Completed	00:33.13
50	Thomas Hall	Failed	Spin Bridge
51	Dorian Cedars	Failed	Rope Ladder (Time Out)
52	Jonathan Morin	Failed	Jumping Spider
53	Risa Scott (Wild Card)	Failed	Step Slider
54	Christopher Digangi	Failed	Jumping Spider
55	Justin Walcker	Failed	Jumping Spider
56	Josh Lobeck	Completed	00:03.92
57	William Brown	Failed	Jumping Spider
58	Joyce Shahboz (Wild Card)	Failed	Rolling Log
59	Derek Nakamoto	Completed	00:35.80
60	Nickolas Stephen	Failed	Spin Bridge
61	Jesse Villarreal	Failed	Spin Bridge
62	Nathan Sausedo	Failed	Rolling Log
63	Ahmed Toure	Completed	00:22.07
64	Sean Morris	Failed	Spin Bridge
65	Chad Simpson	Failed	Jumping Spider
66	Michael Silenzi	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
67	Travis Graves	Failed	Spin Bridge
68	Joshua Horsely	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
69	Sat Khalsa	Failed	Spin Bridge
70	William 'Bull' Bullard	Failed	Final Climb (Time Out)
71	Brent Steffensen	Completed	00:29.00
72	Arthur Skov	Failed	Jumping Spider
73	Elet Hall	Completed	00:24.00
74	Justin Sweeney	Failed	Spin Bridge
75	Kevin Klein	Failed	Jumping Spider
76	Michael Eckert	Failed	Jumping Spider
77	Remi Bakkar	Completed	00:19.02
78	Stephen Volcko	Failed	Jumping Spider
79	Chris Wilczewski	Completed	00:08.74
80	Kyle Cochran	Failed	Spin Bridge
81	Jaret Salas	Failed	Warped Wall
82	Jared Woods	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
83	Kole Stevens	Completed	00:27.67
84	Jack Morgan	Failed	Giant Swing
85	Dan Galiczynski	Failed	Jumping Spider
86	Sean Noble	Completed	00:16.80
87	Brian Arnold	Completed	00:11.84
88	Travis Rosen	Completed	00:19.00
89	Jesse La Flair	Failed	Jumping Spider
90	Andrew Karsen	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
91	Luis Moco	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
92	David Campbell	Failed	Spin Bridge
93	Brandon Douglass	Completed	00:16.82
94	Drew Drechsel	Completed	00:23.92
95	Evan Dollard	Completed	00:11.90
96	Matthew Derouen	Failed	Step Slider
97	Tim 'Livewire' Shieff	Failed	Spin Bridge
98	James McGrath	Completed	00:18.39
99	Paul Kasemir	Completed	00:21.71
100	David Rodriguez	Completed	00:18.34

Stage 2

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle/Result
1	Nathaniel Spencer	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
2	Ben Snead	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
3	Will Dodd	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
4	Danny Johnson	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
5	Paul Darnell	Failed	Unstable Bridge
6	J.B. Douglas	Failed	Unstable Bridge
7	Lorin Ball	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
8	Josh Lobeck	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
9	Derek Nakamoto	Failed	Metal Spin
10	Ahmed Toure	Failed	Balance Tank
11	Brent Steffensen	Completed	00:00.03
12	Elet Hall	Failed	Unstable Bridge
13	Remi Bakkar	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
14	Chris Wilczewski	Failed	Slider Drop
15	Kole Stevens	Failed	Slider Drop
16	Sean Noble	Failed	Unstable Bridge (Dismount)
17	Brian Arnold	Failed	Balance Tank
18	Travis Rosen	Failed	Balance Tank
19	Brandon Douglass	Failed	Unstable Bridge
20	Drew Drechsel	Failed	Unstable Bridge (Dismount)
21	Evan Dollard	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
22	James McGrath	Failed	Slider Drop
23	Paul Kasemir	Failed	Metal Spin
24	David Rodriguez	Failed	Balance Tank

Stage 3

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle/Result
1	Brent Steffensen	Failed	Hang Climb

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.^[5] 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.

Regional competitions were held in the following four locations to determine the 100 competitors to participate in the other stages: Venice Beach, CA; Baltimore, MD; Miami, FL; and Denver, CO. Tryouts for the season began in February 2013,^[6] with the last of the regional rounds taking place the following May.^[7] The winner of the ANW Season Five competition receives $500,000 and the coveted "American Ninja Warrior" title. Like the previous season, the season finale will be held in Las Vegas, NV, making the U.S. version of Mount Midoriyama its permanent home.

The season is again hosted by Matt Iseman, with two newcomers, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and Jenn Brown as the sideline reporter.

Notable competitors this year included: Tennessee Titans safety Jordan Babineaux, freerunners from Jump City: Seattle Brian Orosco, Michael "Frosti" Zernow, David "Flip" Rodriguez, Drew Drechsel, Jake Smith and Brent Steffensen (the first American to complete stage 2). His run ended on stage 3 the "Ultimate Cliffhanger" obstacle, Sasuke (TV series) & ANW veteran David Campbell, stunt-woman Jessie Graff (first woman in ANW history to make it to a regional finals ^[8]), personal trainer/former American Gladiator "Venom" Beth Horn, world champion freerunner Tim "Livewire" Shieff, Harlem Globetrotter Bull Bullard, "Artix" (a.k.a. Adam Bohn) from the video game studio Artix Entertainment, Olympic Gold Medalist runners Dee Dee Trotter and Lauryn Williams, Olympic Silver Medalist heptathlon athlete Hyleas Fountain, 7th grade English teacher Colby Frontiero, Emergency Room physician Noah Kaufman, MD who reduced another competitor's dislocated shoulder ^[9] (Alan Connealy,) former National Guardsman & ANW veteran Ryan Stratis, professional MMA fighter Jason Soares, Olympic silver medalist gymnast Terin Humphrey, former professional snowboarder Graham Watanabe, professional UFC MMA fighter and The Ultimate Fighter season 14 winner John Dodson, and former NFL player Shawne Merriman.

This was the first season where females attempted the Warped Wall (obstacle #6) of a course. Nika Muckelroy made it to the Warped Wall in the Denver qualifying course. Jessie Graff fell in the Flying Nunchucks (obstacle #5) during Venice qualifying but advanced in 30th position and reached the Warped Wall of the Venice finals. Both were unable to get up the wall in the 3 attempts given.

Stage 1

Order #	Competitor	Outcome	Obstacle/Result
1	Camilo Brokaw	Failed	Rope Glider
2	JB Douglas	Failed	Jumping Spider
3	Marc Namie (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
4	Jason Soares	Failed	Jumping Spider
5	Erika Schwarz (Wild Card)	Failed	Timbers
6	TK Klengdong	Failed	Jumping Spider
7	Adam Grossman	Failed	Spinning Bridge
8	Jamie Vanacore (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Ring
9	Dan Moschella	Failed	Jumping Spider
10	Sean Bennett (Wild Card)	Failed	Timbers
11	Justin Walcker	Failed	Jumping Spider
12	Tremayne Dortch	Failed	Jumping Spider
13	Michelle Warnky (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Ring
14	Michael Bernardo (Wild Card)	Failed	Half Pipe Attack
15	Mike Maitem (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
16	James Eggiman	Failed	Jumping Spider
17	Ryan Stratis	Failed	Jumping Spider
18	Colby Frontiero	Failed	Jumping Spider
19	Leila Noone (Wild Card)	Failed	Timbers
20	Levi Keller	Failed	Jumping Spider
21	Brandon Smith	Failed	Jumping Spider
22	Dustin Rocho	Failed	Jumping Spider
23	Dan Galiczynski	Failed	Jumping Spider
24	David Campbell	Failed	Rope Ladder
25	Jeffrey Tan	Failed	Jumping Spider
26	Dan Mast	Failed	Giant Ring
27	Joyce Shahboz (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
28	Jonathan Brown	Failed	Jumping Spider
29	Will Roberts	Failed	Jumping Spider
30	Jake Smith	Failed	Jumping Spider
31	Joseph Rosello	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
32	Nika Muckelroy (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Ring
33	James Sclar	Failed	Jumping Spider
34	David Slovenski	Failed	Jumping Spider
35	Tony Reddick (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
36	Mia Lazerewicz (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Ring
37	Andrew Lowes	Failed	Rope Ladder
38	Mario Mendoza	Failed	Jumping Spider
39	Michael Needham	Failed	Giant Ring
40	Josh Romeo	Failed	Spinning Bridge
41	Michael Silenzi	Failed	Jumping Spider
42	Laura Kisana (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Ring
43	Sam Sann (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Ring
44	Grant David	Failed	Half Pipe Attack
45	Josh Grant	Failed	Jumping Spider
46	Briggs Schnieder (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
47	Kelvin Antoine (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
48	Luke Carson	Failed	Jumping Spider
49	Isaac Caldiero	Failed	Jumping Spider
50	Lance Pekus	Failed	Jumping Spider
51	Thomas Hall (Wild Card)	Failed	Warped Wall
52	Jessie Graff (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
53	Kacy Catanzaro (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Ring
54	Brian Wilczewski	Failed	Timbers
55	Tim Shieff	Failed	Jumping Spider
56	Sean Morris (Wild Card)	Failed	Half Pipe Attack
57	Brian Kretsch	Failed	Jumping Spider
58	Seth Caskey	Failed	Rope Ladder
59	Michael Pericoloso	Failed	Jumping Spider
60	John Walker	Failed	Jumping Spider
61	Caleb Garnham	Failed	Warped Wall
62	Graham Watanabe (Wild Card)	Failed	Warped Wall
63	Jason Williams (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
64	David Rodriguez	Failed	Jumping Spider
65	Stephen Pullen (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
66	Vincent Gorby (Wild Card)	Failed	Spinning Bridge
67	Michael "Frosti" Zernow	Failed	Spinning Bridge
68	Luis Moco	Failed	Rope Ladder
69	Dorian Cedars	Cleared
70	Travis Brewer (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
71	Trevor Vaughn	Cleared
72	Paul O' Connor	Failed	Jumping Spider
73	Ryan Thompson	Failed	Jumping Spider
74	Andrew Karsen	Failed	Warped Wall
75	Jesse Villarreal	Cleared
76	Stephen Volcko	Cleared
77	Chris Wilczewski	Cleared
78	Brian Orosco	Cleared
79	Derek Nakamoto	Cleared

Stage 1 Clears

1	Elet Hall (Wild Card)	Cleared	00:39.25
2	Lorin Ball	Cleared	00:38.62
3	James McGrath	Cleared	00:38.47
4	Joe Moravsky	Cleared	00:36.23
5	Brent Steffensen (Wild Card)	Cleared	00:30.63
6	Jesse La Flair	Cleared	00:26.97
7	Josh Cook	Cleared	00:26.03
8	Christopher Romrell	Cleared	00:24.86
9	William Brown	Cleared	00:22.73
10	Paul Kasemir	Cleared	00:23.54
11	Drew Drechsel	Cleared	00:21.63
12	Jamie Rahn	Cleared	00:19.26
13	Casey Finley	Cleared	00:18.90
14	Noah Kaufman (Wild Card)	Cleared	00:14.10
15	Travis Rosen	Cleared	00:13.50
16	Yev Kouchnir	Cleared	00.09.67
17	Kyle Sinacori	Cleared	00:07.60
18	Andres De La Rosa	Cleared	00:07.60
19	Brian Arnold	Cleared	00.03.64
20	Travis Weinand	Cleared	00:02.30
21	Idoko Abuh	Cleared	00:01.98

Stage 2

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle
1	Idoko Abuh	Completed	00:28.70
2	Travis Weinand	Completed	00:10.13
3	Brian Arnold	Completed	00:26.23
4	Andres De La Rosa	Failed	Metal Spin
5	Kyle Sinacori	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
6	Yev Kouchnir	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
7	Travis Rosen	Completed	00:05.17
8	Dr. Noah Kaufman (Wild Card)	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
9	Casey Finley	Completed	00:41.38
10	Jamie Rahn	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
11	Drew Drechsel	Failed	Unstable Bridge
12	Paul Kasemir	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
13	William Brown	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
14	Christopher Romrell	Failed	Unstable Bridge
15	Josh Cook	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
16	Jesse La Flair	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
17	Brent Steffensen (Wild Card)	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
18	Joe Moravsky	Completed	00:17.70
19	James McGrath	Completed	00:35.66
20	Lorin Ball	Failed	Unstable Bridge
21	Elet Hall (Wild Card)	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder

Stage 3

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle
1	Brian Arnold	Failed	Flying Bar
2	Travis Rosen	Failed	Floating Boards
3	James McGrath	Failed	Floating Boards
4	Joe Moravsky	Failed	Floating Boards
5	Travis Weinand	Failed	Doorknob Grasper
6	Casey Finley	Failed	Roulette Cylinder
7	Idoko Abuh	Failed	Roulette Cylinder

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. He also made it farther than any competitor in American Ninja Warrior history, surpassing Brent Steffensen, who failed on the Hang Climb in Stage 3 the previous season.

Season 6 (2014)

The sixth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on May 25, 2014 on NBC with subsequent shows airing on Monday nights at 9:00pm EST^[10] and Tuesday nights at 8:00pm EST on Esquire Network.^[11]

Regional competitions were held in the following five locations to determine the 90 competitors to participate in the other stages: Venice Beach, CA, a return to Dallas, TX, new location St. Louis, MO, Miami, FL and Denver, CO. Like the previous season, the winner of the ANW Season Six competition receives $500,000 and the coveted "American Ninja Warrior" title. The season finale will be again held in Las Vegas, NV, the permanent home of the U.S. version of Mount Midoriyama.

The season is again hosted by commentators Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila with Jenn Brown as the sideline reporter.

Highlights

Notable competitors

• U.S. Olympic luger Kate Hansen
• 5-time ANW veteran David Campbell
• The Biggest Loser personal trainer Kim Lyons
• former Ukraine Olympic gymnasts Vadym Krasnenko and Vadym Kuvakin
• ANW veteran and stuntman Brian Orosco
• 3-time ANW veteran Alan "The Beast" Connealy
• 4-time ANW veteran James "The Beast" McGrath
• U.S. Olympic Rower Susan Francia
• former American Gladiator Evan "Rocket" Dollard
• U.S. Olympic bobsledder Johnny Quinn
• U.S. Olympic gymnast Jonathan Horton
• U.S. Olympic gymnast Terin Humphrey
• 4-time ANW veteran Brent Steffensen
• professional wrestler Matt Capiccioni
• 3-time ANW veteran Jamie Rahn (aka "Captain NBC")
• ANW brothers Chris and Brian Wilczewski
• 4-time ANW veteran Travis Rosen
• professional wakeboarder Shaun Murray
• returning 5-year ANW veteran Brett Sims
• retired-MLB baseball player Rich Thompson
• U.S. Olympic luger Preston Griffall
• 5-time ANW veteran Ryan Stratis
• 3-time ANW veteran Drew Drechsel
• 3-time ANW veteran David "Flip" Rodriguez
• Harlem Globetrotter Bull Bullard
• professional BMX rider Morgan Wade
• professional MMA fighter Michelle Waterson
• U.S. Olympic snowboarder Faye Gulini
• 4-time ANW veteran Paul Kasemir
• Brian Arnold, farthest going American in Mt. Midoriyama since Kane Kosugi made it to stage four in SASUKE 8.

Women's Success

This season, the women who attempted the Warped Wall (obstacle #6) from last season competed.Three women out of 60 have completed the course. Former NCAA gymnast Kacy Catanzaro made ANW history when she became the first woman to complete the qualifying course, making it up the warped wall on her second try at 5:26.18 at the Dallas qualifiers, ranking her 21 out of 30; this also makes her the first woman to make it up the Warped Wall. Catanzaro became the second woman to attempt the finals course and the first to complete it, which she did with a time of 8:59.53, ranking her 7th out of 15. This made her the first woman to advance to Mount Midoriyama in Las Vegas. She failed to complete the 1st round of the finals, in Las Vegas while attempting the Jumping Spider.

ANW event coordinator Michelle Warnky became the second woman to finish the qualifying course, making it up the Warped Wall on her first try in a faster time (3:08.94) than Catanzaro at the St. Louis qualifiers, ranking her 19th out of 30. She also became the second woman ever to attempt the Salmon Ladder in the finals, coming up just inches short. She did receive a wild-card spot in Las Vegas, but she overshot on her dismount to the landing pad on the Silk Slider.

Rock climbing instructor Meagan Martin became the third woman to finish the course, making it up the Warped Wall on her third and final try at 4:46.29 at the Denver qualifiers, ranking her 22nd out of 30; she also became the first woman in ANW to complete the Devil Steps.^[12] However, in the Denver Finals, she came up short and fell at the Spikes into Cargo. She received a wild-card spot in Las Vegas, and became the first woman to complete the Jumping Spider, but ran out of time on the Warped Wall.^[13]

In addition, Melanie Hunt and Courtney Venuti both made it to the Warped Wall in Miami Qualifying, but both of them couldn't get up it and advance. Hunt competed the last 2 seasons, going out on the 2nd obstacle both times and Venuti competed in Season 5.

Before Catanzaro, Warnky, and Martin, the only woman to have beaten an American Ninja Warrior or Sasuke stage, trial, or qualifier was former Super Sentai stuntwoman Chie Nishimura (who beat Sasuke Stage 1 in 1998). Not even Kunoichi champions Rie Komiya or Ayako Miyake had managed it.

Other Notable Accomplishments

Truss builder Stephen France made ANW history when he became the first amputee ever to compete with a prosthetic limb in the qualifying round in Miami. Also ANW Trainer Drew Drechsel sets the second fastest time in any quailifer with 0:44.24 run, only seconds behind Michael "Frosti" Zernow who had the fastest time on season three in the Venice quailifers. At 52 years old, Jon Stewart became the oldest person to complete a Finals Course. Chris and Brian Wilczewski, "The Brothers Wilczewski", became the first brothers ever to make it to Mount Midoriyama together.

Failed veterans

• Brian Orosco - Competed since Season 1. Failed the qualifying round on the 2nd obstacle on the Spinning Wheel during Venice Qualifying.
• Brent Steffensen - Competed since Season 2. Failed the qualifying round on the 5th obstacle on the Ring Toss during Dallas Qualifying
• David "Flip" Rodriguez - Competed since Season 3. Failed the qualifying round on 4th obstacle on the Jump Hang during Miami Qualifying
• Drew Drechsel - Competed since Season 3. Failed during the 2nd obstacle on the Downhill Pipe Drop during the Miami Finals.
• Lorin Ball - Competed since Season 2. Failed the Salmon Ladder during the Denver Finals.
• Jesse La Flair - Competed since Season 4. Disqualified when he touched the Slack Ladder at the end during the Venice Qualifying.
• Evan "The Rocket" Dollard - Competed since Season 2. Failed Cannonball Alley during the Venice Finals.
• Idoko Abuh - Competed since Season 5. Disqualified when he touched Dancing Stones during the Miami Finals.
• Dan Mast - Competed since Season 3. Failed Salmon Ladder during the Venice Finals.
• James Sclar - Competed since Season 4. Failed Salmon Ladder during the Venice Finals.
• Michael Bernardo - Competed since Season 2. Failed Bridge of Blades during the St. Louis Qualifier.
• Travis Weinand - Competed since Season 3. Failed Rolling Escargot during Venice Qualifying.
• Luis Moco - Competed since Season 2. Failed on the second obstacle the Rolling Log during the St. Louis Qualifying.
• Brett Sims - Competed since Season 1. Failed the Dancing Stones during the Miami Finals.
• William Brown - Competed since Season 4. Failed the Dancing Stones during the Miami Finals.
• Brendan Kelly - Competed since Season 4. Failed the Rope into Cargo Net during the St. Louis Qualifier.
• Kyle Sinacori - Competed since Season 5. Failed the Quintuple Steps during the Denver Finals.
• Matthew Laessig - Competed since Season 2. Failed the Ring Toss during the Dallas Finals.
• David Money - Competed since Season 1. Failed the Monkey Peg during the Venice Finals.
• Dan "Hotdog" Moschella - Competed since Season 5. Failed the Rope into Cargo Net during the St. Louis Qualifier.

Notable Run Achievements

• Robert Ing - First man to complete the qualifying course this season
• Kacy Catanzaro - First woman to make it up the Warped Wall
• Michelle Warnky - Second woman to make it up the Warped Wall
• Drew Dreschel - Second fastest Qualifying Run in history
• Meagan Martin - Third woman to make it up the Warped Wall, first woman to complete the Jumping Spider.
• Kevin Bull - First man to defeat Cannonball Alley, a high elimination rate obstacle
• Kacy Catanzaro - First woman to complete the City Finals and punched her ticket to Mt. Midoryama without being a wildcard
• Michelle Warnky - Second Woman to reach the Salmon Ladder
• Joe " The Weatherman " Moravsky - Broke the Rumbling Dice and completed the course with the fastest time of the night
• Jon Stewart - The oldest man to complete the City Finals

Stage 1

Order #	Competitor	Outcome	Obstacle/Result
1	Karsten Williams	Failed	Silk Slider
2	Dustin McKinney	Failed	Jumping Spider
3	Kevin Klein	Failed	Spinning Bridge
4	Melanie Hunt (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
5	Sam Sann	Failed	Giant Cycle
6	David Gilbert	Failed	Silk Slider
7	Connor Moyer	Failed	Jumping Spider
8	Brian Kretsch	Failed	Spinning Bridge
9	Luciano Acuna, Jr.	Failed	Silk Slider
10	Dan Entmacher	Failed	Silk Slider
11	John Vogt	Failed	Silk Slider
12	Joel Brady	Failed	Jumping Spider
13	Tremayne Dortch	Failed	Jumping Spider
14	Noel Reyes	Failed	Silk Slider
15	Karson Voiles	Failed	Jumping Spider
16	Travis Brewer	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
17	James McGrath	Failed	Silk Slider
18	Brandon Pannell	Failed	Jumping Spider
19	Lance Pekus	Failed	Jumping Spider
20	Andrew Karsen	Failed	Silk Slider
21	Stephens Nunnally	Failed	Jumping Spider
22	Amy Pajcic (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
23	Michelle Warnky (Wild Card)	Failed	Silk Slider
24	Dustin Rocho	Failed	Silk Slider
25	Derek Nakamoto	Failed	Silk Slider
26	Mario Mendoza (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
27	Alex Kane	Failed	Spinning Bridge
28	Solomon Harvey	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
29	Meagan Martin (Wild Card)	Failed	Warped Wall (Time Out)
30	Courtney Venuti (Wild Card)	Failed	Giant Cycle
31	Michael Needham	Failed	Jumping Spider
32	Robert Ing	Failed	Spinning Bridge
33	Aaron Himelright	Failed	Silk Slider
34	Matthew Schumann	Failed	Jumping Spider
35	Jamie Rahn	Failed	Jumping Spider
36	Kyle Cochran	Failed	Half-Pipe Attack
37	Dorian Cedars	Failed	Silk Slider
38	Alan Conneally	Failed	Silk Slider
39	Ben Melick	Failed	Jumping Spider
40	Cass Clawson	Failed	Rope Ladder (Time Out)
41	Justin Kydd	Failed	Silk Slider
42	Adam Grossman	Failed	Jumping Spider
43	Matt Wilder	Failed	Spinning Bridge
44	Vadym Kuvakin	Failed	Spinning Bridge
45	David Campbell	Failed	Silk Slider
46	Daniel Larson-Fine	Failed	Spinning Bridge
47	Rob Moravsky (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
48	Thaddeus Robeck	Failed	Silk Slider
49	Kevin Bull	Failed	Silk Slider
50	Samantha Guthrie (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
51	Jaret Salas	Failed	Spinning Bridge
52	Todd Bourgeois	Failed	Jumping Spider
53	Brian Wilczewski	Failed	Jumping Spider
54	Kavon Sadler (Wild Card)	Failed	Silk Slider
55	Jon Stewart	Failed	Silk Slider
56	Kacy Catanzaro	Failed	Jumping Spider
57	TK Klengdong	Failed	Jumping Spider
58	Geoffrey Lancaster	Failed	Jumping Spider
59	Leila Noone (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider
60	Johnathan Morin	Failed	Jumping Spider
61	Evan Dollard (Wild Card)	Failed	Silk Slider
62	Idoko Abuh (Wild Card)	Failed	Jumping Spider

Stage 1 Clears

1	Elet Hall	Cleared	00:46.60
2	Lorin Ball (Wild Card)	Cleared	00:35.29
3	Paul Kasemir	Cleared	00:31.04
4	Joe Moravsky	Cleared	00:29.79
5	Ian Dory	Cleared	00:23.81
6	Joshua Cook (Wild Card)	Cleared	00:23.71
7	Chris Wilczewski	Cleared	00:22.26
8	Abel Gonzalez	Cleared	00:19.08
9	Jo Jo Bynum	Cleared	00:17.85
10	Travis Rosen	Cleared	00:17.73
11	Isaac Caldiero	Cleared	00:16.58
12	Andrew Lowes	Cleared	00:12.26
13	Dan Galiczynski	Cleared	00:09.65
14	Ryan Stratis	Cleared	00:08.66
15	Dr. Noah Kaufman	Cleared	00:07.98
16	Yen Chen	Cleared	00:03.60
17	Brian Arnold	Cleared	00:01.57
18	J.J. Woods	Cleared	00:00.27

Stage 2

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle
1	J.J. Woods	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
2	Brian Arnold	Failed	Unstable Bridge
3	Yen Chen	Failed	Butterfly Wall
4	Dr. Noah Kaufman	Failed	Unstable Bridge
5	Dan Galiczynski	Failed	Unstable Bridge
6	Ryan Stratis	Failed	Metal Spin
7	Andrew Lowes	Failed	Metal Spin
8	Isaac Caldiero	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
9	Travis Rosen	Failed	Metal Spin
10	Joseph "Jo Jo" Bynum	Failed	Unstable Bridge Transition
11	Abel Gonzalez	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
12	Chris Wilczewski	Failed	Metal Spin
13	Joshua Cook (Wild Card)	Failed	Butterfly Wall
14	Ian Dory	Failed	Metal Spin
15	Joe Moravsky	Completed	00:01:29
16	Paul Kasemir	Failed	Unstable Bridge
17	Lorin Ball (Wild Card)	Failed	Double Salmon Ladder
18	Elet Hall	Completed	00:13:34

Stage 3

Order #	Finalist	Outcome	Obstacle
1	Elet Hall	Failed	Floating Boards
2	Joe Moravsky*	Failed	Hang Climb

Note: * Moravsky was only the third competitor to complete the "Ultimate Cliffhanger".

Season 7 (2015)

NBC has renewed American Ninja Warrior for a 7th season. Season 7 will premiere on May 25, 2015.

Cities

There will be 5 cities (subject to change) plus the Finals to be once again held in Las Vegas.^[14]

VENICE:

• 3/13/15 Regional Qualifying
• 3/14/15 Regional Final

HOUSTON:

• 3/28/15 Regional Qualifying
• 3/29/15 Regional Final

KANSAS CITY, MO:

• 4/17/15 Regional Qualifying
• 4/18/15 Regional Final

ORLANDO:

• 5/10/15 Regional Qualifying
• 5/11/15 Regional Final

PITTSBURGH:

• 5/23/15 Regional Qualifying
• 5/24/15 Regional Final

Changes

• In the qualifying round only the top 30 competitors will move on to the city finals
• In the city finals round only the top 15 competitors will move on to Vegas.
• There will be 5 wildcard spots. The competitors that finished in 16th place will be moving on to Vegas
• The grand prize was moved up to 1 million dollars instead of half of a million dollars.

ANW Specials

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 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. American Ninja Warrior's regular broadcasting crew: analysts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila along with sideline reporter Jenn Brown.

Rosters

United States (American Ninja Warrior)	Japan (Sasuke)
Brent Steffensen First American to complete Ultimate Cliffhanger Paul Kasemir ("Mr. Consistency") 4-time Midoriyama veteran James McGrath ("The Beast") 3-time Midoriyama veteran Travis Rosen ("The Tennessee Trader") 3-time Midoriyama veteran Brian Arnold Top finisher at ANW 5 (Flying Bar)	Shingo Yamamoto ("The Godfather") All-Star, veteran of every Sasuke season Yuuji Urushihara ("The Grand Champion") New Star, two total victories in Sasuke Ryo Matachi ("The Superfan") New Star, reached Final Stage once Hitoshi Kanno ("The Muscle") New Star, reached Final Stage once Kazuma Asa ("The Speed Demon") New Star, Stage 1 world record holder (at the time.)

Scoring

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.

Stage 1

• This stage was worth one point

Match-up	United States	Finish Time	Japan	Finish Time	Point
1	James (The Beast) McGrath	1:16.67	Shingo Yamamoto	Failed on Warped Wall	USA
2	Paul Kasemir	1:24.80	Hitoshi Kanno	1:25.43	USA
3	Brent Steffensen	1:14.53 (new record)	Kazuma Asa	Failed on Giant Cycle	USA

Stage 2

• This stage was worth two points

Match-up	United States	Finish Time	Japan	Finish Time	Point
1	Brian Arnold	1:14.63	Ryo Matachi	Failed on Double Salmon Ladder	USA
2	Travis Rosen	Failed on Metal Spin	Yuuji Urushihara	Failed on Double Salmon Ladder	USA
3	James McGrath	1:15.00	Kazuma Asa	Failed on Double Salmon Ladder	USA

Stage 3

• This stage was worth three points

Match-up	United States	Finish Time	Japan	Finish Time	Point
1	Brian Arnold	Failed on Flying Bar (3:56.53)	Ryo Matachi	Failed on Flying Bar (3:55.03)	Japan
2	James McGrath	Failed on Floating Boards (0:37.53)	Yuuji Urushihara	Failed on Floating Boards (0:38.54)	USA
3	Brent Steffensen	Failed on Hang Climb	Shingo Yamamoto	Failed on Floating Boards	USA
4	Paul Kasemir	Failed on Flying Bar	Hitoshi Kanno	Failed on Ultimate Cliffhanger	USA

Final Score: United States 6-0 Japan

Winners: American Ninja Warrior Team Champions: United States

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. .^[15] 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.

Rosters

Team rosters were revealed late summer 2014.^[16]

Team USA	Team Japan	Team Europe
Brian Arnold - 36, Brighton, CO - American athlete who has gone the furthest on the Las Vegas Mt. Midoriyama course.* Elet Hall ("The Natural") - 24, Cavetown, MD - one of only two men to make it to Stage 3 this season. Paul Kasemir ("Mr. Consistency") - 28, Longmont, CO - the M.V.P. of the team that defeated the Japanese last year. Joe Moravsky ("The Weatherman") - 25, Sherman, CT - went further than anyone else this past season. Travis Rosen (The Tennessee Trader") - 40, Franklin, TN - A part of Team USA last year and captain of this year's all-star group.	Hitoshi Kanno ("The Muscle") - 29, Kashiwa, Japan Reached Sasuke Final Stage, ten-time Sasuke veteran Kazuma Asa ("The Speed Demon") - 32, Amagasaki, Japan - Stage 1 world record holder Ryo Matachi - 25, Kawasaki, Japan - Reached Sasuke Final Stage Yusuke Morimoto - 22, Tosa, Japan - Sasuke rising star, competing seven times, first competing at age 15 Shingo Yamamoto ("The Godfather"), - 40, Tokyo, Japan - Captain of Team Japan and only athlete to compete in all 30 seasons of Sasuke	Tim Shieff ("The Livewire") - 26, London, England - Captain of Team Europe, world champion professional free runner, ANW veteran, competing on three seasons. Sean McColl - 27, Chambery, France - Canadian professional World Champion rock climber and current overall climbing champion Stefano Ghisolfi - 21, Turin, Italy - Professional World Cup rock climber, number one ranked Italian climber Miska Sutela - 23, Oulu, Finland - Ninja Warrior superfan, has trained all over the world, including Japan, trained with the Sasuke All-Stars. Built 35 NW obstacles in his parent's backyard to train on. Vadym Kuvakin - 29, Kherson, Ukraine - Former Olympic gymnast, current member of the Cirque du Soleil cast for "La Reve" in Las Vegas

Note: * Kane Kosugi is the American who has gone the furthest on Mt. Midoriyama, reaching the final stage in Japan in Sasuke 8.

Scoring

Similar to the original USA vs. Japan special, teams run multiple heats in each stage, with one competitor from each of the three teams participating in each heat. There are three heats per stage. The team that completes the heat in the fastest time or fails at the furthest obstacle will receive points for that heat. For Stage 1, each heat is worth one point (3 points total), Stage 2 is worth two points per heat (6 total), and Stage 3 is worth 3 points per heat (9 points total). In the event of a tie in points between two or three teams Stage 4 will be used as a tiebreaker with the team climbing the fastest winning it all.

Stage 1

Each heat winner received one point for his team.

Heat	United States	Finish Time	Japan	Finish Time	Europe	Finish Time	Point
1	Joe Moravsky	1:12.72 (new record)	Shingo Yamamoto	Failed - Jumping Spider	Vadym Kuvakin	Timed Out - Final Climb	USA
2	Elet Hall	Failed - Silk Slider	Hitoshi Kanno	Failed - Warped Wall	Tim Shieff	1:02.70 (new record)	Europe
3	Paul Kasemir	1:17.21	Kazuma Asa	Failed - Jumping Spider	Miska Sutela	Timed Out - Warped Wall	USA

Stage 2

Each heat winner received two points for his team.

Heat	United States	Finish Time	Japan	Finish Time	Europe	Finish Time	Point
1	Brian Arnold	2:55.57	Yusuke Morimoto	Failed - Butterfly Wall	Stefano Ghisolfi	Failed - Double Salmon Ladder	USA
2	Travis Rosen	1:48.00	Ryo Matachi	Failed - Rope Jungle	Tim Shieff	Failed - Metal Spin	USA
3	Elet Hall	2:06.32	Hitoshi Kanno	Failed - Rope Jungle	Sean McColl	1:46.51	Europe

Stage 3

Each heat winner received three points for his team.

Heat	United States	Finish Time	Japan	Finish Time	Europe	Finish Time	Point
1	Paul Kasemir	Failed - Cannonball Incline	Kazuma Asa	Failed - Cannonball Incline	Vadym Kuvakin	Failed - Hang Climb	Europe
2	Joe Moravsky	Failed - Hang Climb	Yusuke Morimoto	5:38.91	Stefano Ghisolfi	4:46.89	Europe
3	Brian Arnold	4:39.90	Ryo Matachi	5:04.67	Sean McColl	Failed - Flying Bars	USA

Stage 4

Whomever climbs the rope the fastest wins the tiebreaker and the championship trophy for his team.

United States	Finish Time	Europe	Finish Time
Travis Rosen	0.35.77	Sean McColl	0:35.46

Final Score: USA 9, Europe 9, Japan 0

Winners: American Ninja Warrior Team Champions: Europe

Season 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 dramatically 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.

Obstacles in American Ninja Warrior Qualifiers

ANW Season	Qualifying Round						City Finals
1	Quintuple Steps	Rope Swing	Rolling Barrel	Jumping Spider	Sliding Pipe	Warped Wall	Tarzan Swing	Jumping Bars	Cargo Climb
2	Quad Steps	Rope Swing	Bridge of Blades	Jumping Spider	Jumping Bars	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Circle Slider	Cargo Climb
3	Quad Steps	Log Grip	Bridge of Blades	Jump Hang	Jumping Bars	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Unstable Bridge	Cargo Climb
4 (Southwest Regional)	Quad Steps	Log Grip	Spinning Log	Jump Hang	Devil Steps	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Arm Rings	Cargo Climb
4 (Midwest Regional)	Quad Steps	Log Grip	Bridge of Blades	Jump Hang	Curtain Slider	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Lamp Grasper	Cargo Climb
4 (Northeast Regional)	Quad Steps	Log Grip	Bungee Bridge	Jump Hang	Jumping Bars	Wall Lift	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Cycle Road	Cargo Climb
4 (Northwest Regional)	Quad Steps	Log Grip	Spinning Log	Jump Hang	Pipe Slider/Devil Steps	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Arm Rings	Cargo Climb
4 (Mid-South Regional)	Quad Steps	Log Grip	Bridge of Blades	Jump Hang	Rope Junction	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Lamp Grasper	Cargo Climb
4 (Southeast Regional)	Quad Steps	Log Grip	Bungee Bridge	Jump Hang	Swing Circle	Wall Lift	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Cycle Road	Cargo Climb
5 (Venice Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Frame Slider	Domino Hill	Floating Chains	Flying Nunchucks/Trapeze Swing	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Rope Maze	Cliffhanger	Spider Climb
5 (Baltimore Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Downhill Jump	Prism Tilt	Swing Jump	Circle Cross	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Rumbling Dice	Body Prop	Spider Climb
5 (Miami Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Utility Pole Slider	Balance Bridge	Slider Jump	Monkey Peg	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Ledge Jump	Rolling Steel	Spider Climb
5 (Denver Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Rolling Log	Rotating Bridge	Jump Hang Kai (8 1/2-9 1/2 ft)	Grip Hang (36–40 in)	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Floating Stairs	Pole Grasper	Spider Climb
6 (Venice Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Spinning Wheel	Slack Ladder	Jumping Bars into Cargo Net	Monkey Peg	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Cannonball Alley	Body Prop	Spider Climb
6 (Dallas Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Log Grip	Tilting Table	Swing Jump	Ring Toss	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Swinging Frames	Pole Grasper	Spider Climb
6 (St. Louis Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Rolling Log	Bridge of Blades	Rope Swing into Cargo Net	Double Tilt Ladder	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Rumbling Dice	Crazy Cliffhanger	Spider Climb
6 (Miami Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Downhill Pipe Drop	Dancing Stones	Jump Hang	Curtain Slider	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Minefield	Floating Stairs	Spider Climb
6 (Denver Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Cat Grab	Spinning Log	Spikes into Cargo Net	Devil Steps	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Arm Rings	Doorknob Arch	Spider Climb
7 (Venice Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Silk Swing	Tilting Table	Crooked Baskets	Unstable Bridge	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Double Dice	Boulder Climb	Spider Climb
7 (Houston Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	See-Saw Slider	Spinning Log	Cargo Tilt	Nunchuck Grasper	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	Flying Bar into Rope	Crazy Cliffhanger	Spider Climb
7 (Kansas City Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	Downhill Pipe Drop into Ladder	Slack Ladder	Super Ring Toss	Tassel Hopper	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	???	???	Spider Climb
7 (Orlando Qualifiers)	Quintuple Steps	???	???	???	???	Warped Wall	Salmon Ladder	???	???	Spider Climb

Obstacles in American Ninja Warrior Finals

Stage 1

Comp #	Stage 1 Obstacles									Time Limit
1	Twelve Timbers	Curtain Slider	Log Grip		Jumping Spider	Half Pipe Attack	Warped Wall (16 feet)	Slider Jump	Final Climb	2:00.00 (120S)
2	Step Slider	Hazard Swing	Rolling Escargot		Jumping Spider	Half Pipe Attack	Warped Wall (14 feet)	Giant Swing	Final Climb	2:10.00 (130S)
3	Step Slider	Rolling Escargot		Giant Swing	Jumping Spider	Half Pipe Attack	Warped Wall (16 feet)	Spinning Bridge	Final Climb	2:05.00 (125S)
4	Step Slider	Rolling Log		Giant Swing	Jumping Spider	Half Pipe Attack	Warped Wall (14 feet)	Spinning Bridge	Final Climb	2:10.00 (130S)
5	Timbers	Giant Cycle		Rope Glider	Jumping Spider	Half Pipe Attack	Warped Wall (14 feet)	Spinning Bridge	Final Climb	2:10.00 (130S)
6	Piston Road	Giant Ring		Silk Slider	Jumping Spider	Half Pipe Attack	Warped Wall (14 feet)	Spinning Bridge	Final Climb	2:05.00 (125S)

Stage 2

Comp #	Stage 2 Obstacles								Time Limit
1	Downhill Jump	Salmon Ladder		+	Stick Slider	Unstable Bridge	Metal Spin	Wall Lift	1:10.00 (70S)
2	Slider Drop	Double Salmon Ladder		+	Unstable Bridge	Balance Tank	Metal Spin	Wall Lift	1:35.00 (95S)
3	Slider Drop	Double Salmon Ladder		+	Unstable Bridge	Balance Tank	Metal Spin	Wall Lift	1:30.00 (90S)
4	Slider Drop	Double Salmon Ladder		+	Unstable Bridge	Balance Tank	Metal Spin	Wall Lift	1:45.00 (105S)
5	Hang Slider	Double Salmon Ladder		+	Unstable Bridge	Balance Tank	Metal Spin	Wall Lift	2:05.00 (125S)
6	Rope Jungle	Double Salmon Ladder		+	Unstable Bridge	Butterfly Wall	Metal Spin	Wall Lift	2:05.00 (125S)

Stage 3

Comp #	Stage 3 Obstacles
1	Arm Rings	Descending Lamp Grasper		Devil Steps	Shin Cliffhanger	Jumping Bars	+	Hang Climb	Spider Flip	Gliding Ring
2	Roulette Cylinder	+	Doorknob Grasper	Cycle Road	Ultimate Cliffhanger	Swing Circle			Bungee Rope Climb	Flying Bar
3	Arm Bike	Flying Bar		Ultimate Cliffhanger		Jumping Rings	+	Chain See-Saw	Ascending Ropes	Bar Glider
4	Roulette Cylinder	+	Doorknob Grasper	Floating Boards	Ultimate Cliffhanger	Bungee Rope Climb	+	Hang Climb	Spider Flip	Flying Bar
5	Roulette Cylinder	+	Doorknob Grasper	Floating Boards	Ultimate Cliffhanger	Bungee Rope Climb	+	Hang Climb	Spider Flip	Flying Bar
6	Cannonball Incline	+	Doorknob Grasper	Floating Boards	Ultimate Cliffhanger	Propeller Bar	+	Hang Climb	Spider Flip	Flying Bar

Best American Results

Rank	Competitor	Stage	Obstacle	Competition
1	Kane Kosugi	Final	Failed final obstacle: Rope Climb (about 18m up)	Sasuke 8
2	Brian Arnold	Third	Failed 8th/final obstacle: Flying Bar	American Ninja Warrior 5
3	Brent Steffensen	Third	Failed 6th obstacle: Hang Climb	American Ninja Warrior 4
3	Joe Moravsky	Third	Failed 6th obstacle: Hang Climb	American Ninja Warrior 6
4	Travis Schraeder	Third	Failed 5th/final obstacle: Pipe Slider	Sasuke 4
5	Paul Terek	Third	Failed 4th obstacle: Cliff Hanger	Sasuke 17
5	Levi Meeuwenberg	Third	Failed 4th obstacle: Shin-Cliffhanger	Sasuke 20 and Sasuke 23 (ANW 1)
5	Drew Drechsel	Third	Failed 4th obstacle: Crazy Cliffhanger	Sasuke 30
6	Morgan Hamm	Third	Failed 3rd obstacle: Curtain Cling	Sasuke 15
6	David Campbell	Third	Failed 3rd obstacle: Ultimate Cliffhanger	Sasuke 27 (ANW 3)
6	Ryan Stratis	Third	Failed 3rd obstacle: Ultimate Cliffhanger	Sasuke 27 (ANW 3)
6	James McGrath	Third	Failed 3rd obstacle: Ultimate Cliffhanger	Sasuke 27 (ANW 3)
6	Paul Kasemir	Third	Failed 3rd obstacle: Ultimate Cliffhanger	Sasuke 27 (ANW 3)
6	Travis Rosen	Third	Failed 3rd obstacle: Floating Boards	American Ninja Warrior 5
6	Elet Hall	Third	Failed 3rd obstacle: Floating Boards	American Ninja Warrior 6
7	Shane Kosugi	Third	Failed 2nd obstacle: Body Prop	Sasuke 7
7	Brian Orosco	Third	Failed 2nd obstacle: Doorknob Grasper	Sasuke 25
7	Travis Weinand	Third	Failed 2nd obstacle: Doorknob Grasper	American Ninja Warrior 5
8	Casey Finley	Third	Failed 1st obstacle: Roulette Cylinder	American Ninja Warrior 5
8	Idoko Abuh	Third	Failed 1st obstacle: Roulette Cylinder	American Ninja Warrior 5
9	Paul Hamm	Second	Failed 6th/final obstacle: Wall Lifting	Sasuke 14
10	Travis Furlanic	Second	Failed 5th obstacle: Metal Spin	Sasuke 27 (ANW 3)
10	Chris Wilczewski	Second	Failed 5th obstacle: Metal Spin	American Ninja Warrior 6
10	Andres de la Rosa	Second	Failed 5th obstacle: Metal Spin	American Ninja Warrior 5
10	Andrew Lowes	Second	Failed 5th obstacle: Metal Spin	American Ninja Warrior 6
10	Ian Dory	Second	Failed 5th obstacle: Metal Spin	American Ninja Warrior 6
10	Derek Nakamoto	Second	Failed 5th obstacle: Metal Spin	American Ninja Warrior 4
10	Ahmed Toure	Second	Failed 4th obstacle: Balance Tank	American Ninja Warrior 4

See also

• American Ninja Challenge
• Sasuke

Notes

References

External links

• NBC Page
• Esquire Network Page
• G4 Page

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