Plot Synopsis

After showing the Japanese import NINJA WARRIOR for a few years, G4 hosted its own Ninja Challenge to find two of America's best competitors (Colin B. of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Brett S of Greenville, South Carolina) to send to Japan. G4 aired these contests as one-off specials. The network continued to host Ninja Challenges, each time looking for a few of the most worthy competitors to send to Japan. For NINJA CHALLENGE 5, G4 announced it would send 10 competitors to Japan, and the network expanded its on-air coverage into a six-episode series, AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR.

In its fifth season, acrobatic athletes and couch potatoes competed in regional qualifiers in Los Angeles, Denver, Baltimore, and Miami, with the top 100 competitors traveling to Las Vegas to vie for the $500,000 grand prize and try their hand at the punishing four-stage obstacle course fashioned after the original Mount Midoriyama in Japan. After the one-hour Season 5 premiere on Sunday, June 30, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT on G4, AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR aired original episodes weekly on two networks -- on G4 (Tuesdays from 8-10pm ET/PT), one day after a one-hour program on NBC (Mondays from 8-9pm, except for July 1 when it airs 8-10pm). Plus, a new host (Akbar Gbaja-Biamila) and co-host (Jenn Brown) joined Matt Iseman for the show's fifth season.

Immediately following a brand-new, one-hour special, AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR returned for its sixth season on Monday, May 26, 2014 from 9-11pm ET/PT on NBC, with Matt, Akbar and Jenn all returning for the new season. At 8pm ET/PT, the 60-minute special, "Countdown to American Ninja Warrior 2014," presented the best moments from the series so far. Then, at 9pm ET/PT, Season 6 began with the qualifying round from Venice Beach, CA, where Olympian rower Susan Francia and luger Kate Hanson, along with NINJA veteran David Campbell, tackled the course of ten obstacles, which included three new challenges: the Slack Ladder, the Jumping Bars Into Cargo and the Cannonball Alley.

Season 7 of AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR premiered on Monday, May 25, 2015 from 8-10pm ET/PT on NBC, with Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja Biamila returning as hosts for another season and with Kristine Leahy joining them as their new co-host. This season follows competitors as they tackle difficult obstacle courses in qualifying and finals rounds across the country. Those that successfully complete the courses in each city will move onto the national finals round in Las Vegas and compete for a $1,000,000 prize In the season opener, "Venice Qualifying," competitors must tackle six obstacles, including three brand new ones: the Mini Silk Slider, Spin Cycle and Hourglass Drop. AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR veterans Kevin Bull and David Campbell return for another shot at completing the course, while former Baltimore Raven & Super Bowl Champion Brendon Ayanbadejo and current NFL player Jon Ryan of the Seattle Seahawks take on the course for the first time.

AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR swings back into action on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 with its two-hour premiere at 8pm ET/PT. Season 8 is again hosted by Matt Iseman and former NFL player Akbar Gbajabiamila with Kristine Leahy returning as co-host. Original episodes air on NBC with encore presentations beginning Thursday, June 2 at 8pm on Esquire Network. This season the show will make stops in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia before heading to Las Vegas and partaking on the stunning four-stage obstacle course known as Mt. Midoriyama.

AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR returned for its ninth season on Monday, June 12, 2017 from 8-10pm ET/PT on NBC. Matt Iseman is back as host, along with Akbar Gbajabiamila and co-host Kristine Leahy. This season the show makes stops in Los Angeles, CA; San Antonio, TX; Daytona Beach, FL; Kansas City, MO; Cleveland, OH; and Denver, CO, before heading to Las Vegas for the national finals, where competitors tackle the world's most difficult obstacle course as they vie for the $1,000,000 prize. The season opens with the first Qualifying Round from Los Angeles, where competitors must tackle six obstacles, including Cannonball Drop and Battering Ram, which are new this season. ANW veterans Kevin Bull and Grant McCartney return for another shot at completing the course.

NBC premiered Season 10 of AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 from 8-10pm ET/PT, with hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila and co-host Kristine Leahy all returning. In the qualifying round, ninjas face six obstacles, including the new 18-foot "Mega Warped Wall," which, if conquered, offers a chance to win $10,000. The series has also lowered the age limit of competitors from 21 to 19. Season 10 opens with an action-packed episode from Dallas, Texas. Later this season the show also makes stops in Miami, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Minneapolis before heading to Las Vegas.

NBC premiered the eleventh season of AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR -- its eighth season on the peacock network -- on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 from 8-10pm ET/PT, before moving to its regular timeslot on Monday, June 10 from 8-10pm. Hosted by Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, the season began filming March 6 with the Los Angeles (Universal Studios backlot) city qualifying rounds, before moving on to shoot in previously announced cities for this season, including Atlanta (The Home Depot Backyard at Mercedes Benz Stadium), Oklahoma City (State Capitol Building), Baltimore (Rash Field), Cincinnati (downtown), Seattle/Tacoma (Tacoma Dome) and finally, Las Vegas for the show's national finals. Zuri Hall is joining the show this season as sideline reporter. Hall will be on the ground giving viewers an in-depth preview of the course and sharing up-to-the-minute reactions from the crowd. She will also be the first to greet competitors after they have taken on the course with her post-race interviews.

NBC premiered Season 12 of AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR on Monday, September 7, 2020 from 8-10pm ET/PT, with a two-hour episode. This season, the top 50 athletes bring along two people from their communities to compete with them for a total of 150 competitors. Hosted by Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila along with sideline reporter Zuri Hall, the twelfth season features an abridged format with multiple rounds: Qualifiers (6 obstacle course), Semi-Finals (10 obstacle course) and Finals (10 obstacle course + Power Tower playoff bracket). To determine the winner during the Finals, the top eight ninjas compete in a playoff bracket where they race head-to-head on the Power Tower. The winner will earn $100,000. Production for the eight-episode season took place in St. Louis at the Dome at America's Center. ANW is the first NBC series to have completed a full season of episodes during the current pandemic.

On Monday, May 31, 2021 from 8-10pm ET/PT, NBC premiered Season 13 of AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR. Hosts Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall are all back to call the action, which is set to take place in Seattle, Los Angeles and Las Vegas for the finals. The new season features more than 400 competitors and, for the first time in ANW history, the age limit to compete is being lowered to 15 years old. Some of today's most promising talent are younger competitors and now teenagers have the chance to compete alongside adult athletes. A top prize of $1 million will go to the winner if they can conquer all four stages at the National Finals in Las Vegas. To get there, competitors will need to make it through the qualifying rounds and semifinals.

On Monday, June 6, 2022 from 8-10pm ET/PT, NBC premiered Season 14 of AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR. ANW returns with some of the most elite athletes in the country competing on the world's most difficult obstacle courses. Hosts Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall are back to call the early-round action in San Antonio and Los Angeles with the national finals in Las Vegas. The new season will mark the return of the lowered age requirement, which opens the door to a new era of competitors as young as 15 years old. Each season the obstacle courses continue to evolve and become even more challenging for competitors of all ages, while the sport itself simultaneously grows rapidly across the country with kids embracing it in record numbers. A top prize of $1 million will go to the winner that can conquer all four stages at the National Finals in Las Vegas. To get there, competitors will need to make it through the qualifying rounds and semifinals.

On Monday, June 5, 2023 from 8-10pm ET/PT on NBC, Season 15 of ANW returned with the most elite athletes in the country competing on the world's most difficult obstacle courses. Hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, along with co-host Zuri Hall, are back to call the action as the ninjas make their way through the qualifying and semifinal rounds in Los Angeles before moving to the national finals in Las Vegas. With the biggest changes in show history, Season 15 will challenge the ninjas to race side-by-side and head-to-head across a high-stakes course with a spot in the national finals on the line. Additionally, the Mega Wall is even taller than before at 18-1/2 feet and, for the first time ever, ninjas will need to complete all six obstacles in a designated time in order to earn a shot at the $10,000 prize. Also at stake is a top prize of $1 million for the fastest ninja who can conquer all four stages at the national finals.

Season 16 of AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR debuted on Monday, June 3, 2024 from 8-10pm ET/PT on NBC. ANW returns with the most elite athletes in the country competing on the world's most difficult obstacle courses. Hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, along with co-host Zuri Hall, are back to call the action as the ninjas make their way through the qualifying and semifinal rounds in Los Angeles before moving to the national finals in Las Vegas. Continuing with the major changes from last season, the semis will challenge the ninjas to race side-by-side and head-to-head across a high-stakes course with a spot in the national finals on the line. All four stages in Vegas return, including the Stage 4 rope climb for $1 million.
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On Monday, September 9, 2024 from 8-10pm ET/PT, NBC premiered "Las Vegas Finals 4," the Season 16 finale of AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR. The national finals conclude in Las Vegas as the remaining ninjas compete in Stages 3 and 4 for their chance to win $1 million on the rope climb to become the next American Ninja Warrior.