IamA American Ninja Warrior producer AMA!

Oh, I'm so glad you're here! My whole family loves your show, right down to my four year old daughter (she busted her head right after your season opener because she and my son ran a Ninja obstacle course... right across the bookshelf! Don't worry, she's fine!)

So my question is... why do you spend SO MUCH TIME on athlete fluff pieces and then NOT SHOW US RUNS of other athletes? I hate when we come back from commercial and you tell me about two guys who finished the course and two guys who didn't... and then we spend 2 minutes on hearing about some dude's dog for the third time! It's infuriating!

This is a common complaint. The simple answer is: that is the format of the show. Many of these decisions are made for dramatic effect. Judging by the ratings, the format is working. Remember, ANW is technically a game show, NOT a sporting event. If you want to see shows without the "fluff" there is a truncated ANW subreddit, or you could come see a live taping. Regardless, thank you for your viewership :)

I wish your ratings showed how often people TiVo-jump through the fluff bits. ;) When are the live tapings?

The minute to minutes do. It's true, a large amount of viewers fast forward to get to the runs. Live tapings start in march

Ah well, TIL, then. How much of Matt and Akbar's commentary is added in post after reviewing the tapes and whatnot? I swear, sometimes they're just making stuff up (particularly about why an athlete failed), but that's always a part of commentating--keeping the word stream running.

Some dialog is added in post. In fact, I am Akbars temp voice lol

I recorded every episode, watched Master Chef live, and then would watch the recording of ANW.

The episode is 2 hours long? I can finish it in 40 because I always skip the fluff. Once they start having super runs I may go back and watch their fluff but doubtful.

Love the show and it does get my nephew and I to be more active but we definitely wish for more runs and less fluff.

We appreciate your viewership and we try to improve the show every season

I know I've complained about all the fluff pieces before, to which you've responded in the past. But one of the things that annoys me most is not so much the fluff pieces themselves, it's that the same fluff piece is shown for the same athlete every time they run (or at least every episode in which they run). For guys like Hall and Morovsky (spelling?), that means once in the regional prelims, once in the regional finals, again in stage one, and yet again for a fourth time in stage 2/3.

I would be okay with it if you continued to show the bios but only once per athlete (or at most, twice, prelims and Vegas). That would allow you to show intros for a wider portion of the athletes and at the same time show more runs.

You also said this:

Judging by the ratings, the format is working.

Then you said this:

It's true, a large amount of viewers fast forward to get to the runs.

That indicates to me that the format isn't working quite as well as you think, otherwise people wouldn't fast forward through all the fluff pieces.

Well sadly, you can't please everyone. The bios are necessary for viewers that aren't tuning in week to week. They get repetitive because, frankly, a lot of these guys are boring af. As far as the ratings go, it's the overall rating that truly matters. Minute to minutes will help NBC tweak the show. So, in theory, if enough people DVR the show and fast forward through the stuff they don't like, NBC will notice

Ever considered broadcasting all the runs on the website or something? I'm sure people would love to see it there.

I know that they do put a bunch of the runs on youtube. Not all of them though. That would be quite an undertaking

Also, how frustrating is it to pay all that money to build Stage 4 every year when no one even touches it?

It is a bummer when no one reaches stage 4. However, check out our newest special USA vs. the World that aired last night! You won't be sorry

What is the logic behind broadcasting all these backstories of the course-runners that fail on the first or second obstacle, then not showing other competitors that actually complete the course?

Dramatic purposes

interesting... though to me the drama is on the course, the "will he or won't he" make it.

I would suggest coming to a taping so you can see it all go down

I would suggest listening to your television audience's opinions as that's what this is all about. I really like the idea behind the show, but I can only watch it after it's been recorded so I can fast forward through all of the backstories. I get it for the first time through, and if they are interesting, but in round two, just give a quick recap of how badass they were in the previous round, let em say something badass to the camera, and tighten that shit up. Ain't nobody got 2 hours for this.

We do our best to improve the show every season, so don't give up on us yet

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It's a standard game show competition thing. It's not obvious to the lay-person, but you are perceptive. Fake cheering makes it seem like the crowd is bigger than it is

So true I had no idea there was fake cheering

He just ruined it for you

Please stop the nonsense-persona stuff. For example: Guy work on a farm, so he has to run the course in blue jeans and a ten gallon hat. Really? Not one person suggested maybe some gym shoes and shorts?

Believe it or not, the ninjas choose what they want to wear. We have nothing to do with that

Will there ever be an American Idol type atmosphere for tryouts where you show people who have no reason being on ninja warrior failing miserably for the entertainment of the viewers?

I don't know, but that would be a lot of fun!

I volunteer as tribute!

Katniss, is that you?

Bitch I might be.

Touche'

Seems like a lot of competitors on the show are doing ninja warrior fulltime and have quit their jobs or working minimally...How does ninja warrior compensate competitors, winners/losers?

There is a small amount of money awarded to the fastest finishers in each citys' qualifying and finals rounds, but besides getting a free vacation if you make it to Mt. Midoriyama, the ninjas are on their own

How many plane tickets does winning a place in Las Vegas get you?

One

Geez, no return flight? That's rough.

One round trip ticket I meant :P

How many finishers for each of the qualifying and finals are awarded? Top 5? Top 3?

Only the top 1 each round

Watched USA vs. the World last night. Great job on the episode, it was exciting from start to finish.

Did you guys really expect the European team to have a chance? It seemed like only one of them had even ever competed on Ninja Warrior! How did you convince the climbers to compete?

On paper, Team Europe looked strongest going into the competition. It's quite easy to convince athletes to run the course: "Hey, do you want to climb on this huge jungle gym and maybe win some cash?" If you're a big kid, ANW is a wet dream

Haha fair enough. I would love the chance to try it myself, so I can totally understand how a professional climber would jump at the opportunity given how they make their living.

Sean McColl is just a beast. I hope you guys can convince him to compete in ANW next year ($500,000 has to make it tempting!). Not only would he be capable of winning, he could also get some amazing times.

Sean McColl has said that he would love to compete on ANW, but doesn't meet the citizenship requirement: http://seanmccoll.com/ask-sean-mccoll/comment-page-41/#comment-27683

Yeah, he's not an American :/

Didn't they say last night that a couple of the European team members have competed before? I guess that would mean they have dual citizenship?

Yes, you must have dual citizenship

Submit a video! Maybe you'll get selected :)

Was there some sort of prize for the winning team or was it more just bragging rights?

Bragging rights. I think there was a small cash prize, but I'm not 100% sure

I'll admit this is a loaded question, and nothing that hasn't been posted in /r/ninjawarrior at one time or another, but I'll ask anyway.

There's a fair amount of "hate" (guilty as charged) from long-term fans of ANW/Sasuke for what NBC has done to turn the show into a drama-heavy faux-reality gameshow. Most of these complaints revolve around the heavy emphasis on:

• the competitor sob-stories back-stories
• the editing of full runs down to quick montages
• the over emphasis of on course injuries
• the near endless repetition of fails & falls montages
• and the needless artificial hype and drama cliches like cliff-hangers and recutting of runs to fit a dramatic build to the end of an episode.

Looking ahead to season 7, and the continued growth and popularity of ANW as a show and obstacle course running as a sport, what does the NBC production staff view as their role with respect to being the current caretakers of the ANW course and brand? More specifically, while money is to be made, is it going to come at the expense of long-term fans, or is NBC going to make an attempt to remain true to the original fan base that helped bring ANW to the US?

Sadly, I can't answer your question. I do not work for NBC. I do not know what NBC plans to do. We hear whispers, but that's all. I can assure you that the brass has heard the complaints and every season there are tweaks to the formula. The backstories were actually cut down this season. I truly don't believe you will ever see ANW become Sasuke. But that's why Sasuke exists right?? You have the option to watch that instead, or both if you would like. I'm afraid some of your expectations are unrealistic

We can't watch it legally. NBC renegotiated out of their contract to show the original.

Torrent it?

You're kinda missing the point. We used to legally see this show via Comcast. When NBC came on the air they dropped it in favor of ANW because with no competition it seemed as if more people wanted to see that. You're previous comment confirms that.

I know what you're saying but I can't do anything about it. That's just how it is. It may change, it may not. No sense in getting all twisted about it. If you can't watch it legally watch it illegally. That's why God created torrents

Understood that you don't have the power. Just expressing the frustration of those of us who happily watched both shows then G4 was around. NBC doesn't hold that sentiment.

Frustration understood

4 Questions:

1) Any chance we will see an All-Star International Ninja Warrior competition that isn't team based in the future? It would be cool to see the best take on the course as individuals again, just like the first few American Ninja Warrior competitions.

2) Any chance we could get the Japanese Announcers to narrate the Japanese Team's runs next year for USA vs. the World? I miss their enthusiasm and the colorful language they used.

3) Who decided to make the Metal Spin harder this year by making the landing platform way too narrow? That was a bummer because it threw so many people who would have completed it normally off.

4) What happened to all the NFL athletes who used to take on the course? Can't we get some NBC synergy going and convince them to funnel some superstar players in (it is in the off season after all)? I think guys like Calvin Johnson would kill the course.

1) There's always a chance

2) I wish haha you never know

3) From what I understand, the landing platform was the same as previous years. I believe the only difference this year with the metal spin was the plastic sheath that was added around the chains

4) We had some NFL guys run this year but historically they don't get very far. None of them made air this year

Have you ever run the course and if so, on a scale of immediately to automatically, did you fall off?

Bonus question: Hardest obstacle in your opinion?

I have never run the course. I tried a few obstacles in David Money's backyard though! I didn't get into television to be an athlete, so on the scale, I think I'd pick definitely

Bonus answer: the flying nunchucks from season 5

That's cool that you got to run some variation at least. And damn I remember those things, they're always insane. Thanks for responding!

No problemo :)

What is the try-out process like? Does the production team just take anyone or is it "line up, get a number, run the course"? How long do people that succeed train for on average?

There is a submission process where you send in a 3-4 minute video. Through that process all of the runners are selected, however, depending on weather etc a certain amount of "walk ons" are chosen to run in each city. On average, about 40 walk ons get to take a shot at the course. Most ninjas train every day (a lot of these guys/girls are serious about it)

What was with the naked ninja warrior?

Haha lets not talk about that

He looked an awful lot like the tester you guys show running the various obstacles when Jen is explaining them.

Very perceptive. All I will say is check the channel that the original video was posted on. All the answers are there

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Make it memorable. We receive thousands and thousands of videos. Everyones doing flips, tricks, and feats of strength. I'm not saying don't do any of that (in fact, we want to see what you're capable of) but give us a good reason to put you on the show

Several of the women this year that had a shot at making failed because they were too short for the course, specifically they couldn't reach the walls on the spider jump. Is there any plan to address this?

This statement is not true. The inside walls of the spider jump are 4', which is the same as the spider climb in the finals. The trick of the spider jump is to get deep enough into the tunnel. The outside walls are curved and that increases the distance

good to know, it is hard to see narrowing, but it makes sense

his answer is only half-true - even jumping as far as they could off that trampoline, those women couldn't reach the area where it narrows to 4 ft. sooooo your question is only half-answered. Its still too wide for a 5ft tall competitor, but not too wide for a 6ft competitor. They can't move the walls between though, so this is what we get.

With correct trampoline technique, anyone with a wingspan of at least 4 feet can do it. Trust me. We have female testers that rock that thing

And didn't one of the female contestants make it past? Granted she was one of the taller ones.

She did. Megan Martin

If you have a DVR, check out the top view from the spider cam. You'll see it

Has the show received pressure to make the course any easier so more people qualify for the final stages?

We have received feedback from viewers that echo this sentiment, but if you ask me, I think ANW needs to stay as hard or get even harder. The athletes would agree

Any chance you can convince NBC to bring back Sasuke on US television? It hasn't been shown domestically in over 3 years. Not since G4 folded. Can they at least put the 28-30 reruns on Esquire or something?

I don't have that kind of power, but you never know. With the popularity of ANW growing exponentially, you may see Sasuke on US television again

I certainly hope so. That's been the contention of fans of both shows that we got Sasuke replaced with ANW. I wish we could go back to having the best of both worlds.

In all honesty, I personally prefer Sasuke to ANW. I am a longtime fan (started watching G4 in college). I love ANW for what it is, and I think that it will continue to thrive

More people watched ANW, therefore it is now on NBC

Sasuke has never EVER been on NBC. And when NBC came on the scene they stopped carrying the show 3 years ago. It's impossible (and a bit disingenuous) to make that argument. "Ninja Warrior" was the highest rated show on G4, however G4 was the lowest rated station in the country only getting 300k/0.1 rating for their highest ever. It's comparing apples and Oranges. I miss the days when Sasuke and ANW peacefully coexisted. NBC treats the Japan show that is still on the air as a plague. All shows with the Japanese even on NBC have rated higher than the previous shows over the past 2 seasons. That should tell you something.

I can't tell you if Sauke would be more popular if it were given a chance on NBC. I don't think it would do well though. It's not made for an American audience

We can agree to disagree on that. ANW would have never existed had it not been because the "Japanese" show as so popular. ;)

Very true

Sasuke is Japanese and ANW is American. Kinda makes sense that ANW would get preference in America, right? I would love to see Sasuke back on the air. Better write a strongly worded letter to TBS

Thank you for doing an AMA. My question is if there are plans next season for adjusting height specific obstacles such at the Butterfly Wall around ones height?

The butterfly wall? Do you mean the spider jump? If so, I have answered that question already. The answer would be no. The spider jump can be completed by any competitor over 4' tall

Thank you for the reply but I am referring to the Stage 2 obstacle called the Butterfly Wall. The obstacle were one must jump onto the spinning wall with no trampoline. It seems as though a shorter competitor (such as the Japanese and female athletes) would have quite a difficult time reaching the top of the wall and holding on.

My question is if there are any plans to lower the height of an obstacle such as this based on ones height in the future. Thanks again!

Ah that's right. There will be no alterations to the butterfly wall. I've seen our 5' female tester complete it

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Because the format is different than the Japanese version, because that's what ANW was developed into, because not everyone who watches ANW is a diehard Sasuke fan like you. Some people like the stories. Your complaints are not uncommon and I can assure you they don't fall on deaf ears, but our format has been working and really, if you prefer Sasuke, keep watchin Sasuke! It's all ninja to me

Do you ever get to talk to and hang out with the ninjas? If so, have you made any good friendships with them?

We do. In fact, we were hanging out with a few last night. I consider myself to be friends with Brent Steffensen. He's a cool dude. As producers, we are always in contact with the ninjas (during production), so we get to know them all very well and vice versa

Who is your favourite Sasuke All-Star and why?

Nagano. That dude is awesome. Met him last year at USA vs. Japan. Dude smokes like a chimney and yet he's still beastin it

Plus he spends 300 days a year captaining his fishing boat so trains on there! That guy is hardcore! We have had Sasuke in the UK for flipping years, US Ninja warrior is just starting to seep over.

Do you still prefer the original?

I do prefer the original. I love ANW though. It's been quite a ride. I've been there since we were shooting in a parking lot in Glendale

What age limits are there and if you are younger do you have less of a chance to get in? Also do you think you will ever come to NYC you'd be surprised on how many pro gymnasts and climbers live in the city you would get quite a turnout.

You must be 21 to run the course. NYC would be rad, no doubt about it. Not sure if it will ever happen though

Why not?

Mainly because of weather. The east coast isn't very welcoming in the spring

Do contestants know the order of the obstacles before hand, or do they see the course before they run it?

The ninjas get a safety walkthrough about an hour before filming begins, so they see it but don't get to touch it until game time

How much of the Japanese version of the show initially influenced our version. I've never seen the Japanese version, so like are the obstacles similar? And has anyone in Japan ever beaten Mount Midoriyama?

It is very similar. Many of the obstacles are practically replicas. The idea of Mt. Midoriyama and the 4 stage finals are all from Sasuke. In 30 seasons of Sasuke 3 people have achieved total victory. One guy did it twice. Yuuji Yurishihara

What's the worst injury you've seen and what's the funniest one you've seen?

A member of production actually snapped her leg in half on the (then) quint steps. Bone out and everything. Gnarly. On ANW3 there was a dude who ran face first into the warped wall and broke his nose. Gave new meaning to "run up the wall not into it"

Are obstacles made to be easier than their Japanese counterparts? I don't know if that's the case, just wondering.

Nope. They are either exact replicas or slightly harder (in my opinion)

The only one that had me curious was the 3/4 pipe wall, the Japanese one seemed to reach out further and be taller but it could be my memory playing tricks.

I think the average size/height of competitors in the US vs Japan might account for that feeling...

You are correct

3/4 pipe wall? Not sure what you mean. But yes, there are slight variations

They call it the warped wall maybe? Regardless, thanks for answering.

The warped wall is 14 ft in both Sasuke and ANW

And does the part that you have to grab reach out just as far? That was always looked a bit different to me. Of course I've only watched the American one a couple of times and its been years and years since I saw the Japanese one.

Yknow, I think the lip is a bit bigger on ANW, but I am not 100% sure. If it is, it's a matter of an inch or less

Is any of the commentary NOT filmed live?

Yes, some of it is recorded in post

What sort of pre-show checks happen behind the scenes as far as cameras and microphones? Is there any sort of planned checklist or does it happen all around the same time?

Mics and cameras are checked an hour before shooting begins. Other equipment etc is worked on and checked throughout the building process

Ahh, neat! I work at an NBC affiliate station so I see the show on a somewhat regular basis and everything tends to get pulled off cleanly...it'd be fascinating to see the production in person. Cheers to the next season!

Come on out! We'd love to have you

How are the obstacles developed?

Many are lifted from Sasuke. Some are original and developed in house by the company that builds the course, ATS. Some are designed by producers like me, but only if its a really really good idea

Will you come to columbus OH next year for tryouts?

I'm not sure where we're going yet

Ohio would be nice. I'm from that neck of the woods

Is Kacy as nice as she seems on TV?. Why do you think everyone liked her so much?.

Has there been anyone who tried out you did not like?.

Kacy is very sweet and down to earth. I think everyone loves her because she appeals to so many types of people. Kids love her, women love her, men love her... it's a win win. And yes, there are a few choice ninjas that torment the production staff. There are a few I absolutely can not stand, but most are very gracious and fun to work with

it's that guy who calls himself a greek god isn't it? he just seems like a dick.

Haha actually I like Rob a lot. He's 100% genuine Rob Moravsky. Can't hate on that

I have to know this, you build this giant course with all the obstacles and only the ninjas get to use it while filming? Can anyone else use it for practice or just for a fun run? It seems crazy to use it only for what's seen on the show

Well, the producers can play on it. Akbar, Matt, and Jenn play on it. Testers do their thing. The thing is, the course is pretty dangerous, so we can't have people on that thing without waivers and supervision

How long do you keep it up? Is the course taken down after filming ends? Why not allow people to pay to try it out? With a signed waiver of course

The course moves from city to city, so they usually break it down and put it on trucks asap to get it to the next city. That being said, what you are suggesting is certainly possible, but it has not happened yet

As a Clevelander and out of complete curiosity, where are you from in Ohio?

What was your career path that would up with you becoming a producer on the show? Any other shows you work on?

Also, I've been trying to find an ANW shirt online for months...any idea where I can get one?

I grew up in Centerville which is near Dayton and then moved to Indiana and lived there until I drove out to LA. My career path has essentially been a combination of luck, hard work, and good contacts. I have worked on a bunch of shows, most notably Full Throttle Saloon on TruTV and Mary Mary on WE... when I was first in the biz I worked on Destroy Build Destroy, Top Gear, and Bad Girls Club lol Basically I got my bachelors in Telecommunications and 2 weeks after graduation I drove to LA and lived on my buddys couch for 9 months until I could afford a place. Ever since I've just been jumping from show to show. ANW ties my longest record on a show. I did 3 seasons of Full Throttle and 3 of ANW so far

How was the naked streaker able to get on the obstacle?

Check the channel that video was posted on. All the answers are there

Why are all of the qualifying courses different? I understand the idea of not letting them know exactly what to train for but some of them look much harder than others.

True. It's the format. ANW is technically a game show, not a sporting event, so it's more for the spectacle. New obstacles keep everything fresh and the audience and the ninjas on their toes

Since no athlete has gone pass stage 3 on ANW, could you please tell me what stage 4 consists of? Are there any obstacles at all or is it just a race up Mt. Midoriyama in X amount of seconds?

Yup, it's a rope race. Check out the special that aired last night, USA vs the World to see it in action

Have you tried any obstacles on the course before?

I have not, but I tried a few in David Money's backyard. I'm not an athlete lol

What gave you done with original ninja warrior? And why did you kill g4

Don't blame me, blame Obama

How long was the course set up in Vegas? Was there ever an opportunity for people not in the tournament to run it? How do you prevent contestants from seeing the course in advance?

It's set up for about a week. There are very few opportunities for other people outside of the competition to try the course. There's a day when the hosts and crew can have some fun, after signing a waiver of course. The course is kind of dangerous so we can't really have people go willy nilly on there. We can't truly prevent anyone from seeing the course beforehand, but we try our best with fences etc. Contestants do get a walkthrough of the course for safety and rules about an hour before the competition begins

Will there be a special with a chimp, gorilla and urang-utang competing? Humans vs The World?

Humans vs the Animal Kingdom!

Where did American ninja warrior originate?

It is a spinoff of the Japanese series Sasuke

Do you want to be friends? :D

Sure :)

What kind of beer do you like? I'll grab a 6-pack and you can come over and throw down Mortal Kombat sometime. I know some chicks I can introduce you to, now that we're friends.

I only drink whiskey. And hell yeah, chicks and videogames!! We're def friends

Fuck yeah man, I love whiskey! I've got Jameson and Wild Turkey. Take your pick!

Jameson

Legit man! I move into my new apartment on the 3rd. Want to roll out to Scottsdale and check it out?

Arizona? Sadly I'm in LA :P

As a producer, you've probably had to pitch something to execs of networks and such, right? What are the steps for turning an idea to a show? I have character sketches I want to essentially sell... not for $$$$$; I just want to see my ideas out there.

There are many methods and routes. It truly depends on the show. In my experience, reality shows are easier to pitch than scripted shows. With a reality show, a good sizzle reel and pitch meeting will get you in the door. The chances of getting your show made/bought... slim. If you're trying to do scripted, find a reputable actor or producer to help the process. Clout goes a long way

What I was considering doing was a sword and sorcery thing. Currently writing a story with a bunch of characters (http://hyena-yena.deviantart.com/art/Growls-At-His-Prey-Beast-Man-Barbarian-480172859 being one of them). I'm just some no-name who's never even heard of a "sizzle reel" (though I can infer what it probably means).

So like a Game of Thrones type of thing?

Yeah. Something like that. Kinda like a realistic "Xena meets Game of Thrones." I haven't watched TV in years though, so I don't know much about Game of Thrones itself, other than it's "realistic", apparently.

Gotcha. Drama series are notoriously difficult to sell. I would suggest getting someone with money involved or someone who has clout in the industry. The pitfall of shopping it yourself is the fact that your idea will most likely get stolen. Make sure its all written and ready to go and when you get serious about it seek representation, a lawyer, or get someone with all the above interested in your project

Probably just better to publish it in text format for free then, if it's as pitfall-y as you say. That's kinda why I put up the characters on my DA page (I can't draw, I paid a pro book cover artist to draw what's there if people visit the page).

Thats cool man. I'd be interested in reading it/checking it out. Keep me updated. Do what you love and keep creating!

Why is the American Ninja Warrior course so poorly designed? So many times I've seen a competitor come off an obstacle only to fall into an improperly padded/protected area. This never happened in Japanese version- and their course was way more hardcore. Whihc brings me to a second question: Generally speaking, why is American Ninja Warrior so lame compared to the original Japanese? The obstacle are dumbed down, there is way too much overhype and emphasis on backstory... my honest fans opinion is that American NW is the special Olympics to Japanese NW proper Olympics....

Improperly padded? I'm not a safety/padding expert so I'm not sure what you're referring to. I will say that Sasuke has LESS padding, which would make hardcore I guess, but it's certainly not safe. This is America dude, people sue. You say the obstacles are dumbed down? How so? They're basically replicas of the Sasuke obstacles give or take an inch here or there. The ANW course is pretty hardcore. People were asking me earlier if we could make the course easier because stage 2 was too hard. I think you're a Sasuke fan and you don't like ANW because it's not Sasuke, which is fine. Just watch Sasuke. Gimme a call when a Japanese guy does well on the ANW course because after two specials, they've done the worst.