What is “American Ninja Warrior”?
A: American Ninja Warrior is an American sports entertainment reality show.
It is based on what Japanese television reality show?
A: Sasuke.
It features thousands of competitors attempting to do
what?
A: Complete series of obstacle courses of increasing difficulty in various
cities across the United States.
To date, only Geoff Britten, Isaac Caldiero, and Drew
Drechsel have what?
A: Conquered Mount Midoriyama and achieved Total Victory.
Caldiero and Drechsel are the only competitors to win
what?
A: The cash prize of $1,000,000.
Britten was awarded what title?
A: The title of "First American Ninja Warrior" for being the first to
complete all six courses (city qualifying, city finals, and four stages of
Mount Midoriyama) in a single season.
When did the series premiere?
A: On December 12, 2009, on cable channel G4, and now airs on NBC.
During each episode, the play-by-play announcer and
color commentator provide what?
A: Play-by-play on a competitor's run on the course while the sideline
reporter introduces the obstacles and interviews competitors.
In the second season, who joined the show, replacing
Herter?
A: Comedian and television host Matt Iseman.
Producers were fond of his what?
A: His knowledge of sports and lighthearted, enthusiastic delivery.
Additionally, MMA fighter Jimmy Smith was brought in as
co-host while Haislip was assigned to what?
A: The new sideline reporter position.
For season four, Olympic medalist Jonny Moseley was
brought in as what?
A: The new color commentator, replacing Smith.
For season five, what two newcomers were introduced?
A: Sports analyst and former NFL player Akbar Gbaja-Biamila replaced
Moseley, while ESPN sportscaster and model Jenn Brown replaced Sun as
sideline reporter.
Contestants must fill out a 20-question questionnaire
and make what?
A: A video about themselves.
How many people applied to compete in the first season?
A: 1,000
How many people applied to compete in the ninth season?
A: 77,000.
Producers then select how many contestants from the
thousands of applicants to participate in each regional qualifier?
A: 100.
They also select 20 to 30 "walk-ons" who may wait weeks
doing what?
A: Camping outside a course to compete on it.
In each city qualifier course, the competitors that the
producers have selected compete on an obstacle course consisting of how many
obstacles?
A: Six.
What is the first obstacle on any city qualifying
course?
A: The Quintuple Steps, Quad Steps, Floating Steps, or Shrinking Steps which
competitors must run across.
This is followed by four different obstacles that test
a competitor's what?
A: Balance, upper-body strength, and grip.
These five obstacles are built above what?
A: Water.
What happens if a competitor falls into the water or
touches it?
A: Their run ends immediately and the timer records their time.
Until the ninth season, the sixth and final obstacle
was what?
A: The 14'6" Warped Wall, in which competitors were given three chances to
reach the top.
What was introduced in the tenth season?
A: The 18-foot "Mega Wall" adjacent to the Warped Wall.
Competitors had only one attempt to reach the top of
the Mega Wall and, if successful, they won how much money?
A: $10,000.
At the top of both walls, a competitor does what that
stops the timer and records their time, ending their run on the course?
A: Presses a buzzer.
The top 30 competitors who go the farthest in the least
amount of time advance to what?
A: The city finals course.
City finals courses are the follow-up to each city
qualifying course and they contain how many new obstacles in addition to the
six obstacles featured in the city qualifying course?
A: Four.
The top 15 or 12 competitors who go the farthest in the
least amount of time from each city finals course move on to do what?
A: To compete on the National Finals course.
Since the eighth season, small prizes ranging from
$1,000 to $5,000 are awarded to first, second, and third finishers who did
what?
A: Complete the city finals course.