American Ninja Warrior How The Show Has Changed Since 1st Season In 2009

American Ninja Warrior: How The Show Has Changed Since 1st Season In 2009

Here’s a look back at ANW’s start and how much it has changed over 12 years, including a different network, hosts, and even Mount Midoriyama.

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American Ninja Warrior How The Show Has Changed Since 1st Season In 2009

Audiences are so glad to see the season 13 premiere of American Ninja Warrior is nearly back to normal. While audiences are still absent and the ninja’s families are present on the big-screen only instead of in-person, the competition is back to its pre-COVID-19 glory, including Mount Midoriyama and the million-dollar prize. What fans may not remember, however, is how much the show has changed over its twelve-year run. Looking back at 2009’s season one, the show is almost unrecognizable.

G4 Network, the birthplace of American Ninja Warrior, was a niche channel for gamers that went away for several years, but is making a comeback in 2021. The network saw the popularity of their broadcast of the Japanese obstacle course, Sasuke, which they translated into English and called “Ninja Warrior.” They decided to host their own obstacle course in America, but it wasn’t American Ninja Warrior. It started as American Ninja Challenge, which was a segment on another show and was something like a reality show where viewers could vote for their favorite candidates to be sent to the Sasuke obstacle course in Japan. As successful as the show was, they decided to make it a bigger competition with more competitors. Thus, American Ninja Warrior was born.

Season one of the show was a similar format to modern-day ANW, with a qualifying round, semifinals, finals, and then Mount Midoriyama. Some familiar ninjas even competed in that first season. The biggest difference was that, rather than making their own Mount Midoriyama, G4 instead continued to send the finalists to Japan to compete on Sasuke. That meant no million-dollar prize, as G4 didn’t offer any prize to the winners and the Sasuke prize was less than $20,000 at the time. Because of the traveling, competitors had to be 21 years old in order to apply. Several seasons later, the age limit expanded down to 19-year-olds, and season 13 again lowered the age limit to just 15 years old.

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Perhaps the second biggest change was the hosts. While doctor-turned comedian Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila have become synonymous with the show, they didn’t join the series until much later, after it had moved to NBC. Season one had hosts Alison Haislip and Blair Herter. Unlike Iseman and Gbajabiamila, Herter didn’t ever seem to get emotionally invested in the ninjas or their runs. Iseman and Gbajabiamila bring an enticing energy and flair to the job as show hosts that is part of the show’s success.

The season one obstacles were significantly easier than they are by season 13. For example, one obstacle was a rope that contestants used to swing straight across from one platform to another. Altogether, the qualifying round was so simple nearly everyone who attempted it was able to finish, and the same was true for the semifinals. That’s not something that’s seen in modern ANW, which has a goal of only 20% of competitors completing the qualifying course. Many competitors advance for going the farthest the fastest, rather than finishing the course. The finals round of season one was strange in that it wasn’t really an obstacle course – at least, not one that would be associated with ANW. Taking place on a beach, competitors raced to stack cinder blocks, climb under cargo nets, and run through rows of tires.

Every season of ANW has been better than the last. Harder obstacles, more engaging hosts, and no trip to Japan have all become so familiar that the original season is almost unrecognizable. It took ANW some time to find its footing, but G4 started a series that was unlike any other American show. It has also inspired other shows, including a new Temple Run reality show. Now at season 13, American Ninja Warrior is more popular than ever, with more ninjas wanting to compete than ever before.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/american-ninja-warrior-first-season-2009-changes-explained/

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