American Ninja Challenge

American Ninja Challenge
Genre Documentary
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 8
Production
Executive producer(s) Arthur Smith
Kent Weed
Holly M. Wofford
Vittoria Cacciatore
Camera setup Multiple-camera
Running time 60 minutes
Production company(s) Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision
Distributor G4 Media
Release
Original network G4
Original release November 11, 2007 (2007-11-11) – June 21, 2009 (2009-06-21)
Chronology
Followed by American Ninja Warrior
American Ninja Challenge competitor in Batman costume.

American Ninja Challenge was a nationwide competition sponsored by G4 TV to send a number of American citizens to Japan to compete in the TBS hit TV show Sasuke (known as Ninja Warrior in US). American Ninja Challenge has been held since Sasuke 19 (the 19th competition) and currently merged into the TV series American Ninja Warrior that premiered on December 12, 2009.

Episodes

Ninja Fest (2006)

G4's Attack of the Show hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn broadcast a competition to ninja aspirees everywhere to create a video displaying their 'ninja moves'. Hundreds of people sent in submissions, and six finalists were selected. Through various competitions in America, the two winners were chosen; Collin Bell from Washington and Brett Sims from South Carolina went to Japan. They then participated in the Ninja Warrior Sasuke tournament.

Ninja Fest 2 (2007)

Once the videos were sent in, six finalists were chosen. The six finalists were: Russelis Perry (aka "Blackie Chan") from Colorado Springs, Colorado; martial artist Joe Simonsen from West Islip, New York; Freerunner Brian Orosco from San Francisco, California; Rick Seedman from New York City, New York; freerunner Levi Meeuwenburg from Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Mark Witmer from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

These six finalists then went to a US Navy training camp, where they competed on a marine training obstacle course. In '1v1' challenges, three of the six competitors were eliminated. Once there were three challengers left, they competed on an improvised course consisting of several of the new Ninja Warrior's most difficult obstacles.

The winner, Levi Meeuwenberg, cleared it in 45 seconds, followed by Brian Orosco at 1:12 and Russelis Perry in third place at 1:16. In Japan the two top finalists Levi and Brian were joined by former finalist Brett Sims to take on the course at Midoriyama.

Trip to Japan

Levi and Brian, prior to leaving for Japan, met with U.S. Olympic athlete and Ninja Warrior competitor Paul Terek, who has reached the third stage in past Ninja Warrior competitions. Paul trained them in strategies and tactics to quickly and successfully defeat some of the trickier obstacles of Ninja Warrior. Afterward, they headed to Japan, where they enjoyed Japanese culture and met for a dinner with Ninja Warrior's all-stars, including Makoto Nagano, the winner of the 17th Ninja Warrior tournament. Some other all-stars they met were: Shingo Yamamoto, gas station manager, and firefighter Toshihiro Takeda, who has reached the third stage more than any other competitor.

Ninja Fest 3 (2008)

The third American Ninja Challenge contest by G4 wrapped up in August 2008, and aired as part of November 12, 2008. Viewers got to vote for their favorite competitors and the top three would be picked and flown directly to Japan to compete in Sasuke 21. The three winners were Brian Orosco (who qualified with a different video), gymnast Mark Witmer of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and freerunner/stuntwoman Luci Romberg (the first woman to qualify) of Valley Village, California. These winners joined American Ninja Challenge 2 winner Levi Meeuwenberg and both hosts from Attack of the Show!, Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira to compete. In Japan, they have the ultimate experience, along with training at Muscle Park, a scaled-down version of the Sasuke course located in a section of shopping mall called "Muscule Park".

Ninja Fest 4 (2009)

The fourth and final Ninja Challenge contest winner was David Campbell. He joined up with former Ninja Challenge winners Luci Romberg and Levi Meeuwenberg to compete in Sasuke 22. Also joining them was the returning host Olivia Munn for the run to the top of mount Midoriyama. This season concluded the American Ninja Challenge, which subsequently evolved into its own national format - American Ninja Warrior. Beginning with the 4th season of American Ninja Warrior, the qualifiers would compete on a replicated Sasuke Midoriyama course in the Las Vegas, USA (and no longer participate in the Japanese version of the show). Beginning with ANW5, additional "Special" competitions would also be arranged between the finalists of the Japanese and USA editions of the show.

Notable contestant results at Sasuke (Ninja Warrior)

Levi Meeuwenberg Competition Order # Obstacle Stage
American Ninja Challenge 2-Winner 20th 1989 Failed Shin-Cliffhanger Third
Invitation based on bids 21st 99 Failed Salmon Ladder Second
Invitation based on bids 22nd 91 Failed Slider Jump First
Brian Orosco Competition Order # Obstacle Stage
American Ninja Challenge 2-Runner-Up 20th 1945 Failed Flying Chute First
American Ninja Challenge 3-Winner 21st 75 Failed Salmon Ladder Second
Luci Romberg Competition Order # Obstacle Stage
American Ninja Challenge 3-Winner 21st 35 Failed Half Pipe Attack First
Invitation to Return 22nd 63 Failed Jumping Spider First
David Campbell Competition Order # Obstacle Stage
American Ninja Challenge 4-Winner 22nd 50 Failed Final Climb (Time Out) First

Hosts and announcers for G4

Kevin Pereira Competition # Obstacle Stage
Attack of the Show Host 21st 40 Failed Log Grip First
Olivia Munn Competition # Obstacle Stage
Attack of the Show Hostess 21st 27 Failed Quintuple Steps First
Attack of the Show Hostess 22nd 40 Failed Circle Hammer First

American Ninja Warrior

The popularity of the American Ninja Challenge led G4 to create a licensed version of Sasuke titled American Ninja Warrior, with contestants from the United States and all play-by-play commentary in English.

See also

External links

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