The series was officially announced by NBC in late March,[2] though the applications were being accepted from October 21, 2021, until December 10, 2021. The full list of competitors was published on February 6, 2022.[3] Filming for qualifiers moved to San Antonio, Texas, while the semifinals and national finals remained in Los Angeles, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada, respectively. The Grand Prize and Last Ninja Standing prize remained at $1,000,000 and $100,000, respectively. The official age requirement is 19 years old, although contestants from 15 to 19 were invited as “special guests”.[1]
Filming for the season began on March 20, 2022, and wrapped on May 17, 2022. The season featured Split Decision for the third obstacle in qualifiers, in which competitors could choose one of two obstacles to pass. This season marks the return of Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments (for the first three episodes), a segment reprising the most unusual outings of the night, where competitors usually fail on the earlier obstacles.
For the first time on American Ninja Warrior, more than 2 athletes finished Stage 3, with 5 competitors reaching Stage 4; however, all of them timed out on the final Rope Climb, thus no one claimed the $1 million grand prize. Despite this, 16-year-old Kaden Lebsack climbed to the top of the tower faster than the others in 36.77 seconds and was declared the Last Ninja Standing for the second year in a row, earning $100,000.
Every qualifying course starts from Shrinking Steps and ends on a wall, where a competitor may choose either a 14.5 foot Warped Wall or an 18-foot Mega Wall, which, if completed, would give the contestant an immediate reward of $10,000. The third and balancing obstacle features Split Decision.
For the semifinals, four extra obstacles were added, starting from veteran Salmon Ladder and ending on Spider Trap. Split Decision is moved to the ninth obstacle which features a choice of either a balance obstacle or an arm strength obstacle, and the Mega Wall was removed. The top two competitors finishing their runs proceed to a Power Tower, where they race against each other to get to the finish and earn a Safety Pass. The winner may use it to retry either Stage 1 or Stage 2 at the National Finals.
For the National Finals, Split Decision moved to the final obstacle of Stage 1, reprising the obstacles from season 13. However, both of the obstacles were followed by a climb on a cargo net or a ladder, depending on a chosen obstacle.
Bold and Italic indicates two possible variants on Split Decision.
The obstacle was created by fans for the Obstacle Design Challenge.
The first round of qualifying featured four new obstacles: Rollercoaster, the Serpent (‘Split Decision’ obstacle, along with Domino Effect), Carnival and Salmon Roll. This episode tied the record of four successful Mega Wall climbs. In addition, 15-year old Jordan Carr, a former American Ninja Warrior Junior competitor, set a record as the youngest woman ever to beat the Warped Wall. Her mentor, veteran Flip Rodriguez, barely advanced after falling on the fifth obstacle.
The episode also marked the return of James "The Beast" McGrath after a three-year absence and his proposal to Allyssa Beird, his girlfriend and fellow ninja; Beird was the only veteran who couldn't advance to the semifinals in this episode. Another proposal in the episode came from veteran Vinnie Castranova. USA Olympic soccer medalist Heather O'Reilly and 70-year old John Loobey also attempted the course but neither could advance.
The round introduced another new obstacle, Piston Plunge. This episode saw all five top female competitors all finish within the top 30, with three of them being teammates. Joe Moravsky scaled the Mega Wall for the third consecutive time, Najee Richardson returned after missing season 13 due to an ankle injury and 75-year old Dave Kozak became the oldest competitor of a season, easily making it onto Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments.
Among the famous participants were current WBA-NABAsuper featherweight boxer Abraham Nova, who couldn't pass the first obstacle, and Miss Massachusetts 2019-2020 Lindsey Littlefield, who failed on the second obstacle. Veterans Jessie Graff, who had returned after missing the previous season because of knee and shoulder injuries, and Sandy Zimmerman, the first mother to ever clear qualifying, also were unable to advance to the semifinals, failing on the Serpent and Carnival respectively. Also, 2020 Olympics silver medalist MyKayla Skinner joined Matt and Akbar in the booth and reported the run of her husband, who also failed on the Serpent.
Top 30 Competitors
Rank
Competitor
Time
Furthest Obstacle
1
Matt Bradley
01:44.73
Finished
2
Matt D’Amico
01:59.84
Finished
3
Luke Dillon
02:07.71
Finished
4
Joe Moravsky
02:16.51
Finished (Mega Wall)
5
Josiah Pippel
02:21.88
Finished (Mega Wall)
6
James Sannella
02:22.01
Finished
7
Jay Lewis
02:25.98
Finished
8
Jacob Arnstein
02:27.27
Finished
9
Ryan Sanders
03:07.69
Finished
10
Jeremy Warters
03:23.25
Finished
11
Najee Richardson
03:41.18
Finished
12
Xavier Dantzler
N/A
Piston Plunge
13
Lucas Reale
N/A
Piston Plunge
14
Joe Capo
N/A
Piston Plunge
15
Dave Cavanagh
N/A
Piston Plunge
16
Darion Bennett
N/A
Piston Plunge
17
James Burns
N/A
Piston Plunge
18
Sophia Lavallee
01:30.22
Piston Plunge
19
Alex Begolly
N/A
Piston Plunge
20
Abby Clark
01:34.17
Piston Plunge
21
Branden McWilliams
N/A
Piston Plunge
22
Stewart Mahler
N/A
Piston Plunge
23
Tyler Behrle
N/A
Piston Plunge
24
Cara Mack
01:54.35
Piston Plunge
25
John Uga
N/A
Piston Plunge
26
Rachel Degutz
02:05.30
Piston Plunge
27
Steve Donnelly
N/A
Piston Plunge
28
Anthony Eardley
N/A
Piston Plunge
29
Jennifer Stefano
02:26.58
Piston Plunge
30
Guang Cui
N/A
Piston Plunge
31
Ryan Hermstein
N/A
Piston Plunge
Top 5 Women
Rank
Competitor
Time
Furthest Obstacle
1
Sophia Lavallee
01:30.22
Piston Plunge
2
Abby Clark
01:34.17
Piston Plunge
3
Cara Mack
01:54.35
Piston Plunge
4
Rachel Degutz
02:05.30
Piston Plunge
5
Jennifer Stefano
02:26.58
Piston Plunge
Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments
Rank
Competitor
Reason for inclusion
Furthest Obstacle
1
Dave Kozak
Entered on the start line in USAF costume; walked down Shrinking Steps
Shrinking Steps
2
James Burns
Presented a lego sculpture of host tower and the walls to Matt and Akbar
Another new obstacle was introduced, Kickboards, and two obstacles from the first night, Rollercoaster and Salmon Roll, returned. Domino Effect and the Serpent at Split Decision were replaced by the Log Runner and Burn Rubber, respectively.
Two former Olympians were present on a course. Former speed skaterK. C. Boutiette, who now fights his daughter's 1p36 deletion syndrome, attempted and advanced to the semifinals in 30th place, and former artistic gymnastShawn Johnson covered the run of her husband in the booth with Matt and Akbar. The Coyote, a mascot of San Antonio Spurs, cheered the competitors from the sideline. Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments featured only two contestants instead of three.
Top 30 Competitors
Rank
Competitor
Time
Furthest Obstacle
1
Chris Behrends
01:45.70
Finished
2
Kaden Lebsack
01:46.63
Finished
3
Ethan Swanson
01:59.83
Finished
4
Max Feinberg
02:19.79
Finished
5
Cam Baumgartner
02:25.85
Finished
6
Tieg Scott
02:28.57
Finished
7
Devan Alexander
02:37.67
Finished
8
Mike Silenzi
02:57.99
Finished
9
Levi Enright
03:02.31
Finished (Mega Wall)
10
Chris DiGangi
03:06.55
Finished
11
Ethan Gardulski
03:11.07
Finished
12
Jamie Rahn
03:13.69
Finished
13
Joe Brown
03:33.36
Finished
14
Jesse Labreck
04:19.39
Finished
15
Roo Yori
04:36.68
Finished
16
Jackson Twait
N/A
Salmon Roll
17
Jon Klippenstein
N/A
Salmon Roll
18
Michael Bougher
N/A
Salmon Roll
19
Derrick Pavoni
N/A
Salmon Roll
20
Leif Sundberg
N/A
Salmon Roll
21
Addy Herman
N/A
Salmon Roll
22
Scott Bishop
N/A
Salmon Roll
23
Kyle Schulze
N/A
Salmon Roll
24
Brandon Varner
N/A
Salmon Roll
25
Andrew Stoinski
N/A
Salmon Roll
26
James Wilson
N/A
Salmon Roll
27
Nathan Green
N/A
Salmon Roll
28
Drew Nester
N/A
Salmon Roll
29
Steven Bachta
N/A
Salmon Roll
30
KC Boutiette
N/A
Salmon Roll
Top 5 Women
Rank
Competitor
Time
Furthest Obstacle
1
Jesse Labreck
04:19.39
Finished
2
Addy Herman
N/A
Salmon Roll
3
Maggie Owen
N/A
Kickboards
4
Maggi Thorne
N/A
Kickboards
5
Elizabeth Leslie
N/A
Kickboards
Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments
Rank
Competitor
Reason for inclusion
Furthest Obstacle
1
Mike Gilleski
His cheerleader dressed like a pencil on the course
Three more new obstacles were introduced: the Shattered Panes, the Despica-balls (created to promote the 2022 film Minions: The Rise of Gru) at Split Decision, and Final Frontier. Present on the sidelines in this episode was Rowdy, the mascot for the University of Texas at San AntonioRoadrunners, alongside the UTSA cheerleaders. This episode set a new record with seven women all finishing in the top 30.
Making his ANW debut in this episode was reigning American Ninja Warrior Junior champion Jackson Erdos, who had just turned 15 prior to the filming of this competition. David Campbell and Brian Kretsch both competed again, maintaining their status as the only two competitors to ever run in every single season of the show; Campbell cleared the course to become this season's oldest finisher in qualifying. Another veteran competitor, Josh Levin, made his return for the first time since season 10 after spending the last three years attending Harvard University, where he earned his master's degree in learning design, innovation and technology.
Three new obstacles were introduced: Kaleidoscope, Ghost Town, and Spin Zone (at Split Decision which was now on the back half of the course).
Veterans Joe Moravsky, Flip Rodriguez and Najee Richardson attempted the course and proceeded to the National Finals, as well as Joe's student, Jay Lewis, who also received a Safety Pass for winning the Power Tower race. However, despite advancing to the National Finals, both Moravsky and Richardson could not compete in the National Finals, as Moravsky's wife, Stephanie, tested positive for COVID-19, as did Richardson himself. Other notable ninjas not to advance to the finals were Brett Sims, 15-year-old Jordan Carr (the youngest woman to complete a qualifying course) and rookie Ryan Hermstein (who participated in the semifinals despite finishing 31st overall). James Sannella, who also failed to advance in this episode, would later replace Moravsky in the National Finals.
Two more new obstacles were added: Hopscotch and Box Office. Only one competitor, 17-year-old Evan Andrews, finished the course in this episode, though he lost out on the Power Tower race to second-place finisher "Country Boy Ninja" Josiah Singleton (who fell at Dragonback), who earned a Safety Pass to go with his first-ever trip to the National Finals. Notable competitors who did not advance to the National Finals included “Sweet-T” Tiana Webberley, the "Cowboy Ninja" Lance Pekus, concrete worker Adam Rayl (who failed to advance to the National Finals for the first time ever), and "The Boss" Elijah Browning; American Ninja Warrior Junior champion Jackson Erdos, who also failed early in this episode, would later compete in the National Finals as the replacement for Najee Richardson (who had tested positive for COVID-19).
Two more new obstacles were added: Over Under and Flipped Around, the latter obstacle as part of Split Decision. The Power Tower race came down to two Iowa ninjas, Levi Enright and "Cat Daddy" Jackson Twait, with Enright coming out on top in a narrow finish to earn a Safety Pass. In a shocking moment, Jesse "Flex" Labreck failed on the third obstacle, Clockwork, and ultimately failed to advance to the National Finals for the first time in her career. Her fiancé, Chris DiGangi, also fell early (his failure occurring on Hopscotch) and failed to advance to the National Finals for the second year in a row.
The last round of the semifinals saw Colorado roommates Austin Gray and "Gnarly Ninja" Nate Hansen face off on the Power Tower, with Hansen winning the Safety Pass after Gray unexpectedly fell from the course before he could reach the end. Siblings Isaiah and Isabella Wakeham both failed on the fifth obstacle, Kaleidoscope; Isabella advanced to the National Finals for finishing among the top three women, but Isaiah did not advance as he was not among the top 15 qualifiers. In another surprising moment, James "The Beast" McGrath also fell on Kaleidoscope, and his comeback season ended without a qualification to the National Finals.
By the end of the semifinals, no female competitor was able to reach the ninth obstacle for the first time in nine years, and thus not able to beat the semifinals course for the first time in four years. Due to testing positive for COVID-19, Najee Richardson and Joe Moravsky both had to withdraw from the National Finals, with their places given to notable rookies who otherwise failed to advance by themselves.
The contestant withdrew for the finals and passed his spot to a rookie below.
The contestant (rookie) received the finals spot after the withdrawal of the above contestants.
The three nights of National Finals took place in its usual spot on Las Vegas Strip. To advance, the competitors had to finish the course in a limited amount of time to proceed to the next stage. Safety Pass could be only used in the first two stages; it would be annulled if the player advanced to the third stage without using it.
The contestant used Safety Pass on this stage. Only the second attempt is recorded.
The fastest contestant to finish the final stage wins $100,000. If that contestant finishes in under 30 seconds, he or she could win the $1,000,000 grand prize if their time is the fastest. The contestant is allowed to finish the course after the 30-second timer expires in order to set a time for the first-place cash prize.
On March 31, 2022, NBC revealed the premiere date and timeslot for the season.[2] The timeslot of previous seasons, Monday 8:00, was kept, with reruns scheduled on Friday 8:00. The season airs on NBC.
