The first season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on December 12, 2009, with the first four episodes of the season. The final four episodes were released on December 19, 2009. The season was hosted by Blair Herter and Alison Haislip and the finalists were sent to Japan to compete in Sasuke 23. All eight[1] aired on G4, an American television network. Levi Meeuwenberg was the "Last Ninja Standing," meaning he made it the furthest of any American competitor on Sasuke 23.[2] The season operated on a lower budget than any other season, and only one contestant who competed in the first season has also competed in all the other seasons: David Campbell.[3]
| American Ninja Warrior | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
| Hosted by | Blair Herter Alison Haislip |
| Finals venue | Sasuke 23 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | G4 |
| Original release | December 12 – December 19, 2009 |
| Season chronology | |
Notable Competitors
editNotable competitors this season included:
- Professional freerunner Levi Meeuwenberg
- Professional freerunner Brian Orosco
- Professional MMA fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller
- Former American Gladiator Xin Wuku
Obstacles
edit| Event | Obstacles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifiers | Quintuple Steps | Rope Swing | Barrel Roll | Spider Wall | Pipe Slider | Warped Wall | N/A | ||
| Semifinals | Tarzan Swing | Jumping Bars | Cargo Climb | ||||||
| Mount Midoriyama | Twelve Timbers | Curtain Slider | Log Grip | Jumping Spider | Half-Pipe Attack | Slider Jump | Final Climb | N/A | |
Results
editQualifiers
editThe top thirty competitors moved on.
| Rank | Competitor | Time | Furthest Obstacle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Spencer | 0:33 | Finished |
| 2 | David Campbell | 0:35 | Finished |
| 3 | Paul Darnell | 0:35 | Finished |
| 4 | Rich King | 0:35 | Finished |
| 5 | Chris Delfin | 0:37 | Finished |
| 6 | Ryan Cousins | 0:37 | Finished |
| 7 | Levi Meeuwenberg | 0:38 | Finished |
| 8 | Caine Sinclair | 0:39 | Finished |
| 9 | Dorian Cedars | 0:39 | Finished |
| 10 | Jazon Khazi | 0:41 | Finished |
| 11 | Matt Marshall | 0:42 | Finished |
| 12 | Travis Furlanic | 0:42 | Finished |
| 13 | Brian Orosco | 0:44 | Finished |
| 14 | David Gruner | 0:44 | Finished |
| 15 | Sean Morris | 0:45 | Finished |
| 16 | Gabe Nunez | 0:45 | Finished |
| 17 | Geoff Iida | 0:46 | Finished |
| 18 | Elias Worsencroft | 0:46 | Finished |
| 19 | Andrew Karsen | 0:47 | Finished |
| 20 | Andrew Taber | 0:47 | Finished |
| 21 | Ruselis Perry | 0:47 | Finished |
| 22 | Jacob Smith | 0:48 | Finished |
| 23 | Shane Daniels | 0:51 | Finished |
| 24 | Sam Reynolds | 0:52 | Finished |
| 25 | Gabriel Cortes | 0:55 | Finished |
| 26 | Rick Huelga | 0:58 | Finished |
| 27 | Joop Katana | 0:59 | Finished |
| 28 | Tra Truong | 0:59 | Finished |
| 29 | Matt Asanuma | 0:59 | Finished |
| 30 | Brian Kretsch | 1:00 | Finished |
Semifinals
editThe top 15 finalists move onto the finals.
| Rank | Competitor | Time | Furthest Obstacle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Spencer | 1:23 | Finished |
| 2 | Levi Meeuwenberg | 1:28 | Finished |
| 3 | David Campbell | 1:30 | Finished |
| 4 | Sean Morris | 1:32 | Finished |
| 5 | Travis Furlanic | 1:32 | Finished |
| 6 | Paul Darnell | 1:34 | Finished |
| 7 | Rich King | 1:35 | Finished |
| 8 | Ryan Cousins | 1:36 | Finished |
| 9 | Shane Daniels | 1:39 | Finished |
| 10 | Caine Sinclair | 1:41 | Finished |
| 11 | Andrew Karsen | 1:41 | Finished |
| 12 | Rick Huelga | 1:41 | Finished |
| 13 | Brian Orosco | 1:45 | Finished |
| 14 | Geoff Iida | 1:48 | Finished |
| 15 | Joop Katana | 1:49 | Finished |
Finals
editIn the finals, competitors must face two challenges. The two times on each challenge combined are a given contestant's total time. The ten contestants with the top times go on to compete in Sasuke 23.
Challenge #1: Competitors must shove 10 large slabs across a 50-foot (15 m) distance and arrange them in a pyramidal structure while a bungee cord (with a big tire on the end) is strapped to them.
Challenge #2: In the first of three parts in this challenge competitors must crawl under a cargo net. Then, they must walk across two logs with a heavy barrel lifted high over their head. Finally, they must run through a forest of tires without touching them.
Mount Midoriyama
editStage 1
edit| Rank | Competitor | Time | Furthest Obstacle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rick Huelga | None | Slider Jump |
| 2 | Joop Katana | None | Slider Jump |
| 3 | Geoff Iida | None | Warped Wall |
| 4 | Shane Daniels | None | Final Climb |
| 5 | Caine Sinclair | None | Final Climb |
| 6 | Rich King | 1:46.60 | Finished |
| 7 | Paul Darnell | None | Half-Pipe Attack |
| 8 | Travis Furlanic | None | Jumping Spider |
| 9 | Levi Meeuwenberg | 1:30.80 | Finished |
| 10 | Brian Orosco | 1:41.35 | Finished |
Stage 2
edit| Rank | Competitor | Time | Furthest Obstacle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rich King | None | Unstable Bridge |
| 2 | Brian Orosco | None | Unstable Bridge |
| 3 | Levi Meeuwenberg | 51.86 | Finished |
Stage 3
edit| Rank | Competitor | Time | Furthest Obstacle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levi Meeuwenberg | None | Cliff Hanger |
Episode air dates
edit| Episode Title | Air Date[4] |
|---|---|
| Episode 1 | December 12, 2009 |
| Episode 2 | December 12, 2009 |
| Episode 3 | December 12, 2009 |
| Episode 4 | December 12, 2009 |
| Episode 5 | December 19, 2009 |
| Episode 6 | December 19, 2009 |
| Episode 7 | December 19, 2009 |
| Episode 8 | December 19, 2009 |
References
edit- ^ American Ninja Warrior (TV Series 2009– ) - IMDb, retrieved November 12, 2020
- ^ Lee, Nikki (May 30, 2018). "The evolution of American Ninja Warrior: Seasons 1-4". American Ninja Warrior Nation. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ Lee, Nikki (May 30, 2018). "The evolution of American Ninja Warrior: Seasons 1-4". American Ninja Warrior Nation. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ "American Ninja Warrior TV Show - Season 1 Episodes List - Next Episode". next-episode.net. Retrieved November 12, 2020.