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Kane Takeshi Kosugi is an American actor and martial artist of Japanese and Chinese descent.
Sasuke is a Japanese sports entertainment reality television show, airing since 1997, in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four-stage obstacle course. The show was renamed Sasuke Rising before reverting to the original name and then Sasuke Ninja Warrior.
Paul Anthony Terek is an American Olympic decathlete. He graduated from Livonia Franklin High School in Livonia, Michigan. His personal best in decathlon is 8312 points, achieved in July 2004 in Sacramento at the United States Olympic Trials. Terek won the bronze medal and was placed on the United States Olympic Team. Out of the ten decathlon events, Terek is strongest in the pole vault, and he is comparatively weak in the 100 m and 400 m sprints.
Makoto Nagano is a Japanese commercial fisherman, captain, and musician. He is captain of his vessel F/V Konpira Maru 50 (第50金比羅丸), and was previously captain of the F/V Konpira Maru 28 (第28金比羅丸). He is regularly seen on the Japanese television show Sasuke where he was one of the "SASUKE All-Stars," a group of favored competitors who were thought to possess the greatest potential in completing the obstacle courses. He can also be seen on the lesser known spinoff to Ninja Warrior, Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course, where he was one of few competitors to make it to the final round.
Kunoichi is a women's obstacle course competition held in Japan and broadcast on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It is a spin-off of Sasuke, another obstacle course series. Kunoichi is different from Sasuke in that the competitors are exclusively female. The show is re-broadcast as Women of Ninja Warrior on the American G4 channel. It originally ran for 8 tournaments between 2001 and 2009 with the first tournament held as Kinniku Banzuke special. In 2017, after an 8-year hiatus, it was renewed for a 9th tournament which aired on February 12, 2017. The 9th, 10th, and 11th tournaments took place on an indoor course at the Makuhari Messe Convention Hall, unlike past tournaments taking place at Mt. Midoriyama Studio City.
The 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. The American Ninja Challenge has been held since Sasuke 19 and currently merged into the TV series American Ninja Warrior that premiered on December 12, 2009 and succeeded the American Ninja Challenge.
American Ninja Warrior is an American sports entertainment reality show based on the Japanese television reality show Sasuke, which also serves as a successor of American Ninja Challenge. It features a set of obstacle courses in various cities, which competitor attempt to conquer. The obstacle courses are divided into Qualifiers courses, Semifinals courses, and a four-part Finals course which is based at Las Vegas Strip. The competitor who finishes all the courses in the fastest time wins a cash prize of $1,000,000. Starting with season 10, if one remaining competitor fails on any of Finals course parts but has completed it more than the others in the fastest time, they win a consolatory $100,000 prize. The show is hosted by Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila. To date, only three competitors have won the main cash prize: Isaac Caldiero, Drew Drechsel, and Vance Walker. Furthermore, Geoff Britten, Daniel Gil, and Caleb Bergstrom are the only three runners-up who have achieved Total Victory.
Luci Romberg is an American stuntwoman. She is also the co-owner of Tempest Freerunning, a parkour lifestyle brand that also operates multiple training facilities and is based in Los Angeles.
Jump City: Seattle is an American television series that aired on G4 from February 15 to April 5, 2011. It featured four of the top freerunning and parkour teams in the United States participating in a parkour competition. Each week, the athletes competed in different parkour challenges spread out across the streets of Seattle. The series ran for eight episodes and was not renewed for a second season. Team Tempest, led by Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco of American Ninja Warrior fame, won the competition.
Jessica Lauren Graff is an American professional stunt woman, martial artist and athletics-based television personality. She is a black belt in Taekwondo, a black sash in Kung Fu, and is trained in five other styles of martial arts. She is also a championship pole vaulter and a competitive gymnast.
Kacy Esther Catanzaro is an American professional wrestler and a former gymnast and obstacle racer. She is currently signed with WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Katana Chance. Alongside Kayden Carter, she is a one-time NXT Women's Tag Team Champion, holding the record for the longest reign in the title's history, and a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. Carter and Chance are also the first women's tag team to have won the WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championships.
Ninja Warrior UK is a British physical obstacle assault course game show, created for ITV. The show is based upon the format of the Japanese game show Sasuke, created by Ushio Higuchi, which is aired in the United Kingdom and other countries as Ninja Warrior.
The sixth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on NBC on May 26, 2014. Matt Iseman returned for his sixth season as host, while Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and Jenn Brown each returned for their second season. Similar to previous seasons, the winner receives $500,000 and the coveted title, "American Ninja Warrior".
The fifth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on G4 on June 30, 2013, with subsequent shows airing on both G4 and NBC. Host Matt Iseman returned for his fifth season, while newcomers Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and Jenn Brown replaced skier Jonny Moseley and Angela Sun. Similar to previous seasons, the winner receives $500,000 and the coveted title, "American Ninja Warrior". This also marks the second season Mount Midoriyama was held on U.S. soil.
The fourth season of American Ninja Warrior began on May 20, 2012, and aired on NBC and G4. This was a landmark season for Ninja Warrior, as the entire format was overhauled. For the first time, the finals took place on U.S. soil. In addition, regional qualifying and finals were added, taking place in the series' flagship location, Venice Beach, CA, Dallas, TX, and Miami, FL. New co-host Jonny Moseley replaced Jimmy Smith, while Angela Sun replaced Alison Haislip. Again, the winner would have received $500,000 and the coveted American Ninja Warrior title. Brent Steffensen became the first competitor to complete the Ultimate Cliffhanger.
The third season of American Ninja Warrior began airing on July 31, 2011, on G4. Tryouts took place in May 2011 at Venice Beach, California. After the tryouts, the top 15 competitors competed in Ninja Warrior Boot Camp with the top 10 moving on to Japan for the finals of the competition as a part of Sasuke 27 and a chance at becoming the first American to conquer the course and win a $500,000 endorsement deal with K-Swiss. No competitors made it beyond stage 3. This season was once again hosted by Matt Iseman and Jimmy Smith, with Alison Haislip as a sideline reporter. The final episode aired on August 22, 2011, as a two-hour primetime special on NBC.
Evan "The Rocket" Dollard is an American athlete and rock climber. He came to prominence during Season 1 of the rebooted American Gladiators, as the season 1 men's champion. He earned his nickname "Rocket" from his speed in Gladiator competition, taking it as his gladiator name, becoming a Gladiator for season 2 of the rebooted American Gladiators. He has since appeared prominently in the Ninja Warrior franchise; in American Ninja Warrior and the standalone American Ninja Warrior, also using his nickname. Dollard also hosts his own web series, "Ninja Quickies". He has also competed in local editions of Ninja Warrior.
American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World is a television special aired approximately once a year on NBC. It features an American Ninja Warrior team from the United States competing against teams from other countries around the world, including Japan, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia, for bragging rights and the American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World trophy. The competitors race on the same Mount Midoriyama course used in the National Finals on the Las Vegas Strip.
Ninja Warrior Germany is a Ninja Warrior spin-off that first aired in Germany on RTL in the Spring of 2016. Based on the Japanese broadcast television show, Sasuke, and internationally known as Ninja Warrior, contestants in the show are faced with completing various obstacles in the shortest time possible. In 2021, the sixth season of the show, René Kaselowsky and Moritz Hans both cleared Stage 4, the Mount Midoriyama with Kaselowsky having a faster time and being declared the "1st Ninja Warrior Germany" and winning the €300.000 prize money.
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 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. 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.
