American Ninja Warrior 1 was the first season of Ninja Warrior's international format in the United States, which was preceded by the four previous American Ninja Challenge events and served as the American qualifiers for SASUKE 23.
For this season, Blair Herter served as the play-by-play commentator, and Alison Haislip served as the color commentator.
The season premiered on December 12, 2009 and consisted of 8 episodes: 3 for the Qualifying round, 2 for the Semi-Final round, 1 for the Finals and 2 for Mount Midoriyama.
Qualifying[]
In Qualifying, competitors must complete six obstacles with no time limit to do so. 300 people attempted the course in a single heat, with the 30 fastest competitors who completed the course advancing to the Semi-Final round. If fewer than 30 competitors completed the course, the competitors who advanced the furthest and fastest would advance to the Semi-Final.
In this season, competitors had 5 attempts to clear the Warped Wall.
Obstacles[]
โ Quintuple Steps
โก Rope Swing
โข Barrel Roll
โฃ Spider Wall
โค Pipe Slider
โฅ Warped Wall
Results[]
| Place | Name | Profile | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | William Spencer | Stuntman | Clear (0:33.0) | Fastest clear on a Qualifying course |
| 2nd | David Campbell | Musician | Clear (0:35.0) | |
| 3rd | Paul Darnell | Freerunner | Clear (0:35.7) | |
| 4th | Rich King | Stuntman | Clear (0:35.8) | |
| 5th | Chris Delfin | Contractor | Clear (0:37.1) | |
| 6th | Ryan Cousins | Graphic Artist | Clear (0:37.8) | |
| 7th | Levi Meeuwenberg | Freerunner | Clear (0:38.2) | |
| 8th | Caine Sinclair | Freerunner | Clear (0:39.0) | |
| 9th | Dorian Cedars | Clear (0:39.7) | Digest. | |
| 10th | Jazon Khazi | Clear (0:41.2) | Digest. | |
| 11th | Matt Marshall | Clear (0:42.5) | Digest. | |
| 12th | Travis Furlanic | Landscaper | Clear (0:43.5) | |
| 13th | Brian Orosco | Freerunner | Clear (0:44.1) | |
| 14th | David Gruner | Craftsman | Clear (0:44.4) | Digest. |
| 15th | Sean Morris | Limo Driver | Clear (0:45.3) | |
| 16th | Gabe Nunez | Stuntman | Clear (0:45.6) | |
| 17th | Geoff Iida | Attorney | Clear (0:46.3) | |
| 18th | Elias Worsencroft | Clear (0:46.7) | Digest. | |
| 19th | Andrew Karsen | Manager | Clear (0:47.1) | Digest. |
| 20th | Andrew Taber | Clear (0:47.7) | Digest. | |
| 21st | Ruselis Perry | Martial Artist | Clear (0:47.9) | |
| 22nd | Jacob Smith | Clear (0:48.0) | Digest. | |
| 23rd | Shane Daniels | Controller | Clear (0:51.5) | |
| 24th | Sam Reynolds | Clear (0:52.8) | Digest. | |
| 25th | Gabriel Cortes | Clear (0:55.6) | Digest. | |
| 26th | Rick Huelga | Designer | Clear (0:58.1) | |
| 27th | Joop Katana | Programmer | Clear (0:59.0) | |
| 28th | Tra Truong | Management | Clear (0:59.10) | Digest. |
| 29th | Matt Asanuma | Student | Clear (0:59.16) | |
| 30th | Brian Kretsch | Salesman | Clear (1:00.0) | Digest. |
Semi-Final[]
In the Semi-Final round, the 30 Semi-Finalists must complete 9 obstacles, the first 6 of which were identical as in Qualifying. Once again, there is no time limit to complete the course. The 15 fastest competitors who completed the course would advance to the Finals. If fewer than 15 competitors completed the course, the 15 competitors who advanced the furthest and fastest would advance to the Finals.
Obstacles[]
โ Quintuple Steps
โก Rope Swing
โข Barrel Roll
โฃ Spider Wall
โค Pipe Slider
โฅ Warped Wall
โฆ Tarzan Swing
โง Jumping Bars
โจ Cargo Climb
Results[]
| Place | Qualifying Place | Name | Profile | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1st | William Spencer | Freerunner | Clear (1:23.1) | Fastest clear for a semifinal course |
| 2nd | 7th | Levi Meeuwenberg | Freerunner | Clear (1:28.7) | |
| 3rd | 2nd | David Campbell | Musician | Clear (1:30.7) | |
| 4th | 15th | Sean Morris | Limo Driver | Clear (1:32.75) | |
| 5th | 12th | Travis Furlanic | Landscaper | Clear (1:32.78) | Digest. |
| 6th | 3rd | Paul Darnell | Cook | Clear (1:34.8) | |
| 7th | 4th | Rich King | Stuntman | Clear (1.35.2) | |
| 8th | 6th | Ryan Cousins | Graphic Artist | Clear (1:36.1) | Digest. |
| 9th | 23rd | Shane Daniels | Controller | Clear (1:39.2) | |
| 10th | 8th | Caine Sinclair | Freerunner | Clear (1:41.1) | |
| 11th | 19th | Andrew Karsen | Manager | Clear (1:41.2) | |
| 12th | 26th | Rick Huelga | Designer | Clear (1:41.3) | Digest. |
| 13th | 13th | Brian Orosco | Freerunner | Clear (1:45.9) | |
| 14th | 17th | Geoff Iida | Attorney | Clear (1:48.1) | Digest. |
| 15th | 27th | Joop Katana | Programmer | Clear (1:49.0) |
Results of Other Semifinalists[]
| Place | Name | Profile | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | Chris Delfin | Contractor | 7. Tarzan Swing | Digest. |
| 9th | Dorian Cedars | 6. Warped Wall | Digest. | |
| 10th | Jazon Khazi | 7. Tarzan Swing | Digest. | |
| 11th | Matt Marshall | Clear (1:53.3) | Digest. 17th place. | |
| 14th | David Gruner | Craftsman | 5. Pipe Slider | |
| 16th | Gabe Nunez | Stuntman | Clear (1:50.9) | 16th place. |
| 18th | Elias Worsencroft | Clear (2:34.1) | Digest. 22nd place. | |
| 20th | Andrew Taber | 8. Jumping Bars | Digest. | |
| 21st | Ruselis Perry | Martial Artist | 8. Jumping Bars | |
| 22nd | Jacob Smith | Clear (1:58.1) | Digest. 19th place. | |
| 24th | Sam Reynolds | Clear (1:55.5) | Digest. 18th place. | |
| 25th | Gabriel Cortes | Clear (1:59.4) | Digest. 20th place. | |
| 28th | Tra Truong | Management | Clear (2:09.6) | 21st place. |
| 29th | Matt Asanuma | Student | 8. Jumping Bars | |
| 30th | Brian Kretsch | Salesman | 5. Pipe Slider | Digest |
Finals[]
In the Finals, competitors must complete two training challenges:
- The first challenge consists of 10 cinderblocks arranged in a pyramid structure. Competitors must take the pyramid apart, move the blocks 50 feet away, and rebuild the pyramid. They were only allowed to bring up to 2 cinderblocks at a time, and they were strapped to a bungee cord attached to a tire during the entire challenge.
- The second challenge consisted of 3 obstacles: Competitors must crawl under a cargo net, walk across two logs while carrying a heavy barrel above their head, and run across a series of tires that lay flat on the sand. If competitors fell off the logs, missed a tire, or touched a tire with their hands, they must restart that portion of the obstacle.
- Competitors' times would be recorded after completing each challenge. Time on the first challenge ended once competitors successfully recreated the pyramid, and time on the second would end once competitors ran across the finish line. The times after each challenge would be totaled.
- The 10 competitors with the fastest overall times would qualify for SASUKE 23.
The training challenges were held in a beach area in California and supervised by 2 American Olympians who had competed in SASUKE before: Paul Anthony Terek and Henry Cejudo.
Results[]
| Place | Semifinal Place | Name | Profile | Challenge #1 Time | Challenge #2 Time | Total Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 13th | Brian Orosco | Freerunner | 1:28.4 | 0:24.6 | 1:53.0 | Qualify for SASUKE 23. |
| 2nd | 2nd | Levi Meeuwenberg | Freerunner | 1:28.5 | 0:26.0 | 1:54.5 | |
| 3rd | 5th | Travis Furlanic | Landscaper | 1:31.3 | 0:27.1 | 1:58.4 | |
| 4th | 6th | Paul Darnell | Freerunner | 1:37.2 | 0:26.3 | 2:03.5 | |
| 5th | 7th | Rich King | Stuntman | 1:42.2 | 0:25.3 | 2:07.5 | |
| 6th | 10th | Caine Sinclair | Freerunner | 1:48.5 | 0:26.1 | 2:14.6 | |
| 7th | 9th | Shane Daniels | Controller | 1:46.4 | 0:31.5 | 2:17.9 | |
| 8th | 14th | Geoff Iida | Attorney | 1:50.9 | 0:27.8 | 2:18.7 | |
| 9th | 15th | Joop Katana | Programmer | 2:04.6 | 0:24.2 | 2:28.8 | |
| 10th | 12th | Rick Huelga | Designer | 2:01.0 | 0:28.0 | 2:29.0 | |
| 11th | 11th | Andrew Karsen | Manager | 2:08.6 | 0:25.7 | 2:34.3 | |
| 12th | 8th | Ryan Cousins | Graphic Artist | 2:07.5 | 0:27 | 2:34.5 | |
| 13th | 3rd | David Campbell | Musician | 1:59.5 | 0:40 | 2:39.5 | |
| 14th | 4th | Sean Morris | Limo Driver | 1:54.6 | 0:46 | 2:40.6 | |
| 15th | 1st | William Spencer | Freerunner | 1:35 | Withdrew | After completing the first challenge, William experienced heat exhaustion and was brought to the nearest hospital. Since he was unable to continue the competition, he was disqualified. He was later discharged without further complications. | |
Mount Midoriyama (SASUKE 23)[]
The ten Americans who performed the best in the Finals round would represent America in SASUKE 23, taking up 10 out of the 100 competitor spots. They would follow the same rules as the other SASUKE competitors: to advance to the next stage, competitors must complete all of the obstacles within the given time limit. Anyone who failed would be eliminated from the competition. The goal from this point forwards was for anyone to conquer all four stages and become the first American Ninja Warrior. If no one can accomplish that feat, the person who progresses the farthest out of all the competitors will be crowned as the Last Man Standing.
Notes: The obstacles' name used here was based on the name used during G4's broadcast.
Stage One[]
Obstacles[]
โ Twelve Timbers
โก Curtain Slider
โข Log Grip
โฃ Jumping Spider
โค Half Pipe Attack
โฅ Warped Wall
โฆ Slider Jump
โง Final Climb (Tarzan Rope + Rope Ladder fusion)
Time limit: 120 seconds.
Results[]
| Name | Profile | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Huelga | Designer | 7. Slider Jump | Timed out. |
| Joop Katana | Programmer | 7. Slider Jump | Timed out. |
| Geoff Iida | Attorney | 6. Warped Wall | Timed out. |
| Shane Daniels | Controller | 8. Final Climb | Timed out at the Tarzan Rope. |
| Caine Sinclair | Freerunner | 8. Final Climb | Timed out at the top of the Rope Ladder. |
| Rich King | Stuntman | Clear (13.40 seconds left) | |
| Paul Darnell | Freerunner | 5. Half Pipe Attack | Foot touched the water while landing. |
| Travis Furlanic | Landscaper | 4. Jumping Spider | |
| Levi Meeuwenberg | Freerunner | Clear (29.20 seconds left) | Fastest Stage One clear of all the Americans this season. |
| Brian Orosco | Freerunner | Clear (18.65 seconds left) |
Stage Two[]
Obstacles[]
โ Downhill Jump
โก Salmon Ladder
โข Stick Slider
โฃ Unstable Bridge
โค Metal Spin
โฅ Wall Lift
Time limit: 70 seconds.
Results[]
| Name | Profile | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rich King | Stuntman | 4. Unstable Bridge | Transition to the second plank. |
| Brian Orosco | Freerunner | 4. Unstable Bridge | The grip gave out at the end of the second plank. |
| Levi Meeuwenberg | Freerunner | Clear (18.1 seconds left) |
Stage Three[]
Obstacles[]
โ Arm Rings
โก Globe Grasp
โข Devil Steps
โฃ Cliff Hanger
โค Jumping Bars
โฅ Ascending Climb
โฆ Spider Flip
โง Final Ring
Results[]
| Name | Profile | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levi Meeuwenberg | Freerunner | 4. Cliff Hanger | Fell at the second ledge. |
Stage Four[]
Obstacles[]
โ Heavenly Ladder (13 meters)
โก G-Rope (10 meters)
Time limit: 40 seconds.
Results[]
| Name | Profile | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage Not Attempted by American Competitors. | |||
External Links[]
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