Curtis Tran is a competitor who competed in several early seasons of American Ninja Warrior before going on a lengthy hiatus.
American Ninja Warrior 4[]
Curtis' debut was in American Ninja Warrior 4 where his run was cut from broadcast. He had competed in the Midsouth Qualifier and failed the fifth obstacle, the Rope Junction. Since the cut off for the City Finals was the Warped Wall, Curtis did not move on to the next round.
American Ninja Warrior 5[]
In Curtis' sophomore season he had competed in American Ninja Warrior 5's Denver Qualifying round. His run was all cut and he had failed the fifth obstacle for a second year straight, this time being the Grip Hang.
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
In his third season, he competed during American Ninja Warrior 6. Unlike previous years, his run was shown on broadcast, albeit digested. But like with previous years, he had failed the fifth obstacle again, failing the transition between bridges of the Devil Steps. As in the past two season, he came up just short of advancing to the city finals. He placed 32nd overall in the Denver Qualifier.
After the events of American Ninja Warrior 6, Curtis had decided to take a position at the NBC production team for the series itself. People working on the show cannot compete on the show itself, which is why he has not competed since 2014.
American Ninja Warrior 17[]
At some point before 2024, Curtis retired from his job with the production team. Curtis would make a return to compete in American Ninja Warrior 17, after taking ten seasons off of ANW.
His run was digested, but he was shown to be nervous about being back on the show after a long time. He ended up falling on the second obstacle, the Fly Wheels, after hitting his face when he made the transition from the first wheel to the second wheel. This marked his first time not reaching the fifth obstacle.
Trivia[]
- As of 2025, Curtis ties with Derek Nakamoto with the longest ANW hiatus. Both of their hiatuses had a time gap of 11 seasons in between. Coincidentally, both of their hiatuses started and ended with the same season: their last season before going on hiatus was ANW 6, and their next season upon return was ANW 17.