The fourteenth season of the American game show television series American Ninja Warrior premiered on June 6, 2022, on NBC. A spin-off from the Japanese reality series Sasuke, it is hosted by Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, and Zuri Hall. Filming for the season was similar to that of the thirteenth season, as it was taped in fewer cities, with a smaller audience during live taping, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1]

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.

Obstacles

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.

San Antonio Qualifying

Los Angeles Semifinals

Las Vegas National Finals

San Antonio Qualifying

The five nights of qualifying took place in Alamodome arena in San Antonio, Texas.

  The contestant finished the Mega Wall and was awarded $10,000

  The woman contestant passed within top 30 competitors

  The contestant is a rookie

Night 1

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.

Night 2

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-NABA super 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.

Night 3

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 skater K. C. Boutiette, who now fights his daughter's 1p36 deletion syndrome, attempted and advanced to the semifinals in 30th place, and former artistic gymnast Shawn 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.

Night 4

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 Antonio Roadrunners, alongside the UTSA cheerleaders. This episode set a new record with seven women all finishing in the top 30.

Night 5

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.

San Antonio Qualifying Leaderboard

Los Angeles Semifinals

The semifinals took place on the lot of Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. Standing next to the actual course is a reformed Power Tower mini-course.

  The contestant was granted a Safety Pass for winning Power Tower

  The woman contestant finished within top 15 competitors

  The contestant is a rookie

Night 1

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.

Night 2

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).

Night 3

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.

Night 4

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.

Los Angeles Semifinals Leaderboard

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.

Las Vegas National Finals

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 contestant is a woman.

  The contestant is a rookie.

  The contestant is a female rookie.

  Last Ninja Standing for Season 14.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

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.

Release

Broadcasting

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.

Ratings