Media Ninjas: ANW in the Media

[Kromm]

Kacy Catanzaro is getting some mainstream press. At least mainstream press blogs (which face it, sometimes need a lot more material than the printed versions).

 

Time Magazine: http://time.com/2992359/first-woman-american-ninja-warrior-kacy-catanzaro/
HuffPo: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/16/kacy-catanzaro-completes-american-ninja-warrior-course_n_5592802.html

E!: http://www.eonline.com/news/560501/gymnast-kacy-catanzaro-completing-the-american-ninja-warrior-course-is-the-most-exciting-thing-you-ll-watch-all-day

Washington Post Blogs: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2014/07/15/towson-grad-crushes-course-makes-american-ninja-warrior-history/

Slate Blogs: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/07/16/kacy_catanzaro_kills_it_the_former_gymnast_is_the_first_woman_to_complete.html

US Magazine: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/kacy-catanzaro-owns-american-ninja-warrior-is-first-female-finalist-2014167

NBC Sports Olympic Talk: http://olympictalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/16/gymnast-kacy-catanzaro-american-ninja-warrior-video/

Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/07/16/5-foot-tall-kacy-catanzaro-conquers-american-ninja-warrior-course/

Entertainment Weekly: http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/07/16/american-ninja-warrior-kacy-catanzaro/

USA Today: http://entertainthis.usatoday.com/2014/07/16/kacy-catanzaro-is-the-first-woman-to-complete-american-ninja-warrior/

Edited July 17, 2014 by Kromm

[Kromm]

Vulture.com, rather than actually do the same "heads up, this is amazing" article the 200 other media outlets did on Kacy, instead actually interviewed her:
 
A Quick Chat With the Inspiring Woman Who Made It to the American Ninja Warrior Finals
 
People Mag talked with her too...
 
American Ninja Warrior's Kacy Catanzaro on Her Victory: 'I Had No Idea How Many People Would Care'

BTW: in 4 days on YouTube, the video of Kacy's run has racked up 6.5 million views (and climbing). As a point of comparison, the most watched ANW video NOT starring Kacy Catanzaro is of Brian Arnold running Stage 3 of Mt. Midoriyama--which has has been up for 10 months and has only gotten around 292,000 views. In other words... she's a bonafide celebrity now. I'm actually shocked NBC hasn't dragged her onto The Tonight Show.

 

ABC: Kacy Catanzaro on Her Career Aspirations After 'American Ninja Warrior'

 

She wants to be a stunt person, like her boyfriend Brent Steffensen.  I think she's thinking small, since her mainstream celebrity level now exceeds his by a factor of about a thousand.  I'd think the quickest cash-out for this kind of rep. is in becoming a celebrity trainer-for-hire.  

Edited July 22, 2014 by Kromm

[Kromm]

In terms of being a "girl power" ambassador, Kacy has also gained traction by getting congratulatory tweets from sources like Cosmopolitan and Covergirl, and a congratulatory video from an Olympic Gold Medal winning Gymnast who says she couldn't do what Kacy did...

 

 

Kacy tweeted in response:

 

I am literally crying.. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LjTYEOgOVBI … @NastiaLiukin has been my hero since I can remember! This is a dream come true! ❤️

----------

A few days later...

https://www.facebook.com/NastiaLiukin08/photos/a.10151925654578351.1073741825.30579513350/10152547370293351/?type=1

Edited July 22, 2014 by Kromm

[mlp]

What nice girls - both of them!  How refreshing!!!

[Taeolas]

Comic-con also had Katy run an Assassin's Creed course they made up on site.

 

She destroyed it of course.

 

Didn't look to be as hard as some of the ANW courses of course, but still, it's more publicity all around.

 

Oh and in other news, NBC is expanding their vs challenge to the world, instead of just Japan this year.

 

We'll have USA vs the World coming in September.

 

Also for noting on network TV schedules: NBC said it will again air a three-hour block for its American Ninja Warrior international competition. USA Vs. The World, featuring five of the top U.S. competitors against a group from Japan and Europe on the show’s finals course, will air Monday, September 15 from 8-11 PM. It will encore the next night on NBCU sibling Esquire Network. Among the names not on the U.S. roster: Kacy Catanzaro, the first woman to make the show’s finals. Her Dallas run has more than 8 million views on YouTube. Maybe they’ll make an exception?

 

Personally I hope it is 3 teams, USA, Europe and Japan and not just squishing Japan and Europe as 1 team. 

[Kromm]

Comic-con also had Katy run an Assassin's Creed course they made up on site.

 

She destroyed it of course.

 

Didn't look to be as hard as some of the ANW courses of course, but still, it's more publicity all around.

Yeah, that course was clearly made for normal humans.  It was all running, moderate climbing, dodging stuff, and one brief section swinging from rings (but only for a few feet).  

 

That video didn't even bother to give her time, but her on that course was from 1:04 on the video to 1:41 with no sign of an edit, so that's 37 seconds.

[blueray]

Hm... yeah that definitely wasn't as hard of a course, to the point where I almost could do that, not as fast of course though lol.

[Lantern7]

I was going to ask if clips of Geoff and Isaac on Today were posted . . . then I heard that Geoff climbed a rope at the end of the show, and they ran out of time before Isaac could do his thing.

 

There is a nice piece on RealityBlurred on why ANW is the perfect summer series.

[AZChristian]

Hubby checked, and the whole segment is available online.

[healthnut]

Good info from producer Kent Weed to Entertainment Weekly:

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/14/american-ninja-warrior-winner

[Way Wes Jr]

Biggest take-away from that article: There will be a USA v. the World special - just not when it might air.

[Lantern7]

Are we ready for Team Ninja Warrior? Sounds intriguing, but a lot could go wrong.

[SmithW6079]

Ugh. Kacy Catanzaro and Brent Steffenson are going to be in it. Not sure I'll watch it then. Kind of feel likes ANW is going from a quirky, oddball sport to a sell-out.

[Noirprncess]

Are we ready for Team Ninja Warrior? Sounds intriguing, but a lot could go wrong.

I would watch it. Can't be any worse than the extended "interest" stories featured on the show now.

[hqtextbook]

I'm totally in. The drama of letting down your team is gonna be so entertaining. Also team training tactics...

[Lantern7]

Just saw a commercial for ANW on NBC. The new season starts on Wednesday, June 1.

[Kromm]

Just saw a commercial for ANW on NBC. The new season starts on Wednesday, June 1.

I hope things they learned from Team Ninja Warrior flow back to the Mothership.

 

Clearly now that they have two legs to the franchise they want things to be different on each of them. But that can be stuff as simple as the emphasis on pure speed on TNW (pure speed = bad on ANW), and of course the other team aspects. The production lessons are what I mean. For example, that you can put on an even better show with 1/3rd the "backstory" time than ANW has had in recent seasons. TNW was compelled by it's schedule (the number of teams, heats, and episodes in combination) to cut out the nonsense and consequently was almost all action and about 900% more viewable. Well LEARN from that.

 

If you don't have enough "good runs" to actually fill up the number of episodes of ANW?  CUT THE NUMBER of EPISODES.  If you know ahead of time it will be like that, plan less cities. If you don't know ahead of time the quality of racing footage, then you can even combine/overflow episodes between cities (American Idol always did that). And we know they have room to play with as it stood, because they'd waste 5-6 minutes on a single person's backstory video occasionally, then montage 4-5 racer's runs in the same episode. Plus there are plenty of racers (in the non-finals) we never see at all. Maybe many of those runs suck. We know that. But find a middle ground. The backstories are even lamer--I mean we still need them to some degree, but cap them off as like 2 minutes per, tops--and be more stringent about how many racers get them at all (vs. the announcers just giving a verbal summary of who they are during the race). \

 

If they still need to bulk the episodes up a bit, how about this idea... show more of the behind the scenes stuff (rather than the backstory videos). Let us see more about how courses are tested and built. Introduce us to the people who do that. Show some of the racer socialization AT the events (not back at home). Make it feel like a real sporting event, where the viewer is given stuff to give a sense of time and place. I mean it's not strictly necessary, but if it's a choice between that and half the show being backstories? It's the better option.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Kromm

[Lantern7]

Watching Saturday Night Live. They had a taped spoof of ANW featuring Bobby Moynihan as a guy running for his tornado-ravaged town. It was more about the "inspirational" stories, and not Matt and Akbar going apeshit in the booth,

[AuntieDiane6]

I hope things they learned from Team Ninja Warrior flow back to the Mothership.

Oh, please, YES!!!  From your post to the producer's/director's/advertisers eyes!!!!!!

[Lantern7]

Here's the bit from SNL. I don't think people will confuse Akbar and Drake.

[Lantern7]

Reality Blurred answers questions about ANW.

[WasillianWarrior]

On 5/14/2016 at 9:50 PM, Lantern7 said:

Watching Saturday Night Live. They had a taped spoof of ANW featuring Bobby Moynihan as a guy running for his tornado-ravaged town. It was more about the "inspirational" stories, and not Matt and Akbar going apeshit in the booth,

Best SNL sketch ever! Especially the pseudo sob-story, Bobby must watch ANW because he hit it on the head.

[butterbean1]

Did anyone else catch Flip Rodriguez on Keeping Up With the Kardashians this weekend?  I don't normally watch the show but it was on when I walked into the room.  I picked up the remote to turn it and noticed Khloe and Kourtney (I'm ashamed I actually know who they are) were at an obstacle course gym. Then I noticed Flip was playing with the kids.

[Morgan of Hed]

Felice Herrig calls out NBC,

NBC apologizes

[mlp]

Sounds like Felice was mostly interested in being on TV.  I doubt that NBC guarantees anyone air time.  They didn't owe her an apology.

[Morgan of Hed]

I had read in another forum that NBC actively pursued her to run again this year. She initially refused, but ended up doing a whirlwind trip to make the run. She also did much better this time. I can see why she'd be miffed. 

[Fukui San]

Original recipe Sasuke is airing it's 32nd edition tomorrow morning at 6:30AM EST.  sasukemaniac.com is live streaming it. It's different than American Ninja Warrior in that it's only what we'd know as the "Vegas Finals" portion aired in on 3 hour special.

Apparently a name from American Ninja Warrior made a run, and it was already aired in the preshow show (and thus probably won't be used in the real show tomorrow).  I'll put it in spoilers below.

Spoiler

It was Kacy, and she timed out in the final obstacle.  I know people on the board have a mixed opinion of her, but even reaching the final obstacle I believe is the best result of a female contestant in Sasuke since the 2nd tournament when a woman cleared the (much easier) first stage.  They usually have around 5 women per tournament run the course.

I also learned that in Sasuke they make a few adjustments for women and older contestants. 10 extra seconds, a few obstacles made easier, etc. Not sure if they do that for ANW.

EDIT: It's already on Youtube!

Pretty impressive. My favorite obstacle there is the slowly rolling cylinder which is an actual musical instrument they call "The Music Box".  It doesn't eliminate many people, but I love the imagination of that obstacle.

Edited July 2, 2016 by Fukui San

[Kromm]

That may the person who got press, but there have to be other US contestants (and maybe a few Europeans we've heard of) who were also there.

[Morgan of Hed]

Spoiler

That looks a lot easier than the ANW courses, but good on her!

[Kromm]

I really like that strength test they have in this year's Sasuke (the pushing the increasing weights). As with most things it favors

Spoiler

the men

, but I also think with proper technique (proper use of leverage) it can

Spoiler

be overcome easier by women too.

Also, that particular way to build a Warped Wall, the version without a flat part) is very annoying/much harder in some ways (even if it's lower) and

Spoiler

she handled it very well. 

I wonder if there was an interview of this person as well (translated for the Japanese audience). Or does Sasuke not even bother with interviews? (good for them if they don't, IMO) But if they DID do one I'd like to see it.

Edited July 2, 2016 by Kromm

[Fukui San]

Sasuke does interview competitors, even non-Japanese. They're no less intrusive than the American version. 

Their pre run hype pieces I'd say are more concise than the US version. Probably just due to less time to fill being a one night special. 

I'd say that first course is suitably difficult. The transition from the first obstacle will take out a bunch, as will the double swing. The strength obstacle directly before the Warped Wall will make that worse. I'd set the over/under of finishers at 13 or so. 

[AConspiracy]

Wow an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.

That's...unexpected

[JenMD]

Yeah, I just saw that.  That's cool.

[Lantern7]

I disagree. Even with all the Very Special Stories, I don't consider ANW to be a reality series.

[questionfear]

7 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I disagree. Even with all the Very Special Stories, I don't consider ANW to be a reality series.

Well, it's reality-competition, along the lines of "The Amazing Race" or "Top Chef", both of which have won Emmys in that category.

[Lantern7]

I see it more as a sport. Look at the Olympics . . . people sometimes doing unorthodox things while NBC pipes in touching stories. I consider ANW to be as much a reality show as Hollywood Game Night, and I'm stumped as to how Jane Lynch would get nominated for Best Host, let alone winning it. Does that mean Matt & Akbar were eligible? "I SEE YOU, EMMY!!!"

[kitticup]

Jessie Graff is going to be at Comic Con on a panel for stunt people.

[Chaos Theory]

Well it hasn't been labeled an official sport yet.  It's more a reality competition sport.  I think it is in that weird little middle ground the closest thing to a sport I watch and the closest thing to a reality tv program but not quite either,

Still congrats on the nomination.

Edited July 16, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Guest]

Are there any recognized sports where your backstory and appearance are important considerations for if you get to compete or not?  

[simplyme]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Are there any recognized sports where your backstory and appearance are important considerations for if you get to compete or not?  

Lots of sports take into account your appearance and backstory, especially for women. A player's marketability in part determines whether they get hired or sponsored. Ever seen an ugly women's ice skater?  It's also easier to make it in, say, NASCAR* if you are good-looking and highly marketable. I'd certainly say that the UFC prefers attractive female MMA fighters.

That said, I don't feel that enough of ANW is standardized yet for it to quite count as a sport.  Having different obstacles at different cities essentially sets the standards differently for various competitors.

I would also note that I don't necessarily see sport and reality competition as two completely different things. The difference here is that sports are not tied to a specific tv show. ANW is tied to the tv show, and should the show cease I would be surprised if it could continue on its own as a sport.

*Having had the "Is NASCAR a sport?" discussion with friends, my answer is yes. We used the highly scientific method of asking "Can I do it with a beer in one hand?" to determine the answer.

[Chaos Theory]

Quote

*Having had the "Is NASCAR a sport?" discussion with friends, my answer is yes. We used the highly scientific method of asking "Can I do it with a beer in one hand?" to determine the answer.

Well then golf wouldn't count.  

I do think NBC is one of the things keeping ANW from becoming a recognized sport.  Hell people are still debating if cheerleading is a sport and it takes far more effort and skill then alot of recognized sports.  I won't get into conspiracy theories not the place but there is a reason why certain things aren't considered sports and alot of it has to do with who is making money and why.  Right now NBC is making alot of money and if ANW did become a recognized sport they'd actually have to payout alot of these people instead of just offering vague prizes.  

[JenMD]

Per the Emmy rules, the Reality-Competition category covers a broad spectrum of shows:

Quote

Reality-Competition programs include any program with a competition element that gives a prize or title, including game shows.

It really doesn't have anything to do with backstories or no backstories or whether or not it's a sport. It's a competitive show on in prime time, so it's eligible.  I say good for them for getting some recognition.  I don't think they'll win, but the nomination after all these seasons has to feel good.

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, simplyme said:

Lots of sports take into account your appearance and backstory, especially for women. A player's marketability in part determines whether they get hired or sponsored. Ever seen an ugly women's ice skater?

I have seen ugly ice skaters.  I agree that getting sponsors depends on many things.  I just can't think of any true sports that exclude people from competing at all if they don't pass the "is he/she good tv" test. 

[simplyme]

3 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I have seen ugly ice skaters.  I agree that getting sponsors depends on many things.  I just can't think of any true sports that exclude people from competing at all if they don't pass the "is he/she good tv" test. 

Upon reflection, I'll agree with this.

It's an excellent point that most sports have multiple levels that people can play at, not just pro. At this point, ANW really doesn't.

[Fukui San]

There are many more people who compete in ANW who are not aired. Unless they're a threat to win the whole thing you can just fast forward them. 

[Kromm]

On 7/16/2016 at 4:13 PM, Chaos Theory said:

Well then golf wouldn't count.  

I do think NBC is one of the things keeping ANW from becoming a recognized sport.  Hell people are still debating if cheerleading is a sport and it takes far more effort and skill then alot of recognized sports.  I won't get into conspiracy theories not the place but there is a reason why certain things aren't considered sports and alot of it has to do with who is making money and why.  Right now NBC is making alot of money and if ANW did become a recognized sport they'd actually have to payout alot of these people instead of just offering vague prizes.  

"ANW" is also a tough sell as an actual "sport", because its not standardized. They can and do change the rules on a whim. 

And even though a few actual sports sometimes have different rules in different parts of the world, it does make it harder for something to gain traction as an actual new sport if that's the case. As it stands, the "rules" of American Ninja Warrior are totally different from the rules of the original Sasuke, and other versions like the British, French and German versions all have unique rules too.  There's no standardization, and that makes it more of an exhibition than a sport.

[Richness]

Poor Jessie....

Source: http://textsfromsuperheroes.com/image/149346640744

 

[JenMD]

Really nice article on Jessie getting through Stage 1.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/08/29/american-ninja-warrior-jessie-graff/89563008/

[Chaos Theory]

I am not sure if this would be considered media or if it was already shown but in my attempt to put some awesome in people lives....  I believe this a live version of the chicken fight on Family Guy.  

[JenMD]

So that's where the chicken outfit she ran in her first time out came from.  I'm totally unfamiliar with Family Guy, so I don't have a point of reference, cool stunts, though!