American Ninja Warrior (season 3)
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.
| American Ninja Warrior | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
| Hosted by | Matt Iseman Jimmy Smith Alison Haislip |
| No. of contestants | 300+ |
| Release | |
| Original network | G4 NBC |
| Original release | June 11 – July 22, 2011 |
| Season chronology | |
The final episode aired on August 22, 2011, as a two-hour primetime special on NBC.[1][2]
This season was once again hosted by Matt Iseman and Jimmy Smith, with Alison Haislip as a sideline reporter.
Qualifying
Over 300 competitors took part in the tryouts in Venice Beach, CA on May 16, 2011, and May 17, 2011. Those who made it past qualifying, city finals, and boot-camp in the California Mountains advanced to Stage 1 at Sasuke 27.
Boot Camp
15 competitors from the semi-finals tried ninja Boot Camp. The ninjas were divided into three teams of five: the red dragons, blue monkeys, and white tigers. Ten would make it at the end, and five would be sent home. Every week there would be challenges the ninjas would have to face. The losing teams would send two of their members to the heavenly ropes. Two people would be sent up the rope, and the person that hit the buzzer at the top first would move on and continue the boot camp until they either were sent home or made it to "Sasuke 27". The losing person would be sent home, failing to make it to Japan. The five that were eliminated in boot camp were Dustin Rocho, Chris Wilczewski, Brandon Douglass, Alan Conneally, and Brian Orosco.
Notable competitors
- Denver Broncos wide receiver, Matt Willis
- 2009 World Champion freerunner, Tim "Livewire" Shieff
- Professional freerunner and Survivor: China contestant, Michael "Frosti" Zernow
Mount Midoriyama
Stage 1
| Order # | Finalist | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James "The Beast" McGrath | Finish (22.24 seconds left) | |
| 2 | Drew Drechsel | 6. Warped Wall | Injured right knee on Half Pipe Attack landing. |
| 3 | Travis Rosen | Finish (21.70 seconds left) | |
| 4 | Ryan Stratis | Finish (13.97 seconds left) | |
| 5 | Brent Steffensen | Finish (32.92 seconds left) | |
| 6 | Jake Smith | Finish (7.35 seconds left) | Digest. |
| 7 | David "Flip" Rodriguez | Finish (17.73 seconds left) | Digest. |
| 8 | Travis Furlanic | Finish (43.90 seconds left) | Digest. |
| 9 | Paul Kasemir | Finish (26.55 seconds left) | |
| 10 | David Campbell | Finish (44.32 seconds left) | Sasuke First Stage speed record. |
Stage 2
| Order # | Finalist | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Smith | 2. Double Salmon Ladder | Seventh level. |
| 2 | James "The Beast" McGrath | Finish (18.84 seconds left) | |
| 3 | David "Flip" Rodriguez | 1. Slider Drop | Derailed bar on drop. |
| 4 | Travis Rosen | 5. Metal Spin | |
| 5 | Ryan Stratis | Finish (18.10 seconds left) | |
| 6 | Travis Furlanic | 5. Metal Spin | |
| 7 | Brent Steffensen | 5. Metal Spin | |
| 8 | Paul Kasemir | Finish (4.98 seconds left) | |
| 9 | David Campbell | Finish (15.28 seconds left) |
Stage 3
| Order # | Finalist | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James McGrath | 3. Ultimate Cliffhanger | Transition to fifth ledge. |
| 2 | Ryan Stratis | 3. Ultimate Cliffhanger | Transition to fourth ledge. |
| 3 | Paul Kasemir | 3. Ultimate Cliffhanger | Transition to fifth ledge. |
| 4 | David Campbell | 3. Ultimate Cliffhanger | Lost grip on sixth ledge. Best performance of the season. |
Ratings
| Network | Episode | Air date | Timeslot | 18–49 rating | Viewers (millions) |
Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G4 | 1 | "Part 1 of 10" | July 31, 2011 | Sunday 9:00 p.m. | 0.2 | 0.384 | [3] |
| 2 | "Part 2 of 10" | Sunday 10:00 p.m. | 0.1 | 0.350 | |||
| 3 | "Part 3 of 10" | August 7, 2011 | Sunday 9:00 p.m. | 0.1 | 0.292 | [4] | |
| 4 | "Part 4 of 10" | Sunday 10:00 p.m. | 0.1 | 0.329 | |||
| 5 | "Part 5 of 10" | August 14, 2011 | Sunday 9:00 p.m. | 0.1 | 0.216 | [5] | |
| 6 | "Part 6 of 10" | Sunday 10:00 p.m. | 0.1 | 0.244 | |||
| 7 | "Part 7 of 10" | August 21, 2011 | Sunday 9:00 p.m. | 0.1 | 0.296 | [6] | |
| 8 | "Part 8 of 10" | Sunday 10:00 p.m. | 0.1 | 0.251 | |||
| NBC | 9 | "Part 9 of 10" | August 22, 2011 | Monday 9:00 p.m. | 1.7 | 4.103 | [7] |
| 10 | "Part 10 of 10" | ||||||
References
- O'Hare, Kate (2011). "'American Ninja Warrior' storms Japan's Mount Midoriyama". Zap2it. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
- Hale, Mike (2011). "A 'Ninja Warrior' Upgrade Into Network Prime Time". New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
- "Sunday's Cable Ratings: "True Blood" Still on Top for HBO". The Futon Critic. August 4, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- "Sunday's Cable Ratings: Big Finish for TNT's "Falling Skies"". The Futon Critic. August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- "Sunday's Cable Ratings: "Next Food Network Star" Wraps With Season High". The Futon Critic. August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- "Sunday's Cable Ratings: Season Highs for "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," "True Blood"". The Futon Critic. August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- "NBC Weekly Ratings - "America's Got Talent" and "American Ninja Warrior" Lead Network's Primetime Week of May 21-27". The Futon Critic. May 30, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
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