The fifteenth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on June 5, 2023, on NBC. A spin-off from the Japanese reality series Sasuke, it is hosted by Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, and Zuri Hall. This season, both Qualifying and Semifinals were entirely held in Universal City in Los Angeles, while the National Finals returned to its usual spot in Las Vegas.
This season set a new record with 8 competitors all advancing to Stage 4, and also crowned the third grand prize winner in Vance Walker, who not only became the fifth ninja to achieve "Total Victory", but had previously won American Ninja Warrior Junior twice. In the same season, Daniel Gil became the fourth ninja to achieve total victory, but completed the rope climb slower than Walker.
The season was officially announced by NBC in late March 2023, though the applications were being accepted from November 19, 2022, until December 16, 2022. The full list of competitors was published on March 15, 2023. Filming for qualifiers moved to Los Angeles, California, where the semifinals remained. Filming for national finals remained in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Filming for the season began on March 15, 2023, and wrapped in early May 2023.
Obstacles The qualifying course starts from Pole Vault and ends on Warped Wall. For this season, to get one attempt for the Mega Wall, which was increased to 18.5 feet high, contestants must finish the course in less than 1 minute and 20 seconds; a contestant who completes the Mega Wall still gets an immediate reward of $10,000 (promoted by Wells Fargo). Standing next to the main course is a new segment, "The Runoffs", which replaces the Power Tower but follows the same structure: it features four obstacles, with two copies of them located alongside each other. The two male contestants and two female contestants in the last two places on the leaderboard run it side by side for the last spot in the semifinals.
In the semifinals, two contestants will run against each other, side-by-side, on the previously installed Runoffs course with Slingshot and Rope Climb added as a last two obstacles. At the end of the night, the two fastest finishers will run on a Safety Pass course, which replaces some of the obstacles from Semifinals with other ones. The winner receives a Safety Pass which allows for a do-over of stage 1 in the National Finals if he or she fails.
Denotes obstacles created by fans for the Obstacle Design Challenge.
Qualifying EventObstaclesFinish under 1:20Course 1Pole VaultRollercoasterDomino EffectThe GetawayLasso LaunchWarped WallMega WallCourse 2Greased LightningRing the BellsCourse 3RollercoasterLog RunnerKite SurferLasso LaunchCourse 4Greased LightningThe CubesCourse 5Domino EffectThe GetawayRing the BellsCourse 6RollercoasterLasso LaunchCourse 7Log RunnerKite SurferCourse 8Greased LightningMutant Mayhem
Runoffs EventObstaclesCourse 1Home RunSpring ForwardBeehiveHopscotchCourse 2Course 3Flying Shelf GrabSidewaysCourse 4Course 5Spring ForwardHopscotchCourse 6Course 7Flying Shelf GrabSidewaysCourse 8
Semifinals
EventObstaclesCourse 1Home RunSpring ForwardBeehiveHopscotchSlingshotRope ClimbCourse 2Course 3Flying Shelf GrabSidewaysCourse 4
Safety Pass Race EventObstaclesCourse 1Home RunFlying Shelf GrabWingnutsSidewaysSpin HopperRope ClimbCourse 2Course 3BeehiveSlingshotCourse 4
National Finals Stage Obstacles Time Limit Stage 1 Slide Surfer Three Ring Circus Giant Rollercoaster Jumping Spider The Gambler Warped Wall Dipping Birds Thread the Needle Cargo Net 2:50 Stage 2 Striding Steps Double Salmon Ladder Jawbreakers Swing Surfer Epic Air Surfer Falling Shelves Stage 3 Patriot Pass Stalactites Slam Dunk Ultimate Cliffhanger Pipe Dream Pressure Cooker Road Signs Stage 4Rope Climb :30
Qualifying The eight qualifiers, divided into seven nights, took place on the lot of Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. In a major change from past seasons, the number of semifinalists has been reduced, and men and women have completely separate leaderboards. The top 11 men and top 3 women advance to the semifinals immediately, while the next two men (12th/13th place) and the next two women (4th/5th place) compete head-to-head in "The Runoffs" for the final spots.
Denotes expanded course (Mega Wall) finishes Denotes runoff winners who advanced to semifinals Denotes rookie contestants
Course 1 The first night of qualifying featured two rounds that were held in order. 5 competitors completed Course 1; only two of the competitors managed to finish the course faster than 1 minute and 20 seconds, but neither were able to successfully scale the Mega Wall. In the runoffs, Ramcis Valdez beat Alan Connealy (who made his first appearance since season 9) for the last men's spot, while Taylor Johnson beat Avery Glantz for the last women's spot. New obstacles included the Pole Vault, The Getaway, Lasso Launch, and Home Run in the runoff course. In an emotional moment, Brian Kretsch (who is one of only two competitors to appear in every single season) once again fell on a balance obstacle in the qualifying course (in this case, Domino Effect), and in his post-run interview, he hinted at a possible retirement from competition, citing his continued inability to clear balance obstacles.
+Top 13 MenRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Luke Dillon01:18.68Finished2Noah Meunier01:19.91Finished3Jay Lewis01:24.09Finished4James McGrath01:33.06Finished5Kevin Rodriguez01:39.79Finished6Najee Richardson00:40.32Lasso Launch7Evan Andrews00:40.77Lasso Launch8Mazeiah Andrade01:03.50Lasso Launch9Noah Jones01:07.03Lasso Launch10Verdale Benson01:15.15Lasso Launch11Evan Bomengen01:41.85Lasso Launch12Alan Connealy00:15.70Domino Effect13Ramcis Valdez00:17.05Domino Effect
+RankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Addy Herman01:00.23Lasso Launch2Casey Rothschild01:07.24Lasso Launch3Emily Gardiner01:31.73Lasso Launch4Taylor Johnson01:35.35Lasso Launch5Avery Glantz00:32.20Domino Effect
Course 2
Course 2 occurred on the same night as the first qualifying, with 6 competitors finishing it. Top men's finisher Kai Beckstrand became the first competitor to complete this season's taller Mega Wall, and second-place finisher Jera Boyd was the other Mega Wall finisher. In the runoffs, Glenn Albright beat Steven Bachta for the last men's spot, while Jaelyn Bennett beat Larissa Cottle for the last women's spot. New obstacles in the qualifying course included Greased Lightning and Ring the Bells.
+Top 13 MenRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Kai Beckstrand00:54.80Finished + Mega Wall2Jera Boyd01:19.97Finished + Mega Wall3Hans Hertz01:28.17Finished4Cam Baumgartner01:31.81Finished5Austin Gray01:44.88Finished6Mike Silenzi01:58.50Finished7Nate Hansen00:52.56Ring the Bells8Brian Beckstrand01:21.98Ring the Bells9Roo Yori01:33.17Ring the Bells10Tatsumi Yanaba01:47.14Ring the Bells11Josh Ferguson00:23.34Domino Effect12Steven Bachta00:23.61Domino Effect13Glenn Albright00:03.81Greased Lightning
+RankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Emily Keener01:02.15Ring the Bells2Mady Howard01:20.15Ring the Bells3Violet Kepo'o02:16.26Ring the Bells4Larissa Cottle01:11.40The Getaway5Jaelyn Bennett00:05.00Greased Lightning
Course 3
Only two competitors completed Course 3. Daniel Gil, who returned after missing the previous season, took the top time for the men and cleared the Mega Wall. In the runoffs, Gary Weiland beat James Thorwart for the last men's spot after completing the balance obstacle and became the first amputee ever to move on to the semi-finals. The qualifying course introduced another new obstacle, Kite Surfer.
+Top 13 MenRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Daniel Gil01:15.91Finished + Mega Wall2Jody Avila02:05.03Finished3Isaiah Thomas01:17.08Finished4Joseph Rouse01:10.20Lasso Launch5Isaiah Wakeham01:24.90Lasso Launch6Grant Kiningham01:25.76Lasso Launch7Ian Dory01:28.55Lasso Launch8Grant McCartney01:56.92Lasso Launch9Simba Jones00:48.00Kite Surfer10Elijah Levée00:56.63Kite Surfer11Deion Butler01:18.03Kite Surfer12Gary Weiland02:23.50Kite Surfer13James Thorwart00:23.07Log Runner
+RankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Isabella Wakeham01:28.19Lasso Launch2Madelyn Madaras01:31.17Lasso Launch3Cailin Jewell00:37.92Log Runner4Sandy Zimmerman00:38.50Log Runner5Lindsey Darling00:04.38Rollercoaster
Course 4
Four competitors finished Course 4, but neither of the two who cleared it faster than 1 minute and 20 seconds managed to scale the Mega Wall. Jessie Graff returned again, and for the first time, her mother, 71-year-old Ginny MacColl, also competed (and ultimately failed the second obstacle, Greased Lightning). Brothers Nacssa and Roberto Garemore, who first appeared on American Ninja Warrior Junior, made their main ANW debuts and both advanced to the semi-finals. Firefighter Brandon Mears, one half of the duo called the "Towers of Power", returned after missing last season and announced that he would be making his final run on the course, but ultimately failed on Greased Lightning. This course introduced another new obstacle called The Cubes.
+Top 13 MenRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1R.J. Roman01:06.55Finished2David Bergstrom-Wright01:19.45Finished3Elijah Browning01:35.34Finished4Nacssa Garemore01:40.03Clear5Vinnie Castranova00:43.94The Cubes6Brandon Thomas00:47.33The Cubes7Austin Hair00:49.05The Cubes8Johnny Brown00:26.46Kite Surfer9Roberto Garemore00:28.73Kite Surfer10D.C. Banks00:29.39Kite Surfer11Josh Heman-Ackah00:34.21Kite Surfer12Jason Grossman00:40.43Kite Surfer13Nyjle Henry00:02.27Greased Lightning
+RankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Jessie Graff01:52.30The Cubes2Caitlyn Bergstrom-Wright01:52.73The Cubes3Jeri D'Aurelio00:03.50Greased Lightning4Jaleesa Himka00:03.64Greased Lightning5Amelia LeonardiGreased Lightning
Course 5
Course 5 was finished by 5 competitors; of those that cleared, only reigning two-time champion (Last Ninja Standing both times) Kaden Lebsack, cleared the course fast enough to try the Mega Wall, but failed to scale it. Former American Ninja Warrior Junior contestant Taylor Greene competed on the main course for the first time after turning 15 and became the first and only woman to clear the qualifying course this season. Two veterans, Jackson Twait and Donovan Metoyer, tried to run the course speedily to get a chance to try the Mega Wall, but both failed with the latter being eliminated after he fell on Domino Effect.
+Top 13 MenRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Kaden Lebsack01:16.83Finished2Barry Boyd01:42.21Finished3Max Feinberg01:46.60Finished4Scott Behrends02:03.93Finished5Tyler Yamauchi01:45.06Warped Wall6Jackson Twait00:46.03Ring the Bells7Ben Behrends00:58.16Ring the Bells8Derrick Pavoni00:58.39Ring the Bells9Chris DiGangi01:09.63Ring the Bells10Cade Perkins01:22.08Ring the Bells11Jawon Turner01:49.43Ring the Bells12Drew Marinelli00:33.94The Getaway13James Wilson00:37.58The Getaway
+RankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Taylor Greene02:28.40Finished2Maggie Owen01:44.80Ring the Bells3Riley Porter00:03.77Greased Lightning4Ally Tippetts Wooton00:03.85Greased Lightning5Kyndal McKenzieGreased Lightning
Course 6
Course 6 was completed by 3 competitors. Sean Bryan took the fastest time and was the only competitor to clear the course fast enough to try the Mega Wall, but his attempt to scale it was ultimately unsuccessful. David Campbell competed again to keep his status as one of only two competitors to appear in every season of the show alive and once again managed to qualify for the semi-finals. Other notable competitors included West Side Story visual effects designer Daniel Novarro, who received encouragement from two of the film's stars, Rachel Zegler and Josh Rivera, before the start of his run (Novarro was ultimately defeated in the runoffs by police officer John Uga), and veteran Nate Tackett, who advanced to the semi-finals after receiving encouragement from his cousin, legendary country music singer Crystal Gayle.