NBC has renewed three-time Emmy-nominated American Ninja Warrior for an eighth season. Production will begin this spring and a premiere date will be announced shortly, according to the network.
Hosted again by Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, the popular obstacle course competition series will shoot in six cities this season, including Los Angeles (Universal Studios backlot), Atlanta (The Home Depot Backyard at Mercedes Benz Stadium), Oklahoma City (State Capitol Building), Baltimore (Rash Field) and Cincinnati (downtown), along with its inaugural trip to the Pacific Northwest and its first time shooting indoors at Washington’s Tacoma Dome. The show’s national finals will again take place in Las Vegas.
A consistently strong ratings performer, American Ninja Warrior delivered a 1.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.9 million viewers overall last year in Live+7 Nielsens, scoring as the most-watched broadcast of the night with each of its final five telecasts of the summer.
American Ninja Warrior follows competitors as they tackle challenging obstacle courses in city qualifying and finals rounds throughout the country. Top competitors in each of the city finals rounds move onto the national finals, where they compete on a four-stage course that includes multiple obstacles on each stage. The winner, who must complete all four stages, including the final 75-foot rope climb, will take home a grand prize of $1 million.
This season will feature significant changes to the course and game play, according to NBC, including new rules for the mega-warped wall and never-before-seen obstacles.
