American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World is a television special aired approximately once a year on NBC. It features an American Ninja Warrior team from the United States competing against teams from other countries or regions around the world, including Japan, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia, for bragging rights and the American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World trophy. The competitors race on the same Mount Midoriyama course used in the National Finals on the Las Vegas Strip.
Series overview
Special Air date Champions Runner-up 3rd Place 4th Place Commentators Sideline reporter 1 USA vs. Japan January 13, 2014 Team USA Team Japan colspan=2 Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila Jenn Brown 2 USA vs. The World September 15, 2014 Team Europe Team USA Team Japan rowspan=3 3 January 31, 2016 Team USA Team Europe Kristine Leahy 4 June 4, 2017 Team Latin America 5 March 11, 2018 Team Europe Team USA Team Asia 6 January 27, 2019 Team USA Team Australia Team Europe rowspan=2 7 January 26, 2020 Team Australia Team USA Zuri Hall
Specials
USA vs. Japan (January 2014)
During the Season 5 finale of American Ninja Warrior, NBC announced that a special "USA vs. Japan" matchup would take place, the first-ever international competition in American Ninja Warrior's history. The two-hour special premiered on January 13, 2014, at 8 pm EST on NBC and matched five Japanese Sasuke All-Stars and New Stars - heroes of the original Ninja Warrior - against five American stars representing American Ninja Warrior at the American reconstruction of the Mount Midoriyama course in Las Vegas. At stake was the United States vs. Japan championship; also branded as the first world championship for Sasuke/American Ninja Warrior, and a trophy to match. The special featured American Ninja Warrior's regular broadcasting crew: analysts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, along with sideline reporter Jenn Brown.
Rosters Team USA Paul Kasemir Brent Steffensen James McGrath Travis Rosen Brian Arnold
Team Japan Shingo Yamamoto Yuuji Urushihara Ryo Matachi Hitoshi Kanno Kazuma Asa
Team USA Team Japan Paul Kasemir ("Mr. Consistency") - 27, Longmont, CO - 4-time Mount Midoriyama veteran Brent Steffensen - 33, San Antonio, TX - 4-time Mount Midoriyama veteran; Top finisher at ANW 4 (Hang Climb) James McGrath ("The Beast") - 26, Seattle, WA - 3-time Mount Midoriyama veteran Travis Rosen ("The Ageless Wonder") - 38, Franklin, TN - 3-time Mount Midoriyama veteran Brian Arnold - 35, Brighton, CO - Top finisher at ANW 5 (Flying Bar)Shingo Yamamoto ("The Godfather") - 39, Tokyo, Japan - All-Star, veteran of every Sasuke season Yuuji Urushihara ("The Grand Champion") - 35, Tokyo, Japan - New Star, achieved "Total Victory" in Sasuke twice Ryo Matachi ("The Superfan") - 24, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan - New Star, reached Stage 4 once Hitoshi Kanno ("The Muscle") - 29, Tokyo, Japan - New Star, reached Stage 4 once Kazuma Asa ("The Speed Demon") - 31, Hyogo, Japan - New Star, Stage 1 world record holder
Overview
There are up to 5 matches on each stage: 1, 2, and 3. In each match, one athlete from the USA and Japan will run. The first team to win 3 matches wins the stage, and as the difficulty for each stage increases, so too will the points awarded. Stage 1 = 1 point Stage 2 = 2 points Stage 3 = 3 points Stage 4 = Tiebreaker Each team will choose one member to climb to the top of the 100-foot tower. Whichever athlete does it fastest, their country will take home the inaugural world championship trophy.
Obstacles Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Timbers Hang Slider Roulette Cylinder 77-foot rope climb Giant Cycle Double Salmon Ladder Doorknob Grasper Rope Glider Unstable Bridge Floating Boards Jumping Spider Balance Tank Ultimate Cliffhanger Half Pipe Attack Metal Spin Bungee Rope Climb Warped Wall Wall Lift Hang Climb Spinning Bridge Spider Flip Final Climb Flying Bar
Results
Stage 1
All three Americans: James McGrath, Paul Kasemir, and Brent Steffensen completed Stage 1, with Hitoshi Kanno also completing it for Team Japan. McGrath finished in 1:16.67. Kanno finished in 1:25.43. Kasemir finished in 1:24.80. Steffensen finished in a record-breaking 1:14.53, the fastest time for an American on Stage 1 until Joe Moravsky beat it with a time of 1:12.72 the next year.
Leaderboard
Order # Competitor Outcome Obstacle/Result 1 Brent Steffensen Completed 1:14.53 (previously 5th - 1:39.37 in the National Finals) 2 James McGrath Completed 1:16.67 (previously 3rd - 1:31.53 in the National Finals) 3 Paul Kasemir Completed 1:24.80 (previously 10th - 1:47.66 in the National Finals) 4 Hitoshi Kanno Completed 1:25.43 5 Elet Hall Completed 1:30.75 6 Lorin Ball Completed 1:31.38 7 Joe Moravsky Completed 1:33.53 8 Jesse La Flair Completed 1:43.03 9 Josh Cook Completed 1:43.97 10 Chris Romrell Completed 1:45.14 11 William Brown Completed 1:47.27 12 Drew Drechsel Completed 1:48.37 13 Jamie Rahn Completed 1:50.74 14 Casey Finley Completed 1:51.10 15 Noah Kaufman Completed 1:55.90 16 Travis Rosen Completed 1:56.50 17 Yev Kouchnir Completed 2:00.33 18 Kyle Sinacori Completed 2:02.40 19 Andres De La Rosa Completed 2:05.76 20 Brian Arnold Completed 2:06.36 21 Travis Weinand Completed 2:07.70 22 Idoko Abuh Completed 2:08.02
Stage 2
Brian Arnold and James McGrath both completed Stage 2 for Team USA. Arnold finished with a time of 1:14.63, and McGrath finished with a time of 1:15.00.
Leaderboard
Order # Finalist Result Notes 1 Brian Arnold Completed 1:14.63 (previously 4th - 1:38.77 in the National Finals) 2 James McGrath Completed 1:15.00 (previously 2nd - 1:29.34 in the National Finals) 3 Casey Finley Completed 1:23.64 4 Idoko Abuh Completed 1:36.30 5 Joe Moravsky Completed 1:47.30 6 Travis Weinand Completed 1:54.87 7 Travis Rosen Completed 1:59.83
Stage 3
Paul Kasemir became the MVP of Team USA by making it all the way to the last obstacle of Stage 3, the Flying Bar, winning the competition for the Americans.
Final Score: Team USA: 6, Team Japan: 0
Champions: Team USA
USA vs. The World (September 2014)
During the Season 6 finale, NBC announced that another special entitled "USA vs. The World" matchup would take place in Las Vegas under a new format. On September 15, Team USA competed against a returning Team Japan, and a new team, Team Europe. This was the second international competition that pitted top competitors from the United States American Ninja Warrior, Japan Ninja Warrior (Sasuke), and also European All Stars. The three-hour special aired on September 15, 2014, on NBC with an encore airing September 16, 2014, on Esquire. The special once again was hosted by hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, as well as sideline reporter Jenn Brown.
Rosters Team USA Brian Arnold Elet Hall Paul Kasemir Joe Moravsky Travis Rosen
Team Japan Hitoshi Kanno Kazuma Asa Ryo Matachi Yusuke Morimoto Shingo Yamamoto
Team Europe Tim Shieff (England) Sean McColl (Canada) Stefano Ghisolfi (Italy) Miska Sutela (Finland) Vadym Kuvakin (Ukraine)
Team USA Team Japan Team Europe Brian Arnold - 36, Brighton, CO - American athlete who has come short on Stage 3 Elet Hall ("The Natural") - 24, Cavetown, MD - one of only two competitors to make it to Stage 3 in Season 6 Paul Kasemir ("Mr. Consistency") - 28, Longmont, CO - the M.V.P. of the team that defeated the Japanese last year Joe Moravsky ("The Weatherman") - 25, Sherman, CT - went further than anyone else in Season 6 Travis Rosen ("The Ageless Wonder") - 40, Franklin, TN - A 2-time part of Team USA and captain of 2014's all-star groupHitoshi Kanno ("The Muscle") - 29, Kashiwa, Japan - Reached Sasuke Stage 4, ten-time Sasuke veteran Kazuma Asa ("The Speed Demon") - 32, Amagasaki, Japan - Stage 1 world record holder Ryo Matachi ("The Superfan") - 25, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan - Reached Sasuke Stage 4 Yusuke Morimoto ("The SASUKE Kid") - 22, Tosa, Kōchi, Japan - Sasuke rising star, competing seven times, first competing at age 15 Shingo Yamamoto ("The Godfather"), - 40, Tokyo, Japan - Captain of Team Japan and only athlete to compete in all 32 seasons of SasukeTim Shieff ("Livewire") - 26, London, England - Captain of Team Europe, world champion professional freerunner, ANW veteran, competing on three seasons Sean McColl - 27, Chambery, France - Canadian professional World Champion rock climber and current overall climbing champion Stefano Ghisolfi - 21, Turin, Italy - Professional World Cup rock climber, number one ranked Italian climber Miska Sutela - 23, Oulu, Finland - Ninja Warrior superfan, has trained all over the world, including Japan, trained with the Sasuke All-Stars; built 35 NW obstacles in his parents' backyard to train on. Vadym Kuvakin - 29, Kherson, Ukraine - Former Olympic gymnast, current member of the Cirque du Soleil cast for "La Reve" in Las Vegas
Overview
There are 3 heats on each stage: 1, 2, and 3. In each heat, one athlete from the USA, Japan, and Europe will run. Stage 1 = 1 point Stage 2 = 2 points Stage 3 = 3 points Stage 4 = Tiebreaker It will come down to a 7-story rope climb to determine the winner.
Obstacles Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Piston Road Rope Jungle Cannonball Incline 77-foot rope climb Giant Ring Double Salmon Ladder Doorknob Grasper Silk Slider Unstable Bridge Floating Boards Jumping Spider Butterfly Wall Ultimate Cliffhanger Half Pipe Attack Metal Spin Propeller Bar Warped Wall Wall Lift Hang Climb Spinning Bridge Spider Flip Final Climb Flying Bar
Results
Stage 1 Joe Moravsky beat Brent Steffensen's record of 1:14.53 from last year’s USA vs. Japan special in 1:12.72, the fastest time for an American on Stage 1. However, Tim Shieff beat Moravsky's time in a subsequent heat by finishing in 1:02.70 - the fastest time ever on Stage 1 in ANW history. Paul Kasemir also completed Stage 1 with a time of 1:17.21.
Leaderboard Order Finalist Outcome Result 1 Tim Shieff Completed 1:02.70 2 Joe Moravsky Completed 1:12.72 (previously 4th - 1:35.21 in the National Finals) 3 Paul Kasemir Completed 1:17.21 (previously 3rd - 1:33.96 in the National Finals) 4 Elet Hall Completed 1:18.40 5 Lorin Ball Completed 1:29.71 6 Ian Dory Completed 1:41.19 7 Joshua Cook Completed 1:41.29 8 Chris Wilczewski Completed 1:42.74 9 Abel Gonzalez Completed 1:45.92 10 Jo Jo Bynum Completed 1:47.15 11 Travis Rosen Completed 1:47.27 12 Isaac Caldiero Completed 1:48.42 13 Andrew Lowes Completed 1:52.74 14 Dan Galiczynski Completed 1:55.35 15 Ryan Stratis Completed 1:56.34 16 Dr. Noah Kaufman Completed 1:57.02 17 Yen Chen Completed 2:01.40 18 Brian Arnold Completed 2:03.43 19 J.J. Woods Completed 2:04.73
Stage 2
All three Americans: Travis Rosen, Elet Hall, and Brian Arnold completed Stage 2, with Sean McColl also completing it for Team Europe. Arnold finished with a time of 2:55.57. Rosen finished with a time of 1:48.00. Hall finished with a time of 2:06.32. McColl finished with a time of 1:46.51, the fastest of the season.
Leaderboard 1 Sean McColl Completed (1:46.51) 2 Travis Rosen Completed (1:48.00) 3 Joe Moravsky Completed (2:03.71) 4 Elet Hall Completed (2:06.32; previously 1st - 1:51.66 in the National Finals) 5 Brian Arnold Completed (2:55.57)
Stage 3
Yusuke Morimoto made ANW history by becoming the first athlete to ever finish Stage 3 with a time of 5:38.91. Stefano Ghisolfi became the second athlete and first European to finish Stage 3 with a time of 4:46.89. Ryo Matachi followed by becoming the third athlete to complete Stage 3 with a time of 5:04.67. Brian Arnold became the fourth athlete and first American to complete Stage 3 with a time of 4:39.90, the fastest of the four finishers. Arnold's finish moved Team USA into a tie with Team Europe, forcing a climb-off on Stage 4.
Leaderboard 1 Brian Arnold Completed (4:39.90) 2 Stefano Ghisolfi Completed (4:46.89) 3 Ryo Matachi Completed (5:04.67) 4 Yusuke Morimoto Completed (5:38.91)
Final Score: Team USA: 9, Team Europe: 9, Team Japan: 0
Stage 4