The first season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on December 12, 2009, with the first four episodes of the season. The final four episodes were released on December 19, 2009. The season was hosted by Blair Herter and Alison Haislip and the finalists were sent to Japan to compete in Sasuke 23. All eight aired on G4, an American television network. Levi Meeuwenberg was the "Last Ninja Standing," meaning he made it the furthest of any American competitor on Sasuke 23. The season operated on a lower budget than any other season, and only one contestant who competed in the first season has also competed in all the other seasons: David Campbell.
Notable Competitors Notable competitors this season included:
Professional freerunner Levi Meeuwenberg Professional freerunner Brian Orosco Professional MMA fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller Former American Gladiator Xin Wuku
Obstacles + Season 1 Obstacle ChartEventObstaclesQualifiersQuintuple StepsRope SwingBarrel RollSpider WallPipe SliderWarped WallN/ASemifinalsTarzan SwingJumping BarsCargo ClimbMount MidoriyamaTwelve TimbersCurtain SliderLog GripJumping SpiderHalf-Pipe AttackSlider JumpFinal ClimbN/A
Results Qualifiers The top thirty competitors moved on. +Top 30 CompetitorsRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1William Spencer0:33Finished2David Campbell0:35Finished3Paul Darnell0:35Finished4Rich King0:35Finished5Chris Delfin0:37Finished6Ryan Cousins0:37Finished7Levi Meeuwenberg0:38Finished8Caine Sinclair0:39Finished9Dorian Cedars0:39Finished10Jazon Khazi0:41Finished11Matt Marshall0:42Finished12Travis Furlanic0:42Finished13Brian Orosco0:44Finished14David Gruner0:44Finished15Sean Morris0:45Finished16Gabe Nunez0:45Finished17Geoff Iida0:46Finished18Elias Worsencroft0:46Finished19Andrew Karsen0:47Finished20Andrew Taber0:47Finished21Ruselis Perry0:47Finished22Jacob Smith0:48Finished23Shane Daniels0:51Finished24Sam Reynolds0:52Finished25Gabriel Cortes0:55Finished26Rick Huelga0:58Finished27Joop Katana0:59Finished28Tra Truong0:59Finished29Matt Asanuma0:59Finished30Brian Kretsch1:00Finished
Semifinals The top 15 finalists move onto the finals. +Top 15 CompetitorsRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1William Spencer1:23Finished2Levi Meeuwenberg1:28Finished3David Campbell1:30Finished4Sean Morris1:32Finished5Travis Furlanic1:32Finished6Paul Darnell1:34Finished7Rich King1:35Finished8Ryan Cousins1:36Finished9Shane Daniels1:39Finished10Caine Sinclair1:41Finished11Andrew Karsen1:41Finished12Rick Huelga1:41Finished13Brian Orosco1:45Finished14Geoff Iida1:48Finished15Joop Katana1:49Finished
Finals In the finals, competitors must face two challenges. The two times on each challenge combined are a given contestant's total time. The ten contestants with the top times go on to compete in Sasuke 23.
Challenge #1: Competitors must shove 10 large slabs across a distance and arrange them in a pyramidal structure while a bungee cord (with a big tire on the end) is strapped to them.
Challenge #2: In the first of three parts in this challenge competitors must crawl under a cargo net. Then, they must walk across two logs with a heavy barrel lifted high over their head. Finally, they must run through a forest of tires without touching them.
Mount Midoriyama Stage 1 +Stage 1 CompetitorsRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Rick HuelgaNoneSlider Jump2Joop KatanaNoneSlider Jump3Geoff IidaNoneWarped Wall4Shane DanielsNoneFinal Climb5Caine SinclairNoneFinal Climb6Rich King1:46.60Finished7Paul DarnellNoneHalf-Pipe Attack8Travis FurlanicNoneJumping Spider9Levi Meeuwenberg1:30.80Finished10Brian Orosco1:41.35Finished
Stage 2 +Stage 2 CompetitorsRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Rich KingNoneUnstable Bridge2Brian OroscoNoneUnstable Bridge3Levi Meeuwenberg51.86Finished
Stage 3 +Stage 3 CompetitorsRankCompetitorTimeFurthest Obstacle1Levi MeeuwenbergNoneCliff Hanger
Episode air dates +Air DatesEpisode TitleAir DateEpisode 1December 12, 2009Episode 2December 12, 2009Episode 3December 12, 2009Episode 4December 12, 2009Episode 5December 19, 2009Episode 6December 19, 2009Episode 7December 19, 2009Episode 8December 19, 2009
References
External links
American Ninja Warrior Nation Official website