NBC's season 13 made a dramatic shift by allowing any athletes 15 years or older to compete in the hit series. From the shocking skill of the young athletes to the community's embrace of the rule revision, here's why American Ninja Warrior producer Kent and his team opted to lower the minimum age requirement.
Although American Ninja Warrior originally only featured adults, the reality competition has always appealed to audiences of all ages. One reason why the series is so popular is that a person of any age can feel inspired by a contender making it through a daunting obstacle course. In fact, many young viewers were motivated to start training for American Ninja Warrior courses at a young age, whether it was casually in their backyard with family or at gyms dedicated to training future Ninjas. The influx of young athletes resulted in the spinoff series, American Ninja Warrior Junior, which features contestants who are 9 to 14 years old. Initially, 15 to 18-year-olds had nowhere to compete during their time in the gap, but season 13's lowered age limit finally accommodated this teenage group.
Execute Producer Kent knew that the age gap between 14 and 19 was something that needed to be addressed. Kent shared, "There’s been a gap for a while. We were trying to figure out how to deal with it. We didn’t just want to do a teen show. We had lowered it to 19 a couple seasons ago and it just felt like it was time." At first, audiences weren't sure how to respond to younger contestants taking on the same intimidating obstacle courses that seasoned veterans face on American Ninja Warrior. This was not a concern of Kent's, as he explained, "The quality of the ninjas was so good now that they deserved it. And they proved it this season as well. We really thought that they had the strength and they had the power and the emotional strength too to compete on the big stage."
Although Kent was confident that 15, 16, 17, and 18-year-olds had what it takes, the producer confessed, "In the beginning, it surprised us all but they were just amazing." Plenty of previously ineligible athletes have made it very far on season 13, including 15-year-old American Ninja Warrior enthusiast Josiah Pippel, who made it all the way to the National Finals. On top of appreciating the young competitors' success, Kent added how proud he is of the community's of the 15 to 18-year-olds. Kent expanded, "The wonderful, beautiful thing about this is the community that embraced them... They’re part of the family now." Kent asserted that he's excited for the future of the franchise with younger athletes now involved, claiming, "Every year, there’ll be these rookies that come in and... that’s exciting. The teens from this season will be the veterans next season!"
While some fans were skeptical about the young contestants' credentials, Kent and his team were always confident that lowering the age requirement would only enhance American Ninja Warrior season 13. Kent was vindicated in his decision, as the 15 to 18-year-old athletes have thrived on the series. They might be teenagers, but the young American Ninja Warrior contestants are giving the veterans a run for their money.
The American Ninja Warrior season 13 finale airs Monday, September 13, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.