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'American Ninja Warrior' slammed for peddling sob stories, fans say 'manufactured melodrama is unwatchable'

The show's loyalists have loved every bit of the two-hour episode but there were some who expressed concerns about the sad backstories of most of the contestants

'American Ninja Warrior' Season 12 premiered tonight on NBC with qualifiers round 1 at St Louis. The show already has its first set of 13 ninjas who are moving on to the semi-finals after putting up thrilling performances at the six-stage obstacle race comprising shrinking steps, weight for it, ring chaser, rib run, slingshot and the warped wall/ mega wall.

The show's loyalists have loved every bit of the two-hour episode but there were some who expressed concerns about the sad backstories of most of the contestants. There was a lot of crying, slow-motion montages and somber narrations involved.

For instance, even though Pauline Avila's story was inspiring, the tears seemed to have failed to move fans. She is a nurse working at an ICU and has been treating Covid-19 patients. Her life has been hard these past few months because she has had to isolate herself even when she gets home. Pauline sleeps in the guest room and has not been able to closely interact with her children these past few weeks, much less hold them in her arms. 

Pauline fell out of the competition when she was unable to jump high and hold on to the bars. She was happy to have made an attempt given the limited amount of time she has had to train for the show, but fans are overwhelmed with the kind of sob content the show has been airing.

"WTF #AmericanNinjaWarrior does every participant have to have a crying moment to qualify? ANW: Sure you can run the course but we're going to need a sappy backstory where you have to cry on camera, first," a fan commented, another shared: "It gets to be too much after the 3rd or 4th one."

"This show is unwatchable with its manufactured mellow-drama. The worst TV has to offer," a viewer posted on the show's Facebook page, another wrote: "More runs, less sob stories. I know it won’t happen but I can dream."

"I totally agree, all competition shows have so many sob stories and you hear the same story every week.. like hello we know this, you told us this last year," user expressed. "Yes, less fluff, more competition please!! And the announcers are so annoying. Thankful for mute button," another echoed.

Jody Avila, Tyler Gillett, Nate Hansen, Jon Alexis Jr, Julius Ferguson, Mike Wright, Grant McCartney, Allyssa Beird, Flip Rodriguez, Jonathan Horton, Ryan Lashoff, Taylor Johnson and Sandy Zimmerman are the first 13 contestants who have qualified for the next round.

Catch all the new episodes of 'American Ninja Warrior' Season 12 on NBC every Monday at 8/7c. For more information, check your local listings.