‘American Ninja Warrior’ Season 18 hits NBC tonight with a mind-bending new course twist no one expected
It is that time of the year again when 'American Ninja Warrior' takes the country by storm! The long-running NBC summer competition series premieres its latest and eighteenth episode on Monday, June 8, at 9 PM ET. All episodes of the upcoming season will first air on NBC and then be available on Peacock the next day. Several returning players and a couple of new faces will step into the mantle of the competition, continuing the almost two-decade-long program, featuring contenders vying among themselves to win the country's toughest obstacle course. Alongside the contestants, the popular hosting duo of Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila returned to the show, with Zuri Hall as the co-host from the sidelines.
As 'American Ninja Warrior' is always looking to raise the stakes and up the ante with each passing season, the upcoming instalment of the NBC show will feature a new obstacle round. Referred to as the "Tripleheader," the three-lane racecourse will pit contestants against each other by having them compete head-to-head in high-speed side-by-side races. The premiere episode will focus on the West Regional qualifiers. Season 18 will feature a contested battle between qualifiers from West, East, and Central for a seat in the new Regional Finals, ultimately moving on to the National Finals, which will be held in Las Vegas. Moreover, the National Finals will follow the all-racing format, with one lucky winner walking away with the considerable $250,000 grand prize.
Speaking in a recent interview with TV Insider, Iseman opened up about the concept of the Tripleheader when he revealed, "We saw this in head-to-head racing. When you watch the athletes and how they train year-round. They are not building four-stage courses. They are building head-to-head race courses. We saw these ninjas push themselves through speed. Our producers are always asking what’s next, what’s bigger, what’s better. When they came up with the Tripleheader, we were thinking how this was even going to work. The thing I loved about it is it’s never over."
He further added, "With the Tripleheader course, you have two people advancing. It looks like it’s done, but until two people hit that buzzer, there is always a chance. The thing we loved is you never knew how a race was going to shake out, and having not just one person out there, but two people, change strategy and move up the pressure. It was something we didn't know how it would turn out, and it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the season." For those who do not have access to NBC via cable television, several direct-to-TV platforms, like DirecTV and Sling, offer viable alternatives. On the other hand, Peacock offers subscription packages in the US starting from $7.99 per month.
