American Ninja Warrior season 11

Obstacles

The season introduced the Power Tower, a new obstacle where the two fastest finalists from each city qualifier competed for a 'speed pass' that advanced the winner directly to the National Finals. In city finals, the Power Tower offered a 'safety pass' granting a second chance on Stage 1 or Stage 2 of the National Finals. Most safety pass recipients used theirs: Drew Drechsel and Flip Rodriguez on Stage 1, and Dave Cavanagh, Mathis 'Kid' Owhadi, and Karson Voiles on Stage 2.

Michael Torres did not play his safety pass because he completed both Stage 1 and Stage 2, and the pass could not be used on Stage 3. Flip Rodriguez timed out on the Water Walls after using his safety pass on Stage 1, and Dave Cavanagh fell twice on Stage 2—first on Giant Walk the Plank, then on the Extension Ladder—and did not advance to Stage 3. The Mega Wall returned with revised rules: contestants chose between the 14.5-foot Warped Wall or the 18-foot Mega Wall before attempting, could not switch, and received three attempts.

Cash prizes were $10,000 for a first-try success, $5,000 for the second, and $2,500 for the third. Some obstacles were created by fans through the 'American Ninja Warrior Obstacle Design Challenge.'

City courses

The Los Angeles qualifiers featured two new obstacles, Walk The Plank and Spring Forward, held on the backlot of Obstacle Academy. The Los Angeles Clippers cheerleaders and mascot Chuck the Condor were present, and former NBA player Kareem Rush ran the course while 10-time NBA all-star Paul Pierce cheered. Gymnast Danell Leyva completed the course. In the Los Angeles finals, a new obstacle called Leaps of Faith appeared.

Only the Top 12 competitors from each city advanced to the National Finals, but Los Angeles sent 15: the Top 12, the Top 2 Women, and Speed Pass winner Hunter Guerard. The Atlanta qualifiers, held outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, introduced Off The Hook and the Ferris Wheel. Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders and mascot Freddie Falcon attended. Celebrity competitors included former NFL cornerback Tyrone Poole, who reached the Ferris Wheel, and World Series of Poker player Tony Miles, who fell on the third obstacle.

The course had a tie-in with the 2019 film The Secret Life of Pets 2, and lab technician Andrew 'Roo' Yori received a $20,000 check from the film's creators for his nonprofit, The Wallace The Pitbull Foundation.

National Finals

Stage 1 introduced a new obstacle, Spin Your Wheels. Drew Drechsel failed on the Tire Run and used his safety pass to retry, completing the course on his second attempt. Flip Rodriguez also used his safety pass after falling on the Diving Boards and finished on his second try. No women completed Stage 1 for the second consecutive season.

Stage 2 featured three new obstacles: Giant Walk the Plank, the Extension Salmon Ladder, and the Grim Sweeper. A record 21 competitors completed Stage 2. Kid Owhadi failed on the Grim Sweeper and used his safety pass to finish; Karson Voiles failed on Snap Back and used his safety pass to finish. Dave Cavanagh failed on Giant Walk the Plank, used his safety pass, but fell again on the Extension Ladder, becoming the only safety pass user on Stage 2 who did not advance to Stage 3. Stage 3 introduced three new obstacles: Grip & Tip, Iron Summit, and Pipe Dream.