American Ninja Warrior season 15

Did You Know?

• Applications for the season were accepted from November 19, 2022, until December 16, 2022.
• The full list of competitors was published on March 15, 2023.
• Filming began on March 15, 2023, and wrapped in early May 2023.

Obstacles

The qualifying course began with Pole Vault and ended on Warped Wall. Contestants who finished the course in under 1 minute and 20 seconds earned one attempt at the Mega Wall, which was increased to 18.5 feet high; completing it awarded an immediate $10,000 prize promoted by Wells Fargo. A new segment called "The Runoffs" replaced the Power Tower, featuring four obstacles with two copies placed side by side. The two male and two female contestants in the last two places on the leaderboard ran it head-to-head for the final semifinal spots.

In the semifinals, two contestants raced side-by-side on the Runoffs course with Slingshot and Rope Climb added as the last two obstacles. The two fastest finishers each night then competed on a Safety Pass course, with the winner receiving a do-over of Stage 1 in the National Finals if they failed. Some obstacles were created by fans through the Obstacle Design Challenge.

Qualifying

Eight qualifying nights were held on the Universal Studios Hollywood lot in Los Angeles. For the first time, men and women had completely separate leaderboards, and the number of semifinalists was reduced. The top 11 men and top 3 women advanced immediately, while the 12th and 13th men and the 4th and 5th women competed in The Runoffs for the final spots. On the first night, five competitors finished Course 1; two finished under 1:20 but neither scaled the Mega Wall.

In the runoffs, Ramcis Valdez and Taylor Johnson won the last men's and women's spots. Brian Kretsch, a competitor in every season, fell on Domino Effect and hinted at retirement. On Course 2, six finished; Kai Beckstrand became the first to complete the taller Mega Wall, and Jera Boyd also finished it. On Course 3, only two finished; Daniel Gil cleared the Mega Wall.

Gary Weiland won his runoff to become the first amputee to reach the semifinals. New qualifying obstacles included Pole Vault, The Getaway, Lasso Launch, Home Run, Greased Lightning, Ring the Bells, and Kite Surfer.

Semifinals

Four semifinal rounds were taped over three nights at the same Universal Studios lot. A new head-to-head racing format was introduced: competitors were seeded by merging leaderboards from qualifying courses with identical obstacles. All winners advanced to the National Finals, along with the two losers who reached the farthest obstacle in the least time, unless more than two losers finished the course, in which case all finishers advanced with the third fastest and slower going as reserves.

The two fastest winners each night raced for a Safety Pass, granting a second attempt on Stage 1 of the finals. On the first night, Taylor Greene became the first woman rookie to complete two straight courses and the only woman to hit the buzzer. The Behrends (Scott and Ben) became the first father-son duo to advance together. Kai Beckstrand lost to Kaden Lebsack in the Safety Pass race.

Notable veterans Chris DiGangi and Roo Yori failed to advance. Professional wrestler Baron Corbin appeared as a guest analyst.

National Finals

The National Finals took place on the Las Vegas Strip. Stage 1, spread over two nights, gave contestants 2 minutes and 50 seconds to clear eight obstacles; 24 contestants advanced, including non-finishers who made it farthest in the least time. New obstacles were The Gambler and Thread the Needle. Bob Reese performed a front flip on the Jumping Spider after failing the previous season; Flip Rodriguez timed out at the cargo net.

Najee Richardson failed to advance due to an asthma attack; R.J. Roman used his Safety Pass after falling on Thread the Needle. Stage 2 was untimed for the first time, using a racing format; the top four losers competed in two races, with winners advancing to Stage 3. A new obstacle, Jawbreakers, debuted. Joe Moravsky, Josiah Pippel, Flip Rodriguez, and Kaden Lebsack were eliminated.

Stage 3 retained its format; new obstacles were Pressure Cooker and Road Signs, and Slam Dunk debuted. Daniel Gil became the fourth American Ninja Warrior to achieve total victory, and Vance Walker became the fifth and the third to win $1,000,000.