'American Ninja Warrior' Is Filmed in Las Vegas Months Before It Airs on NBC

Fans of NBC’s long-running and popular competition reality series American Ninja Warrior can breathe a sigh of relief now that it has officially returned with its 17th season — but some viewers may want to know when the current season was filmed. We have the details.

Premiering in December 2009 on the G4 network, American Ninja Warrior switched networks and began airing exclusively on NBC beginning with its fourth season back in 2012 — where it has remained since and acquired a much larger fan base.

According to NBC Insider, Season 17 of American Ninja Warrior was filmed exclusively in Las Vegas, breaking the prior tradition of filming in the Los Angeles area.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the season's filming commenced on Sept. 23, 2024, and ran through Oct. 5. Fans can visit the On Camera Audiences website to attend a taping of the series.

The website is also used for audience members for other NBC reality competition shows, such as America’s Got Talent.

Per NBC, all tickets for tapings of American Ninja Warrior are free and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition to the location change to Las Vegas, American Ninja Warrior has other new changes to the series beginning with its current 17th season.

Per NBC Insider, the bracket for the show has changed, as the national finals are set to feature both side-by-side and head-to-head races, and the new bracket-style tournament will now determine the next champion and the recipient of the $250,000 grand prize.

However, as a result, Mt. Midoriyama will not be included in the season, with side-by-side racing taking its place. Season 17 will also contain a mixture of new and legacy contestants, all vying for the grand prize. Some of the most memorable obstacles from seasons past are also returning, including: Quad Steps, Log Grip, Spin Cycle, Battering Ram, Fly Wheels, Lunatic Ledges, and Warped Wall, according to the outlet.

In an interview with WTHR, the hosts spoke about what fans can expect to see in the new season.

"Paying all my homage to the Indy 500, we reveal who the greatest race driver-turned-ninja has been. We've had Hélio Castroneves, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Josef Newgarden — we've had some big guys come out, and we reveal who the best is, so you don't want to miss that," co-host Matt Iseman told the outlet.

"We've seen and we've been accustomed to March Madness. This season, we're introducing to you 'Ninja Madness.' We're gonna have the brackets of ninjas who qualify to get into the finals, and we're gonna see who comes down to that very last ninja," fellow co-host Akbar Gbajabiamila shared.

The only woman among the show’s hosts, Zuri Hall, also chimed in with her thoughts on the show.

"What I love most about this show is I think it really captures the spirit of how I feel about the Midwest, too,” she said. “There's so much emphasis on community and family and supporting one another. These ninjas are technically in a competition with one another, but it doesn't feel like that."