Matt Iseman & Akbar Gbajabiamila Set Stage for ‘American Ninja

What better way to gear up for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games than Season 16 of American Ninja Warrior? Your master of ceremonies for the competition is once again Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, along with co-host Zuri Hall. They’ll bring their trademark commentary as the show returns with qualifying rounds in Los Angeles.

The road to the national finals in Las Vegas won’t be easy. Qualifying ninjas will also have to face off side-by-side and head-to-head in the semis to earn a precious spot. Another returning aspect these athletes prepare for is conquering the 18’6’ Mega Warped Wall. There are ultimately four stages where guts and glory lead up to the rope climb standing between them and $1 million. Ninjas as young as 15 are putting their abilities to the test through two unique courses.

Here Iseman and Gbajabiamila set the stage for what’s to come. The dynamic duo also opened up about what it means to be part of the Olympics coverage for NBC Sports and Peacock’s Gold Zone streaming live daily starting July 27.

Pictured: (l-r) Matt Iseman, Zuri Hall, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila — (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

American Ninja Warrior returning just before the Olympics. Seems like the perfect way to get in the spirit of competition. 

Matt Iseman: For sure. I think the Ninja story-telling model is the same as the Olympics. You tell the backstory and give people a reason to care. Then you watch them soar. For us, particularly since we are covering the Olympics, it will be a busy summer. We can’t wait to see the awesome performances both on Ninja Warrior and in Paris.

Akbar Gbajabiamila: People are in the mood for competition and primed for the Olympics. So when you see Ninja Warrior a month or so beforehand, it puts people in the right frame of mind.

Matt: Wait a second. The Olympics gets people pumped or the Ninja Warrior finale. Let’s get it right.

Akbar: Okay, that’s it.  I stand corrected.

Vance Walker didn’t let cerebral palsy stop him from summiting Mt. Midoriyama. How do you think seeing him earn the million dollars (only the third time in 15 seasons) impact the competition this year? 

Akbar: I think it adds a lot of pressure to the ninjas. I think it will be incredibly difficult to see another winner to be quite honest with you. There was a time when we went through years and years before we saw a winner. I think a lot of the ninjas are going to carry this heavy expectation. There will be comparisons when you see the success. There are different things that come into play for athletes, but I will say Vance Walker is going to have a target. Everyone will be thinking, “He did it. I’m coming for you.” That’s part of the competition

Matt: The athletes also know for NBC it will hurt to give away another million dollars. So they are going to make the course a lot tougher. The ninjas know they are in for a challenge this season.

What do you think of ANW sticking with the side-by-side, head-to-head competition this season? 

Akbar: I love it. That’s what competition is all about. We talked about the Olympics where you see people going head-to-head when they are racing on a track or in the pool. When you see people go side-by-side, people often wondered for so many years who are the best ninjas. Now you get to see them compete side-by-side and duke it out in an epic manner.

Matt: It’s great the show is entering its 16th season, and we’ve had all the spinoffs. I look back to Team Ninja Warrior where we introduced the side-by-side racing. For Akbar and I, it is just so exciting because it’s like a rubber band where if one of the competitors gets too far ahead, all of a sudden They snap back with another coming ahead. It’s a different element. We were so excited to see people embrace it for Season 16. We certainly put our foot on the accelerator this season.

Pictured: (l-r) Enzo DeFerrari Wilson, Kyle Schulze — (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

What can you tease about the four new obstacles we’re going to see? 

Matt: It’s a gauntlet coming up. Akbar personally tested all of them to make sure they were challenging yet survivable. Akbar, you’re out of the hospital, right?

Akbar: [Laughs] I did give my two cents and said, “Hey look, this thing is ready. It’s going to be hard.” Without giving too much away, we’re telling you it’s going to be extremely difficult this year. It’s stuff you’ve never seen before. It may get you saying, “Man, that doesn’t even seem fair.”

Matt: Some of our best obstacles have come from our fans through the obstacle design challenge. There are times when we come up with an obstacle and think, “This is Fort Knocks. Nobody will ever get through it.” What has been amazing is seeing how these athletes will come up with ways to attack obstacles that none of our testers or designers ever envisioned. What’s cool is seeing how we can make it harder and the athletes rise to the occasion.

There are always great stories every season. Kyle Schulze is coming back for his eighth season. What’s it like seeing him return to the course? 

Matt: I love Kyle coming back. He is known as the “Deaf Ninja.” It is so important to have representation. Jessie Graff learned sign language from him. He has had this fifth obstacle curse he has never been able to get past. I remember Tacoma where he injured his shoulder and kept fighting with everything he had. We don’t want to give a spoiler, but let us say it’s a very special season for Kyle.

Akbar: Matt just talked about it. Representation, You look at the age range from 15 to 70 years old. Everybody is included. It’s probably the most inclusive sport in the world. Where you have men and women competing, teenagers and senior citizens. People who are retired who are competing and have success in all different ranges. It’s cool to see that.

What are your thoughts on Ninja Warrior-style obstacle courses coming to the Olympic Games in 2028? What do you see for the future of the sport because of this? 

Matt: I think wars will become a thing of the past. There will be no more war. Disputes will be settled on the Ninja Warrior course. I think it will be an era of world peace. No, I don’t know. If you told us we’d be airing our 16th season when we started, I never would have believed you. To be essentially to be validated as a sport and be part of the Olympics. I don’t know what’s next. Maybe we do it on the Moon at zero gravity. Lunar Ninja Warrior.

Akbar: As Matt said in a past interview, Daniel Gil has his own Nike shoe. Just stop, pause, for a second, and take that in. I’ve played in the NFL and played hard, but I never got a shoe. Think about the people who have had shoes and what they’ve done. When Nike gets involved, it’s a big deal. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, we can go on and on. These are big-time athletes who have shoes and a lot of deserving athletes who don’t have shoes. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have his own shoe, but Daniel Gil does.

With you two getting ready to cover the Olympics, who would you love to see on the Ninja course? 

Matt: Simone Biles would be the obvious choice. A gymnast with a great history. However, with her height, it would really be a challenge. I would love to see her out there.

Akbar: Katie Ledecky would be interesting. With all the dominance she has had, I would love to see how she would compete out of water. I think that is a good one. Noah Lyles I think is another one. Not only is he an exciting athlete to watch but an exciting athlete to listen to. He can do some trash-talking.

Matt: Sha’carri Richardson too. She has speed, great hair, and confidence.

Akbar: Don’t forget her long nails. She will have to cut her nails if she is going to compete in Ninja Warrior.

Matt: I don’t think she does. I’m not telling her what to do. There is no stopping that woman.

Being part of the Olympics again, what does it mean for you to do it together? You two feel like you’re in a long-time TV marriage. 

Akbar: Well, Matt is getting ready to get married. So, I’m feeling some type of way now. I’m a little jelly. No, it’s cool to do this with Matt. We had so much fun in Tokyo when we did the Olympics in 2020. It was so great to have those moments and to watch these great athletes compete.

Matt: I think one of the reasons we love Ninja Warrior is we’re both fans of people doing extraordinary things. Be it in the NFL, Ninja Warrior. That is what the Olympics are about. We’re excited to see what the Americans can do. They were incredible in Tokyo, but in Tokyo there were no fans. There was still the pandemic. We’re excited to be the first full Olympics out of the pandemic. I feel like Team USA is coming to win, and Akbar and I will be waving our flags too for them. I remember watching the Olympics as a kid and thinking how special it was for the athletes to not only compete for themselves but for their country. So, I think we’re glad to be the official unofficial cheerleaders for Team USA.

American Ninja Warrior Season 16 premiere, June 3, NBC

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