One thing I don’t talk about too often on the blog is my guilty pleasures. Well, I use “guilty pleasures” for the lack of a better term, because I honestly don’t feel too guilty about my reality tv habits. One of those shows I can watch for hours and find endlessly fascinating is American Ninja Warrior. The show recently came to Philadelphia and I had the chance to visit the set. It was one of the absolute coolest experiences I’ve ever had — and I didn’t even run the course!
For the uninitiated, this is what American Ninja Warrior is all about:
If you’re wondering, I do not have the type of upper body strength.
The course was at the Richmond Power Plant, in Northeast Philadelphia. This was super awesome, because not only is this between my office and my home, but it is an underrepresented, blue collar area of Philadelphia. It’s cool that Port Richmond was in the spotlight, and it made for an awesome set. I had a chance to ask one of the hosts, Matt Iseman, about what it meant to bring American Ninja Warrior to Philadelphia.
What this show is all about is people being resilient and doing things they didn’t know they could do. So I think that’s why it’s so great to be in the city of Philadelphia, and it’s great being in the Northeast.” Matt Iseman
I also asked Matt and his fellow co-host, Akbar Gbajabiamila, why everyone should be watching American Ninja Warrior.
This is a show where success isn’t always defined by getting to the end and hitting the buzzer, success is defined by doing better than you ever thought you could…This is a sport where everyone, regardless of your age, regardless of your experience, your ability, you all compete on the same course.” Matt Iseman
I think everybody in life wants to be motivated and I think that’s what American Ninja Warrior does. It motivates people to be a better version of themselves. I think it’s relatable when people are watching American Ninja Warrior, they go, “wow, that’s me.” The stories of people who overcome, maybe it’s depression — and these are real-life issues we go through — cancer, maybe it’s the loss of a loved one, it’s those people, they come out here and compete. Akbar Gbajabiamila
That’s all well and good, but I was still interested in really meeting someone who was like me. I chatted with Caroline Ramsey, one of the competitors, and it blew my mind. She started weightlifting two years ago, rock climbing a year later, and then producers found her on Instagram and invited her to compete — and that was a month before taping! Insane. When I go to the gym for my monthly visit, I don’t even look at the weights. Caroline talked to me about her fitness journey, and hey, she had humble beginnings too!
I found some online forums where they were talking about women and weightlifting and I rolled the idea in my head for about a year, and finally I just got the courage to do it because I had a friend who had been doing weightlifting for a while. So he showed me the ropes. My tip for women is you just have to do it. It can be really intimidating in the gym, and especially when you’re the only female there, but you just have to find the mindset of confidence and just go in there, even if you’re not lifting a lot, just get started.” Caroline Ramsey
I could definitely relate to this — I was reading blogs for almost a year before I finally signed up for WordPress to start writing. Okay, totally different hobbies, but it’s still an important lesson: you eventually have to put your research into action. Another thing Caroline and I had in common? An appreciation for selfies and sweatproof makeup:
I cannot wait to see the episode later this month! I didn’t stay too late during taping (it was an overnight shoot) but I did see at least one person climb up the ninja wall and wow. Season 8 of American Ninja Warrior is currently airing on NBC Wednesday nights at 8 p.m., and the Philadelphia qualifying round airs June 27th. Thanks again to NBC letting me hang out on the set!
~ Sarah
