American Ninja Warrior was all set to film its 2020 season until a global pandemic shook the entire world. Covid-19 rearranged life for just about everybody. Even a task as simple as grocery shopping had to be meticulously prepared for before being able to do it. Of course, production of television and movies was also subject to change due to the virus as well.
With all the contestants and crew of American Ninja Warrior ready to film, production came to a screeching halt. Just a day before filming was about to begin, the entire set and obstacle course was taken down and packed away into 27 semi-truck trailers, where it sat waiting in Pomona...until now. Having taken a pause to figure out a plan as elaborate as the obstacle course itself, the show is set to come back and finally film. It will obviously be a bit different, but just what sort of changes are there?
According to the LA Times, the competition itself will be a lot simpler and more straightforward than it was previously. There will be no region specific competitions and there will be no Las Vegas finals. The prize itself will no longer be $1 million dollars either, but a mere $1oo,000 dollars. Contestants will report to a huge inside arena — the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. The show producers also had to make the difficult decision to cut down on the casting. Those that were able to get away for two weeks time were put up in individual hotel rooms with frequent testing. Masked camera crews and contestants were fed through a catering company and the equipment was wiped down each run and also sprayed with electrostatic disinfectant spray each evening. Needless to say they took every precaution they could to ensure the safety of contestants and crew.
So how did contestants feel about all this? They seemed very receptive. One contestant admitted that between her kids and online teaching, it was a nice break to only have to worry about herself for two weeks. She stated, “I have to be completely honest — when I got the call, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, for two weeks all I have to worry about is myself?" For some competitors it wasn't an easy decision due to underlying health conditions. One contestant with asthma stated "I wasn’t sure I wanted to put myself in a position where I could catch this thing, because I’m not sure if my respiratory system would have the strength to fight it off.” Of course, after careful consideration and reading over all the safety measures, he felt much better and even went on to say, "I could tell that, for them, it wasn’t just about filming a show — they were also worried about taking care of us and making sure we had the best experience possible.”
The only thing contestants really complained about was the fact that they could hear the commentary of their performance due to the lack of fans in the crowd and it was a little annoying and intimidating, but they started to cheer each other on to make it less awkward. It seems everyone in the industry has had to shift perspectives on how to film. Maybe that's a good thing. While change, especially in these times, is scary, maybe it's needed to make people feel like people and not have production be so mechanical.
Sources: LA Times
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