On this page
The course gets more inventive.
New cities, new obstacles, and a Vegas course that's starting to feel like home.
A rhythm worth tracking.
Season five adds Baltimore and Denver to the qualifying rotation alongside Venice Beach and Miami, and nationals settle into Las Vegas for a second consecutive year — proof the US-built course wasn't a one-season experiment. The obstacle lineup gets a real refresh too: Timbers, the Giant Cycle, and the Rope Glider debut in qualifying, with the Hang Slider added to the national stage. It's also the first season to broadcast a woman clearing the Warped Wall in a city final.
The #02 slot.
Slot #02 of 6 in the American Ninja Warrior Editor's Canon. Season five is the proof season — the year that confirms the Vegas finals course from a year earlier wasn't a one-off fix. Four qualifying cities give the field a wider net than the show's Venice-only years, and new obstacles like the Rope Glider and Hang Slider sharpen the qualifying stage without throwing off the pacing between qualifiers and nationals. It's not as structurally bold as the season before it, and the host booth is still finding its rhythm with two new additions. But the course itself finally reads as designed rather than improvised, which counts for more than novelty.