Hey friends! The time is almost here!!! I’m just a little bit excited! Here is pretty much everything you need to know while watching for me on #AmericanNinjaWarrior this Wednesday night, June 8th on NBC at 8/7c!
Me and Dougie! We met in season 7 in Orlando and were both featured in the Orlando qualifying episode, back-to-back. And the shorts match perfectly!!
- After sifting through over 70,000 applications this year, producers select 100 lucky ninjas to compete in 5 regional qualifiers, held in different cities around the country. Each region also allows up to 30 “walk-ons”, who camp out up to 2 weeks ahead of time for a chance to run the course.
- At each region, the show is filmed in 2 overnight shoots. The “City Qualifying” round is the first night, and consists of all 100+ runners attempting the qualifying course, with the finish being the top of the infamous Warped Wall.
- Those who finish the qualifying course the first night advance to the City Finals on the second night, where the course is extended by 4 additional obstacles after the Warped Wall. The top 15 finishers on the Finals course qualify for the national finals, filmed in Las Vegas in early summer.
- The southeast region for season 8 was held in Atlanta, GA, in front of Turner Field.
- The obstacles differ from city to city. The opening steps, the warped wall, the salmon ladder and the final obstacle are always the same, but the obstacles in between will be different. Some may be recycled from previous seasons, and some will be brand new.
- The height of the Warped Wall has been increased this year to 14-1/2 feet, 6 inches taller than previous seasons.
- Competitors do not get to touch the course before their run.
- The night before filming, many ninjas meet up at a local gym to play together, maybe do some ninja-karaoke, and stay up most of the night in order to help acclimate themselves to the overnight shoots.
- We do not know who’s run will be shown on TV until it airs. Unfortunately, there just isn’t time to show everyone, and more than half of the competitors don’t make the final cut for a qualifying-round episode. If your favorite ninja wasn’t shown in the City Qualifying show, perhaps they’ll be shown in the City Finals!
- The season 8 premier was last week, and was the Los Angeles Qualifier. The Atlanta Qualifier is this Wednesday, and then the series moves to Monday nights for the Qualifiers in Indianapolis, Oklahoma and Philadelphia. The City Finals for each region will be aired after all of the Qualifiers have aired.
Lastly, if you are pulling for me on Wednesday night, please take a photo of you and your friends in front of the TV and post it to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #BootieBandwagon
If you have a question I can answer about American Ninja Warrior, post it in the comments and I’ll address it!
Thank you SO much for your support!!
Follow:
NBC American Ninja Warrior on facebook
@nbcninjawarrior on Twitter and Instagram
@bootiecothran on Twitter and Instagram
https://www.facebook.com/bootiebandwagon
Bootie Cothran 
I don’t know if you remember me or not from long ago at FBC Greenville, but I am thrilled and impressed beyond words at your strength, stamina, and awesomeness! I’m such a big fan of yours, and I will be watching on Wednesday and cheering you on!
Where can I get a Bootie Bandwagon t-shirt? 😊
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Hey Anne, I do remember you and your family, and hope you are all well. Thanks for the kind words and support!
Check out my t-shirt page here:
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SO exciting can’t wait. GOOOOO BOOTIE !!!!
Love me
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Thanks for the detailed info on the qualifying and selection process. I’m surprised how limited the number of spots are to get on the show. It seems like they should allow everyone who wants to try out a shot to make it, even if they have to have more qualifying rounds.
Anyway, you did great on the show last night! I have a similar build so it was nice to see someone like myself compete on the course! I would like to try it out sometime, but I have to train a lot more first! Hope to see you on the course again as a wild card or next year!
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Thanks, and you’re welcome! Yeah, there are a TON of people who want to get on the course, so the logistics of allowing everyone to try out makes that a very tough task. Good luck with your training! Hope to see you out there!
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I can’t find the answer on the site. Why the show is filmed at night?? Tx
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I think the answer is simply for production value of filming with the black backdrop and all the flashy lights.
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After the qualifications are done, can contestants run the course again or attempt ones they failed or didn’t make it to? How long is the course set up for? Thanks
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Hi Neil! No, we are not allowed to touch the course before or after our run, on either the qualifying or finals night. They start building the course about a week ahead of time, and are still putting finishing touches and tweaks on it all the way up to the start of filming. Once the City Finals filming is over, they will begin tearing things down. I’m not sure how long it takes to break it all down and get on the road, but probably a couple of days. It’s an amazing production!
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