The filming cities for Season 11 of ANW have announced and calls for the first 2 cities have started. With taping for the first city just weeks away, people started asking about walk-on line information.
However, the production company behind American Ninja Warrior announced today that they will be using a lottery system for choosing the 20 walk-ons for each city. Production will announce a time and location (most likely within a day or two of filming). Everyone will write their name on a sheet of paper and then names will be drawn from a hat. The first 20 names to be drawn will be allowed to run in that order. They expect only to allow around 15 people to actually run, the other 5 will be back-ups in case one of the first people isn’t there or can’t run.
The reasoning given behind this change is that with the growing popularity of the show, many people were camping in line for weeks at a time for a spot in the walk-on line, and A. Deign & Co. and others know not everyone has that amount of time to spend in line. They hope the change to a lottery system will even the playing field a bit for everyone.
Several times in the past ninjas who wait in the walk-on line have discussed possible tweaks to it themselves. One of the most popular ideas from the community is always to hold a ninja competition at a local ninja gym in the days before the filming. The top finishers in local competition would be granted walk-on spots. This would reward the most talented ninjas would then be most likely to do well on the show as well. However, as noted above, this is not the approach American Ninja Warrior will use this year, instead using a lottery system.
Hello #Ninjas! The Walk-on line for #ANW season 11 is near!
This season, in an effort to provide people who can’t take weeks away from work a chance to run the course, we’re adopting a lottery system! Anyone interested in walking on the ANW course is invited to meet Production at a predetermined time and location to be announced approximately one week in advance. Everyone that is on location by the announced time will write their name on a slip of paper or ticket, as provided by Production. Production will randomly select 20 names. The winners will be selected as the Walk-ons and will be invited to compete in the order that their names are selected.
This season, Production does not anticipate being able to accommodate more than 15 Walk-ons in each city. If someone who has one of the 20 selected numbers chooses not to run the course, the next number will slide into that spot. If your name is not selected or you are selected but don’t get the opportunity to compete you are eligible to apply to be a walk-on in upcoming cities. The “selected” numbers are nontransferable.
We’re hoping that the new system creates a level playing ground for applicants from all areas of the country and all walks of life and gives everyone an equal opportunity to get a chance to run the course. We are relying on our #Ninja community to continue in a positive manner so that we may allow for walk-ons in future city qualifiers.
The location does not permit overnight “camping”. There can be no loitering. Trespassing laws will be enforced. Any persons found to deliberately attempt to circumvent this process will be indefinitely disqualified from competing at any current or future #AmericanNinjaWarrior location. There will be no exceptions and any violations could result in the disbanding of the walk-on line
What do you think about the change?
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