If you follow my blog, you know that I watch American Ninja Warrior despite serious frustrations with the presentation. I frequently watch every episode then vent about what they're doing wrong. The most recent season is over, and I definitely have reasons to vent.
A lot of what I have to say is repeating myself. They had an episode themed around How To Train Your Dragon. These corny promos are among the reasons I hate Disney. Obviously, I hate when NBC copies this tactic.
I have complained about all the spoilers. When they had the Pom Wonderful run of the night, you knew the final runner would have to do well if it had not yet been awarded. Whenever they have had a winner, they have told us in the promos. Those particular spoilers weren't problem with their new format, but they still spoiled a couple moments.
"Only one woman has ever completed an extended course." Gee. I wonder why they are putting that in their promos. How is that relevant to what actually happens in the next episode? A woman completed an extended course this season? Who saw that coming? That last question was easy to answer. It was obvious to anyone who saw the promos.
Joe Moravsky announced that he was retiring from the show. They had plenty of opportunities to share a story about his history on the show. They showed that story just before his last run. It was clear that it was his last run just by the timing of the story. They could have easily waited until just after he was eliminated, but they just had to make sure we knew he would lose the race before they showed it.
They didn't have to share the story at all, but some of their stories are worse. I remember them pushing a sob story about Daniel Gil that involved flooding even at the main house. The main house? His family clearly has money. This time he felt honored because he wrote a book about himself. It's hard for me to root for someone that arrogant.
One thing that has bothered me that I don't think has made my prior posts is a cliche of a catch phrase. "Let's go!" It's remarkable how many people shout those exact words. It's even worse hearing it after they have already gone.
Perhaps the worst part of the latest season was the format change. It was an all-racing final. I have never been a fan of the racing. I could at least tolerate the tower races simply because they were separate from the actual courses. I hated it when they brought racing to the actual courses. Considering my complaints then, what did anyone expect when that was the entire final?
I suspect the changes made were to make it easier to manage the show. This new format means they know precisely how many people will run each stage. They can also move away from the uncertainties of whether there will be a winner.
The primary thing that stands out about this sport is that athletes are competing against the course instead of each other. The reason that I have put up with NBC's cringe-worthy presentation is because I like the concept behind it. If you destroy the concept, is it still worth watching?
I ran a quick search on the Internet to see if I could find any information about next season. It appears that they will still be using the all-racing format for the final. Supposedly, there will be three-person races. Obviously, that doesn't address my issues with the format.
I don't want to say anything with certainty, but I'm leaning against watching the next season. I could push past the presentation because of how much I liked the concept. Now that NBC has destroyed the concept, how am I supposed to cope with the presentation?
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