American Ninja Warrior’s New England wave hits Season 18

Season 18 of “American Ninja Warrior” premieres June 8, and New England—especially Massachusetts—has become a deep pipeline of athletes. From Taylor “Teej” Johnson’s continued push toward national finals to Addy Herman’s past run at the Women’s Championship, t

On a sunny afternoon in Bridgewater, Taylor “Teej” Johnson is home with a mini golden-doodle named Harley—who, she says with a laugh, “doesn’t know how to rest.” The dog’s favorite place is the gym. For Johnson, the instinct is the same.

Johnson. a veteran “American Ninja Warrior” contestant and a member of the Boston Celtics Dunk team. is set to head to Fall River for a training session at Vitality Obstacle Fitness. It’s the kind of routine that has become familiar in Massachusetts. where ninja training has exploded into something closer to a regional sport culture—with athletes coming from gyms. leagues. and families that treat obstacles like serious practice.

“Harley doesn’t know how to rest — the gym is his favorite place,” Johnson said, turning what sounds like a pet anecdote into a familiar truth: in this corner of the country, the training never really stops.

Season 18 of NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” premiered June 8 with a new regional-qualifying format. The first three episodes, which air Mondays, featured Western ninjas running. The Eastern Regional qualifiers kick off June 29 at 9 p.m. and the show’s format will bring in resident New Englanders—18 in total. with 12 from Massachusetts alone. according to a show rep. The Eastern Regional Final airs July 13.

After that, 20 ninjas from each region—New England natives peppered throughout—converge in the next round, per a show rep. The last man standing wins the $250,000 grand prize. The show pairs men and women on the same course, but the show’s history remains one of men taking the title.

For viewers, the stakes feel more immediate than in years past. “American Ninja Warrior” is still co-hosted by Matt Iseman. Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall. and it still follows the sports-reality road that began in 2009 based on the Japanese show “Sasuke.” Courses change with the seasons. and many obstacles reappear. The vibe may stay light. but the competition has tightened—especially after last year’s addition of head-to-head live-or-die racing. where falling or losing a race ends the season.

This season ups the tempo with “Tripleheader,” a supersized three-lane racecourse where ninjas go head-to-head-to-head. Tripleheader debuted June 22. Top two move on.

That shift matters to the athletes themselves, who describe the mental strain as the difference between simply performing and surviving a race.

Johnson is returning for her eighth season competing. She said that when she first started. the show felt one way. but it has grown harder—“Compared to when I first started. it’s gotten way harder.” She also points to a new class of competitors shaped by years of early exposure. “Now we have competitors who have been doing ninja since they were 6,” she said. “They learn technique early. That’s why they’ve become so powerful.”.

Her own experience is part of the edge she believes she has. Last season. Johnson fell on the second obstacle. but she said the lesson going into this season was that experience can be the difference. “Going into this season, I realized I have something some others don’t: experience,” she said. “I just tried to trust myself a little more.”.

She also has the comfort of knowing how many people show up for her back home. “We had a big group out there this year,” Johnson said. “So I knew whether I fell or hit a buzzer, I had people in my corner.”

Among those people are athletes from Massachusetts who have already made the national stage.

Addy Herman of Pembroke made the “American Ninja Warriors” national finals in season 15 and is trying to win the whole shebang this season. The article notes Herman’s height—4-foot-11—when she set the record for the shortest athlete to qualify for nationals. In season 16. Herman won the 2024 ANW Women’s Championship. which aired as a stand-alone special; she took the trophy and $50. 000 home to Pembroke.

Herman has also dealt with setbacks. She told Johnson she had to handle a shoulder injury. Even so, she’s been preparing.

In her own season outlook, Herman said she wants to be the last woman standing. After an ankle injury limited her last season, she said: “Going into this season, I want to be the last woman standing.”

Noah Meunier of Lakeville and later Fairhaven has been another constant thread through New England’s recent run. In season 15, Meunier was the last New Englander standing, finishing third overall. In season 16, he placed third. He was the last New Englander standing last year. and he placed second overall in the season finale. losing to Kai Beckstrand of Utah.

The piece describes that moment as Meunier’s “Michael Jordan flu game,” with Akbar comparing it to Meunier being sick during the run.

Both Meunier and Herman are described as a “power couple.” The article also says the two set a Guinness World Record in 2025 for “the fastest time to complete a ‘mammoth’ obstacle course by a mixed pair.” The report connects that track record to a belief that both are on track for standout seasons.

Meunier is no stranger to gym culture in Fall River. The article says many ninjas have trained at Vitality Obstacle Fitness. and that they praise Coach Jordan Thurston. who travels with them to the NBC competition in Vegas. Meunier previously told Boston.com that Thurston is leading him “every step of the way” after coming in second in the nation last year. Herman echoed that in her own way. saying Thurston “doesn’t compete himself. but he’s a really good ninja. too.”.

Johnson also offered her own explanation for what makes Vitality different. “Honestly, I think it’s Jordan Thurston,” she said, describing it as “the way he runs classes.” She said it has brought “a lot of people passionate about the sport” to the gym.

That passion doesn’t stay confined to adults. The article points to a new generation raised around ninja gyms, and it ties that growth to the show itself—specifically the shift in age requirements. Ninja lowered the age to 15 from 21 a few seasons back, and Johnson called it a game-changer.

In that new reality, Herman said this is the first year she’s realized she’s “not one of the young ones.” She will compete in her sixth season, and she’s especially excited for the world to meet her Vitality training mate, 15-year-old Akshara “Aka” Pappu of Newton.

Herman said it’s “been amazing to train with Aka. ” adding that Pappu pushes her “so much.” The article also cites that Pappu is part of a generation who grew up with the sport. It says, according to her school newspaper, Pappu started ninja in kindergarten at Action Athletics before finding Vitality.

Johnson also described how the training culture works when the kids are treated like athletes early. She trains with the Vitality team classes for ages 6-14. She said the parents joke and call her Billy Madison, but that the kids are ruthless—“They don’t need rest.”

If the training pipeline is part of the reason New England produces so many competitors, the gyms are the concrete answer.

Johnson said the benefit of the New England area is simply the number of places where people can train at a high level. “I live 40 minutes from Vitality and 35 minutes from Ascend [in Kingston.],” she said. “I can go to different gyms. face different obstacles. get different input from coaches and athletes.” She contrasted that with “out west. ” where she said recreational gyms exist but there are “just a few for high-level training.”.

The report includes a reference that there are at least 10 ninja gyms in Massachusetts alone, according to NinjaGuide.com, and that a Google map shows even more.

Herman framed it the same way: “There’s so many gyms in New England. We’re really lucky.” She also said one of the best parts of the season was seeing the “lil’ ninjas” cheering from Ascend Obstacle Training in Kingston as they watched their coaches. Lucas Reale and Matt D’Amico. compete. The article says NBC had a live camera feed in Kingston and that both compete again this year.

The sport’s growth isn’t just about new competitors—it’s about new stakes. Ninja will be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA. The report says it will replace equestrian as one of the events in Modern Pentathlon. alongside swimming. fencing. running and laser shooting. Herman said she doesn’t think people will see “any ninjas. ” but she’s hoping by 2032. it will be its own discipline.

Johnson described a path where racing could help ninja become fully recognized. “We’re hoping ninja will end up as a solo sport in the Olympics,” she said. “If so, it’ll be the racing format. That’s like I think the cleanest way to do that.”

Johnson and other New Englanders are also headed to the Obstacle Course Race World Championships in Ireland next month.

In a way. all of it lands back on the same thing that first made ninja a “real sport” in the eyes of people who grew up watching it as television entertainment. Herman remembers telling a class—“Ninja’s not a real sport.” Now she can point to something bigger. “Being able to say, ‘Actually, it’s in the Olympics’ is such a cool step for this whole community.”.

The piece also captures the practical changes showing up as the sport professionalizes. It says athletes are getting sneakers made for ninja. Ollo has a line of Ninja shoes.

Johnson laughed when asked about jeans and Vans from the early days. “Right. We’ve seen it become a sport. Now you have people who train for this. So we’ve been needing something like this” shoe, she said.

Herman added that “it’s taken way too long to get to this point.” She said she has created a ninja shoe with Ollo “out in the fall,” and described it as important because athletes need a specific shoe as the sport continues to grow.

The emotional weight of these careers is also present in the story’s recurring focus on relationships, injuries, and momentum. Herman once competed as a high school sweethearts with Meunier. The article says Meunier is now an electrician and a ninja coach. while Herman is a ninja coach and motivational speaker who travels the world for competitions. It recounts Herman going to Croatia for a 100-meter obstacle race and being invited to be on “Sasuke” in Japan—the original TV show that sparked “American Ninja Warrior.” The piece says that opportunity was “an amazing opportunity” for her.

It also says her ninja competitions have taken her from Paris to Barbados, and that she is going to Germany and Sweden soon.

When she’s home, Herman is often coaching at Vitality or at her own gym run out of her Pembroke home. The article says more than 70 kids, ages 5-12, are enrolled there.

Johnson’s own story carries the same blend of athletics and community. She’s a Celtics Dunk Team member and has fellow ninjas on the squad. The article names D’Amico as competing on the show this season and lists Liv Keyes. True Becker. Tate Becker. and Kit “Lucky the Leprechaun” Ackermann as having previously competed.

And still, for all the training and all the hype around New England’s depth, the show remains brutally honest about what can happen in a single obstacle.

“Any ninja can fall on any obstacle,” the article says, “no matter how talented the athlete or simple the obstacle.” It notes that Johnson fell on the second obstacle last season.

That volatility is part of why the next run matters—and why the region’s momentum feels earned rather than manufactured.

In Bridgewater, Harley keeps waiting for the next stop. “Harley knows the word ‘Vitality,’” Johnson said with a laugh.

Season 18’s next wave is scheduled to begin with the Eastern Regional qualifiers on June 29 at 9 p.m., followed by the Eastern Regional Final on July 13, before the 20-ninja-per-region convergence in the next round. The show airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on NBC.

For New England ninjas—and for the gyms that have built the sport locally—this season isn’t just another set of episodes. It’s another chance to run, fall, recover, and keep pushing through whatever obstacle comes next.

American Ninja Warrior Season 18 New England ninjas Massachusetts Taylor Johnson Addy Herman Noah Meunier Vitality Obstacle Fitness Tripleheader 2028 Olympics