American Ninja Bore-rior

Year after year, one of my very favorite TV shows used to be the reliably inspiring American Ninja Warrior on NBC. It was like a more wholesome remix of American Gladiators, or basically a replacement for The Biggest Loser that didn’t encourage eating disorders, challenging a diverse range of contestants from all walks of life to attempt to traverse diabolically creative obstacle courses lest they splash down into the water below. Season after season, ANW was truly Great Television.