<Tr> <Th> 10 </Th> <Td> 2018 </Td> </Tr> <P> Potential contestants go through a rigorous series of steps before the possibility of becoming the next American Ninja Warrior . Over 3,500 athletes have attempted to conquer Mount Midoriyama and become an American Ninja Warrior since the series began in 2009 . </P> <P> There are some requirements possible contestants have to meet before participating at a regional qualifier . Contestants must be legal residents of the US and be in decent physical shape . There is no upper age limit, but participants must be at least 19 years old (during the first 9 seasons, it was 21 years old). Contestants have to fill out a 20 - page questionnaire and make a video about themselves . The required length of the video has differed over the years . Submission video length requirements have varied from 2 to 8 minutes, depending on the season . Producers select 100 applicants from each region to participate in their regional qualifiers . Producers also select 20 to 30 "walk - ons" who in some cases wait for weeks camping outside to get a chance on the course . 1,000 people applied to compete in season one, 5,000 people in season 6, 50,000 in season 7, and 70,000 in season 8 . </P> <P> In each city, the competitors that the producers have selected compete on a 6 - obstacle course in hopes of making it to the city finals . The top 30 finishers make it to the city finals . Also, in Season 9, the top 5 women make it . The first obstacle is the quintuple steps or the floating steps and is the same for the rest of the cities for that season . Then comes an obstacle that moves along tracks . Next is either a balance obstacle or an upper - body obstacle . The other type will be fourth . Fifth is usually a grip obstacle, and sixth is the Warped Wall . In Season 9, the balance or the grip obstacle is an obstacle previously found in Stage 1 of Mount Midoryama . The obstacles are described by the sideline reporter at the beginning of every episode . </P>

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