For more than a dozen years, NBC has challenged top amateur athletes in the United States to compete against each other in high-flying obstacle courses and win a spot in the “American Ninja Warrior” finals in Las Vegas.
Now slackers and hackers will get a chance to test their skills at the nation’s first American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park in Santa Ana at Centennial’s MainPlace Mall.
“We are bringing the hit television show to main street USA. You won’t have to be a top-level athlete to participate, which allows fans of all ages to engage in the fun,” said Adrian Griffin, the CEO of the TV brand’s adventure parks outfit, a division of Air Park USA.
The difficulty of the demanding obstacles presented on TV is scaled down in the consumer version of the obstacle course, inviting fans of the show who have never climbed a rock wall or practiced Ninja tactics to take part in the fun.
Indeed, Centennial CEO Steve Levin feels that the park will appeal to the millions of visitors who flock annually to other popular Orange County attractions like Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland.
“We are in show business, we are in the entertainment business,” said Levin. “When malls were created, shopping was an important form of entertainment. Now people have so many different ways to entertain themselves, we have to deliver them different products. We think the American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park is one of them.”
