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Comment by wccrawford | Hacker News Reader

It's invading everything, too. Ninja warrior used to be a show about amazing athletes conquering the courses, with a quirky backstory thrown in sometimes.

Now, almost everyone has a lengthy backstory that is told at least once per season, and it's a significant amount of the runtime of the show.

It's gotten to the point that even athletes that have basically no backstory still end up with a lengthy segment on themselves. For fairness, I guess?

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Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because viewers tested more positively to the backstories and the connection helps them choose someone to root for and therefore be more invested in the show. The showrunners didn’t do it for shits and giggles, they did it because it makes them more money. If you want just the sport bits, you can always watch Sasuke, the original, which I believe has less backstory interstitials.

Or it could be cheaper to make.

i.e. It's cheaper per unit-airtime to have a small crew interviewing people for backstory (+ editing) than recording people doing the course. They can pad-out the expensive bit (holding the events) with filler/b-roll.

I imagine it's the same thing that caused the comment here about not liking it. I don't care if it "tested well", I don't like it.

And yes, I watch Sasuke when I get a chance. Also, Australian Ninja Warrior. The British one isn't as good, IMO, but we watch that, too.

Which is why World Ninja League (an actual sport) is better than American Ninja Warrior (a TV show with a sporting element). See also World Chase Tag vs Ultimate Tag, which has basically the same distinction.

I had never heard of it. Thanks!

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