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As Danny Johnson so dramatically points out in his audition video for NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior,” it take strength, intelligence and balance, among other things, to earn a spot on the show.
It also helps that Mr. Johnson, 29 and a Mt. Lebanon resident, is by trade a video effects and motion graphics designer. In short, he makes movies.
“I do motion design, which is kind of how I get on the show every year with my extravagant audition videos,” he said.
Mr. Johnson was being modest. Growing up in State College, he got into snowboarding and skateboarding and, combined with his 6-foot-4-inch height and impressive wingspan, he has been pretty successful on “American Ninja Warrior.” He has competed in the nationals at Las Vegas.
“American Ninja Warrior” features an obstacle course that demands agility and upper-body strength. Two shows were shot at the Carrie Furnace in Swissvale in late May; the first aired Monday6/29.
Although Mr. Johnson’s run was not shown on the NBC broadcast, he was among the top finishers and advanced to the next night’s city finals. His time on the six-obstacle course was 2 minutes, 41 seconds, good enough for seventh place. Another local, Ron Schmidt of Kennedy, was 15th, in 4 minutes, 10 seconds.
“It was awesome, making it up the Warped Wall. Honestly, there’s nothing like it,” said Mr. Schmidt, 34.
He tried out last year in St. Louis, but he “didn’t do too well.” This time, in his hometown, he donned the city’s colors and, despite some scary moments on Snake Crossing, finished the course.
“I definitely wanted to represent. Even if it wasn’t in Pittsburgh I think I would have worn black and gold.”
NBC showed only part of his run, but he said he was cool with it: “If I wanted to get on TV, I would have spray-painted my hair blue or worn a diaper.”
Mr. Schmidt quit his day job as a carpenter last year, and he and his wife started their own furniture and home accents business, Attic & Earth. It was a leap of faith, he said. But taking risks seems to be second nature to many who aspire to be the next American Ninja Warrior.
NBC will broadcast the Pittsburgh finals later this summer.
Trying to survive ‘Alone’
The remaining survival experts on History’s “Alone” (Thursdays, 10 p.m.) are less than a week into their adventure on Vancouver Island, and the effects of isolation are setting in. The nights are long, the weather wet and a deterrent to exploring. The men begin to contemplate their lives.
“You look back at your life and think: ‘Where did it go?’ Just, poof! Here I am, 40 years old, next to a log in British Columbia. How did it all happen that fast?” said Alan Kay, from Georgia.
With each broadcast, some aspects of the challenges to producers making a 10-week series emerge. First, by the end of Thursday’s episode, there were four men tapping out. Surely everyone expected there would be more left by Day 5. Dustin Feher of Plum is still in the running.
Also, just how “alone” these men are is driven home when one of them taps out after a bear encounter at his forest camp. When he calls for extraction, a rescue team scrambles. But they’re mostly shown driving down old logging roads, explaining that in the middle of the night, there can be no helicopter sent in because it’s too risky.
At one point, a member of the team says it will be about three hours until they reach the part of the island where Canadian Wayne Russell is uneasily waiting in his tent. Video shot by cameras he mounted outside show a large black bear nearby, although there is nothing to indicate whether the bear is there at that instant or whether it passed through hours earlier.
As he waits, Mr. Russell observes that having small weapons and some flares isn’t comforting: “They could do something, but I’d rather have a friggin’ rifle.”
He ends up leaving safely, preceded a day earlier by fellow Canadian Joe Robinet. Six men remain.
Casting for ‘Biggest Loser’
Auditions for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” will be held in various cities, including New York and Cincinnati July 25. More information is at www.TheBiggestLoserCasting.com.
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1478 or @MariaSciulloPG.
First Published: July 4, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
