Akbar Gbajabiamila - Host of NBC's four-time Emmy Award-nominated AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR

ABOUT AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR

Season 15 of "American Ninja Warrior" returns with the most elite athletes in the country competing on the world's most difficult obstacle courses. Hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, along with co-host Zuri Hall, are back to call the action as the ninjas make their way through the qualifying and semifinal rounds in Los Angeles before moving to the national finals in Las Vegas. With the biggest changes in show history, Season 15 will challenge the ninjas to race side-by-side and head-to-head across a high-stakes course with a spot in the national finals on the line. At stake is a top prize of $1 million for the fastest ninja who can conquer all four stages at the national finals.

There is a 1 Million Dollar winner this season. In the past 14 seasons, this has only happened twice. The fastest ninja at the final stage always wins prize money, but if they are faster than the rest of the competitors AND reach the top in under 30 seconds, the prize becomes $1M. The show airs 2-hour episodes Monday nights at 8/7c on NBC with the finale on Sept 11th.

AKBAR GBAJABIAMILA BIO

Akbar Gbajabiamila serves as host of NBC's four-time Emmy Award-nominated heart-racing obstacle course competition series American Ninja Warrior. The former NFL player also joined CBS's hit show The Talk this past September.

Gbajabiamila most recently hosted Tokyo Live! which debuted on Peacock and covered the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He also recently hosted The Miss USA Contest as well as multiple years hosting NBC's Red Nose Day programming and the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular. His critically acclaimed debut book, I>Everyone Can Be a Ninja: Find Your Inner Warrior and Achieve Your Dreams,/I> aimed to encourage readers to never give up no matter the obstacle> Gbajabiamila is honored to leverage his professional platform to inspire and motivate others as well as advocate for those in need. Currently, he serves on the board for the Asomugha Foundation, which provides pathways to college for disenfranchised youth, as well as for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. He's also privileged to be a celebrity ambassador for Red Nose Day, which since its inception in 2015 has raised more than $150 million to fight child poverty. Moreover, Gbajabiamila is a strong proponent of financial literacy, lending his time and energy to educating young people and pro athletes.

Gbajabiamila grew up in hard-scrabble South Central Los Angeles, one of seven children of Nigerian immigrants. A solid family foundation coupled with a natural athletic ability made him a standout high school student athlete, excelling in both basketball and football. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in communications and media studies while attending San Diego State University on a football scholarship and then spent five years in the NFL as a linebacker and defensive end with the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins before retiring in 2008.

Gbajabiamila started his broadcasting career with CBS Sports before joining the NFL Network. He and his wife live in Los Angeles where they are raising their four beautiful children and two dogs.

https://www.nbc.com/american-ninja-warrior

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