It's the production company but NBC has a huge say over content. I think what's eventually going to happen is that some other channel develops an improved version of the show and starts taking a little shine off NBC's over-produced format.

The American version is still tied to the Japanese original though, right? Or are they completely separate at this point?

Completely separate outside of a nominal licensing fee to the original Japanese producers. The Ninja Warrior brand has been duplicated in something like 30 different countries. A few of the American competitors have traveled the world competing on the various challenges.

David Campbell, aka the Godfather, achieved total victory on Ninja Warrior Vietnam, for example.

Finally caught up

Stage 2 was a joke and Stage 3 wasn't as hard as i've seen it in the past but great to see Drew win, he has been the best for several years now

Sasuke 37 aired a few weeks ago. It was good

I'm disappointed Team Ninja Warrior was cancelled, it was a fun format

I hope Drew didn't hurt himself badly in the world team contest. Proved himself once again as the best living ninja, but his absence on the final rope climb had major consequences for the team.

That one guy from the Australia team is legitimate and would be a top contender on the American show.

Europe is a nonfactor if they don't have Sean McCall available.

Weird I can't find any update on Drew's injury.

It was probably nothing serious. This was filmed at the end of last season so I'm sure he was good to go by the time they filmed the new full season we'll get this summer.

I hope Drews ok but if he has to take a year off, he takes a year off

The aussie guy was great on the rope climb

This international comp has a bad taste with me, just because of how the Japanese team never showed what they could do, and have now run away from competing

Drew just got arrested for child sex abuse. Looks like he started messing with a 15yo when he was 26 (31 now) and didn't stop after he found out her age. ANW has already "severed ties" to him.

From TV Line:

Charges brought against the 31-year-old Florida resident include the manufacturing of child pornography, enticement of a minor to travel for illicit sexual conduct, travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and use of interstate commerce to entice a minor, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of New Jersey.

“We are shocked and disturbed to learn about the charges alleged against Drew Drechsel,” NBC said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “American Ninja Warrior is a family show that has inspired countless people, and we will not let the actions of one contestant tarnish the hard work and amazing stories of so many. Moving forward, the American Ninja Warrior brand will sever all ties with Mr. Drechsel, including his appearance on future seasons of the show.”

Drechsel’s lawyer, Frank J. Riccio II, released a statement on Twitter, revealing that his client “intends on entering a ‘not guilty’ plea.”

This kills American Ninja Warrior because NBC had built their last two seasons more or less around Drew. It's going to be a sham when the absolute best ninja in the world is persona non grata in the show. I wonder if they stop running all his old episodes, which would make it hard to have complete seasons in reruns.

The news itself is disappointing for his fans and the show. If you dig into the charges, he apparently had a relationship with a 15-year-old girl that began when he was 26. The girl didn't want to press charges, it was her mother that went to the police.

This certainly is a problem for this season but it in no way kills the show.

And here's where this might get messy...
According to the site Reality Blurred, NBC quietly filmed an 8-episode "All-Star" season in St. Louis late last month.

Update:
The series will return Sept 7. It was filmed at the "America's Center" dome in St. Louis. The upcoming episodes will feature an abridged format with multiple rounds: qualifiers (which include a six-obstacle course), semifinals (a 10-obstacle course) and finals (a 10-obstacle course, plus a playoff bracket where the top eight competitors will race head-to-head on the Power Tower). The top 50 athletes will bring along two people from their communities to compete with them, totaling 150 players competing for a $100,000 prize.
Drechsel has been edited out of the show.

I guess we can assume he didn't win again...and fuck him that POS.

The season finale aired yesterday. A 16-year-old named Lebsack? was the final finisher for the second straight season though he failed on Stage 4. The producers looked desperate for a couple people to make Stage 4 this year, as the easiest Stage 3 ever produced five different boys/men passing it. All five failed on Stage 4. It didn't surprise me the teenagers couldn't cut it on the rope, but the pro rock climber finishing nearly last on Stage 4 was a disappointment. A 118 pound 15-year-old was in second place.

I've more or less lost complete interest in this show before the national finals. The courses have been consciously designed for smaller body masses, while removing any obstacles which require brute strength and raw speed. They are clearly going after a younger and more female audience, opening up the field to teenagers.

My wife and I were also completely confident that Levin (rock climber) would have crushed the rope climb. Very surprised he struggled more than the others.

They're going to have to change things up soon. Now that kids are growing up with the show and training for it from a young age, they'll eventually have a ton of people making stage 4.

Kaden is a freak athlete. 2 years on the show and hasn't gotten wet once.

So almost like it should be designed for say a Ninja???

but do agree. I gave up on this a few seasons ago as shown by my last post.

I'd say they've consciously gone in a direction which favors smaller gymnasts. Rock climbers still have an advantage but it's not as big as it was a few years. This is about making the teenagers competitive on the course.

The rope challenge is brutal and you specifically have to train for it. Even well-conditioned athletes will gas out unless they've done tons of preparation for the rope.

Really enjoying the head to head races this year. Makes sense too; with all the young athletes on the show now, they need a way to cut down the field. Kaden is still a beast. Still has never hit the water on Juniors or the main show.

The head to head makes it more exciting, though I enjoyed it more when they first introduced the concept for the short "team" season which ran a few years ago. Today's obstacles rely on more and more mechanical challenges, so the racing aspect doesn't look quite as cool.

Akbar is currently hosting a survival of the fittest reality show on the CW, the premise being The Challenge meets Survivor. A former ninja warrior who I don't recognize is the show's dominant player.