When Sophie Shaft came onto American Ninja Warrior season 13 calling herself "The Beast," it created a whole controversy she didn’t know she was creating. Long-time viewers know many of the ninja’s nicknames. The Weatherman, Cowboy Ninja, The Godfather, Mr. Consistency, Mighty Kasey, The Flying Phoenix, The Kid, Flex Labreck, Papal Ninja and Island Ninja are all examples of the monikers beloved ninjas go by. While most ninjas pick unique nicknames, there has been one nickname that has come up a few times: “The Beast.”
Many long-time ninjas didn’t get accepted into season 13 of American Ninja Warrior thanks to them lowering the age range from 19 to 15. For long-time fans, this isn’t a welcome change. Some ninjas, like Jessie Graff, sat out American Ninja Warrior this season, but others like Ryan Stratis intended to compete and were surprised to not get accepted. Given that these veteran ninjas helped make the show what it is today, the decision to give them the cold shoulder is not impressing many viewers.
In 2014, during the season 6 Venice qualifiers, ninjas James McGrath and Alan Connealy were both competing not just for a spot in the finals but also for a nickname. Both Connealy and McGrath were referred to as “The Beast,” with Connealy getting the nickname from other ninjas and McGrath being called it by host Matt Iseman. When both men competed in the Venice qualifiers, they made a friendly wager that whomever finished with the fastest time would get to continue using the moniker. Connealy finished with the third-fastest time that night, but McGrath beat him with the second-fastest time of the night. Kevin Bull, as a new American Ninja Warrior walk-on competitor, came in fourth, and David Campbell, The Godfather, came in first. As far as American Ninja Warrior fans were concerned, McGrath had permanently earned himself the title of “The Beast.” Flash forward to 2021, when James “The Beast” McGrath applied for season 13 but was not accepted, presumably to make room for more younger competitors. When 16-year-old Shaft stepped onto the scene calling herself “The Beast,” fans were even more upset and took to Reddit to express their opinions.
A redditor said, “It was a pretty ugly slap in the face. Not even a mention of [McGrath].” Another American Ninja Warrior fan said, “Hard to blame the kid for using the nickname, but ANW missed an opportunity to include them both…a natural opportunity for a smoother passing of the torch.” Johnny Flak, who started the thread, disagreed, saying, “Not hard to blame anyone for using a nickname already being used. Especially if said kid has watched ANW from like S5-10.” Regular viewers pick up many facts about the show, and if Shaft had watched those seasons, she would have seen the McGrath/Connealy nickname competition. One fan thought, “There's still a possibility that this is just an experimental thing and if it doesn't go well, it hopefully won't be incorporated into ANW14.”
Shaft is just a teenager and had no part in the decision to not invite James McGrath back to compete. The controversy over the nickname “The Beast” is just a symptom of a larger problem with American Ninja Warrior season 13. The show’s producers seem to be ready to move on from their regular contestants to new, younger competitors, but viewers are not behind them.
American Ninja Warrior airs Mondays at 8pm on NBC.
Source: Reddit
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