Where Are Past ‘American Ninja Warrior’ Winners Now?
American Ninja Warrior newest winner has been revealed after a thrilling conclusion to Season 18 that ended in a major upset.
This year’s camp, Josia Pippel, now officially joins the ranks of some of the toughest competitors on all of TV with his win, so to celebrate, we wanted to take a look back at some of the NBC show’s past winners to see where they landed. (Good thing we don’t have to face the Warped Wall in our efforts to hunt them down.)
Since 2009, ANW contestants have been awing all of us couch potatoes with their feats of brawn, agility, and endurance. And many of the winners have gone on to success (and, in some cases, subsequent seasons of the show) after their moment in the spotlight.
American Ninja Warrior, Season 18 Premiere, Monday, June 8, 9/8c, NBC
Levi Meeuwenberg (Season 1)
Since 2011, American Ninja Warrior’s debut winner has been developing Realize Homestead, which he describes as “a family of humans, pigs, chickens, a lot of plants, and fungi all living on a happy patch of earth in Northern Michigan.” He described that journey in a 2022 YouTube video called “From Pro Parkour to Pig Farming: A 10 Year Update.”
David Campbell (Seasons 2 & 3)
Campbell has competed in every American Ninja Warrior season so far, and now the musician and trainer is also a family man: He and his wife recently welcomed son Luke. “My son is the only thing that really matters, so just when I think about the fear of failing and falling in the water, it kind of seems inconsequential now,” he told NBC Insider last year.
Brent Steffensen (Season 4)
In his Instagram bio, Steffensen says he’s an OG Ninja and a stuntman. (His IMDb filmography shows he performed stunts for the films Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and Wind River and did stunt driving for the TV movie Mountainhead.) He also identifies himself as a “non-glober” and a “non-jabber.”
Brian Arnold (Season 5)
According to his LinkedIn profile, Arnold has spent the last eight years working a director of Ninja Nation, which provides obstacle course arenas across the United States. He writes in his bio that he wants to share his journey of self-improvement with others and gets to do that every day with his Ninja Nation job.
Joe Moravsky (Seasons 6 & 9)
This March, Moravsky opened the Monroe Ninja Academy in his hometown of Monroe, Connecticut. “I’m just trying to bring the gifts I have back to the community and to share that passion and that fun,” he told The Monroe Sun at the gym’s grand opening. “When you come in here and train you’re getting so much stronger, but you don’t really realize it because you’re having so much fun.”
Isaac Caldiero (Season 7)
Caldiero is listed as the designer, ambassador, and key partner of the Synergy Climbing and Ninja gym in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which opened in 2020, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. In a 2023 interview, Caldiero told the newspaper being a ninja isn’t just about athletic ability but also being good to oneself and encouraging to others.
Drew Drechsel (Seasons 8, 10 & 11)
Warning: The following caption contains discussions of a child sex abuse case.
Despite winning three seasons, Drechsel is missing from NBC Insider’s 2023 list of every Last Ninja Standing from the show thus far, perhaps because of his legal troubles. In June 2024, Drechsel was sentenced to 121 months in prison for receiving child pornography and enticement to travel for illicit sexual conduct, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey.
If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911.
Daniel Gil (Season 12)
Gil is a motivational speaker and the author of the books Kingdom Ninja: A Warrior’s Guide to Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health and How to Be a Kingdom Ninja: A Fully Illustrated Guide to My Awesome World. He and wife, Abby, visit kids events, youth events, men’s and women’s conferences, and outreaches through their organization, Daniel Gil Ministries.
Kaden Lebsack (Seasons 13 & 14)
Lebsack’s Instagram bio touts that he’s the CEO of Bucket of Chalk, a chalk company with “big dreams” and a focus on the ninja community. In 2024, The Colorado Sun reported Kaden had aims of buying out his family’s stake in Ninja Intensity, a gym his parents and coach opened in Castle Rock, Colorado.
Vance Walker (Seasons 15 & 16)
Walker has parlayed his American Ninja Warrior fame into a merchandise business and a Cameo side hustle, and on his website, he says he also works as a motivational speaker and a coach. “My goal is to be that coach who helps you understand and learn, so you can eventually coach yourself and others,” he says.
Kai Beckstrand (Season 17)
Beckstrand reigned victorious on American Ninja Warrior just last summer, but we already have an update about his life off the obstacle course. Less than two months after Season 17’s finale, Beckstrand tied the knot with his now-wife, Lexee.
Josiah Pippel (Season 18)
Since his nail-biter victory in Season 18, Josiah Pippel has been spending his time training for the next season.
“A lot of what I’ve been up to is just kind of the same as before, just to new levels. Obviously, we’re taking the business to a higher level. I’m training for Season 19, trying to defend my title. But yeah, it’s been a lot of the same, just trying to keep myself in shape and in position to defend the championship,” he told TV Insider.
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Keden Lebsack did NOT win the actual million dollar prize NO one did in those seasons He was however the Last Man standing and won $100,000
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