Georgetown couple competes on 'American Ninja Warrior'
When most Americans think of a ‘ninja’ they imagine a sneaky, cartoonish character in black with elaborate weapons in tow.
Georgetown couple Kyle Soderman and Megan Johnson are anything but. Yet, they will be featured on the August 12 episode of American Ninja Warrior, after qualifying for the 2024 semi finals.
Ninjas featured on American Ninja Warrior — the long-running NBC competition show that airs Mondays at 7 p.m. — show off their athletic skills, intelligence and strength on an obstacle course. Adapted from the Japanese TV show Sasuke, well-trained, every- day athletes have the chance to win $1 million.
This isn’t the first time that the Georgetown newlyweds have competed on the show. They’ve participated for the past six seasons and actually met while filming five years ago. Little did they know, they would go on to win the show’s couples championship that aired last year.
“It was incredible to win the couples’ championship together,” Mr. Johnson told the Sun. “We were up against some of the best ninjas in the sport so for both of us to accomplish that together was so special.”
The show’s filming takes place in Las Vegas, over the course of 10 days each year. The rest of the year, Mr. Soderman works as a stuntman on film sets while Ms. Johnson works as an ER doctor.
“I’ve been an action sports athlete my entire life, doing everything from competitive snow- boarding to BMX.” Mr. Soderman said. “Both of us have done parkour and through that community, ended up finding a ninja gym. We met [on the show], and fell in love and ever since then have been training.”
“I was just a girl that could do pull-ups and someone brought me to a ninja gym— and I got hooked from there.” Ms. Johnson said. “In the hospital, I’m always pushing myself in the emergency room environment. We’re capable of more than we can imagine, the more that you dedicate yourself and push your body— there’s so much you can accomplish.”
How the show works
For qualifiers, there’s a course with six obstacles, Mr. Soderman explained. Then the top athletes move on to the semi finals, which is a head to head race.
“Then the tip-top athletes make it on to Vegas— that’s a four stage competition, meaning four courses,” he said. “The person who finishes the last course, stage four, wins a million dollars.”
Mr. Soderman made it to stage three in Las Vegas two times in a row but fell during the cliffhanger obstacle both times. He was one course away from winning a million dollars.
“People sit at home and they think ‘Oh I could do that so easy. How do they fall on that?’ It’s probably a lot harder than they think,” Mr. Soderman said.
Although the loss was tough, the prize money isn’t the only thing that motivates the couple.
“Winning the million dollars isn’t really the goal, for me,.” Ms. Johnson said. “I just want to continue to see how far I can push myself each time and do better. It’s just such a great community, you just don’t want to stop.”
Getting to be on the show is just a bonus for pursuing their passions, Mr. Soderman said.
“It’s more just our passion. It’s a fun way to stay strong and be healthy,” Mr. Soderman said.
How they train
Mr. Soderman and Ms. Johnson train for the show in many different ways.
According to the couple, they do resistance training at home, go to a rock climbing gym or go to a ninja gym. There are several ninja gyms in Williamson County, including two in Round Rock, one in Cedar Park and another in Liberty Hill.
Ms. Johnson has continued to stick with her daily training regime throughout her doctoral residency at the Army hospital at Fort Carvasos. Her training has helped her push through her 12-hour shifts.