NBC needs to stop with the sob stories!

[sackeshi]

If they cut the crop and just do the runs with out profiles, save those for the semi finals (the deserving ones) then they could easily fit all 100 runs with in the 90 minutes of air time they get.

I honestly don't give a damn about the life stories of the competitors that just fail the qualifiers. Have them compete and get far and actually earn a profile.

Without the sob stories, they could do the runs like so.

70 full runs and 30 fast forwards. Everyone gets shown and its all good. Also why can't the runs be in order -_- seriosly, and have most of them in the daytime, and run them in order of worst to best in the semi finals, and lower the time limit on stage 1 and 2.

Okay rant over!

[matt723894]

See the thing is, NBC doesn't care what you think. The stories get viewers, and thats that. NBC couldn't care less about a frankly small percent of the viewership that cares about the individual athlete and wants to see everyone. 

[Kane-Not-Kosugi]

You know, they seem to do this thing about doing what they think makes them money, and we're just feeding them that idea by watching it Lol

[Amber]

Apr 29, 2018 17:23:31 GMT -5 Kane-Not-Kosugi said:

You know, they seem to do this thing about doing what they think makes them money, and we're just feeding them that idea by watching it Lol

They don't THINK it makes them money though. They KNOW it makes them money. We're a minority viewer base when we don't enjoy listening to the sob stories. I don't like the sob stories, but I've met people that watch the show for them. These people exist. Marvel makes their movies to satisfy a large audience, not their hardcore comic fans. ANW does the same thing. Their goal isn't to please us, it's to please everyone else.

[Deleted]

I watched ANW with a friend of mine and he doesn't like sobs stories. He said "I don't like the sob stories since it makes me sad"

[SuperTiger]

Unfortunately while ANW is supposed to be somewhat of a variety sports competition/game show it has become more of a reality television show these days. RTV in general is trending upward with the sob stories across all networks as a means of character development. It's something that I want to say NBC started with AGT, but it has made it's way over into other networks as well ala CBS, ABC, etc. (Watch any American Idol episode that has aired since it's reboot, and you'll see it's just as bad there) I don't think it's something that will go away in the near future because it's just an easy way to develop the contestants, and give them a story/personality/whatever. It's a bit of laziness on the networks' part because it's easier to edit a sad story than to actually get to know about the contestants. It may take a few more years, but I know the general online communities, as well as some of the general public is getting sick of the whambulance across the board, so hopefully it changes soon. Only time will tell. It'll all come down to the ratings.

[Dazed (Wiin)]

I've heard that some people only watch the show for the sob stories.

[LusitaniaAngel313]

I mean we get a sense of what drives them so why not? I don't mind the stories

[arsenette]

NBC does sob stories for literally every show they do. If you have any questions just watch their Olympic coverage. It is hardly isolated to ANW.

[Sierrae]

i'm fine with it as long as they don't show them crying and all that

[kianmike]

Honestly,they just need to change up their editing style,and the ratings will start coming in as intense as AuNW1. In case you don't know what I mean,read below:

With Season 7,the editing made you feel as if they're trying to make you feel depressed all the time,to the point where according to 2D2Will,the editing was exploitative.Then,in Season 8,the editing tried to have more fun w/ the fluff pieces,to the point where it was similar to Season 6's style of editing (at least,that's how I felt). All of these editing styles started with the editing focusing more on the sob stories in Qualifying,and then once they got to the City Finals,they had more of an emphasis on stronger competitors doing well.But then comes Season 9, a season which had editing that was not just bad to hardcores,but was also proven by the ratings.In this season,they had an editing style where the sob stories continued past Qualifying,which I think is what caused the rating dip.

So honestly,I'd just go back to the Season 8 style of editing and have more fun w/ the fluff pieces.I mean,it worked in terms of ratings for Season 8 (I think),so all they need to do is take the editing backwards while also pushing it forward,and they'll beat the likes of the NBA Finals and The Bachelor.

[dudesky1000]

No.

NBC does not need to stop with the "sob stories". NBC should not stop with the "sob stories".

Granted, I have not watched ANW since... season 5? But I think a lot of you guys who continue to follow the show and complain about the editing are missing the point.

There is only one reason why ANW skyrocketed from just another fringe obstacle course show on G4/Esquire to the mainstream cultural juggernaut on NBC that it has become. It's called storytelling. A few smart producers realized that the people dedicating their time to this show were not just trying to get 15 minutes of viral fame. They had stories to tell– stories of overcoming adversity, honoring loved ones and empowering people. These stories are "chicken soup for the soul". They give average people hope. Something to cling to. Someone to root for. The course is fun and all but I imagine it's really just symbolic to most viewers, symbolic of the obstacles and 'stages' they face in their own lives. Maybe that doesn't ring true to most young folk who haven't graduated college and been met with the crushing realities that come with adulthood (i.e. accepting that your dreams of being a world-saving genius are over), but to a lot of people who are just trying to be a good citizen to the communities and people they know and fend for, it means a lot. Yes, the editing can sometimes wade into exploitative territory and yes, the "sob story" is a fundamental aspect of overly-sensationalized reality TV, but it is my personal opinion that ANW is an example of where it is appropriate.

I also find it interesting and ironic that the consensus on this site, the Sasuke Maniac Forums, carries a negative view on fluff pieces when the only reason Sasuke survived after Kane Kosugi was the fabrication of the All-Stars, whose existence gave the audience stories they could get behind. Each of the All-Stars is/was admirable in their own way because they were also average people, living humble if not tumultuous lives, trying to achieve some measure of greatness. Think about how incredibly inspiring Akiyama's story is (overcoming impaired vision and achieving kanzenseiha). Beyond the All-Stars there have been many inspiring competitors and "sob stories" over the years. Okuyama once said Sasuke was his personal olympics. Sasuke and ANW are not only deeply personal journeys for the competitors, but for the fans as well. The fluff pieces let us join them on their journey, share in their triumph when they do well, and feel their pain when they do not.

Arsenette made a very good point about the (actual) olympics. Would any of us go out of our way to watch a swim meet if we didn't know who was swimming and what was motivating them? At least in the US, we are living in a post-nationalist state (yeah yeah, I'm aware there is a lunatic nationalist fringe uprising right now but it's still on the fringe) where viewers aren't always rooting for the American athlete. NBC conditions us to root for the person who has worked the hardest, or has been the most resilient or passionate, because we as people like to be told that resilience and hard work can be rewarded. And there is a lot of truth to that. It leads to ratings and it helps people. Win-win.

And if you've known me long enough and read what I have written, you will find that my perspective on ANW has evolved, even though I no longer follow it.

[Deleted]

NBC probably needs it for ratings. I like seeing contestants with disabilities on the course like Artis Thompson, Zach Gowen, etc.

[Kane-Not-Kosugi]

I have a problem with it. The Olympics I watch for national pride. I don't even care who they are lol I just want the Americans to win. For Sasuke? They have enough people to keep building fluff pieces based on their past experience on the course, making the course still the focus. ANW doesn't do that as much and that's the problem.

[sackeshi]

Apr 30, 2018 18:18:45 GMT -5 dudesky1000 said:

I also find it interesting and ironic that the consensus on this site, the Sasuke Maniac Forums, carries a negative view on fluff pieces when the only reason Sasuke survived after Kane Kosugi was the fabrication of the All-Stars, whose existence gave the audience stories they could get behind. Each of the All-Stars is/was admirable in their own way because they were also average people, living humble if not tumultuous lives, trying to achieve some measure of greatness. Think about how incredibly inspiring Akiyama's story is (overcoming impaired vision and achieving kanzenseiha). Beyond the All-Stars there have been many inspiring competitors and "sob stories" over the years. Okuyama once said Sasuke was his personal olympics. Sasuke and ANW are not only deeply personal journeys for the competitors, but for the fans as well. The fluff pieces let us join them on their journey, share in their triumph when they do well, and feel their pain when they do not.

The allstars are completely different. The all were the select group that the producers/editors felt had a chance to win. They were reliable 1st/2nd stage clears and so it was a here are the best here are their stories here are the contestants you can root for and that have a chance to win. I totally get why the average viewer likes the stories and people to root for, however like someone else said, the top challengers are professonal obstacle course racers with their own gyms that live ninja warrior 24/7.

ANW has turned into a battle of how extreme the 2-4 dozen people superstars can do. No one who is not living ninja warrior has a chnace anymore, they can get to stage 2 but unless they have mastered parkour they are failing.

All that showing people someone with their stuggle/dissability/harship failing the first course says to them is, its not possible for me, waiting until you see skill from someone before sharing their story make sure that people are uplifted, this person like me did it so can I.

Just an FYI this year when I applied for the 1st time the application was 85% life stories and 15% ability. -_-

[arsenette]

Ratings are interesting. Every year I follow and post the ratings for most of the Ninja shows in the USA and I've followed ratings for other things as a side hobby. Like I mentioned in other posts, it's something I find interesting as a whole and not necessarily because I like/hate ANW. I have noticed the market shift in ANW over time based on the industry papers that follow trends on shows as a part of ratings analysis and demographic research. The sob stories actually have hurt ANW to a point where it's a meme in television. The market shift has been dramatic and it's lost most of it's core audience and has been replaced with the 2 extremes in ages (Extremely young kids who want to grow up to defeat the course and much older people who like the schadenfreude and sob stories) that aren't really counted for demos but overall viewers. I personally don't like them at all and I believe it has hurt ANW that the show has gone in that direction. However, as I was mentioning with NBC Olympics (and generally anything tied to NBC production), that style is not popular anymore. NBC Olympics was down to a historic low because people (like me) would rather see an uninterrupted show instead of 1-2 athletes and a montage that some producer edited to sappy music. Given the sheer amount of people on ANW they have to show because of their LOOOONG season it gets tiring. Most of the demo (young-mid range males) have already abandoned the show and the ratings reflect that. One could argue it was because of the Kacy phenomenon where NBC played their card too hard on that and others could argue that they spent too much time doing fluff pieces for people who lasted less time on the course than their fluff pieces. I contend that they over saturated the market so people don't even know when the actual final is since there are now 4 Ninja Warrior shows usually within a span of a month then dragging for almost 4 months into the fall. So while the content of the show can have a prolonged effect as to how many watch the show (meaning they like it and keep at it or share with others to make them watch), the general thought is that the content of the show itself is not a measure of ratings.. Ratings is only how many watched per night vs. other shows on air. Television as a whole has changed dramatically and NBC has had a difficult time adapting to modern sensibilities. That's why the majority of the people that DO watch ANW skew over 50 years old and grew up watching NBC television.

[TCM]

Apr 30, 2018 22:59:33 GMT -5 sackeshi said:

All that showing people someone with their stuggle/dissability/harship failing the first course says to them is, its not possible for me, waiting until you see skill from someone before sharing their story make sure that people are uplifted, this person like me did it so can I.

Just an FYI this year when I applied for the 1st time the application was 85% life stories and 15% ability. -_-

That bit on the application has been there for a while.

Opinions on the over-saturation of sob story fluff pieces aside, for some, just getting on the course and being able to participate is part of the uplifting story. Doing well/clearing is the feather on the cap. Even if someone like Zach Gowen somehow made it to the Warped Wall, there was no chance of him clearing. The point of seeing him run wasn't whether he'd beat it, it's how far he would get. Not all inspiration comes from success but just the general strength to go for it regardless of the end result.

Now, it does fall a little flat to get airtime for a significant story just to fail immediately, but I don't think a story being shown necessarily needs to be based on how well someone does.

[dudesky1000]

May 1, 2018 5:55:51 GMT -5 arsenette said:

Ratings are interesting. Every year I follow and post the ratings for most of the Ninja shows in the USA and I've followed ratings for other things as a side hobby. Like I mentioned in other posts, it's something I find interesting as a whole and not necessarily because I like/hate ANW. I have noticed the market shift in ANW over time based on the industry papers that follow trends on shows as a part of ratings analysis and demographic research. The sob stories actually have hurt ANW to a point where it's a meme in television. The market shift has been dramatic and it's lost most of it's core audience and has been replaced with the 2 extremes in ages (Extremely young kids who want to grow up to defeat the course and much older people who like the schadenfreude and sob stories) that aren't really counted for demos but overall viewers. I personally don't like them at all and I believe it has hurt ANW that the show has gone in that direction. However, as I was mentioning with NBC Olympics (and generally anything tied to NBC production), that style is not popular anymore. NBC Olympics was down to a historic low because people (like me) would rather see an uninterrupted show instead of 1-2 athletes and a montage that some producer edited to sappy music. Given the sheer amount of people on ANW they have to show because of their LOOOONG season it gets tiring. Most of the demo (young-mid range males) have already abandoned the show and the ratings reflect that. One could argue it was because of the Kacy phenomenon where NBC played their card too hard on that and others could argue that they spent too much time doing fluff pieces for people who lasted less time on the course than their fluff pieces. I contend that they over saturated the market so people don't even know when the actual final is since there are now 4 Ninja Warrior shows usually within a span of a month then dragging for almost 4 months into the fall. So while the content of the show can have a prolonged effect as to how many watch the show (meaning they like it and keep at it or share with others to make them watch), the general thought is that the content of the show itself is not a measure of ratings.. Ratings is only how many watched per night vs. other shows on air. Television as a whole has changed dramatically and NBC has had a difficult time adapting to modern sensibilities. That's why the majority of the people that DO watch ANW skew over 50 years old and grew up watching NBC television.

I find your take interesting, obviously. I haven't watched the show in the last several years but I do remember how overkill the whole Kacy thing became and how that turned many people away, including me.

Competitive marathoning suffers from the same thing, by the way. If you watch the Boston, New York or pretty much any major marathon, coverage of the actual race is pretty unbalanced and often interrupted in key stages by annoyingly long fluff pieces, usually about three or four American athletes who have little/no chance of winning. Sometimes they'll cut back to the race and the front pack has completely transformed or the leader was caught by the person in second, yet, we're left wondering what happened. Even the broadcast of the race where the world record was set was frequently interrupted! Thankfully, when ABC7 did a fluff piece for me at the 2016 NYC Marathon, they only aired it after the elite races were over. It's funny how that one editing choice probably made the difference between me getting hate mail/called out on an internet forum and being regarded as a local hero. I don't know how I impacted the ratings but I would hope I didn't in a negative way. Nevertheless, I know my story has inspired others to do things, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to share it.

So I totally get it. It gets repetitive, annoying, overly saccharine and after an hour it feels flat out artificial. But just because someone (NBC) is being a poor storyteller doesn't mean backstory has no place in ANW. It's all in the editing. Maybe they would be better off saving the bulky ones for people who make it to Vegas/ Vegas Stage Two and keep the fluff pieces very short in the early rounds. Heck, why not just have the backstory in the on course commentary or allow them to tell their backstory quickly in their post-run interview? There must be other ways.

In any event I personally find the backstories interesting and am not surprised older folks do as well. I've always been called an old soul anyway Maybe I'm the outlier but I like them and think they are actually integral to what makes ANW appealing/culturally meaningful. But they must be handled properly, or else they will have the opposite effect.

Edit: Just saw TCM's post and I completely agree. Just committing to putting yourself out there on the course is a journey and a success to many in and of itself. Measuring someone's success purely by their result on the course is a shallow view and if that's why the ratings are suffering, that's not necessarily a reflection of poor editing but a shallow audience. But hey, it's essentially reality TV and is marketed as such so what's the difference.