An elaborate 5 minutes with Joe Moravsky

Joe Moravsky, the Ninja Weatherman, is a big name on American Ninja Warrior. Aside from several seasons on the show, he’s also a new dad, meteorologist on News 12 in Connecticut, and has enough personality to spare.

He made an impressive return to the Ninja scene at the Philadelphia qualifiers. We gave him a few rapid-fire questions, but in true #NinjaWeatherman style, we got more than we bargained for in the best way.

What's in the bag?

"Well, something I never bring in my bag, ever, is a change of clothes. Because it's not an option to fall in the water at regionals, qualifiers or finals. In Vegas I don't bring them either, but unfortunately that hasn't worked out very well.

But what's going to be in the bag is my cosmetic stuff. Like the shaver or chapstick. Lotion if I need it. Although I don't like using lotion even at all on the day of competitions just because I don't want any extra oils on my hands. But even if I did use lotion, I'll wash it really really well before I go out there and I get my hands in the dirt. Stuff like that. Get them gritty.

Some of the things in the bag might be a light jacket, because I'm a meteorologist. I have to be ready for anything. No umbrella. We shouldn't need it. Although there could be some scattered storms dying out by the time we have to run because when the sun sets, it causes some stability in the atmosphere. It doesn't help promote thunderstorm activity, it actually kind of suppresses it. Now you know if you didn't.

And maybe a few water bottles, and a few snacks. Bananas."

What's your go to snack when you're training?

"I think my go-to snack varies. If I'm training and getting ready to go on the course, like day of, bananas, apples. I love that. The apples are great because the skin takes time to break down, so it's like a slow release of energy. Bananas, kind of the same thing. Great foods. Power foods.

But if I were to be, let's say, just training in the gym, a month or a week out. It could be anything. It depends on the situation.

It's funny. I'm sure Geoff [Britten] was talking about it, because I heard him, but I love eating pancakes. So if I have a little extra weight on me while I train, that's okay. As long as I drop it."

So is that your cheat meal?

"The cheat meal is the pancakes. The banana nut with chocolate chip pancakes. Amazing. 4 scrambled eggs. I go to a restaurant called Chips in Fairfield, CT. Great people, awesome food. It's probably the best pancakes I've ever had anywhere, and I eat pancakes in many places.

There was one place that was close to what they have, and it was in Michigan. I can't remember the name, but they were close to comparable to what they have. Chips. So if you're ever in Connecticut. Fairfield, Connecticut, look for Chips."

What exercise do you hate doing?

"Pull-ups. I hate pull-ups. I actually really do hate them. How do I get myself to do it? By reminding myself that if I don't, I will not be successful on the course. That's it.

I enjoy rock climbing, I love getting my fingers and forearms strong. Actually they're probably the strongest they've ever been. Rock solid. Biceps are a little squishy, which I don't know what that means but they're strong.

I really don't like working on pull-ups. It's just not fun. It's boring. It's like studying. I don't know. You have to do it, but you don't want to.”

Who comes to mind when you need a little more motivation?

“I don't think it's one individual person. I think it's the collective bunch of all of those people that have beat me. They motivate me and inspire me because I'm kind of sick and tired of getting beat. I think I'm kind of getting over it.

This will be my fourth year and I'm just sick and tired of getting beat. No one person is responsible for making me feel that way. It's the collective bunch of all those that have done better. Which is good. It's a friendly rivalry.

We all know that we love each other, just like family. And it's really cool to be able to connect like that, but at the same time, it is a competition. And we remind ourselves by being out on the course and trying to beat each other."

What would you want to ask Joe? Leave the question in the comments here and we’ll track down the answer!