The second podcast of season 11 shed light on an ANW relationship that doesn’t often get shown on TV

Quest O’Neal is a standout competitor who won our hearts with her energy, confidence, and charisma. She stole the show at the Dallas City Qualifiers in season 10 on her own volition. However, when Nikki Lee talked with Quest on the ANW podcast, Quest humbly gave some of the credit to a man we don’t see much on the screen.

According to Quest, her ANW journey started long before she set foot on the starting platform at the Dallas Qualifiers when she came into contact with a guy named Adam Sheldon. Adam is the Challenge Producer on American Ninja Warrior, and he gave Quest her first shot at the real deal on the larger than life obstacles during testing in San Antonio in the season prior.

According to Quest, Adam was so welcoming and eventually paved the way for her to get on the show. And according to Nikki, Adam couldn’t be more proud and happy to take that credit. The night of Quest’s debut in Dallas, Adam made sure that everyone knew he had discovered her, and he was bursting with pride at every turn (which Nikki described as adorable).

Cooper Neill

Does the credit for Quest’s presence on American Ninja Warrior lie with Adam or Quest? We’d say the credit belongs with both of them and we’re thankful for the way things turned out. As an insider at the tapings, Nikki described Quest’s run as an amazing, organic experience, with everyone smiling, cheering, and so invested.

It turns out that Quest has always had a dream to have that sort of effect on people. “I have always wanted to do something great,” she said. “I always wanted to showcase my skills and my human strength through motivational speaking. American Ninja Warrior made that happen much sooner than I expected, on a huge scale.”

We know how much we, the audience, loved watching Quest on the course. To find out how Quest, herself, felt on the course, listen to the whole podcast. You’ll also learn a lot about Quest’s background story, as well as the road that led her to the confidence and positive energy she has now.

Yep! That’s the confidence and positive energy we’re talking about!