The top 10 most-watched Ninja Warrior videos on YouTube

Jessie Graff has three of the top five spots.

By Nikki Lee@anwnation Updated Dec 17, 2021, 12:43pm PST

UPDATE: This article previously featured only the top five videos from the American Ninja Warrior YouTube page. When we re-visited it, we discovered that NOTHING had changed about that top five. So we expanded it to 10 to get a little variety up in here!

We took a break from playing season 13 videos on repeat to take a bit of a deeper dive into American Ninja Warrior’s official YouTube account. Out of curiosity, we wanted to know which videos in the archive had the most views. We were both surprised and not surprised by the results. Here we go!

(Yes, these are views from JUST the official YouTube account. We are aware that results might be different if we factored in Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram views. We’re also aware that for a time, there were two official YouTube accounts. But that was in the past. We’re moving on, people.)

1 - Marshmello runs Stage One

39 million views

We’re going to be honest that we actually forgot about this one. In one of Ninja Warrior’s annual “guest” runs, DJ Marshmello took on Stage One of the Las Vegas National Finals. And he completed it! We mean, we think he did... With the mask and all, who can be 100% sure? Marshmello fans must be a hardcore group because their views bumped this video to the top of the pack.

2 - Jessie Graff at the season eight Los Angeles City Finals

25 million views

While we weren’t surprised to see Jessie’s name on the list, we were a little surprised that this was the top video. Generally, her Stage One run is the better known accomplishment. We are happy to see this one getting the respect it deserves, though! Jessie battled an incredibly difficult course in Los Angeles, becoming one of only two competitors to survive The Wedge. Falling on the ninth obstacle gave her the number two spot OVERALL for the night.

3 - “Old” Ninja Warrior

15 million views

In a testament to the skills of makeup artistry, the internet was downright confused when an “81-year-old” Ninja Warrior stepped up to the course in season nine and made it to the top of the Warped Wall. Was it real? WAS IT REAL? After an endless amount of Google search requests, the show did reveal that it was actually Brent Steffensen in costume.

4 - Jessie Graff defeats Stage One at the season eight National Finals

6.6 million views

THERE it is! In one of the most well-known runs in modern American Ninja Warrior history, Jessie became the first woman to clear Stage One of the National Finals. It topped off an incredible season eight for her and solidified her status as a hero to many.

5 - Jessie Graff at the season nine Daytona City Finals

6.1 million views

Oh hey, it’s Jessie Graff again! And for good reason. In this run, Jessie once again was so close to her goal of a City Finals buzzer. On the Giant Cubes, she seemingly defied the laws of the human body when she twisted around and did the splits in mid-air to make the transfer. Ultimately, her run ended on the 10th and final obstacle, but it was still a glorious showcase of her abilities.

And now we have the next five top runs, bringing us to 10. This batch of videos paints a pretty clear picture of what the fans like to see. That would be women kicking butt. Jessie Graff leads us off again. She’s joined by Kacy Catanzaro and Rebekah Bonilla. Nikki Bella’s celebrity run makes an appearance. And who could forget the time Akbar stepped out of the host tower and dominated on the course?

6 - Jessie Graff defeats Stage Two during USA vs The World