The fans want to see 5-10 clears on Stage Two of the National Finals

American Ninja Warrior fans have opinions. Lots of them. We love that about the fans. It means that every time we pose a question, we get a lot of varying thoughts.

In the past, we’ve read opinions on Stage Two of the National Finals. Over the eight years that the final four stages have been held in Las Vegas, there have been years with just a few finishers, and a year with a lot of finishers.

You can review all those numbers here. The range is quite vast. Season four had just one finisher. While season 11 had 21 finishers. No other season broke more than eight finishers. We frequently heard that Stage Two needed more finishers. When season 11 rolled around, the reaction was that 21 was far too many. So, naturally, we asked for your opinions. What is the perfect number of Stage Two clears?

After reading the comments on the article and those on social media, it seems there is somewhat of an aligned opinion. Stage Two should have between five and 10 clears, with the general consensus leaning towards the higher end of that range. As in 7-10 clears.

One reader opted to leave a percentage amount instead of a number and honestly, their logic makes a lot of sense to us.

“Ideally you want around a 25% completion rate per stage. If there are 100 competitors going to stage 1, as there should be, that would be around 25ish stage 1 clears. With 25 people on to stage 2, about 5-7 should clear and move on to stage 3. This leaves 0-2 finishers on stage 3 and no clears on stage 4. A competitor would need to beat the 25% odds to achieve total victory.” - cmninja02

When we posed the question on social media, some of the most experience Ninja Warriors chimed in.

Geoff Britten: “10 or less. Enough to see multiple people take it on, but still having time to show all stage 3 runs.”

Joe Moravsky: “4-6”

Not everyone gave exactly the same number, but it seems like there’s definitely a ballpark here that people would like to see.

• “15 - there are some amazing teens competing this season - it’s going to be so exciting!”
• “I’d say 3-7. Enough to see multiple stage 3 attempts but few enough to show everyone having a full run.”
• “6 at the least 10 at the most.”

After examining all the evidence, we’re going to say that the audience wants 5-10 clears on Stage Two. The thought seems to be this makes sure there is a solid number of attempts on Stage Three, leaving more opportunity for Stage Four to come into play. However, there are not so many attempts on Stage Three, a course that is extremely difficult to qualify for, that the show needs to “fast-forward” runs, downplaying the accomplishment for some.

So what do you think? Does 5-10 buzzers on Stage Two hit the nail on the head for you? Do you think season 13 will give us what we’re looking for at the National Finals?