‘American Ninja Warrior’ likely to return to Las Vegas

When he isn’t busy with “Hell’s Kitchen,” which debuts its Las Vegas-based season Thursday, Jan. 7, executive producer Arthur Smith oversees “American Ninja Warrior,” the NBC series that was forced by the pandemic to skip its annual trip to Las Vegas.

Each summer since 2012, the series had assembled an obstacle-filled village across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay for more than a week’s worth of filming, including its season finale and a series of specials. Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, the entirety of its 2020 season was filmed in the domed stadium in St. Louis, which formerly housed the NFL’s Rams.

“I think we’ll be back in Vegas,” Smith says. “I think we will.

“Listen, there’s a lot that has to go with planning, but we love being in Vegas. We love our finale there, so I think there’s a high likelihood that we’ll be back.”

Whether that’s a possibility in time for the next finals, which typically film in June, remains to be seen.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.