AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR'S GREATEST ATHLETES RACE HEAD-TO-HEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN ESQUIRE NETWORK DEBUTS "TEAM NINJA WARRIOR" ON JANUARY 19 AT 8/7C

New Eight Episode One-Hour Series will Feature 72 Fan Favorite Competitors including Kacy Catanzaro, Geoff Britten, Joe Moravsky and Many Others

LOS ANGELES, CA - December 10, 2015 - This January, Esquire Network takes the incredibly popular, physics-defying obstacle course competition series American Ninja Warrior to new heights with TEAM NINJA WARRIOR. The new spin-off series will feature the world's best ninja warrior competitors racing head-to head in teams of three in a newly designed, but equally punishing, dual running course that incorporates speed, superhuman agility, skill and - because the competitor's paths literally cross as they are racing through the obstacles - a whole new strategy to the game. Hosted by comedian Matt Iseman, former NFL player and sports analyst Akbar Gbajabiamila, and Fox Sports reporter Alex Curry, the eight action-packed episodes of TEAM NINJA WARRIOR, will premiere January 19 at 8/7c, exclusively on Esquire Network.

For the first time in ninja history, the mother of all obstacle courses is now built for two. In Esquire Network's TEAM NINJA WARRIOR, America's fittest athletes will form 24 squads of three, consisting of two males and one female, for an epic sprint against each other. In the first 6 one-hour episodes of TEAM NINJA WARRIOR, four different teams will see their teammates individually race directly against the opposing team's players through the brutal obstacle course.

Each individual win gives the team more points, and at the end of the episode, the two teams left standing will face-off, with the winner of that final relay showdown moving on to the TEAM NINJA WARRIOR finals.

All competitors will be running, jumping, vaulting and rolling through an amped-up version of the world's most intense obstacle course, vying for a cash prize and big bragging rights. From leaping off the "Sonic Swing," and hanging on for dear life on the "Log Grip," to crossing paths and out-maneuvering each other on the "Dancing Stones" to finally, racing up the redesigned "Warped Wall," every episode will feature formidable new obstacles, each harder than the last. And, in the end - only one team will be crowned TEAM NINJA WARRIOR champions.

TEAM NINJA WARRIOR teams include:

Ronin

Flip Rodriguez (Team Captain) Hometown: Miami, FL

JJ Woods Hometown: Miami, FL

Tiana Webberly Hometown: Newhall, CA

Karsonic Boom

Karson Voiles (Team Captain) Hometown: West Haven, UT

Brandon Berrett Hometown: Provo, UT

Beth Higginbotham Hometown: Mesa, AZ

Think Tank

Noah Kaufman (Team Captain) Hometown: Fort Collins, CO

Matt Wilder Hometown: Boulder, CO

Asya Grechka Current Hometown: Paris, France

Wild Bunch

Lance Pekus (Team Captain) Hometown: Salmon, ID

Ben Melick Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Rose Wetzel Hometown: Seattle, WA

Team Alpha

Brent Steffensen (Team Captain) Hometown: San Antonio, TX

Even Dollard Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Kacy Catanzaro Hometown: San Antonio, TX

Stratisfaction

Ryan Stratis (Team Captain) Hometown: Kennesaw, GA

Grace Jones Hometown: Kennesaw, GA

Mike Bernardo Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Expendabulls

Kevin Bull (Team Captain) Hometown: Scotts Valley, CA

Alan Connealy Hometown: Concord, CA

Luci Romberg Hometown: Valley Glen, CA

Tre's Amigoz

Tremayne Dortch (Team Captain) Hometown: Houston, TX

Andy Lowes Hometown: Houston, TX

Cassandra Dortch Hometown: Houston, TX

Midoryama

Ian Dory (Team Captain) Hometown: Fort Collins, CO

Dan Yager Hometown: Fort Collins, CO

Meagan Martin Hometown: Boulder, CO

Towers Of Power

Brandon Mears (Team Captain) Hometown: Elgin, IL

Dan Polizzi Hometown: Oswego, IL

Selena Laniel Hometown: San Diego, CA

Golden Hearts

Neil Craver (Team Captain) Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC

Grant McCartney Hometown: Honolulu, HI

Natalie Duran Hometown: Westwood, CA

Nor Cal Ninjas

David Campbell (Team Captain) Hometown: Scotts Valley, CA

Sean Noble Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA

Rachel Mulvaney Hometown: San Diego, CA

Storm Team Moravsky

Joe Moravsky (Team Captain) Hometown: Sherman, CT

Rob Moravsky Hometown: Burbank, CA

Marybeth Wang Hometown: Riverview, FL

The Average Jojos

Jojo Bynum (Team Captain) Hometown: Huntsville, AL

James Bogle Jr Hometown: Gadsden, AL

Caitlin Shukwit Hometown: Springfield, MO

G-Force

Jessie Graff (Team Captain) Hometown: Calabasas, CA

Nicholas Coolridge Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Travis Brewer Hometown: Venice, CA

TEAM TNT

Travis Rosen (Team Captain) Hometown: Franklin, TN

Adam Arnold Hometown: Springfield, MO

Joyce Shahboz Hometown: Gainesville, FL

The Real Life Beasts

Drew Drechsel (Team Captain) Hometown: Fairfield, CT

James Mcgrath Hometown: Fairfield, CT

Erica Cook Hometown: Gainesville, FL

Invinci-Abel

Abel Gonzalez (Team Captain) Hometown: Edinburg, TX

Nathan Jasso Hometown: Edinburg, TX

Jeri D'aurelio Hometown: Dallas, TX

The Rahn-Aways

Jamie Rahn (Team Captain) Hometown: Sherman, CT

Adam Grossman Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Courtney Venuti Hometown: Clementon, NJ

Party Time

Brian Arnold (Team Captain) Hometown: Brighton, CO

Jake Murray Hometown: Denver, CO

Jennifer Tavernier Hometown: Hopkins, MN

Team Brittens

Geoff Britten (Team Captain) Hometown: Olney, MD

Dustin McKinney Hometown: Grovetown, GA

Jessica Britten Hometown: Olney, MD

Elet-Trikz

Elet Hall (Team Captain) Hometown: Cavetown, MD

Dillon Gates Hometown: San Antonio, TX

Cassie Craig Hometown: Wichita, KS

The Iron Grip

Sam Sann (Team Captain) Hometown: Houston, TX

Daniel Gil Hometown: Houston, TX

Richelle Hepler Hometown: Houston, TX

The Lab Rats

Brian Wilczewski (Team Captain) Hometown: Manhattan Beach, CA

Chris Wilczewski Hometown: Mount Laurel, NJ

Michelle Warnky Hometown: Worthington, OH

TEAM NINJA WARRIOR is executive-produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions' founders Arthur Smith and Kent Weed (Hell's Kitchen, Unsung, Ellen's Design Challenge), along with Brian Richardson as executive producer. The new series is based on the American Ninja Warrior format from Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc., which is a co-production between Esquire Network and NBC. https://www.facebook.com/ninjawarrior @ninjawarrior https://www.instagram.com/ninjawarrior/