NBC’s American Ninja Warrior competitor Taylor Greene has always made an impact on the course. Even since her days on American Ninja Warrior Jr., Greene has been known for her technique and ability to keep cool under pressure, and the 17-year-old Ninja was the Last Woman Standing in the national finals for the past two seasons. Through it all, Greene stays humbled, even committing to attending University of Northern Colorado in the fall, in order to stay close to her Ninja gym.

It’s no secret that Season 17 has been the best season ever for its female ninjas, a fact which Greene takes great delight in. “The field of female ninjas has gotten a lot stronger over the past few years, especially with the show’s allowing the younger generation to take the course.” said Greene. “I think that’s why we’re seeing a lot of these changes.” Greene also attributes a portion of the women’s success to the fact that classic obstacles are being used this season. “Having the older obstacles helped a little bit too because they are familiar within the community,” noted Greene.

Greene knows her success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her Ninja community. Over the years, Greene has trained with the best of the best, including Austin Gray. “When I first started working with him, it was very helpful to train with someone who had been on the show,” said Greene. “He had experienced everything, so he could really help prepare me for things like staying up all night to compete.” She also has gotten the chance to practice with Wonder Woman herself, Jessie Graff. “It”s really fun that we can learn from each other because there are some things that I can do that she can’t and vice versa,” said Greene.

Greene spoke to DECIDER via Zoom to talk about hitting her first buzzer of Season 17, her “friendly rivalry” with fellow Ninja Addy Herman, and more.

DECIDER: First of all, congratulations on graduating from high school! Are you heading to college in the fall?

TAYLOR GREENE: Yeah, I’m going to the University of Northern Colorado in the fall. I’m excited!


American Ninja Warrior Season 17 has been the best season ever for its female Ninjas. Why do you think that is?

The field of female ninjas has gotten a lot stronger over the past few years, especially with the show’s allowing the younger generation to take the course. I think that’s why we’re seeing a lot of these changes. Also, having the older obstacles helped a little bit too because they are familiar within the community. The course felt a lot more doable for females.

You went further than any other woman in the national finals the past two seasons. How did you prepare and train to continue that trend in Season 17?

Once we found out the finals were going to be side-by-side racing, we definitely trained a lot more on speed work. That’s something that I’m fond of and tend to be better at. I also worked on my endurance to make sure that I could continue to go far in the competition. What did you think of the shift to side-by-side racing rather the traditional Stage 4 we’re used to seeing? I thought it was great. It’s very fun to do those races and very entertaining to watch from the sidelines. I was very happy with the changes.

Congratulations on hitting the buzzer in the qualifying round! Your technique was on point. Can you walk me through that run?

I was really excited to try the classic obstacles that I grew up seeing. When I was younger, I always thought: “I could do this. I wanna try.” [lLaughs] So it was fun to get to try all those obstacles and complete them as smoothly as I did. It was awesome to get that validation for myself and hit a buzzer.

Are there any ninjas you’d be particularly excited to race against?

I don’t know, there are a lot of fast people out there. The thing that’s a bit scary is that boys and girls will be racing against each other. You’ve got Kai Beckstrand and RJ Roman, who are both incredibly fast. For the girls, Addy Herman, Isabella Wakeham, and Katie Bone are really tough.

I’ve watched you since your ANW Jr. days, and it’s really nice to see all those kids stay connected as they move on to the main show. What has it been like to have this community around you?

It’s incredible. Some of my best friends have come from Ninja. The people I hang out with the most are Ninjas. Even though we’re spread across all over the country, we all still stay in touch. It’s really fun when we get to all come together for a competition. It’s just a really good supportive bunch.

You narrowly lost the 2024 Women’s Championship to Addy Herman, and yet there is nothing but love between you two. Are there rivalries in ANW?

Rivalries exist. I would say Addy and I do have a friendly rivalry. That’s how it is throughout all of Ninja. You’re supportive of that other person because, since Ninja is a very independent sport, you can only do as good as you can do. You can’t control how the other person does. You can cheer them on because your results are determined by you.

You’ve been called one of the future leaders of the sport, which is a lot of pressure to put on a teenager. How do you stay grounded through it all?

I started this all so young. My mom really helped me stay in check. When I was 13, she would tell me, “Taylor, you have eyes on you.” It’s hard to understand as a 13-year-old that people are already looking up to you. It was strange, but it helped me over the years. I knew I had to lead by example because people are paying attention.

I know Austin Gray has been an important mentor for you. What’s it been like to train with him?

He’s always been a great mentor. When I first started working with him, it was very helpful to train with someone who had been on the show. He had experienced everything so he could help prepare me for things like staying up all night to compete. Also, the nerves you experience on the show compared to a normal competition are totally different. Training with him and others Ninjas like Nate Hansen and Jaelyn Bennett gave me the best possible chance of succeeding on the course.

Ninjas have looked to you for inspiration since your early teens. Which Ninjas do you look to for inspiration?

I’ve always been a really big fan of Jesse Labreck, and I still am. She’s such a kind person and always so supportive. Jessie Graff is awesome. She has trained with us a couple times. We can learn from each other because there are some things that I can do that she can’t and vice versa. I get to teach her almost as much as she teaches me. That’s been really awesome.

Ninja obstacle racing is now a part of the pentathlon in the 2028 Olympics. Are you tempted to start training?

It’s tempting, but I’m not a big fan of many of the events in the pentathlon [laughs]. They are not things that I really would like to do. I’s really awesome that Ninja is getting introduced into the Olympics with the pentathlon, but I don’t think it is something that I’m gonna do.

American Ninja Warrior airs Mondays at 8/7c on NBC