A 2023 American Ninja Warrior preview showed 16-year-old competitor Hans Hertz training with his younger brother Harper before the show’s Season 15 National Finals. Hans called Harper his hero, making their quiet practice together the heart of the clip: support between brothers, not just preparation for an obstacle course.
What happens in the clip
TV Insider’s August 18, 2023 preview follows Hans and Harper training together ahead of the National Finals Stage 1 episode, scheduled for August 21. The preview identifies Harper as Hans’s younger brother and frames their time together around Hans’s description of Harper as his hero. The moment stands out because it places the competition in the context of a close sibling relationship.
The preview does not provide a full transcript of the clip, so its specific account is limited to the training and the brothers’ relationship as described there. TV Insider’s preview credits NBC for the images and includes a video player; current availability of the clip is not established.
Hans’s competition setting
At the time of the preview, Hans was 16 and from Castle Rock, Colorado. TV Insider reported that he placed third in qualifiers and sixth in semifinals before reaching Stage 1. The preview named The Gambler and Thread the Needle among the obstacles and said competitors had to finish in under 2 minutes and 50 seconds to advance. Those are details of the 2023 Season 15 episode, not a statement of current American Ninja Warrior rules.
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Hans’s school also documented his rise that summer. Colorado Early Colleges reported on June 5, 2023, that he was an 11th grader at CEC Castle Rock and expected to appear on the season premiere and later episodes. The school said he was expected to travel to Orlando for a World Championship Competition in July. The school’s profile provides that contemporaneous context.
How Hans got into ninja
A later profile by The Colorado Sun traced Hans’s interest to a visit to Ninja Intensity around his 10th birthday. He moved into local competitions and developed swinging, agility, and grip skills. The article reported that he competed on American Ninja Warrior at 15 and had previously won an international competition in the 11-and-under age group.
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- NINJA WARRIOR OBSTACLE COURSE FOR KIDS OUTSIDE - Turn any two trees into a backyard ninja course. Two 55ft slacklines carry 10 adjustable obstacles, so kids climb, swing and balance their way across instead of sitting in front of a screen. Builds real grip strength, coordination and confidence while it just feels like playing.
- 10 OBSTACLES IN ONE BOX, NOT A STARTER SET - Includes 2x 55ft slacklines with high-grade ratchets, 2x monkey bars, 2x gymnastic rings, monkey fist, seat swing, ninja wheel, rope ladder, 12in x 12in climbing cargo net, 2x tree protectors, 17x buckle straps and a carry bag. Arrives gift-boxed, ready to give.
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- SETS UP IN UNDER 30 MINUTES, NO TOOLS - Three steps: wrap the tree protectors, feed the ratchet, clip on the obstacles. No drilling, no hardware, no posts to sink. Needs two solid trees 15-45ft apart; the wider span lets you loop the line properly around each trunk, and the protectors mean the bark takes none of the load. Packs back into the carry bag for the park or the campsite.
- GROWS WITH THEM, AGES 5 AND UP - Slide the obstacles anywhere along the line and set the spacing to match the child, so a five-year-old and a twelve-year-old get a different course from the same kit. A birthday and Christmas gift that gets used all summer. Adult supervision recommended.
Hans also described a generational shift among young competitors: “All the younger kids, like me, Kaden and Max, I think we’re the first wave where we’ve started growing up watching the show and then competed on it.” He went on to say that children who watched the show from a young age were now becoming the competitors those younger viewers wanted to beat. The Colorado Sun published the remarks in a November 10, 2024 feature about the sport and its young athletes. Read the feature.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the brothers’ moment resonates
The preview’s emotional center is Hans’s admiration for Harper and their shared training. Hans was the one facing the course, but the clip presents preparation as something the brothers do together. It makes the achievement feel less solitary: the support of someone close to him is part of the story, too.
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The available preview does not establish more about Harper than that he is Hans’s younger brother and that Hans calls him his hero. Keeping the focus there respects the moment without making assumptions about Harper or turning him into a plot device.
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