Jake Gaba courtesy of American Ninja Warriors NBC
Update: If you’re counting the days ‘til Jake Gaba appears on American Ninja Warrior, add seven. The show’s producers have shuffled the deck and Jake’s episode will now air June 8.
Jake isn’t sure why (or is sworn to secrecy), but People Magazine may give us a hint. Competing in Houston with Jake is one of ANW’s most famous-ever contestants, Kacy Catanzaro, and chances are good the powers-that-be wanted to build excitement for her arrival. According to People, “she made history last season by becoming the first female competitor to reach the top of the 14-ft. warped wall and also became the first and only woman to earn a spot to the Las Vegas finals by completing a city finals course.”
Jake has described himself as more theater guy than jock, so he’s got his work cut out for him.
Go Jake!
When American Ninja Warrior starts back up this season on NBC, you can expect to see a familiar face – Lake Highlands’ own Jake Gaba. Jake, featured on the show’s second episode June 1, is best known in Lake Highlands as the 2012 senior class president who danced through China and encouraged his Dartmouth classmates to get ‘Happy.’
American Ninja Warrior kicks off its seventh season tonight at 7 p.m. on channel 5, with more than 700 contestants testing their skills on the obstacle courses measuring endurance, balance and strength. Tonight’s competition was held in Venice Beach, but Jake’s episode was hosted in Houston.
Though Jake is sworn to secrecy about the show’s outcome, in a 2014 interview it was pretty evident he enjoys the spotlight.
“I’ve always loved theater and getting a reaction from the crowd,” said Jake. “Whenever I would dance [in China] there would be crowds of 40-50 people around my tripod taking pictures and videos with their phones, and then after I would finish dancing many of them would want to take pictures with me. It was always fun to see their shock when I started talking to them in Chinese.”
If Jake is victorious June 1, he’ll proceed on to the next round and perhaps ultimately to the national finals course in Las Vegas. If he can conquer that course, modeled after Mt. Midoriyama in Japan, he will collect $500,000.
Go get ‘em, Jake!
