Discovery Channel has ordered a new survival competition series titled Ultimate Ninja Challenge, which is set to premiere in August. The show will throw nine contestants from all walks of life into the brutally cold Pacific Northwest wilderness, where then they must complete eight missions based on the ancient laws of the Ninja.
The 24-day survival challenge will include missions like traversing frigid swamps, surviving overnight on an icy glacier and even escaping imprisonment, with little to no sleep or food, to prove they can live the life of a warrior. The first set of both male and female contestants will include a UFC fighter, martial arts experts, veteran fireman and former military.
The show’s missions were created by Jinichi Kawakami, who is known as the last living Ninja. Kawakami based the missions included in the show on the sacred Kuji principles of the Ninja. Each mission will test the contestants physically, mentally and emotionally; if they fail a mission, they’re out of the challenge. If the warriors complete all eight missions, they will get a chance to learn from Kawakami himself in Iga, a city in Japan, to prove themselves in the final challenge.
The show was created by Charlie Foley and developed by Foley and Vaibhav Bhatt. The series is produced for Discovery Channel by Renegade 83 in association with the Original Content Group. Executive producers are David Garfinkle, Jay Renfroe, Stephen Rankin and David Burris for Renegade 83; Foley and Bhatt for Original Content Group; and Joseph Boyle and Michael Gara for Discovery. Jessica Mollo is associate producer for the network.
The show will premiere Sunday, Aug. 5, at 10 p.m.
