The third season had the same format as the second season but aired in the summer . Qualifiers were held in Venice , Los Angeles in May . It premiered on July 31 , 2011 , on G4 , and concluded on August 21 , 2011 . The finale was aired again on August 22 , 2011 , as a two-hour primetime special on NBC . In addition to the 10 Americans sent to compete on '' Sasuke '' , one fan of '' ANW '' got the chance to compete as well . This was the result of an eBay auction in which proceeds were sent to the American Red Cross to help with recovery efforts following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan . During '' Sasuke 27 '' , four of the six competitors who reached Stage 3 were American — a new record . Previously , only one American would reach Stage 3 per '' Sasuke '' competition . David Campbell was again the Last Ninja Standing , having gone the farthest tin the least amount of time among the American competitors on Stage 3
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
American Ninja Warrior