Once again…it’s ninja time.

Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover in April 2016:

Fun event here in Indianapolis this week: the NBC reality series American Ninja Warrior is filming an episode on Monument Circle in the very heart of downtown. They’re filming the initial challenges in the wee hours of Wednesday night/Thursday morning from a crowd of thirty competitors, and it’s my understanding semifinalists will continue competing Thursday night/Friday morning. If you’re a local night owl who has no use for crowing roosters or morning-drive DJs, this event was made just for you.

The ninja are back in town! Once again the ANW crew took over Monument Circle with their trucks, their rigging, their tents, their boxes and boxes of electrical equipment, and their high-falutin’ obstacle courses meant to test the mettle of anyone who wants to go on TV, look Olympian, attempt a series of stunts, and subject themselves to a spectacular pratfalls when the gauntlet smacks them down. And once again they got in the way of my weekly walk to the local comic shop on my lunch break.

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument rose above, proud if obscured by so much macho set decoration.

This time filming will be Saturday and Sunday nights instead of during the week, probably an easier time frame for local fans to slot into their schedules. We’ll be downtown Saturday, but we’re not fans of this version of the show, so someone else can have our spots. A commercial during Jeopardy! tonight confirmed the new season will premiere May 30th. Our city’s second appearance on the show would be a lovely opportunity to show off the art and architecture of the storied buildings surrounding Monument Circle, if it weren’t for all that darkness and specialized exercise equipment.

Much work was unfinished as of Wednesday morning, but the Warped Walls were firmly in place.

Monument Circle is a fun place to walk, but it’s hard to get a sense of the character on display with all those metal rods in the way. Among those not pictured here are the chocolate shop, a local radio station, Christ Church Cathedral, the Columbia Club, Hilbert Circle Theatre (home of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra), and the tallest building in Indiana, the recently renamed Salesforce Tower. On the other hand, if you squint at the lead photo, you can make out one of two Starbucks within 300 feet of where I was standing. Squint harder, and there’s the Potbelly Sandwich Shop that hasn’t gotten any more of my money since that one time a bunch of us coworkers ordered lunch delivery and my sandwich arrived with superheated, extra-wilted lettuce and tomato. Not that I’m bitter.

What were we talking about? Oh, right: AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR! Also, BROADCAST TV STUFF IN INDY! WOOOOOO!

In the distance, men hard at work so that NBC can fill their schedule with something besides the Chicago Med Televisual Universe. God bless you gents.