This pint-sized ninja could be Wichita’s next reality TV star
Wichita likely has thousands of tiny ninjas living in the city limits, but soon it will have one competing for the title of “American Ninja Warrior Junior” in front of a national television audience.
Zoe Zogleman, the 11-year-old daughter of Wichitans Brandy and Jesse Zogleman, will compete on a soon-to-air episode of “American Ninja Warrior Junior,” a spin off of the NBC show “American Ninja Warrior.” The kid version, which features 9-14-year-olds racing each other through a complicated and demanding obstacle course, will air on Universal Kids, which on Cox Cable in Wichita airs on channel 209. The show’s second season premiered on Saturday.
Zogleman, one of more than 140 kids from across the country chosen to compete, will appear on the season’s fifth episode, set to air on March 21. Each episode features 12 kids competing head-to-head in three different age groups — 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. One champion will be crowned for each age group by the end of the season. The show is hosted by comedian Matt Iseman and former NFL star Akbar Gbajabiamila, who also host “American Ninja Warrior,” as well as Paralympic gold medalist Victoria Arlen.
Though the family can’t say how Zoe did on the show, she was certainly prepared, said her mother, Brandy, who along with her husband owns several Wichita businesses, including Brick & Mortar event venue and the new Crumbl Cookies.
Zoe, who is active in pageants and has a background in tumbling, gymnastics and cheer, trained for her turn on the show at Omnicut in Wichita and even traveled to Oklahoma to train in a “ninja gym.”
It was Zoe’s little sister, 6-year-old Remington, who initially suggested Zoe should try out for the show. Zoe applied last April and got a callback in May.
Eventually, she was one of 48 kids ages 9-10 from across the country who was chosen — and the only one from Kansas, Brandy said. The show received more than 11,000 applications for season two.
Zoe traveled to Los Angeles for a week in July, where taping took place outside of the Staples Center. At the time, she was still 10 and completed in the 9-10-year-old category.
She met several celebrities, including the show’s hosts and former “American Ninja Warrior” winner Drew Drechsel, and she made lots of friends among the other kids who were there to compete, she said.
“The ninjas from across the country are some of the neatest friends I have met and we all have such cool stories,” she said. “We all encouraged each other and rooted for each other and were supportive, and that is what I love about being a ninja. “
When she applied for and taped the show, Zoe was a student at Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic School. She’s now pursuing acting opportunities, Brandy said, and she’s enrolled in online school.
Zoe, the oldest of three siblings, also has a 4-year-old brother, Tripp.
The first season of “American Ninja Warrior” aired in 2018, and this season, it will air at 6 p.m. on Saturdays. The 12th season of the adult version of the show will air later this year.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 5:01 AM.
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