'American Ninja Warrior' Has One Badass Co-Host

I'm going to be real honest with you guys right now, I love American Ninja Warrior. I really do. From all the weird yet totally brave and awesome contestants with their ridiculous outfits and strange names (like HotDog, no I'm not kidding), to the insane daredevil stunts with equally strange names (like the "Jumping Spider" or the "Rolling Escargot"). But I have to say that co-host Jenn Brown is one of my favorite parts of the show and the best part is, she's more than qualified for her position.

While the two main hosts, Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, are able to just react to the contestants' performances from the comfort of their weird stage up in the heavens away from the action, Brown has the thankless task of interviewing everyone as they either succeed or, more often than not, fail in their attempts to complete the crazy obstacles this show throws at them.

When the contestants get through the course successfully, Brown's job is a little easier since the contestants are more willing to talk and brag about themselves but when they lose, that's got to be an extremely uncomfortable conversation. And most of the time, Brown manages to handle these awkward situations with ease and always gets some kind of mumbled answer from these seriously upset men and women.

Brown wasn't always considering a life as a broadcaster. Originally she went to the University of Florida on an athletic scholarship and spent all four years playing softball for the Florida Gators. During her time in college, Brown captained the softball team her senior year, she made the Dean and President's lists, and she was chosen as an National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Academic All-American. All of this was basically leading up to a dream of going to law school and life as a sports agent until she got a break in the TV industry with a gig hosting a travel show on HDNet called The Wild Side.

After that show, Brown went on to work at Showtime Sports, becoming the first female correspondent on the show Inside The NFL . While at Showtime, Brown also worked as a ringside and cage side reporter for Showtime and CBS' boxing and mixed martial arts programs. This clearly made her ready to do the courseside reporting and co-hosting she does now on American Ninja Warrior. Brown has also worked at ESPN, E!, CNN, ABC, DIRECTV and many more networks as both a sports reporter and entertainment correspondent for a decade, winning two Emmy's in the process.

Brown also channels her badassery into charity work by being a board member of the nonprofit organization Kids in the Game which provides financial help so that children from lower income families can get a chance to participate in after school sports programs and physical education programs in schools. Brown also co-created the Carrie Brown Foundation. Named after Brown's younger sister who was killed in a car accident in 2002, the foundation gives scholarships and grants to special needs programs in schools and less fortunate children.

And as a bonus, Brown loves sports and her work so much that she even attempted a few of the American Ninja Warrior obstacles to see what grueling challenges the contestants she interviews go through. She'll be the first to tell you it's definitely not a walk in the park:

Images: Instagram/JennBrownTV (2)