Ben Saville is a statistical scientist for Berry Consultants, where he specializes in the design of innovative Bayesian adaptive clinical trials. Away from work, he is a fitness enthusiast who loves to tackle obstacle courses. He recently competed in NBC’s television reality show “American Ninja Warrior” in San Antonio as the “Stats Ninja.”
Approximately 77,000 applicants nationwide sent in video applications with hopes of competing this season, and Saville was one of only 600 athletes in the country to receive the invitation.
When asked how he became interested in “American Ninja Warrior,” Saville said, “My two sons love the show, and they inspired me to send in an audition video. In my audition, I emphasized my family, my unique biostatistics background, and my dedication to fitness, and the producers liked what they saw.”
His competition aired June 19, but NBC did not showcase his run. Of the 100 athletes who competed in San Antonio, only about 20 were chosen to be shown on TV.
Saville put in his best effort, but failed on “Tick-Tock,” the second of six obstacles. Despite not advancing in the competition, he remains optimistic. “It was an amazing experience, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. I love challenging myself, whether it’s hard statistical problems or seemingly impossible ninja obstacles. I’ll use this year’s experience as a building block to train and hopefully compete again next year!”
he is an amazing dad and really nice