[dramatic music]
- Last week on "American Ninja Warrior,"
our new 18 1/2 foot Mega Wall went down not once...
- Yes, yes!
- But twice.
- Oh, my goodness.
What?
- And we had the first head to head side by side
races in the show's history.
- This is crazy.
It ain't over till it's over.
- And tonight it only gets better.
* *
- Oh, my God.
Get me out of here.
- The entire crowd on feet!
- Get me out of here.
Oh, my goodness.
In all of our years of doing this,
I would have never thought we'd have seen something like this.
- Welcome to Universal Studios Hollywood, where it's going
to be a star studded night two of our new season
on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, we've got a fired up crowd here.
And they want to see some buzzers.
- Well, they came to the right place
because they're going to see a fast, fun course
with some new twists.
For a preview, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, we've got a different balance obstacle
for tonight, Log Runner.
- Oh.
- And that's followed by a brand new obstacle,
Kite Surfer, where the ninjas have to use their grip
and fly between the two kites.
- Nice.
- And if they finish in under 1 minute 20 seconds,
they can take a shot at the 18 1/2 foot Mega Wall.
Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card
will pay $10,000 to an unlimited number
of ninjas who can scale the Mega Wall this season, guys.
- Thanks, Zuri.
Last week's premiere was electric.
We got our first look at something new this year,
side by side racing in the runoffs.
- It was exciting.
- And we'll see that again tonight
as ninjas go head to head for the final spots
in the semifinals.
And you're going to like our first runner.
You may have already liked one of his videos.
This is social media star Simba Jones.
The 25-year-old from Georgia has millions
of followers who check out the videos
he and his crew come up with.
- I'm in a group with a bunch of guys
called the hustle house.
We got up to 10 million followers on TikTok.
Mama Jones is what blew us up.
That's my mom.
And if you don't make her laugh,
you get smacked with a ball.
She's a good mama.
She just doesn't have a sense of humor.
When I step on that course, I gotta make Mama Jones proud.
Once I hit that buzzer, y'all going to see me hype.
All the boys going to get hype.
- And there's Mama Jones with Auntie Sabrina.
- Mama ain't impressed.
Simba's going to have to do something special
to make her smile.
- Well, the crowd loves him.
And you know his bros are going to be making some noise.
But I don't know about mama.
Played football at Kennesaw Mountain High school.
- Nice. Get up.
All right, come on. Climb, climb.
- Get up high. - Climb, climb.
- Ooh, good footwork.
[cheers and applause]
- He know he would have got clowned by his bros
on that one.
- Simba on now to the Roller Coaster.
- Let's ride!
- Oh, you heard that roar.
He's cutting it up.
Nice.
- A lot of pride for Simba.
Cats don't like getting wet.
- Mama Jones still ain't impressed.
- Balance obstacle tonight is Log Runner.
Can use those football skills.
It is easy to get tripped up.
- Ooh.
Oh, my goodness.
- Still alive.
- Oh, boy.
Oh, OK, OK.
[cheers and applause]
- He's making the most of this.
- Go! Go, Simba! - Go, go, go!
- And now he'll give us our first look
at this new obstacle, Kite Surfer.
He's got to use his hands to reach around the outside
of this first kite.
- Struggling already.
- Now has to jump that gap to the small end of the kite.
- Nice.
- This TikToker has been impressive
but now has to swing over to grab the kite spool,
which is on bungees.
Splashes down, can't handle Kite Surfer.
Oh, the bros are joining him.
- The bros.
Oh, the bros came out.
They came out to celebrate, Matt.
A big smile from Mama Jones.
That's a win in itself.
Hey, yo, Matt, help me bust a rhyme real quick.
Simba was balling--
- Like a lion calling. - Ahh!
- But he was hauling--
- Until he was falling.
- Nice.
No bouncy ball to the face for Simba.
His bros loved it.
And his mom did too, I think.
- And we've got another big star up next.
This is the big dog, Jody Avila,
standing 6'6" weighing 210 pounds.
- He's waving to his boys who are watching back home with
his father-in-law, his youngest Christian
gave him an extra motivation for his run tonight.
- My son drew me a picture before coming out here to LA.
And it's a picture of me standing on top of the wall
hitting the buzzer.
I'm going to make that happen for him tonight.
- That's pressure, especially considering Jody is 37.
- His wife Pauline will love him no matter what.
She's on the sideline.
- At 6'6", this pole vault should be easy breezy for him.
He's almost as tall as the pole.
- Makes it look easy.
Remember, he's in crawl spaces in attics for his heating
and air conditioning business.
So he's very agile for a big man.
- Yeah, this big dog has a lot of bite left in him.
Yeah, man, the odds are stacked against him
because of his height...
- Real smooth.
- His weight and some may say his age.
He's getting up there now.
- 37 years old, but he can use those long legs on Log Runner.
- Oh, he did that one with ease.
[cheers and applause]
- No problem so far.
But at 210 pounds, his size could be
an issue on this new fourth obstacle, Kite Surfer.
That big boy is going to have to fly here.
Now watch this bungee.
He's going to get low.
He's go to watch his feet.
- Yeah, he's got to be compact.
- You can see the water undisturbed.
- Be careful 6'6".
- Got to keep those legs up.
Oh, and just grabs the kite with one hand,
being 6'6", you can do things other ninjas can't.
- Yeah, they didn't design this one
with Jody Avila in mind.
But the big dog making it work.
- Oh, he got it.
Come on.
- Nice.
- And he's made it to the fifth obstacle.
- I see you, big dog.
I see you, baby.
- Christian's starting to feel pretty good.
Jodie's getting close to a buzzer.
But up next is Lasso Launch.
Got to jump with the rope and land on the three cows.
- Nice.
- Good launch.
Now has to rotate around and jump
backwards to the second one.
Just got to kick himself up high and use those long arms.
- Use that force.
Nice.
- Nice.
- OK, Jody Avila.
- And now one more to go, this one 6 inches higher,
closing in on our first finish of the night.
- Nice.
- Jody Avila, showing how to tame this course.
The big dog is back.
And he's going to get our first buzzer of the night.
Come on.
[cheers and applause]
- Christian called it.
I got to apologize.
I was talking about you getting a little older.
But you shut me up, man.
- Old man still got it!
- Let's go!
- I got my boys at home. Just wanted to do it for them.
- Hit that buzzer again, Jody.
He gets his fifth qualifying buzzer, our first
finisher tonight.
And we're going to see him in the semifinals,
where every run is a race.
It's night two of qualifying on "American Ninja Warrior."
And we're bringing in the big guns, including one
of the best ever Daniel Gil
and the fun loving island ninja,
Grant McCartney, plus one of the most
inspirational athletes we've ever had...
- This year is my redemption year.
- Amputee Gary Weiland is back
to run the course on one leg.
On "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to qualifying on "American Ninja Warrior."
While we were away, Elijah Levée
came ready to prove that less shirt means more skill.
- Boy, that's a mean crop top right there.
I ain't seen those since two-a-days in football camp.
- The New Orleans nursing student calls himself
the Louisi-animal.
He rehabs critters from all over the state.
And Levée looked like a wild animal
as he ripped through the course.
- Levée with the nice laché.
- He let the good times roll all the way
to the fourth obstacle.
- Oh.
Let it go.
Let it flow.
- Heather Nelson's an animal in her own right.
This 51-year-old is a beast of an endurance athlete
and a mother of two.
She had the whole family watching back in Washington.
Nelson goes around the world kayaking
and competing in OCR events.
Known as Mama Swimja, she stayed out
of the water on pole vault.
- Go, go, go.
That was close.
- But she couldn't stay dry on Roller Coaster.
- Ooh.
- An even older competitor 55-year-old,
Sam Sann, started his 10th ninja season off strong.
The Houston gym owner survived Roller Coaster...
- Now drop. There you go.
Get it.
- But had a rougher ride on Log Runner.
- Boom.
Oh, my goodness.
Check this out.
Ooh, nice little flip.
- Boise Idaho's James Thorwart had
his own issues on Log Runner.
- Oh, no, hold on. OK.
- After a stumble, the pilot went into a tailspin.
- Matt, he calls himself indestructible.
He cannot be destructed by this one.
- The former Navy Petty Officer fought for more than
a minute to stay out of the water.
- Oh, he's going to try to swing it up.
He's going to try to swing it up.
Watch your feet.
- He tried everything to save himself
but finally had to surrender.
And up next is one of our youngest competitors,
15-year-old Madelyn Madaras.
This high schooler only weighs 106 pounds.
But she is powerful.
And she gets that strength from her mom.
- Oh, no, don't take that one.
No.
- My mom inspires me in every aspect of my life
because she's going through something really hard.
I got you your medicine. - Thanks.
Thank you.
- In March of 2020, my mom was diagnosed with
stage four metastatic breast cancer.
- One of the hardest things that I had to do
was to tell my girls about it because I didn't want them
to be frightened or worried.
That's why I'm so happy that, you know,
Madelyn decided to train for "American Ninja Warrior."
Good job. Let's go!
It's helped our relationship to spend time
together and train together.
You're gonna do awesome.
- She shows me that no matter what you're going through,
you can still push through it.
- Good job.
- And you can still be positive
and happy along the way.
- Beautiful! Good job, baby.
- I definitely want to make my mom proud
by hitting the buzzer.
But I know she'll be proud of me no matter what.
- And mom's here cheering from the sidelines
along with a big group of supporters.
Her dad and sister are watching back in Texas.
[cheers and applause]
- Matt, she is smart.
Her IQ is so high she's a certified genius.
- Figures out the pole vault.
- And she's about to skip two grades.
- Let's see if she can solve the challenge
of the Roller Coaster.
- Oh, yeah, this is physics, right?
Or calculus, trigonometry, one of them, right, Matt?
- All of the above, big man.
- All right. Look at that.
- Smooth.
- Who needs algebra when you've got the Roller Coaster?
- Gets through.
Mom is beaming over there.
Now facing Log Runner.
- 5' 6", she's got to make sure she opens up her gate.
- Stay centered.
- You don't want to get it spinning.
- And she gets through another.
- OK, Maddie.
[cheers and applause]
- Learning to fight from her mom
and Maddie fighting out here, already
on the fourth obstacle, looking solid.
All right, look at that wide wingspan.
It's just 5' 6".
She can laché, though.
And she makes the grab.
[cheers and applause]
Those bungies barely moved, only weighs 106 pounds.
Now has to fly up and grab that second kite.
Taking a lot of swings here.
Got it.
- Got it!
- This is the big move. - Here we go.
See? Calculate.
Calculate it.
Did you see that calculation in midair?
- Got to get the dismount.
- Yes.
- And she's through four obstacles on her first run.
[cheers and applause]
- Matt, I don't know what her formula was for that one.
But she nailed it.
- Solving problems.
But can she solve the Lasso Launch?
This is a tough obstacle.
We saw a lot of tough ninjas fall here last week.
- Nice, OK.
She doesn't look tired.
She doesn't look concerned.
But this is a hard one. This is the reverse.
- Launch up.
- Laché.
- Can't make that difficult move
on Lasso Launch but a great debut run by Madelyn Madaras.
And that may get her into the semifinals.
His first run on the course was amazing...
- Come on.
- But ended in heartbreak.
- Oh.
- Now amputee Gary Weiland is back when "American
Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to qualifying on "American Ninja
Warrior," where three ninja hopefuls
hit the course minutes ago.
Army doctor Megan Johnson got some big Cheers
from her fiancée, fellow ninja Kyle Soderman.
- Let's go, Megan!
- Megatron, as she's known, works at the ER
in Fort Hood in Texas.
This is her fifth season on "Ninja."
And it did not go as planned.
- Climb, climb, climb, climb.
Fight, fight, fight, fight.
- And she became the latest victim of the new obstacle
Pole Vault.
- Got to get her next time.
- Spokane Washington's Cailin Jewell had
the tool belt on ready to go to work.
The 25-year-old and her boyfriend
built a tiny house on wheels, all by themselves.
The rookie rolled through the first two obstacles
but got hammered on the third.
- Stay on top.
Stay on top.
Oh.
- Grant Kinningham's tool of choice is the chainsaw.
The 20-year-old from Houston is an ice sculptor,
turning blocks of ice into works of art.
And tonight, he carved up the course.
- I see you, Grant.
- That may be due to the fact that he lives
with ninja great Daniel Gil.
- He and Daniel, they've got that infectious smile.
- The rookie looked like he was on his way to a buzzer.
- Come on, man.
Come on.
Oh.
- But he's in good position to move on to the semifinals,
where every run is a race.
- So much fun.
- Our next athlete is one of the most inspirational
individuals we've ever had on "Ninja Warrior."
Returning to the course on his prosthetic leg
is Texas firefighter Gary Weiland.
His shirt has an AO.
That stands for adapt and overcome.
That's how Gary Weiland lives his life.
- I had a partial knee replacement in 2016.
And over the next couple of years,
I had some issues with it that caused the blood flow
to my foot to stop.
In 2018, they ultimately had to amputate my leg.
- Well, just to be here is a triumph.
And if he can get through this first obstacle
with that prosthetic leg, that would
truly be something special.
Oh, look at that.
Come on.
Tell me that's not impressive.
- Oh, that's amazing.
[cheers and applause]
Gary Weiland, oh, and he saves it again.
- Last season I got to the Log Runner.
And I was hanging on to that log for dear life.
- This dude is a fighter, Matt.
- I didn't want to quit.
I didn't want to give up.
- * I'm unbreakable, you can't stop me now *
- When you're back is up against the wall,
what do you do?
- * This is my world now, I'm unbreakable *
- So I did everything I could to spin
back on top of that log.
And that's about all the energy that I could suffice.
- And that was one of the greatest runs we have seen.
- * Unbreakable *
- People from all over the world
messaged me saying that was very
inspirational, that was the greatest
run I've ever seen.
* This is my world now, I'm unbreakable *
- You better believe I'm going to adapt and overcome
this course tonight.
I'm going to get that buzzer.
- * I'm unbreakable *
- And, Matt, Log Runner is back tonight.
I don't know if Gary's bummed or excited
to get another shot.
- Hey, guys!
- His family watching from back in Texas.
- Love you!
[cheers and applause] I got this.
- This first obstacle is going to be
a challenge, has to hit that trampoline
with that prosthetic leg.
- Oh, jump and hit it. Nice.
Get up high. - Up high.
- OK, Gary!
OK, Gary!
- And got it down. Stay up.
- OK, Gary!
- A little worried.
But he handled that as well as anyone all season.
His son and his Texas training partners
appreciate the effort.
What's your excuse?
- None, zero.
- None of these obstacles are easy.
Can he handle the Roller Coaster?
- All right, here we go.
All about that timing, timing.
Here we go. Let go.
Boom. Let go.
Take over.
Nice.
- Just needs a dismount.
And we're getting a rematch.
Gary Weiland...
- Nice.
- Versus the Log Runner once again.
- Matt, I put this on my family,
if he makes it through long runner, I'm about to go nuts.
- This would be remarkable if Weiland could survive
the treacherous Log Runner.
- Matt, look at his eyes.
He is not going down.
He is not going down again.
Nice.
Go, go, go.
- Oh, no.
- What a save!
- OK, save it.
- You got this one.
- A similar spot to where he fell last year.
- Come on.
- This move made even more challenging
with that prosthetic.
- Yeah, hold it.
- Look at the fight in this man.
- Gary, Gary.
Forget commentating, Gary.
- Come on, Gary.
- Gary, Gary.
- You can see it looks like he has trouble getting a feel
for it there, obviously.
- Yeah, he's trying to figure out where to position so he
can launch himself forward.
Well, this man adapt, overcome.
- Well, we've seen some great saves on Log Runner.
This would be the greatest.
And you could just see how hard it is
to maintain stability with both
these logs rolling on you.
And look at the fight in this man.
- He's just trying to launch himself.
Get in position to launch.
Just go for it.
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Yes, yes.
- What? - Get me out of here.
- The entire crowd... - Get me out here.
- On their feet. - Get me out of here.
Oh, my goodness. - Gary Weiland.
- Oh, my goodness.
- One of the greatest saves we've ever seen.
- Oh, my goodness.
Cancel Christmas. Cancel Christmas.
- The man on one leg gets through the balance obstacle.
- Oh, my goodness.
- A historic performance at Ninja Warrior.
- Cancel the summer, it's over.
It's over, ladies and gentlemen.
- Well, I don't care what happens from here on out.
- I don't care.
- That is one of the great runs we're going to see.
But Gary Weiland is not done.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Does he have anything left in that body after that fight?
- Come on, man.
Come on.
- Oh, the crowd is just electrified
by what they're saying.
- Oh, my goodness.
I'm out of words I'm out of breath.
- Oh!
The grip gives out.
But it doesn't matter.
What one the great runs we've seen on "Ninja Warrior."
- Getting through to obstacles was an accomplishment.
But Gary wanted a rematch with the Log Runner.
And though he stumbled at almost the same place,
his motto is adapt and overcome.
And he did just that.
What a run.
- Gary, oh my goodness.
Dude, put it there. - Bring it in.
- I love it.
I'm so glad I get to talk to you right now.
A year ago Log Runner ended very differently.
Had you been thinking about that obstacle?
- Just for 364 days.
So absolutely.
- Now, did you have a new strategy,
a new approach this go around?
And how did you pull off what we just saw there?
- That's a great question.
Hanging, holding, fighting.
Just made it happen.
- That was incredible.
Guys, back to you.
[cheers and applause]
- What's your excuse?
- Zero, none.
- Coming up...
Nobody gets a crowd going like Grant McCartney.
And we'll see the island ninja next
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to qualifying night
an "American Ninja Warrior."
Minutes ago welding student Nolan Ward
came ready to bring the heat.
- I like it.
- The 19-year-old Texan designs and welds
his own obstacles for his backyard course.
- That's it. Nice.
- But he was not ready for one of ours.
- Oh.
Oh, my goodness.
An oldie but a goodie, Log Runner.
- Speaking of oldies but goodies, Ian Dory was
back after a four-year hiatus.
Dory spends most of his time these days
on the hemp farm he runs with his family,
who are watching back in Colorado.
From 2014 to 2018, Dory was a true ninja
elite, finishing the qualifying course
every year in that period.
And he looked like he hadn't lost a step.
- Boy, it is great to see Ian Dory back.
- The 32-year-old farmer was blazing his way across
the course and looked like he might become
the night's second finisher.
- Oh.
- But that should get him to the semifinals
where every run is a race.
- Super fun to be back. Holy cow.
- The flyboy, Texas teenager Isaiah Thomas just
graduated from high school.
- That's a talented kid right there.
- The 17-year-old has been schooling courses since
he debuted two years ago.
And he was flying across the obstacles tonight.
You want to see this kid race.
He can go now.
Thomas looked like he was destined for a buzzer.
- This is the sign of a--
oh, no!
- Despite the shocking exit, he went fast enough
to guarantee a spot in the semis.
- Guys, when I say get ready to dance,
you already know who's coming to the start line.
It can only be Grant McCartney.
The eight time Ninja veteran always
brings lots of personality to the Ninja course.
But now he's sharing his fun fitness routines
on social media in a big way.
[upbeat music]
- "Ninja Warrior" has opened up doors in every which way.
Today's the big day. My app is now live.
It's opened up this whole new world on social media.
Different ways to take an ice bath.
And I get to use my personality
to get people excited.
We're gonna go see my homie Shaun Murray
and we're gonna learn how to do
some wakeboard maneuvers.
- Here we go! Whoo!
- I'm traveling around.
Whoo-hoo!
Get up there, man! Get up there!
Doing entertainment and sporting together.
A new Ninja season was coming.
And I knew I was not going to be cutting weight.
I've competed as low as 185.
And this year I'm upwards of 205.
And I'm not worried about it.
Inside of me is a desire to be big and to be strong.
And I've gotten very strong.
It may not be perfectly suitable for "Ninja."
But I think I can put it together.
- He's looking good.
But that's a lot of muscle to carry across these obstacles.
- Let's go, baby.
- His good buddy Nick Hanson leading
a whole posse of ninjas down on the sideline.
- Let's go.
- Everybody loves Grant.
- Come on.
- Let's go, Grant.
- He's so strong right now.
You look at his Instagram, he's lifting a lot of weights.
- That was easy. - Whoa.
- G Mac onto the Roller Coaster.
- That's a big dude coming on course right here.
Hoping to be our second finisher tonight.
- He's hit five qualifying buzzers in his career.
He's definitely capable of doing it.
[cheers and applause]
Well, this dude's so awesome.
He wrote a kid's book called "Everyone Knows
Flamingos like to Party."
- He needs to turn up right now on the Log Runner.
It's time to party, baby.
[cheers and applause]
- Nick giving him some advice on his footwork.
All right, watch the balance here.
All right, big fella.
- G Mac.
- All right, big fella.
- Oh, hammy, hammy.
- Oh, he got us.
- He got me.
I thought he pulled a hammy.
- He broke it down.
Now let's see how the big boy can handle
the not so friendly skies of Kite Surfer.
- Yeah, he's a flight attendant.
Come on, fly.
Fly that kite.
- And this is where you really feel
that extra weight, 205 pounds.
And you're hanging on by your fingertips.
And he better watch the drop when
he grabs on to the bungees.
- Nice, holding on.
You see how he came in there, compact.
Those bungee...
- Nice.
- Cables are extended fully.
Maybe not graded for his weight.
- Getting some lift there.
You can just see the timing is tough.
- He better make that transition.
He better hurry up.
Oh, he's tripping.
- Well, the bungee cords are really
messing up his momentum.
- Man, he's tripping, tripping.
What is he doing?
- Well, these cables stretching four feet.
And he said it.
And he got it.
It was Jody Avila earlier and now Grant McCartney.
These big guys making this obstacle interesting.
- Matt, I'm a little nervous.
Matt, you're looking at him.
He's got to get wide.
Or he's got to come on the back side.
- Yes! - Oh, and he does it.
- He's exhausted.
But he's through.
[cheers and applause]
- Heavy. I feel so heavy.
- Yeah, you are heavy.
You're 205 pounds.
- I'm light. - [laughs]
- I'm light.
- He is putting a positive mantra into his head.
And with his size, Lasso Launch is
not going to be easy either.
- Nice.
- Now, he has to rotate around and jump
backwards onto the second cow.
- Launch it up.
- Power, power.
Ooh.
- He's looking gassed.
- Yeah, he doesn't have any--
- He's on fumes.
- Whoa.
- He's up on the horns.
- He's on the horn.
He landed it.
- Come on.
But how will he make the next move?
- Oh, boy.
Oh, he's trying to fight it.
- That is incredible height.
- I don't know how he's going to get it off of that one.
- Hanging by a thread on the cow's head,
trying to be our second finisher.
This would be an incredible save
if he survives.
both: Oh!
- Bucked off Lasso Launch.
We'll have to see if that's enough
to get him into the semifinals.
- Well, let's look at this again.
He throws the rope and hooks it on top of the cow's head.
That rope is supposed to land down here.
He tried to recover, but no luck for the big fella.
- I think I've been in Texas too long.
'Cause I know in Texas,
they like you to lasso the head of the cow
and bring it down.
- Coming up, he's one of the best ever.
The Kingdom ninja Daniel Gill hits
the course next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Universal Studios, Hollywood.
- It has been another wild night of competition
on this qualifying course.
- Minutes ago, US Army soldier Deion Butler got his shot.
Butler is a supply specialist
at Camp Bullous in San Antonio.
- Well, I'm excited for this one.
Be all that you can't be.
- The 23-year-old marched through
the first and the second obstacle
but ran into trouble on the third.
- Ooh, my goodness.
But he saved it.
- It looked like his run was over.
- He's wrestling with it now.
- But this soldier kept fighting.
- And this is why we have him in the service.
- He definitely gave this crowd
something to cheer about.
But his run ended one obstacle later.
- Ooh.
- Arkansas teenager Joseph Rouse brought along the robot
he built himself.
- That's a talented kid right there.
Though only 15, the budding engineer
had this course figured out.
He's got a lot of potential here as a rookie.
- With his nervous mom watching on the sideline
and a rowdy group back in Arkansas,
the high school student made it
all the way to Lasso Launch.
- No!
- And that earned him a spot in the top 12.
Then it was one of the top women competitors,
19-year-old college student Isabella Wakeham
and her older brother 22-year-old
videographer Isaiah.
- The Wakehams, they can go now.
- These two have a history of getting
to the same place on the course.
And tonight, they both sail through the first four
obstacles and reached Lasso Launch...
- Wakey, wakey don't shakey.
- Where they went out on the same obstacle once again.
- Oh.
- But they'll both be moving on to the semifinals.
- She is in the history books as the first mom
to ever hit a buzzer.
And Sandy Zimmerman is still going strong at 46 years old.
And she looks great.
I mean, check out those abs.
She got that history making buzzer
four years ago in Tacoma.
But one thing is missing
from her résumé.
She's never reached
the National Finals.
- Her family will be watching from home
along with many of the folks
she trains with back in Spokane.
She is immensely popular.
[cheers and applause]
Well, formerly our favorite gym teacher.
But she's left that career behind,
graduated to something new.
She's now a motivational speaker.
Good job, stays alive.
[cheers and applause]
- Starting this new career, new chapter in her life,
it's risky and scary.
But so is "Ninja Warrior."
- 5'6", 140 and just a ferocious competitor--
is known as pit bull.
- Nice transition.
- She's got some dog in her.
- Oh, yes, she does. - She will fight.
- And not only she got some dog in her, she can bite.
- Just crazy to think she's--
there it is, the superhero landing.
- You know what that is.
- She is in such tremendous shape.
Nothing is impossible.
On now to the Log Runner.
- Oh, oh!
- Oh, no.
- Wow.
- Not what she was hoping for.
But she's the last of tonight's women competitors.
And that run lands her in fourth place.
She ends up behind Isabella Wakeham,
Madelyn Madaras,
and Cailin Jewell.
So now we're going to see Sandy competing in the runoff
race in just a few minutes, taking on
fifth place, Lindsey Darling,
for the final spot in the semis.
Still only one finisher tonight.
But the last man to run is one of the greatest of all time.
It's the kingdom ninja Daniel Gil back
after taking last year off.
And he's ready to go right back to the top.
- Back on season 11, I made it all the way to stage 4
and had my first try on Mount Madhurima.
And I timed out and was just a few seconds away
from a million dollars.
And you better believe I want my rematch
against Mt. Midoriyama.
- Daniel is going to have his wife,
Abby, on the sideline, along with a big group
of Texas ninjas.
[cheers and applause]
- Here we go.
- He can fly.
- Nice.
- Up high.
- Boy, he just did that.
Didn't he?
- And Gil running with some urgency.
He may be gunning for that Mega Wall.
We need to finish in under a 1:20.
- This is Daniel Gil we're talking about.
If that man wants the Mega Wall,
he will get the Mega Wall.
I can feel it.
Run, run, run, run, nice. - All right.
- Whoo.
Did you see the speed?
- Now it's a chance for that Mega Wall.
Now 29 years old showing he can still
keep up with the teenagers.
He is looking like the old Daniel Gil.
- He thought about making that transition.
He says, all right, hold on.
Wow.
- Launched his body parallel to it.
He is moving.
- I mean he is in great form.
He might have a shot at the Mega Wall.
- Well, only Jody Avila has survived
Lasso Launch this far.
Can Gil be the second?
- All right, it's all about that technique.
- 30 seconds...
- Nice.
- To get that buzzer and get a shot at the Mega Wall.
- Well, I think it would be foolish to rush
here on Lasso Launch.
All right, see it, regrouping.
Let it flow.
- There it is. - Nice.
- 20 seconds, Daniel! 20 seconds!
- Grant McCartney yelling out times.
- Up, up, up and out.
- Yes.
- Nice. - 10.
- He's got it. - Get it going, Gil.
- He can get it.
Run up, run up. Ooh!
- Only the second finisher tonight!
And he's earned a shot at the Mega Wall!
- Hey, Daniel, I got to say, man,
you seem to have gotten faster.
What's the secret?
- A little bit of age, a little bit of wisdom.
A lot of training. - Yeah.
- I got good news, you get a shot at the Mega Wall!
Get down there and give it a shot, bud!
Can Gil climb that 18 1/2 feet and earn that $10,000?
all: Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
- He's done it twice before.
But that's when it was 6 inches shorter.
- It's all about driving your feet, driving your feet.
Watch his feet. Watch his feet.
Get up there.
Nice!
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, my.
And he just earned $10,000
from Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card.
[cheers and applause]
- Who's still got it?
- You still got it.
- Will this be the year
that you get that million dollars, Daniel?
- I'm thinking so.
[cheers and applause]
- Daniel Gil is back.
Go celebrate, buddy.
He was the final runner of the night.
So we now know who's going to the semifinals.
Daniel Gil leads the way just ahead of our only
other finisher, Jody Avila.
Among the non-finishers, Ian Dory
and Grant McCartney are moving on,
along with TikToker Simba Jones.
All of those in the top 11 are in.
But 12th and 13th will race for the final spot.
And look who's in number 12, Gary Weiland.
The amputee who amazed us earlier
will race newcomer James Thorwart
on our side by side course.
And we'll see it next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Universal Studios Hollywood.
Minutes ago we saw tonight's first run off race
as the fourth and fifth place women
battled for the final spot in the semifinals.
We got experience versus youth on this one.
It was a face-off between 46-year-old super mom
Sandy Zimmerman
and 20-year-old artist Lindsey Darling,
who's 5'11".
But her long legs didn't help her on the first obstacle.
- Ooh.
- That fall gave Sandy the win.
And she kept going, hoping for a buzzer.
Though she fell on sideways, she's still going
to the semifinals, where every run is a race.
- [shouting indistinctly]
Whoo!
So now it's our men's run off race.
And this is going to be something.
Gary Weiland already gave us one
of the most electrifying moments of the night,
maybe the season.
He's now going to attempt to race down
this course on that prosthetic leg.
He'll be racing James Thorwart, a 26-year-old pilot
from Boise, Idaho, who's shown he's pretty tough himself.
- They call me Industructa-bro because I'm indestructible.
I've been in several car crashes, motorcycle accidents,
and I've never been hurt.
- James is indestructible.
But so am I.
When I first lost my leg
and got my prosthetic leg, I had to relearn how to walk.
So I'm still building that muscle memory,
still working on my balance every day.
But I'm willing to try and give my best effort at everything.
[dramatic music]
* *
- I'm excited for this one, Matt.
We've had a few amputees run our course over the years,
but none have ever made it to the semi-finals.
- James Thorwart's family watching back in Idaho.
And Gary Weiland's son on the sideline
with a big group of supporters.
- History on the line here for Gary.
Right now he's got to race, though.
Here we go.
- First obstacle may be the toughest for Gary.
Got to take it slow with his prosthetic.
Well, Gary Weiland making the smart play.
Catch him later.
Thorwart up on Flying Shelves first.
And now this gets interesting.
Oh!
- Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.
- Thorwart is down.
- Oh, my goodness.
Oh, my goodness.
Shut the front door!
- Gary Weiland must complete the Flying Shelves
and he will make history.
all: Gary! Gary! Gary!
- It's not how you start, it's how you finish.
Can Weiland give us... - Look at his technique.
- Another... - He's gotta throw himself.
- Electric moment?
- Yeah, let yourself go. Throw it.
Nice. Nice.
- Oh, my.
And James Thorwart's even applauding.
- Oh, my goodness.
Come on, baby. - It's a...
- Let's go, Gary.
- Five-alarm fire one more move.
- It's the Gary Weiland show he out here wilding out.
- Gary Weiland on fire.
- Yes, history has just been made!
- He's going to the semis, another...
- Oh, my goodness.
- Electrifying performance.
- Matt, in all of our years of doing this,
I would have never thought we'd have seen something like this.
Are you kidding me?
[cheers and applause]
Gary, Gary!
- He's got the win.
But he's going to keep going.
- Holy moly.
- Now attacking the honeycombs, a beehive.
How far can he go?
[cheers and applause]
How did he make that catch?
- Come on.
Come on.
Matt, what's your question you always ask?
What's the question?
- What's your excuse?
- Oh, my goodness.
I have none.
- Gary Weiland, when he lost that leg,
many thought he'd never be a firefighter again.
Well, not only did he return to active duty,
here he is on "Ninja Warrior."
- Come on, man. Get it.
Get it. Get it.
Oh! My goodness.
- What a run.
Gary Weiland just keeps giving us gold.
- Matt, everyone's on their feet.
Look at the crowd.
I can't wait to see him in a few weeks
racing in the semifinals.
- Whoo!
- That wraps it up for tonight.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."
* *
[dramatic music]
* *