- Welcome to "American Teenage Mutant Ninja Warrior Turtles."
- That's not even a good title, Mikey.
- No, no, it's "American Mutant Ninja Warrior Turtle Teenager."
It rolls off the tongue.
- I thought it was good.
all: [chanting] Ninja Turtles!
- Tonight it's a special "American Ninja Warrior,"
with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo
are bringing the mayhem!
Hello, everyone.
And welcome to our final night of qualifying.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, this is going to be wild,
because tonight we're going to see lots of ninjas
and lots of Ninja Turtles.
- It's to celebrate their new movie,
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,"
which opens in theaters August 2nd.
And we're going to give you a sneak peak in just a bit.
- And the Turtles have already created mayhem.
They took over one of our obstacles.
- Absolutely. For a closer look, let's go down
to our April O'Neil, Zuri Hall.
- Guys, we've got the surveillance footage
to prove it.
Those Ninja Turtles did a number on our fifth obstacle.
- Look at me.
I'm an American Ninja Warrior. - Out of the way, pipsqueak.
- Hey. Ah!
- Ah! - Oh!
- Dude! - Better luck next season.
- [grunts] Nailed it.
- Ah!
- We're going to be on TV. - What's up, Dad?
- The turtles make it look easy,
but our human competitors will have
to fight their way across three hanging puzzles
and avoid the green ooze below.
It's a Turtle Takeover on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Well, Turtle fans can appreciate
our first competitor,
because he's a shredder-- but the good kind.
This is tree surgeon Rick Shinn.
And he is ready to rip it up.
Get ready for Chainsaw Rick.
- You got a problem with trees, I'm the guy you call.
[chain saw whirring]
It's a dangerous job.
Matter of fact, it's the most dangerous job in America.
The fatality rate is the highest.
But climbing is like freedom to me.
I feel alive up there.
Cutting trees is great training for "Ninja."
One, you got to be fearless.
[rock music]
Two, tree-working keeps you really fit.
* *
And, three, you got to react...
[imitates whooshing] Fast.
[chain saw whirring]
I'm Chainsaw Rick.
Whoo!
And I'm ready to rip up the course.
* *
[chain saw whirring, crowd chanting]
Let's go! [cheers and applause]
- Chainsaw Rick.
- All right.
- This guy is a character.
And he knows how to get the crowd fired up.
He's got some of the Florida ninjas
he trains with on his sideline.
- Come on, Rick! [beeping]
- First obstacle is Pole Vault.
38-year-old rookie,
very comfortable climbing big trees, so no problem there.
- I like it. all: Chainsaw Rick!
- Everybody chanting "Chainsaw Rick."
- I love it. Second obstacle tonight is Greased Lightning.
And this is a wild ride.
- Yeah, he's got to use that chain saw grip
to hold on to those handles for dear life.
Come on.
- Let's see how he can ride through Greased Lightning--
- Nice. - Get that dismount.
Smooth through Greased Lightning.
Dust it off. - Ah, look at that.
- Come on, Rick. - Let's go!
- We got the perfect balance obstacle
tonight for a tree trimmer.
It's the Log Runner.
- You know he's not afraid of the Log Runner.
He's cut these things down for fun.
- Oh, no! - Ooh.
Got hit right in the chest.
- The logs get their revenge on Chainsaw Rick.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
- Well, he gave the crowd a good show.
- Let's go!
- Back in Florida, the tree trimmer ran
across logs with no problem.
But tonight on our Log Runner, he started spinning,
and it was timber for Chainsaw Rick.
- Balance obstacles-- not my best.
[laughs] That was fun.
- Coming to the start line next
is one of our most impressive athletes.
It's Visalia, California's Zhanique Lovett,
back for her fifth run at the course.
This mom of three has been to the National Finals
in Vegas three times and has twice been selected
for our Women's Championship.
She captured our hearts when she
debuted six years ago, muscling her way
through five obstacles...
- Look at that intensity.
- While her son flipped out on the sideline.
- Tonight is an opportunity for me to add
my name to the history books.
- We are witnessing a new star here
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- No other mom has hit the buzzer since Sandy has,
and I want to change that tonight.
Hi, family.
- Now a 36-year-old mother of three.
Her family is going to watch this one from back home.
And she's got some friends
cheering loudly on the sideline.
[beeping]
We told you Zhanique's story before.
She had a rough childhood, with homelessness,
was a teenage mom, but now runs her own gym
and nutrition-bar business.
- So fit.
She stays in tip-top shape every single year.
- The crowd's chanting "Z."
They're into it on Ninja Turtle night.
See if Zhanique can handle Greased Lightning.
And she's getting up high to absorb those drops.
- Come on.
- Oh, God! - Whoa, whoa.
- Did the splits. - Wow.
- She's fallen on balance obstacles in the past.
Now facing Log Runner. - Nice. Get on top. Ooh.
- Oh! Just survives! - Wow.
You go, girl!
[wild cheering]
- Zhanique giving us our first look tonight at Kite Surfer.
Got to use her grip to work around
the red sections of the kites.
- Nice.
- Has to jump to that kite spool,
which is attached to bungees.
- I mean, look at the back muscles.
You can see she is literally built for "Ninja."
- She's got to generate some bounce
to get up to that second kite.
- Yeah, that bungee-- that spool makes it so hard.
Got it.
All right. Go wide.
- This is the big move. - Go wide.
- Oh, yes! - Okay, Zhanique.
Magnifique.
- And now she'll be the first
to try our Ninja Turtle obstacle Mutant Mayhem.
You can see the Turtles watching
there in the background.
Zhanique trying to figure out where the hand placement's
going to be,
trying to avoid that treacherous ooze below.
- Yes! - You're good.
- Rotate this front face 180 degrees.
- Nice. Turn it. Turn it. Turn it.
- Got it locked.
- What power out of Lovett.
Oh, boy. You can feel the mayhem about to happen.
- Has never hit a buzzer in the regular season.
Could this be Zhanique's year?
- You can see the back muscles, the shoulders,
the biceps, the tri-- - Oh!
- Everything.
- Zhanique Lovett-- but look at the hands.
Got to shift it. Real good hand work there.
- Matt, now, this one rotates 180 degrees vertically,
and that could throw her off on the--
[all groaning]
- So close.
- Dang. That's all right.
- Doesn't get her first career buzzer.
Still, a strong run out of Zhanique Lovett.
- She had close calls on Greased Lightning
and Log Runner but fought her way to Mutant Mayhem
and just couldn't make the grab on that third puzzle.
- But now she's got a good shot at moving on
to the semifinals.
- Thank you, guys! I love you!
[cheering]
- Tonight he's protecting his country and offering
hope to his community.
- You just never know how a haircut
will really change somebody's life.
- And doctors told this teenager
she'd never do sports.
Now she's proving them wrong.
- If my story can touch one heart,
that's all that matters.
- Plus, we've got two of "Ninja's" biggest stars--
fan favorite Flip Rodriguez
and the return of Ryan Stratis.
- Ah! [cheering]
- And later, we've got more
with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- Turtle power!
- It's all coming up
on a special "American Ninja Warrior."
* *
- It's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles night.
And our ninjas are flipping out.
At 64 years old, North Carolina's Miles Avery
has aged like a fine wine.
- Look at that. Ooh.
- And though he's the night's oldest competitor,
he looked like a young man on Pole Vault.
- Get in there, Avery. Ooh, look at that.
- And on Greased Lightning,
the former Olympic gymnastics coach
showed he can still pull off a backflip.
- Oh! - Oh!
- Bad landing. - Wow.
He landed right on his back.
- Decorated Air Force Officer Ken Corigliano
was sporting the red, white, and blue for his rookie run.
all: [chanting] Air Force Ken!
- He said he is not afraid of this "Ninja" mission.
- Air Force Ken was flying high,
but he needed an emergency landing
to survive Greased Lightning.
- Oh, wow. - Yeah!
- So close.
- He's pumped now. - Yeah!
- He followed that up with a crash on Log Runner.
- Oh! - But he didn't go down easy.
- He's wrestling with it.
- For more than three minutes, he battled,
trying everything to get flipped around...
- Get on top.
- And even tried going inverted...
- He's doing the Batman!
He's Batman, Matt!
Oh-ho-ho-ho!
- And earned loads of respect.
- Nobody can say they didn't try harder than me.
- Social media star Bob Reese makes
a living by flipping out.
His high-flying videos have earned him
more than three million followers.
With his pregnant wife watching from home,
the 27-year-old from South Carolina
survived a stumble.
- Whoa.
He knows how to fall.
- But missed on Mutant Mayhem.
- Oh!
- Oh.
- And he finished with a flourish.
- Wow.
How about that flip right there?
- Our next ninja serves his country
and serves his community.
This is Herbert Steadman from Virginia Beach, Virginia.
He's in the U.S. Navy, but he's also a barber.
And this guy is a cut above.
- We'll get you some food, you know what I'm saying?
And we'll be able to--
I'll give you a nice haircut, man.
I'll get you right.
I went to college in 2015.
And I figured college wasn't for me.
So I was like, why not go to barber school?
And I end up getting my license,
and I've been cutting hair ever since then.
What's your name, bro? - Mike.
- Herbert, bro. - Herbert?
- I've been serving in the Navy for five years.
I went on an eight-month-long deployment.
Everybody just about needed a haircut.
I was cutting everybody's hair.
- I'm 80 years old. You know that?
- You 80? - I'm 80 years old.
- When I'm back home, I've been cutting
homeless people hair also.
It's all good, man. Come take a seat, bro.
I just pull up sometimes
with a barber chair and with my cape.
I kind of talk to them and get their life story
and try to understand them as people.
You just never know how a haircut will really change
somebody's life, honestly.
- I should thank you for your service.
- Oh, man, anytime. - Come on, baby.
- [laughs] - Man, you are the best.
Check out the side, man.
[laughing]
You're like a new man.
- Man, I appreciate it so much. - No problem, brother.
- I like to do good things in the community,
but I'm for sure going to do good things
on the course tonight.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- That's a good dude right there.
- Absolutely.
And he's got family on the sideline, including his mom.
Plus, some of his Navy shipmates
are watching back in Virginia. [cheers and applause]
- Yeah, we got his clippers up here.
Go ahead. You can cut. - Well--
- You can go ahead. - I'll give you the--
- Don't give me any razor bumps, man.
Yeah. There you go. Nice, nice.
- You look faster already. - [laughs]
[beeping]
- Herbert's not built like your typical ninja.
He's our biggest athlete tonight.
- Uh-oh. Be careful.
- Good, smooth dismount there.
- Looking like a D-lineman.
- 6 feet, 218--
We'll see if this chain can hold on to Herbert Steadman.
- Ooh!
[laughing] I don't know if this can hold his weight.
That's a big boy right there. Look at them thighs.
Ooh.
- Didn't play football, was a college soccer player.
- Nice, nice, nice.
Okay, big fella!
[cheers and applause]
- Now staring down Log Runner.
As a soccer player, should have good footwork.
- Nice, nice, nice. Yeah!
- Let's go! Let's go!
- Herbert Steadman is looking good.
His size is not slowing him down,
but he's got another challenge here with Kite Surfer.
- To get through this one, Matt,
he's going to need nothing but sheer determination.
- Watch this bungee cord.
Oh, yeah, you can see it is stretched out.
That's 218 pounds he's got to bounce up to the next kite.
- Oh, but all that weight is on that little spool.
- Trying to get that big body moving up,
but this is so tough.
- Oh, oh! - No!
[all groan]
The barber gets cut down by Kite Surfer.
Still, a good run by Herbert Steadman.
- The number-one ninja!
Yes! Yes! - That's okay.
- Man, the big guy came through with some big moves,
and he was having fun out there,
but he just couldn't bounce up to that second kite.
- That's my baby. - Yes.
- Still has a shot to move on to the semifinals,
where every run's a race.
That starts next week.
Who's next? [razor buzzes]
- No one brings the passion like this guy.
- Ah!
- He's a ninja from way back.
Now Ryan Stratis makes his return.
He's up next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior,"
where we've had a takeover
by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
And no one's happier about that
than Vegas MC Michael Pericoloso,
who hit the course minutes ago.
He's a Ninja Turtles superfan.
- My playroom is all Ninja Turtle toys.
And I still have a collection of--I don't know.
It's almost, like, $30,000 worth of toys.
- Not only does he have
a Ninja Turtle shrine in his house--
- My son Leonardo is named after a Ninja Turtle,
not a painter. [chuckles]
This run is going to be great.
- And Leonardo and his mom were on the sidelines
to cheer for Dad, who grew up watching
the Ninja Turtles on TV.
- Turtle power!
- And now they're watching him.
- The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
- Ninja... all: Turtles!
- He had the crowd roaring as he ripped
through the first obstacle...
but he didn't have enough Turtle power for the second.
- Oh!
- We couldn't let it end that way.
- Come on down, man. - I'm going to Mutant Mayhem.
Let's go.
Yay!
- Even though he fell,
we gave this superfan
a shot at the Turtle-themed obstacle just for run.
He looked lean, mean, and green.
- Do it big, baby. Do it big.
- Showed Ninja Turtle skill.
- Oh, okay!
- And he actually finished the obstacle.
- I see you.
- A dream come true for this superfan.
- Cowabunga.
Turtle power.
[cheers and applause]
- 16-year-old Isaiah Lee created
his own mayhem on the course.
- Oh, no!
- After getting hung up on Greased Lightning,
he came through with a huge save.
- How sweet is it to be 16?
- Lee calls himself the One-eyed Warrior
because he's blind in his right eye.
But he didn't lack focus tonight.
- Boy, I'm loving the One-eyed Warrior.
I see you. [cheers and applause]
- The crowd erupted as he made his way to the fifth obstacle.
- Oh!
- Despite the fall, he's got a good chance
of moving on to the semifinals,
which starts next week.
[cheers and applause]
Coming to the start line, it's a ninja
who competed on the very first season 15 years ago.
It's the legend Ryan Stratis.
And he's got another old-school ninja,
Mike Bernardo, who's going to give him
the back-slap sendoff--
a tradition in Japan, where "Ninja" started.
- For good luck. Wacka.
- Ah!
- Strat's always been popular with the fans.
And though he's missed competing
the past three seasons due to injuries,
he hasn't been away from "Ninja."
- Whoo! It's good to be back, baby!
Let's go.
- Ryan Stratis!
Yes!
- Y'all might know me for being the "ah" battle cry,
loud, screaming kind of guy.
Ah!
[rock music]
I've been a part of it for the longest of times,
but right around season 11 is when I need a breather.
Sam Folsom on to the Ring Swing,
putting it all together.
Here we go.
Excellent job.
While I was taking a break from competing,
I started the commentating job that I've been doing.
Can we get the move. Come on.
Not quite able to make the transition, sadly.
And to have the best seat in the house, man,
I see why Matt and Akbar have been doing this for so long.
- Yeah, baby.
- I want to get up in that tower with those guys.
[cheers and applause]
And here comes Ryan Stratis, 12-time
"American Ninja Warrior" competitor.
Don't know if he's going to be doing well this time around.
It's been quite a minute.
Let's see if he can knock those cobwebs off
before taking down this course.
Matt and Akbar, back to you.
Ah!
- That was a little scary. We better watch out.
- Absolutely.
[beeping]
- Asha!
- Asha. Yeah, there it is.
Nice primal scream from Ryan Stratis.
Oh, good height.
He's been away for three seasons,
but it's great to see Ryan Stratis back.
- Had shoulder injuries the past few years.
Greased Lightning could be a real test.
- Come on.
- But no problem for Stratis.
- Let's go, Strat! - Keep going!
- You can tell he's looking a lot slimmer
than he has in years past.
- But he has picked up in speed.
Stratis is just flying now on Kite Surfer.
- Almost 40 years old.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, Ryan Stratis looks like he hasn't lost a step.
- Yeah. - Oof.
Keep mind, he has two Mega Walls in his past, Akbar.
Would need to finish under 1:20
to get a shot at it tonight.
He loves comic books,
so he's going to be excited if he can get a shot
at this next obstacle.
[cheers and applause] And Ryan Stratis has done it.
He's got a lot of ninjas cheering
for him on the sidelines and back in South Carolina.
Stratis taking a second to get ready for Mutant Mayhem.
No one's gotten past it tonight.
[cheers and applause]
- Spin that vertically, 180.
Lock it in and get that--
Nice hold there.
- I don't know that he'll get a shot at the Mega Wall.
- No, it's this horizontal 180 spin that's going
to take a little bit of time.
But you want to make sure you get yourself
in the right position.
Not-- - Ooh, ooh.
You're can see that's testing that shoulder.
- Use the obliques. Nice. - Oh!
Powerful move out of Stratis.
Not going to get a shot at the Mega Wall,
but how incredible would it be for him
to be our first finisher tonight after four years away?
Stratis getting in around--
- Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. - Oh!
- Uh-oh. Hold on.
Ooh, not a lot of real estate there.
[indistinct shouting]
Not a lot of real estate! Get out of there!
- Yes! - Nice!
He conquered Mutant Mayhem!
- Ah!
- What a comeback for him!
Ryan Stratis...
getting another buzzer in his storied career!
- Ah!
[cheers and applause]
- Ah!
* *
- You're back, baby!
- I'm about to be 40, man. I got to take a breather.
[laughter]
- Hey, Strat, you got a lot of buzzers in your history.
Was this one your favorite? Where does it rank?
- This one's, yeah, pretty up there.
This would have been nice, but I'll take what I can get.
- Ryan Stratis is pushing 40, and he's looking strong.
He's the first to make it through Mutant Mayhem,
and then he gave us that signature scream
at the buzzer.
- And now we're going to see Ryan Stratis
racing in the semifinals, which get under way next week.
- Let's go. - Ah!
- We got another fan favorite coming up next.
We'll see Flip Rodriguez when we come back.
Well, the Turtles have been causing mayhem all night long.
- I love it. - Me too, big man.
But right now we want to share a special look
at "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,"
which you can see only in theaters August 2nd.
- We're having some fun on Ninja Turtles night
with some exciting runs in the past few minutes.
Matt Kalanz is a strength and conditioning coach
for the Army.
And with soldiers watching back in North Carolina,
Kalanz showed he had a nose for "Ninja."
- Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!
That's a face-plant.
- My nose!
[laughter]
- At over 200 pounds,
Kalanz is one of the night's biggest ninjas.
And he rumbled across Log Runner...
- Excellent. I see you, big boy.
[cheering]
- But couldn't quite handle Kite Surfer.
- No!
- Brett Sims had some extra motivation for his run--
his very pregnant wife, fellow ninja Grace Sims,
cheering him on.
- Whoo!
- The 36-year-old from Greenville, South Carolina,
has competed on 12 seasons of "American Ninja Warrior."
- That was a savvy veteran move.
- And he had no trouble with the Ninja Turtles
or anything else tonight on the course...
- Add this one to his résumé.
- And hit his seventh-straight qualifying buzzer.
[horn sounding]
- Aha!
- No one gets the crowd more revved up
than Florida teenager Enzo DeFerrari Wilson.
- Make some noise. Let's go.
- Oh, man, this crowd is going crazy.
- The high-octane 17-year-old has made it
to Vegas the past two seasons.
- He's wasting no time.
- And he was going full-throttle again tonight,
as he became the night's third finisher and secured a spot
in the all-race semifinals, which start next week.
- Let's go! Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- Are you ready to go racing?
- Oh, let's go, dude. Let's go.
- And if you thought the crowd was amped up for Enzo,
they were equally charged up
for his younger sister Voltage Valentina.
The 15-year-old is a wide receiver
on her flag-football team.
- They got great eye-hand coordination.
Nice.
[cheers and applause]
[laughing] Look at Mom.
They are going nuts on the sideline.
- With that energetic crowd cheering her on,
the rookie moved on to Greased Lightning.
- Hold on. Watch the drops. Watch the drops!
Oh!
Water and electricity doesn't go.
- You did it. You did the first obstacle.
I'm so proud of you.
- Well, we've got another Florida teen
heading to the start line.
It's 15-year-old high-school student Emma Pereyra.
She calls herself the Overcomer Ninja
because she had to overcome so much to get here tonight.
[soft music]
- When I was younger, I had a sickness.
It affected my skin, and it broke out everywhere.
- We went through many years of her just suffering in pain.
She looked like a third-degree burn victim at some points.
We took her to many, many doctors,
and they all gave us the same thing.
She's just got sensitive skin.
That's just the way she's going to be.
- Any sports, I couldn't do it because my clothes
would get stuck to my skin,
and I would have to pull it off.
When I found "Ninja" when I was, like,
seven years old watching the show,
I was like, I want to do that one day,
but all the doctors told me I couldn't do it.
* *
- We found this one doctor that found
the infection in her gut, and that's where it was.
Her skin started to close up.
It was such a miracle.
- I remember on my ninth birthday,
I went on the beach for the first time.
It was probably the best day of my life.
If I can overcome that,
I know I can overcome this whole course.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- Emma's parents are here to support her,
along with a big group of Florida ninjas.
[beeping]
Just 5'3"--
needs a big bounce for the Pole Vault.
- All right, get that climb.
Nice. Nice. Ooh!
It's so good to be flexible.
[cheers and applause]
- Once she finally got healthy a few years ago,
started playing lots of sports,
but Ninja is her favorite.
- Yeah, you got to have strong grip here.
You can see she's trying to really get good placement
here on the nunchucks.
Whoo! All right.
[cheers and applause]
- With her size, though, going to need big strides
here on Log Runner. - Nice.
Keep going. - Oh, oh.
- Keep going!
- Yes! - Keep going, Emma!
- Emma Pereyra just wills her way through Log Runner.
[cheers and applause]
Taking a deep breath.
And her heart rate's got to be pounding.
She's still alive.
Going to try to keep it going on Kite Surfer.
Remember, the top four women from tonight
move on to the semifinals.
Emma Pereyra trying to be one of them.
Makes the first transition.
Got to jump down to the bungee.
And she does it.
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, yeah, Matt, you know this teenager wants to make it
to the next obstacle
created by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
[indistinct shouting]
- You got it, Emma. - Study long, study wrong.
Get it. Got it! - Nice!
Now, I don't want to get too excited or anything,
but I know she has a collection of turtles, Akbar.
- Yes, she does. Oh!
[horn blares]
You should have waited.
She was going to make it to Mutant Mayhem.
- I'm going back in my shell. I jinxed her.
But what a debut out of Emma Pereyra.
I apologize for the jinx,
but you delivered a spectacular run.
- The Overcomer Ninja overcame a stumble on the Log Runner.
And I think even she was surprised.
And on Kite Surfer,
just couldn't quite make that last grab.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, we may well be seeing Emma
back here racing in the semifinals in a few weeks.
[cheers and applause]
This crowd is ready to flip out for our next ninja.
And Zuri's going to get him started.
- Guys, he is coming off of his best season ever.
And Flip Rodriguez thinks he can go even farther this year.
He's wearing his trademark mask to the start line--
a symbol of the abuse he suffered as a child.
He wore the mask in his early days,
and he brought it back last season.
This will be his 13th season competing.
Last year he made it to stage three--
his best performance ever.
- He's got a big group on the sideline,
with kids he coaches and Ninja training partners.
[indistinct shouting, beeping]
Flip Rodriguez on the course.
- All right. - Oh, look at that launch.
- Oh, and Flip can go fast when he wants to.
- Well, he came on as a speed demon back in season three.
Look at him right there. - Yeah.
- He's just so confident.
- Nice.
- Sometimes that speed can lead to falls.
As good as Flip is, he hasn't hit a buzzer
in qualifying in six years.
- That is shocking.
- Right now, though, he's running like he wants
the Mega Wall.
Would need to finish in under 1:20.
- Let's go, Flip! - Go, Flip!
- Well, he's wearing his friend Jody Avila's shirt,
the big dog.
- Oh, he's got to be a big dog out here tonight.
- Let's go, Flip!
- And look at him go. - Wow.
[cheers and applause]
- Flip taking a moment before Mutant Mayhem,
but the clock still ticking.
- Go, Flip! Go!
- Pointing to his students on the sideline.
He's a ninja coach in addition to working as a stuntman.
He's worked on some big movies.
Going to try to solve this movie-themed obstacle.
You can just see he was on pace for the Mega Wall,
but Mutant Mayhem really slows you down.
It is such a challenging obstacle.
We've only had three competitors
get past it so far.
- Spin it. Spin it. - Good power.
- Nice.
- No shot at the Mega Wall
but could get his first qualifying buzzer
in six years.
- Watch out for the spin. Nice grab.
Great control there by Flip Rodriguez.
- Getting ready for the launch.
- Come on. Nice.
- Look at this.
- Whoo.
He's back, baby. He is back.
[horn sounding] - Yeah!
Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- First qualifying buzzer in 6 years
and the 20th buzzer of his storied career.
- I see you. Discipline is the key, baby.
Let's go.
- Yeah, I got to ask you, Flip.
The semifinals--how excited are you going racing?
- I'm the OG of speed, baby. both: Yeah!
- "I'm the OG of speed."
- Flip, can't wait to see you in the semis.
Go celebrate with your people, buddy.
- Turn that right there into a shirt...
- Oh. - "I am the OG of speed."
- Can't wait to see him race in the semifinals,
which get started next week.
Coming up...
He's reached the top before.
[horn sounding]
Can Caleb Bergstrom do it on our new, taller Mega Wall?
He's up next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Ninja Turtles night
on "American Ninja Warrior."
When Andy Jacobs hit the start line,
she had a big cheering section,
including "Ninja" great Jessie Graff.
Like Graff, Jacobs is a former pole vaulter
at the University of Nebraska.
- All right, here we go.
- So the 25-year-old rookie
had no problem on our pole vault.
But on Greased Lightning, she went headfirst into the pipe.
- Oh!
- And her night was over.
Kyle Schulze, known as the Deaf Ninja,
hit the course for the seventh-straight season.
- That's my ninja right there.
- With fans across the country signing their support,
the hearing-impaired grad student
put together a strong run.
- He's so ready for this fifth obstacle.
- In six previous seasons,
Schulze's reached the fifth obstacle five times
but has never hit a buzzer.
- Nice!
- Tonight he was close once again.
- Oh!
[horn blares]
- Though he came up short,
he's still moving on to our "Ninja Vs. Ninja" semifinals.
Georgia teenager Ethan Bartnicki
came out flying.
- He wants that Mega Wall.
- The 18-year-old made it all the way to stage three
in Vegas last season.
And tonight he was running to finish in under 1:20
and be the first to earn a shot at the Mega Wall.
- Go, go, go. You got it.
You got it. Got it.
Get it. [horn sounding]
- But he came up 0.96 seconds too slow.
- No.
- Oh, man.
- Another teenager, Florida's Alex Romer,
plays saxophone in his high-school marching band.
[saxophone playing]
And after hitting all the right notes,
he marched through our course.
- Matt, he has got a quick pace to him.
He ain't messing around.
- The 17-year-old was a blur in his rookie debut.
He became the first ninja tonight
to qualify for the Mega Wall...
- Hurry, hurry, hurry.
- When he made it to the buzzer
with three seconds to spare.
And that earned him a shot at $10,000.
all: [chanting] Mega Wall!
Our Mega Wall this year is now 18 1/2 feet.
- Oh. - Oh!
- And that proved to be too much.
But he's still advancing to the semis,
which get under way next week.
Our next ninja has taken down the Mega Wall in the past.
It's Caleb Bergstrom, aka Baby Bergy,
because he's the youngest member
of a very talented ninja family based in Florida.
Caleb's dad, Jason, started it all
when he competed six years ago.
He and wife, Kathy, have nine kids.
One of them is Caleb's sister Caitlyn,
who ran a few weeks ago.
Now there's a new member--
Ashley Bergstrom, Caleb's wife.
- I first competed on season 11 of "Ninja Warrior."
That season I hit my first Mega Wall buzzer,
which was amazing.
[horn sounding]
And then I went on to season 12,
where I did not do so well.
- Oh, no!
- Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.
- I have not competed since.
But now I'm married.
[cheers and applause]
Ever since being married, I've actually done better
at local Ninja competitions.
Maybe it's Ashley on the sideline cheering me on.
- Yeah, nice.
- We've gotten stronger and just smarter
in the way we train Ninja and in the way we compete.
I feel like I've trained hard to prepare,
especially training with my family,
training with my wife, training with my sister.
The baby Bergies are now the adult Bergies.
[chuckles]
[upbeat music]
[cheers and applause]
- And Ashley will run in just a few minutes.
Besides the big bunch on the sidelines,
Caleb's got more siblings watching back in Florida.
[beeping] - Let's go, Caleb! Come on!
- You got this, baby!
- Whoa. Boosties.
I see you, Caleb Bergstrom, with the boosties.
- 5'10", 165--
Caleb hasn't competed in a couple years,
but when he did, he was a top ninja.
Everyone's expecting him to return to form
and get back to Vegas.
- Nice. Stay on top. Nice.
- We've had six finishers so far tonight.
Caleb Bergstrom running like he could be another.
Baby Bergy coming out like a full-grown adult.
He is moving, big man.
- Yeah, he ain't a baby no more.
He's 23 years old. - Now a married man.
I'm sure he and Ashley could use that ten grand
from the Mega Wall.
[indistinct shouting]
- Nice grab.
Great technique there.
- As we mentioned, he's done it before--
four years ago in Atlanta
and in good shape time-wise to finish under 1:20.
Caleb Bergstrom making good progress through the course.
Quick move--it looks like he understood
exactly where he wanted his hands to be--
not wasting any time on this obstacle.
- Oh, yeah. He understood the assignment.
- He wants another shot at the Mega Wall.
Banged his head there on the back swing.
- All right. Get it. Get it. Get it.
Watch out. Absorb it.
Anticipate it. He's got 15 seconds.
He's gonna have a shot to get to that Mega Wall.
He's got to go. He's got to go.
And everybody knows it. Grab that wall. Go get it.
- Baby Bergy coming up quick!
- Ah!
[triumphant music]
- And the fastest time of the night.
Caleb, guess what!
You got a shot for $10,000.
[cheering and applause]
Go take it, buddy. Let's see it.
When he did back in season 11,
the wall was 6 inches shorter.
Can he handle the new height?
Only three competitors-- Kai Beckstrand, Jera Boyd,
and Daniel Gil-- have taken down this new,
taller Mega Wall this year--
Caleb's going to try to be the fourth.
The newlywed at 5'10" going to give it a run.
[crowd chanting]
[cheering and applause] - Oh, my goodness!
[horn sounding]
[triumphant music]
- Caleb Bergstrom delivers!
- And he just earned $10,000
from Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card.
And he is pumped.
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
- Can we look at this again?
He had a good run-up and got one hand on top
and pulled himself up.
Caleb Bergstrom made that new height look easy.
- Go celebrate with Ashley! Go do it, Caleb!
[cheering and applause]
Ten grand makes a nice wedding present.
Still a couple more men
to run tonight,
but our leaderboard
is shaping up.
Caleb Bergstrom sits
at the top ahead of six others
who hit the buzzer tonight.
Remember, the top 11 at the end of the night
are guaranteed to move on to the semifinals.
But whoever ends up in 12th and 13th
will compete in our runoff races for the final spot.
And we'll start those runoff races when we come back.
- And starting next week, "Ninja" shifts into overdrive.
- Now they're neck and neck. Oh, my goodness!
[beeping]
- We're going side by side in the semifinals.
- It's all knotted up.
- It's going to be intense, with a spot
in the National Finals on the line in every race.
- Oh! - Oh!
- It's "Ninja" like you have never seen before.
- Oh, here we go!
- And it starts next week on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Ninja Turtles night is coming to a close.
And while we were away, our final female competitor,
Ashley Bergstrom, hit the course.
Her husband, Caleb, took down the Mega Wall minutes ago.
And Ashley put together a strong run of her own.
- Oh, wow. She's on it now.
- The former gymnast made it all the way to Mutant Mayhem.
- Oh!
- And that landed her in the women's top three.
4-year-old Daniel Osmer is only 5'3",
but he plays running back in a semi-pro league back in Idaho.
- You got to hit it hard and fast.
- He used those football skills to sprint his way
past the third obstacle.
But he could have used a helmet on the fourth.
- Oh!
[horn blares]
- Kevin Tirado is a medical officer
in the U.S. Army Reserve.
- That was close.
- The rookie from North Carolina
survived Greased Lightning and marched his way
to the fourth obstacle...
- He's starting to gas out, Matt.
- Before giving up the fight.
- Oh! [horn blares]
- So those final two athletes ended up in the runoff race,
with Osmer, the football player, in 12th place
going against 13th-place Tirado,
with the final spot in semifinals up for grabs.
[beeping]
Osmer took an early lead on Home Run.
- He's off to a great start. He's a running back.
- That put the pressure on Tirado to catch up.
- Ooh.
- Tirado's fall meant Osmer won,
earning the 5'3" football player
the last spot in the semifinals among the men.
- Touchdown for Daniel Osmer.
- Turning to the women, the top three spots
went to super mom Zhanique Lovett,
Florida teenager Emma Pereyra,
and newlywed Ashley Bergstrom.
So now it's going to be the women's runoff.
And this is another set of rookies--
Woodstock, Georgia's 21-year-old Dara DePaolo
and West Virginia's 24-year-old Esperanza Abarca.
Dara co-owns a gym outside Atlanta
with five-time "Ninja" competitor Michael Johnson.
- I opened Nick's when I was 20 years old,
which made me one of the youngest female gym owners
in the country.
It's been an awesome experience.
* *
- Esperanza is an artist specializing in ceramics,
who qualified for the Mexican National Team
as a gymnast.
- I've been working really hard leading up to this,
especially with 18 years in gymnastics as my background.
I feel like that's transferred over a lot into "Ninja."
And I'm ready to put my masterpiece together.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- Akbar, it's all or nothing here.
Win, you move on. Lose, your season is over.
[beeping]
Who prevails? - Well, it's gonna start
with being careful here on Home Run.
Don't lose the race in the first few seconds.
- And they are very close, as they head up
to the second obstacle, the Flying Shelf Grab.
This is dead even.
- Both of them come from a gymnastics background.
Nice.
- Big throws here--
5'6" and 5'5".
- You know, sometimes when you're new
to this type of racing, you don't have that built-in fear,
and Esperanza is showing that.
- And that was a big move by Esperanza, the first one off.
And she's smiling, feeling good with that advantage
as she heads into Beehive.
Esperanza gave herself a big edge there.
- Yeah, Matt, I like Esperanza.
Esperanza is showing me she's got some dog in her!
- Oh!
Esperanza had the lead, but she is now out.
Door is open. Now Dara DePaolo has hope.
She just has to finish this obstacle.
- Oh, boy, here it is, Matt.
- And look at this.
Got to get that dismount.
Dara DePaolo with the come-from-behind win.
- [chuckles]
- And Esperanza could only sit
and watch from the water, as DePaolo delivers,
going to the semis.
- They were close early,
and then Esperanza pulled ahead
but couldn't make the grab on Beehive.
DePaolo never panicked.
She ran her race and got the W.
- So Dara DePaolo, the 21-year-old rookie,
is headed to the semis.
That's a wrap on Ninja Turtle night.
Next week we start the semifinals!
- It's going to be wild head-to-head races
all night long.
- For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior"!
[cheers and applause]