[bright tones]
[dramatic music]
- We're on a roll in Las Vegas,
and with a million dollars on the line,
we're gonna let it ride on night two
of the National Finals of "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, there's a different energy this year.
For the first time, our ninjas who reached stage two
will race each other, and that's
added some real pressure.
- Absolutely, big man, but to get to stage two,
they first must survive stage one.
Now some ninjas got their shot last week,
and we'll see the rest of our finalists tonight.
For a look at the course, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Hey, guys, yeah, the first group
of ninjas to hit stage one definitely gave us
some thrills and spills.
There were falls all over the course on night one.
- Sandy Zimmerman misses!
- Oh, my goodness!
* *
- Kai Beckstrand is out.
- But the new number five obstacle, the Gambler,
was especially tough, eating up time...
- He's fumbling on roulette.
- And taking out ninjas.
- Oh!
- The final obstacle, Thread the Needle,
also ended many runs.
- Jody Avila comes up short.
- What happened?
- Eight ninjas hit the buzzer last week.
Remember, the top 24 from stage one,
those who finish or go the farthest the fastest,
move on to race on stage two.
It's going to be wild, guys.
- We saw a lot of top ninjas face stage one last week.
- But we've got even more big names coming up tonight.
- Like Daniel Gil, who's looking to get back
to stage four to climb for $1 million.
Along with three ninjas who made it there last year.
Florida's RJ Roman, New Jersey teenager,
Josiah Pippel, and the defending last ninja
standing, Kaden Lebsack.
Plus, teen phenom, Taylor Greene,
will try to become the fourth woman
ever to finish stage one.
- Yes!
- This crowd is fired up, ready for night
two of the National Finals.
And we're kicking it off with the first half
of a history making duo.
This is Iowa's 41-year-old Scott Behrends.
He's part of the first ever father and son
to qualify for the National finals,
along with his son Ben.
- Are you guys sore? I am.
- Yeah. - I'm so sore from yesterday.
My hands hurt. - Morning, guys.
- Oh, hi, Dad.
- It's pretty crazy being the first
father-son duo ever to Vegas.
- Scott Behrends has done it!
- My hands are also sore, by the way.
I hear you talking.
I mean, we get to compete as a family together.
It's amazing.
- You guys are making history.
The first father-son duo to make it
to the National Finals.
Congratulations, y'all.
* *
- Yeah, that's it!
- I'm so proud to be here with my dad.
He started it all.
You know, all my training has really come from him.
So it just means so much for him to be here with me.
- Do it. [laughter]
Count it, count it! - Count it, I got it.
- Ninja is so much bigger than fitness to us.
It's family, it's community, and it's a healthy lifestyle.
Like, it's a win all around.
But being able to actually enjoy a hobby with my son,
that's my favorite part.
[soft music]
* *
- Let's go! - Come on, Dad!
- Ben will run later.
He's known as the Hype Guy. and you can see why.
He's leading that big Iowa group on the sideline.
- Don't forget his sister, Lia.
She gets really passionate too.
- Go, Dad! - Come on, Dad!
Come on!
[countdown clock beeping]
- 2 minute 50 second time limit on stage one.
Behrends gets through Slide Surfer,
heads up to Three Ring Circus.
Got to swing up and make a blind grab.
[cheers and applause]
Just like that.
Gotta slide this ring down for the dismount.
Well, this stage one course proving to be just
a speed and endurance test.
- Oh, boy, got to get off.
Trying to get a clean dismount,
but he's eating up time.
- Just any inefficiencies are so costly.
- Come on, Dad!
Gets ready for the ride on the Giant Roller Coaster.
There's his hype man, Ben.
- What an emotional hype man.
- I love his energy.
- Whoa, OK!
- You know he wants to hit a buzzer,
but also wants to set an example for his son.
[cheers and applause]
- Go!
- Now has to get those 41-year-old legs
into the Jumping Spider.
- When you're competing with your son,
there's some extra motivation there.
You want to show him you still got it.
Oh, oh, he still got it.
Oh, he can do the splits at 41.
- And he's smiling.
Scott Behrends, such a positive guy.
He's become the patriarch for that growing
Ninja community in Iowa.
And he's gets through Jumping Spider.
- Come on! - Gotta move, Scott!
- Let's go, Dad!
- But now it's the Gambler.
We saw a lot of Ninjas struggle here last week.
Starts with a grab of the poker chip.
Got to get to the craps table.
- Matt, if I'm a betting man...
- Oh, no.
- Ooh, oh, he's getting dizzy, Matt.
- He's already spinning before he
even hit the Roulette Table.
- He's got to get that core tight,
get that core tight, nice and tight.
Oh!
[air horn blares]
- Well, he gave it a good run, but Papa Behrends goes
out on the fifth obstacle.
- Good job, Dad!
[all cheering]
- That bar almost went off the track
on the Giant Roller Coaster, but he managed to hang on.
Then on the Gambler, he just missed the grab
going to the craps table, not bad for a 41-year-old dad.
[cheering]
- Hey, I made it to Vegas with my son.
I've already won.
- And we'll see Ben run a bit later.
Up next is another history maker,
it's Taylor Johnson, the shortest person
ever at the National Finals.
- Let's go!
Whoo!
- That's her signature Let's Go scream.
Everyone knows her as Teej.
And she is getting this crowd hyped up.
No one has bigger energy than this 4'11" dynamo.
- Being 4'11", people have always underestimated me.
[dramatic music]
I think it's really cool that I'm
the shortest person to ever make
it to the National Finals.
- Hey! - Nice.
- It has taken a lot to get here.
- Wow, good power out of Teej.
These are going to be some big laches at 4'11".
Oh, my gosh.
- But these obstacles are huge.
- Oh!
- I definitely need to approach obstacles
a little bit differently.
I need to be more powerful and be able
to make bigger moves than other people.
But I have every intention of coming up big tonight.
* *
- Everyone loves Teej.
She's got a big group on the sidelines,
including her mom and dad with a picture of her dog.
* *
She needs big strides on this first obstacle.
Matt, everything's a little harder when you're 4'11".
- And she's not only the shortest
athlete tonight, also the lightest at just 100 pounds.
- She is having the best season
of her five-year career.
First time at Vegas. Real smooth right there.
- Nice, I'm liking it.
- Won her runoff race in Qualifying
and her race in Semis.
She's not afraid to go fast.
- No, she's not.
She's making these first two obstacles look easy.
[cheers and applause]
- Here we go, 4'11".
I love how she wears it on her back.
She owns it. She knows what's up.
- They talk about letting the bar take you on the ride.
And she lands it.
- And Teej is going to get through Giant Roller Coaster.
- But at 4'11", she's going to need to be near
perfect on the Jumping Spider.
- Yeah, Matt, she's going to have
to do the Jean-Claude Van Damme
inside of the Jumping Spider.
- Absolutely, it's a 4-foot gap between the walls.
She's going to have to do the splits.
No one under 5-feet has ever done it.
- Come on, banana split, split, split!
Oh, she's down!
Oh!
- And the Jumping Spider takes out Teej.
- Good job, Taylor! We love you!
- We love you! - I had it for a second!
Ah!
- At 4'11", she needed every inch.
And look at the extension with her legs.
She did the Van Damme splits and landed it,
but just couldn't stay up.
- Still, what a season it's been for Taylor Johnson.
- We love you, Tay!
- Tonight, it's high stakes in Vegas
as our top Ninjas take stage one for a spin.
Najee Richardson is battling medical issues for what
could be his final run.
- I was not letting an asthma attack
keep me from coming back.
- While teen sensation, Taylor Greene,
is hoping to make history.
- I'm absolutely ready to become
the youngest woman to ever hit a stage one buzzer.
- And Houston's Daniel Gil is ready for another shot
at the stage four Rope Climb.
- I want my rematch against Mount Midoriyama.
- One thing's for sure, in two weeks,
someone's hitting the jackpot for $1 million
on the National Finals of "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Vegas, where a couple
of Ninja artists brought the tools of their trade
to the start line minutes ago.
Speed metal drummer Jonathan Godbout
showed he was ready to rock and roll on this course.
- And he wants to show up and show out.
- The 18-year-old from Massachusetts hit buzzers
in Qualifying and Semifinals
and had good tempo at the start...
- Whoo!
- Until he reached the Jumping Spider.
- No!
Wow, Matt, he hit the wrong beat on that one.
- Then Houston ice sculptor Grant Kiningham revved up
the crowd with his chainsaw.
- Oh, that's scary.
- With his mentor Daniel Gil and his very worried mom
cheering him on, the 20-year-old rookie
tried to carve up the course.
- That's your spot. Nice.
- He got into trouble on the Gambler,
but was able to get out of it.
- All right, he's just got to get straight up and go.
Straight up. Nice.
- But with time ticking away and down
to less than 30 seconds, he had to rush his start
on Thread the Needle.
- Oh!
- He came in hot and pulled the cane right off the hook.
- That hurts.
- Man, that was fun.
- Kiningham's friend and housemate, the Kingdom Ninja,
is up next.
Zuri's gonna get him going.
- Guys, he is one of the best ever.
And Daniel Gil especially loves stage one.
In fact, he's never fallen on it.
He's been perfect on stage one and has
made it as far as stage four in Vegas,
with 22 career buzzers.
- Daniel's a worship leader in the Houston area
and saying prayers for him down on the sideline
are his wife, Abby, and his mom, Kim,
along with a big group of friends.
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, he is thrilled to be back in Vegas.
Last time he was here, he was climbing for $1 million
on stage four.
Has a real chance to win it all.
And Gil goes fast.
- Yes, he does. Real fast too.
Oh, we heard Zuri talk about it just in his intro.
He's never fallen on stage one.
- I feel like you and Zuri are both jinxing him, big man.
- No, we just know the consistency
that Daniel Gil brings.
You talk about one of the best Ninjas ever,
that's Daniel Gil.
- Looking just dialed in here, just an effortless pace.
- Boy, this dude's as dialed in as his hair and his curls.
[cheering]
- The Jumping Spider can take out even the best Ninjas,
but Daniel Gil sticks it.
- Yeah, trying to get his traction there.
Nice. - Really moving through it.
Always makes it look so effortless.
And he's through.
Let's see how the Kingdom Ninja does on the Gambler.
- Well, Matt, you know, he's a churchgoing fella, Matt.
He doesn't spend a lot of time gambling.
- Well, when you're as good as him,
I don't know if it's gambling.
Getting a little spun around.
Oh-ho-ho, nice move!
- Oh, boy.
- That was a confident move, big man.
- Get up!
- Now, he's got it lined up.
Tapped on the Roulette Wheel right onto the Ace of Spades.
- Get out of there.
Now, here's a guy-- there's a Ninja that doesn't
want to spend any time gambling.
- But a couple spins there,
spending more time on this than he wanted.
- Nice.
- Now keep in mind, where you finish affects
your stage two seating.
The faster you go, the slower your competitor will be.
- Well, Matt, and the one thing about Daniel Gil,
he doesn't necessarily have to worry about the competition
because this dude can go fast, especially
in a side by side race.
- Always solid on balance obstacles.
Should have no problem on Dipping Birds.
- Boy, he's got some great traction here.
Nice. Whoo-hoo-hoo!
- A little stumble.
- All right, now he's just got to go, Matt.
He's just got to do it.
- Just avoid a mistake here.
Good pace, won't have the fastest time,
but it looks like Gil will remain perfect on stage one.
- That boy's got some air on that one.
- Daniel Gil continues to show why he's
considered one of the best.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
* *
Our first finisher tonight showing how it's done.
* *
- Man, Daniel, how do you do it, man?
- A lot of hard work, lot of training, perseverance,
and a lot of grace and favor.
- Amen. Amen.
- Daniel, it's got to feel good to be back in Vegas.
You know what's happening. You're going to stage two.
- Let's go!
* *
- Coming up,
it may look like a typical teen romance,
but Addy Herman and Noah Meunier are ready
to be Ninja's next power couple.
They're coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
* *
- It was family time while we were away,
as a couple of new dads took their shot at stage one.
Florida plumber Vinnie Castranova
had his fiancée and young daughter
watching, as he did a gender reveal for a second child.
- Uh-oh, which one is it, Matt?
- Oh, it's going to be a girl!
- Vinnie Castranova got to dig deep.
- The 25-year-old was making his first
trip to the National Finals.
And though he had it flowing on the Giant Roller Coaster...
- Nice!
- He got flushed by the Jumping Spider.
- Oh!
And he just missed it.
- Love you, baby!
- Pro wakeboarder Austin Hair is another girl dad,
and he had the ladies in his life cheering from Orlando.
[cheering]
It was also his first trip to the National Finals.
- Nice.
- And he was cruising along until he
had trouble with traction on the Jumping Spider.
- He's got to get out of the Jumping Spider.
[upbeat music]
- That ate up time and energy, and he was too
pumped out for the Gambler.
- Oh, he just ran out of gas.
- It's OK, babe! - It's OK!
- Whoo!
- Our next competitor is the Papal Ninja,
Catholic Church worker Sean Bryan.
He's going to say a little prayer before his run
because stage one has been a mixed blessing.
Sean has had plenty of success in Vegas,
reaching stage three twice in his career.
He is the first to hit the buzzer.
But the Papal Ninja has had his struggles on stage one,
including an injury on the Jumping Spider.
- Oh, is he OK?
He's holding that shoulder.
- Oh, that shoulder is injured.
And an early exit last year.
- Holy Spirit, activate.
- Oh, no! - No, no, no, no, no!
- Thought he was going to levitate.
- On stage one last year, I didn't perform as I wanted to,
but being back in the National Finals,
I feel the best I ever have in my whole career.
I feel stronger and more confident.
I think I'm prepared for this.
[dramatic music]
- Sean Bryan's always got one of the most colorful
cheering sections, including his priest and his parents,
who brought along the family dog, Leah.
[countdown clock beeping]
Sean Bryan is one of the very best.
In eight seasons, he has never failed
to hit a qualifying buzzer, but he hasn't had
that consistency on stage one.
Here's his chance for revenge on the obstacle
that took him out last season.
- Yep, he's got it.
He's not going back down on this obstacle again.
I can tell you about that.
Eight-time veteran, he means business.
- Sean Bryan has so much skill.
He was a top college athlete at Cal Berkeley,
and despite pushing 40, still had the fastest time
in his qualifying group.
- You can tell, he's got a nice, aggressive pace going.
He wants to get ahead here on the first four obstacles.
That's a great plan.
- And through Giant Roller Coaster, no problem.
But this is another obstacle he has a history with,
the Jumping Spider.
Oh, got a good jump.
He just got his pilot's license recently.
Flies his plane above the Bay Area,
but not exactly flying now.
But taking a methodical slow approach
here on Jumping Spider.
- Well, he's got liftoff now.
Now he's just got to land this baby.
Nice.
- Now the dangerous obstacle, the Gambler.
And that's got Mom worried.
That dog looks a little worried too.
This new obstacle has ended a lot of seasons already.
- I'm praying for him right now, going through the Casino,
the Gambler.
He's looking at that like, what is this?
That's a poker chip.
- So key to be efficient on this obstacle.
It can eat up time and energy.
Looking smooth, get to the end of the craps table.
- Yeah, he's got to make his way down to the front edge.
Nice. - Get it locked in.
- That's great positioning. - This is the big move.
It can make or break you on stage one.
- Oh! - Oh, my goodness!
And the Gambler gets Sean Bryan.
Another surprising early exit for him.
Sean just didn't get a good leap off the Roulette Wheel.
He was trying to wrap his hands around the playing card,
but couldn't hang on.
That was a shock.
- I can't believe it, and neither can Leah.
- Well, our next competitor made it farther than any woman
on stage one last year.
This is 17-year-old Addy Herman.
She's one of our top female competitors,
and she's coming into Vegas this year along with
her boyfriend, Noah Meunier.
- Uh... [laughter]
- This is so pink. - Your nose is frosting.
- The first time that we actually met
was at the Ninja gym.
- Let's go, Addy! You got it.
We both have the same values, and he's
also just a super fun person.
[upbeat music]
* *
- Even on days where she's down or days where I'm down,
she's always giving it her fullest.
Nice, yeah!
- I tell Noah when he's slacking on a workout.
- I'll just, like, cheer you on.
- No, you have to do it too.
Noah helps me with technique.
- Fast, fast, fast, fast, fast.
* *
- This is so good, mm-mm-mm.
You want some? - Oh, yeah.
That's a big bite.
- It's really a win-win situation.
And we both help each other grow as athletes and people
more than anything else.
All right, time to go work this off in training.
- Sounds good to me.
[laughter]
Power, power!
- She's been working a lot on the Warped Wall.
And I feel like it's all coming together.
Good job. - Whoo!
- One thing is missing, and that's the buzzer.
I know I can do it this time.
* *
- Yeah! [all cheering]
- Noah's there behind Addy's mom, as well as
her dad and training partners.
Noah will be running next.
- Let's go, let's go!
[countdown clock beeping]
Addy started this season by finishing as the runner-up
in our Women's Championship, and followed that up
with a strong run in Qualifying.
And then won her race in Semifinals.
- She's been putting in the work in the lab.
When she's on the course, she turns into Herman Munster.
She's got to be a monster on this stage one course.
- She's been training especially
hard on the Warped Wall.
That's what doomed her stage one run last year.
It took her multiple attempts to get past it.
And you could see, Akbar, not even breathing heavily.
An efficient approach, but keeping a good pace.
Switch grip. - Nice.
Come on, nice. - Locked in.
That was some smooth technique there
on the Giant Roller Coaster.
- Matt, she's not just locked in physically,
she's locked in mentally.
- Now the Jumping Spider. - All right, let's go, Addy.
- She saw her friend Taylor Johnson
almost make history here minutes ago.
- Nice. - And Addy sticks it.
Addy's 5'4", and she's really moving.
Put in hours of training this year.
And it is showing.
- Yeah, it's her relentless pursuit for excellence.
That's what she wants. That's why she's out here.
- Well, how will this 17-year-old
handle the Gambler?
And I like it, getting right out to that poker chip.
Akbar, she is looking totally in control.
- Oh, uh-oh, she thought about it.
Now turning around.
- Well, needed that extra spin, and that's
been the first small misstep, but great correction.
[cheers and applause]
Let's see the power.
Got to get this craps table extended.
- She's just got to get towards the edge.
Use that momentum to shift it.
Nice. One more big shift.
Oh, she's good.
- Well, no woman has yet been able to make a clean leap
across to the playing card.
Here we go.
- Move it, move it, move it.
- Get it, nice! - OK, OK, Addy Herman!
- Under a minute left, she's got a chance to finish,
but will have to hurry.
Barclay Stockett is the only other woman
to get past the Gambler, but now it's the Warped Wall.
And this is where she struggled last year.
Needed multiple attempts to get past it.
Gotta get it on the first attempt
if she wants to finish.
- You got it. You got it.
Ooh, oh!
- Power, power!
Power! - You got this!
- 30 seconds left.
This is seeming very familiar to last year.
Oh!
- This is tough.
- And so frustrating, an obstacle that she could do,
that she's done in her gym.
But when the legs are exhausted, you just don't
have that same explosiveness.
- Go, power, power.
- Those past five obstacles take their toll.
And unfortunately, Addy Herman runs out of time.
But, Akbar, the future is so bright for this young lady.
- It is.
[soft music]
- You can just see her soaking it in,
using it as motivation.
I think that moment, next year, we're
going to look back when she gets a buzzer and say,
it started right here.
- I see you, Addy!
* *
- She looked great on every obstacle
until she reached the Warped Wall.
She got her fingers on the top on her first attempt,
right there.
If she had made that, she may have had a shot to finish.
- Addy, I can tell in your face that you're feeling
some emotions right now.
What's going through your mind?
- Well, I mean, I'm not going to lie.
It's pretty devastating to go out there,
especially after last season, but this isn't the end.
Not a step back, just a push forward.
- Well, I love your perspective.
It's been incredible to watch your season.
Congratulations on an awesome one, OK.
- Thank you so much. - Absolutely.
Matt, Akbar, back to you.
- Good job, Abby! - Nice job, Addy!
- Coming up, he was just in the hospital,
and he's battled breathing issues in the past,
but Najee Richardson is going to give
it everything he's got,
next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- One half of our Ninja power couple
ran minutes ago when Addy Herman
reached the Warped Wall.
Now her boyfriend, 17-year-old Noah Meunier,
gets his shot at the course.
And he's got that Safety Pass on his shorts.
Won it in a Semifinals race against Josiah Pippel.
So if he falls, he can run the course again.
But Addy still looks nervous on the sideline.
She's over there with Noah's dad.
[countdown clock beeping]
Hit buzzers in Qualifying and Semifinals,
in addition to his Safety Pass win.
Meunier can fly.
And having that Safety Pass gives
him the freedom to let it go, let it float.
If he falls, he gets a do-over.
5'8", 145.
[cheers and applause]
And these young Ninjas, Akbar, have just been so impressive.
What a rookie campaign.
- Oh, you saw how he kind of controlled the speed
there, lifted up his knees?
- Come on, Noah! Let's go, Noah, come on!
- Into the Jumping Spider.
- Nice. Get in there deep.
Good.
- And you could just see him explode
once he got into the chute.
- Wow. Nice.
- He is flying, Akbar.
- Noah, you're so good!
- Two minutes into the Gambler.
He got to watch his girl, Addy,
get through this obstacle.
Let's see if he learned anything.
Headed to the craps table.
- Meunier looks in control.
- And he's doing a spectacular job with his body
controlling his momentum throughout this entire course.
But the craps table giving him a little trouble.
- Well, Matt, he is 145 pounds.
Just got to use a little bit more momentum.
Nice, he's got a good control of it now.
Nice.
- Real smooth.
A little spin here.
Can he stop it?
- All right, don't want to spend too much.
- Wow, great job.
And he's through.
This is where Addy's run ended, the Warped Wall.
But no problem for Noah.
- OK, Noah, I see you.
- He's got time to catch his breath before Dipping Birds.
- Let's go, Noah, let's go!
- Don't underestimate any of these obstacles,
especially Dipping Birds.
[cheers and applause]
- He's on pace for one of the faster times.
That means he'll get a good seat for racing on stage two,
but has to get past Thread the Needle.
- You see he's getting high on the cane right there.
That's important. Nice.
Better control with the higher grip.
- And look at that, really going to launch himself up.
Had the Safety Pass, but didn't need it.
Noah Meunier's going racing!
Just making it look so easy.
- First time to Vegas, look at that.
[upbeat music]
- I love you guys!
* *
That was, like, the most actual crazy thing
I've done in my whole life.
- Noah, I just heard you say this
was the craziest thing you've done in your whole life.
Man, try to explain, what are you feeling right now, bud?
- This is just the beginning. We're going for all four.
- We'll see you on stage two.
- Let's go!
- Yes.
- Congratulations.
Well, our next athlete is taking it all in because this
might be his last run ever.
It's the Phoenix, Najee Richardson, who's
thinking about retirement.
He's had a legendary Ninja career, despite
a constant battle with asthma.
[soft music]
- But he looks wiped out!
- Well, he's calling for his inhaler.
Michael Torres is going to run it over,
so he can get his asthma medication.
- My asthma has always been a factor in my Ninja career.
- Oh, but coming up for air.
You can see he's just gasping, trying to fight through this.
- But it's something that I'm not ashamed of.
You might know me as the Flying Pheonix
from "America Ninja Warrior."
I am very proud to go out there
and represent asthmatics...
Here we go. We are in the stair climb.
Fight for Air Climb.
And be representation for kids who also
have asthma that might not be confident in themselves.
So I wear my asthma badge with pride.
A couple weeks ago, I had a very severe asthma attack.
So severe, unfortunately, I had to be hospitalized for it.
And I got cleared to train Ninja four days ago.
I'm not in the physical condition
that I want to be in, but I was not letting an asthma attack
keep me from coming back.
* *
- And he's sending a kiss to his wife, McKenzie,
who's back in Philly, along with Najee's parents.
There it is,
the Phoenix pose.
Can he rise tonight?
[countdown clock beeping]
After being in the hospital just a few weeks ago,
this sprint on stage one is really going to test him.
- He's definitely going to have to push it.
- Well, he has so much power.
Five World Records.
Many of them for the longest laches ever recorded.
The man can fly.
- Breathe, Naj, breathe! Big breaths!
- Moravsky telling Najee to take a breath
before Giant Roller Coaster.
- All right, nice.
Wow. Yeah, this is it.
- Great control there.
- Well, Matt, that's that gymnastics background.
You know he's got great body awareness.
He's going to show it here in the Jumping Spider.
Great flexibility there by Najee Richardson.
- I love the veteran approach here.
Efficient, a killer pace.
This is his fifth time on stage one.
Oh, a little slip.
Fighting for his ever-loving live!
- Oh!
- Oh, be careful.
- What a save!
- This is where he's going to have
to push himself a little bit.
A minute 50, staring at the Gambler.
Right up into it.
- Nice.
Taking a nice safe approach here.
- Take that chip to the craps table.
And you can just see how calm he looks, breathing easily.
Really controlling it.
- Nice. - Good transfer.
Get to the front of the craps table.
- Nice.
He wants to get more on that front side.
Nice.
- And I think Najee is just going to launch it here.
Go right--right atop the--
Oh. - Uh-oh.
- And when the wheel spins, it can really eat up time.
Najee was so efficient on the first half of the course,
but this is going to put a lot of pressure on him.
He's going to have to hustle through the final obstacles.
And you can just see the seconds ticking away.
Tenuous leap here.
Got it.
- Matt, this is going to tax him.
- And now he's spinning on the Ace of Spades.
- He's going to have to push it really fast.
- Well, Najee Richardson just spent a minute on the Gambler,
but he's through.
Takes a deep breath and goes up the Warped Wall.
- Nice.
- But not a lot of time left, and you can see it on his face,
he's starting to feel it.
He's definitely winded.
Well, we know he can lache, Akbar.
He should be good on Thread the Needle,
but gotta get going.
And you can see, really struggling to find his breath.
Oh, this is heartbreaking.
- Oh, my goodness.
- And Najee just is such a gutty competitor.
- Oh, my goodness!
[air horn blares]
- That's OK. - Good job.
- Get him.
- Our crews are going to get him out of the water
to catch his breath.
- [coughing]
- Well, so courageous just to be out here.
That asthma has caught up.
But he kept pushing till the very end.
You could see he was hurting before Dipping Birds.
This man is a Warrior and tried to keep going,
but he just missed that last one.
And could just barely get out of the water.
Thankfully, Najee is back on his feet.
We'll update you on his condition
as soon as we know more.
- Strike up the band,
as two musical Ninjas tried to hit the right notes
on stage one minutes ago.
Max Feinberg has been playing the trombone since he was ten.
And the self-described band geek was
marching through the course.
- OK, Max Feinberg.
- The 18-year-old, now living in Colorado,
has qualified for Vegas all three seasons
he's competed, and he's never fallen on stage one.
- Max Feinberg with the great tempo, Matt.
You know he wants to hit that buzzer.
- But his luck changed when he reached the Gambler.
- Oh!
What?
- I didn't see that one coming.
- Florida's Alex Romer showed off
his skills on the alto sax.
And then the high school student showed
off his skills on the course.
- His rookie campaign started off great.
Let's see if he can keep that momentum up.
- He was cruising along until he too went
for a spin on the roulette wheel,
but was finally able to recover.
- You got it, Alex!
- That's a big jump.
Nice!
- That cost him a lot of time, and he had to scramble
across the final obstacles.
- Nice. Nice. Oh, whoo!
- But he took too many swings on Thread the Needle.
- Uh-oh, that's a rookie mistake.
Oh, my goodness.
- And he timed out as he climbed the cargo net.
But the top 24 advance, and with just ten finishers
so far between last week and tonight, Romer could
still move on to stage two.
And just starting his run right now
is Santa Cruz California's David Campbell,
known as the Godfather because he's competed on every season
of Ninja Warrior.
- All right, Dave, come on! - Whoo!
He's the oldest male competitor to make it
to the National Finals.
Campbell, 45, triple the age of some of the athletes
out here tonight.
- Well, Matt, when you say it like that,
as Kevin Hart would say, damn.
- Well, he's not had good luck on stage one.
He's failed seven times.
Seven times!
[cheers and applause]
On many of those runs, he just ran out of time.
And you can see at 45, taking a little
more methodical approach than some of the younger Ninjas.
- Yeah, but he's going to need that time, Matt,
especially on the back end.
Nice.
- Well, it's really going to come down to the Gambler,
Akbar, and how efficient he can be there.
Got to get there first.
- Making his way.
Get in there, nice.
- David Campbell would love to get
a shot at the million dollars.
- Well, Matt, he's a little slow
here through Jumping Spider.
You can see, he's really trying
to make sure he doesn't slip.
- And this saps time, but more importantly, it's really
going to sap the energy.
- It's going to take about 30 seconds off the clock here.
- Oh, boy.
No room for error on the Gambler.
- Yeah, and he's got to go up high, and then drop down.
Wow.
[cheers and applause]
- He has got to be feeling it.
- Yeah, I know.
He's gonna feel it in his legs.
He's gonna feel it in his upper body.
I'm telling you. - You got to go.
- That Jumping Spider will tax your entire body.
- Has to be perfect here on the Gambler.
- Nice. OK, you can see it now.
He's got the poker chip in his hand.
- Well, he's looking like a long shot at this point,
but the Godfather, does he have a little magic left?
- And you can see he's got that resting poker face.
- Getting it forward.
Really has to make this transfer to the Ace of Spades.
Just dance atop the roulette wheel.
- Well, Matt, he's got to move with some urgency now.
- Down to just 45 seconds.
- Yes! OK.
- And Campbell is still alive.
- He made that look easy.
- Gotta get off here.
- Oh, he's spinning in a circle.
He's starting to do like a little pirouette.
- Time ticking away.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Oh, no!
- Oh, sha-na-na!
- The Godfather comes up short on the Gambler!
His eighth time failing on stage one.
The curse continues.
Well, from 45-year-old David Campbell,
we move on to the 15-year-old from Florida, Nacssa Garemore,
and what a journey he's had to get here.
Born in Africa and adopted in America about ten years ago.
Now he's getting his first look at Las Vegas.
[dramatic music]
Nacssa Garemore delivers!
- My season has been pretty good.
I'm happy about how I've been doing.
- Whoo! - Linking it.
- Oh, my goodness. - Wow.
Nacssa Garemore getting his second buzzer.
- When I was a little kid in Africa,
I could not imagine being here in Las Vegas.
[upbeat music]
I've actually never been to Vegas.
So I'm taking it all in.
I saw a castle.
* *
Then I saw the Statue of Liberty.
I thought we were in New York.
* *
And then I saw the Ninja courses, and they're huge.
* *
I've worked so hard for this moment.
Seeing my training come into place is, like,
really exciting for me.
* *
- Nacssa has got lots of extended family
watching back home.
That's his brother, Roberto, in the front row.
He also competed this year.
His mom's here on the sideline with a big group,
including his coach, RJ Roman.
[countdown clock beeping]
Has two buzzers already this year.
And we have seen, he is a speed demon.
- Yes, he is, Matt.
- He had some of the top times in Qualifying and Semis.
And doing it at 15-years-old.
Ninja training really helped Nacssa and his brother
adjust to life in America, and they
are naturals at the sport.
5'8", 150.
He's shown he likes to go fast.
He is always running with a pedal to the metal.
- Nice. Here we go.
Be careful here on this last transition.
Nice.
- And he's quickly through three obstacles.
But got to be careful on the Jumping Spider.
- Here's a young kid that is so confident about his skills.
He knows Ninja very well.
Uh-oh, uh-oh! Don't slip.
Be easy.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
And you can just see, struggling to get purchase.
And believe me, that is sapping a lot of energy,
especially in that upper body.
- And you can see
he's starting to grimace a little bit.
- Oh, no. - Oh, boy.
Now he's putting a little pressure
on the back side here.
He's fighting to get through Jumping Spider.
- And just makes a huge leap, but what does he have left?
- Oh, my goodness.
- That took a lot out of him.
He's staring down the Gambler.
Gotta get going.
And you know, he has got to be winded already, big man.
- Yeah, Nacssa really trying to put a game plan together,
and that's the thing about the National Finals.
This is a massive course.
- With those struggles there on the Jumping Spider,
he's going to have to one-touch the roulette wheel
and get right to the Ace of Spades.
- There you go.
- Go for it, kid.
- Yes, nice.
- Really well done, Nacssa!
- Yeah, and now he's trying to make up some of that time.
He's got a little over a minute left.
- Oh, but he's spinning. - But he's spinning!
- He survived the roulette, but got caught up
on the Ace of Spades.
Under a minute!
- I think he's going to be fine.
This is good time for Nacssa.
- He's got the speed, but we have seen some stumbles here.
Not a time to regroup, but that is the fatigue
from Jumping Spider catching up.
- Go, go, go, go, go, nice.
[cheers and applause]
- All about the efficiency on these transfers.
- He's got to catch the swing right into that circle.
- Up and out. - Nice!
- Oh, he held on!
Still needs to land up high on the cargo net.
This is going to be close.
Taking some extra swings.
- Nice.
- And a high transfer.
What a run!
- This kid is plenty confident.
- Nacssa, as the clock is ticking down!
- You better hurry up. Don't mess with us.
- Oh-ho-ho!
[cheering]
It looked like it was over on the Jumping Spider!
But Nacssa Garemore is dancing at the buzzer!
A lot closer than he wanted, but now he's moving on.
We'll see Nacssa racing on stage two next week.
Nacssa and our other top Ninjas will
be going head-to-head in nail-biting races.
Oh, my goodness!
Only the best will move on to tackle the brutal stage three.
- Oh, my!
- And in two weeks, we'll be on stage four,
climbing for $1 million!
So close!
- Oh, oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!
- On the National Finals of "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Las Vegas and the National Finals.
- These Ninjas have been burning up the course
in the last few minutes.
Minnesota teenager Jera Boyd
is having a perfect season so far,
with two buzzers and a Mega Wall,
and he started out hot tonight.
- Jera Boyd making quick work
of these first four obstacles.
- But then he ran into trouble on the Gambler.
He got hung up on the roulette wheel
and lost precious seconds.
- Down to a minute left.
- When he finally got through, he turned on the jets
and went flying through the final obstacles.
- He really accelerated after the Gambler!
- And the 19-year-old added another buzzer.
He's going to be racing on stage two.
And more good news--
Najee Richardson recovered from his asthma attack
and made it on to the sideline for his training partner,
17-year-old Josiah Pippel.
The New Jersey high-school student
is another Ninja who's already hit two buzzers this season.
He finished stage one the past two years,
and he started strong tonight.
- Trying to line it up with that Ace of Spades.
Right into it.
- He was on pace for one of the fastest times
until he reached Dipping Birds.
- Oh, can he save it?
What a save!
- Pippel recovered and joined our list of finishers.
We'll see him racing next week on stage two.
Then Kyle Soderman sprinted out in search
of his third-straight stage one buzzer.
With his fiancée, Megan Johnson,
cheering him on...
- Let's go, Kyle!
- The stuntman put together a run that was action-packed.
- Ooh, got it.
- The four-time Ninja veteran made it interesting
and scrambled all the way to the final obstacle.
- So key to get this cane transfer up and over.
Oh, how did he hold on?
- Soderman had the second-fastest time
on stage one last year,
but tonight was a different story.
- No! - Oh, my goodness.
He was so close.
But he's still got a chance of landing in the top 24
and moving on to stage two.
- Now it's another one of our four moms
who qualified for the National Finals this season.
This is Spokane's Clarisa Morris.
She's known as the Bicep Babe, and you could see why.
She's a personal trainer and a strong role model
for her two young daughters.
- I like to peel the layers off.
- OK, we can peel the layers off.
- Ooh, can I, too?
- So when I got pregnant at 19,
it was definitely an unexpected thing.
I didn't know if I was going to choose to keep the baby
or give her up for adoption.
And through a lot of thought and a lot of prayer...
I decided to keep her.
Making that big choice as such a young person,
it was a difficult time, but then the love for my child
really was able to carry me through
and make everything else not seem so hard.
It feels almost surreal to be here in Vegas.
And I put so much hard work into it--
like, so many hours of training.
And I hope to be inspiring to not only other moms
but all women.
It doesn't matter how far away from your goals
you feel like you are,
if you work hard, you can make your dreams come true.
* *
- And those daughters on the sideline.
Amalia fighting to stay awake.
Leiani, a little more excited.
Clarissa's friend and mentor, Sandy Zimmerman,
also over there.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Clarisa Morris, Matt, proud of her muscles.
She's going to need them muscles here on stage one.
Came so close to hitting a buzzer
in Qualifiers and Semis, going out on the fifth obstacle.
I believe she's going to get that buzzer.
She's going to do it.
- Well, stage one has been so unforgiving.
And this is where Sandy went out last week...
right here, trying to get that blind grab.
- Nice. Get it.
Oh, no! - Oh!
Made the same mistake as her buddy Sandy Zimmerman.
- Yeah, let's watch this one again.
She had a really good swing and gets the right hand on,
but her left hand was tangled up in the ring,
and she couldn't make the grab.
- Just learn from this and come back stronger next time.
- Up next, one of the favorites
to win the million dollars--
It's the rock-and-roller from Florida, R.J. Roman.
He was fastest in his group in Qualifying and Semifinals
and then won the Safety Pass.
He's got it there on his pants.
That means if he falls, he'll get to run the course again.
And R.J. knows just how valuable that can be.
Two years ago, he could have used it
when he shockingly fell on the final obstacle.
With the Safety Pass, he's got the freedom to go fast.
- I'm not going to put myself in any situation
where I have a higher risk of falling,
but having the Safety Pass,
I am probably going to be a little bit more reckless
on stage one.
- Matt, let me translate-- he is going to be flying
so he can get a high seed for racing on stage two.
- His buddy Flip Rodriguez
leading the cheers on the sideline,
along with some of the students R.J. coaches.
[countdown clock beeping]
R.J. Roman's been one of the elite ninjas
since he started competing six years ago.
The last time we saw him in Vegas,
he was climbing for a million dollars.
And his mission is to get back to stage four.
Has not fallen since Season 13.
He just ran out of time last year.
- Yeah, now look at him-- running for time.
He's running for the fastest time.
Uh-oh.
- A little hung up-- that's all right.
- But you know what?
R.J. Roman can recover from that one.
- This is his sixth time competing at "Ninja Warrior"--
just 26 years old.
He's got the experience.
Still a young man at the height of his powers.
And right into it. - He's going right into it.
Nice. And he does not hesitate.
He goes for broke every time.
And I know I'm saying he's going for broke.
He better not break down here on the Gambler.
[indistinct shouting]
- Well, he's going fast, but with R.J.,
it never feels like gambling.
Always seems to be in control.
- All right, nice.
[indistinct shouting]
- Little spun around,
and a good job using his momentum to get right.
[cheers and applause]
R.J., just locked in.
See him kicking up, launching forward.
He's going for it.
- And this is where you want to go right now,
make that nice soft landing.
Go for it. Good.
- Got it.
R.J. looking solid on the Gambler.
- Look at the time. He's got a lot of time.
- Man, when you're that good, it ain't gambling.
1:23 left for the final three obstacles.
R.J. Roman's in the driver's seat.
- And that is so crucial.
The faster you finish means you'll be racing
against slower people on stage two.
Well, he is slowing down a little bit
here on these final obstacles.
He's been in a sprint to this point,
now looking a little winded.
On to the Dipping Birds.
Wants to avoid a mistake.
Doesn't want to use the Safety Pass
and doesn't need it so far.
- Whoo.
He stumbled across those Birds,
Matt, he looks out of breath.
- He's definitely slowed down.
Now going up on Thread The Needle.
- Oh, get that high grip. Yeah, there we go.
- When he fell two years ago, it was on a similar obstacle.
He struggled to make this move.
- You see what he's trying to do here
is get up high so he can go up and over.
- Oh, a little hung up.
Get the cane up and then over.
Oh, no! [buzzer sounds]
A shocking fall, but he has the Safety Pass.
He'll get another shot on stage one.
He's clearly upset, but he gets the chance to try again.
- Yeah, let's look at what happened.
He seemed a little gassed and couldn't get the cane
off the hook the first time.
He landed it the next time but just couldn't hold on.
- R.J., man, we are not used to seeing you wet.
What happened here?
- My hands slid off.
I couldn't hold it, I guess.
I had a little bit of a flashback
getting caught on that from Season 13,
which definitely threw me off,
but I think I'll be good on the next run.
- We'll see you out there in just a few, OK?
- Thank you so much. - Absolutely.
Matt, Akbar, back to you.
- Well, this is interesting.
It's not a certainty R.J. will have to run again,
because he's currently in the top 24,
with 14 more runners to go.
If he stays in the top 24, he'd still move on,
but he'd have a much lower seed.
So we'll wait and see what happens.
Still to come...
She's a nurse, she's a mom,
and she's one of our top ninjas,
but Mady Howard can't catch a break in Vegas.
- Oh, shoot!
- I have fallen on the third obstacle every single year.
- Plus, he's only 5'2",
but he's a huge inspiration to kids across the country.
- I'm truly changing lives,
and there's nothing better than that.
- Gnarly Nate Hansen is coming up
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's night two of the National Finals in Las Vegas,
and a couple of Chicago ninjas
hit the course while we were away.
College student Maggie Owen
had a Chi Town cheering section supporting her,
including Ninja legend Jesse "Flex" Labreck.
- You got this, buddy!
- The 5-foot, 105-pound Owen
is one of our smallest competitors,
but she came up big on the first and second obstacles.
- Whoo!
- I love how calm Maggie Owen was
on Three Ring Circus.
- Then she faced the Giant Roller Coaster,
the obstacle that took her out last year.
- Whoo. Here we go.
Nice. Great transition.
Whoa! [air horn blows]
- Good job, buddy!
- Then it was another Windy City Ninja,
The Stallion, Mike Silenzi,
who as usual had a stampede going on the sideline.
- Giddy up. [imitates horse neighing]
- The ten-time Ninja veteran has been having
a career resurgence the past few years
and has already hit two buzzers this season.
- At 36 years old, he's got a lot of experience,
and that's what he's relying on.
- Keep it up! Keep it up!
- But The Stallion ran into trouble on the homestretch
and saw his luck change when he got hung up on the Gambler.
- All right, sprint like it's the Derby.
Sprint like it's the Derby!
[air horn blows]
- Ah, The Stallion does not like water.
- Well, cats don't like water either,
and neither does the Cat Daddy, Jackson Twait,
who's on the course right now.
Team Twait out in force-- family, friends, and a pic
of his beloved cat, Hash Brown.
This pet sitter from Iowa is a five-time Ninja veteran--
always one of the most fun guys
to watch on the course.
And you saw a great job just adjusting
with that switch grip there, making it look effortless.
- Nice. - Locked in.
Hash Brown's got to be happy.
- He's moving quickly.
Last year he barely made it to the buzzer in time.
So I know he's not going to be messing around here.
- Well, this was last season.
He finished but with less than a second to spare.
Doesn't want to cut it that close again.
He's in good shape time-wise right now.
Well, let's see what he does with the Gambler.
That chip--it's so easy to lose momentum, to lose energy,
and he's spinning. - Ooh, get it.
Control it.
I like the nice wide grip to control the poker chip.
Nice. - One of the bigger Ninjas
we'll see on stage one-- got a lot of power.
Can he control the craps table?
- Nice. - Got it fully extended.
- Takes mass to move mass.
And so he's using 160 pounds, get to the edge--nice.
- Oh, no! - Big grab.
- Those cat-like reflexes saved him there.
Spinning around.
Can he sink his claws into this one?
He's in great position.
Twait has plenty of time.
- All right, scratch and claw your way up to this one.
- His crazy fans are starting to smell a buzzer.
And the Cat Daddy now facing the Dipping Birds.
- Yeah, this is where you got to open up your gait here.
You know cats like chasing birds.
Go ahead, chase it.
Get it! Nice! [cheering]
- On now to Thread The Needle, and got to be careful.
We've seen a lot of runs end right here.
- But, Matt, he's set up with a good time.
He's got about 45 seconds. - Perfect!
- So he's in plenty good shape here.
- Well, from last season with just 7/10 of a second--
I think Jackson Twait's going to have
a little more comfortable buzzer.
Remember, the faster you finish,
the better your seed for racing on stage two.
Should give Twait a top 10 time.
- He's like, I'm not messing around.
- Well, Jackson Twait really delivers.
Hash Brown's got to be proud
as he gets another stage one noggin buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
Ah, breaking out a new dance move--little wiggle, wiggle.
I see you, Cat Daddy.
- Well, I hope Hash Brown gave you some advice,
'cause we'll see you on stage two, Cat Daddy!
- [screams] - [laughs]
Up next, the third of our four moms
who qualified for Vegas this year--
showing off her gymnastics skills,
this is Mady Howard,
the 27-year-old Ninja veteran from Utah.
Mady can seemingly do it all.
She's a nurse,
a mom to one-year-old son, Beckham,
and one of the top female ninjas in the world.
Mady Howard does it!
But this superhero's kryptonite
has been the third obstacle on stage one.
- So far, my years of competing in Vegas
haven't gone as well as I had hoped.
- Oh, shoot! Sha-na-na!
- I have fallen on the third obstacle every single year.
- Oh!
- Making it past the third obstacle
would be a victory in and of itself for me,
but I don't want to stop there.
I would love to be the first mom to hit a buzzer as well.
* *
- Ah, her son, Beckham, blowing her a kiss,
along with her husband, Tyler.
- Mama.
[countdown clock beeping]
Former college gymnast at Southern Utah University.
Good body awareness.
Want to be careful on Three Ring Circus.
This obstacle is already knocked out two of our moms.
- You got this, Mads.
- Go, Mady! - Go, Mady! Go, Mady!
- Nice.
- Smooth transition.
- Yeah, it's all about making those adjustments,
especially on that blind one, Matt.
- Still only three women who've hit a buzzer
on stage one.
- Mady Howard's got the skills to do it.
- She's through two obstacles.
Sets up a showdown with the third.
This is her third time on stage one.
Each of the past two times her run ended here.
- All right, here we go.
This thing goes fast.
Nice. - Good transfer.
Hold it into the cradle. - And it's the impact here.
Nice. - Got it!
- I love how she came in tight to absorb the impact!
- And Mady Howard--what a confidence boost that is.
[cheers and applause]
And now the Jumping Spider.
5'6", 125, gymnastics background.
Still got to get a big jump on this trampoline.
- Here we go. Big jump.
Nice, hit it.
both: Oh, no!
- She conquered the third obstacle
but got bit by the Jumping Spider.
Let's start with that victory on obstacle three.
Made the grab to the second bar and then made the landing
so she could celebrate,
but she just couldn't land the Jumping Spider.
- That was actually really fun.
[chuckles] [cheers and applause]
- Coming up...
it's the second half
of our first-ever father-son duo in Vegas.
And you know high schooler Ben Behrends
will have this crowd hyped up,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to Vegas
and stage one of the National Finals.
24-year-old stuntman Ramcis Valdez
comes from the Bronx in New York City.
- Let's go, Ramcis!
- This rookie looked strong
through the first part of the course,
then lost a lot of time on the Gambler,
before finally getting through.
- OK, King Ramcis with the royal flush.
- But the 24-year-old stuntman was running on fumes
for the final obstacles.
- He's got to get going now.
- He reached Thread the Needle but had nothing left.
- Oh, he's starting to lose grip.
Oh!
- Pennsylvania's Cal Plohoros
fell on the Jumping Spider last year.
- He's been working on the splits,
trying to make sure he can nail it--nice.
- But not tonight.
Ninja Cal is known for going fast,
which can sometimes lead to mistakes.
- Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
Oh, my goodness.
- The high schooler somehow survived a one-handed save
on the Gambler.
- What a save!
- But seconds later, he came up short on Dipping Birds.
- Oh, my-- What?
- A record four moms made it to Vegas this year,
and Visalia, California's Zhanique Lovett
was the final one to hit the course.
With her family watching, the personal trainer
looked strong heading into Three Ring Circus
but couldn't get a grip.
- Oh, no!
[air horn blows]
- I had it. I guess I slipped.
It happens. Dang it!
- Well, get ready to be fired up
because here comes Iowa teenager Ben Behrends.
He is The Hype Guy,
and his sideline is going to be into it.
There's his dad, Scott, who ran earlier.
Ben's little sister already has tears flowing.
Grandma and the whole family knows
just how much this means to him.
He's been The Hype Guy for so many other Iowa ninjas
over the years, screaming his heart out.
Now he finally gets his chance to shine.
Well, he and his dad--
the first father-son duo ever to qualify for Vegas.
His dad made it to Gambler.
What can Ben do?
5'1", 115.
This kid trains so hard.
- Yeah, smallest male competitor here in Vegas.
But you don't tell him that
because his size doesn't mean anything.
- It's hard not to root for this kid.
With his size, it was tough to play other sports,
but he has found a home in Ninja.
- He's having a little trouble right here.
Got to line himself up with that landing pad.
- Just trying to keep it north, south--there he goes.
Couple extra swings heading into Giant Roller Coaster.
About to start his junior year in high school.
Should love this ride. - All right, let's go.
- Get hyped.
- You see how hyped he was for his dad.
Now you got to be hyped for yourself.
- Nice flow. - Let's go. I'm hyped.
Let's go! - Lands it!
He's got it.
- The hype is real, I'm telling you.
- But at 5'1", the Jumping Spider
will be a huge challenge.
- Well, Matt, he told us, he's been doing a lot of splits
in preparation for this.
Wow! What a save! That was a big ask for 5'1"!
- And if he gets through this,
he'd be tied with Tyler Yamauchi
as the shortest male to get through this obstacle.
Ben Behrends--what a big move on the Jumping Spider.
Now he can avenge his father on the Gambler.
- Matt, he needs to change that shirt from "The Hype Guy"
to "The Hype is Real."
- Bring the energy here on the Gambler.
- Here we go. Here we go. - Get to that chip.
5'1", this is a pretty big jump for him.
No problem.
At this point, with only a handful of runners left,
he'll need to get a buzzer
or at least reach the final obstacle
to be in the top 24 and move on.
- Can't waste a lot of time.
115 pounds, use that momentum.
Drag it out. - Wow.
- Good. He's wearing black.
Bet on black, and you win here on the Gambler.
- Dance across the top of that roulette wheel.
Go right to the ace. - Nice.
Oh, OK.
- Regroups, and he's got it!
Get going!
Ben Behrends is going to do what his father couldn't
if he can get this dismount. - Get it, get it.
Nice. - Now go, Ben, go!
[cheers and applause]
- It's a short run up here now on the curve Warped Wall.
Come on, power, power, power. - No problem!
Get going, 30 seconds!
- Go, young fella! - Go, man!
- Go, young fella!
- The Hype Man is closing in
on his first-ever buzzer. - Oh, boy.
- And he can see the clock counting down.
Got to go right here. - No extra swings.
- Oh! - Ooh!
Oh, boy.
- But if he can at least reach the cargo net,
it could get him into the top 24.
- Maybe there's a chance.
- A miracle!
Gets the cargo net!
[alarm blaring]
[buzzer sounds]
Didn't get the buzzer, but, Akbar,
you know his father couldn't be more proud of him.
- At 5'1", he had to really stretch out
to land it in the Jumping Spider,
but he did it.
Made big moves on the Gambler,
and that last-second leap to the cargo net
guaranteed him a spot in the top 24.
And Zuri's going to let him know.
- How did you feel out there on stage one?
- Oh, man, it was so fun.
It's just so much bigger than everything else.
Oh, man, it was so fun.
- So close.
I know you wanted a buzzer, but we have some good news.
You went far enough fast enough.
We'll see you on stage two. Congratulations, Ben.
[cheers and applause] Matt, Akbar, back to you.
- Well, with only seven athletes remaining,
the top 17 on our leaderboard are now guaranteed a spot
on stage two, including Ben Behrends.
But the remaining competitors
are in danger of being bumped out of the top 24,
including R.J. Roman, who does have a Safety Pass
if he needs to run stage one again.
Coming up...
15-year-old Taylor Greene
has already hit two buzzers this year.
Can she possibly get another?
We'll find out
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Good friends Austin Gray and Nate Hansen
are back in Vegas for the third-straight year.
And first to hit stage one minutes ago was Gray--
the 26-year-old Ninja veteran from Colorado.
Though he's a two-time runner-up on "Ninja Warrior,"
he shockingly fell on the fifth obstacle last year.
- What the-- both: No!
- So he was extra careful on the fifth obstacle tonight.
- Nice. Oh, nice. There we go.
- And got through it.
He had plenty of time left on the clock.
- He knows he's getting very close to that buzzer.
- And sewed up his run on Thread The Needle
en route to his third career stage one buzzer.
- It eluded him last year, but he's back.
[cheers and applause]
- And now it's his buddy-- the Gnarly Ninja, Nate Hansen.
Just 5'2" but has a huge personality.
We've told you his story.
He was born with a growth-hormone deficiency,
and his inspirational runs have made him a fan favorite.
- I was once a kid who just got bullied all the time.
And I was the shortest in my class,
denied from every sport, sat on the sidelines.
But once I started Ninja...
- Yeah! [cheers and applause]
- It showed me who I truly was
and who I was capable of becoming...
Let's go! Whoo!
- Fastest time of the night!
- And how I could use this platform
to inspire everyone else.
I struggled with bullying
for, like, five or six years of my life.
And at the moment, I didn't see it through.
As I've grown more of a following,
I've gotten amazing opportunities
through nonprofit organizations
to come and speak and inspire kids across the country.
Now I can help other people who are struggling
with loneliness, rejection, not knowing who they are.
I'm truly changing lives,
and there's nothing better than that.
[cheers and applause]
- Lots of Nate Hansen fans here tonight,
along with a big group of friends and family.
[countdown clock beeping]
Last season he was just about flawless.
He hit four buzzers and made it all the way to stage three,
an unbelievable season.
Hasn't been as perfect this season,
but did manage to qualify for Vegas.
Maybe seeing his buddy Austin get a buzzer
will give him some inspiration.
- We know he can go far, Matt. We saw that last year.
How exciting was that to see Gnarly Nate
make it to stage three.
- Truly one of the most inspirational seasons
we've ever had on "Ninja Warrior."
Getting ready to go for a ride on the Giant Roller Coaster.
- All right, here we go.
- Real smooth.
- Nice.
- Nate trains so hard.
[cheers and applause]
Jumping Spider is going to be a test at his size.
This took him out last year,
but he used his Safety Pass to get another shot,
and he beat it.
- Big jump. Big jump.
- And he's got it again. - OK, I see you.
- Nate, though, we talk about it.
It's not just the physical,
you have to be such a problem solver.
And Nate always has a strong mental game with Ninja.
Gets through Jumping Spider.
Heading into the Gambler.
Not an especially fast pace, though.
- All right, big move here.
- We've seen a lot of falls right here
and can eat up a lot of time, even if you do get through it.
Well, this one has been diabolical.
He's a Business major. He understands the odds.
- Well, he better mean business here.
- And you can see, it's just been such a challenge
to get this craps table extended
to give you a straight path across the roulette wheel
to that ace of spades.
- He's got to make that right landing,
right there in about the middle, and then sprint.
Go for it.
- No! - Oh!
- Oh, he didn't have enough boosty to make
it to the ace of spades.
Oh.
- Last season everything went right for Nate Hansen,
but not this year.
- His first big test was the Jumping Spider,
and he got through that, but on the Gambler,
had a little stumble coming across the roulette wheel.
and couldn't get a good jump and missed the grab.
- I gambled a little too much this time.
It got me.
Fun course.
And we'll see if we can bring it back next season.
- Next up, one of Nate's training partners
back in Colorado-- Zuri's going to get her going.
- Guys, she came in with a lot of hype,
but 15-year-old Taylor Greene has lived up to it,
hitting two buzzers in her rookie season.
The first woman ever to do so.
She's been on the path to stardom
since she was ten years old,
winning race after race during three seasons
of "Ninja Junior."
- Taylor Greene continues to dominate!
- And the spotlight of the big show didn't slow her down.
- And Greene is golden!
Her perfect rookie season continues.
- Tonight she looks to add her name to the record books
once again.
- I'm definitely a little nervous,
but I would say I'm more excited
because I feel like I've already proven myself
and my abilities.
I'm absolutely ready to become the youngest woman
to ever hit a stage one buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
- She's got friends and family on the sideline,
including Katie Bone, the reigning women's champ,
but Taylor Greene might be coming for that title.
[countdown clock beeping]
Three women in history have finished stage one--
Jessie Graff, Allyssa Beird, and Flex Labreck.
This 15-year-old trying to join them.
Well, stage one has been unkind to all of our ninjas,
especially the women.
Addy Herman has the best performance so far,
making it to the Warped Wall.
- You and I, we've watched Taylor Greene
grow up on "Ninja Warrior."
We saw her on "Ninja Junior."
She is outstanding.
- Well, her social media handle's SweetNinjaGirl,
but you gave her a nickname
after seeing her compete, Akbar.
- Yeah, that's right-- Mean Taylor Greene.
When she's out here, she's mean, lean, hostile,
agile, highly motivated-- Ah, ha ha!
- We'll see-- going for a ride here
on the Giant Roller Coaster-- a 60-foot trip down the rails.
- Mean Taylor Greene, let's go.
Come on.
- Got it.
- Nice.
Mean Taylor Greene, you see what I mean?
- She is looking strong.
And right now still on time for a buzzer, Akbar.
5'5"--should have plenty of length for the Jumping Spider.
She's on her high-school track team, does the long jump.
- Great leap. Come on, now.
[cheers and applause]
- Looks a little tentative here moving forward.
Now finding that confidence.
- Well, Matt, she's thinking about not making a mistake,
but she's got to remember here, stage one is different.
You're racing against the clock.
- And this is eating up a lot of time and energy.
- Ah, little fist pump.
She's happy to be through that one.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, Taylor Greene has been all-in
since she started Ninja years ago.
- If I'm going to be a gambling man,
I'm gambling everything on Mean Taylor Greene.
Let's go.
Now on to the poker chip.
- Look how calm she looks, Akbar--
not even breathing heavily.
Looking really in charge.
- She is the real deal.
- All right, got to get some power here.
Extend right at the end of the craps table.
- Nice. - Great technique.
- Oh, she's got that power. - Look at that power.
- And that was in one move, too.
- Well, this is it, Akbar. - Come on.
- Can she dance across the top of the roulette wheel?
- Nice! Okay! - Yes!
Yes! - I see you!
You go, girl! - And she's got time, Akbar!
We could be witnessing history! Taylor Greene!
- Yeah, if she gets this,
oh, my goodness, Matt, you better hold me in this booth.
She gets this--
- Oh, my, the Warped Wall. - Come on.
- Yes! - All right, let's go.
- Taylor Greene is rolling. 30 seconds.
- She is moving! Come on!
- Akbar, this is remarkable! - Come on, come on.
- Get through the Dipping Birds.
- I need that clock to slow down.
I need that clock to slow down. My girl got to get up there.
- No! - Oh!
- So close! - Oh!
Oh, my goodness, that one hurts right here.
- But Taylor Greene-- the best performance
of any woman on stage one this season.
She was spectacular.
- She was impressive through the whole run.
Everyone, including me, was getting excited
when she made that move to the ace of spades.
It even made her smile.
At Dipping Birds, she was rushing
and came up just a little short,
but what a season for Taylor Greene.
- Up next, he's on an unbelievable
winning streak in Vegas. [air horn blows]
In two seasons, Kaden Lebsack's never fallen.
He'll try to keep his streak alive,
- Welcome back to Vegas, where it's nail-biting time
for top competitor R.J. Roman,
who sat in 22nd minutes ago.
He watched Isaiah Wakeham take the course
in search of his second stage one buzzer.
The videographer wasn't picture perfect...
- Oh, boy, he stumbled a little bit.
- And had a few close calls on the course.
- Ooh, he barely made that transition.
- But he made it to the final obstacle with a good time.
- Oh! [air horn blows]
The cane is still on, but he's off.
- Though he didn't finish,
his faster time to Thread The Needle
pushed R.J. Roman down to 23rd on the leaderboard.
Then Montana's Evan Andrews hit the course,
celebrating his high-school graduation
and being his class co-valedictorian.
In his second year on stage one,
the 18-year-old looked confident.
- I mean, he went right into it, wasting no time.
- He's starting at the University of Utah this fall,
and he showed he's a quick study,
figuring out the Gambler...
- Nice! OK!
- And ran nonstop through the final obstacles.
- Evan Andrews going into a full-on sprint now.
- He was perfect on Thread The Needle
and edged out Caleb Bergstrom for the best finish so far.
- Fastest time! - Let's go!
- And by finishing, he pushed R.J. Roman down
to 24th on the leaderboard.
He's on the bubble, with one ninja still to run,
and that final athlete is one of the very best.
Zuri's going to get him started.
- Guys, he has to be considered the one to beat here in Vegas.
Kaden Lebsack has been the last ninja standing
the past two years.
And he's been near perfect in his career.
In three seasons, he's never fallen in the water once.
The only thing missing from his Ninja résumé,
a stage four buzzer.
- And, Akbar, as if his record weren't impressive enough,
he's also running with the Safety Pass.
He beat Kai Beckstrand back in the Semis to earn it.
So, if he should fall right now, he will get to run again.
- Come on.
- He's got a big group on the sideline,
including his parents
and reigning women's champ, Katie Bone,
who's out this season with an injury.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Matt, I think you and I both know,
Kaden Lebsack does not need that Safety Pass.
Just look at his history.
I mean, everything has been completed,
completed, completed, completed.
- He's never fallen on "Ninja Warrior,"
never fell on "Ninja Junior,"
only run out of time.
- This kid was born to be a ninja.
[cheers and applause]
- 5'10", 155.
- If you were to design the perfect ninja,
he'd be 5'10", 155 pounds,
and his name would be Kaden Lebsack.
[cheers and applause]
- And he's quickly through three obstacles.
Having that Safety Pass means he's free to go all out.
Just so strong, but, Akbar, anything can happen.
Locked in there on Jumping Spider.
The only mystery is, how fast can he go?
Because we always just expect him to finish.
- Here we go-- the Gambler.
He is not a gambler. He's a for-sure thing.
We're going to see him racing on stage two.
- Getting to that craps table.
- Nice. - Wow.
- Nice move. I love it.
He just spun around and took the momentum.
- That looked like Dr. J doing a 360 there.
Dance across the top of the roulette wheel,
get to that ace of spades.
- Nice. - Perfect.
- Matt, Kaden Lebsack is about as close as you get
to a sure thing in Ninja.
[cheers and applause]
- Real smooth!
And no surprise--
he's on a pace where he could beat Evan Andrews
for the fastest time on stage one.
And we talked about it-- how fast you finish
impacts who you'll race in stage two.
- Well, I can tell you one thing, Matt.
At this speed right now... - Oh-ho!
- He's looking to get the fastest time.
- Akbar, and the craziest thing is, he has made it look easy--
so efficient.
- And we've seen some of the other ninjas
breathing heavily.
I don't even think he's breathing heavily.
Nice! - Oh, my, what a high transfer!
And it's going to be close to beat Evan Andrews!
How fast can he climb?
- Come on, come on!
- And by less than a second, Kaden Lebsack has done it!
- He doesn't need a Safety Pass!
He is the pass!
[cheers and applause]
Kaden Lebsack...
making his case to be the best ninja on the planet.
- How excited are you about this racing on stage two?
- I really don't like speed, so...
hopefully the person I'm racing will go slow.
- [laughing] All right.
- Did he just say he doesn't like speed, Akbar?
- I don't know.
- He had the fastest time of the night
and barely broke a sweat.
This kid is good.
And that run has pushed R.J. Roman out of the top 24,
so he's going to have to use that Safety Pass
and run again.
We'll see him next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It was one of the biggest shocks of the night.
RJ Roman looked like he'd have one of the fastest
times on stage one, but he fell on the final obstacle...
[air horn blares]
And was eventually pushed out of the top 24.
Luckily, he had a Safety Pass to play.
So he gets to run the course again.
And he's at the start line ready to go,
hoping to get back into the top 24
and move on to stage two.
- Matt, look at the intensity in his eyes.
He looks mad.
You do not want to make RJ mad.
- No, but no patch on his pants this time.
This will be his last chance to move on.
His students and friends are going to be screaming
loudly during this run.
[cheering]
[countdown clock beeping]
RJ should feel comfortable on these obstacles,
having run them earlier tonight.
Well, we know he can go fast, Akbar.
- But he doesn't need to.
His half speed is faster than most.
So if he can just do that, stay in control,
and come in just in time, he's good.
- Well, this is a guy who expects to go far.
Last year, he was climbing stage four for $1 million,
and he has said he has worked hard to get back there
and complete it.
- He knows to come that close to $1 million,
he can taste it.
He knows what he's capable of doing.
Uh-oh, don't rush it.
Nice.
- He's definitely not playing it safe.
To get into the top 24, he needs to reach
Thread the Needle with about 55 seconds on the clock.
[cheering]
Knowing RJ, he doesn't want to just sneak into the top 24.
He wants a buzzer with a fast time,
so that way, he'll have a good seed racing on stage two.
Well, just look at his eyes, Akbar.
You see, he looks calm, looks in control.
- He's always in control.
- Good power. - That's RJ Roman.
- Using his full body there.
- Ooh, he's a little off center.
- Nice leap.
- OK.
- Control the spinning.
- Boy, that was a good leap, and good hair, by the way.
- RJ Roman.
Well, this is a repeat of his first run, Akbar.
He got to the last obstacle quickly.
Just couldn't hold on to the cane.
And none of this counts at all because it's going to come
down to Thread the Needle.
[cheering]
Well, we've seen it in "Ninja Warrior."
A Safety Pass has meant $1 million.
Just needs to get across Dipping Birds,
and he'll be moving on.
- But don't overthink it.
Overthinking it on the Dipping Bird can cause you to stumble.
Nice. - And that's it.
He's in the top 24, but, you know, he wants a rematch
with Thread the Needle.
- Hold on.
He gave himself enough time.
- Got it!
- Boy, that's how you do it.
That's how you capitalize on a Safety Pass.
- High on the cargo net! Whoo!
And RJ Roman, despite regrouping,
will come within seconds of the fastest time.
He's going racing!
[upbeat music]
He is fired up!
- He is fired up.
- Yeah! - Wow.
- Let's go!
* *
- RJ, man, you capitalized on that Safety Pass.
Where's that energy coming from right now?
- Man, I just--I couldn't let that be the end.
- The last year, you came so close.
I know you've worked so hard.
Can this be your year, RJ?
- Absolutely, without a doubt.
- Let's go, man.
Hey, we're gonna see you over there.
I can't wait, man.
Let's go racing!
- Let's do it.
- So our match-ups for racing on stage two are now set.
Top seed Kaden Lebsack will face his good friend,
Elijah Browning.
Evan Andrews gets the number two seed.
He'll face Jonathan Bange.
Good buddies Caleb Bergstrom and Kyle Soderman
will have to race each other.
And that run we just saw from RJ Roman earned him
a number four seed, so he'll be racing
against Ben Behrends.
16-year-old high schooler Hans Hertz
is paired up against top veteran Flip Rodriguez.
Rookies Noah Meunier and Alex Romer will go head-to-head.
And Florida's Enzo Deferrari Wilson
will face Rhode Island's Luke Dillon.
The Cat Daddy Jackson Twait has a big test,
as he'll face impressive rookie Nacssa Garemore.
New Jersey's Josiah Pippel, a number nine seed,
will try to outrun two-time runner-up Austin Gray.
Former Ninja Junior champ Vance Walker
will go head-to-head with his old training partner,
Ethan Bartnicki.
It'll be a Texas showdown when the 11th seed, Isaiah Thomas,
tries to outdo one of the greats, Daniel Gil.
And finally, 34-year-old Joe Moravsky will
race 19-year-old Jera Boyd.
- I can't wait for that. - Me neither, big man.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior"!
[dramatic music]
* *