[Blessing Offor's "Good Good"]
- * I'm by your side *
* We made it together *
- Last year for only the third time
in "American Ninja Warrior" history,
we crowned a million-dollar champion
born with cerebral palsy,
and now he is your new American Ninja Warrior.
- I was literally told I wouldn't be able
to walk when I was a kid.
- Tonight, the good times roll again.
- * Hands up to the ceiling *
* Dance off for no reason *
- Last year, the mountain crumbled.
This year, it's gonna crumble again.
- * Get lost in the dreaming *
- Oh, my goodness.
- This season on "American Ninja Warrior"
is going to be nuts.
* You give me that feel-good feeling *
- I made history in my rookie season,
and I'm ready to make more history tonight.
- * Yeah that love we believe in *
* You give me that feel-good feeling *
- I'm back, and you better believe I'm better than ever.
- * Whoo *
* I'm feeling the love *
* I'm feeling it in my soul *
- It's the return of the real-life Wonder Woman.
Jesse Graff's back for the 10th season.
- I'm just hopelessly in love with "Ninja Warrior."
- * Yeah that love we believe in *
* You give me that feel-good *
- Here we go.
We're back at Universal Studios Hollywood
ready to start another season of "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us once again.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, last year was a thrill ride.
We amped up the speed with head-to-head
races, which nearly gave me multiple heart attacks.
But I am ready to do it again.
- I'm a doctor.
I got you, big man. - OK.
- We're gonna have twice the excitement
tonight with two different groups of ninjas
on two different courses.
For our preview, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, it is so great to be back once again.
We kick things off right here on the qualifying course,
where we have some new twists tonight.
It starts with Pole Vault
followed by four new obstacles.
There's a thrill ride down Reel to Reel.
- There you go, get it.
- And a dash across Dangerous Waters.
Then, the ninjas have to grab the wings on Duck Duck Goose.
[duck quacks] - Yeah!
- And throw the bar into Jawbreakers.
If they hit the buzzer in under 1:20,
they'll get a chance to conquer
our 18 1/2 foot Mega Wall.
And this year, we're doubling the prize money.
The Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card earns unlimited 2%
cash back on purchases.
So they're giving away 2% of our
million-dollar grand prize.
That's $20,000, a new record.
All right, guys, release the ninjas.
- Thanks, Zuri.
And just like last season, the top 12 men and top
4 women from each group tonight
will move on with the final spots determined
in our first head-to-head races of the season.
We call all them the Runoffs.
- So let's get it started.
- We're going to kick things off
with what's gotta be the best comeback story of the season.
This is Karen Wiltin, a mom and physician assistant
who was once a top ninja.
But after a devastating injury, we weren't sure we'd
ever see her out here again.
- I competed on season 11.
My goal was to make it up the Warped Wall.
- Good lane. - Let her go.
Let her go. Let her go.
Oh, shoot. - Yeah!
- Oh, shoot. Yes.
Yeah.
- I was literally at the top of my game.
And then it was like three days after that
is when I hurt my neck.
I was training for just local Ninja competitions.
[loud thump]
I felt this crunch and instant pain in the back of my head.
I knew in that instant something was seriously wrong.
[somber music]
And my husband came over, and he held my hand.
I knew my girls were scared.
And they were there.
- I was really, really scared, because she was just laying
on the floor, like, crying.
And I thought that she wouldn't get better.
- I had basically ruptured all of the ligaments
from the base of my skull down to C4.
* *
I was in the cervical collar for several months.
I didn't know if I was ever going to be active again.
I just remember breaking down in tears.
You know, our whole life totally changed.
* *
But I didn't think that my injury was going
to be the end of my story.
[uplifting music]
- She kept working after her injury to become
better than she was before.
- The first time back into the Ninja
gym was actually on the one-year
anniversary of my injury.
[together] Karen, Karen, Karen, Karen.
- Come on.
It's all coming back, just like riding a bicycle.
Come on.
I know my girls are watching.
So I hope that they learn like no matter
what life throws your way with adversity, you can persevere.
And they too can bounce back from those things.
There you go. Put your foot right there.
There you go.
- I want to be just like my mom.
* *
- I'm super excited to be back on "American Ninja Warrior."
It's such a blessing just to be able to compete.
And I'm just so fortunate I got back here.
And so that's a win for me.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- It's so great to see her standing at the start
line again.
- And there are those daughters.
They'll be watching back home with Karen's family.
- Hi, Mommy.
- Hello.
- Karen's husband is on the sideline--
- Come on now. Let's go.
- Come on. Come on.
- Lock it in, Karen.
- --along with many friends who know what
it means for her to be back.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Let's go, Karen.
- She couldn't walk for months.
So jumping on Pole Vault already a victory.
- Climb up.
Climb up.
And good ascent.
Nice.
- And she gets through an obstacle.
And that alone is worth celebrating
after what she's been through.
- Let's go, Karen.
- Reel to Reel has got to be a little scary for her.
You're 18-feet high, and it's a big fall from there.
And let's not forget.
She's 44 years old and coming back from a major injury.
This is not an easy obstacle even when you're healthy.
- You've just got to let it go. Trust it.
- You can do it.
- Nice!
She did it. She did it.
She trusted the process.
- A picture perfect transfer here
at Universal Studios, Karen Wiltin,
we're getting a sequel, Akbar.
[cheers and applause]
- Spent months in a wheelchair, has battled
back and now ready to face our balance
obstacle, Dangerous Waters.
What an inspiration she's got to be for her daughters.
- Just go.
Don't overthink it.
Nice, nice, nice-- keep going.
Nice!
Nice.
- And she is pumped.
Now the 44-year-old mother of two
has reached this brand-new obstacle, Duck Duck Goose.
- Big jump, big jump, you close it, elbows in.
- You got it, Mom.
- 5'4", needs a big jump to get this thing started.
- Good, good, good.
- Oh! - Oh, no.
[air horn blares]
Can't make the grab on Duck Duck Goose,
but what a comeback for Karen Wiltin.
And that could even get her into the semifinals.
- Yeah.
- She was fearless.
She made the big moves on Reel to Reel
and sprinted across the balance obstacle.
She couldn't get a handle on Duck Duck Goose,
but what a return for Karen Wiltin.
- Karen, awesome job out here.
It is such a joy to see you running this course.
After everything that you've been through,
what did it mean to just get to that starting line tonight?
- You know, I'm just so blessed to be out here.
I wish I was a little taller so I could have
touched that fourth obstacle.
But I'm just very happy to be here with my friends
and family and my teammates.
- Well, like you said, it was a victory just
to see you at that start line, let alone as far as you got.
We'll know soon if it was far enough, fast enough.
Great work tonight. - I sure hope so.
Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
- Absolutely. Guys, back to you.
[cheers and applause]
- Our next athlete is ready to take off.
This is 22-year-old engineer Dillon Ruble.
He's a Ninja rookie, but he's a world-record holder
in flying paper airplanes.
[inspirational music]
- The farthest I've ever thrown a paper airplane
is almost 290 feet.
And that ended up setting a new Guinness World Record.
I was studying aerospace engineering.
And I figured I could design a really good paper airplane.
The key to a perfect paper airplane
would be strong leading edges, a lot of weight at the front,
and also really good symmetry on each side.
Do all those things, and you can throw
it like a world-record holder.
* *
If I can make a paper airplane fly,
surely I can make myself fly through the course.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- Dillon may have the paper airplane record now,
but we're going to challenge that tonight while he runs.
- Yep, let's do it. All right.
- We're going to make our own planes.
Dillon graduated from Missouri University
of Science and Technology.
And some of his frat brothers from Delta Sigma Phi
are his wingmen tonight.
[countdown clock beeping]
Ruble is now working in aerospace for Boeing.
So he should know the physics behind Pole Vault.
5'7", 140, dude is an endurance beast--
ran a 50-mile ultra marathon.
- Now, that's very difficult to do.
[all shouting]
- We'll see if he can take flight here.
- That means he has cardio endurance.
But does he have strength endurance?
Whoa, OK, he's got timing and strength endurance.
- The aerospace engineer showing how it's done--
and the Ninja rookie is through two.
- Yeah, let's go.
- I'm still working on my plane.
Akbar, how's yours looking?
- Military-grade right there.
- Dillon Ruble facing the balance
obstacle, Dangerous Waters.
- And he's got to glide through this one.
- Oh! - Nice!
[cheers and applause]
All right, baby, come on. I got this.
I got this paper airplane for you, baby.
- Now he's got to take flight on Duck Duck Goose.
He has to jump up and grab the collapsing
wings of the three birds, starting with the brown duck.
- Your airplane's got wings.
These ducks got wings.
Come on.
Nice.
- Makes it onto the white duck,
now has to fly up and over to an even smaller set of handles
on the final bird, the black goose.
Nice, talk to me, Goose.
- OK, give this man his wings.
I see you, Dillon Ruble.
- And this paper plane pilot proving to be a top gun.
This rookie has reached the fifth obstacle.
- Let's go.
- I'm launching this one right now.
I see you, Dillon.
- Let's see it.
Akbar, that landed on my desk.
That--
- Oh, my goodness.
- --may be the worst throw of all time.
But hopefully Dillon Ruble can fly better than that.
He's going to get us our first look
this season at Jawbreakers.
We saw it on Stage 2 in Vegas last year.
Got to throw the bar inside those steel jaws.
- Let's go. both: Oh!
[air horn blares]
- The paper plane pilot finally
brought down to Earth but not before reaching
the fifth obstacle.
The aerospace engineer flew through the early obstacles,
but he couldn't land the bar on Jawbreakers.
We'll see if he went far enough fast enough
to move on.
Tonight, our super-sized season premiere has it all,
including 6'7" Jonas Harmer, husband of Olympic
hero MyKayla Skinner.
- Hitting a buzzer, that would be like winning gold for me.
- And he's had disappointment on the course.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- But the Deaf Ninja Kyle Schulze always delivers
inspiration to his young fans.
- Nice. Great.
- We'll see him next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to our season premiere,
where minutes ago,
three more ninjas came out hungry for success.
Abby Bell is a waitress at an Olive Garden restaurant.
So of course, she brought us bread sticks.
both: Mmm. - Still warm.
The 19-year-old from Oklahoma had no problem
getting past Pole Vault.
- Oh, it looks like she's climbing up the bread stick.
Nice.
- But on Reel to Reel, she bit off more than she could chew.
both: Ohh! [air horn blares]
- Matt, I didn't even get a chance
to finish my bread stick. - Ahh.
Well, the bread sticks are unlimited.
But unfortunately, your run on "Ninja Warrior" is not.
- Aw, look at that.
- [laughing]
- Wes Meador said he had a dad bod until training Ninja
helped him lose 40 pounds.
With his family on the sidelines,
the plant manager from Louisiana was
back to settle an old score.
[cheers and applause]
Both times he's competed in the past,
he's fallen on a balance obstacle.
- Oh.
- So he really wanted to conquer
Dangerous Waters tonight.
- All right, and this is where he--
- Oh!
- Ooh. Third time is not a charm.
- Let's go.
- 16-year-old Jonah Maningo really turned up the heat,
because he brought us his mom's extra-spicy salsa.
This is called muy caliente.
- Muy caliente, OK, here we go.
Ooh.
- Maningo had a big group from his high school
in Chino Hills, California, cheering him on.
And as he started burning up the course,
the salsa started burning up our mouths.
I'm going to take a drink.
- We're going to take this water.
- A drink of water.
- I don't know if I'm going to be able to finish this call.
- Oh, my God. - Because this thing is hot.
- The only thing to cool the kid off was Jawbreakers.
- Oh.
Oh, my goodness. [air horn blares]
Mrs. Maningo--
- Maningo, that's hot.
- What is the antidote?
Ahh.
Making their way to the start line now
a couple of silver foxes.
It's 53-year-old Tim Schnee and his good buddy,
48-year-old Bobby Micks.
Both are grandfathers, but they love to have a good time.
- Oh, they stuntin' now.
Double handstands?
- You can tell these two have a zest for life.
- I'm Tim.
- And I'm Bobby.
- And we're the Silver Fox Squad.
- We're both grandpa ninjas.
Cumulative, we're over 100 years of age.
But we're both still adrenaline junkies.
- Woo, hoo, hoo!
In 2022, Bobby and I decided, hey, let's go to Dubai.
We did skydiving, fly boarding.
We sand-boarded in the desert down the dunes.
And while we're there, Bobby says, "Hey, you want
to go snowboarding in a mall?"
And I was like, "Bro, let's do it."
I've never skied in my life. So what did I do?
Come to Dubai and ski in the desert.
And then I sprained my ankle walking out of the mall.
- Another story. [laughter]
- This new generation of ninjas,
they're not made like we were made.
We were forged in the fires of the '60s and the '70s.
We have something that they don't.
- Old man strength.
- Some people say it's a myth.
But I think we're going to kick some butt
just based on that alone.
[rock music]
* *
- Tim will be running first.
His wife and three of his five kids
will be watching back in the Seattle area.
- I love you.
- His buddy, Bobby, will be leading
the cheers on the sidelines.
He'll run later.
Tim Schnee's an army veteran who became
a bus driver in Seattle.
Now he's a transit supervisor.
[countdown clock beeping]
53-year-old needs a big bounce here for Pole Vault.
- Come on.
Come on.
Get to that top.
Ooh, boy, that was very close.
You see him scooting away from that water.
- He almost missed his stop there.
[cheers and applause]
Stepping up to the second obstacle--
and this has been a roadblock for him in the past.
Three years ago, it was Weight for It.
In season 10, it was Jumper Cables.
And in season nine, the bus driver skidded off
the road here at Universal.
- Oh, boom.
- Now he's got to fly past this new one,
Reel to Reel. - Let's see, Matt.
He's to get that speed and produce enough force
to make that transition.
Nice.
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go!
- Incredible, still needs to dismount,
but he did the hard part, swinging to that second reel.
- That was an excellent production
there out of Tim Schnee.
- And a superhero landing.
- Yeah!
Whoo.
- Whoo!
- Yeah.
- And his five kids and two grandkids
got to be impressed by those moves.
But can the silver fox dash across the tilting
tanks of Dangerous Waters?
- You see it.
It's a little off.
You can see perfect angle here-- boom, boom, boom.
Keep going.
- Oh, yes! - Nice, nice.
[cheers and applause]
- Yes!
[cheers and applause]
- He's reached the fourth obstacle, the farthest
he's ever been on a course.
- Go, babe.
- Whoo, whoo.
- Now facing Duck Duck Goose.
You know a fox likes to go bird hunting.
But in the air, we'll see what kind of powers this fox has.
- All right, duck--
- And you can see how the wings collapse.
- Come on. Get this one.
Get it.
- 45-degree drop coming up.
- Come on, duck, duck.
Come on, duck, duck-- oh.
[air horn blares]
- Flapping his wings, because the birds got him,
but it matches his best run ever.
He represented for the Silver Foxes.
And the second fox will get his chance later.
The 53-year-old grandpa was flying high.
He had the run of his life.
But the white duck was the end for the silver fox.
- Age is just a number.
[cheers and applause]
- Up next is one of the most beloved athletes
in this sport.
This is 34-year-old Kyle Schulze,
who calls himself the Deaf Ninja.
As he always does, starts his run by saying
"ninja" in sign language.
And though he's never finished a course,
he has always inspired his fans.
[gentle music]
- I've been competing for "American Ninja Warrior"
for-- this is my eighth year now.
- Ooh.
- Oh, no. - Oh, my.
It happened again.
- Oh.
- And still no buzzer, pshew, still.
* *
It's been a long, long journey.
Sometimes it makes me wonder, am I bad?
Am I not good enough for this?
But I decided I'm going to keep doing it,
because I am still, in some way,
helping lift up someone out there in this world that
has watched me run.
* *
My name is Kyle Schulze, also known as the Deaf Ninja
from "American Ninja Warrior."
I do motivational speaking.
I've toured around the country to schools.
Now, what I want to do is, I want to teach
you guys how to do a shape.
I like to bring some ninja obstacles for them
to play around.
Put both hands on it.
Good.
Nice, good.
- We all live in a hearing world.
And we're oftentimes told that deaf people can't.
But he is living proof that deaf people can
and really proving all of that stigma wrong.
- I am proud to be the Deaf Ninja.
And I will continue to succeed for all of you people
and for myself too, because I'm helping lift them up.
And it's just like they lift me up too.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- You can't help but root for Kyle Schulze.
He is so positive.
And his family will rooting for him down in Florida.
- Yeah.
- And his sideline group is led by girlfriend, Raquel.
And the fans are showing their support
clapping in sign language.
[countdown clock beeping]
Kyle's had some good runs on "Ninja Warrior,"
but has been cursed by the fifth obstacle.
Has fallen there six times.
- Yeah. He's been so close so many times before.
Maybe tonight he'll finally break through.
- Nice, Kyle, let's go.
Come on.
- He's definitely got the skills to do it.
He just needs to link it all together.
Real smooth transfer right there.
- And no problem on Reel to Reel.
On now to Dangerous Waters.
- Keep that mass right in the center.
- Let's go. Come on.
- Let the feet dance.
- I like that-- nice.
- Perfect. - Oh, he danced.
He danced right across Dangerous Waters.
- Come on, buddy. You got it.
You got this.
- He's got an engineering degree.
He can use those problem-solving skills
on Duck Duck Goose.
- This is not only taxing all your grip
strength and your forearms but also the last two.
Nice.
- You've really got to absorb it and position your fingers,
because those handles rotate.
- Here it is right here.
- You've got this, babe.
- Yes.
- Ah, amazing.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Oh, Schulze.
- Schulze ain't messing around.
- And once again he's reached the fifth obstacle.
[cheers and applause]
As we said, he's been here six times.
He's come achingly close to getting past it
but hasn't quite done it.
- Yeah, you got it.
- Everybody knows what it would mean to him
if he can get past this.
Well, he's facing a difficult fifth obstacle
tonight in Jawbreakers.
He'll have to make three big moves slamming that bar
into those metal jaws.
All right. Come on, Kyle Schulze.
You got this.
- One down.
But the angles on these draws get
increasingly more difficult.
Those cradles start rotating downward.
That's two, getting ever closer.
- All right, this is where he gassed out in the past.
You've got to stay alive to get past five.
- Just needs one more big move.
This is a tough one.
- Come on, Kyle.
- Nice.
Look at that. - Just needs a dismount.
and we're going to see his first ever buzzer--
the crowd on their feet. - Wow.
Wow.
- Kyle Schulze has done it.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
Eight seasons in the making.
- Oh, my goodness.
Oh, my goodness.
Take this one in right here.
[cheers and applause]
- And you can see the emotions.
- Yes, babe.
[cheers and applause]
- Everybody's celebrating.
[laughter]
- Yes!
[cheers and applause]
- Kyle, you've been waiting eight seasons for this moment.
What did it feel like to finally get that buzzer?
- Well... - [laughs]
[cheers and applause]
- Well, Kyle Schulze,
hit that buzzer again, buddy.
- Ahh! [buzzer blares]
- Well, Akbar, we have seen a lot of buzzers.
But I don't know that one spoke louder than the one
Kyle Schulze just hit.
- That's right, Matt.
He shows everyone to go after your dreams.
And he did that tonight.
- Just a spectacular moment.
- And we've got two of the best coming up,
Isaiah Thomas and Daniel Gil.
- Opening night rolls on here at Universal
Studios Hollywood.
And minutes ago, Bobby Micks, the other member
of the Silver Fox Squad, got ready for his close-up.
The software engineer was able to figure out Pole Vault.
- All right, come on.
Get up high. Get up high.
- [shouts]
- But the 48-year-old grandfather
wasn't ready for Reel to Reel.
- Oh!
- I think I should have shaved this off before I ran.
It's too heavy.
- College student Ixchel Valentino
came to the start line with one of the robots
she's built at home.
- Oh.
Oh, I've got to see that go to work.
- The 19-year-old is studying nuclear
engineering at the University of New Mexico.
And she easily solved the first two obstacles.
- Nice.
- But on Dangerous Waters, it was a system failure.
- Oh. [air horn blares]
And her run just got terminated.
- The Archery Ninja, Anthony Porter,
was on target from the start.
- Are you kidding me?
[cheers and applause]
- Porter lives in a cabin in the woods near Lake Tahoe
and has a big following on social media
where he shows off his nature adventures.
So he was right at home on Duck Duck Goose.
- OK, shucky, ducky, quack, quack.
- The four-time "Ninja" vet was looking good but missed
the target on Jawbreakers.
[air horn blares]
- Ooh.
- Now he'll have to wait to see if that's
good enough to move on.
And flying through the course right now
is the Fly Boy, Isaiah Thomas.
- Nice, nice.
- He jumps right up out of Duck Duck Goose.
The 19-year-old from Texas is starting
his third season of "Ninja," always fun to watch this guy.
One thing he's never lacked is confidence.
- Yeah, oh, yeah, he went from "I'm built
different" to "I am him."
And he's showing he is him.
- His mom Jennie is on the sidelines
along with a big group of training partners
ready for Jawbreakers.
We've only had one buzzer tonight.
I think Isaiah wants a shot at the Mega Wall.
He'll need to finish in under 1:20.
- Let's go. - Come on.
Come on. Nice.
- Had a great season last year.
He made it to Stage 2.
And he is starting out strong tonight.
This is the most challenging move.
- He's 6'2". Drive it in there.
Take it.
- Nice, Fly Boy.
There's only few seconds left if he wants that Mega Wall.
Can he do it?
- Go get it.
[buzzer blares]
- Gets a buzzer.
And he's earned a shot at the Mega Wall.
[cheers and applause]
- [shout]
Let's go.
I'm him.
- I'm him. - You are him.
[cheers and applause]
Well, the time to beat to get a shot at the Mega Wall
was 1:20.
And by 0.4 of a second, you made it, buddy.
You get a shot at 20 grand.
- You want it?
- That's what I came here for.
- All right, let's go then.
[cheers and applause]
- Something he's never done is hit that
Mega Wall, 18 and 1/2 feet.
He could get this season's first Mega Wall
and earn 20 grand.
- Here we go.
both: Oh.
- Oh, my goodness.
- And $20,000 slips right through his fingertips.
Look how close he was.
His right hand reached the very top
of that 18 and 1/2-foot wall.
But he just couldn't hang on.
Still the Fly Boy put on a show.
And we'll see him racing in the semifinals.
- That's tough.
- It's tough.
- Up next is the tallest athlete we'll see all season.
Back for his second try at the course,
it's Utah's 6'7" Jonas Harmer.
And if you really want to make him look tall,
just stand him next to his wife, Olympic gymnast MyKayla
Skinner, who's only 5 feet.
Jonas and MyKayla competed together in last year's
couples championship--
- Uh-oh, uh-oh.
- Oh, no, watch those long limbs.
- --completing three obstacles as a team.
- OK, silver medalist.
- Tonight, Jonas is on his own,
because MyKayla is pregnant.
She's on the sideline with Jonas's brother and Zuri.
- How are you feeling right now?
He's taking the start line.
- Sick to my stomach.
- He's got this. He's got this.
- Oh, my God, so bad.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, Matt, he's got his first Olympic event here on
"Ninja," the Pole Vault. Nice.
OK.
- Says he used to think he was too tall for Ninja.
Now he says he's just too tall.
He can handle Ninja.
We'll see if the big man handles Reel to Reel.
- Well, Matt, he just showed MyKayla he's an Olympian too.
Look at him on the Pole Vault.
Big-time! Yeah! - Easy transfer--
Ooh, a little trouble there finding his rhythm.
- Come on. - Swing for it.
Come on.
- Come on, babe. - Come on.
- He survived.
Well, let's see how he handles Dangerous Waters.
It was a balance obstacle that took him out the last time
he ran the course.
[air horn blares]
- All right, now, he's 6' 7".
Do you think that's going to affect him on the
course tonight?
- It might a little bit.
I mean, last time, he hit his feet in the water,
because he was too tall. - Yeah.
- But I think he knows to lift those legs up high this time.
- As a big man, it can be easy to over-stride.
Nice.
- Ooh.
- OK. - And he's alive.
And he is pumped.
- Oh, he's talking trash to Dangerous Waters.
MyKayla, she breathes a sigh of relief
for Jonas, who's now going to go flying on Duck Duck Goose.
But at 220, that goose is really going to be a challenge
to absorb the drop.
- All right, you got to anticipate the--
- Aw. [air horn blares]
- Come on. - Oh, my goodness.
He just flopped.
- It's OK, babe.
- For his size, though, that's a good run.
Jonas Harmer makes it to the fourth obstacle.
- You're proud of him. - I'm so proud of him.
He went out there and did the best that he could tonight.
And I was his biggest cheerleader, so--
- I love it.
I love it, a lot to be proud of.
And don't forget.
Tune in to the Olympics on NBC and Peacock starting July 26th.
- Up next, she and her boyfriend won
our 2024 Couples Championship last week.
- Now, Isabella Wakeham rides that momentum
into the regular season.
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- It's "Ninja's" opening night.
And we're keeping things moving.
- Boom.
Oh.
- Professional mover Milton Nkunku
burst onto the stage minutes ago like a man on a mission.
The 30-year-old from Phoenix has
fallen on the first obstacle the last two times
he's run the course.
- No.
- So he was determined to get past obstacle one tonight.
- Look at him.
That's how you do it.
[cheers and applause]
- But seconds later, Milton the mover
didn't have the moves for Reel to Reel.
- Oh. [air horn blares]
- Jesus Capote is another hardworking ninja.
He's a tree trimmer from Marrero, Louisiana,
and goes by the name the Who Dat Ninja.
And this 30-year-old rookie ripped through this course
like a buzzsaw.
- Boy, this Cajun is raging.
- His kids were in tears watching him as he
flew across Duck Duck Goose.
- Who is this ninja?
Who Dat, Matt?
- And the tree trimmer made it all the way to Jawbreakers
before he was cut down.
- Ahh! [air horn blares]
What a debut.
- And that run secured him a spot in the semifinals.
Sam Folsom had a unique thrill for a ninja.
He had the chance to compete on an obstacle he designed.
He's built dozens of obstacles in his barn
in Illinois, including a version of Duck Duck Goose,
tonight's fourth obstacle.
- From the barn to the big course.
- With girlfriend, Isabella Wakeham,
Folsom won our couples championship last week.
And he had no problem with Duck Duck Goose then,
but tonight...
both: Oh! [air horn blares]
- Oh, he's in complete shock.
- Despite falling on his own obstacle,
his fast time means he still has a chance to move on.
So now, his girlfriend, Isabella Wakeham,
gets her shot at the course.
The college student starts the season
with a lot of confidence.
As we mentioned, she and Sam
won our couples championship last week.
Isabella's also competed in our last two
Women's Championships.
She was on Sam's sideline.
Now he'll be cheering for her along
with her parents and brother. - Let's go, Bell.
[countdown clock beeping]
- We first saw Isabella Wakeham on "Ninja Junior"
when she was 14.
And knew then she was going to be good.
And in our Women's Championship,
she's finished the Stage 1 course twice
but hasn't hit a buzzer in the regular season.
- We know she's plenty capable.
Just has to put it all together.
- Studying kinesiology at Texas A&M,
learning how the body moves--
- Nice.
- Got that transfer.
She's figured out how to get through Reel to Reel.
Been training for "Ninja" since she
was 10 years old, ready to take on Dangerous Waters.
- Nice.
- Great balance. - Yes.
- Now she gets to face the obstacle her boyfriend
designed, Duck Duck Goose.
- And Matt, you can see her taking a look at Sam like,
"Sam, watch me."
- Sam designed it.
It took him out.
Isabella going for revenge.
- Here we go.
Nice.
- And you can just see the drop of those wings
makes it so difficult to hold on.
- She's got such great grip strength.
Nice. - Lock it in.
- She is for real.
Now, this last one here, you got to commit
to it all the way through.
You got to come in tight.
Nice.
- And Isabella Wakeham. - Whoo.
- She does what her boyfriend couldn't,
gets through Duck Duck Goose.
- Let's go.
- I see you, Isabella.
- One obstacle standing between her
and a shot at that Warped Wall.
She's made it to the fifth obstacle three times
before in qualifying but never gotten past it.
Only one woman hit a buzzer in qualifying last season--
Isabella Wakeham trying to do it on opening night.
- Nice, good power.
- You got to really slam that bar into the jaw.
- But this is all about the angles as well--
so the upper-body strength, but also the precision.
Nice.
- Wow, great move, really using the hips,
bringing that bar down and around.
- All right, this is where you got
to use the boxing move here-- uppercut,
uppercut, uppercut-- nice.
- Yes.
Isabella Wakeham does it.
- Nice.
- 14 1/2 feet away from her first ever buzzer.
- Go get it.
- And look at the smile on her face.
- She got it. - Yes.
- She's got it.
[buzzer blares]
Yes, there it is.
Isabella Wakeham gets it.
- Her first buzzer.
- Isabella, I just got to ask you a simple question.
What does that buzzer feel like?
That's your first one.
What does it feel like?
- Oh, my gosh, I mean, I've been training for this
for a really long time.
And just all my training partners--
[cheers and applause]
- --and my parents--
- Let's go.
- --I couldn't do it without them.
- Why don't you go celebrate with your crew, Isabella?
What a moment for that young woman.
She beat her boyfriend's obstacle
and then slammed her way past Jawbreakers.
No ninja ever forgets their first buzzer.
This is a big moment for her.
And her crew is going to help her celebrate.
They may carry her all the way down New York Street.
She's our first woman to hit a buzzer this season.
- Coming up,
he climbed the rope for a million dollars last year--
- He's about to do it. Get it.
[buzzer blares]
Oh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! - Yes!
But then lost out to Vance Walker.
- Oh, my goodness.
[buzzer blares]
- Now, Daniel Gil starts a new quest
to win it all when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- A trio of Texans hit the course while we were away.
Teenager Madelyn Madaras was one of last season's
breakout stars.
- Let's go, Madelyn.
- She hit a buzzer in semifinals
and made it to the Vegas finals as a rookie.
And tonight, she picked up right where she left off.
- Reel to Reel, and she's keeping it real.
- The Houston high-schooler aced the first four obstacles.
- All right, here we go.
Duck Duck Goose, you're it.
Nice.
- And she almost finished Jawbreakers.
- Nice-- oh.
- No!
- So Zuri gave her some good news.
- You went far enough, fast enough
to get you to the semifinals.
Congratulations on an awesome run.
- Thank you so much.
I'm so excited.
- Then it was the Big Dog, 6'6" Jody Avila.
- Yeah, let's go. - Come on, babe.
- With his family on the sidelines,
the 38-year-old heating and air-conditioning technician
from Sugar Land, Texas, looked sweet on the balance obstacle.
And despite being 210 pounds, the Big Dog stayed
light on Duck Duck Goose--
- Come in tight.
Nice, that's what I'm talking about, Big Dog.
- --then made quick work of Jawbreakers--
- Oh, nice.
He's on fire.
- --to snag his fifth straight qualifying buzzer
and secure a spot in the semis.
- Let's go. [buzzer blares]
- Houston's Grant Kiningham is an ice sculptor,
creating works of art like the one he made for his housemate,
"Ninja" great Daniel Gil.
[cheers and applause]
Gil was cheering as Kiningham played it cool on Reel to Reel
and then had a close call in the balance obstacle.
- Oh, he almost melted on Dangerous Waters.
- Kiningham earned a trip to the National Finals last
year but had never hit a buzzer in qualifying--
until tonight.
[buzzer blares]
- Yeah!
- I just finished the course.
[cheers and applause]
- Last year, Daniel Gil started off his season
with the fastest time in qualifying
and followed it up by taking down the Mega Wall.
And the worship leader from Houston
put together another impressive season,
going all the way to Stage 4 in Vegas,
where he just missed out on a million dollars.
[inspirational music]
- Last season was a little bittersweet.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Oh, my goodness, he's so close, Matt.
He's about to do it.
Oh, he's lost his footing.
- So close.
Yes! - Oh! Oh, my gosh!
Oh, my gosh! - Yes!
Daniel Gil has done it! - Oh, my goodness.
Oh, my goodness.
- I had the million dollars in my hands basically.
And then my boy, Vance Walker, came and had a better
rope climb than I did.
[buzzer blares]
- Vance Walker has done it a full second
faster than Daniel Gil.
- Coming into a new season, losing a million dollars,
getting my rematch and my revenge on Mount Midoriyama
is a huge motivator for me.
* *
I have a spark, a fire in my belly.
I want that million dollars.
I want to be crowned champion.
* *
- Last season had to be heartbreaking for Daniel Gil.
But he handled it with class.
Don't let that smile on his face fool you.
He wants it badly. - Whoo-whoo!
- Daniel's wife, Abby, on the sideline along
with some Texas ninja friends.
- Let's go, Daniel.
[countdown clock beeping]
- To think he came so close to that million dollars
and winning it all,
you know Daniel Gil is on a mission.
- He's been an elite ninja since he started
nine years ago.
He was as the Last Ninja Standing one year
and has been the runner-up twice.
- Nice.
- Just smooth in Reel to Reel and always has a fast pace.
You know he wants a shot at the Mega Wall.
Because with him, it's pretty much money in the bank.
- Yeah, he's moving fast.
- The Fly Boy Isaiah Thomas has the fastest time so far.
But Gil is moving like he wants to beat it.
He's been the fastest in qualifying
five times in his career.
- Big close here, big close.
- All right, you see him locking
in, eyeballing exactly where he needs to have his hands--
great.
[cheers and applause]
- Daniel Gil lands the dismount.
Now has under 35 seconds to finish if he
wants a shot at the Mega Wall.
And right into it on Jawbreakers, Akbar.
- Yeah, 165 pounds, make sure you
throw enough power in there so on the Jawbreaker
you actually break through the teeth.
- With his speed up to this point,
he's guaranteed to move on.
But it's going to be close to finish under 1:20
and earn a shot at the Mega Wall.
- I like that he's moving fast but making sure he
doesn't make any mistakes. Nice.
- Locks it in, 10 seconds left.
- All right, he's got a chance. - Oh, yeah,
with the hair flowing.
- He's got a shot. He's getting so close.
[buzzer blares] - And he's got it.
[cheers and applause]
- The fastest time of the night, and he's
going to get a shot at 20 grand on the Mega Wall.
[cheers and applause]
Yo, you ready for this 20 thousand?
- I think so.
- Go get it. - [laughs]
[tense music]
- He took down the Mega Wall last year.
Right now, he's tied with Joe Moravsky for most
Mega Wall buzzers with three.
Can he get a record-breaking fourth right now,
trying to be the first this season
to take down the 18 and 1/2 foot wall?
* *
Daniel Gil. both: Oh!
- Just runs out of traction on the Mega Wall
but did put up the fastest time of the night.
- He's going to be a top seed in the semifinals.
Up next, it's The Runoffs, our side-by-side races
to earn the final spots in the semifinals.
It's a sprint across four obstacles,
Home Run, Spring Forward,
Wingnuts, and Hopscotch.
Winners move on.
For the losers, the season is over--
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- "Ninja's" opening night is full of surprises.
One of them came moments ago,
when 19-year-old Jonah Brown hit the course.
- Ooh. Jonah ain't messing around.
- In his first time competing, the welder from Tennessee
was a revelation.
- It's his rookie campaign, but he's running it
like he's been waiting for this moment for so long.
[cheering]
- The rookie put up the fastest time of the night.
[buzzer blares]
And earned a shot at the Mega Wall.
- Where the heck did you come from, man?
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
- Though his run at the 18 1/2 foot wall
came up short...
- Oh! - It was still quite a debut.
So the rookie sits atop our men's leaderboard
just ahead of Daniel Gil.
We had six finishers in this group,
including the inspirational Kyle Schulze.
The top 11 are guaranteed
to move on, but our 12th
and 13th place men will now
face each other in the first
of our runoffs, our head-to-head races
for the final spot in the semifinals.
And one competitor is a surprise,
Utah's Jonas Harmer, the 6'7" husband
of Olympic medalist MyKayla Skinner.
- Let's go, babe!
- Harmer's got a tough test ahead of him.
He's facing a top Ninja competitor,
Oregon's Caiden Madzelan.
Besides being much taller,
Jonas is 50 pounds heavier
than the teenager.
It's going to be tough to
outrun anyone with his size.
Jonas also has
less experience.
Now, Caiden's made it to the National Finals
every season he's competed.
Madzelan's done so well, he was given the key
to the city in his hometown of Troutdale, Oregon.
Caiden's got his family on the sideline.
Jonas' wife, MyKayla, won a silver medal in Tokyo.
He's going to need a big-time performance like that tonight,
first race of the season.
[countdown clock beeping]
Starts with a sprint across Home Run.
- Oh!
- A huge upset in our very first race
as Caiden Madzelan falls early.
And that means Jonas Harmer is the winner.
- Yeah, babe!
- MyKayla's happy, a great moment for this couple.
That baby they're expecting has
two great athletes as parents.
And now Jonas is headed to the semifinals.
And Caiden Madzelan is absolutely heartbroken.
Let's look at it.
He was one-stepping it on Home Run
and just came up short on the third one.
And just like that, his season is over.
Now for the women, those moving on
include Isabella Wakeham,
who got her first buzzer, plus teenager Madelyn Madaras
and Karen Wiltin, who's going to the semifinals
in her comeback after that devastating injury.
The final spot will be decided by our fourth
and fifth place women.
Will it be robot-building teenager Ixchel Valentino,
or her opponent, former college basketball
player Liv Hackmann?
Liv was a three-year starter on the Southeast Missouri
State basketball team and played
professionally in Australia.
Earlier tonight, her athleticism was on display--
- Oh, come on. Come on.
Oh, nice, went down hard in the paint.
- Until her hoop dreams ended on Duck Duck Goose.
- Oh, she airballed.
- Ixchel doesn't play basketball.
But she did build a robot that can chuck one 50 feet.
[dramatic music]
Now these two are playing one-on-one.
And while the hoopster has the edge in size and experience,
the engineering student has a blueprint for victory.
- Going up against Liv, I know her muscles are really big.
But I feel like with my robotics background,
I have this way of analyzing the obstacles
that I might be able to see something she doesn't.
Liv, you're an awesome athlete, but I'm
programmed for victory.
- Winner moves on.
For the loser, the season is over.
[countdown clock beeping]
All right, got to ball out if you want to get in.
Win and you're in.
Hackmann the basketball player makes the fast break.
She's first up onto Spring Forward.
[cheering]
- Let's go! - Go, Ixchel!
- Oh, nice, you know, Liv Hackmann,
she knows how to get big air.
- Ixchel Valentino just matching her--who will
be the first one to dismount?
It's Hackmann, and that's important.
If they both fall in the next obstacle, she'd be the winner.
- Two more obstacles to go.
- Hackmann has the height advantage.
She's 5'9".
We'll see if that helps her on Wingnuts.
- Oh!
- Oh, and Liv Hackmann gets bumped.
- But Valentino still has to complete this obstacle to win.
Can the New Mexico teenager pull off
the come-from-behind victory?
- You got to see it. Make the grab.
Oh, my goodness.
You talk about a save.
- Now just needs the dismount--
and she'll be going to the semifinals.
What a moment for her!
Let's look at that save again.
She went down to one hand, but was able to hang on.
And that got her the win.
Well, we're not done.
We're going to back it up and start over
with the new group of ninjas.
- We're going to see some fan favorites
taking on some new obstacles.
- That includes two competitors who just missed
out on winning it all last year.
- Time runs out!
- And ninja Kyle McCreight's making a difference,
along with his three-legged dog, Tre.
Plus, no shoes, no problem--
this guy does everything barefoot.
And that includes running our course.
It's all coming up on the second hour
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back for the second half
of our special two-hour premiere.
We've got a new group of ninjas lined up
ready to start their season.
- But the course they'll face is different than the one
we just saw.
- Yeah, guys, our crew got busy.
They changed out some obstacles.
And take a look at this revamped course.
The ninjas will be flying, because Double Twister
is our new second obstacle.
- Nice.
- Plus, one of last year's favorites, Ring the Bells,
is back in the number five position.
And don't forget,
Wells Fargo has doubled
our Mega Wall payoff to $20,000.
Can anyone take it down tonight?
Guys.
- Get ready for a first on "American Ninja Warrior."
Our next athlete is going to run
the course from the very start with no shoes.
This is Florida's Langdon Dinsdale.
And he likes to walk on the wild side.
[upbeat music]
- I basically haven't worn any shoes
for the last seven years.
Not only do I run triathlons, marathons barefoot,
I work barefoot...
* *
I go to stores barefoot, weddings barefoot,
funerals barefoot.
I try to do everything possible barefoot.
Now spread your toes.
And then I want you to try to just lift
your big toes up and down.
As a biomechanics specialist, I would recommend
that people spend some time barefoot.
The best exercise you can do for your feet
is walking barefoot.
Shoes do a lot of the stability
and the cushioning for the foot.
And so then the foot doesn't have to.
And then your feet get weaker and weaker.
I'm very confident that I won't have any trouble
on any of the obstacles at all.
I'm making it all the way up the Warped Wall.
And I'm doing it barefoot.
[cheering]
- It's hard enough to get through this course
with shoes on.
This is a little bit much for me.
Langdon will have support from his family
on the sideline, along with one of his clients, sprinter
Kenny Bednarek, who we hope to see in the Olympics
in just a few weeks.
[countdown clock beeping]
First has to jump onto the trampoline--
- Let's see if he's got any traction.
- Don't miss that pole. Get up.
Ascend. - Get up, get up.
Don't--watch your feet. - Nicely done.
- Come on, babe!
- You got this!
- Once he jumps up onto Double Twister, he won't need shoes.
It's all up in the air.
He needs to swing across those spinning handlebars.
- You've got this, Dad!
- Matt, I can't imagine not wearing shoes for seven years.
I mean, a penny can't cure that.
- Makes it to the second handle, coming out
here as a 38-year-old rookie.
- Nice, Matt.
You know, he talks about the benefit of going barefoot.
He said it increases his flexibility
in his heels and his toes.
And it's working so far.
He's through two.
[cheering]
- Well, let's see how the traction
is on Dangerous Waters.
- Oh, boy, I hope he doesn't have hyperhidrosis,
which means sweaty feet.
Nice, nice-- oh, gets through it.
- Who needs shoes?
- Oh, my goodness.
- The Olympic sprinter is impressed.
And I think even Dinsdale is surprised he's
made it this far on bare feet.
- Well, now going to take flight on Duck Duck Goose.
Even without shoes, gets a good launch
off the trampoline.
- I'm still looking at his dogs, man.
You would think his feet would be covered with calluses
with all that walking.
- His feet look in good shape though, Akbar.
He's walking the walk.
- Ooh! [air horn blares]
- Splashes down on Duck Duck Goose.
- Well, Matt, at least he got to clean his feet.
His footwork on Dangerous Waters was impressive.
But on Duck Duck Goose, it was his hands that let him down.
His fingers slid right off, and he was defeated.
- We'll have to wait and see if that
gets him to the semifinals.
He might be racing on those bare feet.
Up next is one of the breakout stars from last season.
It's Florida teenager Nacssa Garemore.
He came out here as a rookie and just blew us away.
He hit five buzzers and became
the youngest ninja ever
to climb stage 4
for a million dollars.
- There he is, flipping out, Matt.
He's ready.
- He's got his coaches and training partners
on the sideline, along with his mom and his brother
Roberto, who will run next.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Nacssa had such a journey to get here.
He and his brother were adopted
from an orphanage in Africa.
Ninja really helped him adjust to life in America.
He likes to go fast, makes it look effortless.
5'8", 150.
And these young athletes just--they don't pause.
- No regard for personal safety.
When you're a young kid, you just go.
You just-- whatever it is, it is.
All right. Here we go.
- That was so great.
Dangerous Waters. - Nice.
- No problem.
- All right, now, will he speed through this one,
Duck Duck Goose?
Not so fast.
- You've got to be very careful.
You've got to see it, commit to it.
Nice.
- Kip up, get your hands placed, and absorb it--
bigger challenge here on the Goose.
Got it.
The Spruce Goose--
- Can't blame it on the goose.
- Bringing it in for a landing.
- And a blazing pace to this point.
Could have a shot at the Mega Wall,
but has to get through this new fifth obstacle
for this group, Ring the Bells.
- Oh!
- Good confidence, just launching
on that move as the bar
was moving away from him.
- Got about 15 seconds left if he wants
a chance at that 20 grand.
- Oh, and he timed that so well.
The final bell was coming towards him.
And Nacssa--
- He's going to get another buzzer.
And he'll get a run at the Mega Wall.
[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!
[dramatic music]
* *
- Nacssa! - Tell him!
- Well, Nacssa, you had to beat 1 minute 20
to get a shot at $20,000.
And you did it, buddy.
[cheering]
- Let's see you on the Mega Wall, Nacssa.
Go take your shot, buddy.
[all chanting] Mega Wall, Mega Wall,
Mega Wall!
- We had a few tries at the Mega Wall in our first hour.
But no one could conquer it.
18 1/2 feet, that's well over three times his height.
$20,000 on the line.
- Oh!
- No Mega Wall, but he's moving on
to our Ninja vs. Ninja semifinals
where every run's a race.
And we'll soon see if his brother can join him.
Still to come-- a crippling condition
didn't keep her from delivering a miracle baby.
And it won't keep her off the course.
- I'm absolutely doing what is medically impossible.
And up next, some special kids learning life lessons
from a three-legged Ninja dog.
- Their spirit and their attitude towards life
in general is very inspiring.
- It's all coming up on the season premiere
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- While we were away, Roberto Garemore
hit the course trying to follow in the footsteps
of his brother, Nacssa--
- Come on, Roberto.
- Who hit a buzzer minutes ago.
Just like his brother, the high-schooler came out hot.
- Watch the speed. Watch the speed.
Watch--nice.
- He was on his way to the family's second buzzer
until Duck Duck Goose.
No! [air horn blares]
Now we'll then have to wait and see if that's
good enough to move on.
- [screaming]
- Another teenager, Lilah Nathison,
came to the start line with a ton of energy.
She had everyone fired up.
- Oh, my gosh.
- The North Carolina high-schooler
was feeling confident as she sailed
through the early obstacles.
And she carried that enthusiasm
into the balance obstacle.
- Ooh!
- And that's why they call it Dangerous Waters.
Our next athlete made a big impression when we
first met him two years ago.
- Let's go!
- Florida's Kyle McCreight made it to the fifth obstacle
in his debut.
But the star that night was his three-legged dog, Tre.
[dog barking]
- Tre, you're a good boy.
The Never Say Never Foundation reached out to me
after they saw Tre and I on "American Ninja Warrior"
in season 14.
- Aw, man, you've got to love dogs.
- They put on events for kids who are limb-different.
- You be you!
Go, go, go!
- So we had an opportunity to visit
some kids at a summer camp who are all limb-different.
And just seeing them interact with Tre was really special.
Good boy.
We set up an obstacle course for the kids,
and they just crushed it.
- Gotta get the buzzer.
- Press the buzzer!
- Whoo!
One little girl in particular who we met,
her name is Nevaeh.
Her and Tre just connected instantly.
- Hi, Tre. - Tre.
- Aw.
- She actually wanted to try some Ninja.
So she met me at the gym where I trained.
She blows me away with the things that she can do.
There you go.
She never lets her limb difference dictate how
she's going to live her life.
- [laughing] - You got me.
- Yeah, I caught a big fish.
- Maybe one day when she's older,
we'll see her on "American Ninja Warrior."
And I'd be right there on her sideline.
[cheers and applause]
- Whoo!
- And Nevaeh and Tre will be watching from back in Florida.
Kyle's girlfriend Amber is cheering him on from Chicago.
- I love you guys!
- He's got his dad and other Florida
ninjas on the sideline.
- Tre's chilling, but Kyle's ready to come out and play.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Kyle adopted Tre from an animal shelter in 2019
and helped train the dog to walk on three legs.
- Videos posted online about Tre
have over 31 million views.
- Well, Kyle McCreight owes a lot to "Ninja Warrior."
Not only did he get to spread his message with the Never Say
Never Foundation, his girlfriend, Amber Mitchell,
slid into his DMs after she saw his run two years ago.
And he's through the second obstacle tonight.
[cheering]
He was a star sprinter in high school.
- Watch the speed. Watch the speed.
Watch--nice. - And good balance.
Didn't make it look pretty, but he got through it.
Going up on Duck Duck Goose.
He made it to the semifinals two years ago.
If he can get through this tonight,
he'll have a good chance of getting back there again.
- Nice. - Good transfer.
This goose, though, you can see
those wings, a 90-degree drop.
You really have to anticipate and absorb it.
- Come in tight--nice. - Got it.
- Oh, yes, he's ready.
Kyle McCreight, he's been training.
You can tell.
- Can he get through the fourth obstacle?
And he's giving Nevaeh, Tre, and all his fans a great run.
- You've got it, Kyle! - Let's go!
- He's hyping himself up now.
Can he get through Ring the Bells?
- When the bells ring, that means Ninja's in session.
Time to get to work.
- And you can see those bells bang into each other.
And those handles start moving away from you.
- Come on. [bell clangs]
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- The bell tolls for Kyle McCreight.
But he's still got a chance of being in the top 12
and moving on to the semis.
Still to come-- it's going to be fun,
and it's going to be funky.
- They look like Sonny and Cher.
- Plus, we've got a dire situation
when the Flamingo Kid flies in with his secret weapon,
his kid brother--
- He's going to be super excited to watch me tonight.
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- It's our season premiere.
And it felt like the 1970s minutes ago--
- Ohm.
- As Berkeley, California's Zoey Tizon and her brother,
Chano, brought some peace and love to the start line.
- They look like Sonny and Cher.
Zoey may have come in peace, but she
was a warrior on the course.
- Whoa, OK, wow.
She did that really nice.
- At just 5'1", Double Twister may
have seemed a little far out.
- Whoa.
- Come on!
- I thought she wasn't going to get that one.
- But this free spirit was able to fly through it.
- Nice!
OK, Zoey.
- Come on, right here.
- However, on Dangerous Waters,
things weren't so groovy.
- Ooh!
Oh, that's a bummer, man.
- Then it was the Boss,
Elijah Browning, back for his fourth time
on "Ninja Warrior."
- Time for the Boss to check in to work.
- Yeah!
- The Tennessee teenager is coming off
his best season ever,
having made it all the way to stage 3.
He's hit a buzzer every time he's run a qualifying course--
- Oh!
- Until tonight.
His shocking fall means he'll have to wait and see if that
gets him to the semifinals.
Ohio's Jenn Sanders deals with anxiety when she runs.
But she chased away the butterflies tonight.
The thrift store owner's motto is find your wings.
And she lived up to that.
- She's floating through this course like a butterfly.
- With her husband, Ryan, cheering her on,
the four-time veteran had one of the most
energetic runs of the night.
- Wow, she's pumped. - Let's go!
- She reached the fifth obstacle for the second time
in her career.
- You go, girl!
- Though her run ended on Ring the Bells,
she's in a good position to move on.
And coming to the start line next,
in his trademark flamingo hat and pink shades,
this is Owen Dyer, the fun-loving kid
from Bentonville, Arkansas, back for his third season
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- Everybody knows me as the Flamingo Kid.
But now I'm the Flamingo Man.
I have a girlfriend now, my own business.
I buy things at thrift stores, yard sales, estate sales,
and I'll flip it online for a profit.
And with that business, I was able to buy my dream car--
[upbeat music]
A 1986 Corvette.
We are on the road, folks.
- Let's go.
- Cruising around Bentonville is just a blast.
This season is very special to me.
My younger brother, Hayes, is actually going
to be on the sideline tonight.
This is going to be the first time he sees
me hit the course in person.
Without Hayes, I wouldn't even be doing Ninja.
He's the one that got me into it.
- It's fun being the one that got him into the sport
and seeing how good he's gotten.
- My death grip engaged on that one.
I thought I was peeling off.
- This kid is flying!
[cheering]
- Yeah, you were hyped up too. Look at that.
- I'm very proud of him.
- I love Hayes so much.
It would mean the world to me to be
able to hit a buzzer tonight and be
able to look down from that wall
and see him down there cheering.
And keep your hips right underneath you to absorb it.
Nice, dude.
One day when he's old enough, I cannot wait
to hit the course with him.
- I'm a few years away.
But hopefully I get to be on that big course too.
- And there's Hayes down on the sideline with their dad.
Owen's got others watching from home--
- Let's go!
- Including his girlfriend and her family
and his Ninja buddies,
Kaden Lebsack and Max Feinberg.
- They ain't playing around. Check out their flamingo.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Owen driving an '86 Chevy Corvette,
what a sophomore in high school Matt Iseman
wouldn't have given for that car.
- Oh, wow.
- Well, it's been fun watching this kid grow up.
He's always entertaining on the course.
And he gets results.
- He has been perfect on qualifying courses--
hit buzzers on the two previous ones he's faced.
- Whoo!
- All right, get it--nice.
- Ooh! - Ooh, my goodness.
- Oh, my.
- Wow, he almost dislocated his hip on that one.
- But he survives it.
Up into Duck Duck Goose, can the Flamingo
fly through this obstacle?
- Come on, now.
Fly with the ducks--
nice.
- And you can see the long wings.
But only 135 pounds, he's meant to soar.
- The Flamingo better hang on to this goose.
Ooh. - Great job.
Matt, did you peek that?
He gave a winning look over to his brother, Hayes,
on the sideline.
- Owen Dyer. - I see you, baby.
I see you.
- Yeah! - Let's go.
- Let's go!
- And he is up on Ring the Bells.
- Nice. - Oh, right into it.
- Oh, come on. He made that look easy.
But you know what?
That's exactly how you got to do it.
You got to just link it quickly.
- About five seconds to go
if he wants a shot at the Mega Wall.
He's going to come up just short,
but Owen Dyer getting his third straight qualifying buzzer.
[buzzer blares] - Let's go!
Let's go!
[dramatic music]
* *
- Yeah! Whoo!
- Love you, bro!
- Hey, well, you were flying like a flamingo
through that course.
- Thank you, Matt.
This is my brother's first time.
Can he get up here and hit this buzzer with me?
- Oh, brother's going to do what?
- Hayes!
- Come on, Hayes.
Come on, Hayes.
- Hayes Dyer!
Oh!
- Come on! - Oh, my goodness.
- Hit that buzzer!
- Whoo!
- What a moment.
* *
In earlier runs, the Cowboy Ninja Lance Pekus
was back for his 13th season and went
stampeding through the course.
- Nice!
- Though he fell on the fifth obstacle,
his fast time guarantees him a spot in the semifinals.
- Ah!
- San Diego's Alex Nye was back for his fourth season.
And he was picture-perfect.
The photographer picked up his third straight
qualifying buzzer--
[buzzer blares]
And celebrated with a selfie atop
the Warped Wall.
- What an amazing run right there.
- Ashley Bergstrom was part of the first husband and wife
team to make it to Vegas last year.
After a fall on Dangerous Waters,
she's in danger of not moving on.
Now her husband, Caleb Bergstrom,
will get his chance at the course
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to opening night,
where three more ninjas kicked off their season minutes ago.
Personal trainer Zhanique Lovett
tossed out her homemade Z-Fit energy bars.
- Yeah, you can tell she is fit.
She is a walking billboard.
- With her family on the sideline,
the 37-year-old mother of three made quick
work of the early obstacles.
- OK, Zhanique, magnifique.
- The six-time "Ninja" veteran from Visalia,
California, almost got through Duck Duck Goose.
- Ooh! [air horn blares]
- But she's still got a good chance of moving on.
- Dang it!
Ugh, I'm mad at myself.
- Teenager Anna McArthur made it to the semifinals
last year.
And she came out strong tonight.
- Nice.
- The high-schooler works at the family's RV park
in Saint George, Utah.
And she was a happy camper
after crossing Dangerous Waters.
- Nice. She executed on that one.
- Though only 5 feet tall,
she got big air on Duck Duck Goose.
- Nice!
You saw how she came up high.
- And though her run ended at the fifth obstacle,
it guaranteed her a spot in the next round.
- We'll see you in the semifinals.
You did your thing.
Congratulations, Anna.
- Flip Rodriguez is not only one
of the most experienced ninjas,
he's also a crowd favorite.
- This is a guy that you can depend on to go very far.
- And tonight, starting his 14th season,
the 35-year-old stunt man came out running like a teenager.
- Oh, on the fingertips, wow!
- And he made it to the buzzer in under 1 minute 20,
becoming the fifth ninja tonight to earn
a shot at the Mega Wall.
- You got it, baby. Let's go!
- With $20K up for grabs, the 18 1/2 foot wall
was too much.
But he'll still be racing in the semifinals.
Well, many ninjas have to overcome obstacles
before they reach the course, and that includes
our next athlete, Lisa Hair.
This young mom battles a rare crippling condition,
but she pushes her body to compete, even when it hurts.
- Life with AS, there is my car.
I've only made it this far.
And I can't walk.
[somber music]
When I was 17, I developed this really
terrible pain in my joints.
It just came on one morning.
And I couldn't walk.
I have to make it all the way upstairs.
* *
[sighs]
I thought it was just an injury.
I thought it would go away.
It took nine years before I got a diagnosis.
* *
- Ankylosing Spondylitis is an autoimmune disease where
the spine fuses together and causes arching
and really a lot of significant pain.
- I still have a ways to go.
But I think I will make it inside.
- Go, Mommy, go.
[laughter]
- I think a lot of new moms
put ourselves on the back burner,
which is natural.
But you can't be the best mom to your baby
unless you're being the best to yourself as well.
Ninja is self-care for me.
I'm prioritizing movement.
I'm trying to regain movement in my spine.
- Nice.
- I want my daughter to learn that nothing can stop you.
- Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
- Pain is unfortunate.
And everybody experiences it in one way or another.
But it does not define you.
- Yeah! - Whoo!
Whoo-hoo!
Being here is my victory.
And running the course is my victory lap.
- Well, Lena Rose and Lisa's husband, Austin,
will be watching on the sideline.
- All right, Lena Rose, I'm coming for you.
- Aww, you know she's got to be proud of her mommy.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Let's go, Mama.
- Lisa and Austin competed in our couple championship
last week and did very well.
[all chanting] Lisa, Lisa, Lisa!
- Some of the Florida ninjas she trains with are
showing their support.
They know what it means to her as she
takes on Double Twister.
- Whoo, great job holding on.
- She looks very confident.
- Oh, my.
- Uh-huh, Mama's strong.
- She's about to complete the second.
And generating good power--
and she's done it.
[cheering]
- Aww, that one scared Lena Rose.
- Before her AS diagnosis, she was a college track athlete.
She can use those skills here on Dangerous Waters.
- Go, hot feet, nice, nice--
- Gets through.
- And look at that.
[cheers and applause]
- She is savoring this moment.
After all the pain she's been through,
it's got to feel great.
On now to the fourth obstacle--
- Aw, look at--aww.
- Baby Lena a little bit nervous.
That's OK, Lena!
Mama going to show you how to play Duck Duck Goose.
- Good leap up.
- She's only 5'1" and 102 pounds.
So has to really work to generate some swing.
[all chanting] Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, Lisa!
- Goes all the way, nice.
- What?
- You go, girl!
[all chanting] Lisa, Lisa, Lisa!
- But a very narrow handle here on the goose.
- Hold on tight now.
Hold on tight, Lisa.
- Oh!
- Oh, couldn't hang on to the goose.
But Mommy did good, Lena Rose.
And now she's got a chance to move on to the semifinals.
After all the physical issues she had to overcome,
this was an impressive run by Lisa Hair.
She almost got through Duck Duck Goose,
but just missed with her left hand.
- Congratulations on your run.
After everything you have been through,
what did it mean to just be out here tonight?
- Oh, my goodness, yes, just being
out here was the biggest gift.
You know, I don't even expect to be
able to walk so many days.
But over the past year, I've had
so many changes in my life.
And ah, it's just such a gift and such a blessing.
I say I'm doing it--
- Mama's wet. - Mama's wet.
Mama's wet. - Mama is very wet, yeah.
- Sorry, I tried to be dry for you, sweetheart.
- Incredible work out there tonight.
We'll see you soon. Guys, back to you.
- Our next competitor is one of the real contenders
to win it all this year.
Flipping his way to the start line,
this is Florida's Caleb Bergstrom,
AKA Baby Bergie.
Last season, Caleb competed alongside his sister,
Caitlyn, his brother-in-law, David, and wife, Ashley.
He hit a buzzer in qualifying and took home $10,000
for scaling the Mega Wall.
[buzzer blares]
Then he hit four more buzzers and earned
his first trip to stage 4.
- Come on. You got this.
- Halfway there--
- Oh, he's slowing down.
- He's ready to start another run at the million dollars.
He'll have the whole Bergstrom family on the sideline,
including his wife, Ashley.
[countdown clock beeping]
We expect great things out of Caleb.
He is an explosive athlete.
The two times he's completed a qualifying course,
he's hit the Mega Wall.
"Ninja" greats Joe Moravsky and Daniel Gil
are the only athletes to have taken
on the Mega Wall three times, Caleb right behind them
at two.
With the top time in his qualifying group last year,
quickly through the first two.
This is where his wife, Ashley, fell, but not Caleb.
He's through the fourth obstacle in under 25 seconds.
- Yeah, he ain't messing around.
- He has about 45 seconds left if he wants the fastest time.
He wants another shot at that Mega Wall.
- You've got it, Caleb.
- Well, the goose has that big wing drop, 90 degrees.
- Nice.
- No problem for Caleb,
that was textbook technique.
[cheering]
- Into Ring the Bells, let's see if he can launch
right into the first obstacle, good job.
- That's it, that's the way you got to link it.
- And look at that, using those middle two bells
to make that jump.
- Nice.
- Just a perfect run.
Caleb, going to have the fastest time of the night.
- Ooh, wow!
[buzzer blares] - Ahh!
[dramatic music]
* *
- No surprise, you just had the fastest time of the night.
- Whoo!
- Go down and take your shot at the Mega Wall.
RJ Roman's trying to psych Caleb up.
We've seen five others try the Mega Wall tonight.
None have succeeded.
[all chanting] Mega Wall, Mega Wall!
- A year ago, he did this for $10,000.
This year, he's going for double that.
Baby Bergie, 18 1/2 feet.
- Clear this big, bad wall, you clear a lot of debt too.
- Nice! - Caleb Bergstrom delivers!
[buzzer blares]
And he just earned $20,000
from the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card.
- He had a good run up and got one hand on the top
and pulled himself up.
- My man is kicking his season off with a bang and 20 Gs.
He has the skills to go all the way, big man.
- Yes, he does.
[upbeat music]
- So he leads the pack in this second group.
We had six finishers in all.
And all those in the top 11 will
move on to the semifinals.
But our 12th and 13th will now race in our runoff.
And what a showdown that's going to be.
It's a rematch from last year's semifinals,
Elijah "Boss" Browning versus Roberto Garemore.
It was one of the best races of the season.
- Oh, man!
Now we'll see them go at it again
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- While we were away, 54-year-old farmer
Jen Van Deren tried to make hay on the course.
With her three kids watching, Van Deren
survived the first obstacle.
- OK.
- And she celebrated.
Then came Double Twister.
- Nice, she made it.
All right.
- Then Deren, the oldest female competitor,
made the leap to the first handle,
but then just kept swinging and swinging.
- I'm afraid she's running out of that farmer grip strength.
- Whoo! - You can do it.
- For more than a minute, she went back and forth,
fighting to build up momentum.
- Oh, my goodness.
- The sun finally set on the farmer.
- Whoa!
- But the crowd appreciated the gutty performance.
She was our final runner, so our top three women
are now set.
It's Utah teenager Anna McArthur,
Ohio's Jenn Sanders, and California personal trainer
Zhanique Lovett.
They're moving on to the semifinals.
The fourth and fifth place women
will now fight for the final spot in our runoff races.
It'll be new mom Lisa Hair, who had
to overcome crippling health issues
to be here tonight.
Lisa will be racing our fourth place
competitor, Nikki Zink, who earlier had
a memorable run of her own.
She had a big group of nuns watching,
including her sister,
who's also a sister.
- We love you, Nicole.
- And the physical therapist from Missouri
gave them a blessed run
as she dashed through the first three obstacles.
- Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
Yes, oh, my goodness, prayer answered.
- Though she got baptized seconds later--
- Ooh!
- That run still landed her in fourth place.
On paper, you've got to give the edge in this one
to Nikki Zink.
She's four years younger.
And at 5'8", she's much taller than the 5'1" Lisa Hair.
- Oh, Daddy, we've got daughters
and sisters watching this one, final spot
in the semis up for grabs.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, Nikki Zink is 7-inch height advantage.
- If you got it, use it.
5'8", use it--nice.
- Nikki Zink, a good run there through Home Run.
You can see Nikki a little hesitant.
- Ooh, nice.
- And they are up.
- All right, now it's time to Spring Forward.
You don't want to take extra swings.
You want to get it.
Get that back swing and then throw yourself.
- Well, this is a test of that grip
as though you're riding behind a boat.
- Nice.
- And you saw that Lisa Hair was the first one off.
That's important
because if they both fall here on Wingnuts,
Lisa would be the winner.
- All right, here we go now.
Ooh!
- Got it.
Nikki Zink on a Wingnut and a prayer
with Lisa just a hair behind.
Oh, this is a good one, back and forth.
Right here, look at this.
- Nikki Zink ain't messing around though.
And then all of a sudden, here comes Lisa Hair.
- Lisa, yet again, off another obstacle first.
As they head into Hopscotch--
- OK, here we go.
- This is a great race, big man.
- This Hopscotch ain't playing around.
OK, Lisa.
- Well, the only way Nikki Zink wins is with a buzzer.
And she is making Hopscotch look like child's play.
- And Nikki's getting out ahead now.
Here we go. - Look at that though, Lisa.
- And here comes Hair, one more move.
- Oh!
Right at the landing!
And Lisa Hair wins.
But she wants a buzzer.
[buzzer blares] - And she's got it.
Oh, my goodness.
[upbeat music]
- Lisa Hair, what a night for her,
an unbelievable back-and-forth race, and she prevails,
earning a trip to the semifinals
and is going to celebrate with her daughter, Lena Rose.
Nikki Zink put up a tremendous fight,
but it's Lisa Hair, the mom who overcame chronic pain that
makes it hard to walk who came up with two good runs tonight.
She's going to let Lena Rose hit a buzzer with her.
[buzzer blares] - Aw, look at that.
What a night it's been for Lisa Hair.
[cheering]
If you thought that race was something,
fasten your seat belts for this one.
We've got two speed demons, Florida teenager
Roberto Garemore taking on the Boss,
Tennessee's Elijah Browning.
They faced each other in semifinals last year,
and it was a classic.
- You can see--
boom, look at the quickness out of Garemore.
- We raced last season in semifinals.
And I ended up beating Roberto.
- Oh, they're going back and forth.
Oh, my goodness.
Matt, we got a race.
- Onto Slingshot, oh, my.
And Roberto's going to have to start slowing up.
- And Roberto felt the pressure of the Boss Man.
- So here we go. We're doing it again.
- Having a rematch against Elijah
is good because I want redemption.
[dramatic music]
I do feel like I'm more ready this season.
- He is so fast.
And he's willing to put it all on the line.
And that's really scary running up against someone like that.
But I beat him once. I know I can do it again.
* *
- This runoff reads like a heavyweight match-up.
Matt, I'm on the edge right now.
- Go, Roberto!
- The families of both these ninjas are on the sidelines.
Nobody wants to miss this.
Whoever loses, his season will end right here.
[countdown clock beeping]
Wow, long limbs there for Elijah.
- Both these ninjas capable of going very, very fast
and linking it, wow.
Nice. They are selling out, Akbar.
- You can't make a mistake.
You got to go in here and just commit to it.
- And look at this, load and throw,
virtually no hesitation.
- You want to get to the semifinals.
You've got to bring your A-game
and the entire alphabet.
Oh, boy, Hopscotch can be very dangerous.
- And a hesitation out of Elijah,
an extra swing--got it.
Oh, my.
- If you mess up on this Hopscotch,
you might end up in the nurse's office.
- It's going to be the dismount.
- Oh, my goodness. - Oh!
[buzzer blares] Oh, my gosh!
- Oh.
[cheering]
Roberto, the first one off, Elijah,
the first one to the buzzer.
- Oh, my word. - What a finish.
That's maybe the best runoff we've ever seen.
The Boss wins the rematch, and he's
headed back to the semifinals.
Look at this ending again.
Roberto had the edge but stumbled
over the spinning wall, while Elijah
landed cleanly and was able to just
beat Roberto to the buzzer.
- A great start to the season, but that's going to do it
for "Ninja's" opening night.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."
[cheering]
[dramatic music]
* *