[bright tones]
- It's time for the "American Ninja Warrior" semifinals,
which means we're going racing.
- Fasten your seat belts, America.
- * I hit them with the turbo *
[crowd cheering]
- Side by side, it's crazy!
- Nice. Stay focused.
- Seeing your opponent right next to you,
I just feel like it's so exciting.
- * When you think I can't go no, no more *
* I hit them with the turbo *
- The rules are simple.
Win, and you're headed to Vegas.
- * I hit 'em with the turbo *
- Lose, and your season could be over.
- Oh!
- * Bring it up a couple levels *
* Give me, give me that zoom, zoom, zoom *
- I'm gonna have to turn the burners on.
Some people are going to be like, oh,
how'd that old guy move so fast?
- * I hit them with the turbo *
* Turbo, turbo *
- Tonight, I'm gonna put the pedal to the metal.
- * Hit 'em with the turbo *
[dramatic music]
* Hit 'em with the turbo *
- We're gonna have so much fun tonight.
- * Oh oh oh oh *
- Whoo!
- Enough talk, let's race.
[crowd cheering]
- * Hit 'em with the turbo *
- We've got a need for speed here at Universal
Studios, Hollywood.
It's time to go racing
as we kick off the semifinals
of "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and welcome.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
We have been looking forward to this one, Matt.
We're going head-to-head racing all night long!
- Absolutely, big man.
And if you want to move on to the national finals at Vegas,
you want to hit a buzzer.
For a look at the course they'll be racing on,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, it all starts right here.
The ninjas will sprint through six obstacles to the buzzer.
First up is a dash across Home Run, then
the upper-body test of Flying Shelf Grab,
Wingnuts, and Sideways.
The very difficult Spin Hopper will
be waiting as the fifth obstacle, followed
by a rope climb to the buzzer.
Hit it first, and you're going to Vegas.
- Thanks, Zuri, and the biggest race of the night
comes at the end when our two fastest go head-to-head.
The winner earns a Safety Pass to take to Vegas.
- And that Safety Pass can be $1 million difference
at the national finals.
- We're kicking off our night of racing with two of our most
impressive young athletes.
We've got 19-year-old Max Feinberg, a college
student at the University of Denver.
He's facing 17-year-old Michigan
high-schooler Ethan Gardulski.
These two are good friends running for a greater purpose.
Ethan spent years struggling with severe anxiety
before finding "Ninja Warrior."
- Get it! Yes!
- Now he's become an advocate for mental health,
spreading the message that it's OK to not be OK.
And sharing his story has made a real impact.
- After my episode aired, there was a lot
of people who reached out to me and were talking about how
my story really touched them.
Something I want kids to know is
that even if you have mental health struggles,
that shouldn't stop you from trying to achieve what
you want to achieve in life.
- Max Feinberg's mom, Debbie, is a breast cancer survivor.
And he has made it his mission to fight the disease.
- That buzzer's for you, Mom!
- Yeah!
- Max has raised over $75,000 for cancer research
through Ninja competitions and fan donations.
- I feel like while I'm out there,
I'm not only representing my mom but all the other moms
and anybody out there who's going
through this sort of thing.
I'm going to be out here doing this until we can beat it.
I'm excited to race Ethan Gardulski.
He's a super-close friend of mine.
To see him hit the buzzer was super
inspiring, super motivational.
- Let me see the muscles! - Yeah!
- Yeah, baby!
Ahh! - Boom!
- Yeah!
- Ethan, you and me, bro,
we're going to hit some buzzers.
We're going to throw our shirts off.
And it's going to be a great moment.
* *
- Always lots of friends in the crowd to support breast
cancer when Max Feinberg runs.
His mom, Debbie, leading cheers on his sideline.
And Ethan's also got a big group, including his biggest
supporter, his mom, Claire.
- Max was faster in qualifying,
so he's the higher seed.
He's an 11.
And Ethan is a 14 seed.
Max has been to the national finals all three seasons
he's competed.
Ethan's never made it.
- But Ethan is hungry.
He wants it.
He wants to get to Vegas.
- Oh, nice!
Gardulski bounding out.
I like the confidence.
- I like it.
- He knows he's got to bring his A game.
- He's got to bring the entire alphabet
going up against Max Feinberg.
- But Gardulski maintaining his lead.
- First off onto the Wingnuts.
This is impressive.
Here comes Feinberg.
This side-by-side racing has such an element.
- Nice. I love this.
You can never underestimate the hunger in the underdog.
Look at that!
- Gardulski's flying through Sideways.
- Ethan came in here as the underdog, the hungry dog.
He wants it badly, Matt!
- Well, he says it's OK not to be OK.
He's also saying it's OK to be awesome.
- Yes. All right, here we go. - Look at this on Spin Hopper!
- Wow. - What a race!
- I like that he's running his own race.
He's not even taking a peek to see where Max Feinberg is.
- He did just steal a glance.
Oh, no!
He stole a glance at Max.
- Oh, man.
- And now the door is open.
But Feinberg must complete Spin Hopper.
- You can see Max Feinberg looks
like he's a little exhausted.
Ethan pushed him so hard.
- Credit to Gardulski; he ran a great race.
But Max Feinberg gets the win.
But look at Max!
- I love it.
Oh, wow, would not go up to hit the the buzzer
until he paid his respect to Ethan Gardulski
for the amazing run.
[buzzer blares]
Max Feinberg!
- It was the underdog Ethan Gardulski who set the pace.
He was ahead all the way until the fifth obstacle.
But his fall opened the door for Max Feinberg, who finished
Spin Hopper to get the win.
He earns his fourth straight trip to Vegas.
Keep it 100, man.
Were you a little nervous?
- Man, I saw Ethan take the lead.
And you know, part of me was nervous.
Part of me was stoked for the dude.
Ninja's about more than just who hits the buzzer first.
But it's about the friends, the community.
Me and Ethan are both out here running for causes
bigger than ourselves.
But it was great seeing him crushing it.
- You guys are both great ninjas.
You're better people.
You're raising awareness for your causes.
And you're going to Vegas, buddy!
- Whoo!
[crowd cheering]
- And now it's our first women's race.
It'll be Utah teenager Violet Kepo'o,
a "Harry Potter" fan who wears her emotions on her sleeve--
- Oh, and she's crying.
- --but has been impressive on the course.
She's facing Colorado high-schooler Emily Keener,
an artist who experiences synesthesia,
which means she sees colors when she hears certain sounds.
- She painted what our names look like to her.
- This is pretty cool.
- Emily comes in as a 2 seed
in this race.
She's also bigger than Violet.
Violet Kepo'o only weighs
95 pounds.
She's the lightest competitor
this season.
Each have their cheering sections on the sideline.
These young Ninjas just couldn't do
without the support of their families.
Both these women lost in the semifinals last year,
but one will be earning her first trip to Vegas right now.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Here we go.
You want to see who's the best ninja, this is it.
This format right here, it tells you.
It's Vegas or bust.
- And look at these two.
What an even match-up.
Keener, a 6-inch height advantage.
And she's first off Flying Shelf Grab.
That's important if they were to fall on the next obstacle.
Right into the Wingnuts.
These are some relatively big laches here.
Keener using that long body to generate some good power.
- You've got to be super efficient on the Wingnut.
- And Keener is first to complete it once again.
- Get it, and then fly off. Nice.
- And Keener first on to Sideways.
But here comes Kepo'o.
- Yeah, and it's so crazy, because as you're
going through Sideways, that lead hand, that's
the blind grab right there.
You got to trust it and feel it.
- Well, what a great match-up.
- Oh, OK. - Kepo'o closing.
- She's not messing around.
- Oh, my!
Back to back!
- Explosive.
She's being super-efficient.
Kepo'o's efficiency is getting her back into the race.
And Kepo'o's the first one off.
That is a big advantage
because it's easy to fall here on the next obstacle,
Spin Hopper.
- At this point in the race, their arms are pumped out.
But Kepo'o is not stopping to rest at all.
And this is a tough one.
You got to go up and over.
- And Keener is pausing to catch her breath.
She may be waiting to see if Kepo'o falls.
Then she can take her time and finish the obstacle.
- Nice.
- Kepo'o, though.
- Ooh!
- And Keener splashes down.
Kepo'o has done it.
- All the way! - She's going to Vegas!
What a great race!
- Matt, she ran such a steady race.
She stayed in her lane.
She knew exactly what she had.
- Well, it was that move on Sideways on the back half.
She pulled ahead of Keener, put the pressure on.
And she delivers-- - Nice.
both: Ooh!
- Well, they both fell there.
That's why it was so important for Kepo'o
to make that big move on Sideways.
- That's right, Matt.
- She went right past Keener on Sideways
and was first off to get the advantage.
And when Keener fell at the start of Spin Hopper,
that sealed the win for Kepo'o.
- And now the teenager's heading her very
first national finals.
Tonight, it's a special semifinals double episode,
featuring some of Ninja's best racing head-to-head, including
teen phenom Taylor Greene--
- Oh, my goodness!
- --and what could be the final run of the Phoenix,
Najee Richardson--
- And he just dominated!
- --when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- A match-up minutes ago had Ninja fans
seeing not double but triple.
That's because one of the Green twins,
Nathan, raced their unofficial triplet, Cam Baumgartner.
- Sometimes me and Nathan would get mixed up because we're
both wearing red.
- It's safe to say at least one of the triplets
will be making it to Vegas tonight.
- Baumgartner came in as the higher seed
and was the favorite over Green, who was trying to earn
his first trip to Vegas.
Baumgartner is a six-time veteran who's been
as far as stage 3 in Vegas.
But Green started strong and even led for a while.
- Come on, Nathan!
- With his twin brother Marquez cheering him on,
Green kept it close until they reached the fourth obstacle,
where Baumgartner pulled ahead.
- He can go now. Look at that.
- And when Nathan slipped off Sideways--
- No!
- --that gave the win to Baumgartner, who kept
going and cruised to a buzzer.
He's going to Vegas for the fourth straight year.
Now the other twin is going to get his shot.
Let's go down to Zuri.
- Guys, Jackson Twait and Marquez Green
are good buddies.
They were even roommates for a while.
But now they've got to race each other.
Twait's got more Ninja experience.
So when the twins wanted to up their Ninja game,
they came to train with the cat-loving pet sitter.
A few years ago, Marquez and Nathan actually
moved from their home in Wisconsin down to Iowa
to live and train with Jackson at what
he calls Camp Cat Daddy.
- Let's go!
Pick up the pace!
- Now Marquez must take down his mentor to reach
his first national finals.
- It really has been awesome having Jackson as our coach.
- I'm gonna show you how to really do it.
- Jackson is a national finalist
multiple years in a row.
He's gotten a Mega Wall.
[both shouting]
- It's kind of a double-edged sword because, I mean,
I really want to win.
But at the same time, my student's
losing, which means I might be a bad teacher?
- [laughs]
* *
- And these good friends are going to get
a selfie at the start line.
Marquez will have his brother on the sideline.
But these guys are all good friends.
In fact, Jackson's mom has a twins shirt
underneath her Team Twait shirt.
- I love this; these Ninjas are all so close.
And we get a lot of good friends
racing against each other.
That's determined by the seedings.
In this case, Jackson's a 3 seed,
and Marquez is a 22 seed.
[countdown clock beeping]
- All right, here we go.
- And Cat Daddy, a tentative start.
- And that's hard when you have a close relationship.
But you know what?
When competition speaks, you got to rise up!
Oh, OK!
And Marquez out in front.
Marquez is not giving him any breaks.
- And Jackson Twait seems to be taking a little
more conservative approach.
Cats don't like water.
Keeping it close, these two pushing each other.
- Marquez now.
- Oh, he lost his opportunity on Wingnuts.
And now here comes Jackson Twait.
- Twait pulls ahead by a whisker onto Sideways.
[cheers and applause]
And it is so tough racing side by side
and trying not to let the pressure force a mistake.
- Yeah, you can see Jackson Twait's got
10 pounds on Marquez Green.
That's a lot of weight he's carrying
through here on Sideways.
And Twait continues to hold the lead.
Marquez looks like he is gassed.
- And Twait's not resting.
He's going right up onto Spin Hopper.
- Marquez's only chance right now
is if Twait falls on this obstacle, which is
always a possibility on Spin Hopper.
[cheering]
It's not over!
- Wow, Marquez Green started off with so much steam
and then just started to slow down.
- And now Jackson Twait is on his back;
he's starting to slow down.
- Looking tired, hoping to avoid a cat nap here.
- It's big if he can get onto that bar.
- And he does it.
- That's huge. Twait completes the obstacle.
And Twait's gonna get another buzzer,
going back to Vegas!
- The Cat Daddy does it again.
[buzzer blares]
- Oh, he looks exhausted.
Marquez gave him all he could handle.
- Marquez continuing to fight and splashes down.
A great race, but the Cat Daddy proves to be too much.
- Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh.
- Who says cats don't like water?
- Well, that's the way you celebrate right there.
[laughs]
It was Marquez who had the catlike quickness
at the start.
But the Cat Daddy eventually showed he's the big dog.
He came from behind to earn another trip
to the national finals.
- And Marquez will probably be on the sideline in Vegas
cheering his buddy on.
Our next match-up features 16-year-old high school
student Riley Porter, who made it to Vegas as a rookie
last season.
She's racing Colorado's Anabella Heinrichs.
And as you can see from her purple locks,
she's got a flair for hair.
- My interest in cosmetology started when I
did my own hair back in 2020.
I've done pretty much any color you can imagine.
I had holographic rainbows, pink and yellow,
purple, blues, yellow, and red, just kind of any combo
I could come up with.
Then it came time to finish up high school.
And I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.
And I realized taking my hobby of doing my own hair
and bringing it out to the world,
I think that's something that I'll really enjoy.
- Make sure that your subsections
are straight across.
- We've been studying, like, hair styling,
so blow-drying, curling, straightening, hair cutting.
And then we're going to learn hair colors and nails
and makeup and some massage.
So it's a little bit of everything.
- Come straight down.
There you go. - [chuckles]
A lot of these things are a lot harder than they look.
School has definitely made it harder to find times to train.
But hopefully after tonight, I'll be picking
out my Vegas hair color.
* *
[cheering]
- Anabella's parents and sister are on the sideline.
They competed in our family special a few years ago.
And Riley's got a big group over there led by her mom.
- I think Riley Porter has to be considered the favorite.
She's a 3 seed, and she won her semifinals race last year.
[countdown clock beeping]
- But as we've seen, anything can happen in these races.
5'5" and 5'4", Porter first through Home Run.
- And remember she impressed us last year as a rookie.
She's a pole vaulter-- great upper-body strength too.
- Both women making strong moves on Flying Shelf Grab.
Porter's off first.
- Come on!
- Porter maintains a slight edge.
But boy, this is close.
And now Heinrichs edging out.
Man, the Wingnuts is a great opportunity
to create such separation.
- It's Heinrichs who's off first.
That gives her an advantage as they head into Sideways.
- Little stumbles.
- As Sideways requires you to keep them Ls,
keep it nice and tight, keep them 90 degrees.
- Still anyone's race.
Oh! - Ooh.
- Riley Porter hits the water!
Anabella Heinrichs has done it!
- She finished the previous obstacle first.
- So she's going to Vegas!
Credit to Anabella Heinrichs showing tremendous
upper-body strength.
- It looks like she's going for the dismount.
She wants to get off of there.
Ooh, OK.
Stay focused.
Finish what you started.
[cheering]
She's knows she's going to the national final.
- And she's gonna keep going,
see if she can survive Spin Hopper
and get a buzzer.
Such a challenge.
So impressive.
Keeping that-- oh!
No buzzer, but the cosmetology student gets a quick rinse
for her purple hair.
She can celebrate her first trip to the national finals!
- Love you! You're going to Vegas!
- Coming up, we're heading to Amish country for a Ninja dad
who's making a difference,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Four Ninjas hit the course in two races
while we were away.
First, it was 20-year-old Colorado college student
David Tomassoni taking on 37-year-old Ninja
veteran Mike Silenzi, AKA the Stallion,
who had his posse on the sideline.
- [imitates horse whinnying]
- Silenzi was trying to get to the national finals
for the eighth time, but it was Tomassoni
who took charge early.
- You got the old head against the young'un.
- The 6'2" Tomassoni came up big in his first time racing
in the semifinals, and he maintained
the lead through Spin Hopper.
- Oh!
And Silenzi's down.
- Silenzi's fall guaranteed the win
for Tomassoni, who earned his first trip to Vegas.
[buzzer blares]
[cheering]
- Then it was South Dakota's Drew Nester, a 16 seed,
going against the 9 seed Luke Beckstrand,
the youngest member of the Beckstrand Ninja
family competing tonight.
Luke and his older brother, Kai,
both hit buzzers back in qualifying.
Tonight, the young Beckstrand jumped out to an early lead.
- Those Beckstrands can move, Matt.
- But Nester, who's an army medic, battled back.
- Nester's starting to get the feel for it.
- They were very close as they took on Sideways.
- No!
- Nester's fall gave the win to Luke Beckstrand.
He's going to Vegas.
[cheering]
So now it's big brother Kai Beckstrand's turn.
The 18-year-old is the top seed,
meaning he was the fastest in qualifying
and is usually the fastest anytime he hits the course.
And the man with the unenviable task of racing him
is 33-year-old father of four, Jesse Maurer,
who says Ninja has helped bring his family together.
[light music]
* *
- I work as a cabinet engineer for a custom cabinet shop
in Amish country in northern Indiana.
* *
A couple years ago, we got a phone call that the children
of a family member had been taken
by Child Protective Services.
And they wanted to know if my wife
and I were willing to take in these two little boys.
Four hours later, they showed up at the house
with Liam and Dominic.
Liam, can you tell Jackson where to put something?
- Here, the blue hole. - Can you put it right there?
Taking on two more children definitely
changes your priorities, especially with Liam and Dom
having some developmental delays.
We have the challenges of trying
to help them to develop--
- Whoo!
* *
- Ooh. - Hey, look at that.
Good job, buddy.
And then also my other two children,
to make sure their emotional needs are met.
- One, two, three--
- I started kind of introducing them to the world of Ninja.
It helped them with their motor skills
and their spatial awareness and being able to move.
- Go, Cali!
Whoo! - Good job.
- Come on, Liam!
- If you ask them, I'm not their favorite Ninja.
Pull, pull, pull, pull, pull.
My kids may or may not be more of a fan of Kai
than they are of me.
[cheering]
- Come on, guys!
- [squeals] - [laughs]
- Please, Kai, don't embarrass me.
[laughs]
We're going to go out tonight and give it a shot
to get a buzzer for the kids.
[cheering]
- Jesse's kids, his wife, and a big group
are watching back in Indiana.
- Let's go, Jesse!
- And his sister and brother are on the sidelines,
as are the Beckstrands.
Luke just got a win.
He's hoping Kai will join him in Vegas.
- Jesse Maurer may need a miracle.
He's the 24 seed facing one of the fastest Ninjas
on the planet, Kai Beckstrand.
[countdown clock beeping]
- As we've seen tonight, anything
can happen when you're racing.
- Wow, Kai Beckstrand-- a confident start.
- He's moving like he wants the fastest
time so he can race for the Safety Pass
at the end of the night.
- Well, he is flying.
- He doesn't need to be flying.
This is a walk in the park for him.
- And look at that!
Just touches on the final Wingnut.
- Jesse Maurer's still on the second obstacle.
Kai Beckstrand is on his way to the fifth,
jumps right onto Spin Hopper.
- I mean, Matt, if you blink, you're
going to miss Kai Beckstrand.
This is the Kai Beckstrand show, my goodness!
- Well, Kai definitely wants a shot at the Safety Pass.
- Ain't nobody gonna beat that time.
36 seconds!
That's unreal!
- And don't look, but Maurer's still on the Wingnuts,
the third obstacle.
[cheering]
- Hi!
- Says hello to Kai. - You got it!
- Knew he wasn't gonna catch him.
I mean, Kai got through six obstacles in 36 seconds!
- That is fast. Let's take a look
at how Kai uses his power to link those moves together.
He barely touched the last Wingnut.
Then watch him skipping handles on Spin Hopper.
He is him, and he's just on another level.
* *
- But look at this!
Jesse Maurer continuing to progress!
I love it!
[cheering]
He's never hit a buzzer.
Would love to get his first right here.
If he's one of two top non-winners,
he could still move on to Vegas.
[together] Jesse, Jesse!
- Matt, great to see him get a moment after the sacrifices
he and his wife have made.
- He has no quit in him.
- Don't be fooled by what we saw with Kai Beckstrand.
Spin Hopper is a brutal obstacle, just draining.
- Father of four kids showing that grown-man
strength right now, that grown-man strength,
the perseverance.
- I love this determination.
- But now, 150 pounds going down is a different animal.
- And with those handles that spin,
you have to be precise, get both hands on simultaneously.
- What? He skipped a handle!
Who is this guy?
- Look at this, Akbar!
- OK, come on, man!
That's an A-plus for grit!
[cheering]
A-plus-plus for moxie!
OK!
- And Jesse Maurer--
both: Ahh!
Heartbreaking!
- Oh, my goodness!
Just couldn't finish the Spin Hopper, but still
a spectacular effort out of Jesse Maurer.
- Truly no losers in that race.
The Indiana dad had the run of his life.
And Kai Beckstrand is gonna join
his brother, Luke, in Vegas.
And we'll likely see Kai running for the Safety Pass
later tonight.
- Coming up--
[buzzer blares]
They were hyped to become the first father
and son to qualify for Vegas!
Now Iowa's Scott and Ben Behrends try to do it again.
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- They're two of Ninja's biggest goofballs--
Iowa buddies Chris Behrends and Levi Enright
love "brotein" shakes--
- Whoo! Let's go!
- --and noggin buzzers.
[buzzer blares]
- Noggin!
- And minutes ago, they both tried to earn
a return trip to Vegas.
First, 23-year-old Levi, the number 2 seed,
took on the muscle ball Tyler Yamauchi, a 23 seed,
who's 38 and a father of three.
Enright has an 11-inch height advantage over
the 5'1" Yamauchi.
But these two were side by side early.
- Levi Enright, you know he wants to get after it.
- Yamauchi, a former all-American gymnast,
kept it close through Wingnuts and Sideways but fell
behind on Spin Hopper.
- Oh!
- But he wasn't gonna catch Levi Enright,
who sealed the win with another noggin buzzer.
- Noggin!
[cheering]
- Then, Levi's Iowa bro, Chris Behrends, a 5 seed,
got his shot.
He was facing Colorado's 31-year-old
Glenn Albright, who's seeded 20th.
- Let's go, dude! Come on!
- Albright's a former college track athlete,
but he fell behind Behrends early.
- Behrends' moving pretty quick.
- Behrends, the 23-year-old college
student was able to build up a comfortable lead.
And though Albright made it to the fourth obstacle--
- Oh!
- --his fall meant Chris Behrends could coast to a win
and get another noggin buzzer.
- Let's go! [buzzer blares]
[cheering]
- Yeah!
- So it was a celebration for Iowa Ninjas as Chris, Levi,
and friend Jackson Twait have all hit buzzers.
- Is this heaven?
It's Iowa!
[cheering]
- If you think those guys get excited,
get ready for our next Iowa Ninja.
It's Chris's Cousin, Ben Behrends,
also known as the Hype Guy.
He's facing 19-year-old college student
Colton Skuster.
And it's easy to see a big size difference
with these two.
Colton's a freshman at the University of Utah,
whose friends call him Monkey because he
climbs on everything, sometimes in a monkey suit.
- We both got a lot of energy.
He's known for his hype factor.
[cheering]
I'm known for having fun on the course.
- Oh, I think he dropped the banana.
- He's short, but don't let that fool you because the dude
is powerful, and he is fast.
- Ben made history with his dad, Scott, last season,
becoming the first father-son duo to qualify
for the national finals.
And three weeks ago, he hit his first career buzzer.
[buzzer blares]
[cheering]
- Yeah, so Colton's 6-foot, 180, and I'm, like,
5-foot-nothing, 120.
But the taller they are, the harder they fall.
- A big Iowa contingent on the sideline, including Ben's
dad, Scott, on the right.
He'll run later.
- Come on, Ben!
- Oh, they get loud.
Colton Skuster's pumping up his group...
- Come on, Colton.
- Which includes his parents and friends
watching back in Utah.
- All day!
All day! Let's go, baby!
- Ben Behrends may look like the underdog,
but he's actually the higher seed.
He hit a buzzer in qualifying, so he's an 8 seed.
Colton is a 17.
[countdown clock beeping]
Ben came up big in qualifying, let's go.
- And Skuster using those long limbs to get that early edge.
We'll see if Ben can fly.
- Yeah, he's a lot lighter, and got to use that
to his advantage and just float across
Flying Shelf Grab.
He's got to be able to link just a little quicker.
- And there he made a nice link.
Skuster first up on the Wingnuts.
- Yeah, you can see, too, you want
to get on that back end of that Wingnut
so that it allows you propel yourself forward.
Oh, boy! Ride that swing!
- Colton Skuster using that long reach.
Can Behrends close the gap on Sideways?
- Yes, Skuster is scooting across this course.
- Nice. Nice, Colton.
- Skuster on now to the Spin Hopper.
And he's showing no signs of slowing down.
- And be careful, some of those Spin Hoppers,
some of them will spin on you.
- These handles can rotate.
But Skuster looking locked in.
- Oh, boy.
And Skuster's gonna do it!
- OK, Colton!
He never let up!
- Colton Skuster gets his first buzzer
and the second fastest time of the night.
- Oh, my goodness, Colton's gonna pass out.
He is in disbelief!
[all shouting]
- He's celebrating the win, but it's not over.
- Ben Behrends still racing because, remember, the top two
non-winners can still advance.
[buzzer blares]
Ben Behrends with that buzzer may still be in Vegas.
We'll see what happens.
Colton, you are hyped up, man!
- Dude, I was ready, bro!
- I see you were ready.
It looked like you shocked yourself, man.
Were you surprised?
- It's just a dream come true.
I'm like, is this even real, man?
- [laughs] It's real, baby.
- It's crazy. - It's real!
- And, Ben, you could still move on.
Right now you and Ethan Gardulski
are our top two non-winners with a few more
races remaining.
- Congratulations, fellas!
- Yeah, good job, man!
Way to go!
- Coming up, in some ways, she's a typical teenager.
But Taylor Greene's breaking records in Ninja.
And she's about to go for another buzzer.
[buzzer blares]
- She is Mean Greene.
- That's up next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- We had a few bugs to work out while we were away.
That's because Ninja's favorite bug expert,
entomologist Eric Middleton, who is the 21 seed,
was racing against the number 4 seed,
two-time Last Ninja Standing Kaden Lebsack.
Lebsack has only fallen on a Ninja course
once since he started competing three years ago.
And he quickly showed he's one of the best
Ninjas in the world.
- Look at this, Kaden Lebsack.
- He left Middleton far behind and sprinted
through all six obstacles.
- He is moving, Matt!
- And turned in the second-fastest time
of the night, putting him in good
position for a rematch with Kai Beckstrand
for the Safety Pass.
But Middleton didn't quit.
- That last one.
- And he made it to the buzzer, as well,
and could move on as one of our fastest non-winners.
[cheering]
Our next competitor came all the way from Australia
to compete tonight.
This is Judith Carroll.
She has dual citizenship and has also
competed on "Australian Ninja Warrior,"
where she's had good success.
But she's got her work cut out for her.
She's facing maybe America's top female competitor,
Taylor Greene.
But despite being a Ninja superstar,
this teenager tries to lead a normal life.
- * We're rising up, take me higher *
- The first finisher for the women this season!
[buzzer blares]
- After my rookie season, I definitely feel like I've
gained more confidence.
- * We're rising up, take me higher *
- It's such an incredible feeling
knowing you finally accomplished what you've
been working so hard for.
[buzzer blares]
But it can definitely be difficult
to have normal teenage life and be a teenage athlete.
[upbeat music]
* *
Oh!
I got them all down! - Yay!
Go, girl.
- I like to keep the worlds separate because I have
my Ninja life, but I also like to have
my teenage girl life, where I go to school
and I have these friends.
* *
Oh, yeah.
- Are you literally good at everything?
[laughter]
- I like to go out for lunch,
get coffee, ice cream.
We like to go shopping, go bowling,
and other activities like that.
- You can eat really fast.
[laughter]
* *
- Switch, jump.
There you go, Taylor.
- I started track in sixth grade.
* *
I compete in long and triple jump.
- Big.
Good job, Tay.
* *
- I think the training with track
has helped me with "Ninja Warrior"
because it's made me faster and more agile on my feet.
- Come on, Tay. - Whoo!
- I made history in my rookie season,
and I'm ready to make more history tonight.
* *
[cheering]
- Taylor Greene is the number 1 seed,
and Judith Carroll is the number 8.
But don't count her out.
She's hit buzzers Down Under.
- Let's go, Judith! - Come on, Judith.
- She'll have some fellow Aussies cheering
her on on the sideline.
And Taylor's got her family over there cheering for her.
Judith Carroll's 5'8".
She's 3 inches taller than Taylor Greene.
[countdown clock beeping]
Yeah, if you want to watch a clinic,
watch Taylor Greene on this one
going up against Judith Carroll.
- Judith Carroll gonna give it her all.
Slight height advantage.
- It's all about the Ninja skills here.
And you can see Taylor just being a little more efficient.
And, Matt, you get to really see how comfortable a Ninja is
on an obstacle, especially about how efficient
and how fast they move on it.
- And Taylor finding her rhythm on the Wingnuts,
right through it.
- You got to be comfortable to move fast.
- And Judith just stays alive on the Wingnuts,
but it's never over till a buzzer is hit.
- And this is a testament to Taylor Greene,
not just about how talented she is but how hard she works.
You can't move on this course like this
if you're not putting in the time.
And she's clearly putting the time in the gym.
- No woman has hit a buzzer tonight.
Taylor Greene got one last year in semis.
This is an upper-body gauntlet,
a real challenging course.
And Judith Carroll is keeping this close!
- Judith realized you got to play the long game on this,
as well, because at any point,
anybody can get pumped out and fall.
A mistake can happen.
So that's why it's important to stay in the race
for Judith Carroll.
- And Taylor Greene loading up.
And she can see Judith Carroll isn't gonna make this easy.
- Yes. - Yes.
- Oh, this is a race, Akbar!
- Judith is putting the pressure on her,
and Taylor Greene knows it.
- Well, Taylor Greene has the edge by being
first to complete Sideways.
- And she is so focused.
We know when Taylor Greene is dialed in,
you can't get her to lose her focus.
- Wow! - And Judith falls off.
- Taylor Greene is going back to Vegas.
But she wants another buzzer.
Can she fight through this?
- Taylor Greene is starting to feel it,
but she's trying to get out of there.
both: Ooh!
- Good job, Taylor!
- A rare fall out of Taylor Greene, but not
before punching her ticket back to Vegas!
- Spin Hopper's been tough tonight.
You have to be so precise with your moves.
It knocked out Judith Carroll at the start
and then, seconds later, got a very tired
Taylor Greene near the end.
[cheering]
- Taylor, awesome job out here tonight.
Look, we are so used to seeing you hit buzzers.
It is a shock to see you wet.
I don't even know what to do right now.
How are you feeling out here?
- Tired. That course, it was hard.
It was a tough one for sure.
I was on that last one, and I was like, this
is-- my arms were giving out.
And so, you know, it just happens.
- Great work out here tonight, though.
- Thank you. - Absolutely.
Matt, Akbar, back to you.
- Well, we're about to class up the joint,
because up next is Donovan Metoyer,
known as the Classy Ninja
because he always wears a suit when he runs.
He'll be going against Iowa's Scott Behrends,
a guy who dresses like, well, a Midwestern dad.
- Donovan Metoyer has a closet full of suits.
And I have a drawer full of T-shirts.
- I'm definitely not going to let Scott outrun me
and definitely not outclass me, because when you look good,
you play good.
- Oh!
- Oh, he did a 360!
- I'm gonna hit that course in my Iowa tuxedo.
- Donovan sporting a classy drip.
Scott with the dad drip.
- Well, there are big stakes in this race
for the Behrends family.
If the loser doesn't hit a buzzer,
Scott's son, Ben, will be locked in as one
of the top two non-winners.
- Two of our oldest still left in the competition--
Donovan's 36, and Scott Behrends' 42.
[countdown clock beeping]
- All right, here we go.
- Good start for Metoyer.
- Well, he's the running man in the suit.
- Donovan missed out on Vegas last year,
so he was hungry to get back.
- Seeing how efficient they can be.
Metoyer making some smooth links there.
- Donovan Metoyer's six years younger.
He's able to stay just a step ahead of Papa Behrends.
- Scott Behrends doing his best to keep it close.
Metoyer got about a half-obstacle lead--
a little hesitation on Sideways.
- Now, this Sideways is a little more difficult
than that double Windsor knot that he has in his tie.
- And here comes Scott Behrends!
Look at this, Akbar! - Oh!
Where did Behrends come from?
- But then Donovan sensing it.
[cheering]
- Metoyer the first one off of Sideways.
- Metoyer is taking off on Spin Hopper.
Behrends needs to get going.
- OK, here we go. - Oh, my!
- Donovan Metoyer's gonna need enough fresh material
to get through this one.
Oh! - And Scott's down!
- Donovan Metoyer, the Classy Ninja,
better get a suit for Las Vegas
'cause he's going to Sin City!
- Finish strong.
You don't want this suit in the cleaners.
- Donovan, you got it!
- Nice.
- Well, a nice win for Donovan Metoyer.
- Nice!
- After an early exit last season,
he's going to be going back to Las Vegas
and looking sharp while doing it.
[cheering]
[buzzer blares] - Hey!
Donovan, are we going to see that same suit?
Or are you going to have something special, because
you're going to Vegas, buddy!
- Whoo! - Congratulations!
Go catch your breath, Classy!
- Thank you!
- And it's not all bad for the Behrends.
Zuri's going to share some good news.
- Scott, incredible run out here.
And I know you were hoping to get back to Vegas.
But the silver lining is that your fall
actually means that Ben is going to the national finals.
- Let's go!
- So you're going to Vegas regardless.
You get to cheer on your kiddo.
Does that work?
- I'll take that every time. - Well, there it is.
Congratulations, Ben.
Great work out there, Scott.
Guys, back to you.
- When we come back, we're going racing
for the Safety Pass.
And right now, that would be Kai Beckstrand
and Kaden Lebsack.
Their race last year was epic.
We may have a rematch when
"American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Semifinals roll on from Universal Studios.
And minutes ago, it was the women's number 4 seed,
Utah nurse and mom Mady Howard taking on
the number 5 seed, Colorado engineer Jaelyn Bennett.
After a friendly handshake--
- Aw, look at that.
- --these two showed they are fierce competitors.
They kept it close through the early obstacles.
- They are side by side.
- Mady's been to the national finals
three times, while Jaelyn was trying to earn
her first trip to Vegas.
- Oh!
And Jaelyn down.
- But her fall on Sideways gave the win
to Mady Howard, who's the first mom to punch
her ticket to Vegas this year.
Jaelyn came up short.
But now her boyfriend, Austin Gray,
will see if he can earn a ticket to Vegas.
The two-time Ninja runner-up is one of the best.
He'll be facing Pittsburgh's Barry Boyd,
who had an impressive rookie season last year.
These two are similar in age and weight,
but Austin Gray's got a lot more experience.
This is his seventh season, but it's
only Barry Boyd's second.
Barry's a father of two.
His family's watching back in Pittsburgh.
Austin's got Jaelyn and other Colorado ninjas
on his sideline.
[countdown clock beeping]
Austin Gray's trying to get to Vegas for the fifth time.
But Barry is no slouch.
He made it to Vegas last year as a rookie.
- Oh, nice.
Austin Gray feels the pressure.
He sees it.
- He's taking a peek over at Barry.
- But Barry Boyd keeping it real close.
Oh, I'm liking this race.
- Ooh, OK, Barry's not intimidated.
Yes, Austin Gray has more experience, but Barry Boyd,
very competitive.
- This is just a half step behind him.
What a race this is shaping up to be.
And this is a great tempo, too, for Barry Boyd.
He's not putting himself in a bad position.
- Oh!
- Oh, now he's trying to get the lead.
- And Austin first off, that is a big advantage
going into Spin Hopper.
We've seen a lot of falls here.
- Barry Boyd's keeping the pressure on.
- Austin sees him, feels him behind him.
- If he keeps up this pace and hits a buzzer,
Barry Boyd could still make it to Vegas
as one of the top non-winners.
- I like this.
Barry is not backing down for nobody!
- Austin Gray, I don't think he expected
this much of a match-up.
Barry Boyd trying his best, but Austin-- ooh!
Oh, boy, here we go!
Here we go!
- Won't be fast enough for the Safety Pass, but still fast.
[buzzer blares]
And Austin's going back to Vegas.
- Credit to Barry Boyd-- - Nice.
- --pushing Austin Gray.
- And he's going to be fast enough to be
one of our top non-winners.
So they're both going to the national finals.
[cheering]
- Barry Boyd kept it close early
and really closed the gap on Sideways.
That put the pressure on Austin Gray,
who made a quick dismount to pull ahead
and get to the buzzer first.
And, Barry, I got good news.
You are the second-fastest non-winner, meaning
you are going back to Vegas.
[cheering]
- That's awesome. Thank you, guys.
Appreciate it. - Go celebrate.
- Nice job, man.
- Good job. - Good race.
- And so look at this.
We're going to get the rematch we all wanted to see.
Our two fastest, Kai Beckstrand and Kaden Lebsack,
will face each other in our Safety Pass race.
That run by Austin Gray was
the fifth fastest of the night.
But all of the winners will be moving
on to the national finals, which start in a few weeks.
And as we said, Barry Boyd joins
Ben Behrends as the non-winners going to Vegas.
The women's leaderboard is topped by teenagers
Violet Kepo'o and Taylor Greene.
And so now the only thing left is a race for the Safety Pass,
which gives you a second chance if you
fall in the national finals.
It's going to be a battle between two of the best
ninjas in the world.
You've got Colorado's Kaden Lebsack,
a two-time Last Ninja Standing, racing against
Utah's Kai Beckstrand,
who had the fastest time earlier
tonight by almost 15 seconds.
It's a rematch of one of the best races in Ninja history.
These two met in last season's Safety Pass race,
and it was spectacular.
- Let's see how it turns out.
- Now these two elite ninjas get a chance to do it again.
- Kaden is just throwing himself around.
- I've definitely never pushed it
as hard as I had to with Kai.
He's probably one of the fastest ninjas in the world.
I had to give it everything I got.
- Oh!
He took an extra swing!
- That one back swing was the difference-maker
between winning or losing.
- Oh, my goodness!
[buzzer blares]
- Unbelievable!
- Kai had the fastest time of the night.
I'm going to have to turn on the jets,
and I'm going to have to throw some crazy moves
to keep up with him.
- So this season, going against Kaden once again,
I know I have to go all out because not
having the Safety Pass last season definitely cost me.
- Uh-oh!
- Oh, the speed kills!
- I want the Safety Pass more than anything.
I'm super ready.
[dramatic music]
[cheering]
- Everybody and they mama want to see this race!
- These two are really gonna push each other.
[countdown clock beeping]
- They may not only break the course,
they might break the internet tonight.
- They could break the sound barrier!
Look at them going sideways, linking it.
- Oh, here we go!
Both of them got their caps on backwards.
Oh, they ready!
Oh, my, Kai just half a move ahead and just a touch faster.
Oh, this is it! Look at Kai Beckstrand!
Look at the way he's linking it!
Oh, my goodness!
- Well, this is very reminiscent of last year.
It was on Spin Hopper where Kaden made up ground.
- Wow, those are some damn hot links right there!
- Oh, my goodness! - Wow, are you kidding me?
Can Kai finish it? - Come on!
- Yes, he can!
- Oh, my goodness!
- Kai Beckstrand gets his revenge with the fastest
time we've seen on the course!
- Holy moly!
- * I hit them with the turbo *
- They both linked every move early.
But the critical moment was on Wingnuts, where Kaden
took just one extra swing.
Kai had a scary moment on Sideways, but even with that,
he spent less than five seconds on each obstacle.
- Well, Kai, he got you last year.
This year, it's your year.
How good was it to get that buzzer, buddy?
- It felt so good to get that rematch against Kaden.
He's just such a well-rounded competitor.
And he may not show it always on the speed,
but the dude can fly.
[chuckles]
- And Kaden, you finally lost your hat, man.
- I did, I did.
- Is that your superpower? - Maybe.
- Boys, I can't thank you enough.
Once again, you gave us the race of the year.
And we'll see you both in Vegas!
- Let's go. - Let's go.
- Well, the night's not done.
When we come back, we've got a whole new group of ninjas.
We'll see the reigning Women's Champion, Addy Herman.
- And she does it!
- And it's the last season for Najee Richardson.
Can he earn a trip to Vegas?
Or will this be his final run?
Plus, good friends and two of the all-time greats,
Sean Bryan and David Campbell, will have
to race each other,
all coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
- * Hit them with the turbo *
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior."
- We're in the semifinals.
That means all racing all night.
We just saw our first group of ninjas
punch their ticket to Vegas.
- Now in our second hour, some all-time
greats will get their shot.
[thunder rumbles]
And we're going to kick it off with our new women's champion,
Massachusetts teenager Addy Herman,
trying to get back to Vegas for the third straight year.
She's facing a tough competitor,
California clothing designer Brittney Durant.
These two raced each other last year,
and it was a thriller.
- Yeah, their measurements are very close, Matt.
It's gonna come down to who wants it the most.
- Last year, Addy was the number
1 seed and a heavy favorite.
But Brittney stayed with her every step of the way.
- You want to get to Vegas, you got to get through this
one here!
Oh!
- Durant goes down, and Herman has done it!
- Wow!
- Addy not only advanced to the national finals,
she took the crown as the new women's champ.
- It's a vertical sprint for Addy Herman.
- Oh, my!
Addy Herman does it!
Our new women's champion!
Now she finds herself facing Brittney again
for a return trip to Vegas.
- I know Brittney, after last year,
has been training to beat me.
And I know she's gonna put up a strong fight.
- I've been waiting for redemption.
If I have to go through Addy to get to Vegas,
I'm gonna do just that.
[dramatic music]
- So Brittney's looking for revenge, while Addy's hoping
not only for a win but to get her first buzzer
in the regular season.
She'll be cheered on by her family and boyfriend
Noah Meunier, who's on the left.
He'll be running next.
[countdown clock beeping]
Addy Herman's coming in with a lot of confidence
after winning the women's championship.
But don't overlook Brittney Durant.
- Addy Herman first onto the Flying Shelf Grab.
Oh, my.
- Oh, and now Brittney's out ahead.
Get it, get it, get it!
Nice!
- Then Addy links it, finishing almost in sync!
- You can see it here, you can't take that extra swing.
Nice!
- This is amazing!
- Nice!
- How even is this race?
And they land at the same time!
- Oh, man!
I'm not sure how this one's gonna end!
- Brittney Durant and Addy Herman neck and neck!
- This is what I call a Ninja fight!
- Addy getting a little daylight here.
Oh!
- But I'm not sure who finished
the previous obstacle first.
So Addy needs to get through this.
And she does it.
[cheering]
- She wins this rematch, but she
was pushed by Brittney Durant.
Now Addy can focus on getting her first regular
season buzzer.
- Wait it out, and you'll get that buzzer.
Let's go!
- But Spin Hopper is a tough obstacle
when you got tired arms.
We saw a lot of falls here already tonight.
- And a strong ascent.
- But it's that decline, Matt.
That's where you got to really keep your core tight,
come in compact.
[cheering]
Fighting against gravity on the down.
- Only three women finished the semifinals course
last year, Addy trying to be the first this season.
- [screaming]
- She's so close!
- Addy Herman!
Yes! Yes!
And Addy Herman gets the first buzzer of her career!
Look at the emotions!
* *
- That is just raw, genuine emotion.
[cheering]
- Get over here!
- You get to add that buzzer to your Ninja
resume, your first one.
How does it feel?
- I didn't know anything could feel this good.
I'm like-- I'm in so much shock.
I'm so grateful for all of this.
This is crazy.
- You know, you got your boyfriend,
your mom, your family, your friends.
They're all in tears right now.
They're in tears!
- Oh, my gosh.
I can't even believe this.
This is crazy.
- Go celebrate with your family and friends!
- These ninjas work so hard,
so it's an emotional moment when
they get their first buzzer.
And Addy just got hers on a very tough semifinals course.
[cheering]
And what a celebration!
She won the women's championship
earlier this year.
But I think she may be more excited for this.
Still to come, hair today, gone tomorrow.
An old-school and new-school ninja go head-to-head.
- He is very intimidating.
He is a jacked dude.
- Plus-- - Come on, Joseph!
- Joe Meissner's come a long way in his Ninja journey.
- I realized that I needed to cut some weight
to get better at this sport.
- Tonight, he'll race one of his idols,
James "The Beast" McGrath on "American Ninja Warrior."
- The Paris Olympics start July 26th on NBC and Peacock.
And our competition rolls on here at Universal Studios.
It was a battle of the Bay State minutes ago
as Boston police officer John Uga
tried to outrun Lakeville, Massachusetts,
teenager Noah Meunier.
- John, you just got to chase this suspect!
- Meunier, who's a number 3 seed,
made it to stage 4 as a rookie last season.
And he jumped out to an early lead.
- John Uga might need to call for backup.
- The police officer tried to stay in hot pursuit
and made it to the fourth obstacle.
Ooh!
But he wasn't gonna catch Noah Meunier,
who locked up his second straight trip
to the national finals.
Then it was another Massachusetts native,
Foxborough's Taylor Johnson, better known as Teej,
racing against New York teenager Emily Gardiner.
- All right, here we go! - Teej is only 4'11".
And Emily Gardiner is only 5'2".
But these two rose to the occasion.
- So close, so close.
- They matched each other link for link through Wingnuts.
But Teej was the first to dismount.
- If you want it, you got to go get it.
- So when Emily--
- Oh!
- --and then Taylor--
- No!
- --both fell on Sideways, Johnson got the win.
She's going to Vegas for the second straight year.
- Whoo!
Yeah, Teej!
Now Emily's boyfriend, Rhode Island
teenager Kevin Rodriguez, or K-Rod, gets his chance.
His opponent is army veteran and physician assistant,
Verdale Benson, who's 43.
And at 200 pounds, Verdale is carrying a lot more
muscle and a lot less hair.
- People say that me, Luke Dylan, and Noah Meunier
have very similar hair.
I feel like we kind of noticed it when our girlfriends
actually noticed it.
They couldn't tell the difference between us.
- Sometimes, from the back, I mistake Kevin
for Luke and Luke for Kevin.
- It could have something to do with the fact
that we get it cut at the same place.
- Kevin's mom's.
- Hi, Mom.
- Hi, baby.
[upbeat music]
- * I'm feeling pretty *
* Let me introduce myself *
- When they come in, they don't ask me,
oh, cut my hair like Kevin.
No, they just said, all right, Kim, my hair's too long.
* *
And somehow, they come out looking almost similar.
[laughs]
- * I'm feeling pretty *
* Let me introduce myself *
- Verdale Benson, he is very intimidating.
He is a jacked dude.
He's got 55 pounds on me.
I gotta make sure I avoid him and get through that course
because I got to keep that hair dry, you know?
* *
- K-Rod's got his curly-haired buddies,
Luke and Noah, on the sideline, along with
girlfriend Emily Gardiner.
- Matt, I got to stick up for the bald guys.
I like Verdale's look.
- David Campbell likes that look, too.
He's leading the cheers for Verdale.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, K-Rod better respect this elder because
Verdale Benson ain't no joke.
Look how explosive he is!
- Wow, come on!
- Verdale bounding out.
- Better put some respect on that age!
- K-Rod starting to pull ahead.
He made it to Vegas last season as a rookie.
- Verdale has been to Vegas also,
but it was five years ago.
- But he looks strong, Matt.
It's about finishing strong.
- K-Rod got the edge here on the Wingnuts.
- Considering the big age difference--
- He's not that far behind.
- Well, K-Rod is also 50 pounds lighter.
And on this upper-body-intensive course,
that seems to be giving him the edge so far.
- Well, Verdale's got some sort of advantage.
He does have the experience.
He's a seven-time Ninja veteran.
- Absolutely.
And it's never over till you hit a buzzer.
But Verdale is down!
So K-Rod is moving on.
Now he's gonna go for a buzzer.
Oh!
- Well, they both splashed down.
But it's Kevin Rodriguez who gets the win.
He can shake out that hair.
He's going to Vegas for the second straight year.
- Up next, we have got Ninja greats past and present.
Jamie Rahn has been hitting buzzers for 14 years.
Captain NBC started flying through courses
when his opponent, Jay "Lache" Lewis,
was still in kindergarten.
And not only is Jamie older,
he's 45 pounds heavier
than Jay, who's already made
it to stage four in
his impressive young career.
- Well, Jay Lewis, all he does is hit buzzers.
And he does it fast.
The pressure's going to be on Jamie Rahn.
Jay Lache does not need a cape to fly, he just does it.
[countdown clock beeping]
Jamie Rahn, a 6-inch height advantage.
But Jay Lache-- a quick start.
- And they don't call him Jay Lache for nothing.
He's going to fly through this.
- Look at that, just links it so smooth.
- And you can see the difference
between the new-age ninjas.
These guys just go.
- Now, these ninjas grew up watching Jamie Rahn.
And he's got a lot of respect on Jamie Rahn's name.
He knows.
But he is not gonna back down to the elder statesman.
- Jamie Rahn-- you can just see it--
doing his best to keep up.
But Lache, a blistering pace.
- Jamie Rahn might need his cape for this one.
- You know, Jay "Lache" Lewis wants
a shot at that Safety Pass.
- He earned one two years ago.
Didn't need to use it, as he made
it all the way to stage 4.
Twice in his career he's had the fastest
time in semifinals.
And he's got a shot to do that again tonight.
He beat Noah Meunier's time.
[buzzer blares]
- That's how you do it.
- Jay Lache came to play.
- The fastest time so far in this second group.
There's a good chance we'll see him racing for the Safety Pass
at the end of the night.
- Let's go, Jamie!
- But keep in mind, there are still the top
two non-winner positions.
If Jamie Rahn gets a buzzer, he could
still be going back to Vegas.
- Oh!
- Jamie Rahn splashes down.
Jay Lache does it again.
You just had the fastest time in your group.
- That's what we like to hear, baby!
- As of now, you'll be racing for Safety
at the end of this night, pal.
- Yeah, I mean, I'd like that. No complaints there.
We'll pull out some more tricks.
- Go celebrate, Jay.
- Thank you.
- Coming up, two of the all-time greats--
the Godfather, David Campbell,
will be racing good friend Sean Bryan, the Papal Ninja.
It's one for the ages.
And we'll see it next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- New Jersey's Brandon Singletary
and New York's Ramcis Valdez both hit their first buzzers
back in qualifying.
Tonight, they went toe to toe, both trying
to get their second buzzer.
- Let it go. Let it flow.
- Valdez was the higher seed.
And he made it to Vegas last year.
But he was pushed by the underdog, Singletary.
- They are side by side.
- But when Valdez went down on Sideways--
- Ooh! Oh!
- --that opened the door for Singletary, who finished
Sideways to seal the win.
- Let's go, Brandon!
Though he fell on Spin Hopper, it didn't matter.
He earned his first trip to the national finals.
Then it was two teenagers who also hit buzzers
in qualifying, Ohio's Noah Buschur
and Massachusetts' Jacob Arnstein.
These two only weigh 120 pounds each,
but they attacked the obstacles
like Ninja heavyweights.
- Oh, they're not playing. They're not playing.
- Arnstein was the higher seed, and he
was able to pull slightly ahead of the rookie Buschur
as they both took on Sideways.
- He wiped it!
- Buschur's fall gave Arnstein a clear path
to hit the buzzer.
- Jacob Arnstein just drove home this race.
- And he earned his second trip to the national finals.
[buzzer blares]
[dramatic music]
* *
- Sean Bryan and David Campbell have
been on each other's sidelines for nearly a decade.
But now these longtime training partners
will have to race each other.
And while they're two of the oldest
ninjas in the competition, they can still reach new heights.
[soft music]
* *
- Back in 2022, I got my private pilot certificate.
- Concord tower, frequency change approved.
Have a safe flight.
- I love taking friends up in the plane,
especially my Ninja friends.
I took David Campbell up the other day.
- Hey, Sean, who's your co-pilot?
- God is my co-pilot.
- Godfather is his co-pilot.
I definitely enjoy being Sean Bryan's wingman.
It's a lot of fun.
He lets me take the controls.
We did some circles around the Golden Gate Bridge
and Alcatraz.
And you know, he always takes us
in with a very smooth landing.
* *
- I haven't done dead hangs in way too long.
- I have a lot of mixed feelings
about this race coming up.
- Oh, no!
If you're gonna fall, don't make it fall on me.
- We train together a lot.
We're really great friends.
- Yeah.
- If you looked up "OG" in the Ninja dictionary,
David Campbell would be there.
I mean, he was the first one to create an obstacle
course in his backyard.
That was before gyms even existed.
He's organized his whole life, his job, and everything
around being able to train.
Nice.
And he's not slowing down.
Yep, nice.
- Sean Bryan's a pilot, but tonight, I'm
going to show him how I fly.
[dramatic music]
* *
[cheering]
- Look at this, 46 years old, but the Godfather's
whipping off the shirt.
- And now Sean Bryan is taking off his shirt.
Oh, they're gonna wear each other's shirts.
That right there is the ultimate sign of respect.
Sean Bryan's always got a big group to watch his runs,
as does the Godfather--
two huge crowd favorites.
[both chanting] Godfather!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Here we go!
- Whoa!
- And David Campbell off to a fast start!
- Bounding out!
Oh, now here comes Sean Bryan!
- Two of the most experienced ninjas.
Campbell's competed on every season of "Ninja Warrior."
Sean Bryan's competed on nine.
- There you go!
- And this is where Sean Bryan comes
alive, here on the Wingnuts.
- A gymnast, knows how to launch his body in the air.
- And he's already through Wingnuts.
These two Warriors are both battling,
but the Papal Ninja's setting the pace.
- Pulling away from Campbell, onto Sideways,
Sean Bryan rising to the occasion.
But here comes the Godfather.
- Sean Bryan told the Godfather,
don't you get my shirt wet.
Nice!
- And a good, long launch there onto Spin Hopper.
- And I like it, Sean Bryan not even looking back.
He just knows he's got to run his race.
- Well, we've seen a lot of falls tonight here
on Spin Hopper, so it's not over.
And Campbell may be thinking at this point,
I'm not gonna catch Sean Bryan,
so I'll take my time and finish.
Then I have a chance to be one of the top non-winners.
- That got him to Vegas last year.
- Sean Bryan's not slowing down, on his way
down the backside of Spin Hopper.
This is an impressive run for a guy pushing 40.
- Sean Bryan's not messing around.
- Here we go, coming in for a landing.
Nailed it!
So the Papal Ninja takes out the Godfather!
He's going to the national finals
for the seventh time in his career.
- Whoo!
And it's not over for David Campbell yet.
If he can finish, he could still be one of our top two
non-winners and move on.
- Oh! - No!
Oh, wow.
- And the Godfather sleeps with the fishes.
- And he pays his respect to the Papal Ninja.
So Sean Bryan's the winner.
Viewers at home can be winners, too,
in our "American Ninja Warrior" sweepstakes,
presented by the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card.
Go to nbc.com/anwsweeps to learn more.
Up next, a young ninja who had a memorable debut
in qualifying, it's Ohio's Sydney Yee,
the Boy Scout with an IQ in the genius range.
She'll be trying to outrun six-time Ninja
veteran Casey Rothschild.
- Big differences between these two--
Casey's 10 years older and 8 inches taller
than Sydney, who's only 5 feet.
- But Sydney's used to taking on taller opponents.
She faced 6'2" Sasha Moore in the runoff race
back in qualifying and won.
[cheering]
- Sydney, our youngest athlete competing tonight,
and one of the smallest.
You can see the size difference as they bump fists.
Sydney's initials are S-L-Y, so she
calls herself the Sly Ninja.
She's got a big crowd here, with mentor
Michelle Warnky and her baby watching back in Ohio.
- Yay!
- Casey's mom and friend are on the sideline, where
they're waving the pride flag.
Casey's a big LGBTQ advocate.
- Whoo!
[countdown clock beeping]
Casey's earned a trip to the national finals twice before.
She's a former college track athlete
and is not afraid to go fast.
- Well, she raced last year in the semis.
Lost to 4'11" Taylor Johnson.
So she's got to have a healthy respect
for 5-foot-tall Sydney Yee.
- And Rothschild first off the Flying Shelf Grab
and right onto Wingnuts.
Yeah, Casey's got the upper hand and experience.
But now look at this. - Wow.
Yee's caught back up.
They're neck and neck. - Big dismount.
- Yee wants it.
And Yee's got the advantage because she's
looking at Casey Rothschild.
- Well, she also has the advantage--
she was the first one to touch down.
So if they both fall--
Yee is down.
- But Rothschild has to complete the obstacle--
- Oh!
- Oh, no!
- 5-foot Sydney Yee does it again.
She finished the previous obstacle first,
so she gets the win.
- Yeah! - Good job, Sydney!
That was awesome. - Whoo!
- Well, watch the feet.
Sydney's toes touch down just a fraction
of a second before Casey.
And when they both fell on the same obstacle,
Sydney got the win.
[cheering]
- So the 15-year-old is going to Vegas!
- Yeah, Sydney!
- What a year it's been for the 5-foot-tall high-schooler.
- Coming up, this ninja was down to skin and bones.
And he's still fighting this devastating disease.
Now Gavin Obey's fighting for a spot in Vegas.
We'll see him next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Three of our top seeds got their shot at the course
while we were away.
The number 2 men's seed,
New Jersey teenager Josiah Pippel,
faced the number 23 seed, the rapping Wall Street
worker, Guang Cui.
Pippel, who's made it as far as stage 4 in Vegas,
set the pace early and built up
a comfortable lead over Guang.
- Only hope Guang has right now is
for Josiah to make a mistake.
And it doesn't look like Josiah is going to fall.
- Pippel was able to coast through the six obstacles--
- He's going to propel himself to the top.
- --and secured his fourth straight
trip to the national finals.
- Cui, though much slower, looked like he
might get a buzzer, too.
But he fell at the very end of Spin Hopper.
- Sha-na-na!
- The number 1 men's seed in this group,
Pennsylvania's Matt Bradley, was facing
the number 24 seed, Stanford PhD student, Vincent Pane.
Though a huge underdog, Pane had a slight lead
through the first obstacle.
- OK, Vincent Pane.
- But after that, Bradley turned on the jets
and surged ahead over the final obstacle.
- And he is hoppin' through Spin Hopper,
looking like a grasshopper.
- Bradley finished with the second-fastest time so far.
He's got a chance to race for the Safety Pass.
- Yes!
- Pane was able to complete Spin Hopper.
- Oh!
- And though he didn't finish, he's now the top non-winner
and could move on to Vegas.
Then it was the number-one women's seed,
New Jersey's Abby Clark, facing the number 8 seed,
Arizona rookie JoJo Grubesic.
Clark got a buzzer in qualifying.
And she put the pressure on the teenager, Grubesic.
- She's falling behind a little bit.
- And when the rookie fell--
- Oh!
- --Clark, the seven-time Ninja veteran,
could take her time and try to become
the second woman tonight to finish a semis course.
- She likes the feel of the buzzer.
She wants another one.
- And she looked like she might get it.
She was on the descent of Spin Hopper.
- Oh!
- And though she just missed it,
she did earn her third trip to Vegas.
- Up next, we've got the number 8 seed, New Jersey
teenager James Sannella.
He has made it as far as stage 2 at the national finals
two years ago.
He'll be the favorite against the 17 seed Gavin Obey,
a 5'3" rookie who's happy to be here
'cause eight years ago, he was fighting for his life.
- When I was 10, I started getting really sick.
I lost, like, 10 pounds in like a week and a half.
I was bare bone.
And at the worst, I was down to 40 pounds.
- He took off his shirt, you could see
all his bones and everything.
It was pretty scary as a parent.
- If you could just open your mouth wide, good.
- Throughout a lot of doctor visits, they eventually
diagnosed me with Crohn's.
- So we're going to use this arm here today.
- Yep, OK.
Every eight weeks, I have to go down to Boston Children's.
- Gavin went into remission within just two years.
- I remember the nurse came up to me who
had seen him the year before.
And she had said how much better he looked, which was
nice to hear he looked better.
- So how are you doing?
- My system's been pretty perfect, yeah.
- Good. Any belly pain at all, or--
- No, we've been good, yeah.
All right, right here. You're good.
Rise up, spot your hands. Yup.
There we go. Nice.
- I think he's a fantastic role model because he's never
let it hold him back at all.
- Get it.
Nice.
Real smooth.
Tonight, I'm running for everyone
who has Crohn's disease.
And I'm kind of proving that, with Crohn's,
you can still do anything that you put your mind to.
[cheering]
- Just amazing that he's here and with a chance to make
it to the national finals.
His parents are on the sidelines.
And his doctor watching back in Boston.
- She's got to be real proud of her patient.
James Sannella's dad leading his group.
- Sannella had a fast time in qualifying.
Obey's gonna have to work to keep up with him.
[countdown clock beeping]
Sannella's got a 5-inch height advantage
on the 5'3" Obey.
- Sannella's been to stage 2.
He's got more experience.
But Gavin Obey's hanging right in there with him.
- These teenagers matching each other move for move
as they take on Wingnuts.
- Matt, this looks like synchro Ninja right here!
- What a race between these two.
They are really pushing each other.
- A little hesitation out of Obey.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Oh, my God!
- I mean, they are not letting up.
This is it. This is what it comes down to.
This is what it looks like. You want it, go get it.
- Oh!
- Sannella is down, but I couldn't tell who finished
the previous obstacle first.
- But if Obey can finish Spin Hopper, it won't matter.
He'll be the winner, after all his medical issues,
just out here crushing this course.
- Ooh, hoo-hoo!
- Gavin Obey, what a performance!
Wow!
[buzzer blares]
Not only his first buzzer, but misses the fastest
time by just a half second.
He could be racing for the Safety Pass.
- Matt, Obey is the one!
- What was it like getting that first buzzer, buddy?
- That was really cool.
A dream come true.
- And on top of that, you've got the second fastest
time of this group.
You might be racing for the Safety Pass.
- All right, that's pretty cool.
- We'll see you in Vegas, buddy!
[cheering]
Our next race features one of the great names
in Ninja history.
It's James "The Beast" McGrath.
The 37-year-old started competing back
in season 2 of "Ninja Warrior."
And tonight, he's facing an opponent 16 years
younger who grew up idolizing him,
New Jersey's Joe Meissner.
- James McGrath, he's got the frog hop going.
- I was seven years old when I first saw "Ninja Warrior."
And I instantly fell in love with it.
But I definitely was not in the best shape.
* *
A little bit on the chubby side.
You know, realized that I needed to cut
some weight to get better at this sport.
So I started going to the gym more.
I went to my first Ninja event.
And James McGrath was there.
And I remember I got his autograph signature,
got pictures with him.
- I remember when I first met Joe, he was just
a chubby little 12-year-old.
It goes to show that this sport's for everybody.
You've just got to be willing to put in the work.
- The fact that I started out as a 10-year-old
kid to now racing up against the Beast,
it's kind of surreal.
And I'm going to give it everything I got tonight.
- Joe Meissner trying to earn his first trip to Vegas.
He'll have his dad on the sideline.
The Beast has been to the finals eight times.
His fiancée, Alyssa Beird, who's injured,
will be cheering for him.
- Let's go, James!
- Joe Meissner's gone from posing with his idol
to now trying to beat him.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Youth versus experience.
Joe is gonna show him what he's got.
He's country strong.
- Nin-Joe pushing the pace.
- Nin-Joe's got to be country quick, too.
- McGrath, a lot of power and the first off of the shelf.
- And you can see McGrath got a glance
and saw Meissner pulling ahead.
- Meissner's staying focused.
- The Beast has the experience, but he's
16 years older than Meissner and starting
to fall a little behind.
- James McGrath, he's a car with a lot of miles on it.
Joe Meissner's got that young engine.
- Nice.
- But here comes the Beast.
- But remember, the Beast, he knows
how to go into overdrive.
Well, that's big-- Meissner, the first one off Sideways.
Spin Hopper has been a separator.
- Come on, Joe.
- Well, McGrath looking a little shocked here.
And you can just see this pace is
taking its toll on the Beast.
- Wow, this is interesting, too, to see James
McGrath sitting there waiting.
- Get to that bar, bro! Come on!
- He can't just hope for Meissner to fall.
- The Beast, man, just figured that's the only chance
of getting through this.
- And now the Beast is trying to make a comeback!
- It might be a little too late.
- Gets to the rope climb.
And Joe Meissner's gonna get the win over his idol.
[buzzer blares]
But McGrath still pushing.
He's still got a chance to move on.
- If Beast can get to that rope climb and get a buzzer--
- He could be one of our top non-winners.
And he could be going to Vegas, as well.
[buzzer blares]
- And the Beast battles his way to the end.
But it's Joe Meissner who wins the race.
- Whoo!
- Still couple more runners to go, but there's
a good chance we'll see both these guys in Vegas.
[cheering]
Still to come, this could be it for the retiring
Najee Richardson.
He'll be facing one of the ninjas he's inspired--
Xavier Dantzler.
Don't miss what may be the final run of the Phoenix
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- A storm blew through our course minutes ago.
That's because the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky, the ninja
with more buzzers than anyone else in history,
came out to face Yale University student
David Fleming, who's in
just his second season.
- Moravsky, the 34-year-old father of three,
set the pace early, jumping out to a lead
on the first few obstacles.
- 34 years old, he can fly with the best of them.
- And when Fleming fell on Wingnuts--
- Oh!
- --The Weatherman stormed his way to the third
best time of the night, just missing
out on the Safety Pass race.
But he's still got his record-setting
30-second career buzzer.
- Well, I can't wait to see you in Vegas, man.
- Whoo!
- Guys, Najee Richardson says this will be his last season.
And his legendary career could end on this race
unless he can outrun 19-year-old Xavier Dantzler.
If this is it for the Phoenix, he
walks away as an iconic athlete
and an even bigger role model.
- Growing up, I always looked up to Najee Richardson
because it was an African-American
person representing the sport of Ninja.
- Yeah!
- So to see that was just so inspirational for me
and my entire family.
- That was always the goal, was just to get out there
and hopefully inspire people.
- Oh!
- Oh, my goodness!
[buzzer blares]
- So knowing that I did that, it means a lot.
And it just reiterates for me that I
feel like I've done everything that I
need to do in this sport.
[upbeat music]
It's really cool to see my former students come up,
and they are the kings of the sport now.
Nice.
- If Najee's stepping away from the show,
I know it's very sad for everybody.
But hopefully I can inspire kids the way
that he inspired me.
- So much respect between these two,
they've swapped shirts.
Najee's wearing the X, and Xavier
is wearing the iconic Phoenix on his chest.
X's mom is here, along with Najee's wife.
And his parents watching back in Philly.
- Come on!
- Nobody wants to miss what could be his final run.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Here we go.
Nice.
Najee Richardson doing Najee Richardson things here.
He likes to fly.
And we know he's got several Guinness World Records
when it comes to Lacheing.
Nobody can do it like Najee can,
the Wingnuts-- his specialty.
Let's see if he can link them.
- He might skip one and go to the next one.
That's how far he can go.
Nice!
- Really putting the pressure on X, but X keeping it close!
- Well, X is gonna have to give it to him.
Nice.
- Well, this is where the young motor
starts to catch up.
- You can see Najee--
I love his plan here-- get out ahead, put
the pressure on the young kid.
Let the young kid catch you.
- Najee's trying to get back to the national finals
for the sixth time.
He heads toward Spin Hopper.
- Come on!
- You see Najee trying to see where X is, but I say--
- Oh, no!
Najee splashes down!
- What the what!
- And this changes things.
Look at this again.
Najee just slipped right off the second handle.
And that could be his last run on a Ninja course.
- Now it's all up to Xavier Dantzler.
If he gets through Spin Hopper, he'll win the race.
And Najee's career will be over.
- How poetic.
Najee's fate rests in the hands of one of the young
ninjas he helped train.
- But X has got to survive Spin Hopper.
- Now playing, "American Ninja Warrior."
This is a drama series.
This race has just turned into a drama series.
- And as he's done his entire career,
Najee's supporting his fellow competitor.
He's such a class act.
He's cheering for Xavier Dantzler
and you can see he's happy for his success.
- This is it.
He's got to hold on.
- And X-- - Nice!
- --has taken down the Phoenix in the race.
Xavier Dantzler
got his first buzzer in qualifying.
Here in the Semis, he's getting his second.
What a rise for X!
[buzzer blares]
- But it unfortunately means we say
goodbye to Najee Richardson.
One of the all-time greats, and he goes out with a smile.
He will be missed.
So checking the leaderboard, Jay Lewis
and rookie Gavin Obey end up with the fastest times.
They're about to race for the Safety Pass.
All of tonight's winners move on to the national finals,
which start in a few weeks.
And that run by Xavier Dantzler means he'll be going
to Vegas for the first time.
The top two non-winners who will be moving on
are James McGrath and Vincent Pane.
On the women's side, Addy Herman leads the way.
All these ninjas will be taking on
stage 1 in a few weeks.
But we got one final race--
a sprint for the Safety Pass.
And it's one person we expected to be here
and one we didn't.
It's Jay "Lache" Lewis, a top ninja who's been as far
as stage 4 in Vegas, taking on a newcomer,
5'3" Gavin Obey, who battles Crohn's disease.
- Matt, Gavin Obey shocked us in his race earlier.
He finished less than second behind Jay Lache.
So don't count this kid out.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Jay Lache earned a Safety Pass two years ago.
He knows how to handle the pressure.
But how will the rookie hold up?
- Who will blink?
Obey first off! - Gavin ain't backing down.
He said, I don't care what your name is!
- What a race!
These two really pushing the envelope!
- Oh!
Obey said, I'm the one!
- Now Lewis slightly ahead!
- Oh, my goodness.
Here we go, Matt! We've got a race!
- Ho-ho!
This course is on fire!
- Nice!
And now Lache's slightly ahead!
Now, this is very easy on the Spin Hopper to make a mistake.
What the heck is going on here?
- You can't even think about it!
Go, go, go!
It's gonna come down to the rope!
- This is fast and furious!
- Jay Lache delivers it!
- Whoa!
- What a race!
Gavin Obey gave it his all,
but it's Jay Lache getting Safety!
That's it for tonight.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."
[dramatic music]
* *