- They've been training for this moment
nearly their entire lives.
- Yes.
I mean, I just care so much about this sport, you know?
It's been my life for the last eight years now.
[cheers and applause]
- Ninja started nearly a decade ago for me.
I'd started watching the show,
and I started training and competing for it.
And to be here in the National Finals
in my rookie season is just mind-blowing to me.
- Tonight, someone's lifelong dream will come true.
- * Face every fight *
- Let's go!
I've kind of done everything
on "Ninja Warrior" except for win.
[dramatic pop music]
[air horn blares]
- * Shaped the sting of blame *
- It's gonna take a heroic effort
from one ninja out there to take it all the way,
and I'm not gonna count myself out.
- But to get there, he'll have to take down
the sport's best face-to-face,
head-to-head with no room for error.
[air horn blares]
- * We know it's all on the line *
[countdown clock beeping]
* We come to life *
- This is what I trained the last six years for,
and I'm looking forward to it.
Win or lose, I'ma go out with a bang.
- Yes! - I'm him!
- * Going where the champions go *
* Oh *
- I've been thinking about this moment
for the last nine years, and I know that it's mine,
and I'm gonna take that opportunity.
- * We come, we come to life *
- * We come to life *
- I came here for the 250K,
and I'm gonna walk away with it.
- * We, we come *
- May the best ninja win.
* *
- Someone's about to hit the jackpot in Vegas
on the season finale of "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, this season has flown by.
And these ninjas will be flying down the course tonight.
Whoever does it fastest will be our new champion.
- But it won't be easy.
They'll need to win multiple races
against the best ninjas in the world.
Last week, we kicked off our sudden death races.
We had photo finishes.
- Whoo! [buzzers blaring]
Oh! Holy moly!
- And the bracket was turned upside-down...
Oh!
As top competitors were eliminated.
[buzzer blaring] - Come on!
I can't believe it! What?
- Tonight, we'll finish the round of 32
with the winners moving on to the extended Sweet 16 course,
where two new obstacles await.
Keep winning, and you'll advance to the quarterfinals,
then the semifinals, and at the end of the night,
the last two ninjas will race to become our new champion
and take home $250,000.
And that's not all. Zuri's got a preview.
- In the past few weeks, we've been counting down
"Ninja's" most memorable moments,
and tonight, we are revealing number one.
In this special season, we've brought back ninjas
from the past...
- He's back!
- And obstacles from the past...
- No!
- And taken a trip down memory lane.
- Oh, my gosh!
- And we're capping it off during tonight's season finale
by showing you the top five moments in our countdown.
Guys?
- Oh, no doubt, we'll have more great moments
tonight in our new all-racing season finale.
We'll start with the final matchups
from the round of 32 and kick the night off
with a 7 seed versus a 10,
Max Feinberg versus Elijah "Boss" Browning.
These two are longtime friends.
Max is coming out wearing the Boss's hat,
and Elijah is wearing Max's trademark glasses.
- Let's get it, bro. Let's do it.
- They've grown up together in the Ninja community,
and their moms are also close, as both of them
have battled breast cancer.
[soft dramatic music]
- My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer
in October of 2020.
To see her fight and to see her survive
through this was so great,
and I'm super proud of her and how strong she is.
- As soon as I got back from "American Ninja Warrior"
season 15, my mom told me that she was diagnosed
with breast cancer and she was gonna have surgery
five days after and then chemo for 20 weeks straight.
She never let it get her down.
- We are walking this journey with joy
and with happiness and in victory
and in complete healing.
[cheers and applause]
- This kid is just flying.
- What I've learned from my mom is definitely
that there's no obstacle too big to overcome,
and I use that every day in Ninja.
- He is "amaxing."
He's going to stage three.
And here comes the Boss!
- Having my mom on the sidelines
and knowing that she has
so much love and support for me...
- Go celebrate with Mama Renee.
- It means the world to me looking over
and seeing her smile.
[upbeat music]
- Elijah and I have trained together for years.
I'm so excited. We're close friends.
- But when we step up on that start line,
we got to put friendship aside.
* *
- How great is that?
Debbie Feinberg and Renee Browning
holding hands, bonded over their
breast cancer battles as their sons
do battle on the course.
- Their kids are very evenly matched.
Both went two and one in the group stage,
and they finished every course.
- But, unfortunately, the loser of this race
will be going home. [countdown clock beeping]
Akbar, these two are really gonna push each other.
Browning is 6'2", so he's got a 4-inch
height advantage over Max.
- Elijah's also 35 pounds heavier.
- Smooth dismount by Browning.
- This is gonna be a very fast race, Matt.
And you're gonna see these two push each other.
Wow. Oh, nice.
- Look at that, Feinberg using the lache
to keep up with Browning's reach.
- Matt, this is not a friendly competition.
- Oh!
- This is a Ninja competition. - So even!
- But here we go, the Salmon Ladder.
You got to work it. Work it. Nice.
- Can they sustain this pace, Akbar?
- Well, you got to remember, Elijah Browning is 6'2".
He's got that long reach that allows him...
- Oh, my. - To place it a little easier.
- This is life in the fast lane.
- Whoo! - Browning, first off.
- And the Boss is owning it.
All right, here we go. Click clack.
It's like a time stamp.
- But here comes Feinberg. - Oh, boy.
Look at the Boss punching into work.
- Oh!
Browning hung up! - Oh, oh!
Oh, oh! - Oh, no!
- He made an aggressive move!
- Now the door is open for Feinberg.
Has to get the dismount.
Got it.
A come from behind win for Max Feinberg.
[cheers and applause]
Oh, look at that.
The pink bow, a symbol of Breast Cancer Awareness.
You know what, Max?
We're not even gonna talk about the run.
Instead, I just want to talk about the relationship
that your mom and Elijah's mom share.
They're holding hands on the sidelines.
Tell me about that, what it means to you, Max.
- Sharing the spotlight with Elijah
and raising awareness for breast cancer is so big.
- Yeah, man. You won on so many fronts.
Congratulations.
You're just continuing to raise awareness.
Thank you so much for everything
and for bringing that kind of awareness.
Hit that buzzer, man. Great job.
[buzzer blares] [cheers and applause]
The Boss pulled ahead on Floating Monkey Bars
and looked like he had this,
but on the final move, he rushed to grab the wheel
and couldn't hang on.
Max just had to finish, and he did his thing.
- So Max stays alive.
He'll now face The Flyboy, Isaiah Thomas.
We're gonna move up the bracket for our next race,
a showdown for the Sunshine State.
The favorite in this one is Nacssa Garemore.
He made it to stage four the past two seasons.
Facing him will be the Cake Ninja,
David Bergstrom-Wright,
who's never made it past stage one.
These Florida ninjas know each other well.
* *
- Nacssa! - What's up, Nacssa?
- What's up, dog?
- I've known Cake since I was 12 years old.
We're, like, alike, you know?
And then, like, when I first met him,
I was chill, and then, like, he just started
making me laugh, and I was like,
"OK, this guy's cool."
Like that. Good.
- Thank you. - Beautiful.
- Nacssa sometimes comes out here to train
at the Bergstrom family gym.
- Go.
- When he's here, we're going head-to-head
to just get stronger,
and every year, I feel like we've done that.
- Cake is like my brother.
He's like an older version of me, you know?
'Cause he dances a lot. He likes cakes.
He's good at Ninja. I think I'm pretty good too.
- I love this guy.
He's probably one of my favorite humans on the planet.
So that's gonna make this race a lot of fun,
but it's also gonna be emotionally tough.
- I got it. I got it. I got it, boy.
We're two silly gooses,
but on the course, we're very serious.
Only one of us can move on.
- Anything can happen in this race.
- Nacssa was the top seed going into the group stage,
but shockingly lost a race three weeks ago.
That ended his streak of 91 consecutive obstacles.
He's got his mom leading his cheering section.
- Let's go, boys! - Let's go!
Cake's family will be watching
from their home in Texas.
And of course, the whole Bergstrom bunch
is on the sideline, including his wife, Caitlyn.
Cake knows he's gonna have to sell out
to try to keep up with Garemore.
- You better watch Nacssa.
He's gonna go hard in this race.
[countdown clock beeping]
No hesi in his step.
Look at that.
- Oh, good start. - Nice.
Oh, he's on it like he want it. Nice.
Matt, look, I'm telling you, he is coming.
- So fluid! - Whoo!
- But it's Cake. - And that's a swing.
- It's Cake who's on first.
- The pressure is on David Bergstrom-Wright, Matt,
'cause you know he knows what Nacssa Garemore can do.
- Got it.
Well, credit to David Bergstrom-Wright.
- He is not backing down.
- He's giving Garemore all he can handle.
And he's first to the Salmon Ladder.
- Wow.
- Oh, my.
- Oh, big move by Nacssa!
Wow!
- And Nacssa-- you can see it, Akbar.
He just hit the afterburners.
But so easy to make a mistake on Floating Monkey Bars.
- Oh. He hasn't had a clean race.
And you know Nacssa Garemore is quicker.
But right now, it's David Bergstrom-Wright
who's been so clean.
- And Nacssa's got to sell out.
- He's got to.
- And he's struggling on The Clacker.
Bergstrom-Wright getting closer.
Can he make the final grab?
Got it!
Oh, my. - Oh!
- Pulls off the upset.
I did not see this result coming.
- Oh.
- Nacssa splashes down.
- Oh.
- But David Bergstrom-Wright...
- Wow.
- Pulls off another upset in these races,
but ends the season for his close friend.
And you can see the emotions pouring out.
This competition is ruthless.
One mistake, and your season can be over.
- Or you might be eliminating a friend.
And that's tough.
- Cake, I can see the emotions.
What's going through you right now, my friend?
- Nacssa's one of the most amazing competitors out there--
always has been, always will be.
I knew that if I wanted him, I got to stay strong,
and so that meant sending every move that I planned.
But I didn't want to knock him out.
- Well, Cake, it's not easy,
but I know Nacssa respects the sport
and respects you enough.
He's gonna tip his cap to you because you ran your race,
and you won that thing, David.
Congratulations. Hit that buzzer one more time.
[buzzer blares]
So Cake moves on, but he's got another tough race ahead.
He'll face Kai Beckstrand in the round of 16.
Tonight, after a season of brutal courses...
- Ooh!
- And head-to-head battles...
- No regards for self-preservation.
[buzzer blares]
- Only the best are left,
including one of the all-time greats
who's making his last stand on a Ninja course.
- I've already had one miracle happen out there.
I'm gonna give it everything I've got.
- It's a night filled with marquee matchups
like speedsters RJ Roman and Matt D'Amico,
"Ninja Junior" champ Jackson Erdos
takes on two-time last ninja standing Kaden Lebsack.
It's gonna be sudden death races all night.
- Oh!
- And someone's gonna be crowned
our new champion on the season finale
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's our season finale,
where every race is sudden death,
and minutes ago, Jay "Lache" Lewis
took on Houston's Grant Kiningham.
[countdown clock beeping]
Lewis was the higher seed, but it was Kiningham,
the ice sculptor, who came out hot and had the lead
through three obstacles.
- Well, Jay better start lache-ing.
- Lewis, the Florida college student
who's been perfect this season,
surged ahead on Floating Monkey Bars.
- Yeah, this is where Lache starts to really turn up.
- He cruised to the buzzer...
[buzzer blares]
As Kiningham's season came to an end.
- Come on. Don't shake your head no.
Shake your head yes. Oh!
- So Jay Lewis stays alive.
He'll now race Ben Behrends in the next round.
And we'll move on to our final race in the round of 32,
a 4 seed versus a 13.
And Zuri will get this one started.
- He's got more buzzers than anyone in "Ninja" history,
but this could be the final run for Joe Moravsky.
He announced his retirement two weeks ago.
So if he doesn't win,
this will be the end of his season
and maybe the career of the Ninja legend.
He's facing one of this year's top rookies,
15-year-old Kaden Forsha, who's got five buzzers already,
and the Chatterbox Ninja can also talk a good game.
[upbeat music]
[buzzer blares]
- I grew up watching Joe Moravsky, the Weatherman.
He's, like, one of my idols, for sure.
But he's old, so I got to win this.
[buzzer blares]
- Kaden impressed me in the group stage.
- Forsha fo sho.
- And all of a sudden, he's at the buzzer in 55 seconds.
I didn't know he could move that quick,
but I'm not scared of anybody.
[buzzer blares]
- I'm definitely excited to hit my sixth buzzer
before he hits his 37th buzzer.
- He's already talking a little trash.
He's like Joe, "I thought you retired," you know?
How are you gonna be able to handle it on the course?
You're retired.
I'm like, "Hey, we'll see."
- Joe, tonight is gonna be your last race.
I'm sorry, buddy, but you are going into retirement.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- Joe's wife, Stephanie,
is cheering him on back in Connecticut.
- Come on, Joe! You got it!
- And Kaden is hyped up.
His family and friends are on the sideline.
- Kaden Forsa's the higher seed.
He's been perfect this season,
but Joe Moravsky is running to keep his career alive.
We know he ain't going down without a fight.
[countdown clock beeping]
- A 20-year age difference between these two.
- My goodness, this could be it for the Weatherman.
- Well, you know Joe's gonna sell out, Akbar.
He is living on borrowed time.
And look at him linking every move.
That's the veteran!
- You know Joe Moravsky, he wants to keep
his dream alive. Matt, he wants to keep going.
If he's gonna go out, he wants to go out
with a big bang.
- But you could see struggling with efficiency
on the Ring Jump.
And now, Forsha hung up.
Oh, what a race!
- Oh, Joe Moravsky, he's got to stay on it.
He's got to keep the pedal to the metal.
- But Akbar, he's 35 going up against a 15-year-old.
Can his motor hold up?
- And that's exactly why he needs to be efficient here.
- Oh! - Oh, boy!
- Forsha is down! - What?
- Moravsky gets the win.
And the miracle continues!
- Oh, oh.
Oh! [laughs]
- He fell. - Oh.
- But he completed the Salmon Ladder first.
He gets the win.
His career's not over yet.
He'll move on to the round of 16.
- Whoo!
- The season ends for Kaden Forsha.
Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to trash talk the legend.
- Kaden got hung up on Ring Jump,
and the Weatherman took advantage.
Joe completed the Salmon Ladder,
so when Kaden missed the top rung and fell,
Joe got the win, even if he did miss the dismount.
- Well, we meet again.
- I wasn't expecting this. Hi.
- Funny seeing you here. - Welcome back.
- Season of salvation continues.
Next up, Luke Beckstrand.
Any plans for that one?
- Same plan. Luke is so fast.
I got to just run my race, but I got to clean it up, you know?
It'll come down to the wire.
- All right, we'll see what you pull out
from thin air Mr. Weatherman. Great job out here.
Guys, back to you.
- So our bracket for the final 16 is set.
Top seed Kai Beckstrand will race David Bergstrom-Wright.
Kai's brother, Luke, will take on Joe Moravsky.
Jay Lewis will battle Ben Behrends.
And Max Feinberg will face The Flyboy.
Over on the other side,
it's Matt D'Amico versus RJ Roman.
Noah Meunier will be racing Evan White.
Jackson Erdos will try to outrun Kaden Lebsack.
And Evan Lavallee will take on Sam Folsom.
Those races are coming up.
But first, take a look at where
it all began for these athletes.
- What's up, NBC?
My name is Kaden Lebsack, and this is my submission video
for "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's their first submission videos
presented by the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card,
bringing you unlimited access with its exclusive look
at some of our finalists.
- What's up, family? My name's RJ Roman.
I'm a 21-year-old musician from Jacksonville, Florida!
- Most people know me as the Cake Ninja.
Why?
[smooth groovy music]
- I hope to represent with my dad, my cousin,
and all the other Iowa ninjas, to prove that
you're never too small to take on the big stage.
Whoo!
- They've come a long way.
And tonight, one of them could be
our new champion on the season finale
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- Tonight, we're revealing our top five memorable moments.
And our next one comes from season 14...
- This is so cool!
- When Ninja Christopher Harding Jones
inspired a movement.
The Georgia teenager and his dad were "Ninja" fans,
but life took an unexpected turn.
- My dad was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer
and given only four months to live.
- Despite the prognosis,
his father vowed to make the most of his remaining days
and live life to the fullest.
- He coined the phrase, living wide,
which means it's not about the length of your life,
it's about the width of your life.
- His father, Gregory, lived wide
until he passed away in 2020.
But Christopher wanted to spread
his father's message as he took on the qualifying course.
- Living wide! Living wide!
- The crowd chanting "living wide."
- Living wide! Living wide!
- The rookie's run was filled with emotion as he made it
all the way to the Warped Wall.
Talk about living wide.
Running in memory of his dad,
could be the season's first finisher!
Yes!
[buzzer blares]
- For father!
[cheers and applause]
Let's go!
- The living wide message
resonated with "Ninja" viewers.
T-shirts began popping up everywhere,
and his run raised awareness for the family's foundation,
which helps those dealing with a terminal illness.
- Living Wide ended up changing hundreds of people's lives
all around the world.
- A few weeks later, in the semifinals,
Christopher took the story to another level.
He completed the difficult ten-obstacle course,
ending with a 35-foot climb.
- 35 feet closer to my dad.
- Oh, man. - Oh, wow.
Oh, my gosh.
[cheers and applause]
- For turning his dad's motto into a movement,
Christopher Harding Jones is number five
on our memorable moments countdown.
And we're making more memorable moments tonight
in our all racing National Finals.
We're down to our final 16 ninjas.
The competition is tougher now,
and so is the course.
For our preview, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- This is it, guys, the final races of the season.
So we're upping the ante
and making the course longer for all our remaining matchups.
The seventh obstacle, Kickboards,
requires upper and lower body strength.
- Wow! - Oh!
- This obstacle took out a third of the ninjas
who faced it in season 14.
- Uh-oh. Oh!
- In order to reach the buzzer,
they'll have to conquer the Falling Shelves...
- Ooh!
- With the treacherous blind grab as the final move.
- No!
- Guys?
- We'll start our round of 16 matches on the right side,
a 4 versus a 5 seed.
From Pennsylvania, it's 17-year-old Jackson Erdos,
and from Colorado, 19-year-old Kaden Lebsack.
[energetic music]
- You got it!
- Kaden reached stage four in both his rookie
and sophomore seasons, earning $100,000 each year
as the last ninja standing.
Jackson was the champion of season three
of "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
- Jackson knows what racing's like.
He knows what it's like to win.
He is one of the best ninjas in the world right now,
and he's gonna be scary to go up against.
- I'm definitely gonna dictate the pace of this race.
I'm going all out right out the gate,
and then he can try and catch up.
- Kaden Lebsack is the last ninja standing!
- We've both been champions in the past,
and we both want another one this year.
- Because of his history with races
and having falls in season 15 or 16...
[air horn blares] - Oh, my goodness!
- There's a small little opening I see
that I might be able to squeeze through if I just
make sure I play this course safe
and I play it smart.
- Jackson, I'm ready to take you on.
Let's do this.
- We've seen both these guys really
grow up since "Ninja Junior."
Jackson Erdos has become a mental health advocate.
- Everything you got, Jack!
- And Kaden Lebsack helps run his family's Ninja gym.
- Both these guys have been perfect this season,
five buzzers.
But one of them is about to go home.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Nice.
Oh. - Good start by Erdos.
He wants to put the pressure on Kaden.
- Kaden linking big moves, but Erdos is off.
Whoa.
He ain't messing around.
- Well, both these guys were great on "Ninja Junior."
And Kaden closing the gap, but a little hung up there.
- But Kaden is now coming back. - [laughs]
- And Erdos knows. That's why he's sprinting.
- Well, as good as he is, Kaden has said
racing is not his forte.
But that's what he's worked on building to this season.
And he's keeping it close.
- All you have to do is stay close enough
and then turn on the jets, especially after you get
past the Floating Monkey Bars.
- Erdos, the first off.
Oh, it's a good race, Akbar.
And Kaden crushed The Clacker last week.
Watch him here.
And look at this.
Lebsack pulled even.
Erdos gets the dismount.
We'll get our first look at Kickboards.
- Both these guys 155 pounds.
Got a big kick.
- Erdos has the obstacle edge here
in the event of a duel follow.
Oh, what an even pairing! - Oh, boy.
- But Kaden now with a slight edge.
- Now, remember, right here on Kickboards,
that little steering wheel will turn on you.
- And Kaden pulls ahead!
- Kaden Lebsack's not messing around.
- Final obstacle.
Who can link it?
- Oh! - Oh!
Erdos goes down,
and Lebsack gets the win! [buzzer blares]
Akbar, are you not entertained?
- Wow.
- They kept it close through all eight obstacles.
A heartbreaker, but Jackson Erdos is going home.
- So proud of you, Jack!
- Jack, good job, buddy! - You did a good job!
- Jackson Erdos had a slight edge
through most of this race,
but got turned around on Kickboards.
That opened the door for Kaden.
And look at that grab on the final wheel.
That put the pressure on Erdos.
He rushed it on the third shelf,
and Kaden gets the win.
[buzzer blares]
- A terrific comeback season for Jackson Erdos.
Kaden Lebsack moves on to the final eight.
He'll face the winner of
the Sam Folsom/Evan Lavallee matchup.
More "Ninja" greats are coming up.
Isaiah Thomas tries to remain undefeated
and RJ Roman continues his miraculous resurrection run.
- It's the final night of the season
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- And it's all coming down to who can handle
the pressure of these races.
- We're in the round of 16.
Every contest is do or die.
And up next is a 3 versus a 6 seed matchup.
Both these guys are having impressive seasons.
It's the 19-year-old electrician from Massachusetts,
Noah Meunier, going against cheese-loving
Wisconsin high schooler Evan White.
- A little respectful bow. I like that.
- Well, Meunier has that unbelievable streak going.
He's never fallen on an obstacle
since he started "Ninja Warrior" in season 15.
That's 114 completed obstacles and counting.
Evan White has also been impressive.
The rookie with the massive forearms
outraced Daniel Gil in the last round.
Evan's mom will be leading the cheers for him.
And Noah's girlfriend, our reigning women's champion
Addy Herman, is on his sideline.
Evan's one of two rookies still in the competition.
He'll have his hands full trying to keep up
with Noah, who's one of the top contenders
to be our new champion.
[countdown clock beeping]
- There's eight obstacles on this course,
so Noah can really add to his total.
That's now 115 straight obstacles without falling.
Come on. - Oh, wow.
- Oh, boy. He's off to a great start.
- Meunier, neither could link that dismount.
- And here comes Evan.
You can see him using those big old forearms.
Look at them flexing.
- Right off top, Meunier feeling the pressure,
but he's responding. - Ooh!
He got lucky on that one.
- That was a close dismount.
Well, here we are.
This is the halfway point, the Salmon Ladder.
Meunier, first on the Floating Monkey Bars.
- Big move there by Evan White.
- Oh, the big cheese is rolling.
Look at this.
- And he's catching up.
Evan White's trying to catch up.
- But Noah charges on.
And you can see his pace slowing a little bit,
Akbar, as he's on The Clacker.
- Evan White needs to use those big forearms on this obstacle.
- Oh. Can Meunier sustain it?
This is just behind his pace.
We saw it on six obstacles. - Ooh!
- That's a big catch.
- His streak is now up to 120 obstacles.
- But he's slowing down.
This is where the old course ended.
Now he's got two more obstacles to go,
starting with Kickboards.
These wheels spin freely.
This is gonna take a lot of grip strength.
Nice move.
- Nice big throw.
- But here comes Evan White.
This is not over.
- All right, Matt, Evan's got to turn it up now.
- And you can see this hand, hard to get your hand--
does it for Meunier, but he does it!
- Ooh, Meunier's trying to turn it.
He's trying to drive it.
- Can he get that dismount? Got it!
- Whoo!
- Noah Meunier, 121 obstacles.
- Whoa! - Oh, no!
[air horn blares] Evan White goes down.
Noah Meunier gets the win,
but he's gonna try and finish the course.
- Look at him linking all them moves like a chain.
- Keeps the streak intact. [buzzer blares]
- A walk-off by Noah Meunier.
Wow. [cheers and applause]
* *
- Evan White kept the pressure on,
but his impressive rookie season comes to an end.
- Noah's streak almost ended on the third obstacle.
His feet nearly hit the water on the dismount.
That was close, but he recovered
and stayed just ahead of Evan.
And the electrician gets another buzzer.
- Noah is now among the final eight ninjas
in the competition.
He moves on and will face the winner of the
the RJ Roman/Matt D'Amico race.
That's coming up later.
Up next, we're staying on the right side of the bracket
for a 16 seed versus an 8
with Massachusetts teenager Evan Lavallee.
The heavy metal guitarist is now the last rookie
remaining in the competition.
He's taking on Illinois' Sam Folsom,
who is among our final ninjas for the second straight year.
Sam's got a big bunch of family and friends on the sideline,
including wife Isabella, who was among
the final 32 this year.
Evan is dedicated his season to his mom, Tammy,
who's battled two forms of cancer.
And he's given her a lot to cheer about.
Sam Folsom was considered a favorite
at the start of the season, but only got out
of the group stage as the fastest
third place finisher.
That's why he's a 16 seed here.
[countdown clock beeping]
These guys' times were within a second of each other
on the six-obstacle course.
But now it's longer.
You're gonna need stamina.
- Eight obstacles.
That's a tall order.
- Boy, is Folsom looking real smooth and efficient.
Long lache.
- That's how they do it down in Illinois.
- Wow, Akbar, he's putting it together.
This has been flawless.
I haven't seen a stumble out of Folsom.
- Matt, and the separation-- this might be the largest gap
we've seen all night.
- But with a longer course,
there are opportunities to catch up.
This night is really gonna test these Ninjas' endurance.
Akbar, there are still three more races
after this to win the title.
Folsom needs to be efficient here.
- Nice.
And he's moving quickly. That's good.
That's what you want to do.
You want to get on and off. Nice.
Ooh!
- But Lavallee, continuing to stalk his prey.
Oh! - Oh, no!
- And makes a one-handed save to stay alive.
He's still in this. - Wow!
- And it's like Michael Myers.
He just keeps coming.
And you saw Folsom steal a glance.
Now goes up on Kickboards, but not a very strong kick.
The board didn't go up very far.
This race course is such a gauntlet.
- Oh! - Whoa, what?
- And the door is open. - Literally.
- Folsom is down!
- Can Lavallee make the grab and keep his season alive?
- Oh! - No!
[air horn blares]
What a dramatic turn of events.
They both seemed to run out of gas,
but it's Sam Folsom who gets the win.
Sam was in control of this race,
but looked tired as he started Kickboards.
He didn't push the board high enough,
hit his elbow, and that made him come up short.
That opened up the door for Lavallee,
but he also looked out of gas
and couldn't finish the obstacle.
- So Evan Lavallee's strong rookie season comes to an end.
But he definitely put a smile on his mom's face.
And Sam Folsom now advances to the quarterfinals.
He'll face Kaden Lebsack in his next race
to try and keep his season going.
Coming up, for years,
they've been the top two families in Ninja.
And now they're going head-to-head
with the season on the line.
Beckstrand versus Bergstrom,
only one family can prevail,
next on "American Ninja Warrior's" season finale.
- It's time to reveal number four
among "Ninja's" memorable moments.
The stage one course
had always been a unique challenge.
- No!
- Because it's timed,
ninjas had to practically sprint through
the eight difficult obstacles.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- But in 2016, Jessie Graff came to Vegas on a roll.
She hit her first qualifying buzzer earlier in the season
and finished second overall in the semifinals.
- This crowd is chanting like she's a rock star.
- The former college track star
was moving through the course like no woman had done before.
- Oh! - Yes!
- Oh, yes!
- Jessie Graff continues to deliver--
the first woman ever to get up the Warped Wall on stage one!
As she took on the final obstacles,
the crowd sensed they were witnessing history.
- The internet is about to blow up.
- She is smiling out here.
She knows she's gonna make history.
- Herstory! Herstory!
- The first woman ever to complete stage one!
Jessie Graff has done it!
- People were crying. People were hugging.
We all needed to see that. Women needed to see that.
Little girls needed to see that.
[crowd chanting] Jessie! Jessie! Jessie!
- It was such an amazing moment for me,
but I had no idea how much it was gonna
impact so many people. [buzzer blares]
- Jessie inspired a whole generation of young ninjas.
And after that groundbreaking performance,
Allyssa Beird and Jesse "Flex" Labreck
also finished stage one in later seasons.
For proving nothing is beyond the reach
of women competitors,
Jessie Graff's historic run is number four
on our memorable moments countdown.
- I have a feeling that won't be
the last moment on our countdown
that took place here in Vegas.
- We may see another one before the end of the night
with these nail-biting races.
Zuri's gonna get our next one started.
- Guys, RJ Roman thought he was done in this competition,
but now he's come roaring back,
and he's gonna have to outrun another speedster,
Matt D'Amico.
The Massachusetts gym owner and the Florida musician
both know how to rock the course.
RJ put up the fastest time in qualifying four years in a row.
And D'Amico had the top time on stage two his rookie year.
- Let's go.
- D'Amico will have students watching back in Massachusetts
and his business partner Lucas Reale leading
a group on the sideline.
RJ will have his family watching
in Florida, along with good friend, Flip Rodriguez.
- Let's go, RJ. Come on, baby.
- RJ started off the finals 0 and 2,
looked like his season was over,
but got to move on as the fastest
third place finisher.
Now he's a very dangerous 15 seed
facing D'Amico who's a 7.
- This is gonna come down to who avoids mistakes.
[countdown clock beeping]
Every athlete knows you got to peak at the right time.
RJ Roman running next to Matt D'Amico
is gonna push him to go even faster.
- Can they sustain this through eight obstacles, Akbar?
- Oh. - This pace is insane.
- Yeah, you got to pace yourself,
but you also you got to race yourself.
Nice.
- Oh, RJ barely makes the landing pad.
- Come on, RJ!
- And D'Amico finds himself in an unusual position
trailing a ninja.
- RJ has had this go-for-broke style for the past few races,
and it's working for him.
He's winning races this way, so he is not playing it safe.
[cheers and applause]
- D'Amico hung up!
- Oh, boy.
- D'Amico is down!
- And RJ's resurrection continues.
- Wow. Look at that.
RJ Roman knew a fast start would put the pressure on him.
Don't mess with RJ Roman when it comes to speed.
- Well, in the city that goes against the odds,
RJ Roman is on a hot streak.
He may want to head to the casino.
- When you're going fast, that's when mistakes happen.
D'Amico was playing catch-up and missed the cradle
on Floating Monkey Bars-- not just once, but twice.
And his grip just gave out.
[crowd chanting] RJ! RJ! RJ! RJ!
- RJ's gonna keep going to get experience
on these added obstacles.
- And now one more obstacle to go.
Everyone wants to practice on the Falling Shelves.
- Come on, RJ!
- And look at him.
He's out there just linking moves all the way across.
[buzzer blares] Wow.
- What a way to finish.
- Let's go!
- He's now in the final eight.
- Yeah!
- That boy pumped. Matt, he's pumped.
- I love it.
RJ Roman, you thought your season was over.
What does it mean getting that buzzer moving on
one step closer to the title?
- I did feel like I was on the decline for a second there.
But I'm starting to feel a little bit better.
- From up here, you're looking pretty good, my friend.
- Thank you, I appreciate it. - Hit that buzzer one more time.
[buzzer blares] - Yeah!
Yeah! Yeah!
- RJ's road doesn't get any easier.
He'll now face Noah Meunier in the quarterfinals.
Up next, we're gonna move over
to the other side of the bracket for a battle
between the 1 and 8 seeds.
And these are names familiar to Ninja fans.
It's Utah firefighter Kai Beckstrand
who will be facing Florida's David Bergstrom-Wright.
- He's putting his shirt back on, Matt.
- [laughs]
- Kai Beckstrand's body shaming him.
He's like, "I don't look like Kai."
- [laughs]
They're smiling at the start, but this is a battle
between Ninja dynasties.
Well, Da Cake Ninja, as he's known,
does like his sweets,
but he's cut back since marrying Caitlyn Bergstrom
in 2022 and joining the clan
that's been competing since season 9.
- My wife, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law
all competed this year.
I'm the last Bergstrom standing.
I hope I can make the Bergstrom name proud.
- Kai's mom, Holly, brother Luke,
and sister Baylee all competed this year.
And the family owns two Ninja gyms in Utah.
They've been fixtures in the sport
since Kai's dad, Brian, first ran in season 7.
- That was my first time even being in the audience
and watching that,
so when I was able to start competing,
it was, like, one of the best feelings ever.
- Kai Beckstrand hitting buzzers.
- He's a Ninja savant.
- I'm bringing this one home for the family.
- Da Cake Ninja!
- This is a race of two big Ninja families.
If I beat Kai,
I feel like I can go and win this whole thing.
I'm coming for you, Kai. I ain't scared.
- Kai's brother, Luke, runs later.
He's on the sideline with the rest of the Beckstrands.
- And the Bergstrom bunch will be out in force
to cheer for Cake.
Kai's the top seed on this side of the bracket,
but both guys are having perfect seasons.
Each of them has six buzzers.
[countdown clock beeping]
- It's gonna be hard for David Da Cake Ninja
to have his cake and eat it too because this one right here,
Kai Beckstrand, is a handful.
- But what an example of the power of families,
the Bergstroms, the Beckstrands.
Look at this.
Cake is keeping it close, Akbar.
- I don't know.
When got a ninja like Kai Beckstrand, it's hard.
I'm telling you, this dude's skills is sweet.
- And Cake hung up.
Kai, onto the Salmon Ladder.
Wow! - Oh, wow!
Matt, he just did the Salmon Ladder in two moves.
- He's just been so strong and fluid.
But, Akbar, we are just asking so much of these Ninjas
on this eight-obstacle race course.
- Matt, he's not human. He's a machine.
- And right into The Clacker.
About a half obstacle lead over Cake,
and Cake just running his race.
- This is a maniacal run by Kai Beckstrand.
I mean, he cannot be stopped.
- Yeah, let's go!
- Akbar, he is crushing this course.
- Man, he kicked the hell out of that board.
Look at him.
Matt, if you were to draw the perfect ninja,
he'd be 5'10", 180 pounds,
and his name would be Kai Beckstrand.
- Wow.
But here comes Cake. - Uh-oh.
- Look at the handle though, Akbar, it's spinning.
- Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
- Good save.
- He's got them abs to keep it steady.
Nice.
- And Da Cake Ninja, keeping the pressure on.
Akbar, the Falling Shelves is a tough one.
We will see if Kai has the power.
- Nice. Nice. - And he's linking it.
- He is. Whoa! - Oh, my goodness.
[buzzer blares]
Kai Beckstrand was absolutely flawless.
[victorious music]
- Oh!
- Oh, and Cake goes down.
He gave it a good run,
but the final Bergstrom is out.
Just couldn't keep up with Kai Beckstrand.
- Matt, you said it. He was flawless.
Two moves on the Salmon Ladder,
used brute force on Kickboards,
and then linked his moves on the final obstacle.
- Kai's getting congrats from his brother, Luke.
If Luke wins his next race,
we'll have a battle of the Beckstrands
for a spot in the final four.
Coming up, they're the biggest underdogs in the competition.
5'4" Jay Lewis
and 5'3" Ben Behrends
battle for a spot in the quarterfinals,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to Vegas, where we're midway through
the season finale on "American Ninja Warrior."
- And with every race, we move closer
to crowning a new champion.
- Minutes ago, it was the 7 versus 2 seed
as Max Feinberg took on Isaiah Thomas.
The Flyboy has been dominant in the finals,
and he jumped out to an early lead.
- He wants this badly. This is his year.
- The 19-year-old now living in New York
already has six buzzers this season.
- Look how easy it looks for Isaiah Thomas.
- Feinberg has also had a great year,
but he could never catch The Flyboy.
He splashed down on Kickboards.
- Ooh, oh, no.
- His season ended, and Isaiah Thomas
cruised to another buzzer, his seventh of the year.
[buzzer blares]
The Flyboy's now in the final eight.
And to find out his next opponent,
let's go over to Zuri.
- They're two of our smallest competitors,
but they've come up big all season.
Now 5'3" Ben Behrends will face off against
5'4" Jay Lewis.
The Iowa high schooler and the Florida college student
are often underdogs because of their size.
But these dogs have some bite.
- Ben and his brother like to kind of own, you know,
the undersized ninjas, but I'm the OG of that.
I've been short for a really long time.
- 5'4", 115 pounds, but he's aggressive.
- You know, he can talk the talk,
but I can walk the walk.
- You know, I've raced a short person before on the show.
I raced Tyler Yamauchi in season 15 semis,
and I raced my brother this year.
- Ben is saying, "I'm the big bro."
- So I'm ready.
- I'm an inch taller than Ben, which I think
is the first time that I've been taller
than anyone in a race ever.
We're a really even matchup,
so I'm not gonna hold back on this race,
and it's gonna be a really good one.
- Jay Lache knows how to fly, but so do I.
- Ben is known as the Hype Guy,
and you know his loud Iowa ninja family's
screaming for him.
Jay's got his fans as well,
including girlfriend Maggie Owen.
Jay missed the finals the last two years with injuries,
but he has come back strong.
Neither of these guys have lost a race so far.
- But one of them is about to.
Ain't no tie in this business. [countdown clock beeping]
Matt, this is gonna be one right here.
These two little ones, they got a big punch to them.
They're light and mighty.
- They are small, but they are so light, Akbar.
They can be efficient. Who can link moves?
- Once Jay gets out in front, Matt,
that can be hard to come back from behind.
- Oh, but he's a little hung up there, Akbar.
- He's got to make a big move.
- And Jay Lache taking some extra swings.
- And now Ben Behrends is out in front.
- Oh!
- And now they're tied up.
Landed on the platform at the same time.
- Who's first up? - Ooh.
Ooh, shotgunning up the Salmon Ladder.
- And Ben Behrends about a step ahead, Akbar.
- But then here comes Jay Lewis.
- Oh, what a race.
And you know they can see each other.
Glimpses--
- It's back and forth like a tennis match.
- Watch The Clacker here.
These guys 5'3" and 5'4".
They're gonna use some long leverage.
- And you can see there Ben Behrends
taking a peek at Jay Lewis.
Uh-uh, you better run your race.
- Well, Jay did the same, links it!
On now to the extended obstacles.
- There is no break. You got to go now.
Now, Jay is 125 pounds.
- But it's key to get a big kick.
Because otherwise, they suck the throw--
- Jay! - Look at the bar!
It's down low. - Oh, watch your head.
Nice.
- Oh, that's a tough move Lache just made.
And still--
- Is he gonna turn his way, Matt?
He doesn't have the length to correct it.
- Got it. - Ooh!
But he's driving it!
- Come on, Ben! Come on, Ben!
- The final obstacle!
- And this is where Lache lives.
He got his nickname because nobody laches
better than Jay Lache.
- Here comes Ben! Jay is down!
The door is open!
- Oh, my goodness. He didn't have the reach.
Ben Behrends needs the final blind grab!
What a come-from-behind win this would be.
- Oh! - Oh, my goodness!
An epic race.
They both come up short, but Lache got there first.
He moves on.
- With this longer course, they're gassed at the end.
Jay just missed as he made the reverse grab
on the final shelf.
That opened the door for Ben Behrends,
but he too couldn't hold on.
- So we say goodbye to Ben Behrends.
That family's given us some great moments this season.
But Jay Lache stays alive.
He's now in the final eight.
He'll face The Flyboy in his next race.
Coming up, he's a fan favorite
with more buzzers than any ninja in history.
- Oh! - Oh!
He got it!
But Joe Moravsky is calling it a career.
- Man, am I excited to be on that course one more time.
- We'll see what could be his final run
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- We're counting down "Ninja's" memorable moments,
and it's time to reveal number three.
For years, the stage four tower
loomed in the background
at the National Finals, but no one
had ever climbed it because no one
had ever gotten past stage three.
Then in season seven,
rock climber Isaac Caldiero broke through.
- Don't tell me dreams don't come true!
- History has been made!
- Yes!
- Minutes later, a second ninja,
Maryland cameraman Geoff Britten did it too.
- Hold on! Hold on!
Hold on, Geoff!
- Oh! - Yes!
Yes, yes, yes, yes!
- Are you kidding me? - I see you, baby!
- So after years without ever having one person
climb the 75-foot tower,
there would now be two on the same night.
Britten, a 36-year-old dad, would go first,
trying to reach the top in under 30 seconds.
- Oh, boy, he's so close!
Oh, no. So close!
[buzzer blares] He did it!
Geoff Britten did it!
- Oh, my goodness!
- Geoff climbed this thing first.
And everyone thought it was over.
I thought it was done.
There's no way two people can climb this.
- But Caldiero, a 33-year-old rock climber
who was working as a busboy at the time,
would get his shot.
If he could climb faster than Britten,
then he would be the winner.
And he's done it! [buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
He finished 3 seconds faster than Britten
and became "Ninja's" first million-dollar winner.
- Yeah!
- For showing that the mountain could be conquered,
Isaac Caldiero's climb is number three
on our memorable moments countdown.
Joe Moravsky was there for that moment early in his career,
and tonight could be the end of it.
He's about to race Utah's Luke Beckstrand
to see who moves on to the quarterfinals.
This has big implications for both of them.
If Luke wins, he'll race his brother in the next round.
But for Joe, he's announced he's retiring,
so this could be the final run of his storied career.
- I'm Joe Moravsky.
I am 24 years old, and I'm from Sherman, Connecticut.
- And the rookie's gonna do it.
- The forecast this year is definitely
for me to be at the top of Mount Midoriyama.
[buzzer blares]
- He does it! - [laughs]
- The Weatherman's back, and a storm's a-brewing.
[cheers and applause]
Coming for you!
The forecast is total victory.
You know what the forecast is. I'm gonna hit that buzzer.
The Weatherman's gonna bring some thunder.
You got the lightning.
- Oh, my goodness.
- The Weatherman's reporting for duty.
- He got it.
[buzzer blares]
- Yes!
The forecast this year calls for no mistakes.
- No! Oh! - Oh!
- Pathetic!
- One more sign, Akbar!
- Oh! - Oh, oh!
[air horn blares] - Son of a motherless goat!
- Years ago, I said to myself,
"If I'm not the fastest ninja,
I think that's a cue for me."
My kids are growing up. My kids are getting older.
My kids want to do sports.
Man, "Ninja Warrior," watch out.
To be a dad and to do everything
that you want to do versus what you need to do,
it's like, how can you do it all?
And you can't. You can't.
This is my last season.
- Wait. Joe, are you serious?
- Yeah.
[soft dramatic music]
I wanted to prove that I'm a real competitor,
and I think I did that.
Did I make the right decision? Yes.
I'm so excited to be with my family,
but, man, am I excited to be on that course one more time.
* *
[thunder rumbles]
- It takes countless hours of training
to stay at the top of this sport,
and Joe now wants to spend that time with his family.
- Yeah!
- His wife, Stephanie, will be cheering from back home.
His three kids are in bed.
- Come on, Joe, you got it.
- And Luke's got the entire Beckstrand
Ninja family and girlfriend, Payton Myler, on his sideline.
The odds are stacked against Joe.
He's more than double the age of the ninja against him.
But don't tell Joe Moravsky the odds.
- Why you got to say it like that?
[countdown clock beeping]
- Here we go.
- Matt, I know Joe is a competitor.
Come on. Joe's gonna push it.
He knows Luke can go, Matt, but he's got to run his race.
He can't run Luke's race.
- Well, I think Joe knows for these eight obstacles,
he needs to be efficient--oh. - Oh, Joe.
- And that is a high-cost miss.
And, whoa, Moravsky with a big move!
And he takes the lead.
- Matt, I think it's got to be early
where Joe puts the pressure on him.
- And Joe Moravsky has the advantage
going into the Salmon Ladder.
But look at Luke.
- Matt, the one thing we know is that the endurance
for Joe Moravsky is a little bit at question.
- 35-year-old father of three loves the sport,
but says he just can't train.
- Luke can recover fast.
- But Joe Moravsky has some experience on The Clacker.
Let's see how Luke--
if he can maintain his slight edge.
Moravsky giving him all he can handle.
- Joe Moravsky is 5'10".
He's got the advantage here.
He's got a couple of inches on him,
so he's got to be smooth with Clacker.
- And you can see Moravsky staring down Luke Beckstrand
as he finished the obstacle while Moravsky continues.
- And Luke Beckstrand is taking a little pause.
You better get going.
You have no idea what the Weatherman is capable of.
- If this is it for Joe Moravsky,
he's not going down without a fight.
- Whoo! That's a big kick.
- Joe Moravsky. Look at the power.
- Well, he's 170 pounds. He can do that.
- And that makes this next transfer easier.
Clearer path.
And you can see Joe catching glimpses of Luke.
And it is dead even. - Oh, man.
Oh, boy, Matt. It's even.
It's even!
- Luke links.
And Joe an extra swing, and Luke steals a look back.
- Joe knows it. Joe's starting to feel it.
It's the cumulative effect of being 170 pounds
going up against a guy who's 135.
- Akbar, Joe has dreamed of it. This could be his last chance.
- Come on, this is where you gotta go--oh!
- No!
Oh--oh, my goodness! - Oh!
[buzzer blares] Oh, my goodness!
- Luke Beckstrand! - What?
- The one-handed pull!
- What?
- Oh, my goodness.
A lot happened in just a few seconds.
After the fast pace of this race,
Joe had nothing left for that third shelf.
He went down just before Luke made
a crazy one-handed grab that propelled him to the buzzer.
- A one-handed save?
- I just couldn't get my other hand around,
so I had to hold on.
- Well, Luke, you know what you got next,
a match-up against your brother.
- Yeah. - Good luck.
- Thank you.
- And ladies and gentlemen, one more time
for one of the best to ever do it,
the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky!
[cheers and applause]
- This is it. - The end of an era.
- The man with more buzzers than any ninja in history
says goodbye, getting well-deserved final hugs
from some of the other Ninja greats.
He's been one of the best for over a decade.
There's only one Joe Moravsky.
- Let's go, Joe!
- Our quarterfinal matchups are set.
In addition to the Beckstrand brothers facing each other,
we've got The Flyboy Isaiah Thomas
racing Jay Lache Lewis.
On the other side, it's rocker RJ Roman
versus electrician Noah Meunier.
And Sam Folsom will be taking on Kaden Lebsack.
Those races are next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Vegas and the season finale
of "American Ninja Warrior."
We're down to our final eight competitors,
and for the first of our quarterfinal races,
we head to the right side of the bracket
and a battle between the 3 and the 15 seeds.
It's Massachusetts electrician Noah Meunier
and Florida musician RJ Roman.
And these two have been on very different paths.
Noah has been perfect all season,
he's won every race,
and has a streak of 122 consecutive
obstacles completed.
RJ, on the other hand, started out 0 and 2
in the finals... [air horns blaring]
Had to win the wild card to move on.
[buzzer blares]
But he's been on a roll since then.
Knocked off higher seeds Josiah Pippel
and Matt D'Amico in his last two matchups.
- Everyone's excited for these final races.
The pressure is real.
- One ninja's going to the final four.
The other's going home.
[countdown clock beeping]
Noah Meunier's streak is so incredible.
That's 123 straight without falling.
Started back in season 15 two years ago.
You can see RJ selling out, Meunier, an extra swing.
- And, Matt, this is exactly what RJ Roman did
against Josiah. He got out to an early start.
And that put a lot of pressure on the person
he's racing against.
- And Meunier finds himself in an unusual position,
behind in a race.
He's been so strong.
- Matt, you saw that, just get the Salmon Ladder
in two moves. Come on.
- Both these guys digging deep.
And Meunier, just finding a rhythm.
- And now Noah takes the lead.
- This is their second race tonight.
At some point, fatigue may become a factor.
- Noah's got 2 inches in height on him,
so it's gonna be a little easier for him on Clacker.
- Watch the transfer.
Got it. - Nice.
This is a big move here.
- And RJ first off.
Akbar, that was big.
- We got a big race.
- RJ was the first to complete.
And look at the power out of Meunier!
- Big lache here.
Wow. - Oh, my goodness.
- Matt, these guys are going at it.
- It may not be enough to be perfect.
He may have to be faster because Roman, a slight edge.
- Oh.
He missed that kick.
And now he's got to make this move right now.
- And Meunier,
first to dismount.
Oh, that's huge.
A slight edge.
But right into Falling Shelves.
- They got to sell out.
- Oh! - Oh, my goodness!
- He had to. He had to sell out.
- So Meunier gets the win.
But--oh!
- Aww.
- The streak ends.
129 obstacles.
And when he finally falls,
he'd already taken care of business.
- It was close until the end,
but RJ tried to line up the wheel on Kickboards
before he kicked it.
That cost him time and allowed Noah to jump ahead.
So RJ had to go for broke on the final obstacle
and just missed.
Shockingly, so did Noah.
- Well, his streak may be over, but Noah is now two races
away from winning it all.
He'll face the winner of our next race between
Colorado teenager Kaden Lebsack,
who's been perfect all season
and Illinois' Sam Folsom.
Sam, like RJ, had to earn the wild card
to get out of the group stage,
but he's made it to the final eight.
His wife, Isabella, will be cheering him on.
- Let's go!
- And Kaden will have a big Colorado contingent,
including his parents.
- These two raced on stage two last year,
and Sam won when Kaden fell early.
So this is the rematch. [countdown clock beeping]
- What a race this is gonna be.
- Winner goes to the final four.
The loser goes home.
- And you can see, Akbar, I think it's gonna come down
to who can link most-- look at the flow.
- Folsom, out in front.
And Folsom, though, a misfire there on the Ring Jump.
- But you can't count out Kaden Lebsack.
He can come from behind.
- And you can see it, Akbar, with the caliber of ninjas,
they're gonna take risks.
- Wow!
- They made the dismount at the same time.
- [laughs]
Nice fast move.
Rapid fire there on Salmon Ladder.
- And there it is, Folsom.
A little blink, a little miss on the Floating Monkey Bars.
- And you see on that back swing,
utilizing that to get up and land the bar in the cradle.
- Well, Folsom looked more efficient earlier.
But now it's Lebsack.
He's been strong on The Clacker in all his races.
Folsom keeping the pressure on.
Oh, my! - Uh-oh.
And now here it is.
And, Matt, this will slow it down right here.
Kickboards might slow down just a little bit.
- Wow, great power out of Lebsack.
And that's key. - Some powerful moves.
This is not a quick obstacle.
- Make the transfer to the bar a little easier.
Great job by Lebsack.
Trying to create some separation,
but Folsom, relentless.
- Nice. - Kaden spins it.
- Uh-oh, get that steering wheel nice and tight.
- And Lebsack one obstacle away.
Can he close it up?
- Well, Matt, he's got to feel good to know
that you're right out in front
so you don't have to push yourself.
You can make this blind grab.
- Got it! - Just like that.
[buzzer blares]
- A smile off Kaden's face.
He delivers.
- He lost the race, but Sam Folsom's gonna
try to get to the end.
- I like it. He's linking them.
That's a good way to finish.
[cheers and applause] [buzzer blares]
- So Sam Folsom's season ends.
And Kaden Lebsack is now in the final four.
That sets up a showdown between Kaden
and Noah Meunier in the semifinals,
as we move ever closer to crowning a new champion.
Up next, it's the battle of the Beckstrands.
Big brother Kai versus little brother Luke.
One of these Utah teenagers moves on to the semifinals
when we come back.
- We're counting down "Ninja's" memorable moments,
and it's time to reveal number two.
In the first 14 seasons of "Ninja Warrior,"
only nine athletes had climbed the stage four tower.
Two went fast enough and became Ninja Warrior champion.
Then in season 15, a record eight ninjas
made it to the tower and took their shot
at winning $1 million.
One of them was 18-year-old Vance Walker,
who was born with cerebral palsy
and grew up with braces on his legs.
But he amazed everyone with his strength on the ropes.
The clock is ticking!
- Oh, my goodness! - He's slowing down!
- He's right there though!
- Vance Walker has done it!
[cheers and applause]
- I was literally told I wouldn't be able
to walk when I was a kid.
- As improbable as it was to win once,
the following year, Walker battled
through all the stages of the competition
and earned a return trip to stage four.
- I thought we'd never have anybody go back to back.
- This time, Walker would have to outclimb
four other top competitors,
but once again, he found a way.
- He's getting very close. Very close.
Oh! - He did it!
He did it! - Oh, my goodness!
Repeat! A repeat!
- In our first 14 seasons, we only had two champions.
Now Vance Walker has won it twice!
- Being able to live out my dream
and inspire all these people is just absolutely insane.
- As the only two-time champion in "Ninja" history,
Vance Walker comes in at number two on our countdown.
- And there's Vance.
He's been out this year because of an injury
related to his cerebral palsy.
Hopes to be back next season.
He's been enjoying these races,
and we've got a big one up next.
Zuri's gonna get them started.
- They are two of the best ninjas in the world,
and they come from the same family.
Now, Kai Beckstrand will have to race
his little brother, Luke, and only one will move on.
- Kai Beckstrand with the fastest time so far.
- This is definitely a race that I've been waiting for.
- And Luke is gonna destroy his brother's time
by almost 30 seconds!
- Oh, yeah.
This is the race I've been waiting for.
- Luke definitely pushes me the hardest
out of any training partner I've ever had.
- Go.
[upbeat music]
- Ah!
We're competitive in basically everything--
cards,
board games, ping pong.
- Easy, buddy.
I'm a ninja, not a ping pong player.
[laughter]
- I totally look up to Kai in every single way.
He's just amazing.
- We talk about "Ninja Warrior"
being all about families.
The Beckstrands certainly embody that.
- I've always looked forward to racing against my brother,
but at the same time,
I know that one of us is gonna be knocked out.
So as unfortunate as that is, being able to race on "ANW"
against my brother is gonna be such a wonderful memory.
- I guess we'll see who the fastest Beckstrand is.
- Best of luck. - Yeah.
- Feels like some biblical battle of the brothers
here, Akbar.
Kai and Luke, exchanging shirts.
- Oh, boy.
Well, I'm sure they do that at home all the time, right?
I know I used to steal my brother's shirt
all the time. He said, "I can't even fit it."
He's too swole. He said, "I'm too swole."
Oh, they're both running with their shirts off.
- Their parents got to be proud.
They've got two sons in the final eight
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- Big brother versus little brother,
but only one will survive.
[countdown clock beeping]
Akbar, you're the oracle of the oasis.
What's your pick? - Oh, man.
I've got Kai Beckstrand on this one.
He's been outstanding.
He's the favorite to win it all.
No one has been able to stop this machine
called Kai Beckstrand.
- But let's see if little brother Luke
can summon up some of that Luke smash rage.
What a dismount!
- Luke is out in front. Are you kidding me?
He says, Luke, I am your brother.
- Well, back in St. George at their two great ninja gyms,
these two have raced.
Oh, but Kai misses on Floating Monkey Bars.
He's struggling.
Now he rights the ship.
But look at Luke.
He's opening up an edge!
- No, no. This can't be real.
I can't believe my eyes.
Oh, my goodness.
Little brother's been saving this for his entire life
to be able to beat his big brother on national television.
- Links that dismount! - Oh, my goodness!
- Onto the Kickboards, but Luke needs a little more power.
And Kai locks it in place. - Oh, here he comes.
And now look at Kai trying to turn on the afterburners.
- Oh, my goodness. Luke a half move ahead!
- Come on, little brother.
Do this for all the little brothers losing,
watching around the world.
- Kai had too much power.
The wheel is--
oh, my goodness! - Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
- How did he do that? - Oh, wow.
And now Kai's out in front!
- Kai takes the edge on the Falling Shelves.
Luke's watching. And look at him go.
- Wow.
- Oh, my goodness. - Wow.
- Are you not entertained?
- Kai Beckstrand is on another level.
- Luke slowed down at the end, but he pushed his big brother,
and he's gonna finish strong.
- Nice.
Wow. [buzzer blares]
- But big brother wins again.
- This was almost over on the Floating Monkey Bars.
Kai nearly fell and had to make a two-finger save
to keep his season alive, then surged back.
He made a tricky grab on Kickboards,
got turned around, but it barely slowed him down.
He linked his final moves all the way to the buzzer.
- Both these guys deserve hugs, but it's Kai who's moving on.
He's our third semifinalist,
and our next race will determine his opponent.
It'll either be Jay Lache Lewis or The Flyboy Isaiah Thomas.
They both know how to turn on the jets,
but Flyboy has actually become a jet setter.
Isaiah has taken his Ninja skills international,
competing all across the globe.
His first stop, an obstacle course race
in Costa Rica.
- So going there, I competed, didn't really expect much,
and got the world record and got a world title.
- World record!
[cheers and applause]
- Since then, he's traveled to the cliffs of Croatia...
- [screaming]
- And the deserts of Dubai,
competing against some of the best athletes in the world.
- Getting to represent the USA was amazing.
After doing so well this past summer,
I do feel like I have some more confidence
than I usually do.
Jay Lache is fast.
- Reaching new heights.
- I won't have any time to play with him.
No resting for me. I got to go.
- You can see the height difference here.
Jay Lewis, 5'4", 125 pounds.
Isaiah Thomas, 6'2", 165 pounds.
- Is that 10-inch height advantage
worth the 40 extra pounds?
Let's find out, big man.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Nice start.
- Both these guys, very fluid.
- Nice.
You can see right there, Flyboy using his long reach.
- All the competitors tonight are running multiple races,
yet they seem to get faster each time through the course.
Oh, my gosh.
The stamina we are asking in this race,
and Isaiah is so smooth.
Oh, Jay Lache nearly hits the water, but recovers.
And Flyboy already through the Salmon Ladder.
And that long reach should help him
on the Floating Monkey Bars.
Just perfect.
- Nice getting through.
- Well, I got to say, The Flyboy
is looking as efficient as we've seen
anyone on this course, Akbar.
- Well, Matt, I think a lot of people
kind of forget about the type of ninja that Isaiah Thomas is.
- He just linked The Clacker.
- He really has everything he needs to be able to win this.
I don't think I've seen a wasted move out of The Flyboy,
but Jay Lache is keeping it close, Akbar.
- Nice.
Nice, powerful run, using the leverage of those long legs.
But here comes Jay Lache.
- And Isaiah... - Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, whoa.
- Can he get the distance? - Thank God for long arms.
- Here it comes.
It's the Falling Shelves, and Isaiah right into it!
- He's in it. He's in it now.
He's in it! - Oh, my goodness.
- Oh, wow!
- How did he make that grab?
Isaiah does it,
but is it the fastest time of the night?
[cheers and applause]
- Isaiah, I can tell you're locked-in.
You're dialed-in.
You've been saying it all year.
- I'm doing it for all my loved ones,
and now I'm a role model to kids that I coach,
so I'm just doing it for them.
- Well, you've always said, "I'm him."
Now you're just two races away from having that title, buddy.
Hit that buzzer one more time, Flyboy.
[buzzer blares]
So our final four is set.
The Flyboy will be facing Kai Beckstrand in one race,
and on the other side of the bracket,
former last ninja standing Kaden Lebsack
will face electrician Noah Meunier.
One of them will be crowned our new champion
on the "American Ninja Warrior" season finale.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior"
in Las Vegas, where we're down to the final races
of the season.
- Only four ninjas are left in the competition.
One of them will be our new champion.
- And our first semifinal features Noah Meunier
and Kaden Lebsack.
These two have impressive résumés.
Both these ninjas made the final climb
on stage four twice before.
Kaden Lebsack started off his career
clearing a perfect 99 obstacles before he fell.
- Noah Meunier set the record at 129
before his fall earlier tonight.
Meunier's girlfriend, Addy Herman
will be watching nervously,
and Kaden's parents and friends will be cheering for him.
- One race away from the finals.
Who will it be?
Meunier. Lebsack.
Time to find out.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Matt, they are going to break the internet.
They're gonna break the course and the internet.
- Well, given their histories,
you got to think both of them are likely to hit a buzzer.
Will somebody flinch?
- Well, Matt, somebody might end up
being reckless because these two are so fast.
- Well, Akbar, we're gonna see.
They're gonna have to take risks.
But Lebsack a little smoother early on.
- Well, Matt, you can minimize the risk if you stay ahead.
Kaden Lebsack, right now, ahead.
But here comes Noah.
- Well, Meunier-- and there's a miss.
And now neck and neck, back and forth all night long.
- Matt, the back and forth is it.
Here it is. Here's the separation.
- Meunier closed the gap,
only to have Lebsack pull away again.
- Kaden Lebsack has got the right idea--
stay in front, and put the pressure on Noah.
But Noah's still moving.
He is not stopping.
- Well, both these ninjas have come so close
to winning it all.
They don't want to come this close again to come up short.
- And Matt, there's an opportunity for Noah
to get back in here because Kickboards
is not a very quick obstacle.
It's a little physical.
Nice seam there, kicked that--
didn't get a good kick.
- Not a great kick.
I think Kaden's gonna have to kick again.
Look at that! - Oh, wow!
- A little risky dismount, but he does it.
- And here comes Noah, Matt. There's a chance.
- Noah. - Here we go.
- Lebsack, can he link it?
- Oh! - No!
- Oh, my goodness.
- And Meunier-- you saw it.
He took an extra swing off.
- Oh, wow.
He's taking a swing.
He's gonna make sure he gets it.
And Noah Meunier, just one obstacle better!
[buzzer blares]
- You never know when it comes down to Ninja.
- Noah Meunier pays his respects to Kaden Lebsack,
who had another outstanding season,
was one grab away from the final race.
- It looked like Kaden had the win,
but that last one is a blind grab,
and he just missed it.
Noah still had to finish,
and he was able to catch that last shelf.
He gets the win.
Noah, I'm in shock.
Are you in shock that you were able to come back?
- I was in shock when I caught the last handles,
not gonna lie.
[laughter]
- Well, Noah, congratulations.
You've made it to the final race, my man.
[cheers and applause]
Our next matchup will determine
who his opponent will be, Utah's Kai Beckstrand
or The Flyboy Isaiah Thomas.
- Matt, this is what a heavyweight championship
looks like right here.
This is it.
And we're not even in the finals.
- I've always wanted to race Kai...
Because people are always saying he's the fastest ninja,
I'm the fastest ninja.
- Isaiah can fly. He's not messing around.
- So we just got to go at it.
- I definitely believe that Isaiah Thomas
is the biggest threat when it comes to me
and winning 250K.
I know if I can put together a clean run,
I should be able to take this win no problem.
- Kai is gonna cook, but I'ma fly.
If there's anyone that doubts me here,
I'm gonna silence them real quick.
- These two have been dominant all season.
And The Flyboy has the fastest time on the course tonight.
- Their families nervously watching.
A spot in the finals on the line.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Go. Go for it.
- Oh, my. - Whoo!
- What a start! - Oh, boy.
Here we go.
- Kai Beckstrand, linking! - Wow.
- And you can see he knows he's gonna have to sell out.
Isaiah, a little hung up.
- Isaiah's got to run his race.
The one thing he can't do is hurry.
- Ooh!
- And you can see, he can't miss.
- Both misfiring on Ring Jump. - Oh.
- Oh, Akbar, I think this is gonna end
with the fall there, taking high risk moves.
- Oh! - Oh!
Isaiah Thomas, he had to push the pace,
so Kai Beckstrand survives.
- He gets the win and will be racing for the championship.
- Oh, Isaiah Thomas is sick.
Oh.
- His mom is absolutely heartbroken.
One mistake cost him.
- They both had to take chances.
Flyboy was skipping rungs on the Salmon Ladder,
but as he went for the last one,
missed on his left side,
and his dominant season comes to a devastating end.
- And Kai is gonna get through The Clacker.
- Take your time now!
- He's gonna stop there, save it for the finals,
but it's another win for Kai Beckstrand.
He's now one victory away from becoming our new champion.
Zuri's standing by with Flyboy.
- Isaiah, I'm sorry.
I know this is not the ending really
any of us expected for you.
Talk to me a little bit about this race here.
You were really pushing yourself.
You showed us why we call you Flyboy.
When it came down to dropping here,
was it keeping pace with Kai?
What was it?
- I mean, keeping pace wasn't our best at all.
We both got caught up on the rings right here.
I think it was just a simple mistake.
On the Salmon Ladder in the past three races,
I kept getting it sideways.
I think I just got tired.
- You came into this season with so much confidence,
so much purpose.
It's been a joy for us all to watch.
How are you feeling right now just about the season at large?
- You know, this sucks, but at the end of the day,
this is probably the best season I had.
I'm really proud of my qualifying
and my semifinals run and the racing
that I have been able to do, so...
- Congratulations on an awesome season.
And I hope we'll see you out here again soon, yeah?
- Gracias. - Absolutely.
Bring Mom on in here.
- Still a great season for The Flyboy.
- So our final matchup is set.
Will it be Noah Meunier, the electrician
who's been lights out all season,
or Kai Beckstrand,
the firefighter who's been burning up the course?
One of them is about to be crowned
the "American Ninja Warrior" champion coming up next.
- Throughout the finals, we've been counting down
"Ninja's" memorable moments.
And now it's time to reveal number one.
In "Ninja's" early days, only a small number of women
came out to compete.
- No!
- Through five seasons, only two had ever
made it to the 14-foot Warped Wall,
and none had conquered it.
- Ooh! [air horn blares]
- At just 5 feet tall, 24-year-old
Kacy Catanzaro seemed unlikely to break that streak.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
- But in season six in Dallas, the former college gymnast
defied the odds and made it through
the first five obstacles.
And she's done it!
Utter silence in the crowd.
- Yes! Yes! [cheers and applause]
- She's done it!
History has been made!
Kacy Catanzaro!
- Kacy, you did it! Yes!
- Yes, yes, yes, yes! - Yes!
- She's done it.
- [screams]
- Even more impressive, a few weeks later
in the semifinals, mighty Kacy once again
defied expectations.
- Oh. - Oh, my goodness.
- Oh, man.
- She's done it! Yes!
She made her way through the much more difficult
10-obstacle course and climbed to a buzzer
that had seemed out of reach for women.
She's about to do the impossible for a second time.
Oh, my goodness!
Kacy Catanzaro has done it! [buzzer blares]
The first woman ever to complete a semifinals course
and the first woman ever to punch
her ticket to Las Vegas.
- The groundbreaking runs changed expectations
and raised the bar for women competitors.
- It shatters the glass ceiling.
It makes it real.
It's like, oh, OK. Game on.
- The impact didn't stop there.
The tiny gymnast conquering the giant obstacle course
made national headlines, and clips of her run
went viral, amassing millionsof views.
The next season, submissions to be on the show
from women and men skyrocketed.
- That opened the floodgates.
It went from a show that mostly guys watched
to tons of women coming out.
- For her enduring impact, Kacy Catanzaro's runs
are number one on our memorable moments countdown.
- I'm so honored to hear that my runs
are regarded as the top moment.
But in my opinion,
the best moments are still to come.
- I still get chills watching those clips.
And Kacy's right.
We celebrate the past. We look to the future.
Eight obstacles stand between one of these ninjas
and a quarter million dollars.
On one side, Utah firefighter Kai Beckstrand.
On the other, Massachusetts electrician Noah Meunier.
- Yeah, looking at Noah, you would never think of him
as to be one of the fastest ninjas out there.
Looks like Clark Kent,
but can fly through the course like Superman.
- I have a fifth gear that hasn't been seen yet.
Four wins down, one win to go.
- Well, Akbar, how fitting as we look to the future
of "Ninja Warrior"?
Two teenagers do battle.
They started as two of the favorites,
and they have lived up to the hype.
Neither has lost a race.
And one of them will be our "American Ninja Warrior"
season 17 champion.
This is it, Akbar.
One last duel in the desert,
a showdown on the strip.
Eight obstacles with a quarter million dollars on the line.
[countdown clock beeping]
- All right. Here we go.
Noah's going up to a quick sprint.
- And these two are dead even.
- Look at the arc by Noah.
- Oh, utterly efficient by both of them.
Who will flinch?
- Noah's not messing around.
Need to get off of Ring Jump as soon as possible.
It can eat up time.
- Kai, keeping a slight edge.
Meunier, powering up.
- We might see the launching of a human satellite.
These guys are gonna push it.
- Dead even, Akbar.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Kai, the first off.
- Matt, these guys have the will to win.
They do not want to give up.
- Oh, my goodness.
The title on the line, the money waiting.
- Here we go.
- Kai keeps a slight slide edge.
- Uh-oh. Here we go.
But Noah's still in it.
- And there's that power, that lower body power, Akbar.
- And Matt, when you get to the seventh obstacle,
this is when the ninja mentality kicks in.
You're starting to feel it. It's pumping.
Oh, boy. - Oh, my goodness.
It's even. - Uh-oh.
- Kai twists it.
Kai keeps the edge.
But here comes Noah.
Oh, my goodness! - Here we go.
This is it!
- The blind grab!
- Don't fall on Falling Shelves!
- And Kai does it! - Oh!
It's Kai! They're rushing the stage!
- Kai Beckstrand!
[victorious music]
He is your season 17 champion!
- Wow.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, Akbar, in a very special season,
how fitting that our champion
comes from a family that has been
a part of the show for so many years?
- These two gave us a great final race.
They were neck and neck until The Clacker.
Noah slipped off a handle and fell slightly behind.
Kai showed off his strength on Kickboards,
but Noah closed the gap on the final obstacle
until Kai linked all his moves
and set off a wild celebration.
Look at the ambush!
- Kai, that was incredible!
You have gotten faster and stronger with every run,
and this was the fastest and strongest yet.
Congratulations.
This is yours, along with $250,000.
Let's hear it for Kai Beckstrand!
How'd you do it?
- I knew that I could not let up the whole way.
I mean, these are my favorite kind of courses
because the more you run them, the faster you can get.
So just going faster and faster, I knew I had to.
I knew Noah was gonna take out all the stops,
so I had to as well. - Yeah.
Well, you did your thing, and you're now 250 Gs richer.
Congratulations. Enjoy it.
Soak in the moment.
Let's hear it for him one more time, guys.
Kai Beckstrand, everybody. [cheers and applause]
Congratulations.
- What an incredible finish.
And congratulations to our new champion.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next season on "American Ninja Warrior."
[cheers and applause]