1 00:00:06,273 --> 00:00:07,307 - Tonight, 2 00:00:07,374 --> 00:00:09,343 "American Ninja Warrior" returns... 3 00:00:09,409 --> 00:00:10,410 [buzzer blares] 4 00:00:10,477 --> 00:00:11,411 - Whoa! No! 5 00:00:11,478 --> 00:00:12,412 Oh! 6 00:00:12,479 --> 00:00:14,314 - With fresh faces, 7 00:00:14,381 --> 00:00:15,649 fan favorites... 8 00:00:15,716 --> 00:00:17,751 - She's back! 9 00:00:17,818 --> 00:00:20,020 - And edge-of-your-seat action. 10 00:00:20,087 --> 00:00:21,655 - ♪ Ain't nobody roll like me ♪ 11 00:00:21,722 --> 00:00:23,657 - Yes! - Oh! 12 00:00:23,724 --> 00:00:26,293 - And brand-new challenges for our ninjas. 13 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,595 - We've got some exciting additions this season-- 14 00:00:28,662 --> 00:00:30,797 - Wow! Look at this! 15 00:00:30,864 --> 00:00:32,332 Oh! 16 00:00:32,399 --> 00:00:35,903 - Including our first ever three-lane race course, 17 00:00:35,969 --> 00:00:38,005 The Tripleheader. 18 00:00:38,071 --> 00:00:39,773 - How did he do that? 19 00:00:40,807 --> 00:00:43,610 - One, two, three, go. 20 00:00:44,611 --> 00:00:47,214 - My first thought was, they are out of their minds. 21 00:00:47,281 --> 00:00:49,783 Like, this is going to be crazy. 22 00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:52,052 - Now, I've got to worry about not just one athlete, but two. 23 00:00:52,119 --> 00:00:54,254 Whether I'm in the middle or on the side, 24 00:00:54,321 --> 00:00:55,822 it's going to be exhilarating, for sure. 25 00:00:55,889 --> 00:00:58,725 - Hundreds of hopefuls will tackle the qualifying course. 26 00:00:58,792 --> 00:01:00,961 Ninjas must outshine their local rivals 27 00:01:01,028 --> 00:01:04,164 for a chance to compete in the National Finals. 28 00:01:04,231 --> 00:01:06,199 Which region will come out on top? 29 00:01:06,266 --> 00:01:08,535 It's all starting right now. 30 00:01:08,602 --> 00:01:11,705 [upbeat rock music] 31 00:01:11,772 --> 00:01:13,707 - Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas, 32 00:01:13,774 --> 00:01:15,309 where we're about to roll the dice 33 00:01:15,375 --> 00:01:19,313 once again on another season of "American Ninja Warrior." 34 00:01:19,379 --> 00:01:20,847 Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us 35 00:01:20,914 --> 00:01:22,649 as we kick off another year. 36 00:01:22,716 --> 00:01:25,385 I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila. 37 00:01:25,452 --> 00:01:27,854 Partner, it feels good to be back. 38 00:01:27,921 --> 00:01:30,190 We're going to have fun this year with some of these 39 00:01:30,257 --> 00:01:32,893 new twists, including our first ever 40 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:36,363 three-lane race course, the Tripleheader. 41 00:01:36,430 --> 00:01:37,598 - It's going to be insane. 42 00:01:37,664 --> 00:01:38,765 We'll see it in two weeks. 43 00:01:38,832 --> 00:01:40,434 But for a look at tonight's course, 44 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:42,536 let's go down to the third member of our team, 45 00:01:42,602 --> 00:01:44,471 Zuri Hall. - Thank you, guys. 46 00:01:44,538 --> 00:01:46,039 It is so great to be back. 47 00:01:46,106 --> 00:01:49,276 Tonight, we are seeing the best ninjas from the West, 48 00:01:49,343 --> 00:01:52,012 and their first test is this six-obstacle course. 49 00:01:52,079 --> 00:01:53,447 [dramatic music] 50 00:01:53,513 --> 00:01:56,750 It starts with a sprint across the Shrinking Steps. 51 00:01:56,817 --> 00:01:59,820 Then it's a brand-new obstacle, Roller Bags. 52 00:01:59,886 --> 00:02:02,556 Ninjas need to pull out the handle on the first suitcase 53 00:02:02,622 --> 00:02:04,925 and swing over to the second. 54 00:02:04,992 --> 00:02:07,160 The third obstacle is Diamond Dash, 55 00:02:07,227 --> 00:02:10,197 back for the first time in four seasons. 56 00:02:10,263 --> 00:02:12,099 That's followed by Kite Surfer, 57 00:02:12,165 --> 00:02:15,302 which requires precision, timing, and grip strength 58 00:02:15,369 --> 00:02:18,572 to work their way past the two kites. 59 00:02:18,638 --> 00:02:21,208 Obstacle five is the upper body test, 60 00:02:21,274 --> 00:02:22,676 Kaleidoscope, 61 00:02:22,743 --> 00:02:24,511 which leads to the Warped Wall. 62 00:02:24,578 --> 00:02:27,381 Run up and hit the buzzer in under a minute and ten, 63 00:02:27,447 --> 00:02:30,417 and ninjas earn a shot at the Mega Wall. 64 00:02:30,484 --> 00:02:33,787 Get up and 18-and-1/2-foot Mega Wall, 65 00:02:33,854 --> 00:02:36,356 and they'll win $10,000, courtesy of 66 00:02:36,423 --> 00:02:38,992 the Active Cash Credit Card from Wells Fargo. 67 00:02:39,059 --> 00:02:41,395 The Active Cash Credit Card earns unlimited 68 00:02:41,461 --> 00:02:44,865 2% cash rewards on purchases. Terms apply. 69 00:02:44,931 --> 00:02:46,233 - Thanks, Zuri. 70 00:02:46,299 --> 00:02:48,535 This season in every qualifying episode, 71 00:02:48,602 --> 00:02:50,103 the three of us are picking who we think 72 00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:52,372 will be the night's fastest. Akbar, who you got? 73 00:02:52,439 --> 00:02:54,041 - That's an easy one for me. 74 00:02:54,107 --> 00:02:56,043 I gotta go with Josiah Pippel. 75 00:02:56,109 --> 00:02:58,011 Bro's been training for speed, 76 00:02:58,078 --> 00:03:00,080 and I think he's a strong contender and 77 00:03:00,147 --> 00:03:02,049 could be the next champion. - Wow. 78 00:03:02,115 --> 00:03:03,116 - All right, that's fair. 79 00:03:03,183 --> 00:03:05,919 Look, my money is on Kaden Lebsack. 80 00:03:05,986 --> 00:03:08,922 I mean, he is a two-time last ninja standing. 81 00:03:08,989 --> 00:03:12,059 He was in the final four last season. 82 00:03:12,125 --> 00:03:13,894 - Well, I know who I think is going to be standing tall 83 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:15,262 at the end of the night. 84 00:03:15,328 --> 00:03:18,098 The night's tallest competitor, 6'6" John Mack. 85 00:03:18,165 --> 00:03:19,700 The Reach is going to use his size 86 00:03:19,766 --> 00:03:20,967 to glide through the course. 87 00:03:21,034 --> 00:03:22,235 The guy just became a dad. 88 00:03:22,302 --> 00:03:23,303 You know he's running 89 00:03:23,370 --> 00:03:24,905 with extra motivation. 90 00:03:24,971 --> 00:03:26,740 - And lots of others to watch tonight. 91 00:03:26,807 --> 00:03:28,075 I mean, Jessie Graff. 92 00:03:28,141 --> 00:03:30,277 She is about to run this course in heels. 93 00:03:30,343 --> 00:03:32,312 Can't wait to watch that. 94 00:03:32,379 --> 00:03:34,114 - This season, we split the country 95 00:03:34,181 --> 00:03:37,851 into three regions-- East, Central, and West. 96 00:03:37,918 --> 00:03:39,486 Over the next three weeks, 97 00:03:39,553 --> 00:03:41,688 80 ninjas from the Western U.S. 98 00:03:41,755 --> 00:03:45,559 will battle for 20 spots in the National Finals. 99 00:03:45,625 --> 00:03:48,662 And nobody is more Western than our first athlete, 100 00:03:48,728 --> 00:03:51,064 the Cowboy Ninja Lance Pekus. 101 00:03:51,131 --> 00:03:52,833 He's always been a fan favorite, 102 00:03:52,899 --> 00:03:55,035 and it's been quite a Ninja journey 103 00:03:55,102 --> 00:03:57,204 for Lance and his family. 104 00:03:57,270 --> 00:03:58,505 [upbeat music] 105 00:03:58,572 --> 00:04:01,007 - Takes off his cowboy hat, and he's going for it. 106 00:04:01,074 --> 00:04:02,642 - This will be my 15th year competing 107 00:04:02,709 --> 00:04:03,844 on "American Ninja Warrior," 108 00:04:03,910 --> 00:04:07,047 and it's helped me overcome so many obstacles 109 00:04:07,114 --> 00:04:09,750 in my own personal life. 110 00:04:09,816 --> 00:04:13,220 My wife, Heather, has multiple sclerosis, MS. 111 00:04:13,286 --> 00:04:15,756 We came out on "American Ninja Warrior" 112 00:04:15,822 --> 00:04:18,492 about my wife's condition several years ago. 113 00:04:18,558 --> 00:04:21,628 - I love riding with you, Mommy. 114 00:04:21,695 --> 00:04:23,430 - I love it too. 115 00:04:23,497 --> 00:04:24,865 - She's been that shining light. 116 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:27,768 She's been able to help people through a lot of stuff. 117 00:04:27,834 --> 00:04:30,437 And, ultimately, being able to share our story 118 00:04:30,504 --> 00:04:32,772 with everyone across the country has helped 119 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,108 us through our own issues as well. 120 00:04:35,175 --> 00:04:38,011 I can't honestly even remember the last buzzer I hit. 121 00:04:38,078 --> 00:04:40,413 I really hope that changes tonight. 122 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:42,949 So it's about time that I wrangled up myself a buzzer. 123 00:04:45,619 --> 00:04:46,987 - And there's Heather. 124 00:04:47,053 --> 00:04:49,022 She's on the sideline once again 125 00:04:49,089 --> 00:04:50,557 along with their kids. 126 00:04:50,624 --> 00:04:52,092 [cheers and applause] 127 00:04:52,159 --> 00:04:54,060 And Lance is making history tonight. 128 00:04:54,127 --> 00:04:57,364 He's the first Ninja to be mic'd up during his run. 129 00:04:57,430 --> 00:04:59,366 - What's up, Cowboy Ninja? 130 00:04:59,432 --> 00:05:00,901 - What's up? How's it going? 131 00:05:00,967 --> 00:05:02,435 Howdy! Whoo! 132 00:05:02,502 --> 00:05:03,603 - Howdy! 133 00:05:03,670 --> 00:05:05,172 Man, this is pretty cool to be able to talk to you 134 00:05:05,238 --> 00:05:06,473 through the process, man. 135 00:05:06,540 --> 00:05:08,542 Give us that insight, 'cause that's what we want. 136 00:05:08,608 --> 00:05:11,077 - All right, well, I'm going to attack it the best I can. 137 00:05:11,144 --> 00:05:13,079 Obviously, I've had a little bit of experience, 138 00:05:13,146 --> 00:05:15,515 so, hey, here it goes. It's game time. 139 00:05:15,582 --> 00:05:18,251 - So, Lance Pekus, show us what you got, buddy. 140 00:05:18,318 --> 00:05:19,252 [countdown clock beeping] 141 00:05:19,319 --> 00:05:20,487 - Whoo! Here we go. 142 00:05:20,554 --> 00:05:21,822 - I don't want to be too much of a distraction, 143 00:05:21,888 --> 00:05:23,990 but if anybody can handle us going back and forth, 144 00:05:24,057 --> 00:05:25,358 it is Lance Pekus. 145 00:05:25,425 --> 00:05:28,128 - Smooth through the Shrinking Steps now. 146 00:05:28,195 --> 00:05:31,598 He'll be the first to take on this new obstacle, Roller Bags. 147 00:05:31,665 --> 00:05:33,300 - All right, I'll take this off just in case. 148 00:05:33,366 --> 00:05:34,501 - OK. 149 00:05:34,568 --> 00:05:35,936 - All right, you don't want to get it messed up. 150 00:05:36,002 --> 00:05:37,904 - He's got to grab the handle on the first bag 151 00:05:37,971 --> 00:05:39,840 and swing to the second. 152 00:05:39,906 --> 00:05:42,008 - How heavy is that bag, by the way? 153 00:05:42,075 --> 00:05:44,144 My goodness. 154 00:05:44,211 --> 00:05:45,879 Good power. 155 00:05:45,946 --> 00:05:47,247 Uh-oh. All right. 156 00:05:47,314 --> 00:05:48,982 Now, this is where he's got to make that transfer. 157 00:05:49,049 --> 00:05:50,083 - [exhales] 158 00:05:50,150 --> 00:05:51,218 - Oh, he's starting to feel it. 159 00:05:51,284 --> 00:05:53,186 You hear him. 160 00:05:53,253 --> 00:05:54,788 Ooh! - Got it. 161 00:05:54,854 --> 00:05:55,822 - Whoo! 162 00:05:55,889 --> 00:05:57,390 - There we go! 163 00:05:57,457 --> 00:05:59,693 Lance, you fell on balance last season. 164 00:05:59,759 --> 00:06:01,728 Any concerns here on Diamond Dash? 165 00:06:01,795 --> 00:06:04,664 - Well, hopefully diamonds are a cowboy's best friend. 166 00:06:04,731 --> 00:06:07,167 [laughter] - OK. All right. 167 00:06:07,234 --> 00:06:09,436 I don't know how he's going to run in them jeans. 168 00:06:09,502 --> 00:06:10,470 - Whoo! 169 00:06:10,537 --> 00:06:12,405 [cheers and applause] 170 00:06:12,472 --> 00:06:15,308 - Oh, so good, Pekus. 171 00:06:15,375 --> 00:06:17,010 5'8", 165. 172 00:06:17,077 --> 00:06:20,180 This guy's upper body strength is legendary. 173 00:06:20,247 --> 00:06:23,083 Not going to get bucked off the Kite Surfer. 174 00:06:23,149 --> 00:06:25,252 - Time to go surfing! - Oh, OK. 175 00:06:25,318 --> 00:06:27,087 - I like it! 176 00:06:27,153 --> 00:06:29,823 - Nice. - [huffs, grunts] 177 00:06:32,726 --> 00:06:36,263 - You can hear how strenuous these moves are. 178 00:06:38,498 --> 00:06:39,833 - Transfer up. 179 00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:41,167 - You've got this! 180 00:06:41,234 --> 00:06:42,702 - You got this, Dad! 181 00:06:42,769 --> 00:06:44,271 - Nice! 182 00:06:44,337 --> 00:06:45,605 - But this is a tough section. 183 00:06:45,672 --> 00:06:47,574 You got to go wide with your hands. 184 00:06:48,908 --> 00:06:50,010 Oh, no! - No! 185 00:06:50,076 --> 00:06:51,278 [air horn blares] 186 00:06:51,344 --> 00:06:53,413 The cowboy got bucked off. 187 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:55,849 Now we'll have to wait and see if that's good enough 188 00:06:55,916 --> 00:06:58,351 to move on to the Western regional finals. 189 00:06:58,418 --> 00:07:00,053 - Lance, what happened right there? 190 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:01,521 - Ahh! 191 00:07:01,588 --> 00:07:04,658 I went to go wide and then got caught. 192 00:07:04,724 --> 00:07:07,560 Yeah, I didn't play well enough on the Kite Surfer. 193 00:07:07,627 --> 00:07:10,297 [applause] 194 00:07:10,363 --> 00:07:13,466 - Lance, it's always a pleasure watching you compete, my man. 195 00:07:13,533 --> 00:07:16,202 - Thank you, Matt. Thank you, Akbar. 196 00:07:16,269 --> 00:07:18,972 - Well, up next, teenager Lumi Rivera. 197 00:07:19,039 --> 00:07:21,508 When this high school student isn't training for Ninja, 198 00:07:21,574 --> 00:07:25,078 she's chasing down chickens on the family farm. 199 00:07:26,446 --> 00:07:28,581 [rooster crows] 200 00:07:28,648 --> 00:07:31,618 - I've got over 115 animals on the farm. 201 00:07:31,685 --> 00:07:33,119 [chickens clucking] 202 00:07:33,186 --> 00:07:34,754 Chickens, emus... 203 00:07:34,821 --> 00:07:35,889 Best buds. 204 00:07:35,956 --> 00:07:37,958 Tortoises, ducks. 205 00:07:38,024 --> 00:07:40,160 I've been breeding chickens since I was eight years old, 206 00:07:40,226 --> 00:07:44,364 I have cochins, frizzles, Polish, silkies. 207 00:07:45,598 --> 00:07:47,334 The hardest part about breeding chickens 208 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:48,835 is they're pretty fast. 209 00:07:48,902 --> 00:07:51,838 I have to, like, match their speed to catch up to them. 210 00:07:51,905 --> 00:07:54,140 Tonight, I'm going to be extraordinary. 211 00:07:55,108 --> 00:07:56,142 [chicken clucks] 212 00:07:56,209 --> 00:07:57,477 [cheers and applause] 213 00:07:57,544 --> 00:08:00,113 - Lumi actually named a couple of her chickens after us. 214 00:08:00,180 --> 00:08:02,082 They're right here, Akbar. Matt and Akbar... 215 00:08:02,148 --> 00:08:03,717 - [laughs] - Are her chickens. 216 00:08:03,783 --> 00:08:06,319 - I like that. [clucking] 217 00:08:06,386 --> 00:08:09,756 We even have the little crocheted knockouts. 218 00:08:09,823 --> 00:08:11,091 Mine--mine's kind of salt and pepper. 219 00:08:11,157 --> 00:08:12,359 Looks like Tina Turner there. 220 00:08:12,425 --> 00:08:14,527 - Yeah, and mine is this color of my alma mater, 221 00:08:14,594 --> 00:08:16,196 red and black, San Diego State. 222 00:08:16,262 --> 00:08:17,731 - That is some aggressive hair right there. 223 00:08:17,797 --> 00:08:19,666 - Yeah, it is. I don't have that kind of hair. 224 00:08:19,733 --> 00:08:20,800 - Let's go! 225 00:08:20,867 --> 00:08:23,903 - Lumi will have her parents cheering her on 226 00:08:23,970 --> 00:08:26,639 along with her coach, "Ninja" veteran Karsten Williams. 227 00:08:26,706 --> 00:08:29,309 [countdown clock beeping] 228 00:08:29,376 --> 00:08:31,244 Well, let's see what kind of run 229 00:08:31,311 --> 00:08:33,580 Lumi Rivera can hatch right here. 230 00:08:33,646 --> 00:08:35,949 It's a bit of a chicken walk across the striding steps. 231 00:08:36,016 --> 00:08:38,218 - Yeah, she's got a sweater around her waist. 232 00:08:38,284 --> 00:08:39,953 Doing it in style. 233 00:08:40,020 --> 00:08:42,255 - Whoo! - Let's go! 234 00:08:42,322 --> 00:08:44,824 - Now gets to try this new second obstacle. 235 00:08:44,891 --> 00:08:45,992 - Let's see what she can do here, 236 00:08:46,059 --> 00:08:47,494 going for a ride on Roller Bags. 237 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:50,330 - Just 17 years old, 5'6". 238 00:08:50,397 --> 00:08:51,831 - And you can just see struggling, though, 239 00:08:51,898 --> 00:08:53,266 to get that handle deployed. 240 00:08:53,333 --> 00:08:55,502 You can see the bars on the right side. 241 00:08:55,568 --> 00:08:57,537 There we go. - Nice and--uh-oh, uh-oh. 242 00:08:57,604 --> 00:08:58,538 - A lot of extra swings. 243 00:08:58,605 --> 00:08:59,739 And another one. 244 00:08:59,806 --> 00:09:01,307 - There's a little bit of a jerk there. 245 00:09:01,374 --> 00:09:02,542 Now, she's going to see it-- 246 00:09:02,609 --> 00:09:04,077 - Oh, she needed to let go right there. 247 00:09:04,144 --> 00:09:05,278 - Uh-oh. 248 00:09:05,345 --> 00:09:06,579 - Now she's going to have to build up momentum. 249 00:09:06,646 --> 00:09:08,281 - It could be hard to recover from this. 250 00:09:08,348 --> 00:09:10,283 - Oh, she might end up-- - You got to go through it! 251 00:09:10,350 --> 00:09:11,651 - Like Humpty Dumpty here, Akbar. 252 00:09:11,718 --> 00:09:13,486 Struggling to get her momentum. - Come on. Right here! 253 00:09:13,553 --> 00:09:15,121 - Oh, Matt, she's scrambling like eggs 254 00:09:15,188 --> 00:09:17,123 right now, trying to get over. 255 00:09:18,391 --> 00:09:19,793 Oh, Matt. - Oh, look at that! 256 00:09:19,859 --> 00:09:21,928 - Oh, she might be fried. 257 00:09:21,995 --> 00:09:25,131 - Lumi has to spread her wings. 258 00:09:25,198 --> 00:09:26,966 - Ooh! Sunny side over. 259 00:09:27,033 --> 00:09:29,169 [air horn blares] My goodness! 260 00:09:29,235 --> 00:09:30,470 - It's a new obstacle, 261 00:09:30,537 --> 00:09:32,906 and Lumi couldn't quite figure it out. 262 00:09:34,107 --> 00:09:36,376 - Lumi just made a bad decision. 263 00:09:36,443 --> 00:09:39,479 You can see right there her legs were over the wall. 264 00:09:39,546 --> 00:09:41,147 If she had let go at that point, 265 00:09:41,214 --> 00:09:42,615 she would have cleared it. 266 00:09:42,682 --> 00:09:44,684 But she held on and could never 267 00:09:44,751 --> 00:09:46,486 regain momentum. 268 00:09:47,687 --> 00:09:49,856 - Season 18 of "American Ninja Warrior" 269 00:09:49,923 --> 00:09:51,791 is ready to take flight. 270 00:09:51,858 --> 00:09:54,394 Tonight, we'll see some of the sport's best 271 00:09:54,461 --> 00:09:56,463 and fan favorites, including 272 00:09:56,529 --> 00:09:59,365 the history-making mom Sandy Zimmerman. 273 00:09:59,432 --> 00:10:01,634 And this year, Sandy's got company. 274 00:10:01,701 --> 00:10:04,370 - So I asked the family to come back 275 00:10:04,437 --> 00:10:06,506 and to do my tenth season with me. 276 00:10:06,573 --> 00:10:08,875 - Plus, get ready to hit the Like button. 277 00:10:08,942 --> 00:10:11,077 One of social media's biggest stars, 278 00:10:11,144 --> 00:10:13,780 Ben Azelart, is going to take on our course. 279 00:10:13,847 --> 00:10:15,114 - I think my followers are going to be stoked 280 00:10:15,181 --> 00:10:16,382 to see me do this. 281 00:10:16,449 --> 00:10:19,152 - It's party time on the season premiere 282 00:10:19,219 --> 00:10:21,955 of "American Ninja Warrior." 283 00:10:26,659 --> 00:10:27,994 - Welcome back to Vegas, where it's qualifying night 284 00:10:28,061 --> 00:10:29,929 for the West region, and two Olympic hopefuls 285 00:10:29,996 --> 00:10:32,065 hit the course while we were away. 286 00:10:32,132 --> 00:10:34,134 Charles Mangold III 287 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,202 is not only a professional bull rider, 288 00:10:36,269 --> 00:10:39,172 he's also trying to make the U.S. bobsledding team. 289 00:10:39,239 --> 00:10:40,974 - I've got to tip my hat off to him because 290 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:42,842 that right there is a true athlete. 291 00:10:42,909 --> 00:10:44,677 - After taking off the cowboy hat, 292 00:10:44,744 --> 00:10:48,148 Mangold managed to get past the Shrinking Steps-barely. 293 00:10:48,214 --> 00:10:50,483 - Ooh, that first obstacle looked a little shaky. 294 00:10:50,550 --> 00:10:53,419 - And then the rookie was bucked off on the Roller Bags. 295 00:10:53,486 --> 00:10:54,821 - Oh! 296 00:10:54,888 --> 00:10:56,222 [air horn blares] 297 00:10:58,625 --> 00:10:59,859 - En guard! En guard! 298 00:10:59,926 --> 00:11:02,395 - Akbar and I were en garde as high schooler 299 00:11:02,462 --> 00:11:04,764 Luke Filar showed off his fencing skills 300 00:11:04,831 --> 00:11:06,132 at the start line. 301 00:11:06,199 --> 00:11:08,568 Filar moved to the U.S. Pentathlon Training Center 302 00:11:08,635 --> 00:11:11,271 in Charlotte to prepare for the 2028 Olympics 303 00:11:11,337 --> 00:11:13,606 when fencing and Ninja will be two 304 00:11:13,673 --> 00:11:16,142 of the five events in the pentathlon. 305 00:11:16,209 --> 00:11:18,044 With his teammates cheering him on 306 00:11:18,111 --> 00:11:20,380 from back in Charlotte, Filar got some practice 307 00:11:20,446 --> 00:11:22,882 on one of the other pentathlon disciplines, 308 00:11:22,949 --> 00:11:24,918 running. - Ooh! 309 00:11:24,984 --> 00:11:26,986 - Ooh! Be careful. 310 00:11:27,053 --> 00:11:29,289 - And unfortunately, another event, 311 00:11:29,355 --> 00:11:31,291 swimming. - Oh! 312 00:11:31,357 --> 00:11:32,492 [air horn blares] 313 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,295 He was not en garde right there. 314 00:11:35,361 --> 00:11:37,096 - I don't even need a mask. 315 00:11:38,631 --> 00:11:40,800 Up next, it's a Ninja legend. 316 00:11:40,867 --> 00:11:44,304 And for Sandy Zimmerman, this is a special season. 317 00:11:44,370 --> 00:11:47,307 It marks the tenth anniversary of her "ANW" debut. 318 00:11:47,373 --> 00:11:49,776 So she's brought along the whole family. 319 00:11:51,311 --> 00:11:53,680 [gentle music] 320 00:11:53,746 --> 00:11:57,083 - It's a big season for me, ten years. 321 00:11:57,150 --> 00:11:58,351 - Ooh, OK. 322 00:11:58,418 --> 00:12:00,887 That's not your ordinary PE teacher right there. 323 00:12:00,954 --> 00:12:04,057 - So I asked the family to come back 324 00:12:04,123 --> 00:12:07,226 and to do my tenth season with me. 325 00:12:07,293 --> 00:12:09,362 - At first, I was like, ooh, like, 326 00:12:09,429 --> 00:12:11,230 I haven't done this in a little while. 327 00:12:11,297 --> 00:12:13,933 - Now it's in the hands of their teenage son, Brett. 328 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,268 - After I thought about it more, like, 329 00:12:15,335 --> 00:12:16,569 I knew that it would be a lot of fun. 330 00:12:16,636 --> 00:12:18,838 - And they're moving on to the Power Tower. 331 00:12:18,905 --> 00:12:20,506 [buzzer blares] 332 00:12:20,573 --> 00:12:22,942 - Attaboy! - Yes! 333 00:12:23,009 --> 00:12:25,812 - "Ninja Warriors" meant a lot to my family. 334 00:12:25,878 --> 00:12:28,114 It's been very much a bonding thing. 335 00:12:28,181 --> 00:12:29,682 We've watched each other compete. 336 00:12:29,749 --> 00:12:31,250 We've supported each other in it. 337 00:12:31,317 --> 00:12:32,485 - Oh! 338 00:12:32,552 --> 00:12:34,454 - Charlie holds up his end of the bargain. 339 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:36,022 [cheers and applause] 340 00:12:36,089 --> 00:12:37,757 - My favorite "American Ninja Warrior" memory 341 00:12:37,824 --> 00:12:40,026 would have to be my mom hitting the big buzzer 342 00:12:40,093 --> 00:12:41,394 in the Tacoma Dome. 343 00:12:41,461 --> 00:12:42,862 [together] Our mom is going to be 344 00:12:42,929 --> 00:12:45,198 the next American Ninja Warrior. 345 00:12:45,264 --> 00:12:47,000 - The first mom! 346 00:12:47,066 --> 00:12:48,501 - Yes! Yes! 347 00:12:48,568 --> 00:12:49,736 - I just think that was so special 348 00:12:49,802 --> 00:12:51,771 and just, like, very historic. 349 00:12:51,838 --> 00:12:54,274 And we were just all so excited for her. 350 00:12:56,976 --> 00:13:01,080 - This feels like the last chapter. 351 00:13:01,147 --> 00:13:02,915 Our kids are getting older, 352 00:13:02,982 --> 00:13:04,951 and this may be our last hurrah together, 353 00:13:05,018 --> 00:13:08,921 our last chance to be on this stage together. 354 00:13:08,988 --> 00:13:10,923 The last chance to make memories through Ninja, 355 00:13:10,990 --> 00:13:14,560 which has been such a huge part of our family. 356 00:13:14,627 --> 00:13:16,529 ♪ ♪ 357 00:13:16,596 --> 00:13:18,665 [cheers and applause] 358 00:13:18,731 --> 00:13:20,366 - So Sandy's going to lead it off. 359 00:13:20,433 --> 00:13:22,235 Then Brett will run next. 360 00:13:22,302 --> 00:13:24,771 Sandy's husband Charlie will compete next week 361 00:13:24,837 --> 00:13:26,506 along with daughter Lindsey. 362 00:13:26,572 --> 00:13:28,675 Her youngest son, Blake, is only 14 363 00:13:28,741 --> 00:13:31,177 and hopes to get his shot on the course next season. 364 00:13:31,244 --> 00:13:33,246 Sandy, always a fan favorite. 365 00:13:33,312 --> 00:13:35,715 [countdown clock beeping] 366 00:13:35,782 --> 00:13:38,751 - Former point guard for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. 367 00:13:38,818 --> 00:13:41,320 Looking to be a sure shot here. 368 00:13:41,387 --> 00:13:42,789 - Oh, here we go. 369 00:13:42,855 --> 00:13:45,591 You gotta check yourself on this new obstacle, Roller Bag. 370 00:13:45,658 --> 00:13:47,927 You got to check yourself like TSA. 371 00:13:47,994 --> 00:13:50,063 - 5'6", 140. 372 00:13:50,129 --> 00:13:52,865 Akbar, has had early struggles on the course. 373 00:13:52,932 --> 00:13:55,034 Wants to be cautious here. 374 00:13:55,101 --> 00:13:57,670 Get this handle out. 375 00:13:57,737 --> 00:14:00,306 - There it is. Use that momentum. 376 00:14:00,373 --> 00:14:02,642 And I think this is the perfect time to make that transfer. 377 00:14:02,709 --> 00:14:04,077 Good. - Got it. 378 00:14:04,143 --> 00:14:05,445 - She's got clearance. You're good. 379 00:14:05,511 --> 00:14:07,080 Oh, oh! - Boy, that was not-- 380 00:14:07,146 --> 00:14:08,314 - She's clear. 381 00:14:08,381 --> 00:14:09,849 - Pretty, but, Akbar, she got through it. 382 00:14:09,916 --> 00:14:11,918 But that has to take a toll. 383 00:14:11,984 --> 00:14:14,420 A lot of jolts there for Sandy Zimmerman. 384 00:14:14,487 --> 00:14:16,089 [applause] 385 00:14:16,155 --> 00:14:18,591 See if she can travel through Diamond Dash. 386 00:14:18,658 --> 00:14:20,893 - Just don't get crossed up. 387 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:22,328 Just like that! 388 00:14:22,395 --> 00:14:25,398 [cheers and applause] 389 00:14:27,100 --> 00:14:28,601 - We'll see if those extra swings, 390 00:14:28,668 --> 00:14:31,637 those jolts on Roller Bags, they come back to haunt 391 00:14:31,704 --> 00:14:34,273 her here on Kite Surfer. 392 00:14:34,340 --> 00:14:37,376 [cheers and applause] 393 00:14:38,945 --> 00:14:41,547 Big transfer down. 394 00:14:41,614 --> 00:14:44,150 Going to take a couple extra swings here. 395 00:14:44,217 --> 00:14:45,985 - Sandy Zimmerman is so focused. 396 00:14:46,052 --> 00:14:47,687 She is locked in. Look at her. 397 00:14:47,754 --> 00:14:49,789 She is locked in. 398 00:14:49,856 --> 00:14:51,257 [cheers and applause] 399 00:14:51,324 --> 00:14:53,526 - The top five women from tonight will move on. 400 00:14:53,593 --> 00:14:55,561 And with this run, Sandy's giving herself 401 00:14:55,628 --> 00:14:57,530 a chance to be one of them. 402 00:14:57,597 --> 00:14:59,265 - Nice! - Oh, my! 403 00:14:59,332 --> 00:15:01,033 - There it is. There it is. 404 00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:04,871 You want to get to the narrow point of that second one. 405 00:15:04,937 --> 00:15:07,740 - And she's reached the fifth obstacle. 406 00:15:07,807 --> 00:15:10,476 [cheers and applause] 407 00:15:10,543 --> 00:15:13,980 Sandy's now a successful author and motivational speaker. 408 00:15:14,046 --> 00:15:16,215 And she's got this crowd on its feet. 409 00:15:16,282 --> 00:15:19,318 [cheers and applause] 410 00:15:20,820 --> 00:15:23,022 Charlie and Lindsey are running next week. 411 00:15:23,089 --> 00:15:25,424 They better be taking some notes from mom's run. 412 00:15:25,491 --> 00:15:28,428 But what does she have left for Kaleidoscope? 413 00:15:29,562 --> 00:15:31,898 - Built a backyard course years ago. 414 00:15:31,964 --> 00:15:34,934 She's put in work, and now it's showing back up. 415 00:15:35,001 --> 00:15:36,869 - Well, it's her tenth anniversary 416 00:15:36,936 --> 00:15:39,705 of competing on the show, doing it with her family. 417 00:15:39,772 --> 00:15:41,073 It's got to mean so much. 418 00:15:41,140 --> 00:15:43,543 But, Akbar, a buzzer would be so special. 419 00:15:43,609 --> 00:15:45,178 - She is ready, Matt. She is ready. 420 00:15:45,244 --> 00:15:47,880 - That backyard course known as the Fortress. 421 00:15:47,947 --> 00:15:49,949 She trains grip relentlessly. 422 00:15:50,016 --> 00:15:52,518 - Look how clean and smooth she is with that. 423 00:15:52,585 --> 00:15:54,854 - But Akbar, these are big reaches. 424 00:15:54,921 --> 00:15:57,156 - Ooh! - Oh, no! 425 00:15:57,223 --> 00:16:02,295 Sandy Zimmerman makes it to the fifth obstacle. 426 00:16:02,361 --> 00:16:05,798 A strong run for Sandy on this special season for her. 427 00:16:05,865 --> 00:16:08,468 - This was vintage Sandy Zimmerman. 428 00:16:08,534 --> 00:16:12,004 She put together her best run in five years. 429 00:16:12,071 --> 00:16:14,941 She just ran out of grip on Kaleidoscope. 430 00:16:15,007 --> 00:16:17,710 - Sandy, it's so great to see you out here. 431 00:16:17,777 --> 00:16:19,579 What does it mean to you to not just be running 432 00:16:19,645 --> 00:16:21,647 with the family supporting, but knowing the family 433 00:16:21,714 --> 00:16:23,483 is running alongside you? 434 00:16:23,549 --> 00:16:28,454 - Man, this is already the most special season for me, 435 00:16:28,521 --> 00:16:32,325 and getting to do it alongside my family. 436 00:16:32,391 --> 00:16:34,193 Would have been nice to get a buzzer 437 00:16:34,260 --> 00:16:37,129 and celebrate it with them, but hopefully another Zimmy 438 00:16:37,196 --> 00:16:38,631 is going to get one, so... 439 00:16:38,698 --> 00:16:40,166 - Spoken like the true competitor you are. 440 00:16:40,233 --> 00:16:41,567 We love it. 441 00:16:41,634 --> 00:16:42,969 We'll know soon if you went far enough fast enough. 442 00:16:43,035 --> 00:16:44,103 But great work out here tonight. 443 00:16:44,170 --> 00:16:45,538 - Thank you so much. - Absolutely. 444 00:16:45,605 --> 00:16:47,039 Guys, back to you. 445 00:16:47,106 --> 00:16:49,909 - Coming up, we're going all the way to Guam, 446 00:16:49,976 --> 00:16:51,377 where Ninja's blowing up. 447 00:16:51,444 --> 00:16:53,412 And we've got the first teenage competitor 448 00:16:53,479 --> 00:16:54,680 from the island. 449 00:16:54,747 --> 00:16:57,083 - To put Guam on the map, it's really important 450 00:16:57,149 --> 00:16:58,484 to represent the island. 451 00:17:04,156 --> 00:17:05,858 - Welcome back to Vegas. 452 00:17:05,925 --> 00:17:07,760 This year, we are going to see how well 453 00:17:07,827 --> 00:17:09,862 you know our ninjas by showing you 454 00:17:09,929 --> 00:17:12,732 their baby pictures, like this one. 455 00:17:12,798 --> 00:17:14,066 Can you guess who it is? 456 00:17:14,133 --> 00:17:15,968 Well, we'll narrow it down for you. 457 00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:20,940 It's either Sean Bryan, Lance Pekus, or Kaden Lebsack. 458 00:17:21,007 --> 00:17:23,109 We'll reveal the answer a little later. 459 00:17:23,175 --> 00:17:24,310 - Thanks, Zuri. 460 00:17:24,377 --> 00:17:26,112 While we were away, Brett Zimmerman, 461 00:17:26,178 --> 00:17:28,414 the 19-year-old son of Sandy Zimmerman, 462 00:17:28,481 --> 00:17:30,216 got his shot at the course. 463 00:17:30,283 --> 00:17:31,751 - Come on, Brett! 464 00:17:31,817 --> 00:17:33,786 - Though he's competed on "Ninja Junior" 465 00:17:33,853 --> 00:17:35,788 and with his parents on our family special, 466 00:17:35,855 --> 00:17:37,757 this was Brett's first appearance 467 00:17:37,823 --> 00:17:39,258 on the big show. 468 00:17:39,325 --> 00:17:40,626 - Oh! 469 00:17:40,693 --> 00:17:42,728 - No! - Wow! 470 00:17:42,795 --> 00:17:46,399 - And the new obstacle, Roller Bag, sent him packing. 471 00:17:46,465 --> 00:17:49,135 - Wow, he picked up the wrong luggage. 472 00:17:49,201 --> 00:17:51,904 - Then it was high school student Ellie Swenson, 473 00:17:51,971 --> 00:17:54,140 who came out swinging, showing off 474 00:17:54,206 --> 00:17:55,808 her dance moves with her brother. 475 00:17:55,875 --> 00:17:57,043 - This is too cool. 476 00:17:57,109 --> 00:17:58,911 - Then the 17-year-old danced her way 477 00:17:58,978 --> 00:18:01,113 across the early obstacles. 478 00:18:01,180 --> 00:18:03,849 - Watch the athleticism go to work here on Diamond Dash. 479 00:18:03,916 --> 00:18:05,318 There you go. 480 00:18:05,384 --> 00:18:07,954 - But the rookie's run was cut short on Kite Surfer. 481 00:18:08,020 --> 00:18:10,256 - Oh! [air horn blares] 482 00:18:11,691 --> 00:18:14,961 - Up next, high school football coach Brandon Dodson. 483 00:18:15,027 --> 00:18:17,330 He's competed four times before but has never made it 484 00:18:17,396 --> 00:18:18,464 past the third obstacle. 485 00:18:18,531 --> 00:18:20,499 Now he wants to prove to his players 486 00:18:20,566 --> 00:18:22,368 you've got to keep fighting. 487 00:18:22,435 --> 00:18:23,602 [whistle] 488 00:18:23,669 --> 00:18:25,938 - Ready, three, go. 489 00:18:26,005 --> 00:18:27,707 Good job. Let's get it. 490 00:18:27,773 --> 00:18:29,809 Being able to shape young people, 491 00:18:29,875 --> 00:18:31,844 especially young men, has been awesome. 492 00:18:31,911 --> 00:18:33,746 I've been doing my gyms club with fourth 493 00:18:33,813 --> 00:18:35,848 and fifth grade boys for the past six years. 494 00:18:35,915 --> 00:18:38,250 We go over everything from how to tie a tie 495 00:18:38,317 --> 00:18:41,354 to accepting and receiving compliments, 496 00:18:41,420 --> 00:18:42,722 how to ask for forgiveness, 497 00:18:42,788 --> 00:18:45,024 how to behave at a table, manners. 498 00:18:45,091 --> 00:18:47,426 Let's just make sure we keep eye contact 499 00:18:47,493 --> 00:18:48,894 while we're shaking hands. 500 00:18:48,961 --> 00:18:51,163 Being a coach has actually helped me 501 00:18:51,230 --> 00:18:53,165 become a better ninja. 502 00:18:53,232 --> 00:18:55,668 You have to be able to move on to the next play. 503 00:18:55,735 --> 00:18:58,871 And for me, it's letting the failures of the past go. 504 00:18:58,938 --> 00:19:02,274 Not harping on it but also learning from it. 505 00:19:02,341 --> 00:19:04,176 - Whoa! Ooh! 506 00:19:04,243 --> 00:19:05,411 He lost it! 507 00:19:05,478 --> 00:19:07,213 - Coach Dod is hitting the buzzer tonight, 508 00:19:07,279 --> 00:19:10,883 because if I don't, I'm going to hear about it at practice. 509 00:19:10,950 --> 00:19:12,818 [whistle blows] 510 00:19:12,885 --> 00:19:14,620 - Well, he's got some of those players watching 511 00:19:14,687 --> 00:19:17,056 from his football team, cheering him on. 512 00:19:17,123 --> 00:19:18,290 - Let's go! 513 00:19:18,357 --> 00:19:19,592 - Plus his home team-- 514 00:19:19,658 --> 00:19:22,428 his wife and three daughters. 515 00:19:22,495 --> 00:19:23,896 - He's a girl dad too. 516 00:19:23,963 --> 00:19:25,331 Look at his beautiful daughters. 517 00:19:25,398 --> 00:19:26,999 Ah, look at that. 518 00:19:27,066 --> 00:19:29,335 [countdown clock beeping] 519 00:19:29,402 --> 00:19:30,670 - He was a quarterback. 520 00:19:30,736 --> 00:19:33,472 Let's see if he can stick with these obstacles here. 521 00:19:33,539 --> 00:19:37,309 - He played college ball at the University of Montana. 522 00:19:37,376 --> 00:19:39,011 - Real smooth start. 523 00:19:39,078 --> 00:19:40,346 This new one, Roller Bags. 524 00:19:40,413 --> 00:19:41,981 Get ready for a flight here. 525 00:19:43,983 --> 00:19:45,484 And you can see this is timing, Akbar. 526 00:19:45,551 --> 00:19:49,622 You have to levitate and pull when your body is weightless. 527 00:19:49,688 --> 00:19:52,191 [cheers and applause] 528 00:19:52,258 --> 00:19:55,227 A little trouble getting that first bag released. 529 00:19:55,294 --> 00:19:56,862 - Let go! 530 00:19:56,929 --> 00:19:58,564 That was like an interception right there. 531 00:19:58,631 --> 00:20:01,667 He just went out and just grabbed that last handle. 532 00:20:01,734 --> 00:20:04,070 - Now Diamond Dash. 533 00:20:04,136 --> 00:20:07,573 Look at the speedy defensive back go. 534 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,375 And the fifth time's the charm. 535 00:20:09,442 --> 00:20:11,510 For the first time ever, Brandon's made it 536 00:20:11,577 --> 00:20:12,978 to the fourth obstacle. 537 00:20:13,045 --> 00:20:15,347 But he's got his work cut out for him here. 538 00:20:15,414 --> 00:20:16,949 Kite Surfer is a tough one. 539 00:20:17,016 --> 00:20:19,752 Already ended the night for a couple of ninjas. 540 00:20:19,819 --> 00:20:21,454 - Watch the hand placement here. 541 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:22,788 Good work. 542 00:20:25,224 --> 00:20:28,994 - At 37, he's putting together his best run ever. 543 00:20:29,061 --> 00:20:31,363 He's showing his players how it's done. 544 00:20:32,998 --> 00:20:34,200 - Smooth. 545 00:20:34,266 --> 00:20:36,569 And didn't expend a lot of energy. 546 00:20:36,635 --> 00:20:38,370 - At 5'8", he's got plenty of wingspan 547 00:20:38,437 --> 00:20:41,740 to kind of go wide here on this big arrow 548 00:20:41,807 --> 00:20:43,242 with the Kite Surfer-- oh! 549 00:20:43,309 --> 00:20:44,777 He missed it. 550 00:20:44,844 --> 00:20:46,579 - Oh! - Oh! 551 00:20:48,514 --> 00:20:51,117 - The former quarterback couldn't make the catch. 552 00:20:51,183 --> 00:20:53,018 But all in all, a successful run 553 00:20:53,085 --> 00:20:55,121 for Coach Dodson. 554 00:20:55,187 --> 00:20:57,890 This is the Western qualifiers, and no one has come 555 00:20:57,957 --> 00:21:00,259 further west than our next ninja. 556 00:21:00,326 --> 00:21:03,462 From 6,000 miles away on the island of Guam, 557 00:21:03,529 --> 00:21:06,665 this is 16-year-old Rai Flores. 558 00:21:06,732 --> 00:21:09,735 Joining him at the start line is his coach, Deren Perez. 559 00:21:09,802 --> 00:21:11,337 They're excited because they want to put 560 00:21:11,403 --> 00:21:14,173 their island on the Ninja map. 561 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:15,307 [plane whooshes] 562 00:21:17,710 --> 00:21:19,545 - Being the first ever teenager to represent Guam 563 00:21:19,612 --> 00:21:21,847 on "American Ninja Warrior," I mean, it's really a privilege 564 00:21:21,914 --> 00:21:23,516 representing the island. 565 00:21:23,582 --> 00:21:25,918 And more than that, being able to do it with my coach, Deren. 566 00:21:25,985 --> 00:21:28,587 - Deren started his Ninja journey ten years ago 567 00:21:28,654 --> 00:21:30,756 when he competed in Kansas City. 568 00:21:30,823 --> 00:21:32,792 - There you go. - Nice! 569 00:21:32,858 --> 00:21:34,927 - After that run, he wanted to bring Ninja 570 00:21:34,994 --> 00:21:36,529 to his home island. 571 00:21:36,595 --> 00:21:40,232 - Before I moved to Guam, there was no Ninja available. 572 00:21:40,299 --> 00:21:42,735 We are literally in the middle of nowhere. 573 00:21:42,802 --> 00:21:44,336 And I did not let that stop me. 574 00:21:44,403 --> 00:21:46,005 I created something in my backyard. 575 00:21:46,071 --> 00:21:48,140 And from there, it just evolved. 576 00:21:48,207 --> 00:21:49,642 Training students. 577 00:21:49,708 --> 00:21:51,076 - The first time I did Ninja Warrior 578 00:21:51,143 --> 00:21:53,812 was in Deren Perez's backyard. 579 00:21:53,879 --> 00:21:56,115 And now I'm opening up my very own gym. 580 00:21:56,182 --> 00:21:57,683 - Viva! 581 00:21:58,851 --> 00:22:02,421 - Guam's first Ninja Warrior gym. 582 00:22:02,488 --> 00:22:04,623 - Something I wanted to do for myself end up evolving 583 00:22:04,690 --> 00:22:06,826 into me doing something for my island. 584 00:22:06,892 --> 00:22:08,594 Down. There you go. 585 00:22:08,661 --> 00:22:11,530 Nice, light work. Good job, Rai. 586 00:22:11,597 --> 00:22:14,033 Rai Flores, one of my top students. 587 00:22:14,099 --> 00:22:15,434 There it is. 588 00:22:15,501 --> 00:22:16,435 The kid is phenomenal. 589 00:22:16,502 --> 00:22:18,103 He is naturally talented. 590 00:22:19,839 --> 00:22:23,008 - I just feel so happy that I have this opportunity. 591 00:22:23,075 --> 00:22:25,110 Deren got his first buzzer last season. 592 00:22:25,177 --> 00:22:26,278 I'm getting mine tonight. 593 00:22:26,345 --> 00:22:29,281 [rock music] 594 00:22:29,348 --> 00:22:31,016 [cheers and applause] 595 00:22:31,083 --> 00:22:33,619 - Rai is the first teenager from Guam to compete. 596 00:22:33,686 --> 00:22:36,755 Calls himself King Rai because "Rai" means "king" 597 00:22:36,822 --> 00:22:39,158 in the native language of Guam. 598 00:22:39,225 --> 00:22:40,793 Deren runs next. 599 00:22:40,860 --> 00:22:41,860 He's on the sidelines, 600 00:22:41,927 --> 00:22:43,862 flanked by Rai's mom and brother. 601 00:22:43,929 --> 00:22:44,930 - Hello! 602 00:22:44,997 --> 00:22:46,232 - And lots of family and friends 603 00:22:46,298 --> 00:22:48,767 are watching back in Guam, including Rai's dad 604 00:22:48,834 --> 00:22:49,868 there in the middle. 605 00:22:49,935 --> 00:22:50,936 - Go Rai! 606 00:22:51,003 --> 00:22:52,471 [countdown clock beeping] 607 00:22:52,538 --> 00:22:54,173 - Here we go. - Viva! 608 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,208 - I love this kid's propeller hat. 609 00:22:56,275 --> 00:22:59,578 He started wearing it to stand out at Ninja competitions. 610 00:22:59,645 --> 00:23:02,915 I think that thing is his secret weapon on the course. 611 00:23:02,982 --> 00:23:05,484 - 5'7", 135, just 16. 612 00:23:05,551 --> 00:23:07,353 Real smooth. Wow! 613 00:23:07,419 --> 00:23:09,455 - Oh, we're going to have to-- - Ooh! 614 00:23:09,521 --> 00:23:11,991 We're getting some rough dismounts on the Roller Bags. 615 00:23:12,057 --> 00:23:14,460 - Let's go! - Come on, Rai! 616 00:23:14,526 --> 00:23:15,761 - You got it! 617 00:23:15,828 --> 00:23:17,863 - We might have to put Guam a sticker on the luggage. 618 00:23:19,632 --> 00:23:21,934 - And runs right through Diamond Dash. 619 00:23:22,001 --> 00:23:23,535 - Let's go! Let's get this! 620 00:23:23,602 --> 00:23:26,372 Yeah! - Shake it off! 621 00:23:26,438 --> 00:23:29,241 - Matt, he came 6,000 miles just to get here. 622 00:23:29,308 --> 00:23:30,576 He wants it badly. 623 00:23:30,643 --> 00:23:32,845 He didn't show up just to get on the course. 624 00:23:32,912 --> 00:23:35,147 He wants to get through the course. 625 00:23:35,214 --> 00:23:36,949 - There you go. 626 00:23:37,016 --> 00:23:39,084 - Let's see if he can fly through Kite Surfer. 627 00:23:39,151 --> 00:23:40,619 This is the big move. 628 00:23:40,686 --> 00:23:42,554 With his hands up and around. Nice. 629 00:23:42,621 --> 00:23:44,356 - Well, I hope that little spinning thing helps him 630 00:23:44,423 --> 00:23:46,558 fly even further, because he's going to need it 631 00:23:46,625 --> 00:23:48,427 on this second kite. 632 00:23:48,494 --> 00:23:50,195 [cheers and applause] 633 00:23:50,262 --> 00:23:52,298 - Akbar, he is looking so strong. 634 00:23:52,364 --> 00:23:54,266 His motor-- - Hit it. Nice! 635 00:23:54,333 --> 00:23:55,868 He's got his foot on the accelerator. 636 00:23:55,934 --> 00:23:57,703 [cheers and applause] 637 00:23:57,770 --> 00:24:00,572 - And the blade isn't even spinning on his hat, 638 00:24:00,639 --> 00:24:02,041 and he's still flying. 639 00:24:02,107 --> 00:24:03,842 - King Rai! 640 00:24:03,909 --> 00:24:06,078 - He is pumped up, King Rai. 641 00:24:06,145 --> 00:24:09,148 - He flew 6,000 miles just to get here. 642 00:24:09,214 --> 00:24:11,617 He wants the action, Matt. He wants that smoke. 643 00:24:11,684 --> 00:24:13,719 He wants that "Ninja" smoke. 644 00:24:13,786 --> 00:24:16,889 - Well, his dad was a swimmer for Guam in the '92 Olympics. 645 00:24:16,956 --> 00:24:19,792 He's got some athletic genes, and it's showing. 646 00:24:19,858 --> 00:24:21,960 But Rai doesn't want to go swimming tonight. 647 00:24:22,027 --> 00:24:23,228 - All right, big swing. Easy. 648 00:24:23,295 --> 00:24:24,964 - Yeah, he looks so smooth. 649 00:24:25,030 --> 00:24:27,199 But this is where Kaleidoscope gets tough. 650 00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:30,903 He's got to reach up and rotate the panels down. 651 00:24:30,970 --> 00:24:33,038 Just like that! 652 00:24:33,105 --> 00:24:35,908 Now has to swing over and land on that small ledge. 653 00:24:35,974 --> 00:24:38,010 And he's got it! 654 00:24:38,077 --> 00:24:39,812 - How about it? - Get out of there. 655 00:24:39,878 --> 00:24:41,914 Get out of there, young fella. - He's done it! 656 00:24:41,980 --> 00:24:43,082 - The King! 657 00:24:43,148 --> 00:24:45,351 - Could be our first finisher tonight. 658 00:24:45,417 --> 00:24:51,357 King Rai looking to ascend to the throne and get that buzzer. 659 00:24:51,423 --> 00:24:53,225 [audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall! 660 00:24:53,292 --> 00:24:54,660 - Look at mom getting ready to cry. 661 00:24:54,727 --> 00:24:58,063 - He gave the propeller a little spin. 662 00:24:58,130 --> 00:24:59,431 And he does it! 663 00:24:59,498 --> 00:25:03,702 King Rai, a buzzer on his rookie run! 664 00:25:03,769 --> 00:25:07,373 And a ninja from Guam is our first finisher of the season. 665 00:25:07,439 --> 00:25:08,374 - Good job, Rai! 666 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:11,143 [cheers and applause] 667 00:25:13,212 --> 00:25:15,948 - Hey, bud, what do you want to tell some other kids watching 668 00:25:16,015 --> 00:25:18,984 around the globe who maybe feel like "Ninja Warrior" 669 00:25:19,051 --> 00:25:20,652 is a world away from them. 670 00:25:20,719 --> 00:25:22,087 What do you want to tell those kids? 671 00:25:22,154 --> 00:25:24,390 - It really doesn't matter how small or big 672 00:25:24,456 --> 00:25:26,725 your country is, how hard it is to train. 673 00:25:26,792 --> 00:25:29,428 As long as you want it, it's a lot of dedication. 674 00:25:29,495 --> 00:25:31,463 We just keep going. And that's all that matters. 675 00:25:31,530 --> 00:25:33,766 We keep putting in the time, and we're here right now. 676 00:25:33,832 --> 00:25:36,034 This shows. - Started in Guam. 677 00:25:36,101 --> 00:25:37,302 Now you're here, baby. 678 00:25:37,369 --> 00:25:38,404 Hit that buzzer again. 679 00:25:38,470 --> 00:25:39,838 - Let's go, come on! 680 00:25:39,905 --> 00:25:41,940 [cheers and applause] 681 00:25:42,007 --> 00:25:43,909 - They're celebrating in Guam tonight. 682 00:25:43,976 --> 00:25:46,712 Rai Flores delivers. 683 00:25:46,779 --> 00:25:49,281 - Yes! 684 00:25:49,348 --> 00:25:50,849 - Coming up, 685 00:25:50,916 --> 00:25:53,152 it's been a stressful time for John Mack. 686 00:25:53,218 --> 00:25:55,888 His newborn baby has been fighting for his life. 687 00:25:55,954 --> 00:25:59,058 Now he'll try to bring home a buzzer for his family. 688 00:25:59,124 --> 00:26:01,060 - Sweet boy, can you wake up? 689 00:26:01,126 --> 00:26:02,394 - [coos] 690 00:26:02,461 --> 00:26:05,264 - When "American Ninja Warrior" returns. 691 00:26:09,768 --> 00:26:12,171 - Welcome back to qualifying night for the West region. 692 00:26:12,237 --> 00:26:15,107 Minutes ago, we saw Guam's 693 00:26:15,174 --> 00:26:18,377 Rai Flores get the first buzzer of the season. 694 00:26:18,444 --> 00:26:21,580 And while we were away, Rai's mentor, Deren Perez, 695 00:26:21,647 --> 00:26:24,316 got his shot. - Viva Guam! 696 00:26:24,383 --> 00:26:26,552 - Raising that flag proudly. 697 00:26:26,618 --> 00:26:28,320 - After flying the flag for Guam, 698 00:26:28,387 --> 00:26:30,856 Perez then started flying through the course. 699 00:26:30,923 --> 00:26:32,691 - Oh, nice! 700 00:26:32,758 --> 00:26:35,127 - The Coast Guard recruiter was cruising. 701 00:26:35,194 --> 00:26:37,629 And he powered his way through the final obstacle. 702 00:26:37,696 --> 00:26:38,664 - Let's go, baby! 703 00:26:38,730 --> 00:26:40,199 - Come on, get up that wall! 704 00:26:40,265 --> 00:26:43,001 - He gave Guam the island's second buzzer of the night. 705 00:26:43,068 --> 00:26:45,237 - For Guam! - Viva! 706 00:26:45,304 --> 00:26:46,738 [cheers and applause] 707 00:26:46,805 --> 00:26:49,842 - Then the Myler family, better known as social media 708 00:26:49,908 --> 00:26:53,412 superstars the Ninja Kids, kicked off their second season 709 00:26:53,479 --> 00:26:55,214 on "Ninja Warrior." 710 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,149 - Look, the kids love him, Matt. 711 00:26:57,216 --> 00:27:00,352 - 17-year-old Paxton Myler was the first of three siblings 712 00:27:00,419 --> 00:27:02,321 who will compete this year for the family 713 00:27:02,387 --> 00:27:05,824 that has 40 million subscribers on YouTube. 714 00:27:05,891 --> 00:27:08,327 Paxton made it to the National Finals last year, 715 00:27:08,393 --> 00:27:11,063 but tonight... - Oh! 716 00:27:11,130 --> 00:27:12,331 - The tilt. 717 00:27:12,397 --> 00:27:14,399 - He was cut down on Kite Surfer. 718 00:27:14,466 --> 00:27:16,301 That may not be enough to move on, 719 00:27:16,368 --> 00:27:19,371 but his twin sister Payton and older brother Ashton 720 00:27:19,438 --> 00:27:21,773 will get their chance next week. 721 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:23,575 Our next ninja almost didn't make it 722 00:27:23,642 --> 00:27:25,210 to the start line this year. 723 00:27:25,277 --> 00:27:28,514 It's Utah's John Mack, who was living at the hospital 724 00:27:28,580 --> 00:27:31,683 until just a few days ago as his new baby boy 725 00:27:31,750 --> 00:27:33,785 was fighting for his life. 726 00:27:33,852 --> 00:27:35,787 [soft dramatic music] 727 00:27:35,854 --> 00:27:37,689 - My wife and I were on a babymoon, 728 00:27:37,756 --> 00:27:40,559 having a lovely time before our little boy was born. 729 00:27:40,626 --> 00:27:42,628 When all of a sudden, my wife started 730 00:27:42,694 --> 00:27:45,464 to have some complications. 731 00:27:45,531 --> 00:27:48,467 My wife had an emergency C-section. 732 00:27:48,534 --> 00:27:51,803 Jason was 11 weeks premature. 733 00:27:51,870 --> 00:27:53,539 And then after a few hours, 734 00:27:53,605 --> 00:27:55,874 he took a very sharp left turn. 735 00:27:55,941 --> 00:27:58,677 ♪ ♪ 736 00:27:58,744 --> 00:28:00,946 They could not figure out what was wrong with him, 737 00:28:01,013 --> 00:28:04,983 but his health was rapidly declining. 738 00:28:05,050 --> 00:28:07,052 A few days later, when the doctors told me 739 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:12,357 that we might not be able to take him home... 740 00:28:12,424 --> 00:28:14,326 [sighs] 741 00:28:14,393 --> 00:28:16,862 You know, broke my heart. 742 00:28:16,929 --> 00:28:18,931 I've always wanted to be a dad. 743 00:28:18,997 --> 00:28:21,833 My wife has always wanted to be a mom. 744 00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:23,869 And to feel so much love and then 745 00:28:23,936 --> 00:28:26,572 be told we might not be able to have it was... 746 00:28:26,638 --> 00:28:30,008 ♪ ♪ 747 00:28:30,075 --> 00:28:32,044 It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with. 748 00:28:32,110 --> 00:28:34,379 ♪ ♪ 749 00:28:34,446 --> 00:28:36,915 My whole life seemed to just stop. 750 00:28:36,982 --> 00:28:42,421 ♪ ♪ 751 00:28:42,487 --> 00:28:46,391 After a few days, they found out that he had pneumonia. 752 00:28:46,458 --> 00:28:49,094 And they were able to start him on antibiotics. 753 00:28:49,161 --> 00:28:51,463 He perked up really quick, started gaining weight 754 00:28:51,530 --> 00:28:53,865 and has been happy and smiling ever since then. 755 00:28:53,932 --> 00:28:56,435 - [coos] 756 00:28:56,501 --> 00:28:58,637 - I'm really, really excited and grateful 757 00:28:58,704 --> 00:29:00,405 for this opportunity to run "Ninja Warrior" this year. 758 00:29:00,472 --> 00:29:02,507 It means a lot more to me. 759 00:29:02,574 --> 00:29:03,909 You and mom are going to cheer me on? 760 00:29:03,976 --> 00:29:05,777 You guys are going to watch me? 761 00:29:05,844 --> 00:29:08,113 Eventually, I'll be able to show him this run 762 00:29:08,180 --> 00:29:11,250 and tell him that I ran for him. 763 00:29:12,918 --> 00:29:16,388 Jason, I'm going to hit this buzzer for you, buddy. 764 00:29:16,455 --> 00:29:18,023 [cheers and applause] 765 00:29:18,090 --> 00:29:21,093 - And there's his wife Ashley and baby son Jason. 766 00:29:21,159 --> 00:29:23,428 So glad they're doing OK now. 767 00:29:23,495 --> 00:29:24,830 - Hi, buddy. 768 00:29:24,896 --> 00:29:27,132 [cheers and applause] 769 00:29:27,199 --> 00:29:29,201 - John's also got his mom on the sideline, 770 00:29:29,268 --> 00:29:31,303 along with other family and friends. 771 00:29:31,370 --> 00:29:34,640 And John is my pick to be the fastest of the night. 772 00:29:34,706 --> 00:29:37,542 With that newborn, he's going to be running with a purpose. 773 00:29:37,609 --> 00:29:40,012 Plus, he's 6'6", our tallest competitor. 774 00:29:40,078 --> 00:29:42,180 [countdown clock beeping] 775 00:29:42,247 --> 00:29:44,082 - All right, let's see if Matt's 776 00:29:44,149 --> 00:29:45,817 got the right pick tonight. 777 00:29:45,884 --> 00:29:48,453 - Well, right now, Deren Perez has the top time, 778 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:51,123 a minute and 43. I know John can beat that. 779 00:29:51,189 --> 00:29:53,292 He doesn't want to be hanging out on this course 780 00:29:53,358 --> 00:29:54,459 with his big mass. 781 00:29:54,526 --> 00:29:56,194 Would love to finish in under a minute and 10, 782 00:29:56,261 --> 00:29:59,264 so he'll get a shot at winning 10 grand on the Mega Wall. 783 00:29:59,331 --> 00:30:00,966 - Wow. - That was easy. 784 00:30:01,033 --> 00:30:03,502 Watch the steps here. Stay centered. 785 00:30:03,568 --> 00:30:04,569 Nice. 786 00:30:04,636 --> 00:30:07,139 Akbar, he is effortlessly flying. 787 00:30:07,205 --> 00:30:09,808 And the Kite Surfer with that big reach is looking easy. 788 00:30:09,875 --> 00:30:10,942 - Ooh. - Wow. 789 00:30:11,009 --> 00:30:12,177 - You see that? 790 00:30:12,244 --> 00:30:13,845 That's exactly how you're supposed to do that. 791 00:30:13,912 --> 00:30:15,247 He made it easy. 792 00:30:15,314 --> 00:30:18,183 As efficient as we've seen a ninja go through that. 793 00:30:18,250 --> 00:30:19,985 - OK, John is moving. 794 00:30:20,052 --> 00:30:21,787 Might be on to something here. 795 00:30:21,853 --> 00:30:24,389 - Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good about my pick right now. 796 00:30:26,258 --> 00:30:28,927 - Yeah, he is like a Mack Truck on this course. 797 00:30:28,994 --> 00:30:31,930 He is just crushing it. 798 00:30:31,997 --> 00:30:33,699 - His reach is going to help him, 799 00:30:33,765 --> 00:30:36,735 but 200 pounds is a decent amount of mass right here. 800 00:30:36,802 --> 00:30:38,070 These are big reaches. 801 00:30:38,136 --> 00:30:39,638 Look at him locking it up, Akbar. 802 00:30:39,705 --> 00:30:41,306 - Nice, and you can see him utilizing the rails. 803 00:30:41,373 --> 00:30:42,307 Here we go. 804 00:30:42,374 --> 00:30:44,276 This is a big transfer. 805 00:30:44,342 --> 00:30:46,478 - Akbar, he's going to have about 15 seconds 806 00:30:46,545 --> 00:30:47,979 if he can get this dismount. 807 00:30:48,046 --> 00:30:48,980 - He's gotta go now. 808 00:30:49,047 --> 00:30:51,550 Go, big fella! Go, big fella! 809 00:30:51,616 --> 00:30:53,585 - And it's going to be close! 810 00:30:53,652 --> 00:30:56,054 John Mack delivers! 811 00:30:56,121 --> 00:30:58,857 [cheers and applause] 812 00:31:02,394 --> 00:31:04,296 Akbar, I said he was going to go fast, 813 00:31:04,362 --> 00:31:06,064 and I was right. - You did. You did. 814 00:31:06,131 --> 00:31:07,866 You did. - Matt, you were right. 815 00:31:07,933 --> 00:31:08,900 [cheers and applause] 816 00:31:08,967 --> 00:31:10,602 - John, you're a new father. 817 00:31:10,669 --> 00:31:12,437 I salute you, my brother. 818 00:31:12,504 --> 00:31:14,172 I know your wife's with Jason right now. 819 00:31:14,239 --> 00:31:15,374 They're watching. 820 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:16,942 What do you want to say to him, bud? 821 00:31:17,008 --> 00:31:20,078 - I love you guys so very, very much. 822 00:31:20,145 --> 00:31:22,247 [cheers and applause] 823 00:31:22,314 --> 00:31:25,283 - Well, there's dad strength, and there's dad speed. 824 00:31:25,350 --> 00:31:27,319 You did that really fast, man. 825 00:31:27,386 --> 00:31:28,820 - So, John, he's right. 826 00:31:28,887 --> 00:31:30,555 The time to beat for a shot at the Mega Wall 827 00:31:30,622 --> 00:31:31,757 was a minute and ten. 828 00:31:31,823 --> 00:31:33,358 You did it in 1:04. 829 00:31:33,425 --> 00:31:36,695 So get down there for $10,000, brother. 830 00:31:36,762 --> 00:31:39,197 [cheers and applause] 831 00:31:39,264 --> 00:31:41,700 - You can buy a lot of diapers with that one. 832 00:31:41,767 --> 00:31:44,603 [audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall! 833 00:31:44,669 --> 00:31:46,738 - He'll be the first this season to attempt 834 00:31:46,805 --> 00:31:48,573 the 18-and-1/2-foot wall. 835 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:50,942 Only three ninjas conquered it last year. 836 00:31:51,009 --> 00:31:53,812 Akbar, I picked this guy to be the fastest of the night, 837 00:31:53,879 --> 00:31:55,847 and he just set a very high bar. 838 00:31:55,914 --> 00:31:58,884 Can he also take home 10K? 839 00:31:58,950 --> 00:32:02,587 - Ooh! Oh! 840 00:32:02,654 --> 00:32:05,323 - So close. - Almost had it. 841 00:32:05,390 --> 00:32:07,192 That close. 842 00:32:09,227 --> 00:32:11,563 But just an inspired run by John Mack 843 00:32:11,630 --> 00:32:13,331 after all he and his wife have been through 844 00:32:13,398 --> 00:32:14,833 in the past few weeks, 845 00:32:14,900 --> 00:32:15,967 and he sits atop 846 00:32:16,034 --> 00:32:17,202 our current leaderboard. 847 00:32:17,269 --> 00:32:18,403 Remember, only those in 848 00:32:18,470 --> 00:32:19,538 the top 20 at the end of 849 00:32:19,604 --> 00:32:21,072 the night will move on. 850 00:32:21,139 --> 00:32:22,707 And the top 5 get a bye 851 00:32:22,774 --> 00:32:23,742 in the first round 852 00:32:23,809 --> 00:32:25,677 of the regional finals. 853 00:32:25,744 --> 00:32:27,045 Still to come, 854 00:32:27,112 --> 00:32:29,815 we're going up, up, and away with a ninja 855 00:32:29,881 --> 00:32:32,250 who has one of the coolest jobs on the planet. 856 00:32:32,317 --> 00:32:34,719 - It's pretty intense, but it's a lot of fun. 857 00:32:34,786 --> 00:32:38,423 - When "American Ninja Warrior" returns. 858 00:32:42,794 --> 00:32:45,130 - So did you figure out who this little guy grew up to be? 859 00:32:45,197 --> 00:32:48,200 That baby in the bow tie... 860 00:32:48,266 --> 00:32:51,470 became the Cowboy Ninja Lance Pekus. 861 00:32:52,537 --> 00:32:54,940 - Well, we've got a ninja from the Cowboy State 862 00:32:55,006 --> 00:32:56,675 headed to the start line right now. 863 00:32:56,741 --> 00:32:58,643 Carrying the flag from Wyoming, 864 00:32:58,710 --> 00:33:01,613 it's college student Gabe Villalobos. 865 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:05,083 He's just the third ninja ever from his home state. 866 00:33:05,150 --> 00:33:06,685 [cheers and applause] 867 00:33:06,751 --> 00:33:08,353 [upbeat music] 868 00:33:08,420 --> 00:33:10,355 - It takes a lot of work to be a ninja in Wyoming. 869 00:33:10,422 --> 00:33:12,657 I mean, you have to drive like 200 miles 870 00:33:12,724 --> 00:33:14,626 just to get to your next Ninja gym, 871 00:33:14,693 --> 00:33:16,027 because there's only one, you know? 872 00:33:16,094 --> 00:33:17,362 I'm from one of the biggest towns. 873 00:33:17,429 --> 00:33:19,631 There's only 26,000 people in the whole town. 874 00:33:19,698 --> 00:33:21,766 I mean, there's more cows than people in Wyoming, you know? 875 00:33:21,833 --> 00:33:23,134 [cow moos] 876 00:33:23,201 --> 00:33:24,369 This is one of the biggest things that happened 877 00:33:24,436 --> 00:33:27,072 in Wyoming, honestly, and I cannot wait 878 00:33:27,138 --> 00:33:29,741 to represent and make everyone proud back home. 879 00:33:33,111 --> 00:33:34,479 [cheers and applause] 880 00:33:34,546 --> 00:33:36,848 - His run is big news in Wyoming, 881 00:33:36,915 --> 00:33:39,417 so they're watching at his gym. 882 00:33:39,484 --> 00:33:42,053 And he's got a group on the sideline, 883 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,122 including his dad. 884 00:33:44,189 --> 00:33:46,291 - Go, Gabo! 885 00:33:46,358 --> 00:33:48,093 - Let's go, Wyoming! 886 00:33:48,159 --> 00:33:50,295 [countdown clock beeping] 887 00:33:50,362 --> 00:33:52,664 - Gabe's last name "Villalobos" means 888 00:33:52,731 --> 00:33:54,366 "village wolf." 889 00:33:54,432 --> 00:33:56,668 [howls] 890 00:33:56,735 --> 00:33:59,838 Let's see if he can attack our course, Akbar. 891 00:33:59,905 --> 00:34:01,640 - He says that's one obstacle down. 892 00:34:01,706 --> 00:34:03,608 We've already seen a few ninjas struggle here 893 00:34:03,675 --> 00:34:06,578 on this new obstacle, Roller Bags. 894 00:34:09,814 --> 00:34:12,517 - Well, we've got six brutal obstacles here. 895 00:34:12,584 --> 00:34:14,219 This one is brand-new. 896 00:34:14,286 --> 00:34:16,021 - And you can see him take an extra swing. 897 00:34:16,087 --> 00:34:18,423 And not looking confident, Akbar. 898 00:34:18,490 --> 00:34:20,258 - But he's thrown up the deuces. 899 00:34:20,325 --> 00:34:21,793 He's through two. 900 00:34:21,860 --> 00:34:23,795 - The Village Wolf's still alive. 901 00:34:23,862 --> 00:34:27,532 Let's check out his footwork here on Diamond Dash. 902 00:34:27,599 --> 00:34:30,001 These balance obstacles always lethal, 903 00:34:30,068 --> 00:34:31,303 even for a wolf. 904 00:34:31,369 --> 00:34:32,637 - You can see him holding up fingers up there-- 905 00:34:32,704 --> 00:34:34,072 - Oh! - He drops--oh! 906 00:34:34,139 --> 00:34:36,441 Hold up that three! Hold up that three! 907 00:34:36,508 --> 00:34:38,343 There it is! - [howls] 908 00:34:38,410 --> 00:34:39,744 Let's go! 909 00:34:39,811 --> 00:34:41,780 - The wolf is alive! 910 00:34:43,181 --> 00:34:47,786 And now let's see if this wolf can fly on Kite Surfer, Akbar. 911 00:34:47,852 --> 00:34:49,487 The way the night is shaping up, 912 00:34:49,554 --> 00:34:51,823 probably needs to get through this to have a chance 913 00:34:51,890 --> 00:34:53,291 to move on. 914 00:34:55,927 --> 00:34:58,229 Well, Akbar, he is looking to establish himself 915 00:34:58,296 --> 00:35:01,666 as the greatest ninja from Wyoming of all time. 916 00:35:01,733 --> 00:35:04,502 - To do that, he'd need to match Colby Frontiero, 917 00:35:04,569 --> 00:35:07,138 who hit a buzzer way back in season five, 918 00:35:07,205 --> 00:35:09,474 13 years ago. 919 00:35:09,541 --> 00:35:11,676 - Well, the Kite Surfer, this wide point, 920 00:35:11,743 --> 00:35:13,378 48 inches. 921 00:35:13,445 --> 00:35:16,214 I like how he grabbed the more narrow part of this. 922 00:35:16,281 --> 00:35:18,316 - Be careful with the tilt. 923 00:35:18,383 --> 00:35:20,752 But he is through. [cheers and applause] 924 00:35:20,819 --> 00:35:22,887 And he can hold up the four fingers. 925 00:35:22,954 --> 00:35:24,456 [cheers and applause] 926 00:35:24,522 --> 00:35:26,391 And if he can get through the next two obstacles 927 00:35:26,458 --> 00:35:29,427 and hit a buzzer, he'd match the greatest performance 928 00:35:29,494 --> 00:35:31,162 ever by a Wyoming ninja. 929 00:35:31,229 --> 00:35:33,064 A proud accomplishment for this rookie, 930 00:35:33,131 --> 00:35:35,767 just 23 years old. - Well, here it is. 931 00:35:35,834 --> 00:35:38,770 This is his drive for five to become the greatest 932 00:35:38,837 --> 00:35:40,705 in Wyoming history. 933 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:43,808 - Well, what a story of perseverance. 934 00:35:43,875 --> 00:35:48,013 Can the Village Wolf fight on Kaleidoscope? 935 00:35:48,079 --> 00:35:50,982 Big transfer here. 936 00:35:51,049 --> 00:35:53,284 - Ooh, Matt, I'm not confident about that swing. 937 00:35:53,351 --> 00:35:55,954 It looks like he's starting to gas out. 938 00:35:56,021 --> 00:35:58,390 - Come on, Gabe. 939 00:35:58,456 --> 00:36:01,126 - Oh! - Oh, you could see it, Akbar! 940 00:36:01,192 --> 00:36:04,562 The wolf's legs didn't give out, but his grip did. 941 00:36:04,629 --> 00:36:07,732 Does not set the mark as the best ever Wyoming ninja, 942 00:36:07,799 --> 00:36:10,535 but still, pretty good run by this rookie. 943 00:36:10,602 --> 00:36:12,670 - You could see he was starting to feel it. 944 00:36:12,737 --> 00:36:14,739 And as he went for the last panel, 945 00:36:14,806 --> 00:36:18,743 his fingers just peeled off, and the wolf got wet. 946 00:36:18,810 --> 00:36:20,645 [howls] 947 00:36:20,712 --> 00:36:22,414 - We'll have to wait and see if his pace 948 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:26,184 was good enough to move on to the Western Regional Finals. 949 00:36:26,251 --> 00:36:29,654 - Up next on the course is Utah's Ally Tippetts Wooton, 950 00:36:29,721 --> 00:36:31,489 better known as the Flippin' Ninja. 951 00:36:31,556 --> 00:36:33,458 - Oh, she flippin'. 952 00:36:33,525 --> 00:36:35,660 - Ally recently had her second child, 953 00:36:35,727 --> 00:36:37,462 and to get back into Ninja shape, 954 00:36:37,529 --> 00:36:41,366 she teamed up with a couple of other Utah Ninja moms. 955 00:36:41,433 --> 00:36:43,668 - All right, mamas, let's go. 956 00:36:43,735 --> 00:36:46,638 - So in St. George, we have this little mom posse 957 00:36:46,704 --> 00:36:48,773 with Kyndal and Mady Howard and I. 958 00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:52,010 - Mady Howard keeping the pressure on Wooton. 959 00:36:52,077 --> 00:36:55,213 And now they're neck and neck. And here comes Kyndal. 960 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:56,581 - It's a nice little group we have. 961 00:36:56,648 --> 00:36:58,983 We all have kids around the same age. 962 00:36:59,050 --> 00:37:00,618 We like to train Ninja together, 963 00:37:00,685 --> 00:37:02,454 and then our kids can kind of play. 964 00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:04,389 Underneath. Go under, go under. 965 00:37:04,456 --> 00:37:06,691 It's really helped me train and get ready for the season. 966 00:37:06,758 --> 00:37:08,359 So three up, three down? - Sure. 967 00:37:08,426 --> 00:37:10,028 I mean, I'm sure we could even do two up, 968 00:37:10,095 --> 00:37:11,463 two down, whatever you want. 969 00:37:11,529 --> 00:37:15,333 - You don't have to push pause on your own dreams 970 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:17,368 and athletic goals just because 971 00:37:17,435 --> 00:37:19,437 you're in the season of having your kids 972 00:37:19,504 --> 00:37:21,206 and growing your family. 973 00:37:21,272 --> 00:37:22,974 - Looking strong. 974 00:37:23,041 --> 00:37:26,411 The mom posse is going to make it happen this year. 975 00:37:26,478 --> 00:37:28,613 [cheers and applause] 976 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:31,049 - We'll see Kyndal compete next week. 977 00:37:31,116 --> 00:37:33,017 Mady is taking a year off, 978 00:37:33,084 --> 00:37:34,819 and Zuri has decided to step in 979 00:37:34,886 --> 00:37:37,122 and help Ally's husband with babysitting duties 980 00:37:37,188 --> 00:37:39,758 during the run. - Oh, my gosh. 981 00:37:39,824 --> 00:37:41,826 Look. Hi. 982 00:37:41,893 --> 00:37:43,428 - Go! - Let's go! 983 00:37:43,495 --> 00:37:45,163 [countdown clock beeping] 984 00:37:45,230 --> 00:37:46,698 - Matt, she missed last season because 985 00:37:46,764 --> 00:37:48,266 she was pregnant with her daughter. 986 00:37:48,333 --> 00:37:50,702 Now, Ally's back for the third time. 987 00:37:50,768 --> 00:37:51,903 - Let's go! 988 00:37:51,970 --> 00:37:53,772 - She is ready to do her Ninja thing. 989 00:37:53,838 --> 00:37:57,509 - Let's see what she can do on Roller Bags. 990 00:37:57,575 --> 00:37:58,910 - Yeah, I've been there before. 991 00:37:58,977 --> 00:38:01,446 Traveling with little ones, it's not easy, 992 00:38:01,513 --> 00:38:04,282 especially when you got them roller bags. 993 00:38:05,817 --> 00:38:09,721 - And you see the athletes just hesitating on that first swing 994 00:38:09,788 --> 00:38:11,222 and taking another one, Akbar. 995 00:38:11,289 --> 00:38:12,457 - All right, got to really feel it. 996 00:38:12,524 --> 00:38:14,192 Got to--oh! 997 00:38:14,259 --> 00:38:15,460 Nice! 998 00:38:15,527 --> 00:38:17,929 - As clean a dismount as we've seen. 999 00:38:17,996 --> 00:38:19,597 That was smooth. 1000 00:38:19,664 --> 00:38:22,066 Let's see if she can stay firm on Diamond Dash. 1001 00:38:22,133 --> 00:38:24,502 - Ally is super, super athletic. 1002 00:38:24,569 --> 00:38:26,070 That Diamond Dash should be pretty easy. 1003 00:38:26,137 --> 00:38:28,239 Watch it. Watch it. Nice! 1004 00:38:28,306 --> 00:38:30,341 Light on her feet. 1005 00:38:30,408 --> 00:38:32,977 - And the mom posse approves. 1006 00:38:33,044 --> 00:38:34,345 - She looks like she's got this. 1007 00:38:34,412 --> 00:38:36,581 You can see that 5'6", 125-- 1008 00:38:36,648 --> 00:38:37,916 - You've got this! 1009 00:38:37,982 --> 00:38:40,485 - She's been working on her upper body strength. 1010 00:38:40,552 --> 00:38:42,787 - Matt, a lot of this goes back to her origin. 1011 00:38:42,854 --> 00:38:44,722 Being a gymnast at a very young age, 1012 00:38:44,789 --> 00:38:47,492 she's been doing that for a long time. 1013 00:38:47,559 --> 00:38:49,394 - Trying to be the second woman to get past 1014 00:38:49,460 --> 00:38:50,828 Kite Surfer tonight. 1015 00:38:50,895 --> 00:38:52,897 Watch this transfer down. Bounce it off. 1016 00:38:52,964 --> 00:38:54,332 - Nice! 1017 00:38:54,399 --> 00:38:55,934 This obstacle Kite Surfer has already 1018 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:57,969 knocked out five ninjas. 1019 00:38:58,036 --> 00:38:59,838 You got it. You got it. 1020 00:38:59,904 --> 00:39:01,072 Yeah! 1021 00:39:01,139 --> 00:39:02,840 Makes it to the second kite. 1022 00:39:02,907 --> 00:39:04,175 But this is a big move. 1023 00:39:04,242 --> 00:39:06,244 Got to go wide around those edges. 1024 00:39:06,311 --> 00:39:07,612 - Well, Akbar-- 1025 00:39:07,679 --> 00:39:09,914 oh, no! - Oh, no! 1026 00:39:09,981 --> 00:39:13,051 - And she flips out, missing that hand 1027 00:39:13,117 --> 00:39:15,253 placement on Kite Surfer. 1028 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,155 Ally Tippetts Wooton and splashes down 1029 00:39:17,222 --> 00:39:18,523 on the fourth obstacle. 1030 00:39:18,590 --> 00:39:22,193 But still a solid run and the mom posse can be proud. 1031 00:39:22,260 --> 00:39:24,128 [applause] 1032 00:39:24,195 --> 00:39:25,763 Coming up, he's one of the biggest 1033 00:39:25,830 --> 00:39:27,866 social media stars in the world, 1034 00:39:27,932 --> 00:39:30,001 and Ben Azelart's latest stunt 1035 00:39:30,068 --> 00:39:32,036 is running the "Ninja Warrior" course. 1036 00:39:32,103 --> 00:39:33,838 - This, for me, is all about just, like, 1037 00:39:33,905 --> 00:39:35,740 making a childhood dream come true. 1038 00:39:35,807 --> 00:39:39,544 - That's just ahead on "American Ninja Warrior." 1039 00:39:43,214 --> 00:39:44,249 - Welcome back to Las Vegas, 1040 00:39:44,315 --> 00:39:45,583 where we're about halfway through 1041 00:39:45,650 --> 00:39:47,018 our first night of qualifying. 1042 00:39:47,085 --> 00:39:50,188 - And these ninjas are starting off the season strong. 1043 00:39:50,255 --> 00:39:53,625 Vegas native Colby Player came to play. 1044 00:39:53,691 --> 00:39:56,628 The 30-year-old rookie was rolling through the course. 1045 00:39:56,694 --> 00:39:57,962 - Oh, wow! 1046 00:39:58,029 --> 00:40:00,365 - This former circus performer put on a show 1047 00:40:00,431 --> 00:40:02,200 for his hometown crowd. 1048 00:40:02,267 --> 00:40:03,968 - Oh, the flip. 1049 00:40:04,035 --> 00:40:05,503 - He made his way to the buzzer, 1050 00:40:05,570 --> 00:40:08,339 becoming our fourth finisher of the night. 1051 00:40:08,406 --> 00:40:10,508 - Well, they say the house always wins, 1052 00:40:10,575 --> 00:40:15,280 but tonight, it's the player who comes out on top. 1053 00:40:15,346 --> 00:40:18,149 - Ontario California's Xzavian Ochoa 1054 00:40:18,216 --> 00:40:20,885 showed his strength at the start line 1055 00:40:20,952 --> 00:40:23,521 and then showed his speed on the course, 1056 00:40:23,588 --> 00:40:26,824 confidently racing across the early obstacles. 1057 00:40:26,891 --> 00:40:28,993 - One of the faster runs we've seen to this point. 1058 00:40:29,060 --> 00:40:31,296 - The three-time veteran had never made it 1059 00:40:31,362 --> 00:40:34,332 past the fifth obstacle, but did so tonight. 1060 00:40:34,399 --> 00:40:37,669 [cheers and applause] 1061 00:40:37,735 --> 00:40:39,604 And he climbed up the wall to become 1062 00:40:39,671 --> 00:40:41,472 the night's fifth finisher. 1063 00:40:41,539 --> 00:40:45,944 - And Xzavian Ochoa gets that buzzer! 1064 00:40:46,010 --> 00:40:48,613 - Let's go! 1065 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:50,848 - Up next is 24-year-old grad student 1066 00:40:50,915 --> 00:40:53,484 and rocket scientist Max Manson. 1067 00:40:53,551 --> 00:40:55,720 He's one of several athletes competing this year 1068 00:40:55,787 --> 00:40:57,188 from Stanford University. 1069 00:40:57,255 --> 00:40:59,190 All of them were inspired to try this sport 1070 00:40:59,257 --> 00:41:01,659 by former ninja and their good friend 1071 00:41:01,726 --> 00:41:03,261 Vincent Pane. 1072 00:41:05,596 --> 00:41:08,866 - I first met Vince at a climbing team practice, 1073 00:41:08,933 --> 00:41:11,569 and I just remember thinking, 1074 00:41:11,636 --> 00:41:13,538 this is probably the most interesting person 1075 00:41:13,604 --> 00:41:14,605 I've ever met. 1076 00:41:14,672 --> 00:41:17,275 [energetic music] 1077 00:41:17,342 --> 00:41:18,976 He was the Stanford Ninja 1078 00:41:19,043 --> 00:41:21,245 setting up obstacles on campus. 1079 00:41:21,312 --> 00:41:23,948 - This is definitely a circus person move. 1080 00:41:24,015 --> 00:41:26,851 - Vince was definitely super eccentric. 1081 00:41:26,918 --> 00:41:28,052 - Gnarly. 1082 00:41:28,119 --> 00:41:29,988 - He made a lot of his own clothes. 1083 00:41:30,054 --> 00:41:32,056 Just so many talents. 1084 00:41:32,123 --> 00:41:33,391 [chainsaw hums] 1085 00:41:33,458 --> 00:41:35,760 Always just setting up these amazing adventures 1086 00:41:35,827 --> 00:41:37,295 that really kind of brought us together. 1087 00:41:41,032 --> 00:41:43,968 Last summer, Vince and I were attempting 1088 00:41:44,035 --> 00:41:46,337 this long ridge traverse along the Continental Divide. 1089 00:41:46,404 --> 00:41:47,972 [somber music] 1090 00:41:48,039 --> 00:41:51,976 And the only way to really do it is to move light and fast. 1091 00:41:52,043 --> 00:41:53,845 And lots of loose rock, 1092 00:41:53,911 --> 00:41:57,615 that's when the accident happened. 1093 00:41:57,682 --> 00:42:04,722 ♪ ♪ 1094 00:42:06,724 --> 00:42:09,394 - We know that Vince would be heartbroken 1095 00:42:09,460 --> 00:42:11,162 if we ever stopped adventuring. 1096 00:42:11,229 --> 00:42:14,432 And so we keep going to make him proud. 1097 00:42:16,134 --> 00:42:17,568 - Whoa! 1098 00:42:17,635 --> 00:42:20,104 - It's been cool to get to kind of see the legacy 1099 00:42:20,171 --> 00:42:22,774 he left behind, and I'm excited to bring 1100 00:42:22,840 --> 00:42:25,042 that with me when I run. 1101 00:42:28,613 --> 00:42:30,448 [cheers and applause] 1102 00:42:30,515 --> 00:42:32,884 - And there are two other ninjas from Stanford, 1103 00:42:32,950 --> 00:42:34,619 Bennie Hesser, who competes next week, 1104 00:42:34,685 --> 00:42:37,054 and Sam Boeschen, who runs later tonight. 1105 00:42:37,121 --> 00:42:39,557 They're on the sideline along with Max's parents. 1106 00:42:39,624 --> 00:42:41,893 [countdown clock beeping] 1107 00:42:41,959 --> 00:42:44,395 It was Vince who got him into the show last year. 1108 00:42:44,462 --> 00:42:46,030 What a tragic loss. 1109 00:42:46,097 --> 00:42:48,699 And Max Manson was a natural for this sport. 1110 00:42:48,766 --> 00:42:51,469 He's a top rock climber and also a rocket scientist. 1111 00:42:51,536 --> 00:42:53,838 So he knows all about speed. 1112 00:42:53,905 --> 00:42:57,708 This guy doesn't just want to design rockets. 1113 00:42:57,775 --> 00:42:59,143 He loves being in the sky. 1114 00:42:59,210 --> 00:43:01,512 This guy's gotten into skydiving, Akbar. 1115 00:43:01,579 --> 00:43:02,980 - Yeah, that's real dangerous. 1116 00:43:03,047 --> 00:43:05,216 He likes all that stuff that can fly. 1117 00:43:05,283 --> 00:43:06,918 Well, he's flying through the course. 1118 00:43:06,984 --> 00:43:08,519 - Yeah, you want to avoid free-falling 1119 00:43:08,586 --> 00:43:09,854 here on Kite Surfer. 1120 00:43:09,921 --> 00:43:11,722 - He likes rockets. He likes skydiving. 1121 00:43:11,789 --> 00:43:14,358 I'm sure he's going to love Kite Surfer. 1122 00:43:17,061 --> 00:43:18,963 [cheers and applause] 1123 00:43:19,030 --> 00:43:20,765 - Come on, man! 1124 00:43:20,832 --> 00:43:22,600 - Making good progress. 1125 00:43:22,667 --> 00:43:27,004 A lot of forward thrust here for this rocketry student. 1126 00:43:27,071 --> 00:43:28,906 And now Kaleidoscope. 1127 00:43:28,973 --> 00:43:31,876 6'1", 180, on the bigger side. 1128 00:43:31,943 --> 00:43:33,845 The bigger your payload, the more that 1129 00:43:33,911 --> 00:43:35,680 grip strength gets taxed. 1130 00:43:35,746 --> 00:43:37,882 That's a pretty good amount of weight to try to keep 1131 00:43:37,949 --> 00:43:39,984 in orbit here on Kaleidoscope. 1132 00:43:40,051 --> 00:43:41,719 - Max was a very successful Division I 1133 00:43:41,786 --> 00:43:43,421 pole vaulter at Stanford. 1134 00:43:43,488 --> 00:43:45,556 He's a good all-around athlete. - Yes! 1135 00:43:45,623 --> 00:43:47,592 - Well, these rockets students, they don't spend 1136 00:43:47,658 --> 00:43:48,993 all their time in the lab. 1137 00:43:49,060 --> 00:43:50,761 This guy, also a rock climber. 1138 00:43:50,828 --> 00:43:52,763 You can see that grip strength serving him well. 1139 00:43:52,830 --> 00:43:54,899 [cheers and applause] 1140 00:43:54,966 --> 00:43:56,701 Look at this, Akbar. Big Max. 1141 00:43:56,767 --> 00:43:58,202 - I don't know what the equation is 1142 00:43:58,269 --> 00:43:59,837 for what he's doing, but whatever it is, 1143 00:43:59,904 --> 00:44:01,672 it equals success. 1144 00:44:01,739 --> 00:44:03,608 [cheers and applause] 1145 00:44:03,674 --> 00:44:05,977 - 14 and 1/2 feet away. 1146 00:44:06,043 --> 00:44:08,646 And he gets that buzzer. 1147 00:44:08,713 --> 00:44:11,649 [cheers and applause] 1148 00:44:11,716 --> 00:44:14,485 [upbeat music] 1149 00:44:14,552 --> 00:44:19,757 ♪ ♪ 1150 00:44:19,824 --> 00:44:22,527 Well, it was awesome watching you, Max. 1151 00:44:22,593 --> 00:44:25,796 I know on your mind has got to be your buddy, Vince Pane. 1152 00:44:25,863 --> 00:44:27,298 He got you into this sport. 1153 00:44:27,365 --> 00:44:29,667 What's it mean standing here having hit that buzzer? 1154 00:44:29,734 --> 00:44:32,036 - So special just to be able to kind of 1155 00:44:32,103 --> 00:44:33,804 carry on what he got me into. 1156 00:44:33,871 --> 00:44:35,973 And, yeah, I definitely felt him out there 1157 00:44:36,040 --> 00:44:37,174 with me on the course. - Oh, man. 1158 00:44:37,241 --> 00:44:38,176 That's special. 1159 00:44:38,242 --> 00:44:39,577 That's real special, man. 1160 00:44:39,644 --> 00:44:41,746 We love Vince, man. I know how much you love him. 1161 00:44:41,812 --> 00:44:44,549 Hit that buzzer one more time. An amazing run. 1162 00:44:44,615 --> 00:44:46,083 [buzzer blares] 1163 00:44:46,150 --> 00:44:47,552 - And Max joins our other 1164 00:44:47,618 --> 00:44:48,920 finishers on the leaderboard. 1165 00:44:48,986 --> 00:44:50,855 We're up to six so far. 1166 00:44:50,922 --> 00:44:52,657 Remember, only the top 20 at 1167 00:44:52,723 --> 00:44:54,225 the end of the night will move on. 1168 00:44:54,292 --> 00:44:55,326 It's looking like you need 1169 00:44:55,393 --> 00:44:56,494 to reach Kaleidoscope 1170 00:44:56,561 --> 00:44:57,695 to have a chance. 1171 00:44:58,963 --> 00:45:02,567 Coming up, the Beckstrands are the first family of Ninja. 1172 00:45:02,633 --> 00:45:05,303 Kai's our defending champ. - He got it. Yeah! 1173 00:45:05,369 --> 00:45:07,238 - His brother Luke's a top competitor. 1174 00:45:07,305 --> 00:45:08,973 What a run! 1175 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:10,875 - And tonight their sister Baylee 1176 00:45:10,942 --> 00:45:12,977 and their dad Brian can make history 1177 00:45:13,044 --> 00:45:16,647 of their own when "American Ninja Warrior" returns. 1178 00:45:20,418 --> 00:45:21,686 - It's "Ninja's" opening night, 1179 00:45:21,752 --> 00:45:23,387 featuring athletes from the West region. 1180 00:45:23,454 --> 00:45:25,823 And minutes ago, Utah's Violet Kepo'o 1181 00:45:25,890 --> 00:45:27,592 honored her Hawaiian heritage. 1182 00:45:27,658 --> 00:45:29,393 The high schooler's great grandfather 1183 00:45:29,460 --> 00:45:31,362 was a warrior chief in Hawaii. 1184 00:45:31,429 --> 00:45:33,397 And Kepo'o looked like a warrior 1185 00:45:33,464 --> 00:45:35,433 as she raced through the early obstacles. 1186 00:45:35,499 --> 00:45:38,502 - Wow! Kepo'o. Oh! 1187 00:45:38,569 --> 00:45:39,837 [cheers and applause] 1188 00:45:39,904 --> 00:45:41,239 - The 18-year-old is looking to advance 1189 00:45:41,305 --> 00:45:44,008 past qualifying for the fourth straight season. 1190 00:45:44,075 --> 00:45:46,811 - She's got to reach up, and she's got to make those turn. 1191 00:45:46,877 --> 00:45:48,913 Ooh! [air horn blares] 1192 00:45:48,980 --> 00:45:50,514 - Though, she fell on the fifth obstacle, 1193 00:45:50,581 --> 00:45:54,385 her fast time means she's in a good position to move on. 1194 00:45:55,653 --> 00:45:57,989 Daniella Blanchard moved from New York to LA 1195 00:45:58,055 --> 00:46:01,192 to live and train with Ninja great Jessie Graff. 1196 00:46:01,258 --> 00:46:03,094 And it seems to have paid off. 1197 00:46:03,160 --> 00:46:06,063 Two years ago, Blanchard fell on the first obstacle. 1198 00:46:06,130 --> 00:46:09,200 But tonight, she confidently made her way to the fifth. 1199 00:46:09,266 --> 00:46:11,535 - Now, get out of there, Daniella! 1200 00:46:13,004 --> 00:46:14,438 Ooh, ooh. 1201 00:46:14,505 --> 00:46:16,841 I see you! I see you! 1202 00:46:16,907 --> 00:46:19,076 - Blanchard was poised to become the first woman 1203 00:46:19,143 --> 00:46:20,878 to hit a buzzer this season, 1204 00:46:20,945 --> 00:46:23,381 until she came up short in her three attempts 1205 00:46:23,447 --> 00:46:24,782 at the Warped Wall. 1206 00:46:24,849 --> 00:46:25,783 [audience groans] 1207 00:46:25,850 --> 00:46:27,385 - Oh! Oh! 1208 00:46:27,451 --> 00:46:28,753 She had it. 1209 00:46:28,819 --> 00:46:32,089 - Still, she's in a good position to move on. 1210 00:46:32,156 --> 00:46:34,925 Well, we've got a dance party at the start line. 1211 00:46:34,992 --> 00:46:37,428 This hip-hop troupe is from St. George, Utah. 1212 00:46:37,495 --> 00:46:39,797 And out front is our next ninja, 1213 00:46:39,864 --> 00:46:42,366 Baylee Beckstrand, who loves dancing 1214 00:46:42,433 --> 00:46:44,468 almost as much as she loves Ninja. 1215 00:46:44,535 --> 00:46:46,003 - Oh, yeah, you can tell. 1216 00:46:46,070 --> 00:46:47,338 Look at that. 1217 00:46:47,405 --> 00:46:49,073 - Her family's been busting moves on the course 1218 00:46:49,140 --> 00:46:51,308 for more than a decade. 1219 00:46:51,375 --> 00:46:53,577 [cheers and applause] 1220 00:46:53,644 --> 00:46:55,146 [upbeat music] 1221 00:46:55,212 --> 00:46:57,848 - I am the fifth Beckstrand to take on the "ANW" course. 1222 00:46:57,915 --> 00:47:00,384 My dad and my brothers have all had buzzers. 1223 00:47:00,451 --> 00:47:01,886 - Teasing that mohawk. 1224 00:47:01,952 --> 00:47:03,421 He just set the record. 1225 00:47:03,487 --> 00:47:07,558 He is now the new youngest ever to hit a buzzer on stage 1. 1226 00:47:07,625 --> 00:47:09,193 Luke! [buzzer blares] 1227 00:47:09,260 --> 00:47:10,828 What a run! 1228 00:47:10,895 --> 00:47:12,730 [buzzer blares] 1229 00:47:12,797 --> 00:47:14,532 - Watching everything they do has always just pushed me 1230 00:47:14,598 --> 00:47:16,300 to become better 'cause I've always wanted 1231 00:47:16,367 --> 00:47:17,568 to do everything that they do. 1232 00:47:17,635 --> 00:47:20,071 - Little sis wants to show the whole family 1233 00:47:20,137 --> 00:47:21,839 she can Ninja as well. 1234 00:47:21,906 --> 00:47:23,340 - Since last season, I've just been 1235 00:47:23,407 --> 00:47:25,643 trying to get in the gym more and training more 1236 00:47:25,710 --> 00:47:28,379 with my brothers and taking their advice more. 1237 00:47:28,446 --> 00:47:31,749 I'd say I feel pretty ready to follow in the family legacy 1238 00:47:31,816 --> 00:47:34,085 and, hopefully, get a buzzer this season. 1239 00:47:34,151 --> 00:47:37,555 ♪ ♪ 1240 00:47:37,621 --> 00:47:39,123 [cheers and applause] 1241 00:47:39,190 --> 00:47:40,991 - Her dad, Brian, runs next. 1242 00:47:41,058 --> 00:47:43,994 He's over there with mom Holly and brothers Kai and Luke. 1243 00:47:44,061 --> 00:47:46,497 Who both run next week. 1244 00:47:46,564 --> 00:47:49,033 [countdown clock beeping] 1245 00:47:49,100 --> 00:47:51,669 Well, last year, an impressive rookie campaign. 1246 00:47:51,736 --> 00:47:53,838 Made it to that fifth obstacle. 1247 00:47:53,904 --> 00:47:55,806 - Well, Matt, what Baylee has been doing 1248 00:47:55,873 --> 00:47:58,943 is she's been training with her brother Kai and Luke, 1249 00:47:59,009 --> 00:48:00,878 and that really has upped her game. 1250 00:48:00,945 --> 00:48:02,513 And I think we're going to see a big difference 1251 00:48:02,580 --> 00:48:05,149 with what she did last season to this season. 1252 00:48:05,216 --> 00:48:06,650 That means getting a buzzer, Matt. 1253 00:48:06,717 --> 00:48:07,918 - Well it's so great. 1254 00:48:07,985 --> 00:48:10,488 The Zimmermans, the Beckstrands, the Barons, 1255 00:48:10,554 --> 00:48:13,257 all of these great Ninja families showing 1256 00:48:13,324 --> 00:48:15,893 what this sport is all about. 1257 00:48:15,960 --> 00:48:20,331 But only 5'1", needs big strides on Diamond Dash. 1258 00:48:20,398 --> 00:48:21,465 Right through it. 1259 00:48:21,532 --> 00:48:23,000 - Well, I will say, Matt, she danced 1260 00:48:23,067 --> 00:48:25,169 her way through Diamond Dash. 1261 00:48:25,236 --> 00:48:28,272 One thing I can tell you about Baylee, she is fearless. 1262 00:48:28,339 --> 00:48:31,208 She's been doing Ninja training since she was four years old. 1263 00:48:31,275 --> 00:48:33,244 That's 12 years of Ninja. 1264 00:48:35,212 --> 00:48:37,448 - Baylee, such confidence, Akbar. 1265 00:48:37,515 --> 00:48:39,049 What a difference a year makes. 1266 00:48:39,116 --> 00:48:42,219 - Well, the confidence really does come from the preparation. 1267 00:48:42,286 --> 00:48:44,488 She was born into a Ninja family, Matt. 1268 00:48:44,555 --> 00:48:46,056 She's had no choice. 1269 00:48:46,123 --> 00:48:48,125 This is the family business. 1270 00:48:48,192 --> 00:48:51,595 - They have two Ninja gyms in St. George, Utah. 1271 00:48:51,662 --> 00:48:53,731 - St. George, not that far away from here, 1272 00:48:53,798 --> 00:48:57,134 about an hour away from where we are today. 1273 00:48:58,536 --> 00:48:59,637 Nice! 1274 00:48:59,703 --> 00:49:01,305 - Good transfer. 1275 00:49:01,372 --> 00:49:03,307 Another big performance. 1276 00:49:03,374 --> 00:49:06,977 And she's back, facing the fifth obstacle yet again. 1277 00:49:07,044 --> 00:49:08,579 [cheers and applause] 1278 00:49:08,646 --> 00:49:10,147 - Let's go, Bay! 1279 00:49:10,214 --> 00:49:12,116 - She made it to the fifth obstacle last year 1280 00:49:12,183 --> 00:49:13,517 but couldn't get past it. 1281 00:49:13,584 --> 00:49:14,885 This would mean a lot to her 1282 00:49:14,952 --> 00:49:16,487 if she could conquer it this season. 1283 00:49:16,554 --> 00:49:20,558 And if she does, she's assured of moving on. 1284 00:49:20,624 --> 00:49:23,694 - Well, she's attacking it with no hesitation. 1285 00:49:23,761 --> 00:49:25,930 - Baylee only weighs 106 pounds, 1286 00:49:25,996 --> 00:49:27,431 but such strength. 1287 00:49:27,498 --> 00:49:30,134 - Matt, I try to read the body language of the athlete 1288 00:49:30,201 --> 00:49:31,468 as they're on this course. 1289 00:49:31,535 --> 00:49:33,404 But confidence, though, is there 1290 00:49:33,470 --> 00:49:34,738 that she's had the training. 1291 00:49:34,805 --> 00:49:35,806 She's had the preparation. 1292 00:49:35,873 --> 00:49:36,807 Look at that. 1293 00:49:36,874 --> 00:49:38,075 Look at the technique. 1294 00:49:38,142 --> 00:49:39,743 - Her dad set a goal that both... 1295 00:49:39,810 --> 00:49:41,212 - Nice. 1296 00:49:41,278 --> 00:49:43,314 - He and Baylee would make it to the National Finals. 1297 00:49:43,380 --> 00:49:44,882 - Matt, I called it earlier. She's getting it. 1298 00:49:44,949 --> 00:49:46,283 She's about to do it. 1299 00:49:46,350 --> 00:49:48,586 - She could get a shot at her very first buzzer. 1300 00:49:48,652 --> 00:49:50,087 - Yes! 1301 00:49:50,154 --> 00:49:51,589 Yes. Yes. 1302 00:49:51,655 --> 00:49:52,857 Bend it like Beckstrand. 1303 00:49:52,923 --> 00:49:54,458 - Baylee! 1304 00:49:54,525 --> 00:49:55,826 Beckstrand! 1305 00:49:55,893 --> 00:49:56,827 - Yep. 1306 00:49:56,894 --> 00:49:58,996 [cheers and applause] 1307 00:49:59,063 --> 00:50:00,698 - Looking to be the fourth member 1308 00:50:00,764 --> 00:50:02,700 of the family to get a buzzer. 1309 00:50:02,766 --> 00:50:04,235 - You got this. 1310 00:50:04,301 --> 00:50:05,769 This is so cool. 1311 00:50:05,836 --> 00:50:07,938 Kai's good. Luke's good. 1312 00:50:08,005 --> 00:50:09,340 Baylee's good. 1313 00:50:09,406 --> 00:50:10,841 Everybody's good. 1314 00:50:10,908 --> 00:50:15,079 - 14 1/2 feet away from getting her first ever buzzer. 1315 00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:19,049 - Come on, Baylee. Come on Baylee! Yes! 1316 00:50:19,116 --> 00:50:20,551 - Just like at home. 1317 00:50:20,618 --> 00:50:23,821 Baylee Beckstrand gets the buzzer. 1318 00:50:23,888 --> 00:50:25,990 - That's Baylee Beckstrand. 1319 00:50:26,056 --> 00:50:27,758 Oh, my word! 1320 00:50:27,825 --> 00:50:30,794 [cheers and applause] 1321 00:50:32,796 --> 00:50:34,965 - What a smile. 1322 00:50:36,233 --> 00:50:37,568 - Welcome. 1323 00:50:37,635 --> 00:50:41,205 Welcome to the top of the Warped Wall. 1324 00:50:41,272 --> 00:50:44,141 Is this how you dreamed it? 1325 00:50:44,208 --> 00:50:45,776 - It doesn't feel real yet. 1326 00:50:45,843 --> 00:50:48,112 So it feels like a dream. - Yeah. 1327 00:50:48,178 --> 00:50:49,647 Well, it's got to be a good dream. 1328 00:50:49,713 --> 00:50:52,516 We've talked so much about your brother Kai, 1329 00:50:52,583 --> 00:50:55,653 about your brother Luke, about your dad, Brian. 1330 00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:58,188 But this time, it's all about Baylee. 1331 00:50:58,255 --> 00:51:00,724 How good did that first buzzer feel? 1332 00:51:00,791 --> 00:51:01,959 - Really good. 1333 00:51:02,026 --> 00:51:03,227 - Now, come on. 1334 00:51:03,294 --> 00:51:05,429 You made it to the top of that Warped Wall. 1335 00:51:05,496 --> 00:51:07,264 I want to see a little bit of dance move. 1336 00:51:07,331 --> 00:51:08,766 Come on, play that music. 1337 00:51:08,832 --> 00:51:11,769 [upbeat music] 1338 00:51:11,835 --> 00:51:13,037 - There it is. 1339 00:51:13,103 --> 00:51:14,572 Oh! 1340 00:51:14,638 --> 00:51:15,873 - Hit that buzzer. 1341 00:51:15,940 --> 00:51:17,308 - Hey! 1342 00:51:17,374 --> 00:51:18,776 Come on, man. 1343 00:51:18,842 --> 00:51:20,377 We coordinate that, man. 1344 00:51:20,444 --> 00:51:21,578 - Call it the Beckstrand. 1345 00:51:21,645 --> 00:51:23,113 - [laughs] Well done. 1346 00:51:23,180 --> 00:51:24,248 - Way to go, Baylee. 1347 00:51:24,315 --> 00:51:25,482 - Well done. 1348 00:51:25,549 --> 00:51:27,618 One day, I'm going to dance just like Baylee. 1349 00:51:27,685 --> 00:51:29,453 - So now, for the first time, 1350 00:51:29,520 --> 00:51:32,022 four members of one family have hit buzzers. 1351 00:51:32,089 --> 00:51:33,657 Baylee just got her first. 1352 00:51:33,724 --> 00:51:35,292 Her dad, Brian, has three. 1353 00:51:35,359 --> 00:51:37,594 Her brother Luke has eight buzzers so far. 1354 00:51:37,661 --> 00:51:39,897 And leading the way, our defending champion, 1355 00:51:39,964 --> 00:51:43,033 Kai, with 19 buzzers in his four seasons. 1356 00:51:43,100 --> 00:51:44,735 - Wow, that's 31 buzzers 1357 00:51:44,802 --> 00:51:46,303 for the Beckstrand. 1358 00:51:46,370 --> 00:51:48,439 - And they've got a chance to add another right now, 1359 00:51:48,505 --> 00:51:51,241 as the 47-year-old patriarch of the Ninja dynasty, 1360 00:51:51,308 --> 00:51:54,244 Brian Beckstrand, heads to the start line. 1361 00:51:54,311 --> 00:51:56,614 Made history five years ago when he and Kai 1362 00:51:56,680 --> 00:51:58,649 became the first father and son duo 1363 00:51:58,716 --> 00:52:00,684 to hit buzzers the same night. 1364 00:52:00,751 --> 00:52:02,453 Now he can make more history as part 1365 00:52:02,519 --> 00:52:05,422 of the first father-daughter duo to do it. 1366 00:52:05,489 --> 00:52:06,857 Baylee just did her part. 1367 00:52:06,924 --> 00:52:08,592 Now it's up to dad. 1368 00:52:08,659 --> 00:52:10,995 [countdown clock beeping] 1369 00:52:11,061 --> 00:52:13,063 At 47, he's one of the night's older competitors. 1370 00:52:13,130 --> 00:52:15,899 But this firefighter is in tremendous shape. 1371 00:52:15,966 --> 00:52:18,435 The Beckstrands' "Ninja" journey started 11 years ago 1372 00:52:18,502 --> 00:52:20,270 when Brian first competed. 1373 00:52:20,337 --> 00:52:22,506 He got a buzzer his first time on the course. 1374 00:52:22,573 --> 00:52:25,709 - Oh, oh. - Oh! 1375 00:52:25,776 --> 00:52:28,545 Oh. Matt, that was close. 1376 00:52:28,612 --> 00:52:29,947 Let's look at it again. 1377 00:52:30,014 --> 00:52:32,483 His right hand was coming off the handle early, 1378 00:52:32,549 --> 00:52:35,853 and he just barely got that left leg over the wall. 1379 00:52:35,919 --> 00:52:38,355 Whoo, the dismount on this obstacle is really 1380 00:52:38,422 --> 00:52:40,457 giving our ninjas trouble tonight. 1381 00:52:40,524 --> 00:52:43,827 - That firefighter, almost a five-alarm fire. 1382 00:52:43,894 --> 00:52:45,696 - Oh, get it, get it, get it, get it. 1383 00:52:45,763 --> 00:52:48,132 But one thing that he does, he gives a lot of credit 1384 00:52:48,198 --> 00:52:50,334 and has a lot of respect for his kids 1385 00:52:50,401 --> 00:52:52,770 and how far Ninja has really pushed them. 1386 00:52:52,836 --> 00:52:54,772 And it's also his kids pushing him. 1387 00:52:54,838 --> 00:52:56,807 Matt, he's now back in the weight room. 1388 00:52:56,874 --> 00:52:58,342 He's training with Kai. 1389 00:52:58,409 --> 00:53:02,012 He's now bench pressing 235 pounds, squat 250, 1390 00:53:02,079 --> 00:53:03,614 deadlifting 405. 1391 00:53:03,681 --> 00:53:07,184 - 6'2", 185, one of the bigger athletes we'll see out here. 1392 00:53:07,251 --> 00:53:10,454 Does he have the grip strength to survive Kite Surfer? 1393 00:53:10,521 --> 00:53:12,589 - Get both hands on. Both hands on. 1394 00:53:14,291 --> 00:53:15,793 - Got it. Nice! 1395 00:53:15,859 --> 00:53:20,964 - Akbar, Brian Beckstrand's last buzzer was in season 13. 1396 00:53:21,031 --> 00:53:22,599 - Yeah, Matt. He's going to change that. 1397 00:53:22,666 --> 00:53:23,600 I feel it. 1398 00:53:23,667 --> 00:53:25,069 - Yeah, Dad, come on! 1399 00:53:25,135 --> 00:53:27,471 - Hoping to make Ninja history with his daughter Baylee. 1400 00:53:27,538 --> 00:53:30,140 But with his size, landing on these tiny ledges 1401 00:53:30,207 --> 00:53:33,143 of Kaleidoscope, going to be a challenge. 1402 00:53:33,210 --> 00:53:35,913 - All right, now we got to remember, these things, 1403 00:53:35,979 --> 00:53:37,781 it does have a little roll to it. 1404 00:53:37,848 --> 00:53:40,617 So he's got to roll with it just like his corn rolls. 1405 00:53:40,684 --> 00:53:42,619 - And you can see, Akbar, he's going in circles. 1406 00:53:42,686 --> 00:53:44,822 This is a real struggle expending 1407 00:53:44,888 --> 00:53:47,691 a lot of grip strength! - Oh. 1408 00:53:47,758 --> 00:53:51,261 - Brian Beckstrand, the firefighter 1409 00:53:51,328 --> 00:53:53,063 ends up in the water 1410 00:53:53,130 --> 00:53:55,265 and misses out on becoming the first 1411 00:53:55,332 --> 00:53:57,501 father-daughter buzzer duo. [applause] 1412 00:53:57,568 --> 00:53:59,770 - He spent a lot of time going in circles 1413 00:53:59,837 --> 00:54:01,505 at the start of Kaleidoscope. 1414 00:54:01,572 --> 00:54:04,141 His spinning created a moving target for him 1415 00:54:04,208 --> 00:54:06,076 to grab on that second ledge. 1416 00:54:06,143 --> 00:54:08,312 And he just couldn't get a handle. 1417 00:54:10,347 --> 00:54:13,784 But he has a good chance to be in the top 20 and move on. 1418 00:54:13,851 --> 00:54:16,019 He could still join Baylee in the regional finals. 1419 00:54:16,086 --> 00:54:18,655 And sons Kai and Luke might be there too. 1420 00:54:18,722 --> 00:54:21,492 They get their chance at the course next week. 1421 00:54:21,558 --> 00:54:24,294 Up next, it's an unbelievable story. 1422 00:54:24,361 --> 00:54:26,663 The Serrano family nearly lost their dad 1423 00:54:26,730 --> 00:54:28,432 in a horrible explosion. 1424 00:54:28,499 --> 00:54:30,701 - His hard hat melted onto his head. 1425 00:54:30,768 --> 00:54:32,503 He literally ran through fire. 1426 00:54:32,569 --> 00:54:34,004 - But dad battled back. 1427 00:54:34,071 --> 00:54:36,974 And now his two kids will battle the course 1428 00:54:37,040 --> 00:54:40,544 in his honor when "American Ninja Warrior" returns. 1429 00:54:44,681 --> 00:54:46,083 - Its qualifying night for the West region, 1430 00:54:46,150 --> 00:54:48,886 and a couple of Californians just took on the course. 1431 00:54:48,952 --> 00:54:52,122 Sam Boeschen's family owns a winery in Napa Valley, 1432 00:54:52,189 --> 00:54:54,358 and he brought us a bottle of his best. 1433 00:54:54,424 --> 00:54:57,127 - We raise a toast to Sam Boeschen. 1434 00:54:58,462 --> 00:55:00,597 Boeschen's a grad student in mechanical engineering 1435 00:55:00,664 --> 00:55:02,866 at Stanford, so you know he's smart. 1436 00:55:02,933 --> 00:55:05,502 And he had the early obstacles figured out. 1437 00:55:05,569 --> 00:55:07,304 - C'mon, baby! 1438 00:55:07,371 --> 00:55:09,940 - The 22-year-old was captain of the Stanford climbing team, 1439 00:55:10,007 --> 00:55:12,576 but he couldn't get a grip on Kite Surfer. 1440 00:55:12,643 --> 00:55:15,546 - Whoa! [air horn blares] 1441 00:55:15,612 --> 00:55:17,814 - Concord, California's Sean Bryan, 1442 00:55:17,881 --> 00:55:19,917 better known as the Papal Ninja, 1443 00:55:19,983 --> 00:55:22,653 has never failed to finish a qualifying course. 1444 00:55:22,719 --> 00:55:25,022 - The older he gets, the better he gets. 1445 00:55:25,088 --> 00:55:26,957 - The Catholic Church working is competing 1446 00:55:27,024 --> 00:55:29,593 in his 11th season, and shows no signs 1447 00:55:29,660 --> 00:55:31,028 of slowing down. 1448 00:55:31,094 --> 00:55:33,463 - He's got to go right now. He's got to go right now. 1449 00:55:33,530 --> 00:55:35,365 - He finished in under a minute and ten... 1450 00:55:35,432 --> 00:55:36,700 - Nice! 1451 00:55:36,767 --> 00:55:38,202 - Which earned him a shot at the Mega Wall. 1452 00:55:38,268 --> 00:55:40,838 [audience chanting] Mega Wall! Mega Wall! 1453 00:55:40,904 --> 00:55:42,773 Mega Wall! - Let's go, go, go! 1454 00:55:42,840 --> 00:55:44,007 - [groans] 1455 00:55:44,074 --> 00:55:45,242 - Ooh. 1456 00:55:45,309 --> 00:55:47,477 - Though he came up short, he's in position 1457 00:55:47,544 --> 00:55:50,714 to get one of the five byes in the regional finals. 1458 00:55:52,082 --> 00:55:55,319 The force is strong with this next athlete, Akbar. 1459 00:55:55,385 --> 00:55:57,454 Arona Spader is a graphic artist 1460 00:55:57,521 --> 00:55:59,356 who does cosplay and stunt work. 1461 00:55:59,423 --> 00:56:01,058 And on the weekends, she likes to go 1462 00:56:01,124 --> 00:56:02,793 up, up and away. 1463 00:56:04,528 --> 00:56:06,797 - ♪ We want to live like that ♪ 1464 00:56:06,864 --> 00:56:09,166 - I work grounds crew for hot air balloons. 1465 00:56:09,233 --> 00:56:10,634 [bright music] 1466 00:56:10,701 --> 00:56:12,302 I help get the balloons up in the air, 1467 00:56:12,369 --> 00:56:15,138 and then I get them down safely. 1468 00:56:15,205 --> 00:56:18,508 Wrangling a balloon is like pulling a five-story building. 1469 00:56:18,575 --> 00:56:20,010 It is very strong. 1470 00:56:20,077 --> 00:56:22,446 It is very strenuous on your body. 1471 00:56:22,512 --> 00:56:24,514 But you got to make sure the balloon comes up safely. 1472 00:56:24,581 --> 00:56:26,416 [laughs] 1473 00:56:26,483 --> 00:56:30,354 It helps with body control, my strength, my grip strength, 1474 00:56:30,420 --> 00:56:31,989 a lot of body awareness because that's 1475 00:56:32,055 --> 00:56:34,691 the biggest thing that you need when you're doing Ninja. 1476 00:56:34,758 --> 00:56:37,327 Sometimes you get to ride in the balloon. 1477 00:56:37,394 --> 00:56:40,063 Whoa. 1478 00:56:40,130 --> 00:56:41,865 Super peaceful and just calming 1479 00:56:41,932 --> 00:56:43,100 and you watch the whole town. 1480 00:56:43,166 --> 00:56:44,368 They're like little ants at the bottom. 1481 00:56:44,434 --> 00:56:45,469 I love it. 1482 00:56:46,803 --> 00:56:48,805 Tonight, nothing's going to hold me down. 1483 00:56:48,872 --> 00:56:52,075 ♪ ♪ 1484 00:56:52,142 --> 00:56:53,543 [cheers and applause] 1485 00:56:53,610 --> 00:56:55,746 - In addition to her high-flying hobbies, 1486 00:56:55,812 --> 00:56:58,582 Arona also coaches at her Ninja gym in Arizona. 1487 00:56:58,649 --> 00:57:00,784 Some of her students have come out to watch. 1488 00:57:00,851 --> 00:57:02,052 [cheers and applause] 1489 00:57:02,119 --> 00:57:04,655 [countdown clock beeping] 1490 00:57:04,721 --> 00:57:08,091 Was a high school national champ in track. 1491 00:57:08,158 --> 00:57:09,726 We know she's got speed. 1492 00:57:09,793 --> 00:57:11,662 [cheers and applause] 1493 00:57:11,728 --> 00:57:14,097 - She had very little training before competing last year, 1494 00:57:14,164 --> 00:57:16,133 and she fell on the second obstacle. 1495 00:57:16,199 --> 00:57:18,068 She's much more prepared this season. 1496 00:57:18,135 --> 00:57:20,771 [cheers and applause] 1497 00:57:24,274 --> 00:57:26,810 Little trouble getting that handle deployed. 1498 00:57:26,877 --> 00:57:28,178 - Come on. Come on. 1499 00:57:28,245 --> 00:57:29,513 - Focus! Big pull! 1500 00:57:29,579 --> 00:57:31,448 - Got it. Nice! 1501 00:57:31,515 --> 00:57:34,217 - Used to wrangling those hot air balloons, 1502 00:57:34,284 --> 00:57:36,920 which sounds fun, but can be a dangerous job. 1503 00:57:36,987 --> 00:57:38,388 - Nice. She did it, Matt. 1504 00:57:38,455 --> 00:57:40,290 She's gone further than she did last year. 1505 00:57:40,357 --> 00:57:42,159 [cheers and applause] 1506 00:57:42,225 --> 00:57:44,227 - Now, the former track star will try to sprint 1507 00:57:44,294 --> 00:57:47,364 across Diamond Dash. 1508 00:57:47,431 --> 00:57:48,899 - Got it. 1509 00:57:48,966 --> 00:57:50,233 - And look at that smile. 1510 00:57:50,300 --> 00:57:51,935 She's enjoying this. 1511 00:57:53,704 --> 00:57:55,772 Four women have made it past Kite Surfer so far. 1512 00:57:55,839 --> 00:57:58,508 If Arona can join them, it'll greatly improve 1513 00:57:58,575 --> 00:58:00,377 her chances of moving on. 1514 00:58:00,444 --> 00:58:03,313 - 5'7", 130, good reach. - Big pull. 1515 00:58:03,380 --> 00:58:04,414 - Right there. 1516 00:58:04,481 --> 00:58:06,016 - It's the second kite where we've seen 1517 00:58:06,083 --> 00:58:07,351 ninjas have trouble. 1518 00:58:07,417 --> 00:58:09,586 The arms start to get tired. 1519 00:58:09,653 --> 00:58:11,388 - Nice. Hold it! 1520 00:58:11,455 --> 00:58:12,489 [cheers and applause] 1521 00:58:12,556 --> 00:58:15,325 - This is so taxing, Akbar. 1522 00:58:15,392 --> 00:58:16,893 - Right here. 1523 00:58:16,960 --> 00:58:18,061 Load this up. 1524 00:58:18,128 --> 00:58:19,863 Here it is, right here. You are there. 1525 00:58:19,930 --> 00:58:21,998 Yes. - Nice! 1526 00:58:22,065 --> 00:58:24,034 - Big transfer here. 1527 00:58:24,101 --> 00:58:25,902 - Get narrow. Get deep. 1528 00:58:25,969 --> 00:58:27,037 - Big hits. 1529 00:58:27,104 --> 00:58:28,038 [cheers and applause] 1530 00:58:28,105 --> 00:58:30,140 - Got it! - Finger-tip save. 1531 00:58:30,207 --> 00:58:31,775 - Ooh! 1532 00:58:31,842 --> 00:58:33,443 That was a double save. 1533 00:58:33,510 --> 00:58:35,579 - And she's through. 1534 00:58:35,645 --> 00:58:39,649 Arona Spader in her second year, 1535 00:58:39,716 --> 00:58:42,419 and she is soaking it all in. 1536 00:58:42,486 --> 00:58:43,954 - I see you. 1537 00:58:44,021 --> 00:58:47,057 - I think she's elated with her performance to this point. 1538 00:58:47,124 --> 00:58:49,459 Can she get through this? 1539 00:58:49,526 --> 00:58:51,595 - You can see she's got her warrior tattoo. 1540 00:58:51,661 --> 00:58:53,697 Her warrior artwork on her hands. 1541 00:58:53,764 --> 00:58:56,366 - You got it. - You got it. 1542 00:58:56,433 --> 00:58:58,902 - Akbar, just looking so much more confident 1543 00:58:58,969 --> 00:59:01,104 than what we saw last year. 1544 00:59:01,171 --> 00:59:02,973 - Well, sometimes you just need to get a little bit 1545 00:59:03,040 --> 00:59:04,408 of that experience. 1546 00:59:04,474 --> 00:59:06,009 Get it out of you first. 1547 00:59:06,076 --> 00:59:07,677 - Remaining calm. Doing a good job. 1548 00:59:07,744 --> 00:59:08,979 Getting power with the hips. 1549 00:59:09,046 --> 00:59:11,081 - Here's the test. Here's the test right here. 1550 00:59:11,148 --> 00:59:12,716 Big reach. - OK. 1551 00:59:12,783 --> 00:59:14,518 She's got the long, straight arms here, 1552 00:59:14,584 --> 00:59:15,919 and she's got to go up for it. 1553 00:59:15,986 --> 00:59:17,287 The longer she hangs-- 1554 00:59:17,354 --> 00:59:19,723 no! [air horn blares] 1555 00:59:19,790 --> 00:59:21,358 [cheers and applause] 1556 00:59:21,425 --> 00:59:23,960 - Can't make the grab, but a huge improvement 1557 00:59:24,027 --> 00:59:25,429 for Arona Spader. 1558 00:59:25,495 --> 00:59:27,364 We'll have to wait and see if that's good enough to move on 1559 00:59:27,431 --> 00:59:29,032 as one of our top five women. 1560 00:59:29,099 --> 00:59:31,268 [cheers and applause] 1561 00:59:31,334 --> 00:59:34,771 Up next, a 16-year-old rookie from Austin, Texas, 1562 00:59:34,838 --> 00:59:36,339 Simeon Serrano. 1563 00:59:36,406 --> 00:59:40,076 He's competing with older sister Salome who runs next. 1564 00:59:40,143 --> 00:59:41,445 They're going to take on the course 1565 00:59:41,511 --> 00:59:43,780 this year to honor their dad. 1566 00:59:43,847 --> 00:59:45,782 [ominous music] 1567 00:59:45,849 --> 00:59:49,453 - Two years ago, my dad was in an explosion 1568 00:59:49,519 --> 00:59:52,989 at an oil refinery in California. 1569 00:59:53,056 --> 00:59:55,392 He was covered with third-degree burns. 1570 00:59:55,459 --> 00:59:58,261 - His hard hat melted onto his head. 1571 00:59:58,328 --> 01:00:00,096 He literally ran through fire. 1572 01:00:00,163 --> 01:00:02,232 ♪ ♪ 1573 01:00:02,299 --> 01:00:06,036 We didn't know if he would be alive when we got there. 1574 01:00:06,103 --> 01:00:08,605 - I just remember being like, really quiet, pondering, 1575 01:00:08,672 --> 01:00:11,408 like, what am I going to do if, like, my dad's gone? 1576 01:00:11,475 --> 01:00:14,578 ♪ ♪ 1577 01:00:14,644 --> 01:00:17,647 - The next couple months, there were a lot of instances 1578 01:00:17,714 --> 01:00:20,217 where when I said goodbye to my dad, 1579 01:00:20,283 --> 01:00:23,053 I thought that might be the last time. 1580 01:00:23,120 --> 01:00:26,690 ♪ ♪ 1581 01:00:26,756 --> 01:00:29,626 His recovery took about eight months. 1582 01:00:29,693 --> 01:00:33,463 And during that time, he went through 20 surgeries. 1583 01:00:33,530 --> 01:00:34,998 [soft dramatic music] 1584 01:00:35,065 --> 01:00:37,567 - He never should have survived. 1585 01:00:37,634 --> 01:00:40,804 And he made it. 1586 01:00:40,871 --> 01:00:42,539 [bright music] 1587 01:00:42,606 --> 01:00:44,307 - He's taken me to "Ninja Warrior" 1588 01:00:44,374 --> 01:00:46,376 forever since I was, like, really young. 1589 01:00:46,443 --> 01:00:48,211 Having my dad here watching me tonight 1590 01:00:48,278 --> 01:00:52,082 means that I can fulfill a part of his dream as well as mine. 1591 01:00:52,148 --> 01:00:53,316 - That looks crazy. 1592 01:00:53,383 --> 01:00:55,152 - Oh, my gosh, that is cool. 1593 01:00:55,218 --> 01:00:56,753 - As a dad and as a parent, 1594 01:00:56,820 --> 01:00:58,622 I couldn't be more proud of them 1595 01:00:58,688 --> 01:01:00,490 and what they're accomplished. 1596 01:01:00,557 --> 01:01:02,692 - My dad has shown me that nothing is impossible, 1597 01:01:02,759 --> 01:01:05,395 so I'm coming for that buzzer. 1598 01:01:05,462 --> 01:01:06,863 [cheers and applause] 1599 01:01:06,930 --> 01:01:08,798 - And there's Jerome on the sideline, 1600 01:01:08,865 --> 01:01:11,268 cheering on his kids with the rest of the family. 1601 01:01:11,334 --> 01:01:14,304 [countdown clock beeping] 1602 01:01:14,371 --> 01:01:16,072 - Competing in front of their dad, 1603 01:01:16,139 --> 01:01:17,541 what a special moment. 1604 01:01:17,607 --> 01:01:19,809 - Well, Simeon said his dad really taught him 1605 01:01:19,876 --> 01:01:21,044 that when bad things happen, 1606 01:01:21,111 --> 01:01:22,879 you can make it worse with a bad attitude, 1607 01:01:22,946 --> 01:01:24,915 or you can choose a positive mindset. 1608 01:01:24,981 --> 01:01:28,351 And that's what this family's done. 1609 01:01:28,418 --> 01:01:30,520 And they've got to feel so good seeing their son 1610 01:01:30,587 --> 01:01:33,123 out here on the second obstacle. 1611 01:01:34,524 --> 01:01:37,427 - And what a great motivation to have their father 1612 01:01:37,494 --> 01:01:40,196 on the sideline, a person who's overcome so much, 1613 01:01:40,263 --> 01:01:41,665 the 20 surgeries. 1614 01:01:41,731 --> 01:01:43,767 And everything else that he had to go through 1615 01:01:43,833 --> 01:01:45,502 to fight for his life, his kids, 1616 01:01:45,569 --> 01:01:48,071 they have a big challenge in front of them right now. 1617 01:01:48,138 --> 01:01:50,974 - He's just 16 years old, Akbar. 1618 01:01:51,041 --> 01:01:54,110 Think of all he's endured watching his father battle 1619 01:01:54,177 --> 01:01:56,713 back and out here on the fourth obstacle 1620 01:01:56,780 --> 01:02:00,417 in his rookie campaign, showing that Serrano family strength. 1621 01:02:00,483 --> 01:02:01,818 - Nice. You got to figure it out. 1622 01:02:01,885 --> 01:02:03,453 This is a big one. 1623 01:02:03,520 --> 01:02:05,388 We're seeing a lot of ninjas so far tonight 1624 01:02:05,455 --> 01:02:08,725 not riding that bungee on that spool. 1625 01:02:08,792 --> 01:02:10,727 - Little extra swing. 1626 01:02:10,794 --> 01:02:12,062 And, Akbar, I don't mind it. 1627 01:02:12,128 --> 01:02:15,665 We're seeing a rookie. Make sure of the transfer. 1628 01:02:15,732 --> 01:02:16,933 - Nice. 1629 01:02:17,000 --> 01:02:19,703 - At 5'11", 140, he's got wingspan, and he's light. 1630 01:02:19,769 --> 01:02:21,137 [cheers and applause] 1631 01:02:21,204 --> 01:02:24,107 - Yeah, he is bringing so much joy to his family. 1632 01:02:24,174 --> 01:02:27,277 - Well, how appropriate there on the Kaleidoscope. 1633 01:02:27,344 --> 01:02:29,546 No matter what you look at with the Kaleidoscope, 1634 01:02:29,613 --> 01:02:31,147 it always appears more beautiful. 1635 01:02:31,214 --> 01:02:32,449 I think that's something the Serranos 1636 01:02:32,515 --> 01:02:34,217 have learned how to do. 1637 01:02:34,284 --> 01:02:35,952 But let's see if it's still looking pretty 1638 01:02:36,019 --> 01:02:37,921 as he gets through this obstacle, Akbar. 1639 01:02:37,988 --> 01:02:39,756 - You can see struggling a little bit. 1640 01:02:39,823 --> 01:02:40,957 The Kaleidoscope is moving. 1641 01:02:41,024 --> 01:02:42,459 He's trying to get a little grip. 1642 01:02:42,525 --> 01:02:43,727 Got it! 1643 01:02:43,793 --> 01:02:45,061 - Well, he's relying on his youth, Akbar. 1644 01:02:45,128 --> 01:02:46,062 You're right. 1645 01:02:46,129 --> 01:02:47,564 Not being terribly efficient. 1646 01:02:47,631 --> 01:02:49,799 And those swings, that's still expending 1647 01:02:49,866 --> 01:02:52,102 extra energy. Long reaches. 1648 01:02:52,168 --> 01:02:53,670 - Nice. 16 years old. 1649 01:02:53,737 --> 01:02:56,306 - All right, Akbar. - Crushing it. 1650 01:02:56,373 --> 01:02:58,041 - You have this. Let's go! 1651 01:02:58,108 --> 01:02:59,676 - A lot of movement, though, side to side. 1652 01:02:59,743 --> 01:03:00,977 - Big move! Big move! 1653 01:03:01,044 --> 01:03:02,846 Get out of there. - Can he get the dismount? 1654 01:03:02,912 --> 01:03:05,148 - He's got to get out of there. Nice! 1655 01:03:05,215 --> 01:03:08,051 - Simeon Serrano. - Wow. 1656 01:03:08,118 --> 01:03:10,887 - 14 1/2 feet away from hitting the buzzer. 1657 01:03:10,954 --> 01:03:13,523 - And dad is getting the chance to witness all of this! 1658 01:03:13,590 --> 01:03:16,026 - Oh, my goodness! 1659 01:03:16,092 --> 01:03:17,927 Just incredible! 1660 01:03:17,994 --> 01:03:21,031 [cheers and applause] 1661 01:03:21,097 --> 01:03:24,501 Simeon Serrano hits a buzzer 1662 01:03:24,567 --> 01:03:26,870 with his father watching! 1663 01:03:26,936 --> 01:03:28,305 Looking at your father's courage 1664 01:03:28,371 --> 01:03:30,774 over the past couple of years, what's the lesson you think 1665 01:03:30,840 --> 01:03:32,442 your father has taught you that you carried 1666 01:03:32,509 --> 01:03:33,843 with you on this course? 1667 01:03:33,910 --> 01:03:36,813 - Wake up and just be the best person you can every day. 1668 01:03:36,880 --> 01:03:38,548 - Well, Simeon, you did. I'll tell you what. 1669 01:03:38,615 --> 01:03:40,684 Why don't you go down and celebrate with your dad 1670 01:03:40,750 --> 01:03:41,718 right now? 1671 01:03:41,785 --> 01:03:43,520 You just got a buzzer. 1672 01:03:43,586 --> 01:03:46,056 Akbar, what a display of courage. 1673 01:03:46,122 --> 01:03:49,092 And I know as excited Simeon is to hit that buzzer, 1674 01:03:49,159 --> 01:03:51,394 his dad's gotta be even happier. 1675 01:03:51,461 --> 01:03:52,629 So let's update 1676 01:03:52,696 --> 01:03:53,730 our leaderboard. 1677 01:03:53,797 --> 01:03:54,798 Remember, the top five 1678 01:03:54,864 --> 01:03:55,999 at the end of the night get 1679 01:03:56,066 --> 01:03:57,334 a bye in the first round 1680 01:03:57,400 --> 01:03:58,635 of the Regional Finals. 1681 01:03:58,702 --> 01:03:59,769 Simeon's finish has him 1682 01:03:59,836 --> 01:04:00,904 currently in the sixth 1683 01:04:00,970 --> 01:04:02,639 position and he's guaranteed 1684 01:04:02,706 --> 01:04:03,740 to move on. 1685 01:04:03,807 --> 01:04:04,808 Among the women, 1686 01:04:04,874 --> 01:04:05,809 Baylee Beckstrand 1687 01:04:05,875 --> 01:04:07,110 leads the way, but there are 1688 01:04:07,177 --> 01:04:09,412 still many top ninjas to run. 1689 01:04:10,547 --> 01:04:12,315 Up next, if you don't know him, 1690 01:04:12,382 --> 01:04:13,683 your kids will. 1691 01:04:13,750 --> 01:04:16,386 Ben Azelart's outrageous YouTube videos 1692 01:04:16,453 --> 01:04:18,855 have earned him millions of followers. 1693 01:04:18,922 --> 01:04:21,891 Now, he's ready to take on our course 1694 01:04:21,958 --> 01:04:25,295 when "American Ninja Warrior" returns. 1695 01:04:29,132 --> 01:04:30,300 - Welcome back to Vegas 1696 01:04:30,366 --> 01:04:31,568 and our first night of the new 1697 01:04:31,634 --> 01:04:34,304 "American Ninja Warrior" season. 1698 01:04:34,370 --> 01:04:37,040 Minutes ago, it was an emotional moment 1699 01:04:37,107 --> 01:04:39,175 as Simeon Serrano hit a buzzer. 1700 01:04:39,242 --> 01:04:41,745 And while we were away, his sister Salome 1701 01:04:41,811 --> 01:04:43,780 got her shot at the course. 1702 01:04:43,847 --> 01:04:46,116 The 18-year-old from Texas looked like she might 1703 01:04:46,182 --> 01:04:48,151 match her brother's performance. 1704 01:04:48,218 --> 01:04:51,054 - She said, I am not going to let my little brother outdo me. 1705 01:04:51,121 --> 01:04:54,057 - But on Kite Surfer, she lost her grip. 1706 01:04:54,124 --> 01:04:55,158 - Oh! 1707 01:04:55,225 --> 01:04:56,826 [air horn blares] 1708 01:04:56,893 --> 01:04:58,695 Well, our next ninja is one of the biggest 1709 01:04:58,762 --> 01:05:00,697 social media stars in the world. 1710 01:05:00,764 --> 01:05:02,999 This is California's Ben Azelart. 1711 01:05:03,066 --> 01:05:04,868 His outrageous videos on YouTube 1712 01:05:04,934 --> 01:05:06,903 have earned him millions of devoted fans. 1713 01:05:06,970 --> 01:05:09,139 And competing on "Ninja Warrior" is something 1714 01:05:09,205 --> 01:05:12,408 he's been dreaming about for years. 1715 01:05:12,475 --> 01:05:14,077 - I'm Ben. I'm a YouTuber. 1716 01:05:14,144 --> 01:05:15,578 What's up, guys? Welcome back to My channel. 1717 01:05:15,645 --> 01:05:18,014 On YouTube, I have, like, 65 million subscribers. 1718 01:05:18,081 --> 01:05:20,717 Across platforms, probably in, like, the 80-million range. 1719 01:05:20,784 --> 01:05:22,619 We do a lot of adventurous stuff. 1720 01:05:22,685 --> 01:05:24,154 Whoa! 1721 01:05:24,220 --> 01:05:25,922 This, for me, is all about just, like, 1722 01:05:25,989 --> 01:05:27,624 making a childhood dream come true. 1723 01:05:27,690 --> 01:05:28,858 Answering that question of, 1724 01:05:28,925 --> 01:05:30,727 can I do "American Ninja Warrior"? 1725 01:05:30,794 --> 01:05:34,063 I've shown that I have this agility, 1726 01:05:34,130 --> 01:05:36,432 but also, like, it's never been all put together at once. 1727 01:05:36,499 --> 01:05:37,934 So I think seeing me do this course is going to be 1728 01:05:38,001 --> 01:05:39,502 really cool, because childhood me 1729 01:05:39,569 --> 01:05:41,671 definitely thought I could. So I got to find out. 1730 01:05:41,738 --> 01:05:44,274 I think my followers are going to be stoked to see me do this. 1731 01:05:44,340 --> 01:05:45,275 Let's go. 1732 01:05:45,341 --> 01:05:47,610 [upbeat music] 1733 01:05:47,677 --> 01:05:49,245 [cheers and applause] 1734 01:05:49,312 --> 01:05:51,381 - Watching Ben will be his girlfriend, Hannah, 1735 01:05:51,448 --> 01:05:53,483 a social media star in her own right. 1736 01:05:53,550 --> 01:05:56,820 She's on the sideline with other friends and family. 1737 01:05:56,886 --> 01:05:59,222 [countdown clock beeping] 1738 01:05:59,289 --> 01:06:01,257 He's had almost no Ninja training. 1739 01:06:01,324 --> 01:06:04,661 He's just going to wing it and rely on his own athleticism. 1740 01:06:04,727 --> 01:06:06,396 Good start. 1741 01:06:06,463 --> 01:06:10,600 - Click and subscribe right now because this is Roller Bags. 1742 01:06:10,667 --> 01:06:12,669 - Well, this guy isn't just making videos. 1743 01:06:12,735 --> 01:06:15,772 This guy is an incredible athlete, a skateboarder. 1744 01:06:15,839 --> 01:06:17,774 Does a lot of tricks there. 1745 01:06:20,043 --> 01:06:23,146 And you know Ben's gone through a lot of airports. 1746 01:06:25,415 --> 01:06:26,583 - Oh, wow! 1747 01:06:26,649 --> 01:06:28,551 He knows how to get through Roller Bags. 1748 01:06:28,618 --> 01:06:30,353 [cheers and applause] 1749 01:06:30,420 --> 01:06:32,956 - That's how you want a dismount off that obstacle. 1750 01:06:33,022 --> 01:06:36,259 And at 6'1", 185, Ben Azelart, 1751 01:06:36,326 --> 01:06:38,194 a big boy coming up big on our course. 1752 01:06:38,261 --> 01:06:39,929 And right through Diamond Dash. 1753 01:06:41,664 --> 01:06:43,733 Akbar, smash that Like button. 1754 01:06:43,800 --> 01:06:47,070 No wonder this guy's got so many followers. 1755 01:06:47,136 --> 01:06:49,772 Ben Azelart a work of art here. 1756 01:06:49,839 --> 01:06:51,741 Can he handle Kite Surfer? 1757 01:06:51,808 --> 01:06:54,277 - Matt, Ben is here to not only show his athleticism, 1758 01:06:54,344 --> 01:06:56,179 but also to prove that he's more 1759 01:06:56,246 --> 01:06:57,947 than just a famous YouTuber. 1760 01:06:58,014 --> 01:06:59,249 - He's 185, Akbar. 1761 01:06:59,315 --> 01:07:00,583 That's a decent amount of weight. 1762 01:07:00,650 --> 01:07:01,951 Watch his transfer. 1763 01:07:02,018 --> 01:07:03,419 - And then he's going to come-- - Can he get right up? 1764 01:07:03,486 --> 01:07:05,555 - Oh, he missed that opportunity 1765 01:07:05,622 --> 01:07:08,892 to ride the momentum from the bungee up onto Kite Surfer. 1766 01:07:08,958 --> 01:07:11,294 - And you can see, Akbar, he's going up and down. 1767 01:07:11,361 --> 01:07:12,962 He's not trying to get some front-to-back movement. 1768 01:07:13,029 --> 01:07:15,899 And this is expending a lot of energy. 1769 01:07:15,965 --> 01:07:17,734 - He's going to lose that grip. Oh! 1770 01:07:17,800 --> 01:07:18,968 - Good transfer. 1771 01:07:19,035 --> 01:07:21,170 - Watch out for the tilt as he makes this transfer. 1772 01:07:21,237 --> 01:07:23,540 If he doesn't make simultaneous contact, 1773 01:07:23,606 --> 01:07:26,342 it can tilt on you and throw you off. 1774 01:07:26,409 --> 01:07:27,810 Oh! 1775 01:07:27,877 --> 01:07:29,779 [air horn blares] 1776 01:07:29,846 --> 01:07:34,117 Ben Azelart, tremendous run, but down on Kite Surfer. 1777 01:07:34,183 --> 01:07:36,986 - Ben got off to a good start and sailed across 1778 01:07:37,053 --> 01:07:38,821 the first three obstacles. 1779 01:07:38,888 --> 01:07:41,558 Didn't have great technique on Kite Surfer 1780 01:07:41,624 --> 01:07:44,227 and couldn't make the grab on the second kite. 1781 01:07:44,294 --> 01:07:47,697 But an impressive run for this "Ninja" rookie. 1782 01:07:47,764 --> 01:07:50,900 - Ben, congratulations on your first run on the course. 1783 01:07:50,967 --> 01:07:52,201 - Thank you. 1784 01:07:52,268 --> 01:07:54,270 - Had you ever done any Ninja training before? 1785 01:07:54,337 --> 01:07:55,772 - Zero Ninja training. - None. 1786 01:07:55,838 --> 01:07:57,106 - No, not even one day. 1787 01:07:57,173 --> 01:07:59,242 I thought I was falling on obstacle number one, 1788 01:07:59,309 --> 01:08:00,410 but I passed it. 1789 01:08:00,476 --> 01:08:01,744 - You looked good out there. 1790 01:08:01,811 --> 01:08:03,580 Round of applause. Well done. 1791 01:08:03,646 --> 01:08:04,747 It was great to see you out here. 1792 01:08:04,814 --> 01:08:06,082 And I hope we see you again soon. 1793 01:08:06,149 --> 01:08:07,617 Thanks for coming out. - Thank you so much. 1794 01:08:07,684 --> 01:08:08,718 - Absolutely. 1795 01:08:08,785 --> 01:08:09,852 - You heard it here first, guys. 1796 01:08:09,919 --> 01:08:11,120 He'll be back. 1797 01:08:11,187 --> 01:08:12,588 - Well, at the start of the night, 1798 01:08:12,655 --> 01:08:14,624 we picked who we thought would be fastest. 1799 01:08:14,691 --> 01:08:17,327 My man John Mack is the only one to run so far. 1800 01:08:17,393 --> 01:08:19,028 So he's got the time to beat. 1801 01:08:19,095 --> 01:08:21,531 But, Zuri, it's time for your choice. 1802 01:08:21,598 --> 01:08:24,467 - Kaden Lebsack is headed to the start line right now, 1803 01:08:24,534 --> 01:08:27,303 and I just know he's going to get the job done tonight, guys. 1804 01:08:27,370 --> 01:08:30,340 - Well, twice he's been last ninja standing. 1805 01:08:30,406 --> 01:08:32,075 And at just 20 years old, 1806 01:08:32,141 --> 01:08:34,844 he's already got 24 career buzzers. 1807 01:08:34,911 --> 01:08:37,547 There's a big group on the sideline for Kaden, 1808 01:08:37,614 --> 01:08:39,949 including his parents and his girlfriend 1809 01:08:40,016 --> 01:08:42,785 former Women's Champion Katie Bone. 1810 01:08:42,852 --> 01:08:45,121 [countdown clock beeping] 1811 01:08:45,188 --> 01:08:46,823 We expect him to go fast. 1812 01:08:46,889 --> 01:08:48,324 And if he's under a minute ten, 1813 01:08:48,391 --> 01:08:50,627 he'll earn a shot at the Mega Wall. 1814 01:08:50,693 --> 01:08:54,364 Well, Kaden is really focused on his speed this year. 1815 01:08:54,430 --> 01:08:57,033 But with speed, mistakes can happen. 1816 01:08:59,335 --> 01:09:01,671 Zuri, your choice is looking pretty good, though. 1817 01:09:01,738 --> 01:09:04,273 - This is a pretty smooth run so far. 1818 01:09:04,340 --> 01:09:06,142 He's been focusing on explosiveness 1819 01:09:06,209 --> 01:09:07,543 with his training this year. 1820 01:09:07,610 --> 01:09:09,645 You can see that right now. 1821 01:09:09,712 --> 01:09:11,414 You guys, I think he's going to bring it home. 1822 01:09:11,481 --> 01:09:13,416 - Can he link the transfer? Oh, no! 1823 01:09:13,483 --> 01:09:15,151 - Oh, couldn't get it smooth enough. 1824 01:09:15,218 --> 01:09:16,886 - That's where he needed to be smooth. 1825 01:09:16,953 --> 01:09:19,222 That's going to cost him some time. 1826 01:09:19,288 --> 01:09:21,491 - Well, that was one or two seconds right there. 1827 01:09:21,557 --> 01:09:23,726 With these margins, he's going to have to make it 1828 01:09:23,793 --> 01:09:26,963 up here on Kaleidoscope. 1829 01:09:27,030 --> 01:09:29,065 - Well, and you don't want to rush Kaleidoscope. 1830 01:09:29,132 --> 01:09:30,199 You want to be efficient. 1831 01:09:30,266 --> 01:09:31,768 - It's easy to make a mistake here, 1832 01:09:31,834 --> 01:09:33,102 and it's going to be close. 1833 01:09:33,169 --> 01:09:34,470 But I don't know if he's going to beat John Mack 1834 01:09:34,537 --> 01:09:36,806 for the fastest time. 1835 01:09:36,873 --> 01:09:39,242 [cheers and applause] 1836 01:09:39,308 --> 01:09:41,978 - Zuri, I don't mean to tell you this on television, 1837 01:09:42,045 --> 01:09:43,146 but you're wrong. 1838 01:09:43,212 --> 01:09:44,814 - You know, it hurts to hear, Akbar. 1839 01:09:44,881 --> 01:09:46,649 [cheers and applause] 1840 01:09:46,716 --> 01:09:48,084 - But he's still going fast though. 1841 01:09:48,151 --> 01:09:49,652 - But he's still getting the job done. 1842 01:09:49,719 --> 01:09:51,254 He's headed to that buzzer. 1843 01:09:51,320 --> 01:09:52,688 - Kaden Lebsack. 1844 01:09:52,755 --> 01:09:55,291 [buzzer blares] 1845 01:09:55,358 --> 01:09:58,461 [cheers and applause] 1846 01:09:58,528 --> 01:10:02,298 Well, Kaden Lebsack, you continue to impress us. 1847 01:10:02,365 --> 01:10:04,867 You didn't get the fastest time of the night, 1848 01:10:04,934 --> 01:10:08,738 but you did earn a shot at the Mega Wall, brother. 1849 01:10:08,805 --> 01:10:12,608 So head on down for a shot of $10,000. 1850 01:10:12,675 --> 01:10:14,110 - Let's go, Kaden! 1851 01:10:14,177 --> 01:10:15,611 - All right, let's go. 1852 01:10:15,678 --> 01:10:17,113 - What about predictions here, Zuri? 1853 01:10:17,180 --> 01:10:18,648 You think he's got it? - I've got faith. 1854 01:10:18,714 --> 01:10:19,649 You know what? 1855 01:10:19,716 --> 01:10:20,650 He's taking it to the top. 1856 01:10:20,716 --> 01:10:21,918 Hit that buzzer, Lebsack. 1857 01:10:21,984 --> 01:10:24,754 [audience chanting] Mega Wall! Mega Wall! 1858 01:10:24,821 --> 01:10:27,290 - Well, he tried the Mega Wall back in season 15 1859 01:10:27,356 --> 01:10:28,624 and came up short. 1860 01:10:28,691 --> 01:10:29,692 - You got this. 1861 01:10:29,759 --> 01:10:32,495 - We all think he's got it. 1862 01:10:32,562 --> 01:10:33,963 Oh! 1863 01:10:34,030 --> 01:10:35,798 [applause] 1864 01:10:35,865 --> 01:10:38,434 Doesn't get the 10 grand, but he's almost assured 1865 01:10:38,501 --> 01:10:40,937 of landing in the top five and getting 1866 01:10:41,003 --> 01:10:43,639 a bye in the regional finals. 1867 01:10:43,706 --> 01:10:46,008 - Coming up, those are high heels. 1868 01:10:46,075 --> 01:10:48,778 and Jessie Graff is going to run the course in them. 1869 01:10:48,845 --> 01:10:51,280 And the crowd's fired up to see it. 1870 01:10:51,347 --> 01:10:55,017 That's next on "American Ninja Warrior." 1871 01:10:59,789 --> 01:11:01,991 - Two more ninjas took on our course minutes ago. 1872 01:11:02,058 --> 01:11:03,726 College student Emily Gardiner, 1873 01:11:03,793 --> 01:11:06,829 known as Big M, brought the big energy. 1874 01:11:06,896 --> 01:11:10,933 - Matt, she is jumping for joy after every single obstacle. 1875 01:11:11,000 --> 01:11:12,902 - A freshman at the University of Tampa, 1876 01:11:12,969 --> 01:11:15,838 the four-time "Ninja" veteran enjoyed every moment. 1877 01:11:15,905 --> 01:11:17,607 - Let's go! 1878 01:11:17,673 --> 01:11:19,776 - I see you. I see you. 1879 01:11:19,842 --> 01:11:22,645 - Cheered on by her dad, who got her started in Ninja, 1880 01:11:22,712 --> 01:11:25,948 the 18-year-old conquered Kaleidoscope 1881 01:11:26,015 --> 01:11:29,051 and made it up the Warped Wall for her very first buzzer... 1882 01:11:29,118 --> 01:11:30,953 [cheers and applause] 1883 01:11:31,020 --> 01:11:33,890 [buzzer blares] 1884 01:11:33,956 --> 01:11:36,125 Where she paid tribute to her dad. 1885 01:11:36,192 --> 01:11:37,393 - I love you so much, 1886 01:11:37,460 --> 01:11:39,562 and I am so grateful towards you 1887 01:11:39,629 --> 01:11:41,097 for getting me into this sport, Dad. 1888 01:11:41,164 --> 01:11:42,431 I love you. - I love you too. 1889 01:11:42,498 --> 01:11:45,802 We all love you, Hon. Great job. 1890 01:11:45,868 --> 01:11:48,437 [buzzer blares] 1891 01:11:49,839 --> 01:11:52,441 KC Boutiette is a four-time Olympic speed skater 1892 01:11:52,508 --> 01:11:55,111 who now makes custom shoes for athletes, 1893 01:11:55,178 --> 01:11:57,113 including ninja Jessie Graff. 1894 01:11:57,180 --> 01:11:59,048 Though the Colorado native wasn't always smooth... 1895 01:11:59,115 --> 01:12:00,550 - Nice! 1896 01:12:00,616 --> 01:12:02,919 - He did skate his way past the first four obstacles. 1897 01:12:02,985 --> 01:12:04,554 - Whoo! 1898 01:12:04,620 --> 01:12:06,989 [cheers and applause] 1899 01:12:07,056 --> 01:12:09,525 - Oh, the shirt's off! The shirt's off! 1900 01:12:09,592 --> 01:12:12,261 - But the four-time "Ninja" veteran ran out of gas 1901 01:12:12,328 --> 01:12:13,696 on Kaleidoscope. 1902 01:12:13,763 --> 01:12:14,997 Oh! 1903 01:12:15,064 --> 01:12:16,566 [air horn blares] 1904 01:12:16,632 --> 01:12:18,334 - That was amazing. 1905 01:12:18,401 --> 01:12:20,636 - So now it's Jessie's turn. 1906 01:12:20,703 --> 01:12:22,104 And Zuri's going to get her started. 1907 01:12:22,171 --> 01:12:25,541 - Guys, Jessie Graff's had lots of memorable moments 1908 01:12:25,608 --> 01:12:27,109 on our course over the years. 1909 01:12:27,176 --> 01:12:29,579 And she's about to add another one. 1910 01:12:29,645 --> 01:12:33,316 Jessie is about to run the course in high heels. 1911 01:12:33,382 --> 01:12:35,785 [applause] 1912 01:12:37,620 --> 01:12:40,289 - In 2011, on a stunt job, 1913 01:12:40,356 --> 01:12:41,958 we'd choreographed all these flips 1914 01:12:42,024 --> 01:12:43,459 and kicks and spins, and then 1915 01:12:43,526 --> 01:12:45,895 they hand me a pair of 4-inch heels. 1916 01:12:47,163 --> 01:12:48,397 I went to the costume department 1917 01:12:48,464 --> 01:12:51,367 and was like, hey, could you just cut off the heel, 1918 01:12:51,434 --> 01:12:54,570 and I'll walk on my toes, and then I can pop up and down 1919 01:12:54,637 --> 01:12:55,972 when I need to? 1920 01:12:56,038 --> 01:12:58,140 They looked at me like I was a lunatic. 1921 01:12:58,207 --> 01:12:59,508 [sawing grinding]] 1922 01:12:59,575 --> 01:13:01,277 - ♪ Do what you want ♪ 1923 01:13:01,344 --> 01:13:02,378 ♪ Do what you want ♪ 1924 01:13:02,445 --> 01:13:03,579 [saw whirring] 1925 01:13:03,646 --> 01:13:05,181 ♪ You are a star ♪ 1926 01:13:05,248 --> 01:13:06,549 - Much better. 1927 01:13:06,616 --> 01:13:09,685 One day, I was rollerblading with KC Boutiette, 1928 01:13:09,752 --> 01:13:11,187 a modern-day cobbler, 1929 01:13:11,254 --> 01:13:14,223 and so I pitched this idea, how do we make a wedge 1930 01:13:14,290 --> 01:13:16,926 that's more compressible, that goes completely flat, 1931 01:13:16,993 --> 01:13:20,162 that has no potential of messing up your ankles 1932 01:13:20,229 --> 01:13:22,732 but that pops out instantly? 1933 01:13:22,798 --> 01:13:24,934 - ♪ Do what you want ♪ 1934 01:13:25,001 --> 01:13:29,105 - And six months later, he'd created a solution. 1935 01:13:29,171 --> 01:13:31,841 I can perform obstacles just as well in Hero Heels 1936 01:13:31,908 --> 01:13:34,310 as I can in any standard Ninja shoe. 1937 01:13:35,544 --> 01:13:38,180 Tonight, I'm ready to put these Hero Heels 1938 01:13:38,247 --> 01:13:40,349 to the ultimate test. 1939 01:13:40,416 --> 01:13:42,551 - ♪ Do what you want ♪ 1940 01:13:42,618 --> 01:13:43,886 [cheers and applause] 1941 01:13:43,953 --> 01:13:46,122 - Matt, this is a first. This is pretty cool. 1942 01:13:46,188 --> 01:13:47,623 - And the man who crafted those shoes, 1943 01:13:47,690 --> 01:13:50,359 KC Boutiette, who just ran, is on the sideline, 1944 01:13:50,426 --> 01:13:52,528 along with a big group of Jessie's friends 1945 01:13:52,595 --> 01:13:54,430 and her mom, Ginny. 1946 01:13:54,497 --> 01:13:55,932 [countdown clock beeping] 1947 01:13:55,998 --> 01:13:57,733 Well, a real test for those shoes right away 1948 01:13:57,800 --> 01:13:59,035 on Shrinking Steps. 1949 01:13:59,101 --> 01:14:00,436 You need good traction, 1950 01:14:00,503 --> 01:14:02,538 and she gets through no problem. 1951 01:14:02,605 --> 01:14:05,007 She is looking stylish and smooth as ever. 1952 01:14:05,074 --> 01:14:06,175 [cheers and applause] 1953 01:14:06,242 --> 01:14:07,243 - Wow. 1954 01:14:07,310 --> 01:14:09,412 - Pushes her body so hard. 1955 01:14:09,478 --> 01:14:12,548 Says she's up to 41 pull-ups. 1956 01:14:12,615 --> 01:14:14,383 - Well, that's more pull-ups than I can do. 1957 01:14:14,450 --> 01:14:16,752 [cheers and applause] 1958 01:14:16,819 --> 01:14:18,054 - And looking real smooth. 1959 01:14:18,120 --> 01:14:21,090 Here's the test for the Hero Heels. 1960 01:14:21,157 --> 01:14:23,726 - I like them heels. - Oh, come on! 1961 01:14:23,793 --> 01:14:24,927 [cheers and applause] 1962 01:14:24,994 --> 01:14:26,662 - In addition to her heels, she's wearing 1963 01:14:26,729 --> 01:14:28,431 a peacock feather skirt. 1964 01:14:28,497 --> 01:14:31,434 Well, Peacock is the streaming home for "Ninja." 1965 01:14:31,500 --> 01:14:32,868 - Jessie. 1966 01:14:32,935 --> 01:14:35,404 [cheers and applause] 1967 01:14:35,471 --> 01:14:37,606 - I hope there's a patent on those heels, man, 1968 01:14:37,673 --> 01:14:39,909 because that is a pretty cool thing. 1969 01:14:39,976 --> 01:14:41,077 Nice. 1970 01:14:41,143 --> 01:14:42,411 [cheers and applause] 1971 01:14:42,478 --> 01:14:44,080 - It's been a strong night for the women. 1972 01:14:44,146 --> 01:14:46,082 So Jessie needs to get through this obstacle 1973 01:14:46,148 --> 01:14:48,017 if she wants to move on. 1974 01:14:48,084 --> 01:14:50,653 It would be the 11th time she's advanced past qualifying, 1975 01:14:50,720 --> 01:14:52,722 more than any other woman. 1976 01:14:52,788 --> 01:14:54,190 - Well, I can tell you right now, 1977 01:14:54,256 --> 01:14:58,327 Jessie Graff looks like she's on the heel of another buzzer. 1978 01:14:58,394 --> 01:14:59,929 Her eighth career buzzer-- 1979 01:14:59,996 --> 01:15:01,831 - An look at that. - With the handstand. 1980 01:15:01,897 --> 01:15:04,900 [cheers and applause] 1981 01:15:06,235 --> 01:15:08,971 - Well, Akbar, two women have already hit buzzers tonight-- 1982 01:15:09,038 --> 01:15:11,474 Baylee Beckstrand and Emily Gardiner. 1983 01:15:12,675 --> 01:15:14,343 Jessie's gonna try to join them. 1984 01:15:14,410 --> 01:15:16,712 It would be her eighth career buzzer. 1985 01:15:18,547 --> 01:15:20,082 Well, just remarkable, Akbar. 1986 01:15:20,149 --> 01:15:22,785 Surgically repaired shoulders. - Really? 1987 01:15:22,852 --> 01:15:25,221 I can't tell. - But her living room-- 1988 01:15:25,287 --> 01:15:29,658 her house is a climbing Ninja odyssey gym. 1989 01:15:29,725 --> 01:15:31,026 It's insane. 1990 01:15:31,093 --> 01:15:33,896 - She literally eats and breathes Ninja. 1991 01:15:33,963 --> 01:15:35,631 Go into her house, and you'll see... 1992 01:15:35,698 --> 01:15:36,632 - Oh, look at this. 1993 01:15:36,699 --> 01:15:38,501 - Obstacles everywhere. 1994 01:15:38,567 --> 01:15:41,337 - Well, here it is, Jessie Graff. 1995 01:15:41,404 --> 01:15:43,839 A little fall and a pose. 1996 01:15:43,906 --> 01:15:46,509 - Wait a second, though, Matt. Warped Wall-- 1997 01:15:46,575 --> 01:15:49,245 - In heels. - Warped Wall in heels? 1998 01:15:49,311 --> 01:15:51,013 Hey, Jessie. 1999 01:15:51,080 --> 01:15:53,315 Warped Wall in heels? 2000 01:15:53,382 --> 01:15:55,785 - How will I do it? - I don't know. 2001 01:15:55,851 --> 01:15:58,554 - This is going to be a "Ninja" milestone. 2002 01:15:58,621 --> 01:16:03,459 The first person to ever run up a Warped Wall in high heels. 2003 01:16:03,526 --> 01:16:06,062 There it is! - There it is! 2004 01:16:06,128 --> 01:16:07,363 - History. 2005 01:16:07,430 --> 01:16:08,597 - Jessie Graff does it. 2006 01:16:08,664 --> 01:16:10,232 [buzzer blares] 2007 01:16:10,299 --> 01:16:12,068 [cheers and applause] 2008 01:16:12,134 --> 01:16:14,970 [upbeat music] 2009 01:16:15,037 --> 01:16:16,505 - Wow. 2010 01:16:20,009 --> 01:16:22,178 - Jessie, your eighth buzzer. 2011 01:16:22,244 --> 01:16:24,280 You do it in high heels. 2012 01:16:24,346 --> 01:16:25,881 What's it like being out here, 2013 01:16:25,948 --> 01:16:28,017 competing against so many of these athletes 2014 01:16:28,084 --> 01:16:30,553 who you inspired to get into the sport in the first place? 2015 01:16:30,619 --> 01:16:33,189 - Oh, my gosh, they inspire me so much now. 2016 01:16:33,255 --> 01:16:35,858 It's like, this sport has risen to a level 2017 01:16:35,925 --> 01:16:38,260 that I never imagined would be possible. 2018 01:16:38,327 --> 01:16:41,397 I'm so, so happy I get to be part of this sport. 2019 01:16:41,464 --> 01:16:46,168 - A real life superhero, Jessie Graff delivers again. 2020 01:16:46,235 --> 01:16:48,037 - Thank you, everyone! 2021 01:16:48,104 --> 01:16:50,406 [cheers and applause] 2022 01:16:50,473 --> 01:16:54,443 ♪ ♪ 2023 01:16:54,510 --> 01:16:55,845 - Coming up, 2024 01:16:55,911 --> 01:16:59,381 Josiah Pippel is one of the favorites to win it all. 2025 01:16:59,448 --> 01:17:02,651 Can Akbar's pick for fastest time come through? 2026 01:17:02,718 --> 01:17:06,088 He is next on "American Ninja Warrior." 2027 01:17:11,160 --> 01:17:12,294 - Welcome back to Vegas, 2028 01:17:12,361 --> 01:17:13,863 where a couple of familiar faces 2029 01:17:13,929 --> 01:17:15,564 hit the course while we were away. 2030 01:17:15,631 --> 01:17:18,968 First, it was six-time "Ninja" veteran Max Feinberg. 2031 01:17:19,034 --> 01:17:20,302 - He's got a nice plan. 2032 01:17:20,369 --> 01:17:21,570 He's got a vision. 2033 01:17:21,637 --> 01:17:23,072 - The college student always features 2034 01:17:23,138 --> 01:17:24,807 pink ribbons on his sidelines 2035 01:17:24,874 --> 01:17:26,876 to raise awareness for breast cancer. 2036 01:17:26,942 --> 01:17:29,478 His mom is a breast cancer survivor. 2037 01:17:29,545 --> 01:17:31,247 - Good job, Max Feinberg. 2038 01:17:31,313 --> 01:17:33,215 - The 21-year-old has never failed 2039 01:17:33,282 --> 01:17:36,519 to finish a qualifying course in his five previous seasons, 2040 01:17:36,585 --> 01:17:38,554 and he kept his streak alive tonight. 2041 01:17:38,621 --> 01:17:39,788 [buzzer blares] 2042 01:17:39,855 --> 01:17:41,457 [cheers and applause] 2043 01:17:41,524 --> 01:17:43,659 Then it was our old friend Cal Plohoros, 2044 01:17:43,726 --> 01:17:45,094 who's now an actor 2045 01:17:45,160 --> 01:17:47,730 whose stage name is Cal Tolentino. 2046 01:17:47,796 --> 01:17:50,132 - And action. 2047 01:17:50,199 --> 01:17:53,035 - When we first met Cal years ago on "Ninja Junior," 2048 01:17:53,102 --> 01:17:55,704 he was an undersized kid from Pennsylvania, 2049 01:17:55,771 --> 01:17:58,374 but he's muscled up and moved to Hollywood 2050 01:17:58,440 --> 01:18:00,609 to pursue a career in entertainment. 2051 01:18:00,676 --> 01:18:02,511 - He's got the moves. He's got the look. 2052 01:18:02,578 --> 01:18:04,680 He's got the physique. He's ready. 2053 01:18:04,747 --> 01:18:06,982 - He looked like an action hero tonight, 2054 01:18:07,049 --> 01:18:09,151 not just finishing the course, but doing it 2055 01:18:09,218 --> 01:18:11,453 fast enough to earn a shot at the Mega Wall. 2056 01:18:11,520 --> 01:18:13,422 [buzzer blares] 2057 01:18:13,489 --> 01:18:14,890 [cheers and applause] 2058 01:18:14,957 --> 01:18:17,993 Though he came up short on the 18-and-1/2-foot wall, 2059 01:18:18,060 --> 01:18:20,095 he's one of our top five fastest finishers. 2060 01:18:20,162 --> 01:18:23,632 So he'll get a bye in the regional finals. 2061 01:18:23,699 --> 01:18:25,734 So we are down to our final runner, 2062 01:18:25,801 --> 01:18:28,337 and it's 19-year-old Josiah Pippel. 2063 01:18:28,404 --> 01:18:32,908 And he's Akbar's pick to be the fastest of the night. 2064 01:18:32,975 --> 01:18:36,312 - Matt, I've been a fan of Josiah since "Ninja Junior." 2065 01:18:36,378 --> 01:18:38,681 - Josiah putting the pressure on. 2066 01:18:38,747 --> 01:18:42,284 Josiah Pippel hits the buzzer! 2067 01:18:42,351 --> 01:18:43,519 - Think about it. 2068 01:18:43,586 --> 01:18:46,622 Reaches stage 4 in just his second season. 2069 01:18:46,689 --> 01:18:49,992 20 career buzzers before he turned 20. 2070 01:18:50,059 --> 01:18:53,462 - And Josiah Pippel does it! 2071 01:18:53,529 --> 01:18:55,631 - - And he's been the fastest in qualifying 2072 01:18:55,698 --> 01:18:57,466 the past two seasons. 2073 01:18:57,533 --> 01:18:59,535 - Fastest time of the night. 2074 01:18:59,602 --> 01:19:03,138 - He lost to RJ Roman in the round of 32 last year. 2075 01:19:03,205 --> 01:19:05,507 That just means he's coming in determined. 2076 01:19:05,574 --> 01:19:07,610 - I'm back in it to win. 2077 01:19:07,676 --> 01:19:10,579 I really have that drive and that fire. 2078 01:19:10,646 --> 01:19:13,515 I'm picturing myself as the champion. 2079 01:19:13,582 --> 01:19:16,018 [dramatic music] 2080 01:19:16,085 --> 01:19:17,219 [cheers and applause] 2081 01:19:17,286 --> 01:19:18,887 - His girlfriend, Jojo Grubesic, 2082 01:19:18,954 --> 01:19:20,856 will be watching along with Josiah's dad, 2083 01:19:20,923 --> 01:19:22,524 Frank, and other friends. 2084 01:19:22,591 --> 01:19:24,660 His mom and siblings watching from back home 2085 01:19:24,727 --> 01:19:25,794 in New Jersey. 2086 01:19:25,861 --> 01:19:27,229 [applause] 2087 01:19:27,296 --> 01:19:30,132 And as the final runner, Josiah knows what he needs to do. 2088 01:19:30,199 --> 01:19:32,368 Has to beat my guy John Mack's time 2089 01:19:32,434 --> 01:19:33,802 with a minute four. 2090 01:19:33,869 --> 01:19:36,438 Zuri's pick, Kaden Lebsack, sits in second place. 2091 01:19:36,505 --> 01:19:38,574 - I have confidence in him. 2092 01:19:38,641 --> 01:19:41,543 [countdown clock beeping] 2093 01:19:41,610 --> 01:19:43,312 All right, let's go, Josiah. 2094 01:19:43,379 --> 01:19:44,847 Make me look good. 2095 01:19:44,913 --> 01:19:47,082 - And if he can finish in under a minute and ten seconds, 2096 01:19:47,149 --> 01:19:48,684 he'll get a shot at the Mega Wall. 2097 01:19:48,751 --> 01:19:50,853 - And he's just 19 years old. 2098 01:19:50,919 --> 01:19:52,888 Has 20 total buzzers. 2099 01:19:52,955 --> 01:19:55,457 Just an insane start to his Ninja career. 2100 01:19:55,524 --> 01:19:58,627 [cheers and applause] 2101 01:19:58,694 --> 01:20:01,930 - Josiah is blazing through this course right now. 2102 01:20:01,997 --> 01:20:03,265 - What I tell you, though, Zuri? 2103 01:20:03,332 --> 01:20:04,933 He's built for this course. 2104 01:20:05,000 --> 01:20:06,502 - Tremendous balance. 2105 01:20:06,568 --> 01:20:08,537 Oh, just as smooth as we've seen 2106 01:20:08,604 --> 01:20:10,306 anyone here on Kite Surfer. 2107 01:20:10,372 --> 01:20:11,540 Well, I love it, Akbar. 2108 01:20:11,607 --> 01:20:13,575 He's going fast, but he's doing it efficiently. 2109 01:20:13,642 --> 01:20:15,210 - Matt, that's what I like. 2110 01:20:15,277 --> 01:20:17,012 He is picking this course apart. 2111 01:20:17,079 --> 01:20:20,215 - Well, your pick is looking pretty good right now. 2112 01:20:20,282 --> 01:20:22,151 24 seconds still to go. 2113 01:20:22,217 --> 01:20:25,888 - Matt, I picked him because I really believe in his talent. 2114 01:20:26,889 --> 01:20:28,757 He's going to probably do this in under a minute. 2115 01:20:28,824 --> 01:20:30,659 - Josiah Pippel, though. - Nice! 2116 01:20:30,726 --> 01:20:32,127 - Look at that, links it! 2117 01:20:32,194 --> 01:20:33,696 - Under a minute. 2118 01:20:33,762 --> 01:20:35,464 That's what I'm talking about! - Josiah Pippel! 2119 01:20:35,531 --> 01:20:36,565 [buzzer blares] 2120 01:20:36,632 --> 01:20:37,900 [laughs] He's gonna reach for it. 2121 01:20:37,966 --> 01:20:39,968 [cheers and applause] 2122 01:20:40,035 --> 01:20:41,503 - Hey, good job, man. 2123 01:20:41,570 --> 01:20:45,207 - And there it is, the big smile. 2124 01:20:45,274 --> 01:20:48,344 - Hey, man, that was a double whammy for you, Josiah. 2125 01:20:48,410 --> 01:20:50,379 You got the fastest time of the night, 2126 01:20:50,446 --> 01:20:52,181 and you made me a winner because 2127 01:20:52,247 --> 01:20:53,515 you were my pick tonight. 2128 01:20:53,582 --> 01:20:54,650 Well done. 2129 01:20:54,717 --> 01:20:55,851 - Let's go. 2130 01:20:55,918 --> 01:20:58,487 - Well, actually, that's a triple whammy because 2131 01:20:58,554 --> 01:21:01,090 you get a shot at the Mega Wall! 2132 01:21:01,156 --> 01:21:02,524 [cheers and applause] 2133 01:21:02,591 --> 01:21:03,759 You got it? 2134 01:21:03,826 --> 01:21:05,327 Should I put my money on you? You got it? 2135 01:21:05,394 --> 01:21:08,097 - It's been 1,096 days since I got the Mega Wall last. 2136 01:21:08,163 --> 01:21:09,364 - OK. Wow. 2137 01:21:09,431 --> 01:21:10,632 - Not that you're counting. - Right, right. 2138 01:21:10,699 --> 01:21:11,867 [laughs] 2139 01:21:11,934 --> 01:21:15,304 - 1,096 days since he last got it. 2140 01:21:15,370 --> 01:21:17,673 That was back in 2022. 2141 01:21:17,740 --> 01:21:20,242 But he's failed on his last two attempts. 2142 01:21:21,744 --> 01:21:23,178 Four other Ninjas have tried 2143 01:21:23,245 --> 01:21:25,080 the 18-and-1/2-foot wall tonight. 2144 01:21:25,147 --> 01:21:27,483 None have been successful. 2145 01:21:27,549 --> 01:21:28,884 - He wants it. 2146 01:21:30,152 --> 01:21:31,253 - There he is. 2147 01:21:31,320 --> 01:21:32,388 - Oh, my! 2148 01:21:32,454 --> 01:21:34,356 [buzzer blares] 2149 01:21:34,423 --> 01:21:37,126 - Well, 1,096 days. 2150 01:21:37,192 --> 01:21:38,961 It was worth the wait. 2151 01:21:39,027 --> 01:21:42,398 You just earned $10,000 courtesy of the Active Cash 2152 01:21:42,464 --> 01:21:44,266 Credit Card from Wells Fargo. 2153 01:21:44,333 --> 01:21:47,035 The Active Cash Credit Card earns unlimited 2% 2154 01:21:47,102 --> 01:21:49,538 cash rewards on purchases. Terms apply. 2155 01:21:49,605 --> 01:21:51,473 - Hey, today is your day. 2156 01:21:51,540 --> 01:21:53,008 In fact, we're just going to make this 2157 01:21:53,075 --> 01:21:55,377 National Josiah Pippel Day, huh? 2158 01:21:55,444 --> 01:21:57,513 How about that? - I'll take it. 2159 01:21:57,579 --> 01:21:59,047 - Well, impressive. 2160 01:21:59,114 --> 01:22:00,816 1,096 days. 2161 01:22:00,883 --> 01:22:03,986 I'm sure it was worth the wait, but I know you got a goal, 2162 01:22:04,052 --> 01:22:06,188 and that is to hit that buzzer at the end. 2163 01:22:06,255 --> 01:22:08,023 You've just taken one step closer. 2164 01:22:08,090 --> 01:22:10,559 Let's go celebrate with your friends and family, buddy. 2165 01:22:10,626 --> 01:22:12,828 - Matt, what did I tell you? What I tell you? 2166 01:22:12,895 --> 01:22:15,397 Today was a big day for Josiah Pippel. 2167 01:22:15,464 --> 01:22:16,865 He got the fastest time. 2168 01:22:16,932 --> 01:22:18,100 He got the Mega Wall! 2169 01:22:18,167 --> 01:22:19,902 I mean, this dude is balling out. 2170 01:22:19,968 --> 01:22:21,036 - And he's moving on 2171 01:22:21,103 --> 01:22:22,304 to the Regional Finals. 2172 01:22:22,371 --> 01:22:23,505 He and all the other ninjas 2173 01:22:23,572 --> 01:22:24,640 in the top 5 will all have 2174 01:22:24,706 --> 01:22:25,908 a bye in the first round. 2175 01:22:25,974 --> 01:22:27,142 They'll go straight to 2176 01:22:27,209 --> 01:22:28,210 the Tripleheader, 2177 01:22:28,277 --> 01:22:29,611 our three-lane race course. 2178 01:22:29,678 --> 01:22:31,013 We had 12 finishers in all, 2179 01:22:31,079 --> 01:22:33,182 including Guam's Deren Perez 2180 01:22:33,248 --> 01:22:34,383 and 16-year-old 2181 01:22:34,450 --> 01:22:35,651 Simeon Serrano. 2182 01:22:35,717 --> 01:22:36,752 Also advancing 2183 01:22:36,819 --> 01:22:37,820 is Brian Beckstrand. 2184 01:22:37,886 --> 01:22:38,887 So in two weeks, 2185 01:22:38,954 --> 01:22:40,122 he'll get another chance 2186 01:22:40,189 --> 01:22:41,223 to hit a buzzer 2187 01:22:41,290 --> 01:22:42,324 with his daughter Baylee, 2188 01:22:42,391 --> 01:22:43,458 who sits atop 2189 01:22:43,525 --> 01:22:44,760 the women's leaderboard. 2190 01:22:44,827 --> 01:22:45,928 She's one of three 2191 01:22:45,994 --> 01:22:47,129 female finishers, 2192 01:22:47,196 --> 01:22:48,730 along with Jessie Graff 2193 01:22:48,797 --> 01:22:50,699 and Emily Gardiner. 2194 01:22:50,766 --> 01:22:54,002 So that wraps it up for tonight's season premiere. 2195 01:22:54,069 --> 01:22:57,039 For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman. 2196 01:22:57,105 --> 01:22:58,907 And we'll see you right back here next week-- 2197 01:22:58,974 --> 01:23:01,343 - On "American Ninja Warrior!" 2198 01:23:01,410 --> 01:23:03,478 - What he said. - Yeah, that's my line. 2199 01:23:03,545 --> 01:23:05,380 - [laughs]