- You can feel the anticipation and excitement
in the air in Vegas.
It's the final night of qualifying
on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Tonight, we'll see our second group of ninjas
from the Central Region fighting to keep
their season alive.
Last week, two women stole the spotlight...
- Yes!
- And Daniel Gil took home 10 grand
when he conquered the Mega Wall.
[cheers and applause]
- Only 20 ninjas from this group
will advance to next week's Regional Finals,
where we'll see our three-lane race course, the Tripleheader.
For a look at what our ninjas are facing,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Yeah, guys, take a look at the course we'll see tonight.
The six obstacles include the Shrinking Steps,
Greased Lightning, Domino Effect,
Tilt-A-Whirl, and the Cubes.
Like last week, if ninjas can do all that
and get up the Warped Wall in under a minute ten,
they earn a shot at the Mega Wall.
Get up the 18 1/2-foot Mega Wall,
and they'll win $10,000 courtesy of the Active Cash
Credit Card from Wells Fargo.
The Active Cash Credit Card earns unlimited
2% cash rewards on purchases. Terms apply.
- All season, we've had a little side bet
on who we think will be the fastest
each night of qualifying.
Tonight, I'm going with Sam Folsom.
He was in the final eight last year,
and he trains with some great ninjas,
like his wife, Isabella.
- I'll take another guy who was in the final eight,
Jay "Lache" Lewis.
He's had injury issues the past few years,
but he's now healthy and ready to make a run.
Zuri, who you got? - Yo, you already know.
My money is on the Boss, Elijah Browning.
This year, his younger brother, Julian, is competing.
So you know he's gonna want to go fast
to beat his little bro.
- Well, this is our final night of making picks.
I obviously know our ninjas best.
I'm in the lead with two wins.
- Zuri and I don't like to lose, so watch out, Matt.
- But guys, honestly, I'm most excited
for the return of one of the all-time greats,
Meagan Martin.
She's been away for a few years to start a family.
But she is back tonight.
[bell rings]
- Let's get ready to Ninja.
Our first athlete is professional boxer
Brendan Kelly.
Does not lack for confidence.
Says he's one of the best athletes in the world.
First competed nine years ago.
Reinvented himself since then
and become a real entertainer.
- I'm a straight action-packed showman.
Now a professional boxer.
In my first boxing match ever, I was in front
of a crowd of 7,000 people.
When I started fighting,
I started growing out my mustache.
This past summer, I won the world's
third best natural mustache.
I'm really into breaking world records that most humans
would perceive to be impossible.
- Push, push!
- My first one was I broke the world's
fastest mile ran backwards at a time
of 5 minutes and 53 seconds.
My next one was most chin-ups in 24 hours.
I did 5,555.
My next one's gonna be most pull-ups in 24 hours.
I'm pretty sure, at this point, I can get at least 15,000.
- He is moving, Matt.
- Man, I'm very excited to be back on.
It's been a good little bit.
So the last time I hit a buzzer was my first season...
- Up the Warped Wall on the first effort.
- 14 years ago.
But I know I'm ready.
And I'm gonna dominate.
Whether you love me or hate me,
you'll never forget me. I'm about to KO that buzzer.
[dramatic music]
[bell rings]
[cheers and applause]
- Well, the crowd's excited to see what he can do.
Got friends down on the sideline
and others watching back in Kentucky.
- I don't know if he's a world-class athlete,
but that definitely is a world-class mustache.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Hoping he won't be knocked out
by the Shrinking Steps.
- All right, round one down.
For round two, he's got Greased Lightning.
- He's getting rough and rowdy here, Akbar.
Holding on.
Go for that dismount.
- Oh! Oh!
[all groaning]
- Down goes Kelly. Down goes Kelly!
It's over.
Knocked out early in the second round.
[bell rings]
- Dang.
- He may be a great athlete,
but the "Ninja" course surprised him.
You can tell,
he wasn't ready to let go for the dismount,
and the boxer was down for the count.
- Went up instead of out. Man.
- Our next athlete coming to the start line
looking like a million bucks.
- Oh, yeah. I like the gold hat.
- This is Texas gym owner Jonathan Bange.
He always brings big energy and a positive attitude.
But he knows better than most that this sport can humble you.
[cheers and applause]
- [yells]
In season 15, making it to Stage 3,
I was at the highest of the highs.
- One move away. And he's done it.
Jonathan Bange is going to Stage 3.
- And season 17 brought me down to a plummeting low.
- Nice, ooh, oh-- - No!
- Oh, what the-- - No way.
- When I got up there, super pumped up.
I'm like, I'm going for it. I stepped to the right step.
And I pushed hard to make sure
I get to that left step over there.
I push a little too hard, a lot of too hard.
I came face to face with my biggest failure to date.
- You just have to feel for Jonathan Bange.
- I've been affected daily.
My kids that I coach day in and day out...
OK, OK, I see what's going on here.
They are ruthless.
- Stop falling on Quad Step. What is going on?
- They remind me on a daily basis of it.
They make videos mocking, oh, don't be like JB.
Well, if Quad Steps are there, JB should fear.
- Go!
- This is the year of redemption for me,
so I've done a lot to prepare.
There is no way that I am falling
on that first obstacle tonight.
My redemption begins right now.
Yo!
- Got a big crew on the sideline.
His mom's doing his signature bang move.
[countdown clock beeping]
- You know, he's got to be a little nervous
about this first obstacle,
- But he gets through it.
His students can't trash talk him anymore.
- All right, now that's behind him.
He can go for it.
- Heads straight into the Domino Effect.
No hesitation.
Akbar, he is running for redemption.
- Ooh! I saw that coming.
- Ah. - I literally saw that coming.
He was coming in way too hot. Oh, boy.
Well, his students are gonna let him know about that one.
He didn't let the first obstacle get him this year,
but after that, he turned on the jets.
And on Tilt-A-Whirl, his momentum carried him
right off the cradle.
- Jonathan.
- Zuri. - Way--come on down.
I mean, I could tiptoe it up.
OK, so last year, you told us you felt like you came in hot,
and that was kind of what the issue was then.
Am I crazy?
Or does it feel like maybe a little bit of that here?
What do you think went wrong?
- I was cooking. I was cooking.
I was executing game plan as I wanted.
And as I jumped to that bar there,
I got a little closer to it than I'd like.
This is how Ninja goes.
You know, you go out there, you put a game plan together,
you try to execute as best you can.
And most of the time, it goes right.
Sometimes, it comes short.
And those fails lead to success ultimately.
- Absolutely.
Well, you know we love watching you out here.
You come in with a bang, you go out with a bang.
Tell me we'll see you back. - Yes, absolutely.
If you guys have me, we've got to finish
with one last-- - Hey, hey, here we go.
I should have known. I wasn't ready.
I got to stretch.
Guys, back to you.
- Thanks, Zuri.
The final night of qualifying is gonna be a showstopper.
We've got new faces ready to flip the script...
- Whoo!
- Including social media superstar Aydon Holley.
- I've always wondered if I could, like,
actually do this stuff.
- And we'll see the return of "Ninja" trailblazer
Meagan Martin, back after having a baby.
- I have a much different perspective than I did before.
Can't wait to see how it all goes.
- Plus, one of the all-time greats,
Captain NBC, Jamie Rahn said this will be his final season.
- I'm definitely gonna miss the people and the support.
- His heartfelt goodbye coming up
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to the second night of qualifying
for the Central Region.
Iowa's Clayton Reeves was back
for his sophomore season of "Ninja."
Last year, he had an eye-opening run
as a 5-foot-tall rookie,
making it to the fifth obstacle.
- Matt, this is impressive.
- So the car detailer came in tonight
with a lot of confidence, hoping to move past qualifying
for the second straight year.
- Oh, no. - Whoa, oh.
- But Greased Lightning put him in reverse.
- Boom, splash.
- Arkansas' Josh Harris
brought some healthy snacks for the crowd.
He runs a nonprofit that distributes fruit
and vegetables to underserved families
in the Little Rock area.
And he brought us something called snot fruit.
- Snot fruit, all right.
Oh, that's good.
- On the course, the food dude got up to a healthy start.
- Oh, he's so fresh.
- Then the father of three took on Domino Effect.
- Oh, oh! Ooh!
- And that's where he got squeezed.
- Ooh, we got a clean up on obstacle three.
- Hey.
- Our next ninja is ready to step into the limelight.
Dancing to the start line is Main Stage Michael,
Michael Vasilevich.
He's studying theater in college
and dreams of going to Broadway.
Tonight, he hopes to bring down the house.
- My nickname is Main Stage Michael
because I'm a musical theater performer.
[upbeat music]
I've loved theater and dance since I was about
four years old when I would make musicals
and perform for my parents in the living room.
Growing up, I felt like I was kind of an outsider a lot.
I was very into theater and not sports.
But once I found "American Ninja Warrior,"
I felt like I found my home. - Yeah.
- My experience with performing has really
prepared me to take down the "Ninja Warrior" course tonight
because I'm under all the bright lights,
I'm in front of an audience, and I'm performing
just like I am on a stage.
Tonight, I'm gonna put on the performance of a lifetime.
[cheers and applause]
- His girlfriend and mom on the sideline
along with other friends and family.
[countdown clock beeping]
- All right, light on your feet,
you know all about that when it comes to dancing.
He just tap danced through Shrinking Steps.
- Full commit! Full commit!
- That's Derrick Pavoni, who was
one of his coaches growing up.
Going for a ride on Greased Lightning.
Doesn't want to be a beauty school dropout.
- Flashed like lightning.
Oh! - Oh, he's in trouble, Akbar.
- Ooh, boy.
This ain't thunder. It's lightning.
- Oh. - What a save!
[all cheering]
- Back from the dead!
- Well, Matt, he loves theater. That was dramatic.
- Shoulders forward.
- Now the balance obstacle.
Dances over Domino Effect.
[all cheering]
- Main Stage Michael has this crowd on its feet.
- Trust yourself.
Hey, once you're on there, move.
- Matt, Tilt-A-Whirl, it's a big deal.
To be or not to be, that is the question.
- You got to think a little Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly,
those guys get it,
moving and rotating and spinning.
Let's see it here.
- His arm's all twisted.
- Breathe, breathe!
- He's got to come in high and tight.
You want to come in compact to absorb
the weight 'cause he's 6'1", 161 pounds.
- Fell on the fourth obstacle last year,
so he's on the verge of topping that.
- Hey, you got to hula hoop. - Yep.
- Going for the dismount.
- Always been physically able to push himself.
That's something he really gets into.
[all cheering]
- What?
- A commanding performance from this college student.
- Hey, guys! - What's up, man?
- Come on! You're a monster!
This is your buzzer. Let's go.
- OK! Pavoni's getting him turnt up.
- This is Vasilevich's best run ever.
- Left hand. - Now facing the Cubes.
- Now pull down with that right.
Get it to the front and pull down with the--
- We'll see, they may have a musical on Broadway
called "Ninjas" if Vasilevich can somehow
get through this fifth obstacle.
- Keep breathing.
- Ooh, there you go.
- Doing all his own stunts, Akbar.
Those fingertips extending though.
Does he have enough?
When will the finale come?
- This is a very difficult obstacle.
Come on.
Uh-oh, he's starting to lose purchase right here.
Oh! - No!
And the curtain comes down on Main Stage Michael
on the fifth obstacle.
- Good job, man. I see you.
Well, Main Stage Michael
took center stage on this course.
Every time we thought it was the final scene,
he kept surprising us and himself.
He made it to the last cube but couldn't hold on.
Hand down. Curtain down.
- Oh, my God. What?
- Well, we'll have to wait and see if he went far enough
fast enough to get an encore in the Regional Finals next week.
- What?
- Up next, Chicago college student
Maggie Owen, back for her sixth season of competition.
The 5-foot-tall former gymnast got hooked
on the sport thanks to Ninja legend
Jesse "Flex" Labreck.
- Before I actually even started training Ninja myself,
I saw Jesse Labreck on TV, you know,
crushing it on the course,
and it really motivated me to try and do the same thing.
[cheering]
The gym that Jesse ended up managing
opened up like ten minutes from my house.
As soon as I met Jesse, we had an instant connection.
She kind of became my big sister instantly.
- Yeah. Good job.
- We were always training together.
But our relationship is not just limited to Ninja.
I mean, we go rock climbing.
She'll want to go to the store with me.
If we're bored, we'll just hang out with each other,
and we talk a lot.
Now that she doesn't live in Chicago,
it's a little bit harder.
But I always text her and call her
about training sessions and what to prepare for.
- Come on, dude. Come on.
[all cheering]
- I would love to hit a buzzer just
to show her that all the advice
and training we've done together pays off.
[upbeat music]
[cheers and applause]
- Flex and her husband, Chris, now up in Maine.
But they never miss one of Maggie's runs.
- Yes. - You have this.
You can do it, Mags.
- And Maggie's got a big group on the sideline,
including her mom and boyfriend,
Jay "Lache" Lewis, who runs later.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, Chris and Jesse met through Ninja.
They're taking some time off to raise a family,
but they were dominant when they competed.
Now Maggie and Jay are trying to be
the new Ninja power couple.
- I love the story of her and Jay Lewis.
She had a crush on Jay for a very long time.
- Good transfer there.
- All of her friends knew it.
They were teasing her about it.
And look at them. They're a Ninja couple.
- Now watch her here.
Went out on the balance obstacle last season.
- All right, go for it.
Maggie Owen owning this course.
- Up next, Tilt-A-Whirl.
- Redemption right here.
- You heard Chris say "redemption"
because this obstacle knocked her out in her rookie season.
- With her size, she really has to work
to turn these panels around.
- Maggie, she has so much promise,
made it to the Vegas finals season 15.
But she's never hit a buzzer.
She's come close, but she really feels like
she hasn't reached her potential.
Only the top 20 from tonight will move on
to next week's Regional Finals.
If it's like the past weeks,
you'll need to reach the fifth obstacle to have a chance.
- Maggie is making her big sister proud right now.
She's looking confident on Tilt-A-Whirl.
She and Jay have been rock climbing to get stronger,
and I think it's working.
She's gonna get that redemption on this obstacle.
OK, Maggie!
[cheers and applause]
- She says, I'm done with that obstacle.
Well, this is the third time Maggie Owen
has reached the fifth obstacle in her career.
Will this be the first time she defeats it?
- All the rock climbing they do during their dates,
this is it. This is where it shows up.
- Wow, she's really looking locked in, Akbar.
Real smooth.
Look, locked in with just one arm.
- Ooh.
- Good reach, generating power. - Oh, good.
- Giving it the Wonder Woman spin.
- Yeah, nice.
- Maggie Owen. - Come on!
- Get to that final cube. - Bring it in.
- Got it! - Nice.
And that's that 180 rotation. - Lock it in!
And Maggie...
[all cheering]
Her first attempt at the Warped Wall!
- Go, you got this!
- Well, you know how proud Flex Labreck is.
Jay Lache beaming on the sidelines.
- That's it.
You made it, Maggie.
Go get it.
- The 5-foot Maggie Owen looking to go up 14 1/2 feet
and finish off this run. - Drive up.
Get your eyes up. Boom! OK.
- Ah. - All right.
- Hey, hey. - You have to just, like, go.
- Come on.
- I love seeing Flex.
She's tearing up.
[crowd chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- Second attempt. - She got it right here.
I put my money on it. She's got it.
Ooh. - Oh, got her fingertips up.
Down to one final run.
- You got this.
- Come on, Maggie!
Let's go!
- Crowd is behind her.
Beat that wall.
Once she gets up to the very top, all she has to do,
instead of touching the top, she needs to grab the top.
You got it. You got it.
Yeah! - Yes!
[cheers and applause]
Maggie Owen, on her final attempt,
gets that buzzer.
[all cheering]
♪ ♪
- [laughs] - Oh, my God.
- You did it. You did it.
You got your entire Ninja community,
your family, everyone, they're going nuts.
What are you feeling right now?
- Oh, my gosh.
I honestly was just kind of starting
to think that I was never gonna hit a buzzer,
you know, six seasons in.
But, oh, my gosh, I've never been more happy to be wrong.
[laughter]
- It's so good to hear you believe in yourself.
But I know there was someone who believed in you
the very first time she laid eyes on you.
And that's the legendary Flex Labreck.
Maggie, what do you want to say to her?
- Dude, just thank you so much.
You've been there since day one for me.
And it's thanks to you that I'm standing here right now.
So just thank you.
- All right, well, why don't you go celebrate?
- All right. - What an amazing run.
- I'm tearing up. Are you? - I know.
I'm tearing up. - Flex is tearing up.
- Ah, you got us all crying. - We're all crying here.
What a great moment. - Oh, man.
That's cool. Mom is crying.
Everybody's crying.
- I love this show.
- Coming up, he's been on the course to support his brother.
- Yes, yes!
[buzzer blares]
- Now little brother Hayes Dyer is ready
to reel in a buzzer of his own.
He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It was a brother battle at the start line
minutes ago as Marquez and Nathan Green
showed off their fencing skills.
- They're both en garde now.
- These twins from Wisconsin are training
for the 2028 Olympic pentathlon,
which includes fencing and Ninja events.
Tonight, they both took on the course
with Marquez going first.
One of the other pentathlon events is running,
and the former track athlete had
no problem on Domino Effect.
Two years ago, Marquez fell on the Cubes,
so he was looking for revenge tonight.
- He's got to get out of there. Slipping.
Oh! [air horn blares]
- Now, he'll have to wait and see if that's
far enough fast enough to move on.
Then the other twin, Nathan, got his shot.
And though he's done better than his brother
in recent seasons, he got off to a rocky start.
- All right, he's stumbling, bumbling through
the first couple of obstacles.
- Like his brother, he made his way to the Cubes.
But unlike his brother...
- Get out of there. - Nathan made it through.
- Yes!
- He then climbed the Warped Wall,
becoming the second finisher of the night.
- He did it for the both of them.
- You know I love him, but it's becoming a trend,
me beating him now.
- [laughs]
- Our next ninja knows all about sibling rivalry.
This is Julian Browning, the younger brother
of well-known Ninja Elijah "Boss" Browning
who's now in his sixth season.
Julian may be younger, but there's
nothing little about him.
He's 6'5".
- It's awesome to be the bigger brother.
Little old man over there.
Used to be a lot taller.
- He was literally a little kid when I started,
4 foot nothing. - Yeah! Whoo!
- Me and my brother are very competitive
in everything we do.
And we talk trash to each other all the time.
- I think he's gonna miss it, though.
Oh, he's running.
Oh, he's running, gonna grab-- and he--oh--
- It's a constant, constant back and forth.
It has been ongoing since they were little, tiny boys.
- I'm the fastest one in this family.
Just gonna go on record and say that right now.
- And the Boss gets it.
[cheers and applause]
- It's such an honor having Julian on the show,
kind of following close in my footsteps.
- I cannot wait to compete with my brother
'cause I really want to beat him.
And on the other hand, I really want to beat him.
[groovy music]
[cheers and applause]
- You got this, buddy.
- His mom, Renee, always so nervous
when her boys are on the course.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Oh, look at that hair, brother.
One thing we know about the Browning boys,
they've got some beautiful hair.
- Hold tight, J, hold tight.
- The Boss will run later.
Giving little bro some advice.
- Come on, Julian. Uh-oh.
- Now, his big body, he's got to let go now.
- Gotta launch. - He's got them long legs.
He can probably-- ah.
His height didn't help him there.
- Akbar, you have to go on that first pass
on Greased Lightning. - Yeah.
Greased Lightning, you got to let it flow, let it go.
With his long legs,
if he had just released the first time,
he could have cleared the wall.
But he held on and could never
regain that momentum.
But at least his hair stayed dry.
- Well, we're not done with our parade of brothers.
Coming to the starting line now is another set of siblings.
Big brother Owen Dyer known as the Flamingo Kid,
but he's out this year with an injury.
So it's up to his little brother Hayes
to carry on their "Ninja" family tradition.
But he's no stranger to this course.
- When Owen first got the call to be on "Ninja Warrior,"
I was super excited 'cause it was also my dream
that he was getting to live out.
- Do you think the water's gonna be cold?
- I don't-- what?
- Well, I think you're gonna hit a buzzer.
- Hey, I appreciate it.
- Owen Dyer getting his third straight qualifying buzzer.
- Let's go!
It's my brother's first time.
Can he get up here and hit this buzzer with me?
- Hayes Dyer.
- Oh! - Oh!
Come on! - Oh, my goodness.
- Getting to hit a buzzer with my brother, that was awesome.
But I've been waiting for the opportunity
to hit my very own buzzer for five years.
It's super cool getting to actually
finally run on a real show.
Owen's the Flamingo Kid,
and I'm kind of the shark guy.
I enjoyed the whole adventure of catching
one of the biggest, baddest creatures in the ocean.
When we catch sharks, we tag them for research
and release them safely.
You got to be pretty strong to reel in a shark.
Right about 25 minutes on the fight.
Sometimes while I'm waiting for a bite,
I kind of have to do some Ninja.
It's just great to be around nature,
not necessarily in a stuffy gym all day.
I am disappointed that Owen's not gonna be
able to compete alongside me.
But I'm hoping to be able to carry
the Dyer's Situation torch for Owen and hit another buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
- Owen's out this year due to injury,
but he'll be cheering from the sideline along with their dad.
- Let's go.
- And Hayes has a lot of folks watching
back in Arkansas, including his training partners at the gym.
[countdown clock beeping]
- I know he's got to feel the pressure.
I know he's got to feel the nerves right now.
I can see it in his eyes.
I can read it in his body language.
But right now, he's carrying the torch for his family.
- Well, Hayes has been waiting for this moment for years.
- Wow, perfect dismount.
- Push up, push up. Big, big push.
- 5'5", 116 pounds, different body type
than his brother Owen.
And it's cool to see another Dyer out here.
- Well, they're used to Dyer situations.
At 116 pounds, Akbar, this kid,
you can just see, he's all muscle.
- Matt, can we just take a break
and just kind of really give him his props?
I mean, just already on the fourth obstacle,
he looks so calm and collected.
And he's a rookie, a rookie.
- He's 15 years old, Akbar.
He can't even drive.
A little hung up here, though, having trouble,
motoring this one around.
- Nice, he figured it out.
And at 116 pounds is probably not wearing on his grip.
You know, they don't get tired at 15.
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go!
- And now, up to the Cubes.
- At his age, 15 years old, probably never even
played with the Rubik's cube.
He only played with all them video games.
But this one is gonna be a big puzzle for him.
- But, boy, he looks locked in.
- Yeah, he is, and he's crushing it.
He's turning these blocks around like they're nothing.
- I could see why Owen was so excited for his brother
to get a shot on the course.
- Nice.
- Just gotta get that handle locked around.
Locked in. - Get out of there!
- Come on! - He's out here crushing it.
- It's Dyer now! - He's in his own world.
- You got this!
- A chance to get his own buzzer atop the Warped Wall.
- There he goes.
- And he did it.
- Let's go! Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- I love this, man.
Owen Dyer, so proud of his brother.
- Hey, where did you learn how to Ninja like that?
- Owen. It's all Owen.
I trained with him. He's helped me.
He showed me the ropes. I'm so thankful.
I'm so happy. - Oh, man, that's cool.
- We've seen you get up this Warped Wall twice
before when Owen was up there.
What's it like hitting it for yourself?
- It's so awesome.
I mean, getting to come up here and hit it with him
was a whole awesome experience, but getting my very own,
it's just such a blessing.
- Both of you clearly rise to the occasion
when it's a Dyer Situation.
Hey, hit that buzzer and go celebrate with him.
- Let's go!
- We talk about it, man, family and "Ninja Warrior,"
it's a special thing.
[cheers and applause]
His videos have racked up millions of views.
And social media superstar Aydon Holley's latest trick
is trying the "Ninja" course.
- We'll see how this goes.
I mean, I'm just here to have some fun.
- He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Three ninjas hit the course minutes ago,
hoping to go lightning fast.
Texas engineer Chynna Hart came out swinging,
showing off her Muay Thai fighting skills.
- Oh, she got it.
- The seven-time "Ninja" veteran has made it
to the semi-finals in the past, but tonight...
- Oh!
- She was struck down by Greased Lightning.
Jonah McCutcheon's active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard.
He's a rescue swimmer and has to jump
into the ocean to save others in dangerous situations.
But McCutcheon barely stayed out of the water
on the first obstacle.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Yeah! Whoo!
- Seconds later, on Greased Lightning...
- Oh!
- He took a dive.
- Well, at least he's in a place where he's comfortable.
- Fitness influencer Yari Breunig was making
her sixth appearance on "Ninja."
- Here she is, back again at it.
- The Wisconsin mother of two was hoping
to advance past qualifying for the first time.
- She can ride that momentum. Ah!
- But she also ran into trouble
on the second obstacle.
- Oh, man.
- And after fighting for almost a minute,
she became the third consecutive victim
of Greased Lightning.
- Oh!
- Well, if you spend much time on TikTok,
you'll recognize our next athlete.
This is social media star Aydon Holley.
He's got millions of followers who check out his crazy videos.
He's actually shooting some content right now.
For this guy, Ninja's just another wild adventure.
- I was always an athletic kid, but more on
like, the crazy side.
In 2019, I was a senior in high school.
Me and my three buddies, we just decided to make
a little TikTok video, lip syncing.
I was like, what if I just add a flip?
And so I just added a flip, and it just caught.
Five years goes by, and I'm still making content.
Holy!
One of my favorite videos was a video
where I threw a football over my house,
caught it on the other side, and that one took off.
[cheering]
Since I was a kid, I've always watched the show,
and I've always wondered if I could,
like, actually do this stuff.
I actually first started Ninja training a month ago.
So we'll see how this goes.
I mean, I'm just here to have some fun.
- Aydon's family watching back home in Texas,
and his fiancée leading the cheers
down on the sideline. - Hey!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Aydon Holley, over 15 million followers across platforms.
Gonna pick up a few more tonight.
- The last three ninjas fell on Greased Lightning.
You better be careful.
[cheers and applause]
- Ooh, ooh, he almost lost it on that one.
- He was a serious track athlete.
Has a vertical leap of 37 inches.
- Yeah, that means he's got a 37 inch vert,
that means he can dunk.
You see, he had a little hang time there.
Almost missed that first bar.
And don't mess around 'cause you'll go dunking in the water.
- 6'1", 170, that is on the bigger side for ninjas.
- Well, Matt, I will say I am a little concerned, though.
He might be a little nervous,
but I'm noticing him over gripping.
And when you start to over grip,
you really start to tax out that forearm
and that grip strength.
Matt, I'm a little concerned on this third cradle.
- They call it the over pump.
Aydon Holley fighting, rotating,
and going for the dismount.
And not a bad pace to this point, Akbar.
- Here we go.
He's starting to grimace now.
He's feeling it.
Come on now, get off of it.
He took the bar with him.
- What a rookie run for Aydon Holley.
He's had little Ninja training
but has reached the fifth obstacle.
- This one right here, Cubes, it's a big deal.
- What has he got left?
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- It's OK.
- A strong debut for Aydon Holley.
Made it to the fifth obstacle,
but that's where his night ends.
- His YouTube channel is filled with impressive tricks,
and he pulled off a few on his run tonight,
but just ran out of grip on the Cubes.
That's pretty good for someone with
very little Ninja training.
- Aydon, what do you want to say to the fans
who might be watching tonight?
- I love you.
And I'm gonna hit a buzzer next time.
- Hey, there we go.
We'll know soon if you get that chance with far enough,
fast enough. Great work out here tonight.
- Thank you. I appreciate it.
- Guys, back to you.
- Coming up, Jessie Graff, Meagan Martin,
and Tiana Webberley were all pole vaulters
before becoming top ninjas.
Now, KK Andrews hopes to follow in their footsteps.
We'll see the Texas teen next.
Plus, he's given us great moments.
- No shoes, no shirt, no problem!
[buzzer blares]
- But Captain NBC is calling it a career.
[all cheering]
- A tribute to one of the all-time greats
is just ahead... - Whoo!
- On "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Las Vegas,
where it's night two of qualifying for ninjas
from our Central Region.
Joliet, Illinois' Michael Maher wears his love
for Ninja on his sleeve.
- Matt, I think you should get that tattoo.
- Running in jeans, the 61-year-old
construction worker didn't exactly
nail the first obstacle...
- OK, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- But he got through.
- OK, using that core muscle.
- With his family watching, the night's oldest competitor
tried to make it two in a row.
- You got to let it flow, let it go.
That's it. Ooh!
- But he became another victim of Greased Lightning.
One of the biggest receptions of the night
was for "Ninja" trailblazer Michelle Warnky Buurma.
- Look at that!
[cheers and applause]
- Back in season 6, the Ohio gym owner
was the second woman ever to conquer the Warped Wall.
- Yes!
- Then in season 11, became just the second woman
ever to conquer a ten-obstacle course.
- Wow!
- Tonight, she kicked off her 12th season
with her husband and daughter, Grace, watching.
- Matt, you know she wants to get to that wall again.
- Like many others, she ran into trouble
on Greased Lightning.
- Ooh, OK, she's got to let it go.
Yeah, she's got to let it go here.
This is-- ah!
[all groan]
- A surprising early exit for one of the all-time greats.
Then, the crowd was fired up for Zuri.
- Is this for me?
- But it was all for rookie Zuri Harrison.
- She's about to show y'all how Zuris get down, OK?
- The high schooler's on the track team
for her school in Prosper, Texas,
where she competes in both sprints...
- Come on now, come on. There it is.
She's ready to go. - And pole vault.
- Oh, nice landing.
- In her first time in the course,
she battled all the way to the final Cube.
- Oh!
- And that may be good enough to get her into
next week's Regional Finals.
- On behalf of Zuris everywhere,
thank you for making us look so good.
- And we've got another Texas track star
stepping up to the start line.
KK Andrews is one of the best young pole vaulters
in the nation.
She had to overcome some obstacles to get to that level.
And she did it along with her dedicated coach.
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Oh, my goodness.
- I started pole vault right after one of my Ninja friends
encouraged me to go to a pole vault club.
♪ ♪
[all cheering]
At my first competition, I got first place.
And I got the club record.
- Y'all ready to go Kherington? - Yes.
- All righty.
The very first time that I saw KK,
I could tell, even at that age,
that she had some natural talent.
♪ ♪
- Now I have jumped 12 foot, 6 inches.
And I'm ranked number one nationally
in pole vault for the age group.
♪ ♪
Two years after starting pole vault,
I fractured my back in two places by overuse.
The doctors told me that I would never
be able to compete at a high level in pole vault
or Ninja again.
Right around the same time I broke my back,
my coach, Tom, also broke his back.
[sirens whooping]
- I was in a serious vehicle accident.
I broke my neck in three spots,
and my hand was amputated.
These were the easy losses.
[tense music]
My daughter, who was 16 years old,
was sitting next to me.
We lost an amazing girl that night.
It has not been an easy process
at any point in time.
But working with somebody like KK,
it helps ground me again.
And I actually look to KK for inspiration.
- Coach Tom helped me a lot with getting back
to training, knowing that I can get back if he got back.
[bright music]
That has definitely built up my confidence as I head
to "American Ninja Warrior."
- And there's Coach Tom,
cheering her on from back in Texas.
And KK's parents and sister on the sideline,
along with some of the Texas Ninjas she trains with.
[countdown clock beeping]
She's not just a great pole vaulter,
she's earning the nickname KK the Kourse Krusher,
because she's been racking up wins in Ninja competitions
across the country.
- All right, let's go, KK Andrews.
Looking good so far.
- The track star can show off her footwork here.
And look at KK dancing over the Domino Effect.
Look at this aggressiveness, this confidence.
She is a competitor.
Loves to rise to the occasion.
Has vaulted over 12 1/2 feet as a freshman.
Makes her number one in the nation.
- And Matt, what is she doing right now?
She's crushing the course.
That's why she is the Kourse Krusher
- KK, come on, come on.
You're good. You're good.
- This is a little bit like pole vaulting here,
throwing your body around in the air.
Good job.
Great landing.
She started doing Ninja at eight years old.
And here she is, seven years later,
she's ready for this opportunity.
- KK is about to KO Tilt-A-Whirl.
She's through.
[cheers and applause]
And it looks like she's starting to enjoy this.
[audience chanting] KK, KK, KK, KK.
- Now, another big test here, though, Akbar.
But as a pole vaulter, has good upper body strength,
good grip strength.
Staring down this fifth obstacle,
and looking comfortable up there.
- Yeah, the comfort, the calmness,
that's the sign of an elite athlete.
That's what we call the Ninja mentality.
- You got it.
- Little struggle here, rotating it around,
gets it solved.
- Just so easy. just turn it around.
Just, Matt, I would have been done.
My forearms would have been burnt.
- Well, that's the advantage of being 115 pounds.
Can she get this final Cube? Akbar--
- Come on.
- KK closing in at a shot of the Warped Wall.
- OK, dismount.
- There it is.
[cheers and applause]
KK, the pole vaulter needs to clear 14 1/2 feet.
Now, granted she doesn't have a pole here, Akbar.
We'll see what she can do.
- This is KK's opportunity. Nice!
- And KK Andrews crushes this course.
[upbeat music]
What a run for her after all she's been through.
- Yeah! Whoo!
- Hey, KK, where's the emotion coming from?
- I've been wanting this for so long.
And I've been watching it since I was like, seven years old.
This is a dream come true. - Oh.
- We're so proud of you, KK.
Hit that buzzer one more time
and go celebrate with your family.
What an impressive performance,
from pole vaulting star to Ninja star,
all at just 15 years old.
So KK jumps onto
the leaderboard.
We've now had two women
finishers already.
Only the top 20
at the end of the night
will move on to next week's
Regional Finals.
And remember, we've got something new this year,
the top four women, those who complete the most obstacles
during the season, will race each other to be
this year's Women's Champion.
Up next, this ninja wants to design theme parks...
so her research is a whole lot of fun.
- I know every ride. I know every detail.
Ask me anything, and I know it.
- Jess Wombles goes for a spin when we come back
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Vegas, where we're about
halfway through the night.
- And these ninjas seem to have figured out the course.
Before his run, Dr. Steven Bachta
got a checkup from his daughters.
- And there are his two best helpers.
- Once on the course...
- 6 feet, long arms. - Whoa.
The doctor passed every test with flying colors.
- And Dr. Bachta showing a lot of heart here.
And he's through to the fifth obstacle.
- The four-time "Ninja" vet
got his first buzzer last season.
And after a brief stop to blow kisses to the family,
he got another one tonight.
- Back to back buzzers!
- We're expecting big things this year from
Ohio teenager Nathanael Honvou.
Six years ago, he was tiny when he won on "Ninja Junior."
But since then, he's grown 14 inches
and is up to 5'11". - This kid can move.
- The high schooler had a big cheering section
as he took down one obstacle after another.
- He is through.
- And he finished with the fastest time
of the night so far.
- Gets his buzzer!
- Let's go!
- He is the sixth finisher already tonight.
- Let's go!
- Up next is college student Jess Wombles.
She's originally from Indiana but is going to school
in Florida, in part because she's obsessed
with theme parks and hopes to design them for her career.
And she loves one park in particular.
- Universal, Orlando, my favorite place.
- ♪ Let's go ♪
- I'm a massive fan of Universal.
I know every ride. I know every detail.
Ask me anything and I know it.
- Do you want the bike, or do you want the sidecar?
- I think I'll take the sidecar.
- I'm gonna clink it. - Clink it.
- There we go. - Whoo.
- I think I'll make it this time.
What do you think? - Just barely.
- The first time I ever went was
my freshman year of high school.
As soon as we were there, I fell in love immediately.
- ♪ Whoa, roller coaster ♪
♪ Up and down and bending over ♪
- Let's get a picture.
- Don't smile. - OK.
- ♪ Whoa, roller coaster ♪
♪ Let's go ♪
- It was so incredibly immersive.
Mmm.
And there is something so magical about
stepping into a world and just realizing
that you can kind of relax and feel like a kid again.
[screaming]
Oh, my gosh.
I want to ride it again so bad.
- ♪ Let's go ♪
- I want to make this my career.
I want to bring out that joy, that entertainment,
that kind of stepping into
the world that you've always watched feeling.
And I want to create the next generation's best theme park.
♪ ♪
- Let's go, Jess.
- Jess spent that day in the park
with her mom who's on the sideline with her dad.
Now ready for the wild ride down our course.
[countdown clock beeping]
Jess is known as the Sky Ninja.
Her dad is an airline pilot and taught her how to fly
when she was just nine years old.
- Let's go, Jess.
- She's 5'1" but still tall enough
for a slide down Greased Lightning.
Here we go.
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
Well, that obstacle turned into a water ride.
- Good job, Jess.
- Matt, it was the second drop that got her.
The jolt yanked the handle right out of her left hand,
and Jess Wombles' "Ninja" season pass expired.
- Guys, he's always been a fan favorite,
but one of the sport's heroes is saying goodbye.
Jamie Rahn is one of the best competitors in Ninja history.
But he's a dad now,
and Captain NBC says it's time to hang up his cape.
He's bringing his little boy Ziggy to the start line...
- Can you go hand heart?
- Because this may be his final run ever.
- Jamie Rahn has been so good for so long.
- I've been competing since season two
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- No shoes, no shirt, no problem!
- So much of my life has been built up
because of my involvement in Ninja and the community,
and the show in general.
It's helped me change my career.
You got it, strong grip. Yes, Emma, good.
One kick and the monkey bar. Yes.
- Go, Jamie! - Whoo-hoo!
- Come on. I got more to show you.
You know, I've been able to travel the world,
compete in different countries.
- Come on, Jamie!
- I met my wife through "Ninja Warrior."
[together] We're engaged.
- It's been a long journey and a lot of fun.
So after 16 seasons,
I've decided to hang up my cape.
Do you like your Santa hat, buddy?
Right now, I think I'm gonna enjoy spending time as a dad.
Nice job.
And now your training is complete.
I'm gonna miss a lot of things,
but I'm definitely gonna miss the people
and the support.
Yeah! Yeah, Michelle!
Yes!
I'll lose my voice every day on set,
just cheering everyone on.
And I'm gonna miss being in that every year.
[tender music]
♪ ♪
Whoo!
This season, Captain NBC takes flight one last time.
♪ ♪
- This is gonna be an emotional run for all of us.
No one wants to miss it.
They're watching all over the country,
including students where he coaches.
And look at all the ninjas on the sideline
paying their respects by wearing green wigs,
along with Jamie's wife, Kim, and Ziggy.
And we wanted to talk to Jamie, so we mic'd him up.
- We're not sure how many runs you're gonna have
this season, but one of these could be the last.
What's going through your head?
- Well, I'm trying to keep it together.
My goal is to be as fearless as I can,
and hit the hardest I can, and go out with either a bang,
a buzzer, but no regrets.
- Well, we want to send you off with a fitting
superhero introduction.
Look at the start line. It's a bird.
It's a plane! It's Captain NBC!
- There he is.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
[together] Oi, oi, oi, oi, hey!
- There it is.
Everybody's in on it now.
- That's one of his cheers from the early days.
- Doesn't have a cape.
Doesn't need it to fly. - Oh, he's flying.
- And right into a Domino Effect, Akbar!
- Come on now. - Oh, my!
A single move!
Crossed over.
Jamie Rahn using all his superpowers.
- Ooh! - Oh!
[soft dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- It's all right, Jamie.
- We love you, Jamie. - Oh.
Ziggy's crying.
Ziggy didn't want to see papa fall.
[cheers and applause]
Jamie wanted to leave it all on the course,
so he was blazing up the Tilt-A-Whirl.
But on that second leap, he was looking left
and missed it on the right.
Not the way he wanted this run to end.
- Aw, buddy, thumbs down?
- And that probably won't be enough to move on.
- It's OK.
- So that is likely the last run for Captain NBC.
- If this is the last time we're to see Jamie Rahn,
what an illustrious career he's put together
on "American Ninja Warrior." - Thank you, guys.
It's been great.
I love you all.
- Coming up, earlier, we made our picks for the fastest
of the night, Sam Folsom, Elijah Browning,
and Jay Lewis will all get their shot in just a bit.
Plus, Meagan Martin's got her hands full these days.
- But the Ninja great is ready for a return to the course.
It's all just ahead on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Vegas, where minutes ago,
a couple of wood-chopping ninjas tried to make the cut.
Missouri's Caleb Dowden owns a logging business
and showed off his skill with an ax.
- That's an old school warm-up right there.
- The six-time "Ninja" veteran lumbered
across the Shrinking Steps.
But on Greased Lightning, he didn't release.
- Oh, no.
- And though he put up a fight
for more than a minute...
- Caleb! - Ooh!
- He was eventually cut down.
- That's OK. I had fun.
- Iowa tree trimmer Tyler Smith
uses a chainsaw for his woodworking.
- He works 60 to 80 feet in the air.
So this is nothing for him.
- The four-time veteran last competed seven years ago,
but looked like he hadn't lost a step.
- He says, I am not getting cut down by one of these obstacles.
- With his five kids watching from back home,
Smith not only finished,
he put up the second fastest time so far.
[cheers and applause]
- It's been a long time since we've seen you, man.
- I picked up a few gray hairs along the way.
- Up next is Tyler's cousin, fellow Iowan Spencer Johnson.
He had a memorable season last year
when he shared the story of his nonprofit program
that gives folks a second chance.
The response was so great, he knew he had to come back.
- Season 17 was absolutely amazing.
- Spencer started a program called
Change Course, which is giving folks a second chance at life.
- Yeah!
- Change Course serves people that maybe have been
incarcerated or homeless or just stuck
in drug addiction, the types of people
that need second chances.
I completely understand second chances.
My dad went to prison when I was younger.
When he came out, businesses didn't want
to take a chance on him. He couldn't get a loan.
We had trouble getting a house.
It was such a step backwards for our family.
But it really sculpted me into who I am today.
- That's so great for him,
having his dad on the sidelines.
So often in life, we're faced with adversity.
It's how you respond.
- Season 17, I thought I had reached the pinnacle
of my Ninja career.
- Spencer Johnson is having the run of his life.
- But there was just an overflowing of people
that reached out after that.
They were encouraged and motivated.
And I thought, man, I don't think I can stop.
It's just never over.
It doesn't matter where you're at
or what you're struggling with.
It's just hiding behind one obstacle.
So if you can just do one obstacle at a time.
My motto is one team, one dream.
And tonight that dream is to hit a buzzer.
[bright music]
♪ ♪
- Some of those from his Change Course program
will be watching back in Iowa.
And he's got his wife and three kids
on the sideline with other friends.
[countdown clock beeping]
Spencer first competed in season 9,
then returned last year after all that time away.
[cheers and applause]
- And he grew up doing gymnastics.
He reached an elite level and spent years
at the Olympic Training Center.
- And he sticks the dismount.
Test the balance on Domino Effect.
- Here it is.
Oh, that's easy for him.
That's easy work.
[cheers and applause]
- And the crowd's really behind him
as he takes on the fourth obstacle.
Well, they talk about Change Course,
but I think Spencer needs to stay on the course he's on,
Akbar, making good progress.
He's had some great performances on "Ninja Warrior"
but has never hit a buzzer.
- His motto is one team, one dream.
And it's been his dream to get that buzzer.
He's had a team of people working with him,
the community he's created.
- And he's putting himself in good position to move on.
[cheers and applause]
It's his third time in qualifying.
Each of the previous two, he went out here
on the fifth obstacle but has never faced
this one, Cubes.
Good mount there.
- Good, nice.
- Wow, what a representation of the message of Change Course.
- One team. - Keep fighting.
One team.
Just keep moving forward.
- And how special is that message,
especially in the world that we're in today?
One team.
- Those arms getting a bit extended, Akbar.
Does he have anything left for this catch?
- You can see him trying to make that lache.
He's got it. He landed it.
- Lock it in. - Lock it in.
- Go for that dismount. - He's locked in.
- And he's done it.
[cheers and applause]
And here it is, Akbar,
14 1/2 feet away from his first buzzer.
[all cheering]
- One team, one dream.
Go get that buzzer.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
Beat that wall!
- Every ninja dreams of their first buzzer.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- That dream is almost here.
That dream is almost here. - Yes!
Dreams do come true.
Spencer Johnson gets that buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
- Man, it's been a while since the very first time
you stepped on the course all the way back in season 9.
And here we are, nine years later,
and you get your first buzzer.
- I can't believe it. I cannot believe it.
I just--you know-- whew!
Is this on national television?
- Yeah, you said one team, one dream.
Was this the dream?
- Absolutely, I mean, I just thought
I should do one at a time.
I kept saying, one more, just one more,
and then here I am, so... - Wow.
- Well, it feels like you really embodied the mission
of Change Course, buddy. - Yes, sir.
- You've got to be proud. Congratulations.
Hit that buzzer one more time and go down and celebrate.
- That's a special moment.
- Absolutely.
[cheers and applause]
- Just ahead, Elijah "Boss" Browning
blew away the course in last year's qualifying.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Let's go!
- That's why he's my pick for fastest tonight.
- Let's go, baby!
- He is next on "American Ninja Warrior."
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back to Vegas where it was a sister act
on the course moments ago.
First up was 18-year-old Secorra Heinrichs,
supported by big sis Anabella.
The sisters competed together with their dad
on our family championship
four years ago and came in third.
Tonight, Secorra made her solo debut.
And the video editor had no problem
on the Shrinking Steps. - Yeah, come on!
- Then she took on Greased Lightning.
- Ooh, she's a little uneven, Matt.
Ooh. - Oh.
- And she just didn't have the distance.
Then it was Anabella's turn.
And the four-time "Ninja" vet stayed out of trouble
on Greased Lightning.
- She said, you took my sister out,
but you're not taking me out.
- The hairstylist had a breakout season last year
when she got her first buzzer and made it all the way
to the National Finals. - She's got the rhythm now.
She's got the confidence.
- And she kept that momentum going tonight
with another strong performance...
- Big power, big power by Anabella.
- Becoming the third woman to hit a buzzer tonight.
- There it is, a little nod.
- Whoo!
- While the Heinrichs were tonight's sister duo,
now it's time for the other half of one
of our brother duos.
It's Elijah "the Boss" Browning,
the six-time "Ninja" veteran from Tennessee.
He's competing for the first time
tonight with his brother Julian,
who was knocked out earlier on the second obstacle.
- Ah. - Oh.
- Julian will be supporting his big bro
along with their mom, Renee,
and lots of other family and friends.
And this run has added stakes.
Elijah is Zuri's pick
to be the night's fastest.
My guy, Sam Folsom,
and Akbar's choice, Jay Lewis,
will run later.
The Boss is gonna try and set the bar.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Oh, here we go.
- All right, Elijah, let's show them who's boss.
Guys, he had the fastest time in qualifying last year.
I'm looking for a repeat performance.
- This is where his brother fell.
But no problem for Elijah.
Nathanael Honvou had the top time so far
at a minute 17. - Look at him go. Wow!
- Been so smooth, but has been prone to having some mistakes.
A couple years ago, went out
on the fourth obstacle going for speed.
But a little more measured approach
here out of the Boss, Akbar.
But still a great pace to this point.
- Come on, Elijah.
Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- Hey, he running like a boss right now.
Look at that, the hat on backwards.
- Oh, no! - Oh!
- And there it is. - Oh!
[soft dramatic music]
- [whispers] No way.
- We say it all the time, speed can kill.
- Low key, I didn't see that one coming.
He was moving quickly,
and on that first Cube, he didn't get it
turned around all the way,
and his hands just slipped out.
[air horn blares]
- All right, guys, looks like I might be out of the race.
- Well, not gonna get a win for Zuri tonight,
but Elijah still got a good chance to stay
in the top 20 and move on.
- Kind of tried to rush it a little bit, going for Mega.
Sucks, but yeah.
- Well, that was a shock,
but we've got another big favorite up next.
It's the Big Cat, Karsten Williams,
back for his 12th season of "Ninja."
From skills challenges
to Team USA,
he's done almost everything in Ninja over the years
and now is one of the most sought after ninja coaches.
Got many of his students on the sidelines,
along with his number one fan, his mom, Linda.
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, Karsten coached so many great ninjas.
And one of his proteges, Isaiah "Flyboy" Thomas,
what a season he had last year
and is putting together again this year.
- And Karsten had a good season last year also,
made it to the National Finals for the eighth time.
- Well, this former track athlete is moving quickly.
- Whoo!
Right into it, wasting no time.
- Hey, at 44 years old, this Big Cat showing
he's got a few lives left, Akbar.
- Come on. Come on.
Nice. - Try to get it locked in.
Another big transfer.
You can see Karsten, though, 6'1", 170.
That mass is gonna be a challenge
as he then has to support himself on the Cubes next.
Good launch.
[cheers and applause]
He is looking strong so far,
but as we just saw with Elijah Browning,
you can't take Cubes for granted.
- Nice, big spin.
Ooh, you'd like to get that in one fluid motion,
but that's OK. He's been at this before.
This ain't his first rodeo.
- Well, cats do not like to get splashed in a pool.
And the Big Cat's certainly hoping to avoid that fate here.
- Ooh, starting to-- - Getting extended.
- His arms are getting extended.
Oh, he's feeling it.
He's feeling it. - Big move here.
- Come on now. Ay-ay-ay!
- Got it! - Whew!
- Can he lock it? - Yow!
- One more move.
Does he have it left?
- Oh, he started-- watch that left hand.
- Yes! - Oh, my goodness.
- Karsten Williams...
Does it again.
Another qualifying buzzer.
- Just like that.
That's what I'm talking about.
[cheers and applause]
- You know what time it is.
Time for the Big Cat, baby.
Hey, thank you all. Thank you.
I love y'all.
Let's go.
- Big Cat, you've become one of the go-to coaches,
coaching some of the best young ninjas
in this entire competition.
But how does it feel at 44 to remind them
you're still the Big Cat,
getting another buzzer yourself?
- Man, it feels amazing, man.
I tip my hat off to the next generation coming up.
I just got to keep leading the way,
man, so I can give them something
to aspire to and take this sport to the next level, man.
I'm all about it, baby. - There you go.
- Gotta push it forward.
- Well, that was your 12th buzzer.
Hit it one more time and go celebrate with your mama.
Well, he's happy.
And mama Linda's ecstatic.
- Yeah, well, Karsten Williams, the Big Cat,
he ate on that one.
- Not only did Karsten finish,
he's got the third fastest
time so far.
We've had ten finishers
already with a lot
of top Ninjas still to come.
Remember, only those
in the top 20 at the end
of the night will move on.
Elijah Browning still has
a good chance to make the cut.
Coming up...
- Here you go.
- She was an all-Big Ten gymnast at Michigan State.
- Yeah!
- Now, Gabi Stephen has flipped for Ninja.
Her rookie run is next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Central Region qualifying rolls on here in Vegas.
Moments ago, photographer Josh Ferguson
got off to a start that was anything but picture perfect.
- Oh, that was a hard fall. But he's up.
- The father of three had been taken out by balance obstacles
his past two seasons,
so he was looking for redemption tonight.
- Nice. He got it.
- Ferguson put together his best run ever,
reaching the fifth obstacle.
- No, ah! [air horn blares]
- Now, he'll have to wait and see
if this time was fast enough to keep him in the top 20.
Texas high schooler Meredith Kim
is nicknamed Merica because she
was born on the 4th of July.
- That's a pretty cool nickname.
- In her "Ninja" debut, the teenager from Houston
knocked down obstacle after obstacle,
putting together one of the best runs
ever for a female rookie reaching the Warped Wall.
- Just like the flag, Merica's got star
written all over her.
- Her fingers reach the top on the first...
- Ooh!
- The second... - Ooh!
- And the third attempt at the Warped Wall.
- Here it is. Here it is.
Oh!
- She came up just short of a buzzer,
but she's assured of having a spot
in next week's Regional Finals.
And here comes another exciting female rookie.
This is record-setting college gymnast Gabi Stephen.
- OK with the superhero pose!
We got to give that a ten. - No doubt about it.
- That's a ten. There she is.
- Well done. - OK, Gabi.
- Well, she's had some perfect tens in her college career,
but now, this former Michigan State Spartan
is ready to become a ninja.
- I grew up being very athletic,
kind of dabbled in everything, did cheerleading,
soccer, track, and gymnastics.
- Get it. Yeah!
- For gymnastics, I got recruited by Michigan State.
- There you go!
[cheers and applause]
- Starting from my freshman year,
I was first team all-Big Ten four years in a row.
And in my senior year, we won the Big Ten Tournament
for the first time at home.
"American Ninja Warrior" is something
I've grown up watching.
And it was one of those things that I was like, hey,
I want to do that one day.
Just because of my gymnastics background,
I knew that was something I could kind of pick up.
I've only been doing it for a couple of months,
but it's something I'm really excited about.
I broke records as a Spartan,
and now, I want to show that I can break records as a ninja.
I'm hoping for a perfect ten tonight on the course.
Ah!
- Gabi's got a lot of her former teammates
watching back at Michigan State,
and her parents and other friends
here on the sideline.
- Let's go! - Let's go, Gabi!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, Matt, this all-American is about to be
an American ninja warrior.
- Fluid through the Shrinking Steps.
[cheers and applause]
Real smooth start, Akbar.
- All right, here we go.
She's an all-around athlete. - Dismount.
Oh. - Oh! Oh, my goodness.
- Oh! - No!
- Wow.
- That's a back breaker, wow.
- But the gymnast is still smiling.
- Oh, boy, let's see that one again.
Gabi started her run with an impressive front flip
but ended it with an unplanned backflip.
Just didn't quite get her body over the wall,
and she went tumbling back into the water.
- Just crashed.
It was so fun, though. [laughs]
- Well, it's our final night
of our friendly bets
on who we think will be the night's fastest.
Minutes ago, Zuri's choice, Elijah Browning,
fell on the Cubes.
Now someone nobody picked,
former "Ninja Junior" champ Nathanael Honvou,
he's got the current top time.
And right now it's time for Akbar's pick,
Jay "Lache" Lewis.
And, big man, your guy is gonna need to come up
big here if you want to catch me
in this season-long competition.
Jay Lache is gonna have to go fast.
- I got lots of confidence in him.
He was in the final eight last year
and has never failed to finish a qualifying course.
- Jay's gonna try and match his girlfriend, Maggie Owen,
who hit a buzzer earlier.
[countdown clock beeping]
- He has been so consistent.
He's climbed Stage 4.
Last year, he was perfect in races
until he lost in the quarterfinals to Isaiah Thomas.
Loves to go fast.
But very smart too.
- We should call him Jay "Fast" Lewis.
Jay Lache, Jay Fast, Jay Ninja.
- Well, let's see, Tilt-A-Whirl has been
slowing down a lot of ninjas.
Couple extra swings, but locks it into place.
- It does tend to slow down some of the faster ninjas.
But you can see, Jay Lache's still surgically working it
through Tilt-A-Whirl.
- Good power.
- Akbar, you know how to pick them.
I'll give you that.
Looks like he's gonna get his
sixth straight qualifying buzzer.
- Yeah, he's moving fast, Matt.
He's just got to lock in these cubes.
- There it is.
He's just so consistent.
Still got 15 seconds, Akbar.
- Get it, get it, get it, get it.
- Jay Lache! - Get it, get it.
- The perfection continues.
- I tell you, that's my boy right there.
Yeah!
[cheers and applause]
- The fastest time by 15 seconds.
- Great pick, Akbar.
- Matt, Zuri, and I, we were going back and forth.
They were like, who do you think's going
to have the fastest time?
I said, my boy, Jay Lache, he's gonna have
the fastest time. And you know what?
You delivered, man.
- I appreciate it.
I'm happy you had faith.
- Another impressive performance.
Did you feel any pressure after your girlfriend, Maggie Owen,
already got her own buzzer?
- Honestly, it took all the pressure off
'cause I was so happy for her. So it was great.
I got to run carefree.
- You're a good dude. - Wow, it's carefree.
Let's see how carefree you feel
when you're trying to run up the Mega Wall for $10,000, Jay.
- That's right. - Head on down.
- Gotta get it one of these times.
- Jay tried the Mega Wall in season 14, Season 16,
and last year in season 17.
Came up short each time.
- Lean back. You got it.
Come on. - He's 5'4", Akbar.
If he gets up this 18 1/2-foot wall,
he will make history as the shortest ever to do it.
- Come on, Jay Lache.
Fly, baby, fly, fly, fly.
Oh!
Oh.
- Jay Lewis just can't get the Mega Wall.
- He's still fast. - But otherwise perfect.
- Yeah.
- Just ahead, she was the third woman
ever up the Warped Wall... - You go, girl!
- And our first Women's Champion.
- To be the best, you gotta beat the best.
- After five years away, Meagan Martin is back.
She's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Vegas, where two ninjas
from Tennessee took center stage moments ago.
First up was Murfreesboro's Hezekiah Reynolds.
- OK, Hezekiah.
- He's a parkour instructor
and showed off a few of his moves.
- Look at him just flipping around
I'm telling you.
- The rookie ran the course with confidence
and made every obstacle look easy.
- All right, let's go, Hezekiah.
Ooh!
- He made it all the way to the end,
becoming the 12th finisher so far tonight.
- Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
Teenager Hunter Ogden was already a hero
in his hometown, Churchill, Tennessee,
after he hit a buzzer last season.
- Yes, OK, Hunter!
- Tonight, the recent high school grad
took it to the next level.
- Hunter Ogden is running this course with authority.
- He absolutely crushed it...
- Wow!
- Flying through every obstacle with ease.
And he finished with the second fastest
time of the night so far.
- My goodness, that was fast.
- That earned him a shot at the Mega Wall.
- Here we go. Big up. Oh!
- Though he came up short, he's assured of
landing in the top five and getting a bye
in the first round of next week's Regional Finals.
Up next, it's a run this crowd's been waiting for.
Zuri's gonna tee it up.
- Guys, I am excited to say it.
Meagan Martin is back.
She is a true trailblazer in the sport.
She was the third woman ever to hit
a buzzer and our first Women's Champion.
After taking some time away to start a family,
Meagan's ready to return.
[upbeat music]
- So excited to be back.
All of a sudden, it had been five seasons
since I'd been on "American Ninja Warrior."
- I had a baby in December of 2023, my little Indiana.
- Oh, go, Indy!
He loves to be outside.
- Yay! You did it.
Yay.
- Meagan Martin is a world-class athlete.
Look at that vise-like grip.
- One day, I just turn on the TV,
and an old episode happened to be on.
And he was pointing at the TV going "Mama, Mama."
- You don't go in the water.
I'm excited and proud of myself to compete again.
- Meagan Martin delivers.
- Yeah, Mama! - [laughs]
Indy has seen me compete on television,
and now, I would like to have him
see me hit a buzzer in-person.
♪ ♪
- Meagan's mom is holding Indy on the sideline.
Lots of other ninjas there as well.
Her husband David watching from back home.
[countdown clock beeping]
- That ninja has changed a lot since she's been away.
Let's see if Meagan Martin still has it.
- Little gymnast twirl there.
Get ready to go for a ride here.
That rock climber's grip strength
should serve her in good stead on Greased Lightning.
- Here we go.
Nice, she still got it.
Oh! Oh, my goodness! - what a split.
- I hope she stretched. - Uh-oh.
- Ooh. - She's feeling that.
- Look at this again.
She just barely got one leg over the wall.
That was close.
- Now to shake off the rough landing
and get ready for Domino Effect.
She was a pole vaulter in college at Vanderbilt.
Needs to sprint here.
No problem.
[cheers and applause]
- That was gorgeous, Meagan.
- As a climber, we expect her to be
pretty comfortable on Tilt-A-Whirl.
[cheers and applause]
- Remember, she's a ten-time member of the U.S.
Rock Climbing National Team.
We know what she can do.
- And Meagan works as a TV commentator
for rock climbing events.
She won an Emmy for her work at the Olympics.
- Well, just a little calculation,
a little rusty. That's all right.
Oh, got it.
- Did you see her get that bar down and really absorb it,
make sure the bar was placed perfectly before
getting all the weight on it?
That was good technique.
- Yeah, usually, we'll talk about how long you hang
and how much that will wear you out.
For Meagan Martin, that doesn't apply.
[people shouting indistinctly]
- Well, this is a lot of extra swings, though, Akbar.
- Yeah, she's just trying to get that swing,
get that momentum back. Here it is. Big move.
Nice launch. - Got it.
- Oh, it's a little uneven.
It's a little uneven, though, Matt.
She's got to get out of there. She sees it.
- A little bit more.
- Come on! Come on!
Come on!
- And you can see it, Akbar, struggling to lock it in.
You're right.
That left side is on, but tenuously.
Got it!
- If she overcorrects too much, she could fall.
- Akbar, it's been over a minute on Tilt-A-Whirl.
But she is through.
[cheers and applause]
And she's made it to the fifth obstacle
but hasn't had a fast pace to this point.
So to move on, she really needs to get past the cubes.
What do her arms have left? - Here we go.
All right, big jump.
- Well, she is really demonstrating
that prodigious rock climbing fingertip strength.
Akbar, does it have a limit though?
- I don't care what kind of athlete you are,
rust does set in if you haven't been at it
competing in front of a live crowd in a long time.
- Come on! There you go!
- It hasn't been easy, but Meagan Martin
is still battling.
- Well, Meagan you see her smiling so often,
but she's a ferocious competitor.
- Yes, she is.
- And she wants this buzzer.
- Oh, she's got this.
She's a world-class rock climber.
- Come on.
- Oh! - Oh, my!
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.
- Well, it's been five years.
- And you deserve to be tired.
Five years away and comes out of retirement
and is already at the Warped Wall.
Can you imagine?
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- We always expect big things when she's on the course.
- There she is. Go get it.
All right, little slippery.
We know she knows how to do it.
She's hit four qualifying buzzers before.
- You're good. - You're good.
- Chest up, Meagan.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall!
- First got up the wall back in season 6.
- Come on, Meagan. - Come on, Meagan.
- Oh, oh.
Matt, you know, I wonder if that rough landing
she made on Greased Lightning is having an effect.
That really stretched out her hamstrings.
- Final attempt, 14 1/2 feet away from
Meagan Martin and one more buzzer.
- Get it, get it, get it.
Ah! That's all right.
Hey, that's all right.
- Doesn't get a buzzer but does make it
to the sixth obstacle in her return.
And Indy's mom is moving on to next week's Regional Finals.
- Ladies and gentlemen, Meagan Martin.
- We love it.
[cheers and applause]
- Coming up, his brother Phil
put up the top time last week.
Can Sam Folsom do the same tonight?
He's my pick to be the night's fastest,
and he's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Next week, it's the last of our Regional Finals episodes.
We'll be going head to head to head
on our three lane race course, the Tripleheader.
If it's like our previous Regional Finals,
it's gonna be wild... - Oh!
- With lots of upsets. - Where did he come from?
- You don't want to miss it.
Well, minutes ago, one of tonight's final athletes,
Evan White, hit the course.
- Go get that cheese, baby.
- The teenager from Wisconsin is known
for his love of cheddar and his massive forearms.
And he put together an impressive run.
- Wow! - Yeah!
- Last year as a rookie, he hit four buzzers
and followed that up tonight with the third fastest finish
so far. - He's going.
He's flying.
[cheers and applause]
- Mega Wall!
- That earned him a shot at the Mega Wall.
- Ooh!
- And though he couldn't cash in,
he'll have a bye in the first round
of next week's Regional Finals.
- All right, Akbar, well, your pick to be the fastest
is currently in the top spot. - That's right.
- That's Jay Lache.
Zuri, Your choice, Elijah Browning,
didn't make it to the buzzer.
And it all comes down to this.
My pick Sam Folsom,
and I'm expecting this guy
to put on a firestorm of speed.
He's racked up seven buzzers in the past two seasons.
And he and his wife Isabella won
our most recent Couples Championship.
- Let's go! - There's Isabella.
She got a buzzer last week, as did his brother Phil,
who was fastest that night.
A lot riding on this final run.
If Sam can beat Jay Lewis's time,
he'll make me the outright winner of
our season-long competition.
[countdown clock beeping]
Sam made it to the final eight in last year's finals.
- Oh, he's going. He's pushing it now.
Push it real good.
Just a little bit of salt and pepper on it.
- Jay Lache is on the side watching.
- Oh, my goodness. - Whoa.
- Can his time of a minute and two seconds hold up?
Real smooth, just efficient here.
- Matt, it looks like you've got
your money on the right guy.
- I mean, let's see.
I don't wanna jinx it, Zuri.
- Well, we're in Vegas.
If you're gonna put your money on somebody,
I see you, Matt.
- Sam Folsom, let's see him on the Cubes.
Well, he has been flying through the course.
- Well, he figured that cube out pretty quickly.
All right, here we go.
This one should probably give him some problems.
Man, oh, OK. - Locked right in.
- Oh, he fixed that one real good.
- 5'9", 154.
- Whoo! - The final move.
Can he get this dismount?
He has a chance to go sub 1 minute.
- Wow, slow down, slow down.
Slow down. - Here it is.
- Wow! - And he does it.
My man! - Wow.
OK, Matt. - Quite the pick, Matt.
Well done. - Whew.
[cheers and applause]
- Sam, you were my pick to go fastest of the night.
You delivered.
Not only did you have the fastest time of the night,
you were the first to go sub 1 minute...
- Whoo!
- 56.15 seconds, and that means you get a shot at $10,000.
- Let's run it back right this time.
- Has tried to the Mega Wall twice before.
Came up short both times.
No one's taken down the Mega Wall so far.
This could be our first qualifying night
this season without someone getting the $10K.
- All right, let's see what Sam's got here.
- For $10,000.
- Come on, Sam.
- Oh! - Ooh, wow.
- A little stumble, but Sam Folsom
still comes away with the fastest time of the night
and earns me my third win.
I know how to pick 'em.
I take the crown for this season.
Thank you, Sam.
He and I looking real good at the end of this competition.
- Oh, OK, all right.
- Yes, you are. Thanks for reminding us.
- Slow it down.
- Sam Folsom and the others
in the top five will get
a bye in the first round of
next week's Regional Finals.
We had 15 finishers in all,
including three women,
tops among them was
Anabella Heinrichs.
The others were KK Andrews
and Maggie Owen.
Both got their first
buzzers tonight.
Non-finishers moving on
include Meagan Martin,
Elijah Browning,
and YouTube star Aydon Holley.
- Well, that wraps up our qualifying round.
Next week, we're going back to the Tripleheader.
- Ooh! We bringing the heat.
- For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."