1 00:00:05,672 --> 00:00:07,808 - The best ninjas from the middle of the country 2 00:00:07,908 --> 00:00:09,743 are about to battle it out. 3 00:00:09,843 --> 00:00:13,914 Its regional finals night on "American Ninja Warrior." 4 00:00:14,014 --> 00:00:15,382 Hello and welcome to Las Vegas. 5 00:00:15,482 --> 00:00:16,383 I'm Matt Iseman. 6 00:00:16,483 --> 00:00:18,018 - And Akbar Gbajabiamila. 7 00:00:18,118 --> 00:00:21,288 Matt, it's the last stop before the national finals. 8 00:00:21,388 --> 00:00:23,524 - The action starts with round one, 9 00:00:23,624 --> 00:00:25,826 where ninjas who made it past qualifying 10 00:00:25,926 --> 00:00:29,530 have to sprint through our modified six-obstacle course. 11 00:00:29,630 --> 00:00:31,598 - For more, let's go down to Zuri Hall. 12 00:00:31,698 --> 00:00:34,301 - Guys, just hitting a buzzer on this round one course 13 00:00:34,401 --> 00:00:36,103 may not be enough to move on. 14 00:00:36,203 --> 00:00:38,171 They're gonna have to finish fast. 15 00:00:38,272 --> 00:00:40,274 The ninjas will be facing two obstacles 16 00:00:40,374 --> 00:00:42,409 that they didn't see in qualifying. 17 00:00:42,509 --> 00:00:44,478 Diamond Dash is now the balance obstacle. 18 00:00:44,578 --> 00:00:46,413 both: Oh! 19 00:00:46,513 --> 00:00:49,116 - And Kaleidoscope is now in the fifth position. 20 00:00:49,216 --> 00:00:50,617 both: Oh! 21 00:00:50,717 --> 00:00:51,752 - Oh, my goodness. 22 00:00:51,852 --> 00:00:54,054 - The top 14 men and top 6 women 23 00:00:54,154 --> 00:00:55,822 will move on to round two, 24 00:00:55,923 --> 00:00:57,624 where they'll join the 10 athletes 25 00:00:57,724 --> 00:01:01,028 that went so fast in qualifying, they earned a bye 26 00:01:01,128 --> 00:01:02,963 and get to skip this round. 27 00:01:03,063 --> 00:01:05,866 Round two is when we go head to head to head 28 00:01:05,966 --> 00:01:09,937 on our three-lane racecourse, the Tripleheader. 29 00:01:10,037 --> 00:01:13,206 Last time we were here, it gave us some shocking upsets 30 00:01:13,307 --> 00:01:16,777 and nail-biting races. 31 00:01:16,877 --> 00:01:18,679 - We're gonna start with a content creator 32 00:01:18,779 --> 00:01:21,181 with a big following on social media. 33 00:01:21,281 --> 00:01:23,483 This is Aydon Holley, who's recording 34 00:01:23,584 --> 00:01:25,085 right now for his fans. 35 00:01:25,185 --> 00:01:30,657 And he showed in qualifying he's got some serious moves. 36 00:01:30,757 --> 00:01:33,894 Aydon Holley, over 15 million followers 37 00:01:33,994 --> 00:01:35,095 across platforms. 38 00:01:35,195 --> 00:01:37,197 Gonna pick up a few more tonight. 39 00:01:37,297 --> 00:01:38,732 - Hey, guys. 40 00:01:38,832 --> 00:01:40,133 If you didn't see, I actually just competed 41 00:01:40,233 --> 00:01:43,537 on "American Ninja Warrior" for the first time. 42 00:01:43,637 --> 00:01:46,306 My main goal was not to embarrass myself. 43 00:01:46,406 --> 00:01:47,674 - He took the bar with him. 44 00:01:47,774 --> 00:01:50,644 - And I made it all the way to the fifth obstacle, 45 00:01:50,744 --> 00:01:51,845 one away from the buzzer. 46 00:01:51,945 --> 00:01:54,648 [cheers and applause] 47 00:01:54,748 --> 00:01:56,950 - Oh! 48 00:01:57,050 --> 00:01:58,251 - Such an amazing experience, and I guess 49 00:01:58,352 --> 00:01:59,486 you could say I'm hooked. 50 00:01:59,586 --> 00:02:01,622 Because I'm coming back, and I'm trying again. 51 00:02:01,722 --> 00:02:03,724 [upbeat rock music] 52 00:02:03,824 --> 00:02:05,892 I'm an athletic guy. I do parkour. 53 00:02:05,993 --> 00:02:08,261 I do these crazy flips and these crazy stunts. 54 00:02:08,362 --> 00:02:11,198 Maybe there is a future for me running obstacle courses. 55 00:02:11,298 --> 00:02:13,567 Be on the lookout for your boy, and thank 56 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:14,801 you all for the support. 57 00:02:14,901 --> 00:02:16,636 You already know I'm doing this for you guys. 58 00:02:16,737 --> 00:02:19,806 I love you, and I'm gonna hit a buzzer next time. 59 00:02:19,906 --> 00:02:21,274 - Hey, there we go. 60 00:02:26,213 --> 00:02:29,282 - He's gonna hand off the phone to his fiancée, Riley, 61 00:02:29,383 --> 00:02:31,585 so she can record his run from the sideline. 62 00:02:31,685 --> 00:02:33,253 - Come on, Aydon. 63 00:02:33,353 --> 00:02:35,055 - Come on, you got this. 64 00:02:35,155 --> 00:02:36,857 - Well, everyone was flipping out 65 00:02:36,957 --> 00:02:38,792 from Aydon Holley's first run. 66 00:02:38,892 --> 00:02:40,293 With little Ninja training, 67 00:02:40,394 --> 00:02:41,828 he made it to the fifth obstacle. 68 00:02:41,928 --> 00:02:43,296 6'1". 69 00:02:43,397 --> 00:02:46,566 - If he's gonna post this run, he wants to look good. 70 00:02:46,666 --> 00:02:47,868 Oh, what the-- 71 00:02:47,968 --> 00:02:48,902 [air horn blares] 72 00:02:49,002 --> 00:02:50,937 Oh, no! 73 00:02:53,106 --> 00:02:57,344 - Well, he does love to flip, Akbar. 74 00:02:57,444 --> 00:02:59,212 - He made it through both drops, 75 00:02:59,312 --> 00:03:04,518 but he didn't let go in time and went tumbling backwards. 76 00:03:04,618 --> 00:03:06,853 Take a look-- right here on his video, 77 00:03:06,953 --> 00:03:10,724 his phone and his fiancée got splashed. 78 00:03:10,824 --> 00:03:12,859 - Well, I guess that's gonna go viral. 79 00:03:12,959 --> 00:03:13,960 Yeah, that was embarrassing. 80 00:03:14,061 --> 00:03:15,962 There's always next time, though. 81 00:03:16,063 --> 00:03:18,465 - Rolling up to the start line with a miniature RV 82 00:03:18,565 --> 00:03:20,634 is Utah's Anna McArthur. 83 00:03:20,734 --> 00:03:22,636 This college student works at her family's 84 00:03:22,736 --> 00:03:24,905 RV park in St. George, 85 00:03:25,005 --> 00:03:27,407 and after four years of competing on "Ninja Warrior," 86 00:03:27,507 --> 00:03:28,975 she's become a bit of a celebrity 87 00:03:29,076 --> 00:03:30,444 around the campground. 88 00:03:30,544 --> 00:03:32,612 [horn honks] 89 00:03:32,712 --> 00:03:34,147 - Temple View RV, this is Anna. 90 00:03:34,247 --> 00:03:35,282 How can I help you? 91 00:03:35,382 --> 00:03:36,950 So I'm still working at the RV park. 92 00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:38,085 [bell dings] 93 00:03:38,185 --> 00:03:39,753 Hi. 94 00:03:39,853 --> 00:03:41,855 Every single day, more and more people come in asking, 95 00:03:41,955 --> 00:03:44,024 where's the ninja at? 96 00:03:44,124 --> 00:03:45,692 It actually blows my mind how many 97 00:03:45,792 --> 00:03:47,594 people come in asking that. 98 00:03:47,694 --> 00:03:49,529 Lots of people tell me that it seems like I'm having 99 00:03:49,629 --> 00:03:51,098 fun out there on the course. 100 00:03:51,198 --> 00:03:52,499 It's because I am. 101 00:03:52,599 --> 00:03:54,334 Who wouldn't have fun out there? 102 00:03:54,434 --> 00:03:55,635 - And look at that smile. 103 00:03:55,736 --> 00:03:57,971 She is living her dream. 104 00:03:58,071 --> 00:04:00,373 - Getting a buzzer has been a dream for a long time. 105 00:04:00,474 --> 00:04:01,508 - Ooh! 106 00:04:01,608 --> 00:04:03,009 both: No! 107 00:04:03,110 --> 00:04:04,478 - No! 108 00:04:04,578 --> 00:04:07,948 - I've fallen on the fifth obstacle five straight times. 109 00:04:08,048 --> 00:04:09,449 - And it happened again! 110 00:04:09,549 --> 00:04:10,650 - It's my nemesis. 111 00:04:10,750 --> 00:04:11,752 - And nice lache. 112 00:04:11,852 --> 00:04:13,186 - No! - Oh! 113 00:04:13,286 --> 00:04:15,388 - Tonight, that obstacle is going down. 114 00:04:17,257 --> 00:04:18,625 [horn honks] 115 00:04:18,725 --> 00:04:21,094 - A big group of supporters here from Utah, 116 00:04:21,194 --> 00:04:23,396 including her parents and sisters. 117 00:04:23,497 --> 00:04:24,731 [cheers and applause] 118 00:04:24,831 --> 00:04:28,168 [countdown clock beeping] 119 00:04:28,268 --> 00:04:30,570 Well, Anna McArthur has been on four 120 00:04:30,670 --> 00:04:32,539 seasons of "Ninja Warrior." 121 00:04:32,639 --> 00:04:35,408 All four seasons, she's advanced out of qualifying. 122 00:04:35,509 --> 00:04:37,577 She's even made it to the national finals. 123 00:04:37,677 --> 00:04:39,079 But if she wants to move on, 124 00:04:39,179 --> 00:04:41,715 she's probably gonna need to hit her first buzzer tonight. 125 00:04:41,815 --> 00:04:44,317 [cheers and applause] 126 00:04:44,417 --> 00:04:45,786 Only 5 feet tall. 127 00:04:45,886 --> 00:04:48,822 Needs big strides for Diamond Dash. 128 00:04:48,922 --> 00:04:50,357 But she gets through. 129 00:04:50,457 --> 00:04:53,660 - And there's that enthusiasm she brings to her runs. 130 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:55,962 Back in qualifying, she got a little hung up 131 00:04:56,062 --> 00:04:57,697 here on Tilt-A-Whirl. 132 00:04:57,798 --> 00:04:58,832 Rematch. 133 00:05:01,902 --> 00:05:04,004 - Well, with her size, really has to work 134 00:05:04,104 --> 00:05:06,072 to turn these panels around. 135 00:05:07,274 --> 00:05:09,276 It's gonna be so important in these runs 136 00:05:09,376 --> 00:05:10,810 tonight to go fast. 137 00:05:10,911 --> 00:05:12,979 And this obstacle can eat up a lot of time 138 00:05:13,079 --> 00:05:14,714 if you're not efficient. 139 00:05:14,814 --> 00:05:16,183 - Nice! 140 00:05:18,618 --> 00:05:20,854 Well, using that lower body. 141 00:05:20,954 --> 00:05:22,455 Kind of little twist. 142 00:05:22,556 --> 00:05:24,291 All right, watch out. 143 00:05:24,391 --> 00:05:26,092 There's a short side of the stick there. 144 00:05:26,193 --> 00:05:28,094 Be careful. 145 00:05:28,195 --> 00:05:29,162 - Gets through! 146 00:05:29,262 --> 00:05:32,065 [cheers and applause] 147 00:05:34,734 --> 00:05:37,170 - Oh, she's got this crowd excited. 148 00:05:37,270 --> 00:05:38,972 - But this is the part of the course 149 00:05:39,072 --> 00:05:40,740 where she's had problems. 150 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:42,709 Went out on the fifth obstacle in qualifying. 151 00:05:42,809 --> 00:05:44,044 It was the cubes. 152 00:05:44,144 --> 00:05:48,481 Now facing Kaleidoscope, with a similar grip test. 153 00:05:48,582 --> 00:05:49,816 She's a hard worker. 154 00:05:49,916 --> 00:05:52,752 That's what we keep hearing about Anna McArthur. 155 00:05:52,852 --> 00:05:54,521 Perfect GPA. 156 00:05:54,621 --> 00:05:56,389 She crushes life. 157 00:05:58,091 --> 00:06:01,027 - Be amazing to see her get her first buzzer. 158 00:06:01,127 --> 00:06:02,996 She started from the bottom, now she's here. 159 00:06:03,096 --> 00:06:06,466 - Well, we just see this hunger and this steady progress. 160 00:06:06,566 --> 00:06:08,535 And the real thing that's grown, 161 00:06:08,635 --> 00:06:10,537 I'm just seeing a much more confident 162 00:06:10,637 --> 00:06:12,138 Anna McArthur out here. 163 00:06:12,239 --> 00:06:13,540 - You can do it. - You got this. 164 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:15,175 - You can do it. 165 00:06:15,275 --> 00:06:16,776 [cheers and applause] 166 00:06:16,876 --> 00:06:17,911 - She's so poised. 167 00:06:18,011 --> 00:06:19,412 Just look at her. 168 00:06:19,512 --> 00:06:21,214 - And she's gonna get through the fifth obstacle 169 00:06:21,314 --> 00:06:23,450 for the first time. 170 00:06:23,550 --> 00:06:25,919 Anna McArthur can barely believe it. 171 00:06:26,019 --> 00:06:28,154 - She couldn't-- let it out, man. 172 00:06:29,923 --> 00:06:32,292 - Her first time facing the Warped Wall. 173 00:06:32,392 --> 00:06:33,860 Hey, Anna! - Okay. 174 00:06:35,262 --> 00:06:36,663 - Her sister's in tears. 175 00:06:36,763 --> 00:06:37,697 It's so great. 176 00:06:37,797 --> 00:06:39,599 But this, this is the frosting, 177 00:06:39,699 --> 00:06:43,503 the bow, the cherry on the sundae, getting that buzzer. 178 00:06:43,603 --> 00:06:46,373 - Only 5 feet tall, this ain't no gimme. 179 00:06:46,473 --> 00:06:47,774 Get it all the way to the top. 180 00:06:47,874 --> 00:06:50,210 There you go! - And she's got it! 181 00:06:50,310 --> 00:06:52,579 [buzzer blares] 182 00:06:52,679 --> 00:06:55,582 [cheers and applause] 183 00:06:55,682 --> 00:06:58,585 [upbeat music] 184 00:06:58,685 --> 00:07:04,357 ♪ ♪ 185 00:07:04,457 --> 00:07:06,059 - Your sister's crying. 186 00:07:06,159 --> 00:07:07,060 You're crying. 187 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:08,395 We're crying. 188 00:07:08,495 --> 00:07:09,963 Oh, man. 189 00:07:10,063 --> 00:07:13,099 There was a lot of emotion when you completed Kaleidoscope. 190 00:07:13,199 --> 00:07:14,567 What was going through your mind? 191 00:07:14,668 --> 00:07:16,703 - I was just holding on for dear life at that point. 192 00:07:16,803 --> 00:07:18,972 I was like, oh, my gosh, I caught it. 193 00:07:19,072 --> 00:07:19,973 - Oh, my goodness. 194 00:07:20,073 --> 00:07:21,041 - It's just amazing, Anna. 195 00:07:21,141 --> 00:07:22,509 We know how hard you've worked, 196 00:07:22,609 --> 00:07:25,478 not just here, but back at the RV park, back in school. 197 00:07:25,578 --> 00:07:27,013 You're crushing it. 198 00:07:27,113 --> 00:07:29,049 We know there are probably some fans back in Utah watching. 199 00:07:29,149 --> 00:07:31,051 What do you wanna tell those people who stayed up 200 00:07:31,151 --> 00:07:32,719 late at night to watch you? 201 00:07:32,819 --> 00:07:33,720 - Thank you for your support. 202 00:07:33,820 --> 00:07:34,721 I love you all. 203 00:07:34,821 --> 00:07:35,722 - Oh, man. 204 00:07:35,822 --> 00:07:36,723 - Well, hit that buzzer, Anna. 205 00:07:36,823 --> 00:07:38,458 Go celebrate with your family. 206 00:07:38,558 --> 00:07:40,327 [buzzer blares] 207 00:07:42,228 --> 00:07:45,332 Anna McArthur setting the bar high for the women. 208 00:07:45,432 --> 00:07:49,202 It's gonna be a race to the buzzer all night long. 209 00:07:49,302 --> 00:07:51,571 - Oh, my God. 210 00:07:51,671 --> 00:07:55,175 - Tonight, we've got an all-star group with "Ninja" 211 00:07:55,275 --> 00:07:58,311 legends and top competitors, all fighting 212 00:07:58,411 --> 00:07:59,980 to keep their season alive. 213 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:01,915 - Oh! [air horn blares] 214 00:08:02,015 --> 00:08:05,452 - First, we're pushing the speed limit in round one. 215 00:08:05,552 --> 00:08:07,287 - My goodness! 216 00:08:07,387 --> 00:08:09,990 - If they survive, they'll move on to round two, 217 00:08:10,090 --> 00:08:12,892 where they'll face the three-lane race course, 218 00:08:12,992 --> 00:08:14,627 the Tripleheader. 219 00:08:14,728 --> 00:08:16,229 - Wow. [buzzer blares] 220 00:08:16,329 --> 00:08:18,231 - It's three times the excitement. 221 00:08:18,331 --> 00:08:22,635 And it's all coming up on "American Ninja Warrior." 222 00:08:22,736 --> 00:08:24,204 - Let's go, baby. 223 00:08:28,675 --> 00:08:30,810 - Welcome back to Vegas, where ninjas from our Central region 224 00:08:30,910 --> 00:08:33,880 are racing to keep their season alive. 225 00:08:33,980 --> 00:08:36,916 Illinois doctor Steven Bachta did a quick checkup 226 00:08:37,016 --> 00:08:38,118 before his run. 227 00:08:38,218 --> 00:08:39,753 - Check yo-self before you wreck yo-self. 228 00:08:39,853 --> 00:08:42,856 - The doctor had his family and friends watching back home 229 00:08:42,956 --> 00:08:44,724 as he hit the course, knowing he'd 230 00:08:44,824 --> 00:08:46,726 need a fast finish to move on. 231 00:08:46,826 --> 00:08:48,995 - But if he rushes, he could make a critical mistake. 232 00:08:49,095 --> 00:08:50,930 - The four-time "Ninja" veteran hit a buzzer 233 00:08:51,030 --> 00:08:53,066 in qualifying, but not tonight. 234 00:08:53,166 --> 00:08:55,301 - No! [air horn blares] 235 00:08:55,402 --> 00:08:58,238 Ooh, that hit was board-certified. 236 00:08:59,773 --> 00:09:01,574 - Still alive. 237 00:09:01,674 --> 00:09:04,544 - With only six women moving on from round one, 238 00:09:04,644 --> 00:09:07,380 Florida's Emma Pereyra knew needed a strong run 239 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:09,115 to keep her season alive. 240 00:09:09,215 --> 00:09:10,884 - And that's why she's gotta just run with it 241 00:09:10,984 --> 00:09:12,652 and flow with it. 242 00:09:12,752 --> 00:09:14,354 - The four-time "Ninja" veteran has never made it past 243 00:09:14,454 --> 00:09:16,056 the fifth obstacle. 244 00:09:16,156 --> 00:09:17,390 - I can tell she wants it badly. 245 00:09:17,490 --> 00:09:18,391 Get out of there. 246 00:09:18,491 --> 00:09:19,626 - But she did tonight. 247 00:09:19,726 --> 00:09:21,628 - Nice. 248 00:09:21,728 --> 00:09:23,296 Yes. 249 00:09:23,396 --> 00:09:25,198 - But at the Warped Wall, she came up short on the first... 250 00:09:25,298 --> 00:09:26,833 - Oh! - The second... 251 00:09:26,933 --> 00:09:27,834 - Keep your eyes up. 252 00:09:27,934 --> 00:09:28,868 Ooh! 253 00:09:28,968 --> 00:09:30,070 - And third attempt. 254 00:09:30,170 --> 00:09:31,838 - No! [air horn blares] 255 00:09:31,938 --> 00:09:34,207 - Now she'll have to wait and see if that's far enough, 256 00:09:34,307 --> 00:09:36,476 fast enough to move on. 257 00:09:36,576 --> 00:09:39,012 Aspiring pilot Nam Phan was hoping to land 258 00:09:39,112 --> 00:09:42,148 his spot in round two in his rookie season. 259 00:09:42,248 --> 00:09:43,783 And the college student from Missouri 260 00:09:43,883 --> 00:09:46,219 hit the afterburners early on his run. 261 00:09:46,319 --> 00:09:48,221 - He is aggressive right now. 262 00:09:48,321 --> 00:09:49,889 - Phan hit a buzzer in qualifying, 263 00:09:49,989 --> 00:09:53,626 and he followed that up with another wild run tonight. 264 00:09:53,726 --> 00:09:56,196 After missing his first attempt at the Warped Wall... 265 00:09:56,296 --> 00:09:57,630 - Oh! 266 00:09:57,730 --> 00:10:00,133 - He regrouped and made it on his next attempt. 267 00:10:00,233 --> 00:10:01,868 And his time should be fast enough to get 268 00:10:01,968 --> 00:10:04,237 him into the next round. 269 00:10:04,337 --> 00:10:06,039 - Catch your breath, homey. 270 00:10:07,607 --> 00:10:11,478 - Our next ninja was born on the 4th of July. 271 00:10:11,578 --> 00:10:14,848 This is energetic high school student Meredith Kim. 272 00:10:14,948 --> 00:10:18,485 She's from Texas, and she is all-American. 273 00:10:18,585 --> 00:10:20,220 [bright patriotic music] 274 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,589 - Hi, I'm Meredith Kim, a 16-year-old who loves 275 00:10:22,689 --> 00:10:25,091 the 4th of July, as I share the same birthday 276 00:10:25,191 --> 00:10:27,460 with this amazing country. 277 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:28,695 I've been doing "American Ninja Warrior" 278 00:10:28,795 --> 00:10:30,263 since I was ten years old. 279 00:10:31,965 --> 00:10:34,134 When I first started, everyone had a ninja name, 280 00:10:34,234 --> 00:10:36,736 and mine was Merica, which stands for Mer, 281 00:10:36,836 --> 00:10:40,206 which is my first name, and America. 282 00:10:40,306 --> 00:10:41,674 And I had it for "American Ninja Warrior Junior" 283 00:10:41,774 --> 00:10:43,009 season two. 284 00:10:43,109 --> 00:10:45,979 And so that's how my "Ninja" career started. 285 00:10:46,079 --> 00:10:47,347 - Block wall's intimidating. 286 00:10:47,447 --> 00:10:49,182 You just gotta run through it like a block party, 287 00:10:49,282 --> 00:10:51,751 and Meredith pulls away. 288 00:10:51,851 --> 00:10:52,752 [buzzer blares] - Wow. 289 00:10:52,852 --> 00:10:53,953 - She gets it. 290 00:10:54,053 --> 00:10:55,488 She's flossing. 291 00:10:55,588 --> 00:10:57,257 - This is my first season on the 292 00:10:57,357 --> 00:10:58,725 "American Ninja Warrior" course. 293 00:10:58,825 --> 00:11:01,594 - Her rookie campaign, and she's staring 294 00:11:01,694 --> 00:11:03,596 down the fifth obstacle. 295 00:11:03,696 --> 00:11:06,833 - Just like the flag, Merica's got star written all over her. 296 00:11:06,933 --> 00:11:08,868 Look at her. 297 00:11:08,968 --> 00:11:11,070 - Tonight, you should definitely expect fireworks 298 00:11:11,170 --> 00:11:13,106 because I'm Merica. 299 00:11:13,206 --> 00:11:16,743 I'm ready to light this course up like the 4th of July. 300 00:11:16,843 --> 00:11:20,280 - Meredith's founding father and mother will be leading 301 00:11:20,380 --> 00:11:22,482 the parade on her sideline. 302 00:11:22,582 --> 00:11:27,921 Akbar, this year, the 250th anniversary of our country. 303 00:11:28,021 --> 00:11:30,757 I think we could pull for a woman named Merica. 304 00:11:30,857 --> 00:11:32,492 - That's a pretty cool nickname. 305 00:11:32,592 --> 00:11:34,894 Meredith fell in love with "Ninja Warrior" 306 00:11:34,994 --> 00:11:35,962 at the age of nine. 307 00:11:36,062 --> 00:11:38,831 She begged her mom to give it a try. 308 00:11:40,900 --> 00:11:43,303 - She had an impressive debut in qualifying. 309 00:11:43,403 --> 00:11:46,206 Made it to the Warped Wall. 310 00:11:46,306 --> 00:11:48,474 Little stumble but stays alive. 311 00:11:48,575 --> 00:11:50,944 [cheers and applause] 312 00:11:52,779 --> 00:11:55,181 Jumps right into the switch grip there. 313 00:11:55,281 --> 00:11:57,550 Mature approach for this rookie. 314 00:11:57,650 --> 00:11:59,786 - Yeah, she's working the red, white, and blue. 315 00:11:59,886 --> 00:12:02,088 - Well, I was gonna say our teenage competitors, Akbar, 316 00:12:02,188 --> 00:12:04,190 what strikes me is their poise, their-- 317 00:12:04,290 --> 00:12:07,694 their maturity to be out here competing 318 00:12:07,794 --> 00:12:10,430 in front of crowds this size at their age. 319 00:12:10,530 --> 00:12:13,266 And you see tremendous problem-solving and confidence 320 00:12:13,366 --> 00:12:15,001 here out of Meredith Kim. 321 00:12:15,101 --> 00:12:16,736 - That's what you call a student athlete right here. 322 00:12:16,836 --> 00:12:18,338 - Oh, my gosh. 323 00:12:18,438 --> 00:12:20,473 - Student ninja, whatever you wanna call her. 324 00:12:23,509 --> 00:12:26,346 - But with this field of women, she's gonna need to speed up 325 00:12:26,446 --> 00:12:28,948 and probably get a buzzer to advance. 326 00:12:29,048 --> 00:12:30,183 But this is tough. 327 00:12:30,283 --> 00:12:32,518 She's hung up on that final Tilt-A-Whirl 328 00:12:32,619 --> 00:12:34,187 and just can't get it locked in. 329 00:12:34,287 --> 00:12:35,355 - Ooh. Okay, good. - There it is. 330 00:12:35,455 --> 00:12:36,889 - All right. 331 00:12:36,990 --> 00:12:39,225 You saw she had to do that little swing with her core 332 00:12:39,325 --> 00:12:41,260 just to get it turned around. 333 00:12:41,361 --> 00:12:42,629 Okay, Meredith. 334 00:12:42,729 --> 00:12:44,964 I see you. 335 00:12:45,064 --> 00:12:48,067 - But, Akbar, that really had to impact her grip strength. 336 00:12:48,167 --> 00:12:50,637 - And because Meredith Kim is a rookie, 337 00:12:50,737 --> 00:12:52,705 we don't have a large sample size of what 338 00:12:52,805 --> 00:12:54,474 her grip strength is like. 339 00:12:54,574 --> 00:12:56,409 So this is gonna be interesting watching 340 00:12:56,509 --> 00:12:58,177 her get through Kaleidoscope. 341 00:12:58,278 --> 00:12:59,746 - 5'4", 100 pounds. 342 00:12:59,846 --> 00:13:02,348 - And what we don't know about her skill set, 343 00:13:02,448 --> 00:13:05,051 we'll learn a lot about the type of athlete she is. 344 00:13:05,151 --> 00:13:07,053 Look at her, fighting through. 345 00:13:07,153 --> 00:13:08,187 Whoa! 346 00:13:08,288 --> 00:13:09,656 - No! [air horn blares] 347 00:13:09,756 --> 00:13:11,290 - Sha-na-na. 348 00:13:11,391 --> 00:13:12,825 - Makes it to the fifth obstacle, 349 00:13:12,925 --> 00:13:14,661 but now Meredith Kim will have to wait 350 00:13:14,761 --> 00:13:19,465 and see if that's far enough, fast enough to move on. 351 00:13:19,565 --> 00:13:22,602 Our next ninja's not your typical teenager. 352 00:13:22,702 --> 00:13:25,571 Weston Boswell has never eaten fast food 353 00:13:25,672 --> 00:13:27,440 or even had a PB&J. 354 00:13:27,540 --> 00:13:29,342 He has food allergies so extreme, 355 00:13:29,442 --> 00:13:32,712 it affects his everyday life. 356 00:13:32,812 --> 00:13:35,281 [gentle guitar music] 357 00:13:35,381 --> 00:13:37,884 [metal clanging] 358 00:13:39,285 --> 00:13:41,421 - I've been overcoming obstacles my whole life. 359 00:13:41,521 --> 00:13:43,856 When I was two years old, I was fed a cashew, 360 00:13:43,956 --> 00:13:45,758 then I went into anaphylactic shock. 361 00:13:45,858 --> 00:13:48,027 When I go into anaphylactic shock, my throat swells up 362 00:13:48,127 --> 00:13:49,896 and I can't breathe. 363 00:13:53,599 --> 00:13:57,437 I was tested for my allergies, and I had over 30. 364 00:13:57,537 --> 00:13:59,005 There's even trees on the farm I'm allergic to, 365 00:13:59,105 --> 00:14:00,940 like the pecan tree. 366 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:02,375 I have to carry three EpiPens just 367 00:14:02,475 --> 00:14:05,311 in case I go into anaphylaxis. 368 00:14:05,411 --> 00:14:06,813 If I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 369 00:14:06,913 --> 00:14:09,015 it could kill me. 370 00:14:09,115 --> 00:14:12,051 [upbeat music] 371 00:14:12,151 --> 00:14:13,820 I don't get to do what a lot of high schoolers do, 372 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,289 like go to prom and eat fast food. 373 00:14:16,389 --> 00:14:17,890 I don't go to birthday parties. 374 00:14:17,990 --> 00:14:19,258 I've never eaten at restaurants 375 00:14:19,358 --> 00:14:20,660 or attended family gatherings. 376 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:22,895 I make all my own food. 377 00:14:22,995 --> 00:14:25,364 My family bought an RV so we could travel, 378 00:14:25,465 --> 00:14:28,267 because hotels and planes are a little too risky. 379 00:14:28,368 --> 00:14:32,472 ♪ ♪ 380 00:14:32,572 --> 00:14:34,374 Ninja's pretty much the only thing I can do athletically. 381 00:14:34,474 --> 00:14:36,642 I'm able to compete because I'm very careful, 382 00:14:36,743 --> 00:14:38,044 never go to gyms. 383 00:14:38,144 --> 00:14:39,612 I train in backyard. 384 00:14:39,712 --> 00:14:41,114 I hope it spreads awareness how severe 385 00:14:41,214 --> 00:14:42,448 food allergies can be. 386 00:14:42,548 --> 00:14:44,317 And I can definitely run out there with the best. 387 00:14:47,053 --> 00:14:49,722 - Pretty amazing he's down here competing at all 388 00:14:49,822 --> 00:14:52,692 considering all the extra obstacles he faces. 389 00:14:52,792 --> 00:14:55,962 He and his family drove here from Texas in their RV. 390 00:14:56,062 --> 00:14:58,698 [countdown clock beeping] 391 00:14:58,798 --> 00:15:00,500 He can't just go to a Ninja gym. 392 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:02,435 Can only train in his backyard 393 00:15:02,535 --> 00:15:04,303 because of those severe allergies. 394 00:15:04,404 --> 00:15:08,074 - The tree nuts, eggs, soy, fish, legumes. 395 00:15:08,174 --> 00:15:12,345 - Well, he is out here as always with an EpiPen nearby. 396 00:15:12,445 --> 00:15:14,580 - But the one thing we know he's not allergic to, 397 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:16,115 he ain't allergic to Ninja. 398 00:15:16,215 --> 00:15:17,116 Whoa. 399 00:15:17,216 --> 00:15:19,519 - Real smooth. 400 00:15:19,619 --> 00:15:22,054 He had a fast time and a buzzer in qualifying. 401 00:15:22,155 --> 00:15:24,157 Got an even better pace tonight. 402 00:15:24,257 --> 00:15:25,691 - He is eating this course up. 403 00:15:25,792 --> 00:15:26,893 - Well, I'll tell you the other thing, 404 00:15:26,993 --> 00:15:28,995 though, he eats very healthy. 405 00:15:29,095 --> 00:15:30,863 There's no fast food in his diet. 406 00:15:30,963 --> 00:15:34,367 5'10", 155, and he is strong. 407 00:15:34,467 --> 00:15:36,569 He works in the construction business, 408 00:15:36,669 --> 00:15:39,839 gonna try to hammer his way through Kaleidoscope. 409 00:15:41,140 --> 00:15:42,375 No quit, Akbar. 410 00:15:42,475 --> 00:15:44,277 He's not gonna live life in a bubble. 411 00:15:44,377 --> 00:15:45,812 - Nice, big--ooh. - Wow. 412 00:15:45,912 --> 00:15:47,013 Nice link. 413 00:15:47,113 --> 00:15:48,448 - Yeah, he wanted to make sure he cut 414 00:15:48,548 --> 00:15:49,882 down some time with that one. 415 00:15:49,982 --> 00:15:51,884 - Akbar, this is so remarkable. 416 00:15:51,984 --> 00:15:55,955 Weston Boswell just attacking this course. 417 00:15:56,055 --> 00:15:58,558 And despite of all of the hurdles he faces, 418 00:15:58,658 --> 00:16:00,793 he's gonna put up the fastest time 419 00:16:00,893 --> 00:16:02,428 of the night so far. [buzzer blares] 420 00:16:02,528 --> 00:16:04,730 - Oh, wow! 421 00:16:04,831 --> 00:16:06,399 [cheers and applause] 422 00:16:06,499 --> 00:16:08,901 - Buddy, what a run. 423 00:16:09,001 --> 00:16:11,070 You have overcome so much dealing 424 00:16:11,170 --> 00:16:13,072 with your food allergies. 425 00:16:13,172 --> 00:16:14,674 How are you feeling out here, brother? 426 00:16:14,774 --> 00:16:16,142 How is it hitting another buzzer? 427 00:16:16,242 --> 00:16:17,276 - Amazing. 428 00:16:17,376 --> 00:16:18,311 I really appreciate it if I get a chance 429 00:16:18,411 --> 00:16:19,812 to race on the three lanes. 430 00:16:19,912 --> 00:16:22,181 - Well, Weston, we know you're allergic to a lot of things, 431 00:16:22,281 --> 00:16:24,150 but we are finding out clearly 432 00:16:24,250 --> 00:16:25,918 you are not allergic to buzzers. 433 00:16:26,018 --> 00:16:27,653 Hit it one more time and go celebrate, buddy. 434 00:16:27,753 --> 00:16:29,121 [buzzer blares] 435 00:16:29,222 --> 00:16:30,823 Still many runners to go, but I think 436 00:16:30,923 --> 00:16:33,226 we can safely say Weston Boswell 437 00:16:33,326 --> 00:16:35,728 will be racing on the Tripleheader. 438 00:16:35,828 --> 00:16:37,196 Coming up-- 439 00:16:37,296 --> 00:16:40,199 back in the day, Tyler Smith could cut down a course. 440 00:16:40,299 --> 00:16:41,634 - And he's got it. 441 00:16:41,734 --> 00:16:44,303 - Lately, he's been cutting down other things. 442 00:16:44,403 --> 00:16:47,206 Can the tree trimmer keep his comeback going? 443 00:16:47,306 --> 00:16:50,443 He's next on "American Ninja Warrior." 444 00:16:56,349 --> 00:16:58,084 - We first met them on "Ninja Junior," 445 00:16:58,184 --> 00:17:00,553 and moments ago, three young athletes stepped up 446 00:17:00,653 --> 00:17:02,622 to take on the big course. 447 00:17:02,722 --> 00:17:05,391 Maggie Owen knew she'd need to go fast 448 00:17:05,491 --> 00:17:06,826 and probably have to hit a buzzer 449 00:17:06,926 --> 00:17:08,327 if she wanted to move on. 450 00:17:08,427 --> 00:17:09,762 - All right, sprint time. 451 00:17:09,862 --> 00:17:11,998 - But in her six seasons, she'd only finished 452 00:17:12,098 --> 00:17:14,534 the course once, and that was last week. 453 00:17:14,634 --> 00:17:15,635 - Whoa. 454 00:17:15,735 --> 00:17:17,904 Got lucky on that one. 455 00:17:18,004 --> 00:17:21,073 - Despite a few stumbles, the college student from Chicago 456 00:17:21,173 --> 00:17:23,009 clawed her way to the Warped Wall. 457 00:17:23,109 --> 00:17:26,112 - What a season we're having on "Ninja Warrior." 458 00:17:26,212 --> 00:17:29,715 All these powerful and strong women. 459 00:17:29,815 --> 00:17:32,785 - Though only 5 feet tall, she made it to the top 460 00:17:32,885 --> 00:17:35,354 and became the second finisher among the women. 461 00:17:35,454 --> 00:17:37,857 - Let's go. 462 00:17:37,957 --> 00:17:39,792 - Dylan Yee's a talented cellist, 463 00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:42,662 and showed off his musical skills at the start line. 464 00:17:42,762 --> 00:17:45,665 [cello music] 465 00:17:45,765 --> 00:17:47,166 ♪ ♪ 466 00:17:47,266 --> 00:17:49,035 - Matt, this is impressive. 467 00:17:49,135 --> 00:17:51,504 - Then the Ohio high schooler showed off 468 00:17:51,604 --> 00:17:54,273 his Ninja skills, sprinting through the early part 469 00:17:54,373 --> 00:17:55,541 of the course. 470 00:17:55,641 --> 00:17:57,944 - Matt, he's already on the third obstacle. 471 00:17:58,044 --> 00:18:00,646 - Though only 5'3", the teenager 472 00:18:00,746 --> 00:18:02,615 made short work of the course, 473 00:18:02,715 --> 00:18:04,817 following up his buzzer in qualifying 474 00:18:04,917 --> 00:18:07,186 with another one tonight. 475 00:18:07,286 --> 00:18:08,621 [buzzer blares] 476 00:18:08,721 --> 00:18:10,656 - Let's go! 477 00:18:12,525 --> 00:18:15,962 - High school junior Ryan Cooper, AKA Ninja Coop, 478 00:18:16,062 --> 00:18:18,531 came out firing on all cylinders. 479 00:18:18,631 --> 00:18:20,733 - Well, Coop's got good speed. 480 00:18:20,833 --> 00:18:24,236 - The teenager didn't let his smaller frame slow him down. 481 00:18:24,337 --> 00:18:26,205 - 5'4", 105 pounds. 482 00:18:26,305 --> 00:18:28,574 He's moving that weight like it's nothing. 483 00:18:28,674 --> 00:18:31,811 - And he came up big in his second season of "ANW." 484 00:18:31,911 --> 00:18:33,779 [buzzer blares] 485 00:18:33,879 --> 00:18:35,581 - Let's go! 486 00:18:35,681 --> 00:18:38,918 - He's now assured of being in the top 14 for the men. 487 00:18:39,018 --> 00:18:40,987 He's moving on. 488 00:18:41,087 --> 00:18:43,756 Up next is another athlete who started on "Junior." 489 00:18:43,856 --> 00:18:46,792 It's Texas teenager Zuri Harrison, 490 00:18:46,892 --> 00:18:50,830 a high schooler who's having an impressive rookie season. 491 00:18:50,930 --> 00:18:53,199 When we first met Zuri on "Ninja Junior," 492 00:18:53,299 --> 00:18:55,501 her training partners were four-legged. 493 00:18:55,601 --> 00:18:56,936 - Go! 494 00:18:57,036 --> 00:18:58,804 - In the past few years, she's turned 495 00:18:58,904 --> 00:19:00,539 her focus to pole vaulting 496 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,476 and increased her Ninja training 497 00:19:03,576 --> 00:19:05,745 working with "Ninja" veterans Karsten Williams 498 00:19:05,845 --> 00:19:07,780 and Jonathan Bange. 499 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:08,914 [both shout] 500 00:19:09,015 --> 00:19:11,017 - They both have such a big impact 501 00:19:11,117 --> 00:19:13,352 on my journey with Ninja. 502 00:19:13,452 --> 00:19:14,787 - Ahh! [laughs] 503 00:19:14,887 --> 00:19:16,055 - Honestly, without them, I don't think I would 504 00:19:16,155 --> 00:19:18,357 be the person I am today. 505 00:19:18,457 --> 00:19:19,759 I really wanna hit a buzzer. 506 00:19:19,859 --> 00:19:22,762 I'd be so thankful to move on my rookie season. 507 00:19:22,862 --> 00:19:24,864 I would love that. 508 00:19:24,964 --> 00:19:26,298 [cheers and applause] 509 00:19:26,399 --> 00:19:27,466 - Yes, ma'am. 510 00:19:27,566 --> 00:19:29,335 - And her coaches are here tonight. 511 00:19:29,435 --> 00:19:32,038 Karsten will be running in just a few minutes. 512 00:19:32,138 --> 00:19:33,539 - Commit, commit. 513 00:19:33,639 --> 00:19:35,708 - And this Zuri is gonna have a special cheerleader, 514 00:19:35,808 --> 00:19:36,776 our Zuri. 515 00:19:36,876 --> 00:19:39,078 - Let's go, Z. 516 00:19:39,178 --> 00:19:42,715 [countdown clock beeping] 517 00:19:42,815 --> 00:19:44,850 - She reached the fifth obstacle in qualifying 518 00:19:44,950 --> 00:19:46,752 but probably needs to hit a buzzer 519 00:19:46,852 --> 00:19:48,621 if she wants to move on tonight. 520 00:19:48,721 --> 00:19:50,389 Needs to use her track skills. 521 00:19:50,489 --> 00:19:52,158 - Pole vaulters make such great ninjas, 522 00:19:52,258 --> 00:19:54,093 and we've seen that over the years. 523 00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:55,461 Nice. 524 00:19:55,561 --> 00:19:57,430 - Come on, Zuri. 525 00:19:57,530 --> 00:19:59,598 - Needs to sprint across Diamond Dash. 526 00:19:59,698 --> 00:20:00,833 - All right, come on, come on now. 527 00:20:00,933 --> 00:20:01,967 Whoa! No! 528 00:20:02,068 --> 00:20:05,471 Oh! [air horn blares] 529 00:20:05,571 --> 00:20:06,472 - That's all right. 530 00:20:06,572 --> 00:20:08,908 - Good job, Zuri. - Good job, Zuri. 531 00:20:09,008 --> 00:20:10,543 - All right, dude. 532 00:20:10,643 --> 00:20:12,645 - You wanna land in the center of the diamond, 533 00:20:12,745 --> 00:20:14,613 but she went too far forward. 534 00:20:14,714 --> 00:20:16,348 That caused her to trip, 535 00:20:16,449 --> 00:20:21,387 and she ended up doing a scorpion right into the pad. 536 00:20:21,487 --> 00:20:25,324 - An awkward fall, but she's still smiling. 537 00:20:25,424 --> 00:20:27,893 Well, now it's time to crank things up, 538 00:20:27,993 --> 00:20:30,830 because our next athlete is Tyler Smith, 539 00:20:30,930 --> 00:20:33,065 a tree trimmer from Des Moines, Iowa. 540 00:20:33,165 --> 00:20:35,134 Tyler is making a comeback this year. 541 00:20:35,234 --> 00:20:36,368 - Ninja! 542 00:20:36,469 --> 00:20:38,270 - He last competed in season 11. 543 00:20:40,606 --> 00:20:41,874 - Go, go, go, go. 544 00:20:41,974 --> 00:20:43,109 [buzzer blares] 545 00:20:43,209 --> 00:20:46,879 He's got something to prove here. 546 00:20:46,979 --> 00:20:48,681 And he's got it. [buzzer blares] 547 00:20:48,781 --> 00:20:50,216 - It's been seven years since I've been on. 548 00:20:50,316 --> 00:20:53,252 I made it to Stage 3 of the Las Vegas National Finals. 549 00:20:53,352 --> 00:20:56,188 - Wow, great progress out of Tyler Smith. 550 00:20:56,288 --> 00:20:57,523 - When I was on "Ninja Warrior" before, 551 00:20:57,623 --> 00:20:59,425 I was known as the Ninja Bug Man. 552 00:20:59,525 --> 00:21:02,762 I had done ten years of pest control. 553 00:21:02,862 --> 00:21:03,796 Pretty cool, huh? 554 00:21:03,896 --> 00:21:04,897 That's a big one. 555 00:21:04,997 --> 00:21:07,600 And then I started a new career. 556 00:21:07,700 --> 00:21:09,735 [chainsaw whirring] 557 00:21:09,835 --> 00:21:11,804 It's been about five years 558 00:21:11,904 --> 00:21:13,305 since I started doing tree work. 559 00:21:13,405 --> 00:21:15,474 It is an extremely physical job. 560 00:21:15,574 --> 00:21:18,110 There are days that I'm possibly 100 feet up 561 00:21:18,210 --> 00:21:20,079 in the air, climbing up and down 562 00:21:20,179 --> 00:21:21,947 and doing a lot of manual labor, 563 00:21:22,047 --> 00:21:23,682 so I get a lot of training in that way. 564 00:21:23,782 --> 00:21:25,484 - Okay, I'll go first. 565 00:21:25,584 --> 00:21:27,153 - At home, things are busy. 566 00:21:27,253 --> 00:21:28,888 I've got five kids. 567 00:21:28,988 --> 00:21:29,889 Oh! 568 00:21:29,989 --> 00:21:31,090 Did you wipe out? 569 00:21:31,190 --> 00:21:32,324 - Yeah. 570 00:21:32,424 --> 00:21:33,759 - Even though things can be crazy, 571 00:21:33,859 --> 00:21:36,629 I wouldn't trade it for the world. 572 00:21:36,729 --> 00:21:39,265 After climbing trees and wrestling 573 00:21:39,365 --> 00:21:41,433 a whole gang of kids, 574 00:21:41,534 --> 00:21:43,035 I feel pretty good about my chances, 575 00:21:43,135 --> 00:21:45,671 and I'm excited to get out there and test my skills. 576 00:21:49,842 --> 00:21:52,645 - Tyler's wife and five kids are part of a big group 577 00:21:52,745 --> 00:21:54,113 watching back in Des Moines. 578 00:21:54,213 --> 00:21:56,515 [all cheering] 579 00:21:56,615 --> 00:22:00,052 His cousin, Spencer Johnson, who runs later, 580 00:22:00,152 --> 00:22:02,321 is getting the Iowa ninjas revved up on the sideline. 581 00:22:02,421 --> 00:22:03,589 - Come on, baby. 582 00:22:03,689 --> 00:22:06,058 [countdown clock beeping] 583 00:22:06,158 --> 00:22:09,028 - Well, seven years away and Tyler Smith 584 00:22:09,128 --> 00:22:12,064 cut this course down to size, getting a buzzer 585 00:22:12,164 --> 00:22:13,732 back in qualifying, Akbar. 586 00:22:13,833 --> 00:22:15,534 - All right, he'll need to get another one tonight 587 00:22:15,634 --> 00:22:17,870 if he wants to move on. 588 00:22:17,970 --> 00:22:20,406 - He's off to a fast start, just sprinting 589 00:22:20,506 --> 00:22:23,008 through the obstacles. 590 00:22:23,108 --> 00:22:26,645 He's running like a buzzsaw through this course, big man. 591 00:22:26,745 --> 00:22:28,314 - Matt, you know Tyler wants a crack 592 00:22:28,414 --> 00:22:30,282 at those Tripleheader races. 593 00:22:30,382 --> 00:22:31,317 - Go! 594 00:22:31,417 --> 00:22:34,019 - Real smooth. 595 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:37,156 I mean, we forgot, Akbar, he was a legit athlete. 596 00:22:37,256 --> 00:22:38,490 Seven years away, 597 00:22:38,591 --> 00:22:41,060 and he seems to have gotten stronger. 598 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,296 - To step away and then to come back, 599 00:22:44,396 --> 00:22:46,699 that is very, very hard to do. 600 00:22:46,799 --> 00:22:49,435 How many athletes you know can step away from the game 601 00:22:49,535 --> 00:22:52,605 for seven years and then get right back into it? 602 00:22:52,705 --> 00:22:56,208 - He just over-rotated that, Akbar. 603 00:22:56,308 --> 00:22:57,509 A couple extra moves. 604 00:22:57,610 --> 00:22:59,945 Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite him. 605 00:23:01,747 --> 00:23:04,850 35 years old in this second chapter. 606 00:23:04,950 --> 00:23:09,288 - 6'1", 165 pounds, long arms. 607 00:23:09,388 --> 00:23:10,990 Big move. - Oh! 608 00:23:11,090 --> 00:23:12,524 - One more. One more big move. 609 00:23:12,625 --> 00:23:14,593 - Ooh! 610 00:23:14,693 --> 00:23:16,595 It's catching up, Akbar. 611 00:23:16,695 --> 00:23:19,465 - It catches up to you when it catches up to you. 612 00:23:19,565 --> 00:23:20,833 Nice. 613 00:23:20,933 --> 00:23:25,037 - Does he have anything left for this final dismount? 614 00:23:25,137 --> 00:23:27,206 Yes. 615 00:23:27,306 --> 00:23:29,675 And he's about to blossom once again. 616 00:23:29,775 --> 00:23:30,943 - Oh! 617 00:23:31,043 --> 00:23:31,944 - Tyler Smith. 618 00:23:32,044 --> 00:23:33,145 - Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 619 00:23:33,245 --> 00:23:35,080 [buzzer blares] 620 00:23:35,180 --> 00:23:38,217 [cheers and applause] 621 00:23:39,685 --> 00:23:41,720 - It wasn't pretty. 622 00:23:41,820 --> 00:23:43,222 - He's cooked. 623 00:23:43,322 --> 00:23:45,524 He's cooked. 624 00:23:45,624 --> 00:23:47,092 - Oh, my goodness. 625 00:23:47,192 --> 00:23:49,862 - When you fall at the top of the Warped Wall, you're cooked. 626 00:23:49,962 --> 00:23:51,230 - I'm tired. 627 00:23:51,330 --> 00:23:52,564 - Dude, we could tell you were tired, 628 00:23:52,665 --> 00:23:54,133 but you did it, Tyler. 629 00:23:54,233 --> 00:23:56,135 Go down and celebrate with your crew. 630 00:23:56,235 --> 00:23:59,138 It's not guaranteed just yet, but you're in good position 631 00:23:59,238 --> 00:24:00,639 to move on. 632 00:24:00,739 --> 00:24:02,541 I think we're gonna see you racing on the Tripleheader 633 00:24:02,641 --> 00:24:04,576 in just a bit. 634 00:24:04,677 --> 00:24:05,978 Coming up, 635 00:24:06,078 --> 00:24:08,547 she's been a fan favorite for a decade. 636 00:24:08,647 --> 00:24:11,050 all: Let's go, Barclay, let's go! 637 00:24:11,150 --> 00:24:14,219 - But something's been missing for Barclay Stockett. 638 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:18,223 - All that's left is to hit that buzzer. 639 00:24:18,324 --> 00:24:22,161 - She's next on "American Ninja Warrior." 640 00:24:26,332 --> 00:24:27,700 - A couple of football players hoping 641 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:29,835 to go deep into the season kicked off 642 00:24:29,935 --> 00:24:31,637 the action minutes ago. 643 00:24:31,737 --> 00:24:33,639 Kenzie Hughes plays flag football 644 00:24:33,739 --> 00:24:36,442 for her high school team in Libertyville, Illinois. 645 00:24:36,542 --> 00:24:38,777 And she had lots of cheerleaders for her run 646 00:24:38,877 --> 00:24:41,680 on the sidelines and watching from back home. 647 00:24:41,780 --> 00:24:44,416 The teenager made it to the national finals last year, 648 00:24:44,516 --> 00:24:47,753 and she got her first buzzer two weeks ago in qualifying, 649 00:24:47,853 --> 00:24:49,355 so she was feeling confident. 650 00:24:49,455 --> 00:24:51,490 - Her performance strong. 651 00:24:51,590 --> 00:24:52,725 Oh! 652 00:24:52,825 --> 00:24:54,259 Daggum. 653 00:24:55,694 --> 00:24:57,596 - Her disappointing fall at Diamond Dash 654 00:24:57,696 --> 00:24:59,365 means her season is over. 655 00:24:59,465 --> 00:25:00,366 - Oh! 656 00:25:00,466 --> 00:25:01,800 [whistle tweets] 657 00:25:01,900 --> 00:25:03,235 - Nick Warren plays linebacker 658 00:25:03,335 --> 00:25:04,403 for his Pennsylvania high school team. 659 00:25:04,503 --> 00:25:05,604 - That's what I'm talking about. 660 00:25:05,704 --> 00:25:06,739 Come on. 661 00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:08,207 - Yeah, he's ready for some football. 662 00:25:08,307 --> 00:25:10,809 - Once the helmet came off, it was an all-out blitz. 663 00:25:10,909 --> 00:25:12,044 - Uh-oh! 664 00:25:12,144 --> 00:25:13,379 All right, he knows how to get back up. 665 00:25:13,479 --> 00:25:14,880 That's part of football. 666 00:25:14,980 --> 00:25:17,082 - The teenager tackled one obstacle after another. 667 00:25:17,182 --> 00:25:18,784 - Coach, put him in. 668 00:25:18,884 --> 00:25:20,919 - And got his second straight buzzer. 669 00:25:21,020 --> 00:25:23,288 [buzzer blares] 670 00:25:23,389 --> 00:25:24,757 - Come on! 671 00:25:24,857 --> 00:25:26,959 - His time was fast enough that he's now assured 672 00:25:27,059 --> 00:25:28,560 of a spot in the top 14. 673 00:25:28,660 --> 00:25:29,862 He's moving on. 674 00:25:29,962 --> 00:25:30,896 - Ninja on three. 675 00:25:30,996 --> 00:25:32,798 One, two, three. all: Ninja! 676 00:25:32,898 --> 00:25:34,266 - Nice. 677 00:25:34,366 --> 00:25:36,101 - Then it was Iowa's always entertaining 678 00:25:36,201 --> 00:25:37,336 Behrends brothers. 679 00:25:37,436 --> 00:25:40,606 First up was the older brother, Ben, 680 00:25:40,706 --> 00:25:42,341 better known as the hype guy. 681 00:25:42,441 --> 00:25:43,842 - Hype me up. 682 00:25:43,942 --> 00:25:45,577 - The five-time "Ninja" veteran knew he needed 683 00:25:45,677 --> 00:25:47,579 to push the pace if he wanted to move on, 684 00:25:47,679 --> 00:25:49,581 and he went all out. 685 00:25:49,681 --> 00:25:50,783 - Just pure chaos. 686 00:25:50,883 --> 00:25:52,785 He's just going skibiddy right now. 687 00:25:52,885 --> 00:25:54,753 - He finished with one of the fastest times 688 00:25:54,853 --> 00:25:56,021 of the night so far. 689 00:25:56,121 --> 00:25:57,423 [buzzer blares] 690 00:25:57,523 --> 00:25:59,391 - Let's go, baby! 691 00:25:59,491 --> 00:26:01,760 - And he secured his place in the next round. 692 00:26:01,860 --> 00:26:03,562 - Everybody needs a hype guy. 693 00:26:03,662 --> 00:26:05,597 - Then Ben's little brother, Jason, 694 00:26:05,697 --> 00:26:07,199 took his shot at the course. 695 00:26:07,299 --> 00:26:09,802 - He's got a small stature, but that's not a problem, 696 00:26:09,902 --> 00:26:11,270 especially here on "Ninja." 697 00:26:11,370 --> 00:26:13,806 - Though one of the shorter competitors at 5'2", 698 00:26:13,906 --> 00:26:15,541 he came up big. 699 00:26:15,641 --> 00:26:17,476 - He is moving. 700 00:26:17,576 --> 00:26:19,845 - The high schooler from Iowa wasn't just running 701 00:26:19,945 --> 00:26:21,814 to reach round two; he wanted to be 702 00:26:21,914 --> 00:26:23,782 faster than his big brother. 703 00:26:23,882 --> 00:26:25,284 - He could get his brother's time, 704 00:26:25,384 --> 00:26:26,485 and that's bragging rights. 705 00:26:26,585 --> 00:26:29,221 [buzzer blares] - Let's go! 706 00:26:30,522 --> 00:26:33,325 - You were 0.49 seconds slower than your brother. 707 00:26:33,425 --> 00:26:35,127 - [groans] [laughter] 708 00:26:35,227 --> 00:26:39,465 - Like his brother, he'll be racing in the next round. 709 00:26:39,565 --> 00:26:41,400 Our next ninja had an impressive debut 710 00:26:41,500 --> 00:26:43,602 back in qualifying, putting up the fastest run 711 00:26:43,702 --> 00:26:45,304 of the night for a rookie. 712 00:26:45,404 --> 00:26:49,374 This is Tennessee's Hezekiah Reynolds, a parkour athlete 713 00:26:49,475 --> 00:26:51,110 who's got some moves. 714 00:26:51,210 --> 00:26:52,377 - Whoo! 715 00:26:52,478 --> 00:26:56,682 - And he gets his strength from his family. 716 00:26:56,782 --> 00:27:01,520 - I was adopted around nine months from Guatemala. 717 00:27:01,620 --> 00:27:05,324 I'm the oldest of my siblings. 718 00:27:05,424 --> 00:27:07,926 My parents adopted me, and then they had 719 00:27:08,026 --> 00:27:10,062 three kids shortly after that. 720 00:27:10,162 --> 00:27:11,763 Back at qualifiers, it felt like 721 00:27:11,864 --> 00:27:14,366 an out-of-body experience. 722 00:27:14,466 --> 00:27:16,101 - Whoa! 723 00:27:16,201 --> 00:27:18,103 - Having my family there was the best thing 724 00:27:18,203 --> 00:27:19,338 that could have happened. 725 00:27:19,438 --> 00:27:20,572 - You got this. 726 00:27:20,672 --> 00:27:23,175 - They always pushed me hard and helped me 727 00:27:23,275 --> 00:27:24,910 to hit that buzzer. 728 00:27:25,010 --> 00:27:27,546 - And gets the Warped Wall. 729 00:27:27,646 --> 00:27:29,081 - Let's go! 730 00:27:29,181 --> 00:27:30,315 Let's go! 731 00:27:30,415 --> 00:27:31,984 [cheers and applause] 732 00:27:32,084 --> 00:27:33,919 If I had not been adopted, I would definitely 733 00:27:34,019 --> 00:27:36,755 not be where I am today. 734 00:27:36,855 --> 00:27:38,757 Never be afraid to say you're adopted. 735 00:27:38,857 --> 00:27:39,758 Be proud of it. 736 00:27:39,858 --> 00:27:41,360 It's a beautiful thing. 737 00:27:41,460 --> 00:27:44,329 And it's also--it kind of makes you special. 738 00:27:44,429 --> 00:27:47,332 [gentle music] 739 00:27:47,432 --> 00:27:49,968 ♪ ♪ 740 00:27:50,068 --> 00:27:51,236 - Go, Kiah. 741 00:27:51,336 --> 00:27:53,305 - Hezekiah's parents are here on the sideline, 742 00:27:53,405 --> 00:27:54,773 along with his siblings. 743 00:27:54,873 --> 00:27:56,642 - You got this, buddy. Come on. 744 00:27:56,742 --> 00:27:58,744 [countdown clock beeping] 745 00:27:58,844 --> 00:28:01,880 - Hezekiah Reynolds, what a revelation in qualifying, 746 00:28:01,980 --> 00:28:03,282 put up a fast time and did it 747 00:28:03,382 --> 00:28:05,517 with a lot of flair on the course. 748 00:28:05,617 --> 00:28:07,352 - He's just a rookie, but he runs with a lot 749 00:28:07,452 --> 00:28:09,988 of confidence, Matt. 750 00:28:10,088 --> 00:28:11,089 What? 751 00:28:11,190 --> 00:28:13,559 - Flew through the course with style. 752 00:28:13,659 --> 00:28:15,694 - Wow, wow, wow. 753 00:28:15,794 --> 00:28:17,829 He didn't just fly--oh! 754 00:28:17,930 --> 00:28:19,031 [air horn blares] 755 00:28:19,131 --> 00:28:22,334 - Speed can lead to mistakes sometimes. 756 00:28:22,434 --> 00:28:25,470 Fortunately, he's okay after that hard fall. 757 00:28:25,571 --> 00:28:27,506 - Matt, let me put it like this. 758 00:28:27,606 --> 00:28:30,709 He flipped in style and crashed in style. 759 00:28:30,809 --> 00:28:34,980 He did a flip, took a trip, and did a dip. 760 00:28:38,317 --> 00:28:41,086 - Well, our next athlete has been a fan favorite 761 00:28:41,186 --> 00:28:44,089 since she started in this sport a decade ago. 762 00:28:44,189 --> 00:28:47,192 It's the Sparkly Ninja, Barclay Stockett. 763 00:28:47,292 --> 00:28:48,994 And in this loaded field of women, 764 00:28:49,094 --> 00:28:50,829 if Barclay wants to move on, 765 00:28:50,929 --> 00:28:52,397 she probably needs to do something 766 00:28:52,497 --> 00:28:54,266 she's never done before. 767 00:28:56,568 --> 00:28:59,137 The Sparkly Ninja, Barclay Stockett, 768 00:28:59,238 --> 00:29:01,106 she's going to Las Vegas. 769 00:29:01,206 --> 00:29:03,742 - It's really hard to sum up the last ten years. 770 00:29:03,842 --> 00:29:05,444 Yes! 771 00:29:05,544 --> 00:29:07,679 [upbeat music] 772 00:29:07,779 --> 00:29:09,881 - And look at this, she's getting dogpiled. 773 00:29:09,982 --> 00:29:14,219 - I've had so many amazing moments throughout my career. 774 00:29:14,319 --> 00:29:16,655 - Anticipate the speed 'cause it does go fast now. 775 00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:18,190 You see how it throws you up like that? 776 00:29:18,290 --> 00:29:19,358 Nice. - Oh, no! 777 00:29:19,458 --> 00:29:21,760 Only one hand, but somehow holds on. 778 00:29:21,860 --> 00:29:22,761 - Oh, wow. 779 00:29:22,861 --> 00:29:24,229 - What a save. 780 00:29:24,329 --> 00:29:27,699 - I've fallen on almost every obstacle you can fall on. 781 00:29:29,134 --> 00:29:30,335 - Oh! 782 00:29:30,435 --> 00:29:31,336 - Come on, come on. 783 00:29:31,436 --> 00:29:34,206 both: No! 784 00:29:34,306 --> 00:29:36,208 - Ooh! - Oh, no! 785 00:29:36,308 --> 00:29:39,111 - And I've also beaten ones that you'd never expect 786 00:29:39,211 --> 00:29:40,545 someone so small to beat. 787 00:29:40,646 --> 00:29:42,581 - Jumping Spider. She's gotta get in there deep. 788 00:29:42,681 --> 00:29:44,349 - Oh! - Come on. 789 00:29:44,449 --> 00:29:45,984 - What? 790 00:29:46,084 --> 00:29:47,185 - And she's done it! 791 00:29:47,286 --> 00:29:51,723 - All that's left is to hit that buzzer. 792 00:29:51,823 --> 00:29:53,358 We are breaking the curse. 793 00:29:53,458 --> 00:29:55,460 I'm hitting that buzzer. 794 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:56,461 This is it. 795 00:29:56,561 --> 00:29:58,897 This is the time. 796 00:29:58,997 --> 00:30:01,933 - Lots of folks watching Barclay, including her wife, 797 00:30:02,034 --> 00:30:03,101 Tee, who's back in Texas. 798 00:30:03,201 --> 00:30:04,369 - You got this. 799 00:30:04,469 --> 00:30:06,204 Whoo. 800 00:30:06,304 --> 00:30:07,639 - And many other "Ninja" greats 801 00:30:07,739 --> 00:30:08,774 will be cheering from the sideline. 802 00:30:08,874 --> 00:30:10,275 - You got this, Barclay. 803 00:30:10,375 --> 00:30:13,412 - Including Meagan Martin, who runs in just a few minutes. 804 00:30:13,512 --> 00:30:15,747 [countdown clock beeping] 805 00:30:15,847 --> 00:30:17,849 Only six women will move on tonight, 806 00:30:17,949 --> 00:30:20,052 so the pressure is on to hit buzzers. 807 00:30:20,152 --> 00:30:21,520 - Oh! 808 00:30:21,620 --> 00:30:24,423 Thank God she's 5 feet tall, because she came very close 809 00:30:24,523 --> 00:30:25,924 to hitting the water. 810 00:30:26,024 --> 00:30:28,627 - Stays dry, but now taking a ride on Greased Lightning. 811 00:30:28,727 --> 00:30:30,696 - Whoa! Whoo! 812 00:30:30,796 --> 00:30:32,564 - Hard impact. Ooh. 813 00:30:34,933 --> 00:30:36,268 - Ooh, rewind that joint. 814 00:30:36,368 --> 00:30:38,837 Boom, right there in the chest area. 815 00:30:38,937 --> 00:30:40,505 That hurts. 816 00:30:40,605 --> 00:30:42,407 - Barclay quickly shakes it off. 817 00:30:42,507 --> 00:30:44,910 She knows she has to keep moving. 818 00:30:45,010 --> 00:30:45,977 - Nice. 819 00:30:46,078 --> 00:30:47,446 - Gets through. 820 00:30:47,546 --> 00:30:50,182 [cheers and applause] 821 00:30:50,282 --> 00:30:52,384 Seems to have her mojo back now, 822 00:30:52,484 --> 00:30:54,453 and goes right into the Tilt-A-Whirl. 823 00:30:54,553 --> 00:30:56,154 We've talked about it all night. 824 00:30:56,254 --> 00:30:58,223 Speed is important, and you need to be 825 00:30:58,323 --> 00:30:59,858 efficient on this obstacle. 826 00:30:59,958 --> 00:31:03,895 Every extra move can eat up valuable seconds. 827 00:31:03,995 --> 00:31:07,466 - Every move conditional. Come on, baby. 828 00:31:07,566 --> 00:31:08,700 Yes. 829 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:11,903 - Barclay only 5 feet tall and 112 pounds. 830 00:31:12,003 --> 00:31:14,906 She has to work a little harder on some of these obstacles. 831 00:31:15,006 --> 00:31:17,309 - Barclay has a background in gymnastics. 832 00:31:17,409 --> 00:31:19,411 She was a high-level competitor before she started 833 00:31:19,511 --> 00:31:22,013 Ninja training. 834 00:31:22,114 --> 00:31:23,615 Gets through. 835 00:31:23,715 --> 00:31:27,018 And now faces the fifth obstacle, Kaleidoscope. 836 00:31:27,119 --> 00:31:28,954 Barclay has history with this one. 837 00:31:29,054 --> 00:31:31,323 It ended her season four years ago. 838 00:31:31,423 --> 00:31:32,758 [air horn blares] 839 00:31:32,858 --> 00:31:34,392 Now, the unfortunate reality, Akbar, 840 00:31:34,493 --> 00:31:36,428 is that the clock is ticking. 841 00:31:36,528 --> 00:31:37,763 And Barclay, at this point, if she 842 00:31:37,863 --> 00:31:39,731 wants any chance of moving on, she almost 843 00:31:39,831 --> 00:31:41,032 certainly needs a buzzer. 844 00:31:41,133 --> 00:31:42,801 And she's gonna have to pick up the pace 845 00:31:42,901 --> 00:31:44,603 because this is such a strong field of women. 846 00:31:44,703 --> 00:31:45,704 - It really is. 847 00:31:45,804 --> 00:31:46,838 And you know Barclay knows that, 848 00:31:46,938 --> 00:31:48,540 but she's just running her own race. 849 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:49,541 Looking at the clock. 850 00:31:49,641 --> 00:31:50,876 Tick, tick, tick, tick. 851 00:31:50,976 --> 00:31:52,210 - Now, without the corners on this third pane, 852 00:31:52,310 --> 00:31:53,412 these are gonna be bigger reaches 853 00:31:53,512 --> 00:31:55,347 for the 5-foot-tall Stockett. 854 00:31:55,447 --> 00:31:56,882 - Come on, Stockett. Wow. 855 00:31:56,982 --> 00:31:59,084 - Good power, Akbar. 856 00:32:01,953 --> 00:32:05,190 Well, Barclay took her time getting on it, 857 00:32:05,290 --> 00:32:07,626 but she's been very efficient getting through it. 858 00:32:07,726 --> 00:32:08,727 - Ooh, big swing. 859 00:32:08,827 --> 00:32:10,695 Control that swing. 860 00:32:10,796 --> 00:32:12,464 Ooh! - You got it. 861 00:32:12,564 --> 00:32:13,832 - Yes! 862 00:32:13,932 --> 00:32:15,500 - She is fighting through a lot of pain. 863 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,369 You can see the grimace on her face. 864 00:32:17,469 --> 00:32:19,404 Ooh! - And a little dismount. 865 00:32:19,504 --> 00:32:21,106 And she's smiling. 866 00:32:21,206 --> 00:32:23,308 Happy to get her redemption on Kaleidoscope. 867 00:32:23,408 --> 00:32:25,877 Now she's got a shot at the buzzer, 868 00:32:25,977 --> 00:32:28,747 but remember, she missed on all three of her attempts 869 00:32:28,847 --> 00:32:30,115 in qualifying. 870 00:32:30,215 --> 00:32:32,317 Now in her ninth season, can she finally 871 00:32:32,417 --> 00:32:34,219 get the elusive buzzer? 872 00:32:34,319 --> 00:32:36,855 At just 5 feet tall, not a lot of margin for error 873 00:32:36,955 --> 00:32:38,990 on the 14 1/2 foot tall Warped Wall. 874 00:32:39,090 --> 00:32:40,125 - You can do this. 875 00:32:40,225 --> 00:32:41,593 Yes, you can. 876 00:32:41,693 --> 00:32:43,695 - You can hear her telling yourself, you've done this. 877 00:32:43,795 --> 00:32:47,232 For this moment right here, all that work. 878 00:32:47,332 --> 00:32:48,500 - Trust the process. 879 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:50,435 You've done it so many times before. 880 00:32:50,535 --> 00:32:52,370 This is what we call muscle memory. 881 00:32:52,470 --> 00:32:53,905 Muscle memory. 882 00:32:54,005 --> 00:32:55,407 - Oh! 883 00:32:55,507 --> 00:32:56,875 She knows she can do it. 884 00:32:56,975 --> 00:32:58,343 Her fingertips were there. 885 00:32:58,443 --> 00:32:59,644 - It's right there. 886 00:32:59,744 --> 00:33:00,946 You're right there. 887 00:33:01,046 --> 00:33:02,647 - You have this. 888 00:33:02,747 --> 00:33:05,050 - Small adjustment and Barclay Stockett 889 00:33:05,150 --> 00:33:09,421 will get her first-ever buzzer. 890 00:33:09,521 --> 00:33:11,089 - Let's go. 891 00:33:11,189 --> 00:33:13,358 Oh! 892 00:33:13,458 --> 00:33:14,426 Sha-na-na. 893 00:33:14,526 --> 00:33:16,494 - She is so close, Akbar. 894 00:33:16,595 --> 00:33:17,496 - Stay locked in. 895 00:33:17,596 --> 00:33:18,496 You got this. 896 00:33:18,597 --> 00:33:19,931 - Your hands were over top. 897 00:33:20,031 --> 00:33:22,834 You got this. 898 00:33:22,934 --> 00:33:24,903 - You got it, Barclay. 899 00:33:25,003 --> 00:33:27,739 And this is how it ends. 900 00:33:27,839 --> 00:33:30,308 Barclay Stockett, final attempt. 901 00:33:30,408 --> 00:33:32,644 This third one, it wouldn't be dramatic 902 00:33:32,744 --> 00:33:34,779 if you don't do it for the--yes! 903 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:36,248 - Yes! 904 00:33:36,348 --> 00:33:39,551 [buzzer blares] 905 00:33:39,651 --> 00:33:43,889 [cheers and applause] 906 00:33:43,989 --> 00:33:46,892 [upbeat music] 907 00:33:46,992 --> 00:33:48,593 ♪ ♪ 908 00:33:48,693 --> 00:33:49,761 - Okay! 909 00:33:49,861 --> 00:33:51,897 Okay! 910 00:33:51,997 --> 00:33:54,699 - The only way it could have ended. 911 00:33:54,799 --> 00:33:56,067 - Wow. 912 00:33:56,167 --> 00:33:59,871 - The Hail Mary on the final attempt 913 00:33:59,971 --> 00:34:03,108 delivers Barclay her first buzzer. 914 00:34:03,208 --> 00:34:06,845 [cheers and applause] 915 00:34:06,945 --> 00:34:09,915 Barclay, did you ever doubt? 916 00:34:10,015 --> 00:34:12,884 - I just decided it was time. 917 00:34:12,984 --> 00:34:15,954 But I'm really proud that I never gave up, 918 00:34:16,054 --> 00:34:18,256 and I finally got it. 919 00:34:18,356 --> 00:34:20,592 [buzzer blares] - Yes! 920 00:34:23,328 --> 00:34:25,196 Go celebrate, Barclay. 921 00:34:25,297 --> 00:34:27,732 You've earned it. 922 00:34:27,832 --> 00:34:29,401 - This was a long time coming, 923 00:34:29,501 --> 00:34:31,736 and you can see how much it meant to her. 924 00:34:31,836 --> 00:34:35,206 And Barclay's got her first buzzer. 925 00:34:35,307 --> 00:34:38,777 She is gonna enjoy this moment. 926 00:34:38,877 --> 00:34:40,879 - Barclay's our third female finisher, 927 00:34:40,979 --> 00:34:43,014 but she's got the slowest time, 928 00:34:43,114 --> 00:34:44,783 so she's not guaranteed to move on 929 00:34:44,883 --> 00:34:47,052 since only the top six advance. 930 00:34:47,152 --> 00:34:50,488 Anna MacArthur is the only one locked in so far. 931 00:34:50,588 --> 00:34:52,958 On the men's side, Weston Boswell is 932 00:34:53,058 --> 00:34:55,360 the fastest finisher so far. 933 00:34:55,460 --> 00:34:57,629 He's part of the top six that are now guaranteed 934 00:34:57,729 --> 00:35:00,665 to move on to the Tripleheader. 935 00:35:00,765 --> 00:35:02,100 The final spots will be decided 936 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:03,735 by our remaining athletes. 937 00:35:03,835 --> 00:35:05,270 Looks like you'll need a buzzer 938 00:35:05,370 --> 00:35:07,706 to keep your season alive. 939 00:35:07,806 --> 00:35:09,074 Coming up, 940 00:35:09,174 --> 00:35:11,309 she was a force in the finals last season. 941 00:35:11,409 --> 00:35:12,677 [buzzer blares] - Let's go! 942 00:35:12,777 --> 00:35:14,980 - But to get there again, Isabella Folsom 943 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:17,115 likely needs a buzzer tonight. 944 00:35:17,215 --> 00:35:20,785 She's next on "American Ninja Warrior." 945 00:35:25,757 --> 00:35:27,325 - "Ninja" veterans took center stage here in Vegas 946 00:35:27,425 --> 00:35:28,827 minutes ago. 947 00:35:28,927 --> 00:35:30,228 Karsten Williams is the night's 948 00:35:30,328 --> 00:35:32,030 most experienced competitor. 949 00:35:32,130 --> 00:35:34,065 This is his 12th season. 950 00:35:34,165 --> 00:35:37,035 And the Big Kat showed he can still get it done. 951 00:35:37,135 --> 00:35:38,837 [buzzer blares] 952 00:35:38,937 --> 00:35:40,005 - Ahh! 953 00:35:40,105 --> 00:35:41,673 - As always, he was cheered on 954 00:35:41,773 --> 00:35:43,842 by his biggest fan, his mom, 955 00:35:43,942 --> 00:35:45,644 and he finished fast enough to secure 956 00:35:45,744 --> 00:35:47,612 his spot in the next round. 957 00:35:47,712 --> 00:35:49,280 - Yep. 958 00:35:49,381 --> 00:35:52,984 - Iowa's Spencer Johnson first ran the course nine years ago. 959 00:35:53,084 --> 00:35:55,286 And since returning to competition last year, 960 00:35:55,387 --> 00:35:56,988 he's been on a roll. 961 00:35:57,088 --> 00:35:59,991 Tonight, he picked up his second straight buzzer. 962 00:36:00,091 --> 00:36:01,593 [buzzer blares] - Okay, Spence. 963 00:36:01,693 --> 00:36:04,095 - But it's the slowest finish so far, 964 00:36:04,195 --> 00:36:07,365 so he's not guaranteed to move on just yet. 965 00:36:07,465 --> 00:36:10,902 Speed is rarely a problem for Minnesota's Jera Boyd. 966 00:36:11,002 --> 00:36:12,737 And the two-time national finalist 967 00:36:12,837 --> 00:36:14,372 didn't disappoint tonight. 968 00:36:14,472 --> 00:36:15,440 - He's going sub one minute. 969 00:36:15,540 --> 00:36:16,941 He's going sub one minute. 970 00:36:17,042 --> 00:36:19,144 - He put up the fastest time of the night so far. 971 00:36:19,244 --> 00:36:21,112 [buzzer blares] 972 00:36:21,212 --> 00:36:25,083 He'll be one to watch on the Tripleheader. 973 00:36:25,183 --> 00:36:27,986 Only six women will move on from round one, 974 00:36:28,086 --> 00:36:31,756 so teenager Jaleesa Himka knew she needed a big performance 975 00:36:31,856 --> 00:36:34,959 to keep her season alive. 976 00:36:35,060 --> 00:36:36,461 - She understands the assignment. 977 00:36:36,561 --> 00:36:39,264 The assignment is keep that pace in this race. 978 00:36:39,364 --> 00:36:41,099 - The Colorado high schooler has made it 979 00:36:41,199 --> 00:36:43,168 to the fifth obstacle five times 980 00:36:43,268 --> 00:36:44,702 without getting through it. 981 00:36:44,803 --> 00:36:47,072 - Get out of there. Go, go, go, go! Nice! 982 00:36:47,172 --> 00:36:49,374 - That changed tonight when she made it through 983 00:36:49,474 --> 00:36:52,410 and got her first buzzer with the fastest time 984 00:36:52,510 --> 00:36:53,912 so far for the women. 985 00:36:54,012 --> 00:36:55,847 - Okay, Jaleesa. [buzzer blares] 986 00:36:55,947 --> 00:36:59,984 - She's now guaranteed to move on. 987 00:37:00,085 --> 00:37:02,554 Professional wrestler Francisco Barajas 988 00:37:02,654 --> 00:37:04,355 is known as the Cheetah. 989 00:37:04,456 --> 00:37:07,225 - You gotta go fast if you wanna get to the next round. 990 00:37:07,325 --> 00:37:08,760 Whoa. 991 00:37:08,860 --> 00:37:10,829 - The five-time "Ninja" veteran had to wrestle his way 992 00:37:10,929 --> 00:37:12,530 past Greased Lightning, 993 00:37:12,630 --> 00:37:15,300 then he was down for the count on Diamond Dash. 994 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:17,235 - Oh, my goodness. [air horn blares] 995 00:37:17,335 --> 00:37:19,838 He got thrown into the turnbuckle. 996 00:37:23,241 --> 00:37:27,011 - We will be crowning a new women's champion this year, 997 00:37:27,112 --> 00:37:30,982 and one of the favorites is our next athlete, Isabella Folsom. 998 00:37:31,082 --> 00:37:34,953 The four women who complete the most obstacles over this season 999 00:37:35,053 --> 00:37:36,287 will race in the finale, 1000 00:37:36,387 --> 00:37:39,958 and last year, Isabella was second overall. 1001 00:37:40,058 --> 00:37:41,659 - Needs the dismount! 1002 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:44,963 Isabella Wakeham gonna go back-to-back! 1003 00:37:45,063 --> 00:37:46,331 - Wow. 1004 00:37:46,431 --> 00:37:48,466 - Last year, Isabella cemented herself as one 1005 00:37:48,566 --> 00:37:51,703 of the sport's elite, hitting three buzzers and becoming 1006 00:37:51,803 --> 00:37:53,805 only the fourth woman ever to complete 1007 00:37:53,905 --> 00:37:55,406 a ten-obstacle course. 1008 00:37:55,507 --> 00:37:58,443 - I am super proud of my season 17. 1009 00:37:58,543 --> 00:38:01,446 I made it into the top 32 and hit more buzzers than I think 1010 00:38:01,546 --> 00:38:02,714 my whole career combined. 1011 00:38:02,814 --> 00:38:05,150 All the women this season are phenomenal. 1012 00:38:05,250 --> 00:38:07,852 We've seen more buzzers than ever before, 1013 00:38:07,952 --> 00:38:10,221 and the competition field is stacked. 1014 00:38:10,321 --> 00:38:12,957 So it's gonna be tricky to be in that top four. 1015 00:38:13,057 --> 00:38:14,592 But I'm just counting up those obstacles, 1016 00:38:14,692 --> 00:38:15,827 hoping I'll get there. 1017 00:38:18,429 --> 00:38:19,864 - Isabella's mom will be leading 1018 00:38:19,964 --> 00:38:21,833 the cheers along with her husband, Sam, 1019 00:38:21,933 --> 00:38:25,436 who we'll see racing on the Tripleheader in just a bit. 1020 00:38:25,537 --> 00:38:26,971 - Let's go. 1021 00:38:27,071 --> 00:38:30,175 [countdown clock beeping] 1022 00:38:30,275 --> 00:38:34,145 - Isabella Folsom had a real good run in qualifying. 1023 00:38:34,245 --> 00:38:36,881 - She finished the course, and now she's fifth all-time 1024 00:38:36,981 --> 00:38:38,917 on the buzzer list for women. 1025 00:38:39,017 --> 00:38:41,019 - The pressure is on for this run. 1026 00:38:41,119 --> 00:38:42,754 If she doesn't get a buzzer tonight, 1027 00:38:42,854 --> 00:38:44,656 her season's probably over. 1028 00:38:44,756 --> 00:38:48,493 - She and her husband Sam run that barn in Illinois. 1029 00:38:48,593 --> 00:38:51,462 They're essentially running a gym, 1030 00:38:51,563 --> 00:38:55,400 training people, and training themselves virtually 24/7. 1031 00:38:55,500 --> 00:38:56,768 It seems like they never sleep. 1032 00:38:56,868 --> 00:38:59,204 - This is why Isabella had success in qualifying, 1033 00:38:59,304 --> 00:39:01,339 and looking to have the same type of success here 1034 00:39:01,439 --> 00:39:02,941 in the regional finals. 1035 00:39:03,041 --> 00:39:04,542 - During her qualifying night, 1036 00:39:04,642 --> 00:39:06,344 Isabella had the fastest women's time. 1037 00:39:06,444 --> 00:39:10,014 And her brother-in-law, Phil, had the fastest men's time. 1038 00:39:10,114 --> 00:39:12,517 A week later, her husband, Sam, had the fastest time 1039 00:39:12,617 --> 00:39:14,352 in his qualifying night. 1040 00:39:14,452 --> 00:39:17,055 We talk a lot about the Beckstrand ninja dynasty, 1041 00:39:17,155 --> 00:39:20,558 but this year, the Folsoms are a family to watch. 1042 00:39:22,260 --> 00:39:24,862 Still some strong women to come tonight, 1043 00:39:24,963 --> 00:39:27,699 but Isabella's been moving at a steady pace. 1044 00:39:27,799 --> 00:39:29,801 If she can keep this up and finish, 1045 00:39:29,901 --> 00:39:31,970 she should be in good position to move on. 1046 00:39:33,972 --> 00:39:35,640 - Nice lache. Ooh! 1047 00:39:35,740 --> 00:39:38,376 She threw in--that's a lot of power. 1048 00:39:38,476 --> 00:39:41,079 - But one thing she said with her ninja training at the barn, 1049 00:39:41,179 --> 00:39:43,181 she's really been working grip strength. 1050 00:39:43,281 --> 00:39:45,083 Ninjas say that's the one that 1051 00:39:45,183 --> 00:39:48,219 takes the longest to develop out of any muscle group. 1052 00:39:48,319 --> 00:39:51,923 - You could tell her grip strength has improved a lot. 1053 00:39:52,023 --> 00:39:54,692 - And now she can become the eighth woman this season 1054 00:39:54,792 --> 00:39:56,427 to collect two buzzers. 1055 00:39:56,527 --> 00:40:00,398 - Wow, the women are showing up and showing out this year. 1056 00:40:00,498 --> 00:40:02,467 Isabella Folsom. 1057 00:40:02,567 --> 00:40:05,069 [buzzer blares] 1058 00:40:05,169 --> 00:40:08,239 [cheers and applause] 1059 00:40:09,374 --> 00:40:11,409 Isabella, you keep racking up buzzers. 1060 00:40:11,509 --> 00:40:13,711 That was your sixth, which puts you in a tie 1061 00:40:13,811 --> 00:40:15,313 with Abby Clark all-time. 1062 00:40:15,413 --> 00:40:16,581 That's amazing. 1063 00:40:16,681 --> 00:40:17,749 - I didn't realize that. - Yeah. 1064 00:40:17,849 --> 00:40:18,983 - That's awesome. 1065 00:40:19,083 --> 00:40:21,152 - You now trail only Flex Labreck, 1066 00:40:21,252 --> 00:40:23,087 Taylor Greene, and Jessie Graff. 1067 00:40:23,187 --> 00:40:24,589 - Well, great job. 1068 00:40:24,689 --> 00:40:26,524 - Isabella, hit the buzzer one more time and go celebrate. 1069 00:40:26,624 --> 00:40:30,461 [buzzer blares] 1070 00:40:30,561 --> 00:40:31,963 Coming up, 1071 00:40:32,063 --> 00:40:35,033 Chad Riddle returned to "Ninja" after eight years away 1072 00:40:35,133 --> 00:40:36,834 to pay tribute to his wife. 1073 00:40:36,934 --> 00:40:39,070 - Yes! 1074 00:40:39,170 --> 00:40:41,239 One of the last conversations we had, 1075 00:40:41,339 --> 00:40:46,110 she told me that she wanted me to do this one last time. 1076 00:40:46,210 --> 00:40:47,412 - Come on! 1077 00:40:47,512 --> 00:40:49,681 - Can he keep his emotional season going? 1078 00:40:49,781 --> 00:40:51,215 - Let's go! 1079 00:40:51,316 --> 00:40:54,585 - When "American Ninja Warrior" returns. 1080 00:41:01,726 --> 00:41:03,127 - The Central region is filled with sibling 1081 00:41:03,227 --> 00:41:05,363 stories this season, and four of them 1082 00:41:05,463 --> 00:41:07,065 played out minutes ago. 1083 00:41:07,165 --> 00:41:08,766 Hayes Dyer is the little brother 1084 00:41:08,866 --> 00:41:11,703 of "Ninja" veteran Owen Dyer, who's out this season 1085 00:41:11,803 --> 00:41:13,638 with an injury. 1086 00:41:13,738 --> 00:41:16,374 The rookie from Arkansas, represented for the family, 1087 00:41:16,474 --> 00:41:18,309 hitting his second straight buzzer... 1088 00:41:18,409 --> 00:41:19,744 - Fly, fly! 1089 00:41:19,844 --> 00:41:21,679 - With one of the fastest times of the night. 1090 00:41:21,779 --> 00:41:23,448 [buzzer blares] - Let's go! 1091 00:41:23,548 --> 00:41:25,750 - Elijah Browning and younger brother Julian 1092 00:41:25,850 --> 00:41:27,585 both competed this season. 1093 00:41:27,685 --> 00:41:30,154 Only Elijah made it past qualifying, 1094 00:41:30,254 --> 00:41:31,956 and The Boss took care of business. 1095 00:41:32,056 --> 00:41:33,091 [buzzer blares] - Yes! 1096 00:41:33,191 --> 00:41:34,826 - Finishing in 1:14, 1097 00:41:34,926 --> 00:41:37,662 which secured him a spot in the next round. 1098 00:41:37,762 --> 00:41:40,498 Nathan Green always competes with his twin brother, 1099 00:41:40,598 --> 00:41:43,267 Marquez, who was eliminated in qualifying. 1100 00:41:43,368 --> 00:41:45,737 Tonight, Nathan battled his way to the buzzer, but... 1101 00:41:45,837 --> 00:41:47,271 - He's gotta sprint. 1102 00:41:47,372 --> 00:41:49,841 He's the slowest among the male finishers, 1103 00:41:49,941 --> 00:41:51,776 putting him on the bubble in 14th place. 1104 00:41:53,344 --> 00:41:56,014 Anabella Heinrich's little sister, Secorra, 1105 00:41:56,114 --> 00:41:59,183 was knocked out in qualifying, but she was on the sidelines 1106 00:41:59,283 --> 00:42:01,452 cheering on Anabella, who delivered 1107 00:42:01,552 --> 00:42:03,454 another impressive run and put up 1108 00:42:03,554 --> 00:42:05,423 the top time among the ladies. 1109 00:42:05,523 --> 00:42:06,791 - Yes! 1110 00:42:06,891 --> 00:42:10,595 - She became the sixth woman to hit a buzzer. 1111 00:42:10,695 --> 00:42:13,698 "Ninja" great Meagan Martin is back this year 1112 00:42:13,798 --> 00:42:17,168 after taking four seasons off to start a family. 1113 00:42:17,268 --> 00:42:18,369 - Ooh, ooh. 1114 00:42:18,469 --> 00:42:20,238 - Her run was not the smoothest. 1115 00:42:20,338 --> 00:42:21,973 - Whoa, whoa. 1116 00:42:22,073 --> 00:42:23,374 Okay, did you see that? 1117 00:42:23,474 --> 00:42:25,977 - But the former women's champion kept battling 1118 00:42:26,077 --> 00:42:28,279 and made it all the way to the Warped Wall. 1119 00:42:28,379 --> 00:42:29,714 - There she is. 1120 00:42:29,814 --> 00:42:31,949 - In qualifying last week, she came up short 1121 00:42:32,050 --> 00:42:34,118 on all three attempts. 1122 00:42:34,218 --> 00:42:35,987 Tonight, with the clock ticking away, 1123 00:42:36,087 --> 00:42:38,356 she once again failed on the first... 1124 00:42:38,456 --> 00:42:39,690 - Whoa. 1125 00:42:39,791 --> 00:42:41,259 - And second try. 1126 00:42:41,359 --> 00:42:43,561 - So close, so close. 1127 00:42:43,661 --> 00:42:45,530 - But on her final effort... 1128 00:42:45,630 --> 00:42:47,331 - She's got it, she's got it! 1129 00:42:47,432 --> 00:42:49,233 - She made it to the top. [buzzer blares] 1130 00:42:49,333 --> 00:42:51,269 And though she didn't have a fast time, 1131 00:42:51,369 --> 00:42:53,137 it was faster than Barclay Stockett, 1132 00:42:53,237 --> 00:42:56,541 who was knocked out of the top six. 1133 00:42:56,641 --> 00:43:01,312 So Meagan was on the bubble with one more woman to run. 1134 00:43:01,412 --> 00:43:04,849 The final female competitor was teenager KK Andrews, 1135 00:43:04,949 --> 00:43:06,751 who knew she would have to finish 1136 00:43:06,851 --> 00:43:10,988 and do it faster than Meagan's time of 3:08. 1137 00:43:11,088 --> 00:43:13,491 Like Meagan, Andrews is a pole vaulter. 1138 00:43:13,591 --> 00:43:15,726 And the Texas high schooler was able to vault 1139 00:43:15,827 --> 00:43:17,428 past the early obstacle. 1140 00:43:17,528 --> 00:43:19,430 She just needed to keep a steady pace 1141 00:43:19,530 --> 00:43:20,565 and avoid mistakes. 1142 00:43:20,665 --> 00:43:21,566 - Get out of there. 1143 00:43:21,666 --> 00:43:22,967 - Which she did, 1144 00:43:23,067 --> 00:43:25,169 and KK became the eighth female finisher. 1145 00:43:25,269 --> 00:43:26,737 - Got it! 1146 00:43:26,838 --> 00:43:29,073 - And she hit the buzzer fast enough to knock 1147 00:43:29,173 --> 00:43:31,609 Meagan Martin out of the top six. 1148 00:43:32,743 --> 00:43:34,745 So here are all the women moving on. 1149 00:43:34,846 --> 00:43:37,248 We had a record-tying eight ladies hit buzzers, 1150 00:43:37,348 --> 00:43:39,617 but these six went the fastest. 1151 00:43:39,717 --> 00:43:43,187 We'll see them racing in just a few minutes. 1152 00:43:43,287 --> 00:43:46,290 Well, there is a heartbreaking story behind our next ninja. 1153 00:43:46,390 --> 00:43:50,461 This is Chad Riddle, an elementary school principal 1154 00:43:50,561 --> 00:43:52,630 who decided to compete again this season 1155 00:43:52,730 --> 00:43:54,432 after eight years away. 1156 00:43:54,532 --> 00:43:57,301 He wanted to come back to honor the memory of his wife. 1157 00:43:57,401 --> 00:43:59,837 That's his son, Aaron, watching with other family members 1158 00:43:59,937 --> 00:44:01,038 from back in Pennsylvania. 1159 00:44:01,138 --> 00:44:03,074 - Let's go! - Let's go! 1160 00:44:03,174 --> 00:44:05,643 - Chad's got a stone in his hand, 1161 00:44:05,743 --> 00:44:08,479 a special reminder of his late wife. 1162 00:44:10,681 --> 00:44:13,217 [somber music] 1163 00:44:13,317 --> 00:44:14,585 - Hey, look at that leaf floating. 1164 00:44:14,685 --> 00:44:16,521 It's kind of like it's a boat. 1165 00:44:18,489 --> 00:44:20,958 A little over two years ago, my wife 1166 00:44:21,058 --> 00:44:23,394 started getting some test work done 1167 00:44:23,494 --> 00:44:27,365 for simple muscular discomfort, 1168 00:44:27,465 --> 00:44:31,836 and it ended up being Hodgkin's lymphoma. 1169 00:44:34,005 --> 00:44:35,540 Keep going. 1170 00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:37,675 One of the conversations that Caitlin and I had at the end 1171 00:44:37,775 --> 00:44:41,245 is, what do you want to have happen to your body? 1172 00:44:41,345 --> 00:44:45,516 And this is her. 1173 00:44:45,616 --> 00:44:48,786 - This is my mommy, and-- 1174 00:44:48,886 --> 00:44:53,824 and she--she died and because she had cancer. 1175 00:44:53,925 --> 00:44:59,931 And then her ashes got turned into this. 1176 00:45:00,031 --> 00:45:02,200 - We talked about how great would it be if at night, 1177 00:45:02,300 --> 00:45:03,768 Aaron had a stone that he could hold on to 1178 00:45:03,868 --> 00:45:08,439 and was actually holding Mom when he would read a book? 1179 00:45:08,539 --> 00:45:11,375 - Why are you crying, Dad? 1180 00:45:11,475 --> 00:45:14,145 - Just, you amaze me. 1181 00:45:14,245 --> 00:45:16,647 Can I have a hug? 1182 00:45:19,817 --> 00:45:21,819 It's just a rock, right? 1183 00:45:21,919 --> 00:45:25,923 But for me, it's so much more. 1184 00:45:26,023 --> 00:45:32,196 ♪ ♪ 1185 00:45:32,296 --> 00:45:33,965 I can still feel her love, 1186 00:45:34,065 --> 00:45:37,268 and I know that if and when I get on top of that Warped Wall, 1187 00:45:37,368 --> 00:45:40,271 I'm gonna still feel her love around me there too. 1188 00:45:40,371 --> 00:45:45,443 ♪ ♪ 1189 00:45:45,543 --> 00:45:47,845 - And to make sure nothing happens to that stone 1190 00:45:47,945 --> 00:45:50,081 during his run, Chad's gonna hand it off 1191 00:45:50,181 --> 00:45:52,350 to good friend Jamie Rahn. 1192 00:45:52,450 --> 00:45:54,051 Jamie's gonna be down on the sideline 1193 00:45:54,151 --> 00:45:56,220 with some of Chad's other friends. 1194 00:45:56,320 --> 00:45:57,855 - I doubt anyone will be cheering 1195 00:45:57,955 --> 00:45:59,423 louder than his son, Aaron. 1196 00:45:59,523 --> 00:46:00,591 - Let's go! 1197 00:46:00,691 --> 00:46:04,061 [countdown clock beeping] 1198 00:46:04,161 --> 00:46:06,063 - Well, he is the final runner of round one, 1199 00:46:06,163 --> 00:46:07,632 so the goal is clear. 1200 00:46:07,732 --> 00:46:10,234 He needs to hit his first buzzer in eight years 1201 00:46:10,334 --> 00:46:15,039 and do it faster than Nathan Green's 1:44. 1202 00:46:15,139 --> 00:46:16,841 - Whoa! 1203 00:46:16,941 --> 00:46:19,944 - And the reason he came back after eight years off, 1204 00:46:20,044 --> 00:46:23,948 he just wanted to show people there's light after the shadow. 1205 00:46:24,048 --> 00:46:26,784 And what he's dealt with, the courage to keep persevering 1206 00:46:26,884 --> 00:46:28,085 and reaching new heights. 1207 00:46:28,185 --> 00:46:30,521 And, Akbar, he's attacking the course. 1208 00:46:30,621 --> 00:46:32,590 - Well, Matt, he is putting on a class 1209 00:46:32,690 --> 00:46:34,392 right now about perseverance, 1210 00:46:34,492 --> 00:46:36,694 getting through this intense obstacle. 1211 00:46:36,794 --> 00:46:38,562 - Well, when we met him back in season 10, 1212 00:46:38,663 --> 00:46:39,897 he was a kindergarten teacher. 1213 00:46:39,997 --> 00:46:41,666 Now he's the principal. 1214 00:46:41,766 --> 00:46:44,368 - The kids in his school have gotta be thrilled watching him 1215 00:46:44,468 --> 00:46:45,836 tackle these obstacles. 1216 00:46:45,936 --> 00:46:47,538 - He's the cool principal, for sure. 1217 00:46:47,638 --> 00:46:49,073 - Let's go! 1218 00:46:49,173 --> 00:46:50,441 Let's go! 1219 00:46:50,541 --> 00:46:52,043 - Can your principal do this? 1220 00:46:52,143 --> 00:46:54,645 - Up on the Kaleidoscope, went out in the fifth obstacle 1221 00:46:54,745 --> 00:46:56,614 in qualifying. 1222 00:46:56,714 --> 00:46:58,282 Has to get through it tonight. 1223 00:46:58,382 --> 00:46:59,850 But no matter what happens, 1224 00:46:59,950 --> 00:47:03,487 it's been so special for his son to see him on the course. 1225 00:47:03,587 --> 00:47:06,357 Wasn't born the last time Chad competed. 1226 00:47:11,228 --> 00:47:12,129 - There we go. 1227 00:47:12,229 --> 00:47:15,366 - This pace, surprisingly fast. 1228 00:47:17,001 --> 00:47:19,904 - He's gonna be principal and PE teacher. 1229 00:47:20,004 --> 00:47:20,905 Big move. 1230 00:47:21,005 --> 00:47:21,906 - Are you kidding me? 1231 00:47:22,006 --> 00:47:23,240 - Oh, man. 1232 00:47:23,340 --> 00:47:26,177 - What a moment, Chad Riddle! 1233 00:47:26,277 --> 00:47:27,478 - [yells] 1234 00:47:27,578 --> 00:47:29,213 - Yeah! 1235 00:47:29,313 --> 00:47:32,483 [cheers and applause] 1236 00:47:32,583 --> 00:47:35,419 - And now Jamie's gonna give the stone back to Chad 1237 00:47:35,519 --> 00:47:37,488 so he can carry it up the Warped Wall. 1238 00:47:37,588 --> 00:47:39,790 But the clock is ticking. 1239 00:47:39,890 --> 00:47:42,026 Needs to get up on the first attempt. 1240 00:47:42,126 --> 00:47:43,527 - Big up, and look at this! 1241 00:47:43,627 --> 00:47:45,830 He got it! - The principal is in! 1242 00:47:45,930 --> 00:47:47,331 - Uh-oh. 1243 00:47:47,431 --> 00:47:49,333 [buzzer blares] 1244 00:47:49,433 --> 00:47:50,701 - Yeah! 1245 00:47:50,801 --> 00:47:51,736 - Wow. 1246 00:47:51,836 --> 00:47:53,971 - Whoo! 1247 00:47:54,071 --> 00:47:58,976 - And using that stone from his wife's ashes, what a moment. 1248 00:47:59,076 --> 00:48:00,611 - That's pretty cool. She's right there with him. 1249 00:48:00,711 --> 00:48:02,913 - Let's go, Chad! 1250 00:48:03,013 --> 00:48:04,348 - Can I just sit here for a second? 1251 00:48:04,448 --> 00:48:06,217 - Yeah, man. Enjoy it, brother. 1252 00:48:06,317 --> 00:48:07,585 - This has been a long time coming. 1253 00:48:07,685 --> 00:48:08,853 - Take it all in, Chad. 1254 00:48:08,953 --> 00:48:13,124 ♪ ♪ 1255 00:48:13,224 --> 00:48:15,192 - This is everything I wanted. 1256 00:48:15,292 --> 00:48:18,496 Like, this is why I came out. 1257 00:48:18,596 --> 00:48:20,998 To have a platform to talk about hardship. 1258 00:48:21,098 --> 00:48:22,933 People go through hard things. 1259 00:48:23,033 --> 00:48:24,201 This show is about obstacles. 1260 00:48:24,301 --> 00:48:26,637 I've faced harder things than anything out there, 1261 00:48:26,737 --> 00:48:28,172 and here I still am. 1262 00:48:28,272 --> 00:48:29,740 I'm just so thankful. 1263 00:48:29,840 --> 00:48:31,275 - And you have a lot to be thankful for. 1264 00:48:31,375 --> 00:48:34,445 And I tell you, your single message that is so strong 1265 00:48:34,545 --> 00:48:36,514 is perseverance. 1266 00:48:36,614 --> 00:48:37,982 - You know what my time was? 1267 00:48:38,082 --> 00:48:41,652 - Your time was a 1:37, brother, 1268 00:48:41,752 --> 00:48:44,188 which means you went fast enough to move on! 1269 00:48:44,288 --> 00:48:45,756 You're going racing! 1270 00:48:45,856 --> 00:48:47,057 - Whoo! 1271 00:48:47,158 --> 00:48:50,461 - Hit it one more time and go celebrate, Chad. 1272 00:48:50,561 --> 00:48:53,230 [buzzer blares] - Whoo! 1273 00:48:53,330 --> 00:48:55,299 - Oh, that's so cool. 1274 00:48:55,399 --> 00:48:57,368 I mean, you have to be touched by that. 1275 00:48:57,468 --> 00:48:58,969 - Absolutely beautiful. 1276 00:48:59,069 --> 00:49:02,206 - He showed up and showed out. 1277 00:49:02,306 --> 00:49:04,275 - So here's a look at all those who are 1278 00:49:04,375 --> 00:49:06,277 headed to the Tripleheader. 1279 00:49:06,377 --> 00:49:09,513 Jera Boyd put up the fastest time on this course, 1280 00:49:09,613 --> 00:49:12,850 just ahead of Texas teenager Weston Boswell. 1281 00:49:12,950 --> 00:49:16,086 Also moving on is Iowa tree trimmer Tyler Smith, 1282 00:49:16,187 --> 00:49:18,889 who ended with the 10th best time. 1283 00:49:18,989 --> 00:49:21,192 That run by Chad Riddle put him 12th 1284 00:49:21,292 --> 00:49:23,928 among the 14 men who are moving on. 1285 00:49:24,028 --> 00:49:26,464 They'll now join Daniel Gil and the other ninjas 1286 00:49:26,564 --> 00:49:30,067 who went so fast in qualifying, they earned a bye 1287 00:49:30,167 --> 00:49:34,305 and got to go directly to round two. 1288 00:49:34,405 --> 00:49:36,340 Now things are about to get really interesting. 1289 00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:38,642 We're moving over to our three-lane racecourse, 1290 00:49:38,742 --> 00:49:40,711 the Tripleheader. 1291 00:49:40,811 --> 00:49:44,348 - We were on it three weeks ago and had some epic battles. 1292 00:49:44,448 --> 00:49:46,750 [buzzer blares] How did he do that? 1293 00:49:46,851 --> 00:49:50,154 There's nothing like going head to head to head. 1294 00:49:50,254 --> 00:49:52,389 Oh, no! Oh! 1295 00:49:52,490 --> 00:49:55,693 - It's all next on "American Ninja Warrior." 1296 00:50:00,831 --> 00:50:02,299 - Welcome back to Las Vegas. 1297 00:50:02,399 --> 00:50:05,502 Now, this is when the night really kicks into another gear, 1298 00:50:05,603 --> 00:50:07,571 because we moved over to our three-lane 1299 00:50:07,671 --> 00:50:09,707 racecourse, the Tripleheader. 1300 00:50:09,807 --> 00:50:11,742 - It's three times the fun, Matt, 1301 00:50:11,842 --> 00:50:13,344 but it's serious business. 1302 00:50:13,444 --> 00:50:16,013 Somebody's season ends with every race. 1303 00:50:16,113 --> 00:50:18,449 - For a look at what to expect, let's go down to Zuri. 1304 00:50:18,549 --> 00:50:20,985 - Look at this start line, guys. 1305 00:50:21,085 --> 00:50:24,021 It is three lanes across, and the course 1306 00:50:24,121 --> 00:50:27,491 offers three unique obstacles for our ninjas. 1307 00:50:27,591 --> 00:50:29,360 First, they'll try to keep their balance 1308 00:50:29,460 --> 00:50:31,862 on the uneven steps of Island Hopper. 1309 00:50:31,962 --> 00:50:33,898 Then it's the iconic Cliffhanger 1310 00:50:33,998 --> 00:50:35,933 and its tiny ledges. 1311 00:50:36,033 --> 00:50:37,735 And that final move to the birdhouse 1312 00:50:37,835 --> 00:50:39,670 has ended many runs this season. 1313 00:50:39,770 --> 00:50:41,105 - Oh! 1314 00:50:41,205 --> 00:50:43,240 - Finally, its Bounce House, where ninjas 1315 00:50:43,340 --> 00:50:45,142 will have to propel themselves up 1316 00:50:45,242 --> 00:50:47,912 then work their way across a series of bungees 1317 00:50:48,012 --> 00:50:49,580 and ride to the buzzer. 1318 00:50:49,680 --> 00:50:51,548 Only the top two in each race will move on 1319 00:50:51,649 --> 00:50:53,217 to the national finals. 1320 00:50:55,819 --> 00:50:57,521 - Minutes ago, we determined the matchups 1321 00:50:57,621 --> 00:50:59,056 with a random draw. 1322 00:50:59,156 --> 00:51:00,224 - Elijah Browning. 1323 00:51:02,459 --> 00:51:04,895 - Ninjas who got a bye and skipped round one 1324 00:51:04,995 --> 00:51:06,830 pulled the names of their opponents. 1325 00:51:06,931 --> 00:51:08,232 - Karsten Williams. 1326 00:51:08,332 --> 00:51:10,200 [cheers and applause] 1327 00:51:10,301 --> 00:51:11,969 Let's get it, big guy. 1328 00:51:12,069 --> 00:51:14,238 - So we'll have some great matchups, 1329 00:51:14,338 --> 00:51:15,940 with friends racing friends, 1330 00:51:16,040 --> 00:51:18,175 veterans taking on rising stars, 1331 00:51:18,275 --> 00:51:22,546 and some of the fastest ninjas in the same group. 1332 00:51:22,646 --> 00:51:25,849 And we're gonna start things off with a Midwest showdown. 1333 00:51:25,950 --> 00:51:29,586 From Illinois, it's college student Andrew Pickert 1334 00:51:29,687 --> 00:51:33,557 Then it's Iowa's 5'2" dynamo, Jason Behrends. 1335 00:51:33,657 --> 00:51:36,293 And from Wisconsin, the ninja known for his love 1336 00:51:36,393 --> 00:51:38,195 of cheese, Evan White. 1337 00:51:38,295 --> 00:51:40,297 This could be a battle to the end, 1338 00:51:40,397 --> 00:51:43,334 and Evan White is no stranger to close races. 1339 00:51:43,434 --> 00:51:44,568 - They're right there. 1340 00:51:44,668 --> 00:51:46,036 Somebody's gotta make that transition. 1341 00:51:46,136 --> 00:51:47,638 Ay-yi-yi! Ay-yi-yi! 1342 00:51:47,738 --> 00:51:49,840 They looked at each other! They looked at each other! 1343 00:51:49,940 --> 00:51:51,475 - Evan White! 1344 00:51:51,575 --> 00:51:52,643 - Last year in the national finals, 1345 00:51:52,743 --> 00:51:53,877 I had a really, really hard group 1346 00:51:53,978 --> 00:51:55,846 of four round-robin stage. 1347 00:51:55,946 --> 00:51:58,482 - The closest finish of the finals so far. 1348 00:51:58,582 --> 00:52:00,050 - Oh, my word. 1349 00:52:00,150 --> 00:52:02,753 - Some of my races were less than a half second apart. 1350 00:52:02,853 --> 00:52:05,756 - Yes! Oh! - Oh, my goodness! 1351 00:52:05,856 --> 00:52:06,824 - Those photo finishes were definitely 1352 00:52:06,924 --> 00:52:08,292 a big confidence boost. 1353 00:52:08,392 --> 00:52:09,560 Like, a lot of those people were big role models 1354 00:52:09,660 --> 00:52:11,128 of mine growing up, and to even get 1355 00:52:11,228 --> 00:52:13,130 to race them was such an amazing opportunity. 1356 00:52:13,230 --> 00:52:15,532 To have that close of a race with them was even better. 1357 00:52:15,632 --> 00:52:17,601 - Thank you for one of the great races 1358 00:52:17,701 --> 00:52:19,837 in the history of this show. 1359 00:52:19,937 --> 00:52:22,373 - The Tripleheader is gonna be really scary 1360 00:52:22,473 --> 00:52:24,274 and really insane, but now I just have to beat 1361 00:52:24,375 --> 00:52:26,110 two ninjas at the same time. 1362 00:52:26,210 --> 00:52:28,278 - Racing against Evan White and Andrew Pickert, 1363 00:52:28,379 --> 00:52:29,880 both of those athletes are really good. 1364 00:52:29,980 --> 00:52:31,949 I'm definitely nervous to go against them. 1365 00:52:32,049 --> 00:52:35,219 - Started watching the show when he was six years old, 1366 00:52:35,319 --> 00:52:37,721 and here he is, Akbar. 1367 00:52:37,821 --> 00:52:38,822 - This is my first season, and this is 1368 00:52:38,922 --> 00:52:39,990 who I get put up against. 1369 00:52:40,090 --> 00:52:40,991 It's pretty tough. 1370 00:52:41,091 --> 00:52:42,493 But I know what I can do. 1371 00:52:42,593 --> 00:52:45,429 I think that my qualifying run proved that I can place 1372 00:52:45,529 --> 00:52:47,998 in those top times, so I know that 1373 00:52:48,098 --> 00:52:50,534 I'm able to compete with those guys, even if I am a rookie. 1374 00:52:53,604 --> 00:52:56,473 - Andrew's girlfriend, Emerson, is gonna be on his sideline 1375 00:52:56,573 --> 00:52:57,941 with his family. 1376 00:52:58,042 --> 00:53:00,377 Evan's got his mom, Salena, here. 1377 00:53:00,477 --> 00:53:04,181 And we know the Behrends family will be getting loud for Jason. 1378 00:53:04,281 --> 00:53:06,417 [countdown clock beeping] 1379 00:53:06,517 --> 00:53:09,920 - Three lanes, three obstacles, gotta go fast. 1380 00:53:10,020 --> 00:53:11,355 Uh-oh. And Jason pulling ahead. 1381 00:53:11,455 --> 00:53:13,690 - Oh, my, what a great start. 1382 00:53:13,791 --> 00:53:14,725 - But look at Andrew. 1383 00:53:14,825 --> 00:53:16,226 Andrew's not messing around. 1384 00:53:16,326 --> 00:53:20,097 He's 5'10", using his long wingspan to try to creep ahead. 1385 00:53:20,197 --> 00:53:22,166 - Oh, these athletes pushing each other. 1386 00:53:22,266 --> 00:53:23,834 Evan using those forearms. 1387 00:53:23,934 --> 00:53:25,135 - Andrew White said, you know what? 1388 00:53:25,235 --> 00:53:28,272 You might be long and fast, but I am quick. 1389 00:53:28,372 --> 00:53:31,708 - Jason Behrends keeping it close. 1390 00:53:31,809 --> 00:53:33,710 - Here they go. Here they go. 1391 00:53:33,811 --> 00:53:35,479 And here comes Evan White. 1392 00:53:35,579 --> 00:53:36,747 - Oh, what a race. 1393 00:53:36,847 --> 00:53:38,348 - Now Evan White's gotta try-- 1394 00:53:38,449 --> 00:53:39,650 oh, he took a look. 1395 00:53:39,750 --> 00:53:41,051 Do not take a look. 1396 00:53:41,151 --> 00:53:43,687 It's hard to do what you do when you do peek-a-boo! 1397 00:53:43,787 --> 00:53:45,789 - A race to the buzzer! 1398 00:53:45,889 --> 00:53:47,524 - Whoa! I don't know! I don't know what happened! 1399 00:53:47,624 --> 00:53:49,193 - Oh, my goodness. 1400 00:53:49,293 --> 00:53:52,963 [cheers and applause] 1401 00:53:53,063 --> 00:53:55,299 Pickert still fighting. 1402 00:53:55,399 --> 00:53:56,600 - Oh! 1403 00:53:56,700 --> 00:53:58,402 But who won? 1404 00:53:58,502 --> 00:54:00,938 We have to go to the replay. 1405 00:54:01,038 --> 00:54:03,607 Evan White had a good lead on the Bounce House, 1406 00:54:03,707 --> 00:54:07,244 but Jason Behrends made some aggressive moves to catch up. 1407 00:54:07,344 --> 00:54:09,646 Their feet hit the pad almost in sync. 1408 00:54:09,746 --> 00:54:11,315 And then watch their hands. 1409 00:54:11,415 --> 00:54:15,219 Evan got there just a hair before Jason. 1410 00:54:15,319 --> 00:54:19,890 - Guys, the closest race we've had this season. 1411 00:54:19,990 --> 00:54:23,794 0.03 of a second separated you. 1412 00:54:23,894 --> 00:54:25,929 And the winner... 1413 00:54:26,029 --> 00:54:28,832 is Evan White. 1414 00:54:28,932 --> 00:54:31,001 But the good news is, you're both moving on 1415 00:54:31,101 --> 00:54:33,103 to the national finals. 1416 00:54:33,203 --> 00:54:34,438 Evan, you're getting used to this. 1417 00:54:34,538 --> 00:54:36,707 First Daniel Gil, now Jason Behrends. 1418 00:54:36,807 --> 00:54:38,675 - I gotta stop with these close races. 1419 00:54:38,776 --> 00:54:39,910 They're stressing me out. 1420 00:54:40,010 --> 00:54:41,712 I don't like it. - I'm stressed out. 1421 00:54:41,812 --> 00:54:43,213 - That won't be like that in finals, I promise. 1422 00:54:43,313 --> 00:54:44,481 - Guys, thanks for an awesome race. 1423 00:54:44,581 --> 00:54:47,251 Go celebrate. 1424 00:54:47,351 --> 00:54:48,786 Credit to Andrew Pickert. 1425 00:54:48,886 --> 00:54:50,721 He hung with them till the end. 1426 00:54:50,821 --> 00:54:53,857 [cheers and applause] 1427 00:54:55,759 --> 00:54:59,229 Our next group is led by one of our most experienced ninjas, 1428 00:54:59,329 --> 00:55:02,132 Donovan Metoyer, the Classy Ninja. 1429 00:55:02,232 --> 00:55:05,869 He's facing two high school students, Ohio's Dylan Yee 1430 00:55:05,969 --> 00:55:10,207 and Pennsylvania football player Nick Warren. 1431 00:55:10,307 --> 00:55:11,842 [upbeat music] 1432 00:55:11,942 --> 00:55:14,945 - It's a bit intimidating standing next to Donovan. 1433 00:55:15,045 --> 00:55:16,613 He's a suit guy. 1434 00:55:16,713 --> 00:55:19,283 I mean, he is, like, pretty snazzy. 1435 00:55:19,383 --> 00:55:22,052 - His flattop looking good. - Oh! 1436 00:55:22,152 --> 00:55:23,720 - Oh! He did a 360! 1437 00:55:23,820 --> 00:55:25,789 - Talk about looking good. 1438 00:55:25,889 --> 00:55:28,792 - I'm really excited to see what I can push my limits to, 1439 00:55:28,892 --> 00:55:31,161 push his limits to. 1440 00:55:31,261 --> 00:55:33,564 - Nick and Dylan, I know nothing about them, 1441 00:55:33,664 --> 00:55:35,032 but they're teenagers. 1442 00:55:35,132 --> 00:55:37,534 And any teenager on the course is an instant threat. 1443 00:55:37,634 --> 00:55:40,037 - Nick Warren, got it! 1444 00:55:40,137 --> 00:55:41,271 [buzzer blares] 1445 00:55:41,371 --> 00:55:43,740 - Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! 1446 00:55:43,841 --> 00:55:46,944 - I think the race is definitely about the two teens 1447 00:55:47,044 --> 00:55:48,879 taking the adult, or as we call them, 1448 00:55:48,979 --> 00:55:50,714 the unc off of his throne. 1449 00:55:50,814 --> 00:55:52,182 - One of the reasons I'm gonna move on 1450 00:55:52,282 --> 00:55:54,685 is 'cause I have more experience on the course. 1451 00:55:54,785 --> 00:55:56,353 Lifetime experience as well. 1452 00:55:56,453 --> 00:55:58,088 I'm gonna do what I need to do to get to the end 1453 00:55:58,188 --> 00:56:00,157 and hit that buzzer first or second. 1454 00:56:00,257 --> 00:56:03,060 ♪ ♪ 1455 00:56:03,160 --> 00:56:04,561 - Get it, Donovan. 1456 00:56:04,661 --> 00:56:07,164 - All three of these guys have been perfect this season. 1457 00:56:07,264 --> 00:56:08,732 Nothing but buzzers. 1458 00:56:08,832 --> 00:56:10,567 No one's touched the water. 1459 00:56:10,667 --> 00:56:11,602 [countdown clock beeping] 1460 00:56:11,702 --> 00:56:12,970 - Come on, Nick. 1461 00:56:13,070 --> 00:56:15,072 - Get out fast. Nice. Ooh! 1462 00:56:15,172 --> 00:56:17,007 - And Metoyer, great footwork. 1463 00:56:17,107 --> 00:56:18,008 Oh, my. 1464 00:56:18,108 --> 00:56:20,410 - Oh, oh! - Did Yee stay dry? 1465 00:56:20,510 --> 00:56:21,411 I think he did. 1466 00:56:21,511 --> 00:56:22,412 - He stumbled. 1467 00:56:22,512 --> 00:56:23,747 But now look at Warren. 1468 00:56:23,847 --> 00:56:25,616 The footballer tackling it. 1469 00:56:25,716 --> 00:56:29,019 - 180 pounds and he's crushing Cliffhanger. 1470 00:56:29,119 --> 00:56:30,554 Oh, what a race. 1471 00:56:30,654 --> 00:56:33,023 - Oh, Donovan Metoyer, this kid is different. 1472 00:56:33,123 --> 00:56:34,591 He different, Matt. 1473 00:56:34,691 --> 00:56:38,896 - Dylan Yee's falling behind, and he stumbles again. 1474 00:56:38,996 --> 00:56:41,932 Donovan slightly ahead. 1475 00:56:42,032 --> 00:56:43,967 Well, Dylan Yee, at 120 pounds, 1476 00:56:44,067 --> 00:56:45,836 he may be able to make up some ground. 1477 00:56:45,936 --> 00:56:47,371 Look at Nick Warren! 1478 00:56:47,471 --> 00:56:49,673 - Nick Warren, a rookie, going up against a veteran 1479 00:56:49,773 --> 00:56:51,742 who's been in this type of situation. 1480 00:56:51,842 --> 00:56:53,810 Somebody's gotta commit. And he did it. 1481 00:56:53,910 --> 00:56:55,812 - Metoyer does it! 1482 00:56:55,912 --> 00:56:59,016 And Nick Warren right behind him! 1483 00:56:59,116 --> 00:57:00,851 [cheers and applause] 1484 00:57:00,951 --> 00:57:03,120 Dylan Yee's gonna make it to the end as well, 1485 00:57:03,220 --> 00:57:05,222 but he's not fast enough. 1486 00:57:05,322 --> 00:57:07,991 The veteran, Donovan Metoyer, is moving on to the finals, 1487 00:57:08,091 --> 00:57:12,562 with Nick Warren, who keeps his perfect rookie season going. 1488 00:57:14,331 --> 00:57:17,234 Coming up, two "Ninja" legends, 1489 00:57:17,334 --> 00:57:18,235 Daniel Gil... 1490 00:57:18,335 --> 00:57:20,437 - He smiles under pressure. 1491 00:57:20,537 --> 00:57:21,705 - And Karsten Williams. 1492 00:57:21,805 --> 00:57:23,173 - Okay! 1493 00:57:23,273 --> 00:57:25,075 - They'll try to hold off impressive teenager 1494 00:57:25,175 --> 00:57:26,910 Nathanael Honvou. 1495 00:57:27,010 --> 00:57:28,478 - Let's go! 1496 00:57:28,578 --> 00:57:32,449 - That's next on "American Ninja Warrior." 1497 00:57:38,588 --> 00:57:40,490 - The races roll on here in Vegas. 1498 00:57:40,590 --> 00:57:43,193 And up next on our Tripleheader racecourse, 1499 00:57:43,293 --> 00:57:44,995 it's the first matchup featuring 1500 00:57:45,095 --> 00:57:46,697 our female competitors. 1501 00:57:46,797 --> 00:57:50,734 And leading the way is one of the best, Isabella Folsom. 1502 00:57:50,834 --> 00:57:53,403 She's among the career leaders in buzzers for women. 1503 00:57:53,503 --> 00:57:56,540 And next to her is a teenager Isabella used to coach, 1504 00:57:56,640 --> 00:57:59,343 Texas high schooler KK Andrews. 1505 00:57:59,443 --> 00:58:02,813 Then it's another teenager, Colorado's Jaleesa Himka, 1506 00:58:02,913 --> 00:58:04,648 who's been winning obstacle course races 1507 00:58:04,748 --> 00:58:06,650 all over the world. 1508 00:58:08,452 --> 00:58:10,554 Jaleesa first appeared on "Ninja Junior" 1509 00:58:10,654 --> 00:58:11,755 when she was just ten. 1510 00:58:11,855 --> 00:58:13,890 - Let's see those moves, ninjas. 1511 00:58:13,990 --> 00:58:16,827 - And debuted on the big show at 15. 1512 00:58:16,927 --> 00:58:20,964 Jaleesa Himka gets the win. 1513 00:58:21,064 --> 00:58:22,766 - That's how you do it! 1514 00:58:22,866 --> 00:58:25,102 - Isabella also competed on "Junior." 1515 00:58:25,202 --> 00:58:26,937 - Isabella! 1516 00:58:27,037 --> 00:58:29,673 - And she did it! [buzzer blares] 1517 00:58:29,773 --> 00:58:32,776 And has developed into one of the sport's elite. 1518 00:58:32,876 --> 00:58:34,111 - This is amazing. 1519 00:58:34,211 --> 00:58:37,581 - Isabella, only the fourth woman ever. 1520 00:58:37,681 --> 00:58:40,584 Reaching the final 32 last season. 1521 00:58:40,684 --> 00:58:42,486 - Yeah, nice and efficient. Come on. 1522 00:58:42,586 --> 00:58:44,955 - She's also become a highly sought-after coach 1523 00:58:45,055 --> 00:58:48,291 and counts KK as one of her prized pupils. 1524 00:58:48,392 --> 00:58:49,760 - I knew this day would come, where we 1525 00:58:49,860 --> 00:58:51,194 would get to compete together. 1526 00:58:51,294 --> 00:58:53,330 I was hoping it wouldn't be head-to-head, 1527 00:58:53,430 --> 00:58:55,065 but I've known it was coming for years. 1528 00:58:55,165 --> 00:58:56,066 She is a beast. 1529 00:58:56,166 --> 00:58:57,067 She's a legend. 1530 00:58:57,167 --> 00:58:58,769 And she is so strong. 1531 00:58:58,869 --> 00:59:00,504 - Isabella, you might be my coach, 1532 00:59:00,604 --> 00:59:02,205 but I'm gonna show you a few things tonight. 1533 00:59:05,942 --> 00:59:08,011 - Isabella is one of three Folsoms trying 1534 00:59:08,111 --> 00:59:10,147 to get to the finals tonight. 1535 00:59:10,247 --> 00:59:12,048 Her husband, Sam, and brother-in-law, Phil, 1536 00:59:12,149 --> 00:59:13,517 will race later. 1537 00:59:13,617 --> 00:59:14,818 - They mess around and do that, 1538 00:59:14,918 --> 00:59:15,952 they could match the Beckstrands, 1539 00:59:16,052 --> 00:59:18,121 who already have three in the finals. 1540 00:59:18,221 --> 00:59:19,556 - It's gonna come down to what happens 1541 00:59:19,656 --> 00:59:21,525 in the next 60 seconds. 1542 00:59:21,625 --> 00:59:23,226 Only two will move on. 1543 00:59:23,326 --> 00:59:25,662 Anything can happen on the Tripleheader. 1544 00:59:25,762 --> 00:59:28,198 [countdown clock beeping] 1545 00:59:28,298 --> 00:59:30,300 - Whatever you thought you knew about racing, 1546 00:59:30,400 --> 00:59:31,401 this is different. 1547 00:59:31,501 --> 00:59:33,937 This Tripleheader is so intense. 1548 00:59:35,572 --> 00:59:39,476 - And you see Folsom pushing the pace early. 1549 00:59:39,576 --> 00:59:42,479 This Cliffhanger, these women are so strong. 1550 00:59:42,579 --> 00:59:44,080 - Yeah, you gotta get going on the Cliffhanger. 1551 00:59:44,181 --> 00:59:46,116 Whoever's got that strong upper body, 1552 00:59:46,216 --> 00:59:49,453 that ability to make it through and traverse can separate. 1553 00:59:49,553 --> 00:59:51,755 - Isabella, the teacher, has a slight lead, 1554 00:59:51,855 --> 00:59:55,358 but her former student, KK, close behind. 1555 00:59:55,459 --> 00:59:57,694 And Isabella the first to get off. 1556 00:59:57,794 --> 01:00:02,365 - Now this is where Isabella can really separate here. 1557 01:00:02,466 --> 01:00:05,802 - The pole vaulter, KK Andrews, keeping up, though. 1558 01:00:05,902 --> 01:00:08,538 - Jaleesa Himka's got to make up some ground. 1559 01:00:08,638 --> 01:00:11,475 - Isabella just snuck a peek to see where the others are. 1560 01:00:11,575 --> 01:00:14,044 She's battling those bungees. 1561 01:00:14,144 --> 01:00:15,879 - Isabella launches. 1562 01:00:15,979 --> 01:00:17,414 - She's number one. [buzzer blares] 1563 01:00:17,514 --> 01:00:20,951 - And that's the fastest time by a woman this season. 1564 01:00:21,051 --> 01:00:23,086 - There's still a race for that second buzzer. 1565 01:00:23,186 --> 01:00:25,856 - And here comes Jaleesa Himka. 1566 01:00:25,956 --> 01:00:27,324 Who's gonna join Isabella? 1567 01:00:27,424 --> 01:00:28,325 Dead even. 1568 01:00:28,425 --> 01:00:30,126 - Uh-oh! Oh! 1569 01:00:30,227 --> 01:00:32,162 - And you just see they can't time the swing. 1570 01:00:32,262 --> 01:00:33,697 - You gotta commit to the swing. 1571 01:00:33,797 --> 01:00:35,565 - And Jaleesa does it! [buzzer blares] 1572 01:00:35,665 --> 01:00:36,833 - Okay, Jaleesa. 1573 01:00:36,933 --> 01:00:41,171 - KK just couldn't find her momentum. 1574 01:00:41,271 --> 01:00:44,141 What a race. 1575 01:00:44,241 --> 01:00:49,546 The women competitors continue to shine here in season 18. 1576 01:00:49,646 --> 01:00:52,082 - The "Ninja" veteran, Isabella, pulled ahead, 1577 01:00:52,182 --> 01:00:54,117 took a quick look over at the others, 1578 01:00:54,217 --> 01:00:56,419 and then sailed to the buzzer. 1579 01:00:56,520 --> 01:00:59,389 Meanwhile, KK looked like she had second locked up, 1580 01:00:59,489 --> 01:01:01,525 but she got hung up on the bungees, 1581 01:01:01,625 --> 01:01:04,528 allowing Jaleesa to catch up and pass her. 1582 01:01:04,628 --> 01:01:08,732 She and Isabella punch their ticket to the national finals. 1583 01:01:10,600 --> 01:01:13,970 - Up next, it's Ohio teenager Nathanael Honvou, 1584 01:01:14,070 --> 01:01:16,373 who's up against two "Ninja" legends, 1585 01:01:16,473 --> 01:01:20,443 Daniel Gil and the Big Kat, Karsten Williams. 1586 01:01:20,544 --> 01:01:22,812 Honvou is a former "Ninja Junior" champ 1587 01:01:22,913 --> 01:01:26,416 but doesn't have nearly the experience of Daniel Gil, 1588 01:01:26,516 --> 01:01:29,352 who's qualified for the national finals nine times, 1589 01:01:29,452 --> 01:01:34,357 or Karsten Williams, who's been there eight times. 1590 01:01:34,457 --> 01:01:37,861 As always, Karsten's mom, Linda, will be on his sideline. 1591 01:01:37,961 --> 01:01:41,198 Daniel Gil's wife, Abby, leading his cheering section. 1592 01:01:41,298 --> 01:01:44,401 And Nathanael Honvou's got his parents here for him. 1593 01:01:44,501 --> 01:01:47,270 [countdown clock beeping] 1594 01:01:47,370 --> 01:01:49,239 - Daniel Gil in the middle lane. 1595 01:01:49,339 --> 01:01:50,941 He's gotta stare at these ninjas 1596 01:01:51,041 --> 01:01:52,442 from his peripheral vision. 1597 01:01:52,542 --> 01:01:55,545 - Gil looked a little uneven but makes his way through. 1598 01:01:55,645 --> 01:01:58,515 Honvou, the teenager, staying with Gil. 1599 01:01:58,615 --> 01:02:00,450 - And Karsten Williams is gonna have to push 1600 01:02:00,550 --> 01:02:03,386 a little bit of gas here to put some pressure. 1601 01:02:03,486 --> 01:02:05,956 - Who's gonna be the first off birdhouse? 1602 01:02:06,056 --> 01:02:08,592 It's Honvou. 1603 01:02:08,692 --> 01:02:11,561 The high schooler pushing the "Ninja" legend. 1604 01:02:11,661 --> 01:02:14,331 - Wow, Karsten Williams has fallen further behind. 1605 01:02:14,431 --> 01:02:16,266 He's gotta find another gear. 1606 01:02:16,366 --> 01:02:18,969 - It's gonna come down to who can handle the bungees better. 1607 01:02:19,069 --> 01:02:21,104 - Oh, buddy. 1608 01:02:21,204 --> 01:02:22,639 But here comes Daniel Gil! 1609 01:02:22,739 --> 01:02:23,974 Now it's Honvou! 1610 01:02:24,074 --> 01:02:25,875 - Who's getting the dismount first? 1611 01:02:25,976 --> 01:02:27,410 - Oh, you gotta make the commitment. 1612 01:02:27,510 --> 01:02:28,778 It's the commitment. - Gil! 1613 01:02:28,878 --> 01:02:31,214 - Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! 1614 01:02:31,314 --> 01:02:34,484 - Just ahead of Nathanael Honvou. 1615 01:02:34,584 --> 01:02:36,853 - Big Kat touches the water. 1616 01:02:36,953 --> 01:02:38,455 - But it was too late, anyway. 1617 01:02:38,555 --> 01:02:41,524 The veteran, Daniel Gil, and the teenager, Nathanael Honvou 1618 01:02:41,625 --> 01:02:43,526 come out on top. 1619 01:02:43,627 --> 01:02:44,728 - On the Cliffhanger, 1620 01:02:44,828 --> 01:02:46,630 Nathanael got the jump on Daniel. 1621 01:02:46,730 --> 01:02:47,998 That wasn't in the manual. 1622 01:02:48,098 --> 01:02:50,500 But on Bounce House, he missed his first grab 1623 01:02:50,600 --> 01:02:53,536 on the double bungee, and Gil stole the lead 1624 01:02:53,637 --> 01:02:56,306 and the win by less than a second. 1625 01:02:56,406 --> 01:02:57,774 And check out Karsten. 1626 01:02:57,874 --> 01:02:59,909 He caught the final bungee so low 1627 01:03:00,010 --> 01:03:02,045 that his long legs hit the water, 1628 01:03:02,145 --> 01:03:04,881 and his season is over. 1629 01:03:04,981 --> 01:03:07,217 - So Daniel Gil's earned his tenth trip 1630 01:03:07,317 --> 01:03:08,752 to the national finals, 1631 01:03:08,852 --> 01:03:12,789 while Nathanael Honvou will be going for the very first time. 1632 01:03:12,889 --> 01:03:14,124 Coming up, 1633 01:03:14,224 --> 01:03:16,726 they may not be three of the tallest competitors, 1634 01:03:16,826 --> 01:03:18,895 but they might be three of the fastest. 1635 01:03:18,995 --> 01:03:20,697 - Oh, my goodness! 1636 01:03:20,797 --> 01:03:22,432 - It's a short king showdown tonight. 1637 01:03:22,532 --> 01:03:24,601 - We'll see this trio race 1638 01:03:24,701 --> 01:03:27,771 when "American Ninja Warrior" returns. 1639 01:03:32,475 --> 01:03:33,710 - Welcome back to Vegas. 1640 01:03:33,810 --> 01:03:36,112 If our ninjas wanna get to the national finals, 1641 01:03:36,212 --> 01:03:38,982 they first have to take on our three-lane racecourse, 1642 01:03:39,082 --> 01:03:40,917 the Tripleheader. 1643 01:03:41,017 --> 01:03:42,919 Our next group may not be the tallest, 1644 01:03:43,019 --> 01:03:45,288 but they may be the most fun to watch. 1645 01:03:45,388 --> 01:03:49,893 It's led by one of "Ninja's" best, Jay "Lache" Lewis. 1646 01:03:49,993 --> 01:03:51,461 He earned a bye in the first round, 1647 01:03:51,561 --> 01:03:55,398 so he got to pull the names of his opponents. 1648 01:03:55,498 --> 01:03:56,733 - When Jay pulled my name... 1649 01:03:56,833 --> 01:03:58,268 - Ryan Cooper. 1650 01:03:58,368 --> 01:04:00,003 - I was just going crazy. 1651 01:04:00,103 --> 01:04:01,204 - Hayes Dyer. 1652 01:04:01,304 --> 01:04:02,572 - Oh, yeah. 1653 01:04:02,672 --> 01:04:04,240 - Then I realized we're all about the same height, 1654 01:04:04,340 --> 01:04:06,476 so it should be a good race. 1655 01:04:06,576 --> 01:04:08,411 - I have never been the tallest person in a group. 1656 01:04:08,511 --> 01:04:12,449 I'm 5'5", and they're both 5'4", so got them by an inch. 1657 01:04:12,549 --> 01:04:15,318 - It's pretty awesome to race two other short guys. 1658 01:04:15,418 --> 01:04:16,953 But I've been doing this for a really long time now. 1659 01:04:17,053 --> 01:04:18,788 This is my sixth season. 1660 01:04:18,888 --> 01:04:20,090 - That's my boy right there. 1661 01:04:20,190 --> 01:04:21,358 Ha-ha! 1662 01:04:21,458 --> 01:04:23,226 - Jay and I have an advantage over Hayes. 1663 01:04:23,326 --> 01:04:25,128 We've had a lot of experience racing. 1664 01:04:25,228 --> 01:04:26,362 He's been racing on the show. 1665 01:04:26,463 --> 01:04:27,964 I've been on "Ninja Junior" racing, 1666 01:04:28,064 --> 01:04:30,367 so I'm excited to see how Hayes holds up. 1667 01:04:30,467 --> 01:04:33,036 - Jay has raced a bunch, and he's known for speed, 1668 01:04:33,136 --> 01:04:35,605 so definitely adds some nerves. 1669 01:04:35,705 --> 01:04:37,741 - It's a short king showdown tonight. 1670 01:04:40,443 --> 01:04:42,312 - Hayes Dyer will have big brother Owen, 1671 01:04:42,412 --> 01:04:44,981 the Flamingo Kid, on his sideline. 1672 01:04:45,081 --> 01:04:48,184 Ryan Cooper's got all his family here from Texas. 1673 01:04:48,284 --> 01:04:50,186 Jay's got his girlfriend, Maggie Owen, 1674 01:04:50,286 --> 01:04:51,988 who'll be racing later. 1675 01:04:52,088 --> 01:04:54,924 - None of these guys weigh more than 125 pounds. 1676 01:04:55,024 --> 01:04:57,093 I think they're gonna fly through this course. 1677 01:04:57,193 --> 01:05:00,063 [countdown clock beeping] 1678 01:05:00,163 --> 01:05:02,132 All right, stay focused. Stay locked in. 1679 01:05:02,232 --> 01:05:04,501 Stay locked in. 1680 01:05:04,601 --> 01:05:05,602 Here we go. 1681 01:05:05,702 --> 01:05:08,138 And you can see Jay Lache making his move. 1682 01:05:08,238 --> 01:05:09,339 But here comes Coop. 1683 01:05:09,439 --> 01:05:12,175 - Coop is pushing it. 1684 01:05:12,275 --> 01:05:13,476 - Coop ain't messing around. 1685 01:05:13,576 --> 01:05:15,545 - Oh, my, but Hayes Dyer. 1686 01:05:15,645 --> 01:05:17,046 Oh, come on. 1687 01:05:17,147 --> 01:05:18,782 - Oh, Hayes Dyer first one off. 1688 01:05:18,882 --> 01:05:19,783 Now Coop. 1689 01:05:19,883 --> 01:05:21,418 And then here comes Jay Lache. 1690 01:05:21,518 --> 01:05:22,886 Wait, what? 1691 01:05:22,986 --> 01:05:24,220 - Oh, my goodness. 1692 01:05:24,320 --> 01:05:25,588 - Oh, they're catching up. 1693 01:05:25,688 --> 01:05:27,157 - What a matchup. 1694 01:05:27,257 --> 01:05:28,158 - Uh-oh! 1695 01:05:28,258 --> 01:05:29,159 But it's Coop going for it. 1696 01:05:29,259 --> 01:05:31,027 He's staying in his lane. 1697 01:05:31,127 --> 01:05:32,695 - Who can get the dismount? 1698 01:05:32,796 --> 01:05:34,364 There goes Coop. 1699 01:05:34,464 --> 01:05:36,566 And there goes Jay. 1700 01:05:36,666 --> 01:05:39,969 And Hayes Dyer right behind him. 1701 01:05:40,069 --> 01:05:41,871 - Wow. 1702 01:05:41,971 --> 01:05:43,473 Wow. 1703 01:05:43,573 --> 01:05:45,575 [cheers and applause] 1704 01:05:45,675 --> 01:05:47,777 - What a matchup. 1705 01:05:47,877 --> 01:05:50,747 - I knew that was gonna be fast. 1706 01:05:50,847 --> 01:05:54,751 - Oh, Hayes Dyer, an awesome race. 1707 01:05:54,851 --> 01:05:56,653 - Well, let's check this out. 1708 01:05:56,753 --> 01:05:58,855 Hayes Dyer was first off Cliffhanger 1709 01:05:58,955 --> 01:06:01,591 and had the lead going into the final obstacle. 1710 01:06:01,691 --> 01:06:03,693 But the others made up ground-- 1711 01:06:03,793 --> 01:06:05,829 first Coop and then Jay 1712 01:06:05,929 --> 01:06:07,797 linked their moves on the bungees 1713 01:06:07,897 --> 01:06:09,999 while Hayes took extra swings, 1714 01:06:10,099 --> 01:06:12,769 and that was the difference. 1715 01:06:12,869 --> 01:06:15,738 Jay, I gotta ask you, did you get a little nervous 1716 01:06:15,839 --> 01:06:17,674 when you saw Coop start to pull ahead? 1717 01:06:17,774 --> 01:06:18,908 - That was terrifying. 1718 01:06:19,008 --> 01:06:20,510 Oh, my gosh. 1719 01:06:20,610 --> 01:06:24,647 - Well, congratulations, and thank you for a legendary race, 1720 01:06:24,747 --> 01:06:25,682 you three. 1721 01:06:25,782 --> 01:06:27,417 Go celebrate. 1722 01:06:27,517 --> 01:06:29,519 They both had very fast times, 1723 01:06:29,619 --> 01:06:32,856 so Ryan Cooper and Jay Lewis are gonna have good seeds 1724 01:06:32,956 --> 01:06:35,158 for the national finals. 1725 01:06:35,258 --> 01:06:37,293 Our next race features three competitors 1726 01:06:37,393 --> 01:06:39,963 who had very interesting journeys to get here. 1727 01:06:40,063 --> 01:06:44,000 Chad Riddle's competing this year to honor his late wife. 1728 01:06:44,100 --> 01:06:46,803 He'll be running against the undersized but always hyped 1729 01:06:46,903 --> 01:06:49,939 Ben Behrends, and the small-town hero 1730 01:06:50,039 --> 01:06:53,142 from Tennessee, Hunter Ogden. 1731 01:06:53,243 --> 01:06:55,812 Born with a cleft palate, Hunter has undergone 1732 01:06:55,912 --> 01:06:58,781 13 surgeries, some of them life-saving. 1733 01:06:58,882 --> 01:07:01,818 And his success on "ANW" has been an inspiration for folks 1734 01:07:01,918 --> 01:07:03,786 in his small Tennessee hometown 1735 01:07:03,887 --> 01:07:05,355 and around the country. 1736 01:07:05,455 --> 01:07:07,690 - It means the world to me to have all those people 1737 01:07:07,790 --> 01:07:10,793 supporting me, whether that's my family, my friends, 1738 01:07:10,894 --> 01:07:12,695 people from around where I live. 1739 01:07:12,795 --> 01:07:14,764 I will keep going, and I will keep fighting 1740 01:07:14,864 --> 01:07:18,234 down to that last second, down to that last obstacle. 1741 01:07:18,334 --> 01:07:22,005 [buzzer blares] - Got it! 1742 01:07:22,105 --> 01:07:25,542 - Ben Behrends was under 5 feet tall until he was 15, 1743 01:07:25,642 --> 01:07:27,477 and he grew up shy. 1744 01:07:27,577 --> 01:07:29,846 - Yeah, baby! Let's go! 1745 01:07:29,946 --> 01:07:32,015 - Let's turn up the dial to 11. 1746 01:07:32,115 --> 01:07:33,850 It's time for The Hype Guy! 1747 01:07:33,950 --> 01:07:35,385 - I'm a little short. 1748 01:07:35,485 --> 01:07:37,587 I just didn't like to talk, and I was a quiet kid. 1749 01:07:37,687 --> 01:07:40,123 My love of Ninja and being in the Ninja community 1750 01:07:40,223 --> 01:07:43,760 has turned me from this shy kid in a turtle shell. 1751 01:07:43,860 --> 01:07:47,030 Now I'm on national television talking. 1752 01:07:47,130 --> 01:07:48,298 - Why are you so hype? 1753 01:07:48,398 --> 01:07:50,633 - I don't know, man. I'm just loud. 1754 01:07:50,733 --> 01:07:54,370 For this Tripleheader race, man, I'm just hyped about it. 1755 01:07:54,470 --> 01:07:56,673 - Chad Riddle's running to show people 1756 01:07:56,773 --> 01:07:58,574 there can be hope after loss. 1757 01:07:58,675 --> 01:07:59,976 - Losing Caitlin was devastating, 1758 01:08:00,076 --> 01:08:03,212 and there's no silver lining. 1759 01:08:03,313 --> 01:08:05,181 But if that helped me evolve into a person 1760 01:08:05,281 --> 01:08:07,050 that can maybe do a little bit of good, 1761 01:08:07,150 --> 01:08:10,053 that's the energy and the positivity 1762 01:08:10,153 --> 01:08:12,088 that I try to bring every day. 1763 01:08:15,458 --> 01:08:17,760 - Chad's son, Aaron, is staying up late 1764 01:08:17,860 --> 01:08:21,097 to watch Dad with other family back in Pennsylvania. 1765 01:08:21,197 --> 01:08:24,434 Ben Behrends will have his always hyped family 1766 01:08:24,534 --> 01:08:26,636 on the sideline, including his brother, Jason, 1767 01:08:26,736 --> 01:08:29,072 who punched his ticket to the finals earlier. 1768 01:08:29,172 --> 01:08:31,507 And Hunter Ogden's family is also over there 1769 01:08:31,608 --> 01:08:33,776 cheering for him. 1770 01:08:33,876 --> 01:08:35,578 - As a school principal, Chad Riddle 1771 01:08:35,678 --> 01:08:38,281 doesn't get a chance to train as much as these young guys, 1772 01:08:38,381 --> 01:08:40,850 but he's got a special reason for running this season. 1773 01:08:40,950 --> 01:08:42,085 Don't count him out. 1774 01:08:42,185 --> 01:08:44,954 [countdown clock beeping] 1775 01:08:45,054 --> 01:08:46,589 Ooh! 1776 01:08:46,689 --> 01:08:47,890 Oh, The Hype Man, he's hyped. 1777 01:08:47,991 --> 01:08:48,992 He's all the way hype. 1778 01:08:49,092 --> 01:08:50,593 He's--he's out in front. 1779 01:08:50,693 --> 01:08:51,728 - Good start. 1780 01:08:51,828 --> 01:08:53,830 Big Ben quick hands on Cliffhanger. 1781 01:08:53,930 --> 01:08:55,999 - But the principal ain't backing down. 1782 01:08:56,099 --> 01:08:57,967 - Look at Chad! - Look at Chad! 1783 01:08:58,067 --> 01:08:59,936 - The principal's pushing it. 1784 01:09:00,036 --> 01:09:02,572 - I don't know if this is a riddle anymore, Matt. 1785 01:09:02,672 --> 01:09:05,174 - But it's Ben Behrends who's off first, 1786 01:09:05,274 --> 01:09:06,843 and he heads right over to Bounce House. 1787 01:09:06,943 --> 01:09:08,077 - Oh, don't peek, don't peek. 1788 01:09:08,177 --> 01:09:10,146 Run your own race, Chad. 1789 01:09:10,246 --> 01:09:13,249 - And Big Ben up on Bounce House. 1790 01:09:13,349 --> 01:09:16,085 And Hunter Ogden closing in on Chad. 1791 01:09:16,185 --> 01:09:17,186 - I don't think either of them are 1792 01:09:17,286 --> 01:09:18,554 gonna catch Ben Behrends. 1793 01:09:18,655 --> 01:09:21,557 - They're still working their way up Bounce House. 1794 01:09:23,860 --> 01:09:27,130 And Ben Behrends gets a buzzer. 1795 01:09:27,230 --> 01:09:29,532 And now it's a race for second place. 1796 01:09:29,632 --> 01:09:31,467 Can Chad Riddle hold on? 1797 01:09:31,567 --> 01:09:33,136 - Oh, no! 1798 01:09:33,236 --> 01:09:35,338 His foot's wet. Aw. 1799 01:09:35,438 --> 01:09:37,040 - His run is done. 1800 01:09:37,140 --> 01:09:38,641 A disappointing ending. 1801 01:09:38,741 --> 01:09:39,909 - Oh! 1802 01:09:40,009 --> 01:09:42,178 - And Hunter Ogden's gonna finish it out. 1803 01:09:42,278 --> 01:09:45,248 He'll take second place in this group. 1804 01:09:45,348 --> 01:09:46,616 Well, you know what? 1805 01:09:46,716 --> 01:09:48,217 Credit to Chad Riddle. 1806 01:09:48,317 --> 01:09:49,919 He pushed these two young bucks. 1807 01:09:50,019 --> 01:09:51,287 - He really did. 1808 01:09:51,387 --> 01:09:52,555 And look at what happened. 1809 01:09:52,655 --> 01:09:54,657 On that double bungee, you need to grab 1810 01:09:54,757 --> 01:09:56,793 both sides at the same time. 1811 01:09:56,893 --> 01:09:58,428 Chad only grabbed one, 1812 01:09:58,528 --> 01:10:00,396 so the other side of the bungee went up, 1813 01:10:00,496 --> 01:10:02,965 and he went down. 1814 01:10:03,066 --> 01:10:05,435 - That fall opened the door for Hunter Ogden, 1815 01:10:05,535 --> 01:10:07,103 and he's now headed to the finals 1816 01:10:07,203 --> 01:10:09,472 for the second year in a row. 1817 01:10:09,572 --> 01:10:11,774 - Big Ben, you still hyped? 1818 01:10:11,874 --> 01:10:13,876 You think you got what it takes to win 1819 01:10:13,976 --> 01:10:15,344 over in the national finals? 1820 01:10:15,445 --> 01:10:16,679 - I guess we'll see, won't we? 1821 01:10:16,779 --> 01:10:18,781 - You and your brother are both moving on. 1822 01:10:18,881 --> 01:10:20,116 But I gotta tell you... 1823 01:10:20,216 --> 01:10:21,417 - Let's go! 1824 01:10:21,517 --> 01:10:24,387 - Little brother Jason was two seconds faster. 1825 01:10:24,487 --> 01:10:26,289 But not to stir anything up. 1826 01:10:26,389 --> 01:10:27,690 Go celebrate with him. 1827 01:10:27,790 --> 01:10:29,225 - He causing family drama. 1828 01:10:29,325 --> 01:10:30,827 Hey, why you causing all that drama, man? 1829 01:10:30,927 --> 01:10:32,328 - You know what? 1830 01:10:32,428 --> 01:10:35,965 Younger brothers everywhere, we gotta stick up for them. 1831 01:10:36,065 --> 01:10:38,367 - All of our ninjas hope to win it all, 1832 01:10:38,468 --> 01:10:41,471 and this year, viewers at home can be winners, too, 1833 01:10:41,571 --> 01:10:43,539 with our Win Like a Warrior Sweepstakes, 1834 01:10:43,639 --> 01:10:46,742 presented by the Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo. 1835 01:10:46,843 --> 01:10:51,047 Enter for a chance to win at nbc.com/anwsweeps. 1836 01:10:52,682 --> 01:10:57,487 - Up next, two of "Ninja's" best in the same race, 1837 01:10:57,587 --> 01:10:59,689 The Flyboy, Isaiah Thomas, 1838 01:10:59,789 --> 01:11:02,058 and The Boss, Elijah Browning. 1839 01:11:02,158 --> 01:11:05,828 They're just ahead on "American Ninja Warrior." 1840 01:11:10,766 --> 01:11:11,701 - Welcome back to the regional finals 1841 01:11:11,801 --> 01:11:14,003 on "American Ninja Warrior." 1842 01:11:14,103 --> 01:11:17,240 It's been a record-breaking year for women hitting buzzers, 1843 01:11:17,340 --> 01:11:20,476 and here are three competitors who've been a part of that. 1844 01:11:20,576 --> 01:11:23,412 College students Maggie Owen from Aurora, Illinois, 1845 01:11:23,513 --> 01:11:26,949 and Anna McArthur, who works at her RV park in Utah, 1846 01:11:27,049 --> 01:11:29,185 and hairstylist Anabella Heinrichs. 1847 01:11:29,285 --> 01:11:32,989 This group has hit a total of five buzzers this season. 1848 01:11:33,089 --> 01:11:35,758 All three have their families on the sidelines. 1849 01:11:35,858 --> 01:11:37,894 Maggie's gonna try to join her boyfriend 1850 01:11:37,994 --> 01:11:40,029 Jay "Lache" Lewis in the finals. 1851 01:11:40,129 --> 01:11:42,632 - Anabella's 5'5", but Maggie and Anna 1852 01:11:42,732 --> 01:11:44,300 are only 5 feet tall. 1853 01:11:44,400 --> 01:11:46,269 They are the smallest competitors tonight. 1854 01:11:46,369 --> 01:11:48,838 Here we go. 1855 01:11:48,938 --> 01:11:50,239 Sprint. Gotta get out there. 1856 01:11:50,339 --> 01:11:51,741 Island Hopper. 1857 01:11:51,841 --> 01:11:53,910 They're offset, so it slows you down just a little bit. 1858 01:11:54,010 --> 01:11:56,179 - Maggie Owen is down! 1859 01:11:56,279 --> 01:11:57,914 - Wow. 1860 01:12:00,082 --> 01:12:02,151 - So it's a two-person race. 1861 01:12:02,251 --> 01:12:04,187 Heinrichs and McArthur are moving on, 1862 01:12:04,287 --> 01:12:06,656 but Akbar, we know seeding is at stake, 1863 01:12:06,756 --> 01:12:10,259 so neither is going to take a foot off the pedal. 1864 01:12:10,359 --> 01:12:12,428 - And you can see Anabella right there. 1865 01:12:12,528 --> 01:12:15,198 Her and Anna are side by side. 1866 01:12:15,298 --> 01:12:17,099 - What a good race. 1867 01:12:17,200 --> 01:12:19,135 - Trying to get enough momentum to get off. 1868 01:12:19,235 --> 01:12:20,703 And then here comes Anabella. 1869 01:12:20,803 --> 01:12:22,805 And now Anna is right there behind her. 1870 01:12:22,905 --> 01:12:23,906 How fast can you climb? 1871 01:12:24,006 --> 01:12:25,474 - Half a move ahead, 1872 01:12:25,575 --> 01:12:27,877 but good power out of Heinrichs. 1873 01:12:29,912 --> 01:12:30,947 Oh, boy. 1874 01:12:31,047 --> 01:12:32,148 - Still an opportunity to catch up. 1875 01:12:32,248 --> 01:12:33,816 And Anna's coming. Anna's right there. 1876 01:12:33,916 --> 01:12:34,951 She's right there! 1877 01:12:35,051 --> 01:12:36,219 - Who can make the transfer first? 1878 01:12:36,319 --> 01:12:37,220 - You just gotta go. 1879 01:12:37,320 --> 01:12:38,754 Go for it. 1880 01:12:38,854 --> 01:12:40,356 Oh, do what you do. 1881 01:12:40,456 --> 01:12:42,758 Oh, my goodness! What? 1882 01:12:42,858 --> 01:12:45,127 - A come-from-behind win. 1883 01:12:45,228 --> 01:12:47,496 - I didn't see that one happening like that. 1884 01:12:47,597 --> 01:12:51,167 [cheers and applause] 1885 01:12:51,267 --> 01:12:56,038 - Anabella Heinrichs finishes and gets the second spot. 1886 01:12:56,138 --> 01:12:59,041 Well, this race lived up to the billing. 1887 01:12:59,141 --> 01:13:01,077 - Wow. 1888 01:13:01,177 --> 01:13:03,145 Maggie lost her balance on the last step 1889 01:13:03,246 --> 01:13:04,513 of Island Hopper, 1890 01:13:04,614 --> 01:13:06,816 so it became a duel between the other two. 1891 01:13:06,916 --> 01:13:09,585 Anabella was out in front most of the race, 1892 01:13:09,685 --> 01:13:12,622 but Anna made the first move to the double bungees, 1893 01:13:12,722 --> 01:13:15,858 and she got the come-from-behind win. 1894 01:13:15,958 --> 01:13:17,126 Where did you find that other gear? 1895 01:13:17,226 --> 01:13:18,327 Come on now, Anna. 1896 01:13:18,427 --> 01:13:20,429 I hadn't seen that gear out of you yet. 1897 01:13:20,529 --> 01:13:21,898 - Something about the racing, man. 1898 01:13:21,998 --> 01:13:24,100 It just gets you. - Yeah. 1899 01:13:24,200 --> 01:13:25,801 - You're both moving on. 1900 01:13:25,902 --> 01:13:27,470 Congratulations. 1901 01:13:27,570 --> 01:13:31,340 Go celebrate with your friends and family. 1902 01:13:31,440 --> 01:13:34,076 Our next race features lots of experience 1903 01:13:34,176 --> 01:13:35,378 but different kinds. 1904 01:13:35,478 --> 01:13:37,580 Iowa tree trimmer Tyler Smith hit his 1905 01:13:37,680 --> 01:13:40,549 first buzzer when the other two were in elementary school. 1906 01:13:40,650 --> 01:13:42,084 But he's never raced before. 1907 01:13:42,184 --> 01:13:43,986 While The Flyboy, Isaiah Thomas, 1908 01:13:44,086 --> 01:13:45,821 and The Boss, Elijah Browning, 1909 01:13:45,922 --> 01:13:49,091 have history on the racecourse. 1910 01:13:49,191 --> 01:13:50,860 - This format seems amazing, 1911 01:13:50,960 --> 01:13:53,896 three people, three buzzers, same time. 1912 01:13:53,996 --> 01:13:55,231 That sounds so much fun. 1913 01:13:55,331 --> 01:13:56,799 - Boss is right there. 1914 01:13:56,899 --> 01:13:58,801 - Me and Flyboy have actually raced before. 1915 01:13:58,901 --> 01:14:00,469 Season 16, Stage 2. 1916 01:14:00,569 --> 01:14:02,738 - They're side by side. 1917 01:14:02,838 --> 01:14:05,374 Oh! Oh, my goodness. 1918 01:14:05,474 --> 01:14:07,843 [buzzer blares] 1919 01:14:07,944 --> 01:14:09,912 - I'm willing to take more risks than most ninjas. 1920 01:14:10,012 --> 01:14:11,647 With racing, it just takes one slip up. 1921 01:14:11,747 --> 01:14:13,049 So he beat me. 1922 01:14:13,149 --> 01:14:15,818 I let it slide, but we could both possibly move on. 1923 01:14:15,918 --> 01:14:17,553 I think we just both gotta be smooth 1924 01:14:17,653 --> 01:14:19,255 and just hit the buzzer. 1925 01:14:19,355 --> 01:14:20,956 But don't count out Tyler Smith. 1926 01:14:21,057 --> 01:14:23,159 A few years ago, he made it to Stage 3. 1927 01:14:23,259 --> 01:14:25,895 - Wow, great progress out of Tyler Smith. 1928 01:14:25,995 --> 01:14:26,896 - Come on now. 1929 01:14:26,996 --> 01:14:28,898 - And I've never done that. 1930 01:14:28,998 --> 01:14:31,267 - I'm hoping that I might be able to just play 1931 01:14:31,367 --> 01:14:33,169 the long game and just be able to wait 1932 01:14:33,269 --> 01:14:34,970 and see if one of these guys makes a mistake 1933 01:14:35,071 --> 01:14:36,639 and just be able to capitalize on it. 1934 01:14:36,739 --> 01:14:38,908 These two guys are very tall, and so I'm hoping 1935 01:14:39,008 --> 01:14:40,576 to chop down these two trees. 1936 01:14:40,676 --> 01:14:43,546 [dramatic music] 1937 01:14:43,646 --> 01:14:45,815 - Tyler's family will be watching 1938 01:14:45,915 --> 01:14:48,117 from back home in Iowa. 1939 01:14:48,217 --> 01:14:52,221 Isaiah's mom, Jennie, always on the sidelines for his runs, 1940 01:14:52,321 --> 01:14:55,124 as is Elijah's mom, Renee, who will be cheering him on 1941 01:14:55,224 --> 01:14:57,059 alongside his girlfriend. 1942 01:14:57,159 --> 01:15:00,796 [countdown clock beeping] 1943 01:15:00,896 --> 01:15:02,765 - Great start by The Flyboy. 1944 01:15:02,865 --> 01:15:03,933 Did you see that? 1945 01:15:04,033 --> 01:15:05,901 He skipped two steps, and now he jumped 1946 01:15:06,002 --> 01:15:07,269 halfway across Cliffhanger. 1947 01:15:07,370 --> 01:15:09,205 - What a start for The Flyboy. 1948 01:15:09,305 --> 01:15:10,473 Bounding out. 1949 01:15:10,573 --> 01:15:13,476 Well, Isaiah gunning for that number one seed. 1950 01:15:13,576 --> 01:15:15,277 - Matt, he is way out ahead. 1951 01:15:15,378 --> 01:15:16,512 - But look at this. 1952 01:15:16,612 --> 01:15:19,482 Tyler Smith's ahead of The Boss, Akbar. 1953 01:15:19,582 --> 01:15:20,649 - I can't believe that. 1954 01:15:20,750 --> 01:15:22,118 That is surprising. 1955 01:15:22,218 --> 01:15:23,619 - Oh, my. 1956 01:15:23,719 --> 01:15:27,323 This would be a huge upset if he can hold off The Boss. 1957 01:15:29,291 --> 01:15:33,162 And Tyler Smith keeping a half move ahead. 1958 01:15:33,262 --> 01:15:34,430 - And look at Isaiah. 1959 01:15:34,530 --> 01:15:36,332 The Flyboy is flying. 1960 01:15:36,432 --> 01:15:37,366 Whoo. 1961 01:15:37,466 --> 01:15:39,068 - Oh, no! 1962 01:15:39,168 --> 01:15:40,903 - Tyler Smith is down! 1963 01:15:41,904 --> 01:15:45,541 - And The Boss survives. 1964 01:15:45,641 --> 01:15:46,675 What a race! 1965 01:15:46,776 --> 01:15:49,011 Elijah and Isaiah are hugging. 1966 01:15:49,111 --> 01:15:50,446 Their moms are hugging too. 1967 01:15:50,546 --> 01:15:52,548 - I love you guys so much. 1968 01:15:52,648 --> 01:15:54,717 - Credit to Tyler Smith. 1969 01:15:54,817 --> 01:15:58,754 He gave these guys all they could handle. 1970 01:15:58,854 --> 01:16:02,224 - Isaiah hurdled over the third and then the sixth step 1971 01:16:02,324 --> 01:16:05,361 to jump out to a big lead he never gave up. 1972 01:16:05,461 --> 01:16:07,663 Tyler Smith looked like he might get second, 1973 01:16:07,763 --> 01:16:10,399 but he missed with his left hand on the double bungee, 1974 01:16:10,499 --> 01:16:12,368 and Elijah survived. 1975 01:16:12,468 --> 01:16:15,404 - Isaiah Thomas gets his revenge on Elijah Browning, 1976 01:16:15,504 --> 01:16:17,273 but who knows, those two could face 1977 01:16:17,373 --> 01:16:18,974 each other again in the final. 1978 01:16:19,074 --> 01:16:20,976 - Good job, buddy. Good job. 1979 01:16:21,076 --> 01:16:22,945 - Hey, good stuff, buddy. 1980 01:16:23,045 --> 01:16:24,580 - Coming up, 1981 01:16:24,680 --> 01:16:28,584 his food allergies are so severe, he barely leaves home. 1982 01:16:28,684 --> 01:16:31,320 Yet Weston Boswell is on the verge 1983 01:16:31,420 --> 01:16:32,988 of making the national finals. 1984 01:16:33,088 --> 01:16:34,890 [buzzer blares] - Oh, wow! 1985 01:16:34,990 --> 01:16:37,827 - Can he keep his improbable season going? 1986 01:16:37,927 --> 01:16:41,597 We'll find out next on "American Ninja Warrior." 1987 01:16:53,976 --> 01:16:56,178 - Next week, "Ninja" kicks into overdrive 1988 01:16:56,278 --> 01:16:59,014 as we start the national finals. 1989 01:16:59,114 --> 01:17:01,617 - Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness! 1990 01:17:01,717 --> 01:17:05,621 - We'll be racing side by side until we crown a champion. 1991 01:17:05,721 --> 01:17:07,556 Best friends will battle. 1992 01:17:07,656 --> 01:17:09,325 Women will take on men. 1993 01:17:09,425 --> 01:17:11,560 And you never know what will happen. 1994 01:17:11,660 --> 01:17:13,729 - Complete shock. 1995 01:17:13,829 --> 01:17:18,267 - Whoever survives takes home $250,000. 1996 01:17:18,367 --> 01:17:20,903 You don't wanna miss it. 1997 01:17:21,003 --> 01:17:24,740 Well, we're down to the last two races on the Tripleheader. 1998 01:17:24,840 --> 01:17:27,309 We've got a top contender in Sam Folsom. 1999 01:17:27,409 --> 01:17:29,778 He made it to the final 8 last year. 2000 01:17:29,879 --> 01:17:31,847 Then it's Iowa's Spencer Johnson, 2001 01:17:31,947 --> 01:17:34,917 a "Ninja" veteran who's been to the finals twice before. 2002 01:17:35,017 --> 01:17:36,852 And finally, it's Nam Phan. 2003 01:17:36,952 --> 01:17:40,256 He's only a rookie, but don't worry, this kid can fly. 2004 01:17:40,356 --> 01:17:42,591 [upbeat music] 2005 01:17:42,691 --> 01:17:45,628 - I'm training to get my pilot's license right now. 2006 01:17:45,728 --> 01:17:49,899 [engine whirring] 2007 01:17:49,999 --> 01:17:51,467 I ran the course in qualifiers 2008 01:17:51,567 --> 01:17:54,203 just like I fly planes, methodically, 2009 01:17:54,303 --> 01:17:55,938 just focusing on the task at hand. 2010 01:17:56,038 --> 01:17:57,172 - Look how fast he's moving. 2011 01:17:57,273 --> 01:17:58,741 Oh, he's going for that time. 2012 01:17:58,841 --> 01:18:01,076 [buzzer blares] - Yeah! Let's go! 2013 01:18:01,177 --> 01:18:03,679 Ninja and aviation have a lot of things in common. 2014 01:18:03,779 --> 01:18:05,047 I have to train, like, every day, 2015 01:18:05,147 --> 01:18:07,182 and I've trained speed for many years, 2016 01:18:07,283 --> 01:18:08,918 so I know how fast I can go. 2017 01:18:09,018 --> 01:18:14,857 ♪ ♪ 2018 01:18:14,957 --> 01:18:17,159 - Well, Nam sounds confident, but Sam Folsom 2019 01:18:17,259 --> 01:18:19,795 has a lot of racing experience. 2020 01:18:19,895 --> 01:18:20,930 And his wife has already 2021 01:18:21,030 --> 01:18:23,666 punched her ticket to the finals. 2022 01:18:23,766 --> 01:18:26,502 And Spencer Johnson's having a great season, 2023 01:18:26,602 --> 01:18:28,470 already collected two buzzers. 2024 01:18:28,571 --> 01:18:30,873 [countdown clock beeping] 2025 01:18:30,973 --> 01:18:33,108 Only two will move on. 2026 01:18:33,208 --> 01:18:35,177 - And Sam Folsom off to a good start. 2027 01:18:35,277 --> 01:18:37,479 But here comes Nam. 2028 01:18:37,580 --> 01:18:40,616 - Look at Spencer Johnson keeping pace, Akbar. 2029 01:18:42,518 --> 01:18:44,220 - It's about keeping that consistency 2030 01:18:44,320 --> 01:18:46,088 on this course, the precision. 2031 01:18:46,188 --> 01:18:48,924 You don't have to be first, just don't be last. 2032 01:18:49,024 --> 01:18:50,893 - Well, Folsom is gonna be first to dismount. 2033 01:18:50,993 --> 01:18:52,228 - Whoo. 2034 01:18:52,328 --> 01:18:53,529 - He's looking strong. 2035 01:18:53,629 --> 01:18:55,965 - Nam Phan and Spencer Johnson are very close. 2036 01:18:56,065 --> 01:18:59,335 This may be a battle for second. 2037 01:18:59,435 --> 01:19:02,438 - Well, Spencer Johnson continuing to fight. 2038 01:19:02,538 --> 01:19:04,974 Sam Folsom closing in on the buzzer. 2039 01:19:05,074 --> 01:19:06,041 - No time to take a break. 2040 01:19:06,141 --> 01:19:08,310 You gotta go now, Spence. 2041 01:19:08,410 --> 01:19:11,080 He's--oh, missed it. [buzzer blares] 2042 01:19:11,180 --> 01:19:14,783 - Sam Folsom gets the buzzer. 2043 01:19:14,883 --> 01:19:17,586 Nam Phan is now also moving on. 2044 01:19:17,686 --> 01:19:21,724 And Spencer Johnson, an incredible season 2045 01:19:21,824 --> 01:19:22,891 comes to an end. 2046 01:19:22,992 --> 01:19:24,260 - But here comes Nam Phan. 2047 01:19:24,360 --> 01:19:25,294 Whoa. 2048 01:19:25,394 --> 01:19:27,196 - Oh, how did he save that, Akbar? 2049 01:19:27,296 --> 01:19:30,499 - Wow, literally by two strings on the left side. 2050 01:19:30,599 --> 01:19:32,368 - And remember, this does matter 2051 01:19:32,468 --> 01:19:34,270 for seeding in the next round. 2052 01:19:34,370 --> 01:19:35,270 - Whoa. 2053 01:19:35,371 --> 01:19:36,905 Oh! 2054 01:19:37,006 --> 01:19:38,707 - Well, the pilot had to bail out, 2055 01:19:38,807 --> 01:19:40,542 but not before punching his ticket 2056 01:19:40,643 --> 01:19:43,178 to his first national finals. 2057 01:19:43,278 --> 01:19:46,081 - Sam Folsom's win was never in doubt, 2058 01:19:46,181 --> 01:19:48,083 but it was a lot closer for second. 2059 01:19:48,183 --> 01:19:50,019 Spencer Johnson was in it 2060 01:19:50,119 --> 01:19:53,989 until he missed on the third peg going up Bounce House. 2061 01:19:54,089 --> 01:19:56,292 - So now Sam and his wife, Isabella, 2062 01:19:56,392 --> 01:19:59,895 are both going to the national finals. 2063 01:19:59,995 --> 01:20:02,231 And they could be joined by a third Folsom, 2064 01:20:02,331 --> 01:20:04,266 because Sam's little brother, Phil, 2065 01:20:04,366 --> 01:20:05,768 is part of our final group. 2066 01:20:05,868 --> 01:20:08,570 Phil had the fastest time in his night of qualifying, 2067 01:20:08,671 --> 01:20:12,608 but he is in a loaded trio facing Minnesota's Jera Boyd, 2068 01:20:12,708 --> 01:20:15,010 who had the fastest time in round one, 2069 01:20:15,110 --> 01:20:17,446 and Texas teenager Weston Boswell, 2070 01:20:17,546 --> 01:20:20,282 who was right behind Jera in second place. 2071 01:20:23,085 --> 01:20:25,287 - I said about ten minutes before I drew names, 2072 01:20:25,387 --> 01:20:28,157 the worst possible people I could pick are... 2073 01:20:28,257 --> 01:20:30,259 Jera Boyd. 2074 01:20:30,359 --> 01:20:31,660 And Weston Boswell. 2075 01:20:31,760 --> 01:20:32,828 Weston Boswell. 2076 01:20:32,928 --> 01:20:35,531 [cheers and applause] 2077 01:20:35,631 --> 01:20:38,067 - I think it's a very even matchup between us three. 2078 01:20:38,167 --> 01:20:40,836 We're all around the same age, we're around the same height, 2079 01:20:40,936 --> 01:20:42,171 and we're all super-fast. 2080 01:20:42,271 --> 01:20:44,273 - I love going fast. I like big moves. 2081 01:20:44,373 --> 01:20:46,408 I can definitely run out there with the best. 2082 01:20:46,508 --> 01:20:47,409 - Wow. 2083 01:20:47,509 --> 01:20:48,877 - And he's got it! 2084 01:20:48,977 --> 01:20:51,714 - But seeing Jeramiah Boyd and Phil Folsom, 2085 01:20:51,814 --> 01:20:53,082 it's a little nerve-racking. 2086 01:20:53,182 --> 01:20:55,684 - My name is known well in the Ninja community, 2087 01:20:55,784 --> 01:20:58,187 specifically on speed courses and side by side. 2088 01:20:58,287 --> 01:21:00,422 I'm known for going all out, so I do feel 2089 01:21:00,522 --> 01:21:03,125 some sort of a target on my back in a way. 2090 01:21:03,225 --> 01:21:04,727 It's gonna be a good race. 2091 01:21:04,827 --> 01:21:06,261 - Good luck. Don't blink. 2092 01:21:08,530 --> 01:21:11,266 - Everyone wants to see this one. 2093 01:21:11,367 --> 01:21:14,803 Three speed merchants, but only two will move on to the finals. 2094 01:21:14,903 --> 01:21:16,238 Who's it gonna be? 2095 01:21:16,338 --> 01:21:18,741 [countdown clock beeping] 2096 01:21:18,841 --> 01:21:20,075 - I don't know if they're ready for that 2097 01:21:20,175 --> 01:21:21,443 Jera Boyd smoke, though. 2098 01:21:21,543 --> 01:21:23,545 - Oh, Jera Boyd, a strong start. 2099 01:21:23,645 --> 01:21:25,814 - Jera Boyd ain't messing around. 2100 01:21:25,914 --> 01:21:28,117 - Wow, Phil launching through the Cliffhanger. 2101 01:21:28,217 --> 01:21:31,787 - Ooh, it looks like Phil Folsom wants that smoke. 2102 01:21:31,887 --> 01:21:33,922 - Already on the birdhouse. 2103 01:21:34,022 --> 01:21:35,457 Oh, my. 2104 01:21:35,557 --> 01:21:37,292 And Jera Boyd is down! 2105 01:21:37,392 --> 01:21:39,628 - Jera Boyd out? 2106 01:21:39,728 --> 01:21:42,164 - So Phil Folsom and Weston Boswell 2107 01:21:42,264 --> 01:21:44,233 are moving on from this group. 2108 01:21:44,333 --> 01:21:47,102 And Folsom is just annihilating this course. 2109 01:21:47,202 --> 01:21:49,338 This is gonna be the fastest finish of the season. 2110 01:21:49,438 --> 01:21:50,606 [buzzer blares] - There he is. 2111 01:21:50,706 --> 01:21:52,341 - Under 30 seconds. 2112 01:21:52,441 --> 01:21:55,110 [cheers and applause] 2113 01:21:55,210 --> 01:21:57,780 And what a year for Weston Boswell. 2114 01:21:57,880 --> 01:21:59,214 He's gonna finish too. 2115 01:21:59,314 --> 01:22:01,917 [buzzer blares] And he's going to the finals. 2116 01:22:02,017 --> 01:22:03,919 [cheers and applause] 2117 01:22:04,019 --> 01:22:05,053 Hey, boys. 2118 01:22:05,154 --> 01:22:07,823 Congratulations. You're both moving on. 2119 01:22:07,923 --> 01:22:10,092 Weston, you continue to impress us. 2120 01:22:10,192 --> 01:22:13,195 But, Phil, not only did you get a buzzer, 2121 01:22:13,295 --> 01:22:14,830 you had the fastest time of the night. 2122 01:22:14,930 --> 01:22:16,265 - Let's go. 2123 01:22:16,365 --> 01:22:19,868 - You are the number one seed in the national finals. 2124 01:22:19,968 --> 01:22:21,270 - That's awesome. - Wow. 2125 01:22:21,370 --> 01:22:23,438 - Boys, what a race to close it out. 2126 01:22:23,539 --> 01:22:24,773 Congratulations. 2127 01:22:24,873 --> 01:22:26,708 Go celebrate. - Thank you. 2128 01:22:26,809 --> 01:22:27,776 - Good job, man. 2129 01:22:27,876 --> 01:22:28,877 - The speed. 2130 01:22:28,977 --> 01:22:30,345 - Well, I'll tell you, Phil Folsom now, 2131 01:22:30,446 --> 01:22:33,682 with that fast time, he's got a target on his back. 2132 01:22:33,782 --> 01:22:35,417 - And you can understand why. 2133 01:22:35,517 --> 01:22:38,086 His time is the fastest among all the ninjas 2134 01:22:38,187 --> 01:22:39,721 in all three regions. 2135 01:22:39,822 --> 01:22:43,192 He'll be the number one seed in next week's finals. 2136 01:22:43,292 --> 01:22:44,993 His brother Sam will be joining him, 2137 01:22:45,093 --> 01:22:46,562 and they're not the only brothers. 2138 01:22:46,662 --> 01:22:49,531 The Behrends boys will be there too. 2139 01:22:49,631 --> 01:22:52,067 Among the others advancing is a third Folsom, 2140 01:22:52,167 --> 01:22:54,002 Sam's wife, Isabella. 2141 01:22:54,102 --> 01:22:56,572 She was the fastest among the women tonight. 2142 01:22:56,672 --> 01:22:59,007 All 20 of these athletes now move on, 2143 01:22:59,107 --> 01:23:01,944 where they'll join 20 ninjas from the West region 2144 01:23:02,044 --> 01:23:04,146 and 20 from the East. 2145 01:23:04,246 --> 01:23:07,149 Next week, the national finals begin. 2146 01:23:07,249 --> 01:23:09,918 For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman. 2147 01:23:10,018 --> 01:23:13,488 We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior." 2148 01:23:13,589 --> 01:23:16,492 [dramatic music] 2149 01:23:16,592 --> 01:23:23,632 ♪ ♪