- In life, there will always be setbacks.
- I know it's not what you wanted,
but you killed it, okay?
- It's what you do next that becomes your story.
- I really wish that my young self could see me now
because he would be so happy with me.
- * We've got spirit *
* I know you hear it *
* There's no give up, give up, give up, give up in us *
- Whoa!
- Nothing's gonna stop me.
- * Stories without a few letdowns *
* Are boring when told *
- You know, not giving up, all the hard work.
- And these tears are only gonna make you better.
I promise you're gonna do much better next time, all right?
- It feels more rewarding when you work for it.
- A new season begins tonight,
with hundreds taking the first step on the path to greatness.
- Here we go.
- It won't be easy.
- Hold on, hold on, fight, fight, fight!
- But the rewards will last a lifetime.
- * When it goes wrong *
- Since the last time I competed,
I have had three major orthopedic surgeries.
It has been a journey for sure,
but I won't give up.
all: * We've got spirit *
- * And I know you hear it *
* There's no give up, give up, give up, give up in us *
[cheers and applause]
- We don't quit over here.
- One, two, three!
all: One, two, three!
- * We've got spirit *
- To be able to muster the strength to get back up
and try again, to never give up
is what this is all about.
It's what life's all about.
all: * We've got spirit *
- * And I know you hear it *
* There's no give up, give up, give up, give up *
* Give up, give up, give up, give up in us *
[cheers and applause]
- It's gonna be a special season.
- We're deep in the heart of Texas
inside San Antonio's Alamodome
for the season premiere of "American Ninja Warrior"!
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Here we go, Matt, for yet another season together,
and we're going big here in the dome!
- Well, this will be our home for five nights of qualifying,
then we'll move on to LA for the semifinals.
And we'll end the season where we always do,
Vegas with the National Finals.
- And the obstacles this year are next level.
We are kicking it up a notch yet again.
- Well, for more on that, let's go down
to the third member of our team, Zuri Hall.
- Thank you, guys.
It is so great to be back.
And yeah, this qualifying course is like
nothing you've seen before.
And four of the obstacles are brand-new.
That includes Rollercoaster
and Serpent.
Plus, the really fun one, Carnival.
Ninjas use the rings to control the ball
and roll it into one of the three chutes.
The higher you go, the easier the dismount.
If you roll the ball into chute one,
your prize is a T-bar, making for an easy exit.
But get it in the lower chutes,
and your exit is much more difficult.
Then it's another new one, Salmon Roll.
The course ends at the Warped Wall.
- Guys. - Thanks, Zuri.
Now the story last year was the "teenage invasion,"
and they're back once again.
- But watch out for the veterans.
We've got some big names making their return.
- That includes The Beast, James McGrath,
back after a three-year absence.
Just beasting it!
We've also got his girlfriend,
schoolteacher, Allyssa Beird.
Passes the test!
And stuntman, Flip Rodriguez.
There it is!
Leading the teenagers,
the 16-year-old who made it
to stage three last year as a rookie, Vance Walker.
This kid is the real deal!
And these fans in the dome are ready
to get this season going.
You can see the cupcakes on the jumbotron,
and that means we're kicking off the season
with one of our best young stars,
the Cake Ninja, David Wright.
This 22-year-old got his nickname
because he eats cake before every run.
And he just got engaged a few months ago
to fellow ninja, Caitlyn Bergstrom.
She's watching back in Florida with her family.
- You guys are the best!
all: [chanting] We want cake!
- David's sisters, dad, and friend, Kevin Carbone,
are on the sideline leading the "we want cake" chant.
[countdown clock beeping]
So here we go.
First run of the new season.
First obstacle the Shrinking Steps.
Needs an extra swing, but he's through.
And he's gonna need that sugar high to kick in
on this new obstacle, Rollercoaster.
Got to fly and grab that second axle.
- Ooh!
- Now he'll carry the axle here.
- Watch out, get off!
- He just muscled that. - Whoa!
- Now, Split Decision is back this year.
He has to choose between two balance obstacles,
and he goes straight
to the scary-looking new one, the Serpent.
Those cylinders will spin on you.
- Yeah, go, go, go, go--oh! - Oh!
[horn blares]
- Oh, my goodness.
- He can't believe it.
Realizing how much those cylinders roll,
and it's a big surprise for our first run.
Well, watch right here, he just oversteps
on the front side of that cylinder,
and it spins on him.
When his left foot lands on the third one,
that spins too,
and the Serpent claims its first victim.
[cheers and applause]
- There goes this year, I guess.
See you guys next time?
- Last season, we invited kids
as young as 15 years old to compete,
and they were amazing.
Now, here's this year's first teenager,
15-year-old Lilah Nathison.
She's got fidget spinners in her hands
because she has ADHD,
and Ninja has helped her focus.
[upbeat music]
- Yeah, there you go.
- Let's go!
- Come on, come on.
- I'm not your typical teenage girl.
I'm just like a ball bursting with energy.
* *
both: Let's go!
- But I also have a hard time focusing
and maintaining relationships.
[soft music]
I would say Ninja is probably the best medicine
of anything I've taken.
- If there was a sport designed
for this child, this is it.
- Let's go.
- Yeah, girl, yeah! - Let's do it--yeah!
- That's what I'm talking about.
- Julius, you know, he's her primary mentor.
- That's what I'm talking about, Grizz!
- Do it! - Ooh!
- Hey! - Yeah, girl.
- He taps into her reflective thinker side.
- Like, are you nervous when you step up?
Or does it, like, all just, like, go away?
- Nervousness is a perspective.
So make sure you get yourself calm,
and tell yourself that you've got this.
- All right. - And you'll be fine.
- Okay, all right.
Ninja has given me the best outlet
I've ever had for my ADHD.
- There you go.
- Tonight on the course,
I know I'm gonna get some nerves,
but I will channel that adrenaline right.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- Yeah, let's go!
- Lilah's family is on the sideline.
- Let's go, Lilah!
- And her coaches from back in North Carolina
are over there too.
- Julius right there gave her the nickname "L Grizz"
that you see on their T-shirts.
[countdown clock beeping]
- If you're wondering how Julius came up with L Grizz,
he said she is fearless and attacks like a grizzly bear
when she's on the course.
[cheering and shouting]
- When Jules gives you a cool nickname
like that, you take it.
- Yeah, you take it.
All right, ride that momentum.
- Heads up! - Ride it, yes!
- Don't forget about the gap!
Nice.
- She's through.
And now it's on to Split Decision.
Will she gonna go with Serpent on the right
or Domino Effect on the left?
- Yeah, yeah! - Dominoes, dominoes!
- The family says Dominoes.
- Aw, doing the Griddy.
You know how to do the Griddy, Matt?
- Well, now I do. - [laughs]
All right, here we go.
- Oh, stays alive!
Oh, she's got some grit to her, Matt.
[cheers and applause]
She's gonna need grit and moxie
to make it through this Carnival.
- This new one is like Skee-Ball.
With those rings, you control where the ball rolls.
And she sends it into chute number three.
That means she's gonna have a low swing
over to that nunchuck.
The single nunchuck.
- Bruce Lee wouldn't want this nunchuck.
- Oh, wow! - Okay!
- Got to get the dismount.
- Okay!
[cheers and applause]
Where did this girl come from?
Doesn't she know it's is supposed to be hard?
- Already at the fifth obstacle, Salmon Roll,
which is another new one.
She's got to jump that bar
through those notches and gaps
and move this giant wheel.
- This is gonna be a big leap here for the 5'4" Nathison.
- Big hips, big hips!
Right here. Big hips, come on!
- All right, this is a big move here.
She's got to clear this 1-foot gap.
- This is when it's good to be 15 and light.
You can hang for a long time.
- 125 pounds. Nice.
- Oh! [horn blares]
- Too aggressive on the adjustment.
- Just got the bar twisted, goes down,
but not before a remarkable rookie performance
out of the 15-year-old.
- And look at the celebration, Matt, look at this.
- That's Ninja spirit right there.
We'll have to wait to see if that's good enough
to get Lilah into the semifinals.
Lilah Nathison was just having fun out there,
enjoying every minute,
and makes it all the way to the fifth obstacle.
What a debut for her.
She's down with Zuri.
- Lilah, congratulations. That was quite the run.
How are you feeling?
- I feel really good.
I was so scared about the first two obstacles,
then I was through 'em, and I felt good.
I had my crowd back here.
And best of all,
I looked good!
- I love your energy.
You did look very good.
We'll see soon if you went far enough fast enough.
Great work.
- Thank you, I hope I did! - Thanks, Lilah.
- We're off to a fast start!
[engine revving]
And the night's gonna rock.
- [yells]
- Because we've got sports legends...
- Go! - Whoo!
- Three-legged heroes...
- Aww.
- And maybe a life-changing moment.
- If I get to Mega Wall,
I'm finally gonna pop the question.
- It ain't no Texas two-step.
- Is he taking out his dentures--wait, what?
- It's the season premiere
of "American Ninja Warrior."
[dramatic music]
both: Oh!
- Oh, oh! - Oh!
* *
- Welcome back to our season premiere,
where these new obstacles are really testing our ninjas.
Take Rafael Sanz.
Minutes ago, this skydiver from Florida came out
with his parachute ready.
- Coming out, looking real official.
- The 25-year-old rookie has done
over 200 jumps in the past year
at speeds of 120 miles per hour.
So Rollercoaster should have been a breeze,
but wasn't.
- Oh! [horn blares]
- He needed his parachute for that fall.
Miami real estate agent, Ian Ham Arashiro,
came out dressed for success.
- Go, Ian! - You got this!
- And then undressed to impress.
- Doing a handstand, that's his jam.
- And the "Ninja" rookie looked
even better on the course.
He was fine through the first three obstacles.
- Oh, oh, nice!
- But when he got door number three on Carnival...
- This could be typical going out for that single nunchuck.
- He couldn't quite close the deal.
all: Oh! [horn blares]
- Fun-loving Brad Giles,
is known as the Giveback Ninja
for good reason.
He pledged to give $500 to charity
for every obstacle he got through.
[cash register chimes]
And the Atlanta health care executive delivered.
- Go, go, go!
Got it!
- Not only was he the first
to get the ball in the number one chute on Carnival...
[bell ringing]
- Get that T-bar, nice!
- At 39, he conquered four obstacles,
racking up $2,000.
- Well, Matt, there's no better motivation than giving.
- But after all that giving, on Salmon Roll,
his grip just gave out.
- Oh! - Oh!
[horn blares]
- Brad Giles did a major roll off the Salmon Roll!
- I love "American Ninja Warrior."
That was great.
Whoo!
- Looks like our next competitor wants
to keep his identity a secret.
- He does know his name is on the screen behind him, right?
- Well, it's no mystery to us.
This is Jeff Loftus, an engineering student
who likes to do woodworking.
He even brought a couple wood moustaches for us.
- I think these are Jeff 'staches.
- Loftus is part of a loony bunch of ninjas,
all hailing from Lynchburg, Virginia.
[upbeat music]
[overlapping chatter] - Whoo!
- Let's go, baby!
- Go, go, go, go, go!
- They're calling us the Loonies,
and when we get together, I mean,
we're kind of a crazy bunch.
- To the top, to the top! - [grunting]
- To the top, to the top!
Oh, no! - [shrieks]
[laughter]
- I'm the normal one of the group,
and that's hard to say, because I'm not normal at all.
* *
- Usually, I'm the one trying to help us make good decisions.
- Reduplication is a little bit hidden here
because of the vowels.
- Yeah, reduplication. Already knew that.
Marker. Got it.
[laughter]
- And then you got me.
Hi!
I just have all these
different things I like to do.
[hard rock music]
I like woodworking...
welding...
laser cutting.
* *
Like, I could build you anything.
* *
What I'm making you, you're gonna pass
down to your grandkids.
- So out of the four of your friends,
who do you think is gonna get the farthest?
- What do you think?
- Probably you. [laughs]
- That's right. That's a good answer.
Good answer.
We got the Lynchburg crew together,
and I'm happy to represent.
- And flip!
Whoo! - It's gonna be a party.
- Yeah, let's go, baby! - Whoo!
- One, two, three, Loonies!
all: Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, Jeff!
- Definitely gonna hear the Loonies
over on the sidelines.
- Whoo!
- Yeah!
- And Jeff's family watching back in Virginia.
- Whoo!
- Come on, Jeff! - Let's go!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Let's see if the engineering student
can figure out the Shrinking Steps.
And it's no problem for Loftus.
- Yeah, whoo! - Yeah!
- This is a perfect course for a crazy guy like Loftus.
He gon' have fun out here.
And this brand-new obstacle, the Rollercoaster.
Got to fly to grab that second axle.
- Ooh!
- Now he'll carry the axle here.
- Oh, barely made that last transition.
- He just muscled that. - Whoa!
Matt, he got so lucky.
It's got to be the 'stache.
- Whoo!
- Yeah! - Whoo!
- And he rolls right into Split Decision.
Looks like the engineer's gonna analyze and decide
which balance obstacle is best for him.
- All right, which way you gonna go?
That's the question here.
- He's looking over at The Serpent.
- Dominoes!
You know you're hungry!
- He's listening to the Loonies.
He's going to Domino Effect.
- I can't blame him on that one.
The snake look crazy.
All right, here we go.
- Come on, come on, come on!
- Nice! - And he is through.
- Wow. - And he is pumped!
- Let's go!
Let's freakin' go! - What?
Usually guys tear off their shirt.
He's tearing off the sleeves.
- You can see it right there, he's got some guns
for a mechanical engineer.
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go!
- Now he's gonna step right up to Carnival.
We didn't get to explain it much earlier,
but you want to control the ball
and get it into the higher chutes.
You get it into that first hole, you get the T-grip.
Number two is a Y-grip.
Three is just a nunchuck.
And if you drop the ball, you get a Cliffhanger.
- Get number one, and your chances are a lot better.
And he got it!
- Oh, with the one shot!
- He gets into the first one.
- Yeah, you see, he spent a little bit more time
to get to that first one, Matt.
That's the easier route.
- Leo the Lion is kind of hiding it, there's a T-bar.
He's got it, that's the easiest grip to control.
A lot of different ways to play on this obstacle.
This is gonna be fun to watch tonight.
But some extra swings here.
- Give that man his stuffed animal, huh?
Get that man his stuffed animal.
- Just needs the dismount.
- Yeah!
[cheering]
- And the Loonies are losing it.
He's reached the fifth obstacle.
But, Akbar, will he have anything
for this new obstacle, Salmon Roll?
This is the Salmon Ladder meets Rolling Thunder.
Got to use that bar, jump through the rungs,
but like they say in Britain, mind the gaps.
This is the big test, and you can see the momentum
of the wheel disrupting it.
- 12 inches to cover here.
Nice!
Uh-oh, don't roll off though. Keep that rolling!
- Now, you can see
the wheel's controlling him instead of the opposite.
Now here comes the bigger gap, a foot and a half.
- And, Matt, this is where he's gonna
have a big kip and a big move.
Without that big move, Matt, he's gonna miss it.
Oh, not big enough! [horn blares]
And just like that, he is down.
[cheers and applause]
- But an energetic run.
And we'll see the rest of the Loonies run a bit later.
Well, he definitely had fun out here
and got the Loonies fired up, but you've got to be precise
to land the bar on Salmon Roll,
and Loftus just missed.
- Last season, only four ninjas climbed
the 18-foot Wall.
- You got $10,000!
- Can anyone take down the Mega Wall tonight?
Find out when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to the Alamodome
and our season premiere.
One of our oldest competitors, 59-year-old Mark Pressley,
is a grandpa and the dad of fellow ninja, Megan Budway.
The Cary, North Carolina native may be pushing 60,
but he pushed his way past Rollercoaster.
- Whoo! - Okay, old man!
What?
- At Split Decision,
Pressley was one of the few
to try the new balance obstacle, The Serpent.
Oh! - What--oh!
[horn blares]
- But older did not mean wiser.
- That was fun.
- Then his daughter, Megan, got her shot.
She's a classically trained vocalist,
and she challenged her friend,
the Death Metal Ninja, Josh Wagg, to a sing-off.
- [screaming] Let's go!
- [operatically] Let's go!
- Whoo!
- The music teacher reached
the semi-finals last year,
and she looked strong again.
- Looking good.
- At Split Decision,
she took a different path than her dad,
choosing Domino Effect...
- Oh, my goodness! [horn blares]
- But had the same result.
- That's not what I wanted to happen.
- Then it was Wagg's turn to let loose.
- Yeah!
- Go, Josh!
- The heavy metal musician
had everyone rocking, including me.
[screams]
- Now I know what you do in your free time.
- At Carnival, Wagg rolled the ball
into the number one slot,
which means he got a prize.
- Nice!
- A T-bar dropped down,
making for an easy exit.
But the show finally ended at Salmon Roll.
No! - Oh!
[crowd groaning]
- Up next is another one
of this year's new crop of teenagers.
It's Marietta, Georgia's Christopher Harding Jones.
- This is so cool!
- He is excited to be here.
And you see his shirt says "Living Wide."
That's the motto of Christopher and his family
because this 17-year-old has been through so much.
[soft music]
- When I was a kid, I could have
never imagined myself being a ninja.
* *
When I did things like soccer and dance,
I was always terrible at them.
In PE, I'd be the last kid picked in everything.
* *
- But then, he discovered "American Ninja Warrior."
Holy cow, it was a game changer.
- My dad built me a Ninja course.
He started really getting excited
about the prospect of me legitimately getting to be
on the show one day.
But about five years ago,
my dad was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer
and given only four months to live.
[Blessing Offor's "Brighter Days" plays]
It didn't feel fair.
My dad never smoked in his entire life.
Our family's worry was that he would sort of give up
and shut down, but he did the opposite.
And he coined the phrase "living wide,"
which means it's not about the length of your life,
it's about the width of your life.
- * I know there's gonna be some brighter days *
* Yes, I do *
* I swear that love will find you in your pain *
- "Living Wide" ended up changing hundreds
of people's lives all around the world.
He entered these groups of people
with terminal illnesses, and encouraged them
to live their lives to the fullest.
Not only did it change their lives,
it changed our family's lives.
It's kind of cool, the things that we did
after the diagnosis.
- Yeah.
- * I feel it in me like the beating *
* Of life in my veins *
* I know there's gonna be some brighter days *
- There's no question that Christopher
being on the show is living wide.
It's the epitome of living wide.
- He was given only four months to live.
Instead, he lived four years,
and they were some of the best years of his life.
And when I do Ninja,
I really think he's there with me the whole time.
- * Gonna be some brighter days *
* I know there's gonna be *
* Some brighter days *
* *
- Matt, it is hard not to root for this kid.
- And listen to the crowd, now chanting his name.
He's trained with many of the ninjas
in the Atlanta area, who you see there.
He's got a big group of friends
watching back in Georgia.
They all know just what this means to him.
[countdown clock beeping]
Just finished his senior year at Polk High School
outside Atlanta.
He has sensory processing disorder,
which affects his balance,
so he couldn't play traditional sports,
but started doing Ninja back in 2015.
- And Ninja really changed his life.
He went from a C student to a straight A student.
[cheers and applause]
His friends call him "Topher,"
short for Christopher.
He is living wide right now.
But this could be a big test for him.
Sensory processing disorder really impacts balance.
Going to Domino Effect.
- Nice, nice, nice!
Oh, yeah!
[cheers and applause]
- And goes right into Carnival.
And rolls the ball straight into the number three slot.
- And I loved it.
This kid's so confident,
going for that single handle,
despite not wasting any time.
- Boy, he is moving with speed.
Right through it.
[cheering]
- Let's go!
Let's go!
- Just amazing.
- I love the energy that he's putting out.
- Let's go! - Keep with it!
- And he's celebrating his wins, I like that.
I see you, Christopher.
I see you, baby.
all: [chanting] Living wide, living wide!
- The crowd chanting "living wide."
Matt, you can feel the love.
In true Ninja spirit,
the whole crowd has gotten behind this kid.
- Taking on Salmon Roll.
This has that big move at the end
that no one's figured out yet.
- More than the success that he's having so far
on "Ninja Warrior," Matt,
it's what "Ninja Warrior" has done for him.
It's given him a certain level of confidence.
All right, here we go, this is the tricky part.
- And look at him correct that bar.
Good maturity out of this 17-year-old.
- Big underbar! - Come on, you've got it!
- Here we go, living wide.
- He's got to keep the bar even on both sides,
while jumping it up and out over that gap.
- Up and out--nice! - Wow!
- Nice, Christopher! - What power!
[cheers and applause]
What power there.
- He is so focused.
Get out of there.
And look at this! Matt, look at him!
He's in shock. He can't believe it.
- Talk about living wide.
[cheers and applause]
Christopher Harding Jones, running in memory of his dad,
could be the season's first finisher.
all: [chanting] Beat that Wall!
- You've got it!
- He knew exactly what he wanted to do
when he came out here, and that's to get that buzzer.
Nice. - And he's done it!
[buzzer blares]
- For father!
[cheers and applause]
[yells]
- * I know there's gonna be some brighter days *
- What a moment for this 17-year-old!
Oh, just beautiful.
- Hey, Christopher!
Get over here, man.
I heard you, for your father.
You clearly understood the assignment.
How exciting is this?
- I--can I have an autograph?
- Yeah, you can get an autograph, man!
- Hey, can we get your autograph?
- Yes, of course. - Oh, man.
This is big-time, prime-time, showtime, all-time, good time.
Great job! - Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
Yeah, living wide!
- He was the first to land that big move on Salmon Roll,
and then you could feel the emotion
as the 17-year-old made it up the wall
to get our season's very first buzzer.
- [yells]
- Topher, you are living wide, your dad's motto.
Your dad, I'm sure, is watching down.
What do you think he's thinking right now?
- He may not be here in person,
he has a front row seat up there, and he is so proud.
- Amen. - He's so proud!
- Climb down this wall, go celebrate with your mom.
What a great moment. - Oh.
- What a mature young man. - Whoo-hoo!
- 17 years old. - [laughs]
- Has already had to grow up, and just--
I'm getting emotional again!
This guy is really getting to me.
- * I know there's gonna be some brighter days *
- Welcome back to our season premiere.
While we were away, three more of the loony competitors
from Lynchburg, Virginia hit the course.
The oldest from the group is Chad Thornhill,
a 38-year-old theology professor
at Liberty University.
- Oh, he's hanging on! - Whoo!
- Yeah, let's go!
- Last year, he made the wrong decision on Split Decision.
So this time, the 38-year-old avoided
another spinning balance obstacle, The Serpent,
and went with Domino Effect.
- Yeah, I think he prayed about this one, Matt.
- But the professor still couldn't pass the test.
- Oh, oh!
What, what--oh!
[horn blares]
Then it was the group's youngest member...
- [screaming]
- 19-year-old Carrington Osborne.
- Let's go!
all: [chanting] Carrington!
- The college sophomore was making her "Ninja" debut
and sailed through the first obstacle...
[cheering]
- But got derailed on Rollercoaster.
- Come on, you got this.
You got it!
- Oh!
[crowd groaning]
- Three-time "Ninja" veteran, Josiah Singleton,
is the unofficial leader of the Lynchburg crew,
and he showed why.
- Hey, that was big-time, prime-time.
[cheering]
- He powered his way through the first five obstacles.
- Whoa!
Nice!
- Let's go!
- Then made his way to the buzzer.
- Whoo!
- And became our second finisher tonight.
- Let's go!
- He's pumped now!
- Come on, baby!
Country boy to the big city!
[cheering]
- Our next competitor has traveled
more than 5,000 miles to be here tonight.
This is Gary Hines.
He's originally from Georgia,
but he's now living in Germany,
where he's a star.
[upbeat music]
- In Germany, I am a professional handball player.
I've been there 12 years now.
Professional handball is one of the top sports in Europe.
I would say handball in Europe is
just about as big here as basketball.
- My nickname is "Hangtime," and I got that
through handball because I can jump very high
and hang in the air a long time.
I competed on six seasons of "German Ninja Warrior."
- [speaking German]
- Coming from a handball background,
people don't think that I could do what I'm capable of,
and I've pretty much shocked them, surprised them.
[buzzer blaring] Yeah!
And ever since day one, I've become a fan favorite.
I came all the way from Germany,
I'm not going home empty-handed.
* *
- This dude's got a lot
of muscles and one cool moustache too.
- And there's handball teammates and their wives
watching from back in Solingen, Germany.
- Oh, it's early in the morning
over there in Germany.
Guten Morgen. - Guten Morgen!
- Bros.
- And there's his American family, the Turners,
who helped raise him in Georgia.
[countdown clock beeping]
Today's his birthday,
turns 38 years old.
- And Hangtime, a quick, confident start.
- Took about a 13-hour flight to get here.
About to go for another ride on Rollercoaster.
- 5'11", 185.
This guy has excellent footwork.
My God, he's jacked.
- Is that what handballers look like?
- [laughs] Oh, my God!
I'm gonna start playing handball tomorrow.
- He's gonna try the Dominoes.
- Go, go, go, go!
Nice!
- Hangtime right through Domino Effect.
Grew up as a foster kid.
14 years old when he met his parents,
Susan and Alan Turner.
He was a high school track star,
but started playing team handball
and was so good he made the U.S. national team,
and then was recruited to play on a pro team in Germany.
- Uh-oh, uh-oh, that ball's having a hard time rolling.
- Listen, you don't think he's gonna know how to--
- Uh-oh, uh-oh!
both: Oh, no! [buzzer]
- Misses all three chutes. - Uh-oh!
- Well, that is the worst possible outcome.
Leaving him with the toughest exit.
He's got to swing over and land on that small ledge.
- That tiny little Cliffhanger ledge.
all: [chanting] Gary, Gary, Gary!
- Oh, my goodness! - He did it!
- Wow. - Hangtime!
Big old hands!
- Wow.
That is just remarkable.
[cheers and applause]
- Wow, look at this one again.
Hangtime Ninja hung on for dear life.
- Imagine catching a 185-pound weight
with your fingertips!
That left hand barely on.
No jet lag for this guy.
He's made his way to the fifth obstacle.
- Hangtime.
This dude is the real deal.
What a rookie campaign so far.
- Team handball is hugely popular in Germany,
second only to soccer, and Gary Hines is one
of the league's most popular players.
- Yeah, you can see why. Dude's an athlete.
- But now has this big move on Salmon Roll.
- Wow!
Look at--it's like it's easy for him!
- If he can just avoid a mistake right here,
he could be our third finisher!
- Now he's got to make this big lache.
Super athletic!
Look at him fly! - Hangtime.
Now, let me guess.
You think this guy's going for the Mega Wall?
- Of course he's going for the Mega Wall.
But can we not ignore that hangtime on that dismount?
Check this out again.
It's like he was floating in the air!
all: [chanting] Beat that Wall!
Hey, Hangtime, Hangtime!
Go get that money bag!
- I'm going to get it!
- Go get it!
- It's 18 feet high for $10,000.
- Come on, you got this!
[dramatic music]
- No! - Oh.
He just--he was too aggressive.
Too aggressive. - His first misstep.
- That's all right.
- If you miss on the Mega Wall,
you still get to try the 14 1/2 foot Wall.
all: [chanting] Gary, Gary, Gary!
- All right, here we go.
Yes!
- That's what I'm talking about!
Hangtime!
[buzzer blaring] - Yes!
- And Hangtime Hines is making a lot of new fans.
- I'm here! I'm here!
[all chanting in German]
- So, Gary, we know you've been on "German Ninja Warrior."
How do it compare being here on "American Ninja Warrior?"
- One of my ten-year dream
and goals has finally came true.
Yes! [buzzer blares]
- Well, you did it in a big-time way, man.
That was fantastic.
- Hey, one more thing!
How do you say, "I'm going to Los Angeles" in German?
- Ich gehe nachLA!
- There it is! - I can't repeat it.
But that boy just spoke German to us!
- Coming up, this ninja's 70 years old.
What's his secret?
- I eat a lot of raw eggs.
- Plus... both: USA!
- We've got three of America's greatest soccer players,
and one of them's gonna run our course,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- We're just getting rollin'
on the new season.
But this new obstacle, Rollercoaster,
is already giving our ninjas the ride of their lives.
Minutes ago, aspiring actor, Jake Parker,
was ready to put on a show.
The 24-year-old works at an Orlando theme park,
so his performance on Rollercoaster was a surprise.
[horn blares]
- My goodness, cannonball!
- Then it was Huntsville, Alabama's
40-year-old mother of two, Lindsay Eskildsen.
She had one of last season's most impressive runs,
making it to the fifth obstacle
just three months after giving birth.
- That shirt says it all,
"Mama strong."
- Tonight, she had her two little ones
watching from home,
and her husband on the sidelines...
- Let's go, Linds!
- As she put together another strong run.
Whoo!
- She's got that baby bottle grip.
- But after making the grab on Carnival,
she couldn't straighten her swing,
and mama's strength finally gave out.
both: Oh!
[energetic music]
- One of "Ninja's" originals, Lorin Ball,
showed he can still turn heads.
- Okay, I see you!
- The gym owner from Colorado competed
on the very first season of "Ninja Warrior,"
and at 35, he turned back the clock
and turned on the jets.
- Nice little rhythm going.
- But even the wily veteran couldn't handle Salmon Roll.
- Ooh--no!
He can't go down like that!
- Bug researcher, Eric Middleton,
always brings us something creepy crawly to eat.
He's dished out hornworms
and even a fried scorpion.
- Gah, ugh!
- But tonight, he sent a friend
from the San Antonio Zoo
with a live scorpion.
- Eric, come get your friend!
- And while Eric was squirming his way through the course,
we were squirming in the booth.
Hey, Eric, will you hurry up?
We've got a scorpion up here!
- Yeah, we got a scorpion here!
- You ate one before. You shouldn't be afraid.
[laughter] - Ooh!
- Seconds later, it was Middleton
who got stung by the Salmon Roll.
Oh, no! - Oh!
- Well, we talk a lot about teenagers,
but we get all ages who want to come out
and try the course,
including this one, John Loobey.
Today is his birthday,
and there are 70 candles on that cake.
That's right, he's 70!
- Is he taking out his dentures?
Wait, what?
- And he did it! - Whoa!
- Good lung power!
And if you're wondering how a 70-year-old
stays in shape for Ninja, he's got a special diet.
[rockabilly music]
- I'm an old dog, but I do have some new tricks.
I eat a lot of raw eggs,
but I don't do it the way everybody else does it.
This is how.
* *
- Oh, ho-ho-ho-ho.
He ate a raw egg, including the shell!
- Well, it obviously works for him.
He's got a lot of fans,
including a local nursing home.
And even the teenage competitors respect this man.
Some of them are only 15.
Loobey was 55 when they were born.
Oh! - Oh, what?
Wait, what? - He went Hulk Hogan!
- Whoa! - What?
- He's got a tattoo! - Oh!
Yo, he's swole, though!
- Dude, he's got better abs than I do.
[cheering]
[countdown clock beeping]
- At his age, having the agility to get
through the Shrinking Steps would be amazing.
Come on, John!
- Yup, yup, come on.
Get it, get it, get it! - Got it.
- No, come on, come on! - Stay dry, stay dry!
- Stay dry, come on, you got this one.
Yeah!
- Yes! - Yeah, okay!
- John Loobey!
- Come on, John! - Whoo-hoo!
- Let's go!
Let's go, John!
- And now he's got a chance to break his own record,
the oldest to get through two obstacles.
He did it when he was 65.
Can he do it again at 70?
And he is looking strong, Akbar.
This crowd is on their feet for John Loobey.
[cheers and applause]
Those dentures look good.
- Look at that!
Come on--oh, oh, no, no. - No!
He didn't release to the next bar,
and now it is gonna be tough to save it.
- Come on! - Look at him pulling it.
- Get out your dentures!
Just grab it! - Look at those lats!
- He goes, "No."
He's saying, "You ain't about to put me in the hospital."
[cheers and applause]
He's just doing pull-ups now.
- Look at the effor--
oh, he's doing another effort!
No! [horn blares]
It's bath time for John Loobey.
- Matt, that was an impressive run.
- Just being out here at 70 years old.
This is impressive!
- Lot of fun.
- Up next is one of the greatest
women's soccer players of all time.
Carrying her three Olympic gold medals,
it's Heather O'Reilly.
She was a midfielder for the U.S. national team
for 14 years.
She's won gold at the Olympics and the World Cup,
and been on those great U.S. Women's teams.
She's known as HAO to her teammates,
two of whom are ready to cheer her on.
- Let's go! - It's Abby Wambach...
- HAO! - And Julie Foudy.
The gold medalists are in the building, y'all.
Abby, you talk to me first. How proud are you?
How excited are you for Heather to hit the course tonight?
- I mean, come on!
This is so exciting.
She's gonna crush it!
- USA!
USA!
- Julie, how are you feeling
about your girl taking the course?
- My girl is going to rock it.
Let's go, HAO!
- All right, and lastly, you know I got to ask,
might we ever see you two on the course?
Any chance one day?
- Never!
- [laughs] All right.
Well, in the meantime, let's watch Heather do her thing.
Let's cheer her on, you ready?
- Yeah! - Let's go, sisters.
- Heather's got the USA chant going here at the dome.
Everyone's into this run.
all: [chanting] USA, USA!
[countdown clock beeping]
- It's amazing she's out here.
Just had a baby three months ago,
hasn't had much time to train.
- Uh-oh. - And HAO stumbled up.
- Hold on!
Oh!
Come on, get it, get it.
HAO. Nice.
- Gets through it. - Whoo!
- And she is pumped.
- Sounds like she just scored a goal, Matt!
- Heather's now a soccer coach
at the University of North Carolina.
And the whole team's watching back on campus.
But now facing a real test here on Rollercoaster.
- Well, she is used to big pressure moments,
big man.
Always been a big fan of the show
and wanted to come out and try it.
- Roll of thunder, let me hear your cry.
Oh! - Oh, no!
- No, no--oh, my goodness. - No!
- We're proud of you, Heather!
- Well, it ends on the second obstacle,
but a courageous effort
by the soccer legend Heather O'Reilly.
- How cool is this, to come out and try this
three months after giving birth, wow.
- All these guys are incredible athletes.
I kicked a ball for a while, but these guys, they're beasts.
Well done.
Well done, guys.
- Still to come, meet Trey the Wonder Dog.
Three legs, but all heart.
- Come on, Trey.
Come on, Trey.
- And up next, if he gets a buzzer,
she gets a ring.
The surprise of a lifetime
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior,"
coming to you from San Antonio's Alamodome.
We're only halfway through the night,
and it has already been one to remember.
With scorpions, 70-year-olds, and some surprise finishers.
Minutes ago, 12-time veteran,
Flip Rodriguez, got his shot at the course.
- Remember when he was just a kid.
- With many of his students
and training partners watching,
the movie stuntman avoided crashes
and worked his way to Salmon Roll.
- The 32-year-old still has that power!
Oh!
- He didn't get a buzzer, but he's in good position
to move on to the semifinals.
- Keep pushing, baby.
- One of Flip's old students, 16-year-old Cal Plohoros,
did even better.
- Look at that, nice. - Wow.
- Riding the rhythm. I love it!
- The high school student not only schooled the Salmon Roll.
- Matt, he didn't even flinch.
- At just 5'6", he almost took down the Mega Wall.
- Ehh--oh! - Oh!
[crowd groaning]
- Even with the miss, he put up
the fastest finish so far...
- Let's go! both: Yes!
- And then played matchmaker.
- My Spanish teacher has the biggest crush
on you, Matt Iseman.
- Oh, sí?
- So if you'd like to say hi
to Señora Meyer, that'd be great.
- Señora Meyer, hola, como está?
- Then it was one of our favorite teachers,
seven-time veteran, Allyssa Beird.
- Let's go!
- Beird's boyfriend, fellow ninja,
James McGrath, and her mom, Daria,
were on the sidelines as the fourth grade teacher
worked her way to Split Decision.
Beird chose to take the road
less traveled, the Serpent.
- Oh, no! Bitten by the Serpent.
- I did not expect Allyssa Beird to go out
on the third obstacle.
Wow, that is a shocker.
- Well, that was upsetting.
- Well, now her boyfriend gets his shot.
And this one could be life changing.
It's the long-awaited return of James "The Beast" McGrath.
This ten-time "Ninja" veteran has faced
numerous injuries the past few years,
and Allyssa's always helped him battle back.
Tonight, he's ready to cap his return
with a buzzer and a ring.
- This is going to be my tenth season competing.
[tense music]
- The Beast annihilating this course.
- The last time you saw me was Vegas, season ten.
- Well, this obstacle has been his nemesis.
No hesitation!
No! - Oh, my goodness!
- And Allyssa Beird can't look.
- I tweaked my shoulder, and it ended up being
a really bad injury.
I was on the table for, like, seven and a half hours.
For almost four years straight,
I basically made it my job to recover and come back.
It wasn't fun. It wasn't easy.
But having Allyssa with me and having her support me
through all this has been amazing.
Like, I don't know what I would have done without her.
- James and I have been living together
for about a year and a half now.
[upbeat music]
He's created a gym in our living room,
just to have that opportunity to train all the time.
* *
When I'm getting up for work,
he is going to bed after doing 300 pull-ups.
* *
- It's taken thousands of hours of rehab,
and coming into the season,
I actually feel stronger than I've ever been before.
- Shoulder feeling good? - Yeah, yeah.
Shoulder's feeling strong and ready.
Allyssa's been my partner through this long journey,
and if things go as planned,
I've got a special surprise for her.
She's just the person I like,
and every day, I, you know, choose her.
- Aw.
- So here's the deal, he's told us,
if he gets a buzzer, he will propose to her.
We know it, but Allyssa doesn't.
She's gonna be watching on the sideline
with her mom, Daria.
- That is pressure right there.
You don't want to fall after that promise.
- Plus, another "Ninja" legend, Ryan Stratis,
will also be cheering him on.
- You got it, dude.
- McGrath and Stratis competed together
way back in season two.
[countdown clock beeping]
And The Beast is ready for his return, Akbar.
[cheers and applause]
- Nice. - Whoo!
- Rollercoaster will be a good test
to that surgically repaired shoulder though.
- I'm sure he's thinking about that shoulder,
but also thinking about the proposal at the end.
Got to make sure he's still thinking
about these obstacles.
- And he's through.
Now this will be the first time
he's faced Split Decision.
And he's shaking his head at Serpent.
Just watched Allyssa go down there.
- Come on, come on.
- He is back, Akbar.
- Three obstacles down, three to go.
- Halfway to a proposal.
- You got this. Come on.
- He and Allyssa support each other on the course and off.
They first met six years ago at a Ninja competition.
- Oh, Matt, just look at him!
He's out here ballin'.
- McGrath's now 35 years old,
hasn't competed in four years,
but he looks like someone running with a purpose.
- Probably never wanted a buzzer as much as this one.
- Gets the T-bar.
- Oh, look at that little lion looking down on The Beast.
- Well, there we go.
- Whoo!
- This dude is a beast on the Salmon Ladder.
Let's see how he does on Salmon Roll.
And you can see Stratis looking nervous.
- Poor Allyssa, she has no idea
how much her life could change
if James gets through these next two obstacles.
- Can be a little tricky.
There's some timing involved with it.
- Yes.
- Look at him, finding a rhythm there.
all: [chanting] Beast, Beast, Beast!
- One wrong move here, and it won't be
the fairy tale ending we all want.
- See the power of The Beast.
- Nice. - There it is!
- Okay, here we go.
- Good job riding the momentum.
He's so close to that buzzer now,
but this is where many have fallen tonight.
- Come on, you got this! Everything you got!
- I like to see him be a little bit
more methodical with this big gap.
- Power up. - Oh!
- He's flirting with disaster.
- He almost put that over the edge.
- He's got to go up and out a little bit.
- Watch that bar.
Nice! - Oh!
- He beasted it! - Wow!
- James McGrath!
- He saw that one coming, Matt. He's got extra motivation.
- Well, at 6'2", former track star,
can he get the dismount?
And he's done it!
I think he's gonna go for the Mega Wall.
Allyssa's just glad he's back on the course.
He's gonna do it. He wants the 10 grand!
- Baby, come on, let's go, James!
- Can those 35-year-old legs get him up 18 feet?
Talk about a fairy tale ending,
10 grand to go along with the ring.
Sha-na-na!
What a comeback this would be.
[dramatic music]
[cheering]
[buzzer blares] - Yeah!
Whoo!
* *
- The Beast is back!
- Wow! What a comeback!
* *
- We thought we would never see James "The Beast" McGrath,
and look at him on top of the Mega Wall!
- Wow!
* *
- He's going down to celebrate.
What a great moment for them.
- These two met through "Ninja Warrior."
[soft music]
* *
He's dropping to one knee!
* *
She said yes! - She said yes!
Oh, she said yes. - She said yes!
I'm tearing up up here.
- This is special.
And he got $10,000.
That should be down payment for the wedding.
* *
Zuri, take it away.
- You guys!
Y'all are gonna make me cry!
Oh, my goodness, what a day.
Congratulations. - Thank you.
- How do you feel? - I feel amazing.
I mean, I didn't feel tired,
but my heart was just beating so hard the whole time.
- Okay, now is that because you were running out of breath,
or because you knew you were gonna propose
at the end of this if you hit the buzzer?
- You know, maybe a little bit of both.
- And, Allyssa, how are you feeling?
You're engaged.
- Really excited.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
- Okay, well, now you got $10,000
towards that party, so congratulations you two.
* *
- Coming up, a king...
- Yeah!
- A cake,
and an NBA great.
- Go hard, go strong.
- Plus... - Good boy, Trey!
- The rescue dog who saved this ninja,
and he did it on three legs.
Their story when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to the Alamodome
where our season premiere definitely has a vibe going.
Georgia's Antwon Reeves is
a holistic-focused personal trainer.
So he took a spiritual approach
and tried a blessing at the start.
Then the former army sergeant got physical,
showing off his 190 pounds of muscle.
- He wants to show up and show out.
All right, here we go.
Oh, oh!
- But neither approach seemed to work.
- Too excited.
- 16-year-old Karen Potts is already a star
on her high school softball team.
Okay, she's calling her shot, Matt.
And tonight, she looked like a ninja star.
- Really athletic. Look at her go, Matt.
- With her teammates back in Maryland watching,
the 5'11" shortstop sprinted
through the first four obstacles...
- Go up, go up! Oh!
- Before finally flying out at Salmon Roll,
but that should be enough to get her to the semis.
San Antonio chef Parish Cardenas dropped off
one of his dishes before he hit the start line.
- Chicken fajitas, baby, yeah.
- And while we were chowing down,
Cardenas was carving up the course.
[cheering]
- After rolling the ball into the number one slot
on Carnival...
Matt, he's got some flavor to his run.
He rolled onto the fifth obstacle.
[upbeat music]
But Salmon Roll was more than he could chew.
- Oh!
I could smell what he was cooking on that move.
- Whoo!
- Our next ninja's coming to the start line
with his best friend, who happens to be
his three-legged dog named Trey.
These two have an amazing bond after rescuing each other.
- In 2019, I was going through a divorce.
We did have two dogs.
We decided that my ex-wife would take them.
What used to be a full house was
now just me in this empty house.
So I was really lonely, and I'd go home every day,
and just lay there, and not see anybody,
not talk to anybody.
I just felt like, "What's the point?"
When I saw a picture online of Trey,
that he was at a local shelter,
something about him missing a leg,
I gravitated towards him.
Just like, "Man, I feel like I can help this dog."
Come on, buddy.
Come on, bud. Get up.
Being an occupational therapist,
I had some skills to offer this dog,
and it no longer became about me.
It was about me helping him,
and that helped give me a purpose.
You can do it. Yeah, good boy.
I had to pull him in and out of his crate,
carry him outside.
I would hold a Trey in the water,
let him doggy paddle through the water
so that he could build the strength in that leg.
Up we go!
As the days went on...
Come on, buddy, come on!
Trey got stronger and stronger,
and within a year,
Trey was running around the yard,
doing anything that any other dog can do.
Come on, Trey. Come on, Trey.
He's my partner in crime. He's my best friend.
Trey has been a therapy dog for people with special needs,
specifically who are limb different.
He's just a superstar everywhere he goes.
* *
Trey inspired me to chase my dream
to compete on "American Ninja Warrior."
It took me five years to finally get here,
but I'm so happy that I stuck it out.
And I wouldn't be here without Trey.
* *
- Aw, Matt, you've got to love dogs.
- Absolutely, big man, and Trey is gonna be running
along the sideline with Kyle's parents and friends.
[countdown clock beeping]
- This guy is known as the Sunshine Ninja,
spreading sunshine.
- And look at that confidence.
- Stepping up to try Rollercoaster.
It's Kyle's first time on a Ninja course.
Has some hops, played high school basketball.
- He was a baller, a little hooper.
- Oh, nice!
- Well, already through two, Akbar.
I don't know what's better, his moves or his tan.
He's gonna choose Domino Effect.
He's waving off the Serpent.
He likes dogs, not snakes. - Matt, that's a good one.
The training he's done with Trey is working.
The dude is shredded.
- Go, go, go, go, hit it!
Nice. Ooh!
- Well, Trey is a black lab, but his dad, Kyle,
is looking like a greyhound.
Stepping up to Carnival.
As he said, he and Trey work
with those who are missing limbs,
and some of them are watching this run.
- Whoo!
- Get that tilting tube right there.
Get it into the chute.
Looks like he's trying to go for number one.
Oh, playing, a little fetch.
And he got the treat!
- He gets the line. - He gets a treat!
- Gets to use that T-bar,
which makes the dismount much easier.
- Nice!
- And this rookie continues to impress.
- Let's go!
- Kyle McCreight starting to feel it.
What a surprise this is. He's at the fifth obstacle.
- Great athlete, but doesn't have
a ton of Ninja experience.
We'll see what he does with the bar in his hands.
- Hey, I said it before, but that training
with Trey is clearly working.
That's 144 pounds of muscle
he's got to move on this wheel.
Making some good progress.
Big move here. Let the big dog eat!
Nice, nice.
And the sun continues to rise here for the Sunshine Ninja.
He's getting closer to a buzzer,
and Trey is starting to take notice.
- And you could see him
checking both sides of the bar, adjusting it.
- Yeah, that's right.
This is a big jump right here, Matt.
This is where many have--
oh, no!
The great run of Kyle McCreight
ends on Salmon Roll, but that could still be
good enough for him to move on.
Every dog has his day, and Kyle McCreight
must have learned some new tricks from Trey
because he just had a great debut
on "American Ninja Warrior."
Makes it to the fifth obstacle,
and we may see him in the semifinal.
- Well, who do we have here? Hi!
What did it mean for you to have Trey here?
Because you two have built
the most incredible bond together.
- Yeah, people say all the time
they want to thank me for saving his life.
I always tell people-- you know, they shake my hand.
I say, "You shake his hand
'cause he really saved my life."
- Oh, my goodness.
Well, I'll shake his paw in just a second here.
He's lucky to have a dad like you.
It's nice to meet you, Trey.
Great work out there, Kyle. - Thank you so much.
- Up next, her first buzzer made history...
- Her-story was just made tonight.
- Now Casey Rothschild goes for another
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- We've already seen a loony bunch
from Lynchburg, Virginia, hit the course.
And minutes ago, it was another crew,
all from Greenville, South Carolina.
Seven-time "Ninja" veteran Grace Sims celebrated
just being at the start line.
The 34-year-old tore her ligaments roller skating
just a few months ago.
- So it was a minor miracle
she was able to be ready to compete.
But the knee brace didn't slow her down on Shrinking Steps...
- Matt, looks stable to me.
- Or on Rollercoaster. - Nice timing, nice timing.
- But Domino Effect was a step too much.
- Oh-oh!
- I did great!
- Then it was her husband, Brett Sims,
who wears a stripe for all 11 seasons
he's competed on "American Ninja Warrior."
- He's earned every single one of them, Matt.
- The gym owner was able to dash through Domino Effect.
- Oh, nice!
- He powered through Carnival and Salmon Roll.
- New obstacle, no problem.
- Then he raced up the wall
for his sixth straight qualifying finish
and the 11th buzzer of his career.
- Okay, I see you!
- Then it was another ninja from Greenville,
gourmet cake maker Becca Anderson.
Her brother, Bob, held her cake version
of the Warped Walls.
- I say she's got them cakes.
- And the rookie showed off some sweet moves...
- Nice, wow!
- Making a big save on Domino Effect
and took a trip to the Carnival,
but couldn't make the grab.
Her brother Bob's a social media sensation
for doing crazy stunts.
- Man, he's got 3 million followers on TikTok.
He's big-time, prime-time.
- Tonight, the 26-year-old's moves
were equally as impressive...
- Oh!
You don't do that on the Ninja course.
- As he blew through the rest of the course
and decided to take a run at the Mega Wall.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
- Becca's brother about to get that 10 G.
[tense music]
Yes!
And he made the 18-foot wall look like a piece of cake.
- Oh yeah, you know it's about to blow up
on the Gram and TikTok. All right.
- Well, we've had so many great moments
at the Warped Wall, including this one.
- Yes! - Yeah, yeah!
History has been made!
- That was four years ago, as Casey Rothschild became
the youngest woman ever to hit a buzzer
at just 20 years old.
And now here she comes again.
She's carrying the bisexual pride flag.
Casey started the group "Queer Ninjas Unite"
to promote LGBTQ acceptance.
And some of the other members are cheering her on tonight.
[countdown clock beeping]
Casey did well last season,
made it to the national finals,
but hasn't hit a buzzer since her first one four years ago.
- I'll never forget that night.
It was such a special night, Matt.
- She inspired many of our young women competitors.
Casey was 20 when she got up the wall.
These teenagers would love to break her record
as the youngest woman to hit a buzzer.
- She is an all-round athlete,
still holds the triple jump record
at Wesleyan University.
- And no problem jumping through Rollercoaster there.
Now heads to Split Decision.
- Oh, wow, she's going serpent.
She's not scared of the snake!
- 5'8", 140.
- She's got long legs, Matt.
- Oh, get the feet up! Get the feet up!
- Nice, that's what I'm talking about!
- She's the first to conquer The Serpent.
Those cylinders will spin under your feet,
but she stayed on top,
then made a great save at the end.
Remember, the top five women
from tonight will move on to the semifinals.
Casey will have a good shot at being one
of them if she gets through Carnival.
- Good plan. You got it.
Nice, in control.
You got this, all day.
Good, keep breathing. You're okay.
- Goes right for three.
So she's gonna have a long swing
over to the nunchucks.
Oh, misses the ring.
Now she's got it.
- She talked about the pressure
of hitting the buzzer in her first year
and how she just really was trying to outdo herself.
This year, she's coming in with a new mindset,
just to go out here and have fun.
And look, she's having fun on Carnival.
Nice grab!
- Good grip strength there on that single spike.
And she's pumped.
- Okay, Casey, are you having fun?
You're having fun? Yeah, she's having fun.
- She is. You can see the smiles.
But now she's down to business.
No woman has made it past the fifth obstacle,
the Salmon Roll.
- Remember, she hasn't hit a buzzer
since that history-making run four years ago,
but she's getting closer,
trying to be our first female finisher of the season.
- Looking left to right. Focusing on that right side.
Got it over the first gap. - Good power!
- Now this next one, she's got it!
Matt, she's got the rhythm.
- She just kept moving forward.
I liked it, that she's edging that bar
forward to get it to the next rung there.
But it all comes down to this final move, big man.
- Here we go, up and over.
Wow, there you go, Casey! - What a powerful kick!
- You got it, okay, homegirl! - Casey Rothschild.
- Isn't the mindset so different
when you're just going out there to have fun?
- And she is in disbelief.
- Yeah, go get yours! Go get yours!
- Go, Casey!
- A four-year drought since her last buzzer.
You know she wants it!
14 1/2 feet away
from the second buzzer in her career.
She could be the first woman in season 14
to get that buzzer!
- Oh, here we go, Matt.
Uh-oh! - That's all right.
She's been here before.
- Visualize it, breathe. You're okay.
- She knows how to get up that Warped Wall.
- Again, trying to lead the way for other young women.
- She's looking up. See it.
If you can see it--
- Casey Rothschild's such a strong ninja.
- Get up there! Reach for it, nice!
By the fingertips, and she's got it!
[buzzer blares]
[upbeat music]
- And she's emotional!
- * Show the world I am *
* *
- Oh, my God!
- Casey, you told me you wanted to have fun.
Did you have fun out here? - I had so much fun!
- So much fun!
- Oh, my God, I love you guys!
Represent.
- Casey, you're the first woman
to hit a buzzer this season, and I don't know if you saw,
but there are a lot of little girls watching you.
What do you want to tell those kids
watching you right now?
- I want to say women are strong,
and I'm so excited to see one of those teen girls
get a buzzer this season.
- Well, there you go.
- I want someone to take that title from me.
- You are still the youngest ever,
and you just got another.
We'll see you in LA! - Whoo!
- Well, there's one more teen girl to run tonight,
Jordan Carr.
We'll see if she can break Casey's record in just a bit.
- Let's go.
- Plus, he overcame cerebral palsy
to become one of the top Ninja stars.
- All he does is this.
- Is he on his way to becoming a teenage millionaire?
- Let's go!
- He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to the season premiere
of "American Ninja Warrior,"
coming to you from San Antonio.
- Minutes ago, one of our top veterans,
"The Maker," obstacle designer Kevin Carbone,
came out ready to go to work.
- Oh, Matt, we know he's made a lot
of different obstacles in his career.
- The 26-year-old rolled through Rollercoaster,
and then thought about the Serpent,
but decided to go with Domino Effect.
- Whoa, okay, he is hustling.
- The five-time veteran turned it on through Carnival
and then Salmon Roll...
- Whoa, big move!
- And looked like he might have
the fastest time of the night.
- Oh! [buzzer blares]
- It was a shocking fall,
but his fast time guarantees
he's moving on to the semifinals.
- I second-guessed myself, but I think I'm gonna move on
to the next round, so here's to that.
- Then we were graced by royalty,
the self- proclaimed
"King of Obstacles," Mack Roesch.
- I see you, big fella. I see you.
- Roesch is a veteran OCR racer,
and when he first competed on "Ninja"
six years ago, he conquered the course.
- I got it!
- Tonight, as the heaviest competitor at 215 pounds,
Roesch muscled his way through the first four obstacles.
- Oh, he's sliding.
Get out of there, King, the King!
And, Matt, he still has his crown on.
- But on Salmon Roll, the King found out
that heavy is the head that wears the crown.
- Trust yourself, King!
Oh!
[upbeat music]
- Shoot, almost had that.
- Up next, he's still a teenager,
but is one of the favorites to win
that million dollars this year.
This is Vance Walker,
a two-time champion on "Ninja Junior,"
and in his debut on the big show last year,
he came close to winning it all again.
- Last season was amazing.
- Matt, he will be the shortest ever to get up
the Mega Wall.
- Never underestimate this young man.
Come on, Vance. Look at the speed!
Oh, yeah!
[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!
- As a rookie, I was the youngest
and shortest person up the Mega Wall,
got the $10,000, and in Vegas,
I was one of only two teams to make it to stage three.
- Oh, my goodness!
He ran off the course!
- Vance Walker going to stage three!
- But it's a little heartbreaking
to get that close to stage four.
- Only two obstacles away from stage four.
- No, no! - No!
- Last season, I hit four buzzers,
but want to hit six buzzers this year,
and that's exactly what I intend to do.
I have the experience, and I'm super confident
that I have a good chance to win the million dollars.
- Vance's nickname is Walker, Texas Ninja,
and he just moved back to Texas from Georgia,
so there is a sea of red-shirted fans
down on the sidelines to cheer him on,
including his family.
[countdown clock beeping]
- His success on the course is so remarkable
considering his cerebral palsy.
He wore braces on his legs as a kid.
- Sometimes, you just know greatness when you see it,
and he's shown that in his rookie year.
And we knew because we saw him
on "American Ninja Warrior Junior,"
but Vance Walker is an absolute prodigy.
- He never fell once during two seasons
of "Ninja Junior."
He expects to hit buzzers.
At 5'5", the shortest ever to get up the Mega Wall.
And he's gonna choose Domino Effect.
And flies right through.
- Matt, he is not stopping, right into Carnival.
- He always has his foot on the accelerator, Akbar,
but always in control.
Vance Walker is the total package.
- Nice.
Nice precision too on that jump.
And look how efficient he is.
all: [chanting] Walker, Walker, Walker!
- Taking a breath here, but he's got plenty of time
to catch Cal Plohoros for fastest finish.
- This one, Salmon Roll, a little bit more volatile.
- You have to be precise with every move.
- Come on, Vance!
- We've seen this obstacle give ninjas trouble all night.
We know it's still very early in this season,
but if you're thinking of someone who can achieve
total victory, I'd be hard pressed
to put someone on the list ahead of Vance Walker.
And he's being very careful on Salmon Roll,
really taking his time.
- Oh-ho!
- Well, let's see it, trying to take the next step,
get through this obstacle.
This is the big move, 1 1/2 foot gap.
Gotta fly that bar.
- Yeah, you can see him paying attention to that left side,
keep your eyes right there, even and steady, up.
Oh, no!
What?
Vance Walker, a rare misstep.
Wow!
- It's okay, Vance! - It's okay!
- Look at this again.
He seemed very tentative the whole way
through Salmon Roll.
And watch him hesitate and fidget
with the bar before that last move.
He got high enough on the rungs,
but the right side just slid off.
But the good news, he went far enough,
fast enough.
He'll be moving on.
Of course, it's not all about the teens out here.
Earlier tonight, some parents got their shot.
- Love you guys.
- 42-year-old Jennifer Bryant
had her two sons and husband
cheering her on from back in Virginia,
as the college science professor passed the test
on Shrinking Steps...
- Nice!
- But got a lesson in physics on the Rollercoaster.
- Oh!
- Peyton Glover had her two sons
and extended family watching from North Carolina.
The 28-year-old gymnastics coach was thrilled
to tumble through the first two obstacles...
- Okay, I see you.
- But didn't have the balance for the Dominoes.
- No!
- Proofreader Becky Adnot-Haynes was trying
to impress her son and husband
watching from back in Cincinnati.
Bookworm Becky got straight A's
on the first two obstacles...
- Yeah! Good job!
- But there was no storybook ending.
She was knocked out by the Dominoes.
- Oh, my goodness!
- Good job.
- I think I forgot to read that chapter.
* *
- Things have gotten wild
the last few minutes
since zookeeper Justin Andelin showed up.
- Oh, nice. - There we go.
- Andelin runs the Richmond zoo...
[owl hoots]
And he brought a very wise friend to the start line,
a whiskered screech owl.
- Go, go, go, go! Nice!
Look at the owl following Justin!
- The 34-year-old dad trekked all the way
to the fifth obstacle.
- Fly like an owl, fly like an owl.
Oh!
- But the animal expert's run
was ended by the Salmon Roll.
- You know what he said, Matt:
"Owl" be back.
- Atlanta DJ DeShawn Harris had the house rocking.
- Let's go, baby! Whoo, yeah!
- Let's go!
- The former college football player
made a one-handed grab on Carnival.
- Ooh!
[upbeat music]
Okay with the save!
- And when the party ended at Salmon Roll...
- Oh!
- He could celebrate because he's moving on
to the semifinals.
- Moving on, baby!
- North Carolina's Brett Hernandez Strong had one
of last year's best moments
when the 19-year-old rookie
conquered the 18-foot Mega Wall.
- Oh! - Yes!
- Tonight, the college student made it to the wall again.
- He going for another $10,000.
- And he conquered it again. - Are you kidding me?
- The third ninja to take down the Mega Wall tonight.
- Well, up next is a competitor
we know very well, Akbar.
This is 15-year-old Jordan Carr,
who we watched tear up the course
during "Ninja Junior,"
and this ninja is impressive.
* *
- I would definitely say I'm a fierce competitor.
- Yeah, nice, whoo!
- Whether it's pull-up competitions...
* *
Pie-eating contests...
* *
Everything.
* *
I started competitive rock climbing
when I was around nine years old.
I competed at nationals quite a few times.
- Let's go, Carr, come on.
Yeah!
- In my first year of "American Ninja Warrior Junior,"
I placed in the top eight.
- Jordan has the pedal to the metal, here, Akbar.
[buzzer blares]
* *
- And then "Junior" season three.
- Just a handle behind!
Look at her go!
- Oh, my goodness! - Oh!
Couldn't stick the dismount, Jordan Carr.
- There's a lot of emotion
with the moment I shared with Akbar.
- I know, it hurts, and it should hurt, okay?
And these tears are only going to make you better.
I promise, you're going to do much better
next time, all right?
All right, good job.
All right? Okay.
- But that just showed that I was fighting
for something and how much I cared.
In Ninja, guys and girls compete side by side.
Usually, in every other sport, it's always separate.
So to be able to, like, prove myself on a course
alongside guys is just really awesome.
[soft music]
The big show is definitely
a little more intimidating than "Junior,"
but I am feeling confident in my skills.
I will be the youngest woman to get up that Warped Wall.
* *
- Jordan's got her parents on the sideline
along with mentor Flip Rodriguez.
- Let's go, Jordan!
- And at 15, she's already coaching ninjas.
Some of her students watching back in Connecticut.
[countdown clock beeping]
- And Matt, on "Ninja Junior,"
they were racing, so Jordan had to go fast,
which led to mistakes.
Doesn't have to do that here.
She can take her time, be a little more careful.
I think that's really gonna help her.
- Come on, Jordan!
She's competed in climbing competitions
all over the world,
ready to take on Rollercoaster.
Didn't release,
so now she's gonna generate swing to get over.
No problem.
And she is through.
The 15-year-old now through two
and letting out a big sigh of relief there.
- Looking over her options at Split Decision.
Looks like she's saying no to the Serpent
and headed for the Dominoes.
- Okay, fast, light on your feet, okay?
- Flip offering some advice.
- It's all about the timing here.
- Wow. - Nice speed, nice gait.
Wow, light on her feet.
- She was locked in.
- Whoo, let's go!
- She can use her climbing skills
here on Carnival.
Rock climbing since she was three years old,
placed seventh in the nation for sport climbing in 2019.
- I mean, at 15 years old, what were you doing?
- I was probably playing games at the carnival,
but nothing like this.
Jordan needs to swing over and grab that single nunchuck.
- Oh, look at that! - Wow!
- And she stops by to give a little look
at the stuffed animal.
- That was that rock climbing grip.
- Last year was the first with teens as young as 15,
and 14 teen boys hit the buzzer,
but no teen girls have done it so far.
Casey Rothschild did it at 20,
and that is still the youngest for women.
But she's got to get past Salmon Roll,
which has already knocked out 15 ninjas tonight.
- Wow! - Look at that, nice.
- Great power. Two moves, watch the bar.
- Nice and easy. Nice and easy.
Come on.
- Yes. - Nice.
- She's 5'6", 124 pounds, got to generate some power.
Now here comes the make-or-break moment.
Yes! - Wow!
- Okay! - That was the tough one.
Now just a few moves away from doing what
no teenage girl has ever done before.
- Jordan Carr, so strong, history in the making.
Yes!
[cheers and applause]
- Stop worrying, Jordan. Let's go.
- As we said, Casey Rothschild holds
the record as the youngest, at 20.
15-year-old Jordan Carr trying to break that record.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
- Can she do it?
And she did it!
[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!
[upbeat music]
- Let's go!
* *
- Akbar, we just saw a flying Carr!
- Elon Musk couldn't design a car that great!
- Jordan, congratulations.
You do know this is supposed to be hard.
- Really? No, I'm just kidding.
- [laughing]
- Well, hey-- - It was!
- Let me tell you, not only are you going
to Los Angeles, you just made history
as the youngest woman ever to hit a buzzer, Jordan!
- Let's go!
- 15 years, 5 months, and 28 days old!
We told you to watch out for this girl.
She was calm, cool, and confident,
and at 15, she's now a record holder,
and our second woman finisher of the season.
We're gonna see Jordan Carr in the semifinals
and probably for years to come.
And we're not done yet.
- He may be the most exciting ninja
on the planet,
and every run is a can't-miss moment
when you're RJ Roman.
He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- We're wrapping up an electrifying night
in San Antonio,
and the great runs keep on coming.
- Whoo!
Let's go!
- Minutes ago, it was Enzo DeFerrari Wilson.
He was one of last season's breakout teens,
making it all the way to stage two in Vegas.
- Let's go!
- When you're 130 pounds, you can throw your weight
around like that like it's nothing.
- Electric Enzo made the big move on Salmon Roll
and looked to be on his way to the buzzer,
but a small adjustment made the bar go sideways.
- No! [horn blares]
- And he came up just short.
- No!
- Frustration and complete shock.
- But his fast time meant Zuri could deliver some good news.
- You're moving on. - There we go, all right.
- We'll see you in Los Angeles, all right?
- Then another teenager,
Georgia rookie Ethan Bartnicki,
pulled off the save of the night.
- Uh-oh, hold on!
My goodness, that was a save right there!
That was a save!
- And though only 5'4" and 114 pounds...
- Nice!
- The 17-year-old hit the buzzer
in his "Ninja" debut.
- Let's go! - Let's go!
- How did you hold on, buddy?
- I'm the GOAT.
- Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!
- And the Plumbing Ninja,
Vinnie Castranova, really had it flowing.
- I don't know too many plumbers
that could do that, Matt.
all: [chanting] Flush that course!
- With his girlfriend and newborn baby watching,
the three-time "Ninja" veteran snaked his way
to the fastest finish so far, 2 minutes, 27 seconds.
- Let's go!
- Flush that course!
- But his best performance came after the buzzer.
- Will you marry me?
- He popped the question
to his girlfriend Katie,
and she said yes.
- Oh, Castranova!
That's our second proposal of the night!
- And there's only one runner left
who can beat Vinnie for that top time.
Get ready to rock because up next
is Ninja's heavy metal musician,
the speed demon from Orlando, RJ Roman.
The five-time veteran always goes for broke.
He's had the fastest times in qualifying
the past two seasons.
- He'll have his family watching
back in Florida.
This is the Ninja spirit we've talked about,
supporting the last runner as much as the first.
- Oh, you know nobody wants to miss RJ.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, if he wants the fastest time
for the third straight year, he's gonna have to beat
Vinnie Castranova's 2 minutes, 27 seconds.
- The way he's going right now, Matt,
I'm going to pin him
at about 2:12, finishing this course.
Look at this, wasting no time.
- I'm gonna take the under, big man.
Oh no!
- He's so fast, he can't even mess up.
- A close call on the Dominoes,
but that's RJ Roman's style.
He throws caution to the wind on every run.
That's why he's so much fun to watch.
- Nice. Wow, he may go in a minute!
[cheers and applause]
- Well, with his speed,
he's already guaranteed a spot in the top 30,
but he's aiming to be number one.
Still needs to get through Salmon Roll.
- I said 2:20, I'm sorry. I disrespected the man.
- I told you it's gonna be under.
But this obstacle, Salmon Roll, has taken out
more ninjas than any other tonight.
- This Heavy Metal Ninja, this is heavy metal
you're moving right now.
- Find that baseline and slap it!
Yes! - Look at that!
- Oh, my goodness! - Are you serious?
- You gotta think he's gonna go for that Mega Wall.
- He's asking his crew if he should go for the Mega Wall.
- I think his mind is made up.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
- RJ is just 5'6",
has never conquered the Mega Wall before.
If he can do it,
it'll be a record-tying fourth one tonight.
- Can he rock the house?
Yes!
[buzzer blares] - Yes, let's go!
[rock music]
- And the fastest time. - And he is pumped!
I think he just about broke that buzzer.
* *
- I just got to tell you, man,
I'm about to write you a ticket
for going so daggone fast, man.
Slow your butt down, man.
Here you go. That's your ticket, man.
Great job.
- Hey, RJ, I didn't think we got
to say this, not only did you get
the Mega Wall, you got the fastest time of the night!
- Let's go!
- He had a close call on Domino Effect,
but RJ Roman never slowed down, and look,
he had room to spare getting on top
of the Mega Wall,
and for the third straight year,
has the fastest time in qualifying.
[buzzer blares]
* *
- What a way to end this history-making evening.
We had four Mega Walls in one night,
tying a record.
Jordon Carr becomes the youngest woman
ever to hit a buzzer,
and two proposals among our 13 finishers.
Check out others moving on
during Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments!
- All right, here we go!
The Dirtbike Ninja, Zach DiPaolo,
made some noise as he hit the start line.
DiPaulo flies high in front of thousands
at motocross shows,
but for the second year in a row,
he couldn't fly past the second obstacle.
- But at least he's used to crashing.
- NBA player Amar'e Stoudemire was cheering
for his financial adviser, James Bartholomew.
- Go hard, go strong.
- Bartholomew's a former basketball star himself,
but he shot an air ball on Carnival.
Game over.
And number one, Missouri dairy farmer
Caleb Dowden brought us milk straight from his own cow.
- That is fresh from the cow.
I can still hear it mooing.
- The milk was refreshing,
but Caleb's run got spoiled quick.
- Oh!
So that wraps up
an awesome first night of qualifying.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior"!
[dramatic music]
* *