- Ethan! - Yo, what's up, Phil?
[tender music]
- I love you. - I love you too.
- One foot. Two foot.
Can you reach?
- It's been said that what lies in front of us
pales in comparison...
- Okay, hit the buzzer. - [screams]
- To what lies inside of us.
* *
- [giggling]
- This little girl is resilient
- [crying]
- She's been through so much at such a young age.
[cheers and applause]
You can't take life for granted.
- I want to be just like Phil when I grow up.
- Philip had a panic attack.
- He's able to push through it.
- This is very courageous for him to even try this.
- And I believe that I can push through it if he can too.
- I don't know where Ethan would be at without Phil.
* *
- And sometimes, when we're inspired,
we can accomplish things we never knew were possible.
- Get that wall. Get that wall.
Get that wall.
Get that wall! Yes!
- Yes! - Yes, you go, girl!
[buzzer blares]
- I know we can do this together.
Molly showed me the way.
- The Steffl Shuffle!
- And now I'm ready to get it done.
[cheers and applause]
- Two.
- Oh, is it two? - It's a two?
I am running this course for Gavin and Eliza
to show them that if you have a dream and you have a goal,
you can work towards it, and you can achieve that.
- It's gonna be an inspirational night
here in San Antonio.
- We're inside the Alamodome for night three of qualifying
on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone. I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, this season so far has been off the hook.
- Absolutely, big man.
We've already had six ninjas conquer the Mega Wall,
more than we've ever had for an entire season,
and we're only two weeks in.
- Well, it's gonna be another big night
because we're gonna see the man and woman
who went farther than anyone last season.
I'm talking Kaden Lebsack, the teenager who
was our Last Ninja Standing.
- A 15-year-old will be climbing
for $1 million!
- And we've got Jesse Labreck, who's got more buzzers
than any female competitor.
- One of the strongest we've ever seen.
- Plus Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson
is back in the booth with us,
and her husband, former NFL player Andrew East,
is gonna run the course.
- The courses this year have been wild,
and tonight's course features even more new twists.
For a closer look, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, the qualifying course is six brutal obstacles,
and there's another brand-new one tonight.
We've switched out the choices at split decision
so ninjas have to try either Log Runner on the left
or Burn Rubber on the right.
Then it's a brand-new one, Kickboards, which requires
lower- and upper-body skills.
And watch out for that spin at the end.
- Oh!
- Salmon Roll is back at the number five position.
- No!
- And then it's the 14-and-1/2-foot Warped Wall
or the 18-foot-high version.
10K is up for grabs.
Can anyone take down the Mega Wall?
[cheers and applause]
- Thanks, Zuri.
Well, this crowd's ready to get things rolling,
and we're gonna kick things off
with the Pizza Ninja, Derrick Pavoni.
- Throwing that dough in the air,
he's especially excited to be here.
Pavoni's a coach at a Chicago area Ninja gym.
- But tragically, that gym went up in flames
just a few months ago.
[vibrant orchestral music]
- Ultimate Ninjas Chicago was more than just a job to me.
It was a second home.
* *
- So many of our kids in the area
have been at Chicago, and it's been
such an important part of their lives.
* *
- Wow!
[sirens blaring]
- One morning at 6:00,
I get a call from Flex Labreck.
[soft dramatic music]
- I was like, "Hey, have you heard about the gym?"
And he said, "No."
And I thought, "Oh, God, I'm gonna have to be the one
"to tell him that his job is gone
"and that his gym is gone,
and that, like, everything for him is gone."
- The fire was devastating.
I had kids on my elite team that have been there
since day one, and they grew up there.
Drive those hips at the top of the swing.
That's it. That's it.
It was way more than just a building.
Yeah. - Good.
- Very good.
It was a home.
- Oh, my gosh.
- That's where--that's where they said it started,
like, was that building.
- I took a digger right here one time.
Remember?
- It would have been right here.
- [laughs]
- The Chicago Ninja family came together,
and $20,000 was raised in less than 24 hours,
and the amount of support that I received
through text messages, through emails
was just incredible,
but honestly, one of the hardest parts
was what to do with the kids
'cause these kids lost their second home.
But in the meantime, I'm working out
of Ultimate Ninjas North Shore
so these kids can stay together as a team.
- Yeah, you got it. Let's go.
- Yeah. Whoo!
- During this tough time, Derrick has been so crucial.
- Yeah! Rock on.
- And if Derrick hit a buzzer, it would mean so much to me
and everyone on the team.
- I am definitely running this for the kids,
and I can't wait to see their faces
when I hit the buzzer
and tell them that we did it 'cause we are gonna
get through this as a group.
Chicago on three.
[together] One, two, three.
Chicago, rock on!
[cheers and applause]
- And there's who he's out here for...
those kids he coaches who lost their gym.
He wants to give them something to smile about
after a tough year.
- Whoo!
- And there's his family.
They run a pizza restaurant in the Chicago area,
and that's how Derrick got his nickname, the Pizza Ninja.
- Yeah!
[cheers and applause]
- And down on the sideline,
many of his co-workers in the Chicago area
along with his fiancée Caitlyn.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Ah, you can really tell how much Pavoni
is loved back in Chicago.
[cheers and applause]
- It's his fourth season competing.
Has never made it beyond the fifth obstacle.
Now facing Roller Coaster, a new one this season.
We saw it two weeks ago.
Two gaps in the track.
And he is through.
Oh, and he's spinning pizzas for his students.
Two new balance obstacles at Split Decision,
and he's going with Log Runner.
- Nice, nice. Go, go, go, go, nice!
- Well, he is delivering a solid run here.
- That's right!
- Right now, the new obstacle, Kickboards.
They're two 50-pound boards.
The discs on them-- the red discs,
they're free spinning.
You got to kick it up,
and then you're gonna lache and hold on to those disks.
- Wow. Good power.
- Got it! - Nice.
- Then you can see this is just gonna sap that upper body
and that grip strength.
And he is looking good, Akbar.
- Spin it. Spin it.
- And you can see he's turning the disc
with his feet, lining it up
so it'll be easier to grab. - Come on!
- Come on. - You got this.
You can do this. - Oh, watch yourself.
- Come on. Big kick, get there.
Yes! - Good kick.
- Got to get the handles aligned.
They're still a little skewed. - Uh-oh.
Yeah, he's trying.
He's hanging on there for a long time now.
That could impact this lache for the grab.
Pavoni! - He is looking locked-in.
All those years of tossing the dough.
And he is pumped.
And there's his motivation for being out here, his students.
What does he have left for the Salmon Roll?
He's spinning that dough. - I'm coming for you guys.
- Okay. - Come on, man!
- Come on. - Come on, Pavoni.
[crowd chanting] Pizza, Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!
- And they're chanting "pizza."
- If he wants to get his first buzzer,
he's got to get past this one, Salmon Roll.
Got to jump that bar and roll the big wheel down the track.
- Nice and easy moves. - Oh, nice now.
Oh, wow! - He's getting the momentum.
You have to be so precise as you jump the bar.
Lot of good ninjas fell on this last week.
- Keep rolling. He's rolling with it.
He's rolling this thing down like he's rolling out pizza.
- Well, what a combination.
Like pepperoni and pineapple,
this is a delicious run out of Pavoni.
- Come on, Pavoni. - Big gap, though.
- Roll it out.
You know how to roll that pizza.
That's the family business.
- Oh! - Oh!
[air horn blares]
[audience groans]
- Comes up short on the fifth obstacle,
but what a thrill
he gave his students back in Chicago.
- The Pizza Ninja sliced his way to the fifth obstacle.
Man, that was fun for the kids,
and that effort may be good enough
to get him to the semifinals.
- Derrick, that was quite a run.
You have been through so much recently.
I mean, what does it mean to you to be back on the course,
period, after all of that?
- It felt good.
Obviously, it would have been nice to end
this story with a buzzer,
but this is probably the most fun place in the world,
so just to be able to come back and play, I'm super grateful.
- We'll know soon if you went far enough, fast enough,
all right? So let's keep the faith.
- Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed.
- I got mine crossed too. - Thank you.
- Guys, back to you.
- Tonight's competition is gonna be hot.
- Oh, my goodness!
- We're stacked with "Ninja" favorites.
- He is a Ninja prodigy.
- Plus we've got things you've never seen before.
- What? What, what?
- So put your pencils down, grab some friends...
- Giddy up. [neighs]
- And get ready 'cause it's gonna be
a wild, unpredictable night...
- This is amazing.
- On "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's night three of qualifying in San Antonio,
and minutes ago, we had our first ninja
who's a professional Etch A Sketch artist,
Tim Gallenbeck. - Ah, beat that wall.
- The 42-year-old artist spends up to 40 hours
working on each piece,
which sell for hundreds of dollars.
all: Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- The father of four had a close call
at the end of Roller Coaster...
- Shake it, don't break it.
- And then got all shook up on Log Runner.
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- But he left us with a parting gift.
- Just look how cool this is.
Look at that.
Tell me that's not cool right there.
- I can't see anything. Oh, God.
- Why...why'd you do that, bro? Really?
- Then it was a house call by Dr. Steven Bachta,
a pediatric specialist and father
of two daughters who were cheering on his run.
- Hit the buzzer. Go, Dad.
- Dr. Bachta was smooth on Log Runner...
- Hey, this doctor knows what he's doing.
- And had big moves on Kickboards.
- Kick two of these and call me in the morning.
- But the 40-year-old doctor's great run finally
flatlined on Salmon Roll.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- If you're a mom or dad, get out here and do some Ninja.
It's the best fun-- most fun you'll ever have.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, up next, the first of many ninjas
we're gonna see tonight from Iowa.
This is Levi Enright.
- He's a 21-year-old from Cedar Falls.
- Levi and his friend Chris Behrends,
who's over there in the matching tie-dye shirt,
are best bros with boundless energy.
[upbeat music]
* *
- Dude, come on. both: We're the Ninja Teens.
- Go!
- We are 21 years old now. We're completely legal.
But...
Yes! It's a win.
- We're not very mature. - Yep.
Chris is still eating cereal out of my mouth.
- You enjoy, baby. Mm.
[gags and coughs]
- We've gotten a lot closer
since the last time you guys seen us.
I proposed to Chris's cousin Bailey.
We actually went to Colorado for a couple days.
We just left Chris behind in the dust.
- [yelps]
- I think Chris might be a little salty about it.
- Yeah. I was upset.
I had to, like, text him and ask if he's done it yet.
- [gasps] - And she said yes.
- Whoo!
- I wish them both the best,
but I wish I could have been on that trip.
It looked like fun,
but they're family now.
- We are bro-ing. - Bros and...oh, yes.
- Wait till the wedding.
The wedding's gonna be a blast.
It's gonna be great. - If you're invited.
- [chuckles]
- Chris and Levi are always together.
I always feel like the third wheel.
[chuckles]
- It's gonna be another bro-tastic season,
and we're both ready to bro down...
- Whoo!
- Hit some noggin buzzers. - Noggin.
- Noggin! - Noggin!
[buzzer blares]
Let's go!
- And what do we drink on top of the Warped Wall?
both: Bro-tein shakes.
[cheers and applause]
- Levi's got a lot of supporters.
In addition to his buddy Chris,
his fiancée, Bailey,
is also on the sideline with other Iowa ninjas.
[countdown clock beeping]
And you're gonna hear that crowd from Iowa
all night long.
They are loud and proud,
and Levi Enright will get them going.
He promised to bring it this year.
Fell early last year, while his buddy Chris,
he got a buzzer.
Right now, it's Roller Coaster.
Makes the first gap, and the second.
Just needs to dismount.
- That is bro-tastic!
[all cheering]
- But now it's Split Decision,
and he gets a rematch with the obstacle
that took him out last year...
Log Runner.
- Keep your bro-form. Oh! [air horn blares]
He had bad bro-form.
But he's going for it! He's not avoiding it.
I love it!
Yeah, you took me out last year,
third obstacle my rookie year.
My sophomore year, I'm coming for you.
Yep, got it. - Wow.
- Got it, coach.
- And that is a big victory.
- He ain't messing around.
If you know you can conquer something that took you out,
I expect him to kick
the heck out of this Kickboard.
- 5'11", 165.
- Oh, he can have fun on this.
It's just kicking and swinging.
- No shortage of power, Akbar. Legendary lat strength.
- He's got to get a little low.
Watch his hand on this one. Nice.
- One more board to go on this obstacle.
- Big kick, big kick.
- Just adjusting the wheel before the kick.
And those boards are 50 pounds.
It takes some force to move those things up.
There you go.
Now he's just got to make sure he gets that
spinning board right there.
Good. Great hand placement.
- Wait, did he just nod to the camera?
I love this guy.
And he's through four.
[cheers and applause]
These Iowa boys keeping him jacked up.
Chris hit a buzzer last year. Can Levi do it this year?
Great upper-body strength should serve him well,
but will his technique hold on the Salmon Roll?
- Matt, looks like he's got the momentum.
Levi Enright. Show you're right.
- Big gap here.
Got it. - Ooh, okay! Ride it.
Ride that momentum.
And you'll see as it rocks back and forth.
- Smooth.
- Very important to make sure you keep
that momentum going forward.
- And he's doing that, but here's
the foot and a half gap, the bigger one.
- Yeah, now you want to go up and out on this one.
It's all about that pop.
- And you can see the challenge 'cause the wheel
is wrapped in your timing.
He just launched it!
- That's great technique there by Levi Enright,
just in his second year on such a complicated obstacle
like Salmon Roll. - Wow, that wheel is moving,
but gets the dismount!
- What the what? Did you see how far that was?
[cheers and applause]
- And I got a feeling he's gonna go
for that Mega Wall.
- Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
- Yeah, he's going for it. He wants it.
[crowd chanting] Beat that wall!
- 18 feet up for $10,000.
Just got engaged,
and he wants that money for the wedding.
- He wants it.
He's pumped up. He's pumped up.
Yes!
- He's gonna noggin it.
- I got the buzzer!
[buzzer blares] - Noggin!
[cheers and applause]
And he is pumped.
[all shouting]
His buddies left him a bro-tein shake.
- Bro-tein shake!
Whoo!
- Let's go! - I love the energy.
- You guys want some? - Yeah, buddy.
Give me some bro-tein. - You want some?
- Levi, I gotta say,
it's been an awesome year for you.
You just got the buzzer. You got engaged.
Your Ninja team buddy is here.
How good is life right now, my friend?
- I'm on top of the Mega Wall, that's how good it is,
and I got a bro-tein shake in my hand!
No other way to end it.
- It was bro-tastic as Levi Enright
got his revenge on the Log Runner,
made a huge leap to finish the Salmon Roll,
and then went 18 feet up the Mega Wall
for 10K and a noggin buzzer.
He's going to the semifinals.
- Whoo!
- Last year, Olympic hero Shawn Johnson
crashed our booth...
- Oops! - Uh-oh.
That's all right.
- While and her husband Andrew crashed the course.
- Let's go!
- Now both are back,
and they're coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back to the Alamodome,
where the San Antonio Spurs
hype squad has this crowd roaring.
- Let's go!
- Moments ago, former wrestler Ronald Stewart
came out in a singlet like he used to wear in high school.
- Dang! He is squeezing a lot of muscles into that thing.
- Despite the snug fit, the three-time veteran
got past the first obstacle...
Then shushed the crowd before the second.
- He's telling everybody, "Quiet down."
I've never gotten past the second obstacle.
- And that didn't change tonight.
[air horn blares]
Come on, dog.
- I think it had to have been the clothes, the tights,
or whatever that thing was.
- 16-year-old Addy Herman was trying to earn
her second trip to the semifinals.
With her mom and training partner Taylor Johnson
cheering her on,
the soon-to-be high school senior
sailed across Log Runner...
- Addy Herman is the real deal, Matt.
- Kicked butt on the Kickboards...
And was inches from finishing Salmon Roll.
both: Oh!
- It's still early, but that awesome performance
could get her into the semifinals.
[cheers and applause]
- Minnesota's Julianne Vanderaa
showed why she's known as the Mighty Minne Mama.
With her husband and three kids watching,
this 42-year-old, the oldest woman tonight,
blasted her way through the first obstacle...
- Oh, she got a little fight in her.
- The second... - Come on!
Yeah! Okay.
- And the 5'1" dynamo almost made it
through a third. - She's got to go with speed.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- Whoo!
So close.
- Well, here comes another Minnesota mom.
This is Abbey Steffl
along with her daughter, Molly.
- Aw, I love it.
They're doing the Steffl Shuffle.
That's they jam.
- Well, these two have such an incredible love
of life, which is remarkable,
considering the challenges they faced,
and Ninja has helped them both.
[crowd chanting] Molly, Molly, Molly!
- Molly was born with a cleft lip and palate.
She's been through multiple surgeries.
She was bullied, which triggered her alopecia.
She's been kind of pushed down a lot,
but she's always rallied back.
And with Ninja, she started getting better and better,
and last season, she competed
on "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
Come on, Molly!
It was challenging for a mom to watch.
I felt like my heart was living outside of my body.
[crowd chanting] Molly, Molly, Molly!
- Oh, comes up just short on the Warped Wall.
- But she never gives up.
So in the second race, I knew nothing
was going to get in her way.
- Molly, a little hung up on the transfer,
but you know the Courageous Ninja
will not stop fighting.
[cheers and applause]
Look at the look of determination
on her young face.
And she's done it!
- Oh! Okay, Molly!
- Big run. Big run.
- Get that wall. Get that wall.
- Yes!
- Yeah! - Yes, yes!
- Yeah! - Yes!
- You go, girl!
- It is a moment that I will never forget.
- The Steffl Shuffle! - It was incredible.
That's pretty much what I can say about it.
It just showed that I could do anything
that I put my mind to.
- I'm so proud to be Molly's mom.
[tender music]
I love you. - Love you too.
Okay, Mom, now it's your turn to hit the buzzer.
- All right. Let's do this.
[cheers and applause]
- Come on, Mom!
- Well, Molly's gonna be on the sideline
leading the cheers,
along with her brother and dad.
[countdown clock beeping]
She's a busy mom but squeezes in training on the family's
backyard Ninja course.
- And just as Molly's gotten stronger as a ninja,
so has Abbey. That mama's got some muscles.
- Got a little Steffl Shuffle to celebrate.
- You got this, yes!
- Getting ready to go for a ride on the Roller Coaster.
- Abbey has really upped her training.
Made it to the fourth obstacle last year.
- Come on! - Yes, perfect!
Perfect! - Go!
- Nice. - Go, go!
- Nice. Great power.
- Matt, you can tell she's putting in that work.
I tell you.
- Really going for a ride there, looking sharp.
She's pumped.
So now it's Split Decision, and it looks like
she's going with Log Runner.
- Come on, Mom! You got this.
[cheers and applause]
- 41 years old, and out here getting it!
- Come on, you got it. You got it.
You got it. Yeah!
[cheers and applause]
- Everybody in this arena is rooting for Abbey Steffl,
and she's got some family watching back in Minnesota.
- And she's reached the fourth obstacle,
the Kickboards.
This matches her best run ever.
- Carve Out Courage.
- That's the foundation she and Molly started
to help other kids who may get bullied.
- Swing first. Swing first, and then kick.
- Well, she's kicked so many doors down, Matt.
She's gonna have to kick this one on Kickboards.
- The top-five women from tonight
move on to the semifinals,
and if Abbey Steffl gets through this,
she'll have a good chance of being one of them.
- You know, Matt, I love her progression, man.
Every year that she's been competing on "Ninja Warrior,"
she's gotten better.
In her first year, she got to the second obstacle.
Then the next year after that, the third, the fourth.
Now she's looking to make her way to the fifth, Matt.
- Well, this would be big.
And you can see that handle--
the handles right now are at 12:00 and 6:00.
Rotates it. Now you got to extend it.
- Carve out courage.
Bam!
Oh, she got that face, too,
that "kick the door down" face.
- Oh, no! - Oh!
- Couldn't hold on.
Abbey Steffl out, but not before giving us
a great picture of courage.
- She didn't get a buzzer like Molly,
but a great run by Abbey Steffl.
She had everyone behind her
as she got to the fourth obstacle
where her fingers just slipped off.
- And she's getting some well-deserved hugs from Molly
and her son Haven.
And here comes Zuri.
- Abbey, great work out there.
How were you feeling about your run up until this point?
- I was feeling so good. - Yeah.
- I'm just here to enjoy the moment and take it in.
I have these two here...
- Exactly. - With me.
And you know, this is my fourth year on this course,
and I feel like this was just a celebration...
- Yes. - Of how far we've come...
- Absolutely.
- And who we are as a family.
- You are raising a beautiful family.
Great work out here tonight.
We'll see if you went far enough fast enough.
"American Ninja Warrior" will be right back.
- It was an unforgettable night.
Three years ago, Philip Scott, a rookie
with crippling anxiety so bad
he almost walked off the course.
- Everyone is pulling for this kid.
- Instead, he battled through it
for the run of his life...
- For a guy who wasn't sure he could run tonight,
he is putting on a show.
- Making it all the way to the ninth obstacle.
- Yes! What?
- One of "Ninja's" most inspiring runs ever.
And Philip Scott is still inspiring others,
including our next athlete, Ethan Gardulski.
This shy 15-year-old from Michigan
also struggles with social anxiety issues,
but when he met Philip Scott, who's there on screen,
it was a life changer.
- Three and a half years ago, I was having
a lot of problems at school.
I was getting bullied.
I was having really bad anxiety,
which gave me these horrible stomachaches.
One time, I had to go to the doctors.
- Other kids wouldn't leave him alone.
He struggled a lot.
School became too much. We pulled him.
And it's been a struggle since then.
- My mom heard about this Ninja gym nearby
and she sent me there one time,
and I really enjoyed it.
- * But don't cry now *
- Ethan! Hey, hey. - Yo, what's up, Phil?
- Philip Scott is my mentor, one of my best friends.
I kind of followed him around because he's really good,
and eventually, we just bonded and became training partners.
- Wind yourself back up.
When I was his age, I was definitely
the shy, anxious type,
and maybe that's why he was drawn to me, I guess.
- Okay.
- See how much more power you get there?
- Yeah.
- Ethan is like, "We're gonna be friends.
This is what's gonna happen."
And he was one of the only kids from our gym
that Phil invited to go to Cincinnati.
- Yes! Phillip Scott.
- * I can feel these changes *
- Yeah.
* *
- Philip Scott definitely changed Ethan's life.
A lot of people call him, like, a mini Phil.
He's the reason Ethan's here today for sure.
- Easy. There you go.
- I'm hoping being up on the stage
will help the next kid that's suffering
from any kind of social anxiety,
just like Philip was able to help Ethan
overcome his struggles.
- Whew. Let's go. - Whew.
- And coming into my rookie season,
I'm a little bit nervous, but I've trained
really hard for this,
and I know I'm gonna hit that buzzer.
- * Changes *
[cheers and applause]
- What a special bond these two have.
- You got this, man. You got it!
- Philip will be watching from Michigan,
and Ethan's got a big group on the sidelines,
including his incredibly proud mom, Claire.
- Deep breaths. Come on.
- Matt, he's 5'8" and only weighs 100 pounds.
He's a tall and skinny kid, just like Philip Scott was.
Phil had such an impact on Ethan.
This is what Ninja's all about.
At the end of the day, he just wanted
to be an athlete having fun,
and "Ninja," it allows you just to have fun,
and this community is so supportive.
Everyone's always willing to teach you a new trick.
- Come on, Ethan!
[cheers and applause]
- And now he's reached Split Decision.
It looks like he's gonna be the first tonight
to try Burn Rubber.
- Come on, Ethan!
- Well, at 100 pounds, he should be able
to just run right on top no problem.
- Wow.
Bounding through it, and his confidence is growing.
He is pumped.
His shirt says "It's okay to not be okay."
A great message.
- And he's doing more than okay.
He's on the fourth obstacle.
Well, here's where it could be a little tricky.
At 5'8", 100 pounds, Matt, these boards
are half his body weight.
- I'm not doubting this kid. He's got some power.
There it is. - Nice. Okay.
- That disc didn't even spin, Akbar.
Locked on.
- See him making the adjustment.
Great adjustment.
Looks like he's out there on the monkey bars or something.
- Well, once again, it's nice to be 100 pounds.
I think that was me in about about fourth grade?
- Okay, wow, you were a big kid.
All right, make that adjustment.
Nice kick. - Good kick.
Big transfer here. Can he lock it in?
Yes, he can.
And Philip Scott showing some excitement.
- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
Watch out, get out of there. Nice.
[cheers and applause]
- And not showing any signs of anxiety.
Mom, though, not so much.
Now at the fifth obstacle, Salmon Roll.
- Come on, Gardulski.
Nice. - You got it, Ethan.
- Just like his coach, Philip Scott,
Ethan Gardulski is giving us a run to remember
in his rookie campaign.
- And this obstacle, Salmon Roll, is a tough one.
You have to be so precise.
- And Ethan Gardulski's handling it
so well at just 15 years old.
But this is the big move right here.
Got to get over that big gap in the wheel.
- Nice move! Nice move!
That was excitement. - You saw it.
- He surprised himself.
- I think he did. I agree, big man.
- What?
- 5'8", 100.
Here we go!
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, wow!
That's what I'm talking about.
What a run.
[crowd chanting] Beat that wall!
- 14 and 1/2 feet away from a buzzer.
- I love this. - Beat that wall!
- And he's done it! Get it!
- Ethan Gardulski!
- Yeah!
- * Changes *
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
- * Changes *
- Whoo!
- Hey, Ethan!
This is your moment.
For the thousands in attendance and the millions
watching all around the world,
what do you want to say to them?
- It's okay to not be okay. - Yeah!
- We are so proud of you.
I know Philip Scott is proud of you.
And I got a question.
Have you ever been to LA before?
'Cause you're going!
- Yeah!
- * I can feel those changes *
- Matt, Ethan Gardulski is what this sport is all about.
He fought through his anxiety
and powered through this course.
He's not just okay. He's amazing.
- And what a special moment for this family.
We'll see them again in a few weeks
in the semifinals.
More "Ninja" favorites are coming up, including the one
whose run last year was so unbelievable,
it's gone viral with more than 100 million views.
- [laughs]
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to San Antonio, where some familiar faces
hit the course minutes ago.
The Swedish Ninja, Minnesota's five-time veteran,
Leif Sundberg, always provides memorable runs.
Last season, he stumbled on the Log Runner...
- Oh!
- And struggled for over two minutes.
- Stay on top. Stay on top.
- His save was so epic... - Oh!
- It went viral and has more than
100 million views worldwide.
This year, when faced with the same obstacle,
he tried it again.
- He's shaking his head, yeah.
He's going for it. - Keep your feet hot.
Keep your feet hot.
Nice. Yeah, you did it.
- The physician assistant made it to the fifth obstacle
where he provided another heart-stopping moment.
- He's feeling it, the burn.
Watch out on the back pedal swing.
Oh, gosh! [air horn blares]
Oh, man! Oh!
- So close.
- Nebraska mom Maggi Thorne
was making her seventh appearance
and had her kids watching back home,
along with a big group on the sidelines.
The Never Give Up Ninja suffered an injury
on a balance obstacle three years ago.
She was sweating her run on Burn Rubber...
- Ah, ah, ah. Nice.
- And was ecstatic after getting past her nemesis.
- That just boosted her confidence.
- But one obstacle later, she couldn't make
the grab on the Kickboards.
- Oh, no! [air horn blares]
Too soon.
- Then, it was the Swan, Ethan Swanson,
and he had the wings flapping inside the Alamodome.
- He's gonna go record speed on this one, Matt.
- And the Swan was flying and showed he could
even go airborne in reverse. - Uh-oh.
We in trouble.
Is he gonna go backwards?
- The nine-time veteran sailed his way to the buzzer
with the fastest time so far...
[buzzer blares]
And celebrated by doing a backflip
for the 1,413th straight day.
Oh! - Nailed it.
- No one tonight has more experience
than Captain NBC, Jamie Rahn.
[countdown clock beeping]
The 12-time veteran had his green-haired supporters
and pregnant wife Kim watching
as this superhero vanquished obstacle after obstacle...
- Big one. Get up there.
Nice. - Whoo.
And he flew up the Warped Wall to become
the night's fourth finisher. - Wow.
- It's the 21st buzzer of his illustrious career.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, let's say cello to our next competitor, Gabe Baker.
- He's a singer-songwriter out of Nashville, Tennessee
who plays several instruments, including the cello.
[gentle cello music]
* *
[cheers and applause]
- That's pretty cool. I like that.
- Well, his friends think it's pretty cool.
They're watching back in Nashville.
He's got his dad and other family on the sidelines
with friend Maggi Thorne.
[countdown clock beeping]
Gabe, a real renaissance man.
Talented musician, engineering major,
and also speaks Mandarin Chinese.
- And don't forget, he also played college football.
He was team captain for the Rice Owls.
- Ooh, makes the grab there.
Former safety showing he's got good hands.
Gabe Baker is gonna get through
the first two obstacles.
Well, 6 feet, 205, that is a big safety.
- Flashes a smile to his friends back in Nashville.
- He's going with the Log Runner.
The football player needs quick feet.
He knows what's up.
- Go for it, Gabe! Go for it!
- Uh-oh, uh-oh, oh, no!
And gets tackled.
There was no safety for the safety.
- I love you, bro!
- Watch his feet.
He landed too far forward on the second log.
That tripped him up, and he could never recover.
Tried to save it, but just spun out.
- Ah! Shoot.
- As we said, a lot of ninjas from Iowa tonight,
and here comes another.
This is 19-year-old college student Ella Sankey.
She comes from a huge family. There are eight kids.
And you can see them watching from back in Cedar Falls,
and those two in front are especially close to her heart.
- Pizza. - Mom?
- Yes, love?
- I have seven siblings, so it is very chaotic.
There's obviously a lot of us.
- Not that one. - Oh, oh!
- Oh, man. - Oh, man.
- It's kind of just like built-in best friends.
- Two. - What is it, two of them?
- Two. - It's a two?
- Okay. - Is it a bird?
- A cube?
- Probably the two that I spend the most time with
are the youngest two, Gavin and Eliza.
- Oh! - Ta-da.
- Whoo! - Good job, Gavin.
- They both have Down syndrome.
When I look at them,
I just see two happy little kids.
They're a big part of who I am.
- Good job.
- We adopted Gavin from China when he was three,
and Gavin and Eliza have been best friends
ever since Gavin came home.
They really never leave each other's side,
and when they're separated, they're constantly
asking where the other one is.
- * Ashes, all fall down *
- Whoo! - Yay!
We are trying to conquer life's obstacles together.
Being on "American Ninja Warrior"
has been a dream of mine since I was eight years old.
- So what are you most excited about?
- Seeing you guys on the screen.
- Go.
- Good job, sis.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- I am running this course for Gavin and Eliza,
to show them that, if you have a dream
and you have a goal, you can work towards it,
and you can achieve that.
[cheers and applause]
- You know Ella is feeling the love
from her family back home...
But she's also got more of those rowdy Iowa ninjas
on her sideline.
[countdown clock beeping]
5'3", 130.
Iowa is becoming a Ninja hotbed, big man.
- Yes, it is.
We've got nine ninjas from the Hawkeye State
who are competing tonight.
- And for Ella, it's been a lifelong dream to compete.
Her family knows just how much this means to her,
but she's never faced an obstacle
like Roller Coaster before.
Boom, makes the grab.
Just needs to hang on here.
And she did it!
[cheers and applause]
- Look at Ella, just doing her ninja thang.
- And you can see how proud the family is of her.
Look at that sister on the right.
She's in tears.
Ella is soaking it all in.
Got to love all the support out here she's getting,
but got to make a choice here at Split Decision.
Looks like she's going with Log Runner.
- Keep the feet nice and hot.
- Oh! - Oh!
[air horn blares]
- Made it to the final log,
but couldn't quite get through it.
Ella Sankey, though, gave her family
something to cheer about.
- She looked like a pro on Roller Coaster
before taking a tumble on the last log,
but this is what it's all about, putting a smile
on the faces of her family.
- I've been dreaming of this for 10 years.
[laughter]
- You did great. - Yes.
- Coming up, Jesse Labreck's already got more buzzers
than any other woman.
- A competitor like no other.
- But we'll find out why getting one tonight
would be extra special.
Plus, at just 15, he was the Last Ninja Standing.
- Yeah! Okay!
- What's Kaden Lebsack gonna do for an encore?
He's coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior,"
where we're in our third night of qualifying here
at San Antonio's Alamodome.
- And Matt, only halfway through the night,
but once again, we've had lots of surprises on this course.
- Elly Hart not only works on Olympic gymnasts,
she's got some moves herself. - And look at that.
- Former Olympic gymnast Betty Okino
is just one of the athletes this physician assistant
has helped, and her prognosis looked good
through Roller Coaster.
- And she is through and looking perfect.
- But on Log Runner, things took a turn for the worst.
- Oh, no! - Oh!
- It is a situation here for the doctor.
- The 33-year-old showed plenty of heart...
- Come on!
- As she battled for more than a minute.
- That is just remarkable. - Come on!
- But couldn't be saved.
[air horn blares]
- We tried our best. Whoo!
- Hit it!
- Iowa's Isaiah Barney started his run
with a haka dance to honor his Maori culture.
- He's really tapped into his Polynesian heritage, Akbar.
- Yeah!
- The former decathlete hurdled
through the Log Runner without a problem.
- He's got this crowd fired up.
- And the 6'3", 210-pound warehouse worker
was powering his way through the Kickboards.
- Uh-oh, he's going for a little spin.
- And that's where his dance ended.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- Then it was another explosive athlete,
Cam "The Bomb" Baumgartner.
- Boom.
- The gymnastics coach from Chicago
flew through the course...
- Give it a good kick. - Boom.
Conquered the Salmon Roll...
- I didn't know a Salmon Roll could be so explosive!
- And became the night's fifth finisher.
- He's done it!
- Let's go!
- His banner now hangs alongside
the other "Ninja" greats, and for good reason.
At only 15 years old, our next competitor
just missed out on winning $1 million last year,
and Kaden Lebsack still took home 100 grand
as the Last Ninja Standing.
Now the Colorado high school student is back,
hoping to top what was a magical rookie season.
- Kaden Lebsack has been phenomenal.
- Whoo!
- At the start of the last season,
my goal was just to hit one buzzer.
- And no hesitation! - He ain't playing.
[cheers and applause]
- I did not imagine that I would hit five buzzers.
[dramatic music]
Getting through stage three was surreal.
- The 15-year-old will be climbing
for $1 million!
- Matt, look at the fans.
Total pandemonium.
- I couldn't believe that I was actually gonna
be climbing Mount Midoriyama.
- 75 feet to glory.
Here we go. [countdown clock beeping]
And he's up!
A chance to make history.
- Oh, my goodness.
- But he's slowing down, Akbar.
And he has run out of time. - No!
- Stage four didn't go as well as I would hope,
but I was the Last Ninja Standing.
I won $100,000, and it still hasn't caught up with me.
- His dad and I are so proud of him.
The dedication, the hard work he puts in.
I mean, this kid, he's a superstar.
- This season, Super K is gonna make it all the way.
* *
- Super K, as he's known, is now a superstar.
You can see he's got a big group on the sidelines,
including his parents.
Mom is already looking nervous.
[countdown clock beeping]
You got to think with Kaden,
puts a lot of pressure on himself, Akbar.
Can he deliver?
- I can tell you one thing, he ain't asked his mom
and dad for lunch money.
- Not after winning that 100 grand.
- He's now 16 years old.
Just got his driver's license.
Bought himself a used Jeep
with some of that money he won last year.
- What I love about Kaden Lebsack, so humble.
I mean, it's safe to say, he's one of
the greatest ninjas of all time already.
- Great agility there.
Gets through Burn Rubber and rolls
right up to the Kickboards.
- An effortless pace. He is really moving.
- Whoo! - Look at that kick.
- Last season, Jake Murray told us
this kid was already one of the best ninjas on the planet.
He went out and proved it,
and he's only gotten stronger, big man.
- You can tell he's put on some muscle since last year.
- Still only 155 pounds, but he is solid.
- I'm telling you, he is a Ninja prodigy.
- Good power there, but you can see that...
the handle is just a little off center.
Wants to get those At 9:00 and 3:00.
He didn't even try. He just adjusted his grip.
- Uh-oh, uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
Nice. - That's confidence.
- Breathe, baby, breathe.
- For all his successes, his mom still
worries over every obstacle.
- And she should be worried about Salmon Roll.
We've seen a lot of good ninjas
get eaten up here tonight.
[cheers and applause]
- See, he's being careful on this obstacle,
yet still on pace to have the fastest time,
currently held by one of the guys he trains with,
Ethan Swanson.
- That's a veteran move, not rushing it.
Nice. - Wow.
- And he knows that was a little trap.
That gap--that 1 1/2 foot gap right there
was a little trap.
- He's through.
Not even gonna mess with the Mega Wall.
Going straight for that buzzer.
Oh! [buzzer blares]
- Oh! - Oh, my goodness!
Kaden Lebsack is back!
[cheers and applause]
- That's my boy!
- Kaden, man, you keep getting stronger.
You were the Last Ninja Standing last year.
First run this season, another buzzer
and the fastest time so far.
Super K, we'll see you in LA, buddy.
Go celebrate with your family, bud.
- Can I have my banner?
- Can you have your banner? - [laughs]
- You know what? You earned that banner, man.
Of course, you can have it.
[cheers and applause]
Sorry to the art department. - Happy for you, buddy.
- If you liked Shawn Johnson as an Olympic gold medalist,
then you'll love her as a "Ninja" announcer.
- What do you give that? - 10 for effort.
- Now she's back to call her husband Andrew's
second shot on the course.
And we'll see them next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back.
The San Antonio Spurs' Coyote has been
hyping the crowd all night,
but that's not the only animal loose in the Alamodome.
Minutes ago, a panda came to the start line.
- What's going on here?
- But inside was the real beast,
power lifting personal trainer Ming Yu,
who can deadlift 430 pounds. - That's impressive.
- But despite the muscles, the rookie from Wisconsin
got wet early.
[air horn blares] - Ooh!
- Then there was a porcupine on the sideline.
- A porcupine?
- The cute little critter came to support
Justin Miniard, who works at an animal sanctuary
near Cincinnati. - Okay.
- And while the porcupine enjoyed
snacks on the sideline,
Miniard made it to the third obstacle...
- Oh, my goodness. [air horn blares]
- Where the hard fall left our porcupine a little prickly.
Then it was a stampede for the Stallion, Mike Silenzi.
- Oh, giddy up. [neighs]
- The Chicago gym manager had a herd
of supporters going buck wild on the sidelines
and back in Chicago. - Come on, Stallion.
- The eight-time veteran looked like a thoroughbred,
running through every obstacle in his way...
- No, he ain't gonna get bucked by this course.
[cheers and applause]
- Then he galloped up the wall to join
the growing list of finishers...
[buzzer blares]
And capped it off with his own little pony.
- Ah, nice. Look at the little horsey.
[horse neighs]
- Well, on the course right now,
a former NFL player.
It's Andrew East.
This guy was impressive when he ran the course last year.
Unfortunately for him,
he's only the second-best athlete
in his house.
And we are up here in the booth
joined by Olympic gold medalist
and the wife of Andrew, Shawn Johnson.
Thanks for being back, Shawn. - I am so happy to be back.
I am so nervous. I want him to do so well.
- Well, you've been putting in some work with him, right?
You've been showing him a little bit
of your gymnastics background, right, getting him to work?
- No. - [laughs]
- No. - None of that.
- Well, we kid him, but Andrew is a great athlete
in his own right.
Played football at Vanderbilt,
was a long snapper in the NFL.
Made it to the fourth obstacle last year as a rookie.
And right now, you can wave to your husband
at the start line. - Hi, babe.
- What are the last words you would tell him?
What do you want him to hear?
- Don't fall. - Don't fall, okay?
- Yeah, I love you. I love you.
- We call that positive reinforcement there, right?
- Yes.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Spent five years in the NFL. Should have good footwork.
- Come on. - 6'2", 225.
Long stride. - No problem on the steps.
- Come on.
- Yo, hubby's a big dude,
so this Roller Coaster may be a wild ride.
Uh-oh, shirt's coming off. Shirt's coming off.
Oh, why are you rolling your eyes?
- I've got to say, Andrew is jacked, Shawn.
He's looking good. - Yeah.
- They don't have this in any Ninja gyms yet,
and we definitely don't have this in football.
- Come on. - There we go. Nice transfer.
- Come on. - Nice!
- Yes!
Got to get the dismount. - All right, here we go.
Nice little lache. - Come on.
- There you go. - Whoo! Here, look at me!
- Good agility here. He's still got it.
- Yeah, he's still got it. He's showing.
He's flexing.
- Now, though, has to make a choice at Split Decision,
and he's headed over to Log Runner.
Got to be light on his feet, stay centered.
- Come on, baby. Come on.
- Nice, nice, nice. He knows what's up.
- Wow. - Come on now.
Come on. - Great balance.
- I want to see that one again.
Check this out.
Pow, right in the face. - He looked surprised.
- I am surprised. He's doing so good.
- Yeah, he's doing so good.
- As a long snapper, he knows about this.
He's got to get ready for the kicks.
This is Kickboard. Come on now.
Hut, hut, hut.
- Okay.
- Kicking it out. Good power.
- Now he's got to fly, Shawn. - Come on, babe. Come on.
- Now, the thing is, he's 225, so he doesn't want to spend
a long time on that board. - Come on. Go.
- Here you go. - Yes!
- Good grip strength.
- And he's now equaled last year's effort by reaching
the fourth obstacle.
Can he go even farther this year?
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- His hands just peeled off.
Couldn't stick the dismount.
- That's so much fun.
- Shawn, what did you think?
- I am so proud. - Aw.
- I was afraid he'd fall on the first one.
- Andrew, your wife asked you to keep your shirt on.
What happened?
- I thought that was the obstacle
I was gonna fall on,
to be honest with you, so that was
just to save laundry, but... - Okay, got it, got it.
- Gosh, it's so much fun.
It was good to be back, and... - Yeah.
- I'm trying to get wifey to do it next year.
- All right, Shawn, I mean, what are we thinking, my girl?
Matt, Akbar, can we convince her to hit the course?
- Sure, I'll give it a try. - You'll give it a try?
Okay! - You'll give it a try?
- Breaking news.
- She is committed to it, ladies and gentlemen.
When a gold medalist says she's doing something, she does it.
Shawn, always a pleasure having you up here.
- Thank you. Thank you.
- Well, go tell your husband he did a good job
and tell him to put the shirt back on.
- I will, I will. Thank you.
- He's embarrassing those of us who aren't as fit as he is.
Coming up, we're going to the dogs.
- It's "ruff" out there.
- But we've got cats too.
That and more...
- Yo, what do I do with this?
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Twin brothers Nathan and Marquez Green
always try to outdo each other on the course.
Last year, the loser had to get his hair buzzed.
Tonight, the friendly rivalry was renewed with new stakes.
The winner gets a trophy.
The loser gets a participation medal.
And first up was Marquez wearing the blue shirt.
He's gone 3 and 0 against his brother
and has dominated their competition.
- Marquez trying to keep the streak alive.
- The 24-year-old made it to the semifinals last season,
but tonight, he got hung up on Roller Coaster.
- He's got to go for it. Oh!
I did not see that coming.
- So that gave his brother Nathan,
wearing red, a prime opportunity
to get his first win. - He wants it.
He's already locked and loaded.
- And when he did get past Roller Coaster,
the title was his.
- That's got to be a big one for Nathan.
He's waited for a while to get that title.
- But Nathan wasn't done.
He had his best run in three seasons,
making it all the way to the fifth obstacle...
- Get out of there, Nathan. Oh, no!
[air horn blares]
- That was close, but I finally beat Marquez.
- Earning him the trophy and bragging rights
over his brother.
- Oh, I love it.
I love it when the twins come together.
- Then it was the ninja who's been training the twins,
The Cat Daddy, Jackson Twait.
- We know we're about to have some fun watching this one.
- With his rowdy Iowa fans on the sideline
and his beloved kitty Hash Brown
watching from home, Twait was, as usual,
full speed ahead on the course.
- Wow, big kick.
- The four-time veteran is always
among the fastest and looked like he'd be another finisher.
- No! Too aggressive.
- Ah, don't worry, Hash Brown. He's still moving on.
[cat yawns]
Well, here comes yet another big energy competitor
from Iowa. This is Drew Nester.
- Whoa.
- Nester is a medic for the Army National Guard,
so his service delayed his "Ninja" journey.
- Yes!
- Last year, when I was deployed in Qatar,
I did get selected for "American Ninja Warrior"
season 13.
- Drew, you were picked to be on "American Ninja Warrior."
- That's--oh, my gosh. Yes.
Unfortunately, I was not able to compete
because our deployment was extended.
It was the worst, best day of my life.
I was like, "Dude, I have to keep training.
"I have to keep working hard at this
'cause there's a chance they might call me next season."
[upbeat music]
Whew.
- Congratulations, Drew. - Yes!
Let's go! Let's go!
- Whoo!
- It's a little bit of a homecoming for me,
coming to San Antonio where I did my combat medic school,
but I do have a different purpose this year.
Whoo!
I'm ready to hit some buzzers, baby.
Wha-pah!
Let's go, guys! Let's go!
- Some of his fellow soldiers are watching.
Plus his family and friends,
wearing the Army green down on the sideline.
- Yeah, let's go, Drew!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Yeah, baby!
- Nester joined the Army National Guard
right out of high school.
Followed his brother into the service.
Takes an extra swing but survives the steps.
[cheers and applause]
Oh, here he goes on Roller Coaster.
Used to do parkour. He's got moves.
- Nice.
- This rookie's looking good on Roller Coaster.
He's through.
- Man, where do these Iowa folks get all this energy?
- Well, he's gonna feed off that crowd energy
as he gets ready for the balance obstacle.
He's lined up for Log Runner. Going right for it.
Oh, but he hangs on.
He's gonna try to save it. - Man, he is fighting.
Oh, my goodness.
This is almost impossible, Matt.
- Only a few have ever saved themselves here.
He did it! - Yes, wow.
- I thought he was a goner.
- Nester is pumped.
- That's a save for the ages right there.
Look at it again.
He just missed the third log and slammed into the fourth,
but somehow, this dude was able to hold on
and then stretched out and found a way to get through.
[cheers and applause]
He ain't slowing down.
Went right into the Kickboards.
- Only weighs 125 pounds, so he's gonna have
to work to move these boards.
Well, didn't seem to be a problem.
- You got it, Drew!
Come on! Go, Drew, come on! - Big lache here.
About 7 feet to that disc. Got it.
Dude is pumped up.
[cheers and applause]
Just one more kickboard to go.
- Yeah, Matt, he's got an aggressive pace too.
He's not messing around.
- Adjusts it with his foot. Good control.
- All right, here you go. Nice.
- Well, he brought... - One more kick!
- He brought Ninja gear with him to the Middle East.
Oh, and--you can see that disc spun.
- Be all that you can be in the army and in Ninja.
Nice.
- Looking like an army of one out here.
You can see that disc is spinning.
- It's starting to spin, Matt.
- Oh, this is gonna be a dismount.
- Once you get off that axis, it can be
very hard to make that lache.
Steady. Nice.
- And he does it!
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go!
- Slowing a bit here to catch his breath
before Salmon Roll.
Getting closer to that buzzer.
And what a moment that would be
for the army medic. - Nice. Oh.
- All right, it's a little uneven.
Watch that right side.
- You're good. You're good.
Nice and easy. Nice and easy.
- Got to make a small move to make the--
get it nice and even. Okay, going with the big move.
No!
[air horn blares] [audience groans]
- The medic splashes down, but he is pumped,
and he should be. A great run there.
- Good job.
- Drew Nester brought big energy to the course,
but I think it caught up to him on Salmon Roll.
He looked tired and just missed that big gap.
- Hey, Drew. What a rookie run that was.
- Thank you so much. - Of course.
You got to talk to me about that save on Log Runner.
- Dude! - What went down there?
- I don't know what happened.
I grabbed it with my toes.
And I'm like, "Yo!" I saw people do that earlier.
No one could save it.
I got--I'm like, "Dude, I am not failing balance.
I trained it so hard."
- Well, Drew, that was absolutely incredible.
You are doing your thing as a rookie,
and we will see soon if you went far enough fast enough,
all right? - Thank you so much, Zuri.
- Of course.
- I seriously appreciate this opportunity.
- Oh, my gosh. You are so sweet.
Great work. Guys, back to you.
- Thank you.
- Our next competitor is going live.
This is social media influencer Yari Breunig,
and she's livestreaming her walk to the start line
to her more than 200,000 fans
who follow her every move.
- The popular fitness instructor
can be seen on billboards in LA, Chicago, and New York.
- Hi, guys.
- She's also a 36-year-old mother of two,
and she's waving to her family who are watching from home.
- [screaming] - We love you!
- She's also getting support from some of her friends
and fellow fitness instructors who are out in Los Angeles.
[countdown clock beeping]
She started Ninja training a couple of years ago
after the birth of her second child,
and she was hooked.
- Looks good on the first one.
- She has followers in Europe, China, even Australia
who tune in to follow her workouts.
- Matt, she looks so intense. - You have to breathe!
- Gonna try to ride the Roller Coaster.
- Get up there.
- Nice.
- And she makes that second gap as well.
Staying calm, taking deep breaths.
And Yari makes it through.
[cheers and applause]
Blows a kiss to the family.
- All right, this third obstacle, Matt,
Split Decision. She's going with Log Runner.
There you go.
Yari, Yari, Yari, Yari, Yari, Yari, Yari, Yari.
Just like that!
- Yari, Yari, she likes to party on our Ninja course.
- I like that.
This mom of two making it to the fourth obstacle,
Kickboards. - 5'5", 120.
See what kind of lower-body power
she has to get these 50-pound boards up.
- Nice kick. Whew.
Looks like she's trying to kick a door down.
Nice. - Wow.
Good power.
- All right, I don't think she has enough reach there,
so she's got to go for it. Nice.
- And you can see it going down.
I like that.
Trying to get to the side there, get those hands,
give a good angle for the lache.
- She's got great grip strength.
Uh-oh, she's--oh.
- Well, she couldn't handle the Kickboards,
but a good run by Yari Breunig.
Her family and followers have to be impressed by that run.
- We're proud of you! - So proud!
- Whoo! - Go, Mom!
- I love you guys.
Thank you so much.
- Coming up, last year, Jumping Joe Brown
flew right over Zuri. - Whoa! Wow.
- Now, he's back...
- I know what's about to happen.
- Don't worry. I got it.
- Oh. - I'll take it from here.
- It's all you.
[dramatic music]
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to night three of qualifying.
Minutes ago, Montana's Eric Robbins
made a big entrance.
- Whoo! Come on!
- He used to weigh almost 300 pounds
and had his old pants to prove it.
- Excellent. I see you, big boy.
- The 49-year-old father of four
turned his life around and lost the weight
through Ninja training.
So he celebrated his victories...
- Okay.
- And even his defeats. - Oh, no.
[air horn blares]
- Come on, baby! Whoo!
- Then it was 17-year-old Devan Alexander,
who was cheered on by his biggest fan, his mom Pow.
- You got this! Yes!
- The Connecticut high schooler gave Pow
plenty to scream about.
[cheers and applause]
The 17-year-old made it
to Vegas last year as a rookie,
and he looked even stronger tonight.
- Whoo!
- He cruised through the first five obstacles
and nabbed his first ever buzzer.
[buzzer blares]
- Mom's going crazy!
- Let's go! - Whoo!
- Roo Yori, the Canine Ninja,
raises awareness for dog adoption.
So we had some special guests call his run.
- I'm Akbark Gbajabiamila alongside Mutt Iseman.
- Akbark, let's get his run going.
Roo rolled into Split Decision
and let his dog Johnny pick the path.
- Johnny, which way? Which way?
- That good boy lifted up his right paw for Burn Rubber.
- Go, go, go.
Look at that, just running through.
- And it worked. - Whoo!
- Well, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.
- The medical researcher survived
a "ruff" shock on the Kickboards.
- Oh, my goodness.
Boom, right there. Right in the noggin.
- At 45, Roo is one of our older competitors,
but he conquered the remaining obstacles
and joined our growing list of finishers.
- Whoo!
- Roo Yori punched his ticket to the semifinals.
Good boy. - Yeah!
- Wait, hold on.
How did he train his dogs to do that?
- I don't know, but I will say, you look good with hair, buddy.
[cheers and applause]
Well, up next, another ninja representing for the old guys.
It's the former Olympian, 51-year-old KC Boutiette.
KC has competed for Team USA in four winter Olympic games,
has won medals at world championships,
and is one of the greatest speed skaters of all time,
but his proudest achievement is his family.
- I'm pretty much a stay-at-home dad
with a full-time job taking care of three kids.
Boone, who's 2 and 1/2,
Brooke, who's 6, and Braam, who is 9.
Brookie has 1p36 deletion syndrome.
It's a very rare chromosome disorder.
- [cries]
- Brooke's probably mid-range in terms of the severity.
- [cries]
- She can't walk yet. She's non-verbal.
She's severely deaf in her right ear
and moderately deaf in her left ear.
[soft dramatic music]
- It was very hard for her to keep food down,
so we have to blend everything up,
and she gets fed through a G-tube into her stomach.
* *
- You know, it's definitely not an experience
that you want to have with your child.
But you know, I think, in the long run,
it's definitely something that's made us stronger,
even though it's hard.
* *
- You have to adapt.
You have to make changes to your life.
* *
We redid our entire basement just so Brooke
has a place to play that's safe.
- Yay!
- In a few years, who knows?
You can see in her eyes that she's understanding more,
and that's a real positive.
Competing tonight with my family watching
is so special to me.
I want it to be an inspiration for them
so they're not afraid to do something out of the ordinary.
* *
- No question, he's an inspiration
to his family, and there they are
watching from home.
His son Braam, wife Christy, and daughter Brooke,
who's on the right.
And you can understand the emotion from KC.
They have been through so much.
- There he is.
- And there's the youngest, Boone.
- Say hi, Dad.
- The whole family happy to be able to cheer on Dad.
- KC, you can do it. Come on.
Take your time.
[countdown clock beeping]
- He's tonight's oldest competitor, 51 years old.
- And explosive through Shrinking Steps.
- "Ninja" greats Jamie Rahn and Ethan Swanson,
cheering on their friend, KC.
- He trains a lot with the top ninjas.
- Made the US Olympic team for Lillehammer in '94,
Nagano in '98,
Salt Lake City in 2002, and Torino in 2006.
And he's skating across Roller Coaster.
Still in incredible shape.
And he is through. [cheers and applause]
This crowd appreciates what the Olympic veteran is doing.
But now has to make a choice at Split Decision,
and he's headed right towards Log Runner.
- Well, Matt, he's got strong legs as a speed skater.
Come on, come on. Run for it. Nice.
- Boutiette looking sharp.
- He's starting to feel it, Matt.
You can see his confidence is growing.
- The four-time Olympian now staring down the Kickboards,
and this guy has power in his legs.
- Yes, he does.
KC set world records in speed skating.
He's a legend in that sport,
and he out here showing he's a pretty good ninja too.
- Whoo. Good power. Big kick.
This dude's quads, they remind me of Earl Campbell.
- Yeah, that's what happens when
you're a pro speed skater.
Not to mention, he's a shoemaker,
so he's got the right shoes.
- Yeah, and he wants to try them out on the Warped Wall.
And he's looking really in control.
Keep in mind, he's 51. That is old.
Well, that--that's my age.
- That's your age. - [laughs]
- You're 51. You just called yourself old.
- Yeah, it's true. - Nice kick.
- He's looking a lot stronger than I am,
but this is a challenging transfer,
trying to get that wheel, because you see it.
Once you get on the disc-- - Uh-oh.
He kicked it a little too far. - You can do it, Kace. Come on.
- Now he's hanging on there too long, Matt.
That could catch up to him.
Nice. Make that catch.
- Good transfer, but he's spinning around.
- Oh, he's spinning.
- You need those hands to be at 9:00 and 3:00.
You need them to be opposite to keep the balance.
- Nice control. - Boutiette.
- It's a little unstable.
Get out of there. Oh!
Oh! Boy.
[cheers and applause]
- Relies on the leg strength. Four obstacles down.
What an inspired run outta KC Boutiette.
- That's right, baby!
- Yeah. - Boutiette.
- This is it! - One more. You got it.
- Now staring down the fifth obstacle.
He did spend a lot of time on Kickboards.
Will it catch up to him here on Salmon Roll?
- Matt, this is gonna come down
to upper-body strength and also mechanics.
- So impressive at 51.
Wanted to have a great run for his family,
and he is doing just that.
- He said he thought he knew about hard work
till he met his daughter with special needs
and sees how hard she works,
says she's been his inspiration
to step up his training.
- Well, he's got to draw from that inspiration
right now because this 1-and-1/2-foot gap right here,
it is a beast.
He's got to kick up, go up and out.
- Oh! - My goodness.
- Oh, so close.
- Our oldest competitor makes it
to the fifth obstacle.
KC Boutiette definitely put a smile on his family's faces
with that incredible run. - So close.
You almost had it. - Man!
- It started with tears at the start line,
but then KC Boutiette tore it up on the course,
skating his way to the fifth obstacle,
couldn't land that big jump,
but a great run for the Olympian.
- It was impressive how you pulled
off the fourth obstacle.
You had some fight in you there.
- Thank you very much.
I'm really happy with my run.
- Yeah, of course, and you should be.
I noticed at the start line, you looked at the sideline,
saw your family. You got emotional.
What was that about?
- [voice breaking] I mean, it's just seeing
my daughter, Brooke.
She's not walking, but she's standing,
and that got me.
And just--that was very special for me.
- Look behind you to the left here.
They're so proud of their dad.
Hey, guys. How we doing?
- We love you. We're so proud of you.
- I love it.
Well, you are a lucky man. That is for sure.
We'll see soon if you went far enough fast enough, KC.
- Thank you so much.
- Welcome back to the Alamodome,
where our ninjas are trying to solve this qualifying course.
Minutes ago, we saw the Puzzle Box Ninja,
Andrew Stoinski.
He and his dad have a YouTube channel
where they show how to build
intricate wooden puzzle boxes,
and he brought one for us.
- I am going to figure this thing out
before Andrew finishes this run.
You watch.
- Stoinski quickly solved Roller Coaster
and sped through Log Runner.
- Slow down, Andrew.
I'm trying to figure this thing out.
- And the 24-year-old from Wisconsin
cruised through Kickboards and onto Salmon Roll.
And though he fell, Akbar still needed answers.
- How in the world do you do this?
- There.
- You made that look easy, man.
- Then it was the return of one
of last year's impressive teenagers, Max Feinberg.
- They're making a lot of noise down there.
- The 17-year-old has dedicated
his runs to raising awareness
for breast cancer, inspired by his mom, Debbie,
a breast cancer survivor.
- I see you. I see you.
- The marching band member marched
down the course with ease.
- Big move. He's driving that thing.
- Feinberg got three buzzers last year as a rookie,
and he started this season off with another.
[buzzer blares] - And he's got it!
- Buzzers for breast cancer. One down, five to go.
- Yeah!
- Then it was little Lizzie, 5-foot-tall Elizabeth Leslie.
- Let's go!
- The 31-year-old comes from a drag racing family,
and she went full throttle on Roller Coaster...
- Nice. Ooh!
- Log Runner...
- Little Lizzie off the hizzy for shizzy.
I want to see that kick.
- And Kickboards. - Nice. Wow.
- Until she ran out of gas.
- No! [air horn blares]
- But her fast time landed her in the top five,
and Zuri gave her the good news.
- You are headed to the semifinals.
Congratulations!
We'll see you in Los Angeles.
- There was a great moment earlier tonight
as Levi Enright took down the Mega Wall for $10,000.
- Bro-tein!
- And now the other half of the Crazy Ninja Teens' duo
gets his shot, getting the crowd going
with the arm wave.
[cheers and applause]
And the Iowa fans send it right back to him.
- You got it, Chris!
- There's Levi alongside Cat Daddy Jackson Twait
and Chris's cousin Ben Behrends.
These ninjas from Iowa have dominated tonight.
Can Chris keep it going?
[countdown clock beeping]
He got a buzzer in qualifying last year.
- He was a multi-sport athlete in high school.
Played baseball, basketball, track, and cross-country.
- Chris really credits his uncle
and his nephew, Scott and Ben Behrends,
for getting him into Ninja training,
and they're his biggest fans.
- Oh, they are fired up on the sidelines right now.
- Now onto Split Decision.
Looks like he's going Log Runner.
Same choice that Levi and Jackson made.
And just dances right through it, no problem.
[all cheering]
And you know there was probably a quid pro bro.
Levi gave him some feedback
on how this course is played.
- I like the quid pro bro. I see what you did there.
[cheers and applause]
Got it.
- And Chris Behrends is moving quickly
through these obstacles,
but gotta survive this one.
- Good job, Chris! Fix it! There we go!
[all shouting]
- Buddy Levi screaming on the sidelines
with the other Iowa ninjas.
- Oh, nice. Come on, bro.
- Right through it.
[cheers and applause]
He's looking strong,
but if he wants a bro-tein shake
on top of the wall,
he's got to get through Salmon Roll.
- Well, don't look now, but the speed
right now is pretty fast.
He could get the fastest time of the night.
- Well, Kaden Lebsack has the time to beat
right now, a minute 46 seconds.
- Well, it would be a bro-mageddon
atop the Warped Wall if he got $10,000 as well.
- He is breezing through this fifth obstacle.
- He's bro-zing through it.
- About to dismount.
He's got a shot at the fastest time,
but will he go for the 10K? - Uh-oh.
- He's going for the fastest time.
He's going for the fastest time.
- Noggin! [buzzer blares]
- With the noggin!
Fastest time by less than a second!
[cheers and applause]
Oh, he's having some bro-tein.
- It's so good, man. - So good.
Look at this.
- Gimme some bro-tein! Yes!
- The Ninja Teens.
- Whoo! - Whoo!
- Double noggin buzzer!
- Oh, oh, oh! Oh, go!
[both yelling] [buzzer blares]
- Well, Chris, Levi got the $10,000.
You're just gonna have to settle
for the fastest time of the night.
- Yeah! Whoo!
- These Iowa bros have a lot of fun,
but they deliver on the course.
Chris Behrends just blew through every obstacle,
and he and his buddy Levi
are both going to the semifinals.
- Noggins, bro.
Oh. - Oh.
I don't know how you guys do it.
It's almost flex time.
Jesse "Flex" Labreck
has more buzzers than any other woman,
and we'll see her next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- While we were away, three Windy City ninjas
blew through the course.
First up was a very hopped up Jumping Joe Brown.
- That kid has got some major boosties.
- Last season, he jumped over Zuri.
- Wow.
- But earlier tonight, he upped the ante.
- Oh! [cheers and applause]
That was crazy.
How tall are you? - I'm 6'6"!
- On the course, the two-time veteran
from Chicago showed he's also upped his training.
- Nice kick up with no floor underneath him.
- He bounded through this course.
[cheers and applause]
Surprisingly, the guy who can jump so high...
- Oh!
- Couldn't jump up the Mega Wall.
But he rebounded and got a buzzer
on the regular wall...
- This might be the next man to go to space.
Oh-ho-ho-ho!
- And set his sights even higher.
- Hey, I'll jump over both of you at the same time
next time. - What?
- 17-year-old Maggie Owen learned Ninja
in Chicago from one of the best,
Jesse "Flex" Labreck. - Big move.
- And with Flex watching nervously, the 5-foot-tall,
105 pound Owen came up big on Roller Coaster...
- Nice!
- And Log Runner. - She wants to show them,
like, "Hey, look, I'm strong too."
- The high school senior's run ended on the Kickboards.
- Oh, she slipped.
- But she was fast enough to earn a spot in the semifinals.
- Whoop, whoop.
- Then it was Flex's fiancé, Chris DiGangi, who gave her
a scare right from the start...
- Oh, no, no. You better not.
No, no, no.
- Barely surviving the first obstacle.
- My goodness.
- DiGangi the 10-time veteran
had Flex on edge on every obstacle as he worked
his way down the course.
- She gets so nervous. She just wants him to do well.
[cheers and applause]
- But there was nothing to worry about.
DiGangi got the tenth buzzer of his "Ninja" career.
- That's what I'm talking about.
- Boom! Boom!
Ten buzzers, baby. Ten buzzers!
- So now Chris has one more buzzer
than his fianceé, Flex, which I think adds
some extra stakes to her run. Zuri, get her going.
- Hey, guys.
She is the reigning queen of "American Ninja Warrior."
Jesse "Flex" Labreck won our women's championship
a few weeks ago, and she's got more buzzers
than any woman in "Ninja" history,
but she really wants to have the most in her own house.
- Go!
[upbeat music]
- Whoo!
Chris and I are very competitive.
[both laugh]
- Oh. Oh, yes!
- So coming into this year, we're both
going for our tenth buzzer, and it's--it's a competition.
[buzzer blares]
- She's got it, Matt! [buzzer blares]
- Perfect season continues.
[buzzer blares] - [cheering]
Even though we kind of go back and forth when it comes
to buzzers, I think maybe I beat Chris
just because he has more seasons under his belt.
- I've been doing it for ten seasons.
She's only at...
- Seven. - Seven.
So who knows-- the ratio is whatever,
but if all goes well and we get that buzzer,
it's gonna be awesome.
- There is no way Chris can beat me.
I'm hitting that buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
- Of course, it's all in fun.
These two do support each other,
but Chris is up 10-9 in buzzers right now,
putting the pressure on Flex.
- We got all the Chi-Town ninjas out here
to watch this run.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Flex has finished the last five
qualifying courses she's faced,
but shockingly, Chris fell on the third obstacle
in qualifying last year,
and Flex took it harder than he did.
- Yeah, it was rough for him.
He had to watch her go all the way to stage two.
- Her focus is so amazing.
Rarely do you see a mistake out of Flex.
She always has great technique.
So precise on obstacles.
- And she's got it.
[cheers and applause]
We've talked about what an incredible
all-around athlete she is.
Was a heptathlete at the University of Maine.
Can use her track skills here on Log Runner.
- All right, here we go. High knees.
Look at that. Yep.
[cheers and applause]
- Even the best sweat the balance obstacles.
That's what took out Chris last year.
- You got it, Jesse! - Jess, come on!
- 5'7", 145. We've seen her power, Akbar.
I expect her to be right at home on Kickboards.
- Now watch her on this one.
Just look at the powerful kick.
- This woman is all focus. - Go, come on!
- Wide grip here. Wide grip. Nice.
And that allows you to be able to control the disc.
If you get too narrow, you'll go spinning.
- Honestly, I don't know if there's anyone
who I enjoy watching compete more than Flex.
Just the determination, the athleticism,
everything she brings.
- And look at her, just calmly adjusting it with her foot.
- Always looks in control.
Getting ready to kick this second board.
- Kick it! Kick it!
- There it is.
- You heard the power in that one.
- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
- Took another swing.
And this is taxing the grip.
- Yeah, cause she's got to slow that,
and now she's got it in the right position.
Out wide. Nice.
Uh-oh, uh-oh. Uh-oh. - Will she do a swan?
Is she gonna do a reverse fly?
- She's got to drive it.
You've got to take that steering wheel and--
ooh, nice. - Oh, my goodness.
Look at the power and control.
Staying calm, and she's got it.
Getting closer to that tenth buzzer.
- Breathe!
- Matt, she used up a lot of energy on that last one.
Does she have anything in the tank for Salmon Roll?
- I never count out Flex Labreck.
- Yeah!
- Oh, my goodness! - Nice.
- Look at that! What power!
- Excellent execution.
- This is just a textbook clinic
on how to get through this obstacle.
- The excellence of execution. Watch this.
You want to see how to Ninja on a new obstacle?
Just like that. You see that grimace?
That's that tough grimace. - Just needs the dismount.
- All right, she's got it.
All right, she's watching that left side.
Now she's got to get a big enough swing
to make that. - Does she do it?
- Oh, she's shaking her head. Oh!
- Falling in! - Right on the edge!
- She got it! - Get that tenth buzzer.
You think she wants DiGangi talking about,
"I got one more than you?"
- Way to go! Let's go!
Ten buzzers!
- Nice. - Flex does it.
Her tenth buzzer. Making history yet again.
- Go ahead, count, count.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
[buzzer blares] Yes!
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, my goodness.
- Let's go, Flex!
- Flex, I don't know that I've ever seen you
so emotional after a buzzer. - That was my tenth one.
- We know! - Yeah.
- I wanted it so bad.
And also, I can't let Chris beat me.
- [laughs] - I know, right?
- This is gonna be a much better year than last year
because we hit buzzers together.
We're going to LA together.
So happy. - Go celebrate with him.
Hit the buzzer one more time. - Whoo!
- That tenth buzzer almost didn't happen.
Look at this dismount on Salmon Roll.
She just barely made it, but a quick recovery,
and it's another finish for Flex.
[buzzer blares]
- So take a look at our final leaderboard.
Chris Behrends finishes the night
with the fastest time,
followed closely behind by Kaden Lebsack.
Behrends's Iowa buddy, Levi Enright,
was the only one to get the Mega Wall tonight.
He's leaving with 10 grand.
We had 15 finishers in all,
including Jesse "Flex" Labreck,
who got her record-breaking tenth buzzer.
And take a look who else is moving on
during Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments.
- Well, we could definitely smell
what Jordan Friedman was cooking.
The barbecue chef from Chicago
brought us some of his delicious ribs.
- I'm going with the baby back.
- But Friedman's hopes of a buzzer
went up in smoke.
- Oh!
He got a hit right in the brisket.
- Nebraska's Mike Gilleski is a pencil pusher.
He's getting the crowd pumped!
His nonprofit raises money for school supplies,
and his sidelines got the lead out during his run.
- And the pencil is loving it.
- Gilleski looked sharp until he reached the Kickboards.
[air horn blares]
- Well, that's gonna do it
for night three in San Antonio.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."
[dramatic music]
* *