[commentators speaking native languages]
- "Ninja Warrior" has become a global phenomenon...
[commentators speaking native languages]
[cheers and applause]
- With programs in 26 countries
across the world.
[exciting music]
Tonight, athletes from all corners
descend on San Antonio...
- I've flown all the way from Australia to compete
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- I'm from Israel. Peace, shalom.
- I am originally from Guam.
* *
[all singing]
- I'm from Savoonga, Alaska.
It's in the middle of the Bering Sea.
- Because this course on this stage is the pinnacle,
and hitting a buzzer here is worth the price
of any journey.
- I'm here in the biggest show in the world.
I want to see the face of my family.
I want to see them proud of me.
[people chanting]
- I just made it possible for everyone in my island
to follow their dreams.
* *
- I have flown across the world
to get on "American Ninja Warrior."
This is my moment.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
- Welcome back inside the Alamodome,
for the final round of qualifying
on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone. I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, we're just a few blocks away from the Alamo,
and we've made our own history here in San Antonio.
- Absolutely, big man.
Last week for the first time,
we had seven women land in the top 30,
and that's just one of the records set
during this year's qualifying.
- And we could be setting more records tonight
because this field is stacked with star power.
- We'll see plenty of familiar faces,
but watch out for a potential new star,
"Ninja Junior" champion Jackson Erdos.
- And Jackson does it!
- We've also got one of last year's
breakout teenagers, the Boss, Elijah Browning.
[cheers and applause]
And Utah's Mady Howard is back.
- And she's got it!
- And this time, she's got someone new on the sidelines.
- Ah, so fun.
- Last week's course was challenging.
Only eight athletes hit the buzzer.
For a look at what the ninjas will face tonight,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, some of the tough obstacles
from last week are back,
including the Minions and their balance obstacle,
the Despicables.
The Minions were rough on our ninjas last week.
- Oh!
Oh, no!
- But this week at Split Decision,
there's another option, Broken Bridge.
Ring Chaser makes its debut this season
in the number 4 position,
and the difficult Final Frontier
is back at number five.
- Nice. - Got it!
- The run ends at the 14 1/2 foot Warped Wall,
or you can go up the 18-foot Mega Wall
for a chance at 10,000 bucks.
Guys.
[wolf howls]
- Well, it's about to get spooky in here
because our first competitor is...
[as Dracula] Out for blood.
This ninja is originally from Romania,
the homeland of Dracula,
and he's ready to take a bite out of our course.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Prepare yourselves for Costin Becheanu.
[siren wailing]
Just like a vampire, he works at night as an EMT
on the graveyard shift in Los Angeles,
and he's embraced his heritage,
dressing up as one of Romania's
most famous residents, Dracula.
- I promise you,
my run will not be blah, blah.
Worse comes to worse, I'll turn into a bat
and fly over the course.
I am ready to conquer the night and hit the buzzer.
[cackles]
- Uh-oh, I think he's putting a curse on the course, Matt.
[wolf howls]
- Well, everyone's got their fangs out for this run,
even Zuri.
- All right, Costin, come on!
- And 6,000 miles away in Romania,
Costin's brother and parents are watching.
- We love you, we love you!
- For the record, you are not allowed
to transform into a bat and fly through the course.
- Okay.
- He does have to do it in his human form.
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, just in case, Akbar,
we do have some garlic and wooden stakes up here.
And the Vampire has slayed the Shrinking Steps.
[cheers and applause]
And now staring down tonight's second obstacle,
Shattered Panes.
- Ended the runs of 22 ninjas last week.
An awkward obstacle, Matt.
- Definitely scary.
- Each of these panes has a shocking movement
that will kick you off.
- Nice. - See the drop there?
Let's be honest, there's no sunlight in the dome,
so we don't know that he's not a vampire.
- Come on. Come on, big fella.
Holds on.
- And the Vampire continues to drain our course of obstacles.
Watch the transfer here.
- Oh, Matt, he's starting to struggle, Matt.
He's got the wrong form, Matt.
He's got the wrong form. Oh!
[air horn blares]
The Shattered Panes drives a stake through his run.
No!
- Now, that was spooky.
- How many obstacles did he get through?
[as Dracula] One.
- Ah, I thought I had it.
I thought I had it.
- He definitely gets points for creativity.
It wasn't the longest run, but he had fun out there,
and the Shattered Panes can be a killer.
[wolf howling]
Our next competitor also likes to have fun out here.
This is Jeramiah Boyd.
- You see that, Matt. He's doing the Griddy.
- Well, he is a teenager, after all.
He just graduated from high school in Minnesota,
and he's really grown up since we first saw him
on "Ninja Junior."
- I've been training Ninja for 6 years.
- And Jeramiah Boyd is making a name for himself.
Look at that big leap!
- I'm super confident in the skills I have in Ninja,
and I like to show all of my skills off
when I'm in the spotlight.
- My man be getting buzzers!
[buzzers blaring]
- On my TikTok account,
I actually do Warped Wall videos.
You can't pull up using only one arm.
Let's go.
[upbeat music]
People comment under my videos
what the next Warped Wall challenge is.
Easy.
One could be, like,
do the wall with one leg,
do the wall blindfolded...
* *
Or do the wall backwards.
* *
I have 130 million views on TikTok.
I know I'm a rookie in this competition,
but I know I can make a name for myself,
and that starts tonight.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- Jeramiah is gonna have family
watching back in Minnesota,
and his mom's down on the sideline.
- Look at that, he's hyping up the crowd.
This kid doesn't look nervous at all.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Always been an athlete.
Captain of his high school track team,
was a pole vaulter, and you can see just vaults
right on to Shattered Panes.
- I mean, he went right into it, wasting no time.
Ooh.
- Big drop every time you hear it.
- There's a little jolt today. - There's another jolt here.
This is the spot where our Vampire
was vanquished minutes ago.
- Come on, Jer, come on.
- But Boyd hangs on. - Nice.
- Got it. - Okay, now, Matt, here we go.
Split Decision. - Look at him dancing.
- And he'll go with the Minions.
- Those Despicables will rotate.
You can see it. - Oh, oh, oh, nice!
- It's like it's easy for him.
And right on to Ring Chaser.
He wants to grab that rolling ring.
- Oh, nice! - Got it!
- On target.
- Now has to jump over to the hook.
- Good transfer. - Ooh!
Great work.
- Well, he has his foot firmly on the accelerator,
Akbar, top speed.
Let's see if he can handle Final Frontier.
This was the tough one last week.
Knocked out 20 competitors.
In this one, you're gonna have to use the handle
to transport yourself through our planets,
trying to make your way home.
This is a long journey. - Yes, it is.
These ninjas have never seen an obstacle like this.
It's a balancing act.
You have to shift your weight and shift your hands
on the bar as you work around these planets.
He just graduated from high school.
Plans to go into real estate like his mom.
He's eating up the real estate on this course,
getting closer to his first buzzer.
- He's being very careful here,
inching that bar along.
- This is where many fell last week,
making this big jump.
- Nice! - Oh, okay.
- Like Halley's Comet.
He's looking at us smiling, Akbar.
And look at this, Jeramiah Boyd--
is he going for the Mega Wall?
- Oh, he wants the Mega Wall.
- 5'7", but he's going for the 18-foot wall.
- This kid's been confident from the start.
Why stop now?
- He made all of these videos about running up walls.
They've got 130 million views on TikTok.
- Matt, let me tell you, he scales this wall,
it's going viral for sure.
- For $10,000!
- He ain't clowning around now--
- Oh, my! - Not clowning around now!
- Explosive!
[buzzer blares]
Wow!
[cheers and applause]
- The teenager gets $10,000.
[all cheering]
- Wow!
* *
Soak it in, Jera Boyd.
[cheers and applause]
- Okay, first off, Jeramiah, I'm in shock.
- Thank you.
- Second-- [laughter]
- So we saw you on "Ninja Junior" season one.
- Right, right.
- You seem to have gotten a little better since then.
- Maybe a tad, maybe a tad.
- Where did you get that Mega Wall skill, Boyd?
- You know, I was practicing at the gym,
track and field background, you already know.
- Yeah, you already know, right?
Got a little speed, you know what I'm saying?
- Well, let's see,
you got big plans for the $10,000?
- Saving up for a car, you know?
- Okay, I hear you.
- It is about that time, right? - Right.
- You're gonna need to take another flight
because you're coming to LA, buddy!
- Let's go!
- Jeramiah Boyd, hit that buzzer
one more time, pal.
[buzzer blares]
What a way to start the night.
- That was impressive.
- Tonight, "Ninja Warrior" is taking you to places
you've never seen before.
- I am from Savoonga, Alaska.
It's in the middle of the Bering Sea.
- And we've got athletes with inspirational stories...
- I'm gonna do everything I can to get up that wall
and hit a buzzer for him.
- Ready to go to the Ninja gym?
- Yeah.
- She lives the dream through me
of "American Ninja Warrior."
It's like her dream come true.
- My son had open-heart surgery at two months old.
* *
He's my inspiration.
- On the final night of qualifying
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- The final night of qualifying
is just getting started here in San Antonio.
Kadeem Aarons traveled all the way
from Australia to compete
and did his best Crocodile Dundee impression.
- Get it! - Get it, get it!
- Don't fall in that water, mate.
- The realtor from Melbourne is only 5'2",
but he is solid muscle.
- I don't think he has an ounce
of body fat on him, Matt.
But at Split Decision,
his choice to go with Despicables
didn't lead to a g'day.
- No!
- He jumped over the first ball!
He skipped Otto!
- Crikey.
- Arizona's Ryan Slack made every obstacle exciting.
- Oh, my goodness, look at him fighting for it, Matt.
- The cancer survivor stayed alive on Shattered Panes.
- He is a survivor.
- And then again on Broken Bridge.
- Oh, my goodness, got hit in the pelvis
and rocked and rolled just like Elvis.
- At Ring Chaser, the 39-year-old rookie
grabbed the big ring temporarily.
- I thought he had it, Matt.
- Forced to use the smaller ring,
his dramatic run finally ended.
[air horn blares]
Utah's Kyndal McKenzie is a photographer in Hyrum, Utah.
She provided some great reaction shots
when she survived the Broken Bridge.
- Oh, she can't believe it.
- Then the wedding photographer
showed great focus on Ring Chaser...
- She beat the ring there. Nice.
- And was thrilled when she made it to the fifth obstacle.
- I see you. [imitates camera shutter]
- But that's where her impressive rookie run
came to an end.
- Ooh!
- That went way better than I expected.
- Up next is another ninja from Utah,
and she's also a photographer.
Cartwheeling her way to the start line
is 21-year-old Heidi Jorgensen,
who's competing not just for herself,
but for a very good friend back home.
- Ready to go to the Ninja gym?
- Yeah. - Yeah?
Julia, she is one of my really good friends
from high school.
She's got cerebral palsy.
Remember what you told me about balance?
- Fast feet.
She can't talk very well or walk around very well.
- I'm a little nervous about it,
but I know I've trained for it,
and you've helped me train for it,
so I think it'll be good.
I can't imagine going through the things
that she does every day,
but she does it with a smile on her face.
Should we hit a buzzer? Ready?
Three, two, one.
[upbeat music]
* *
Preparing to compete on the show,
Julia has been my training partner.
How was that?
- [laughs]
Even though she's not on the obstacles with me,
she's training me, coaching me
through how to do the obstacles.
Yeah, look at how she keeps her feet
right underneath her, right?
- Yeah.
- Tonight is incredibly special for the both of us.
When I'm in San Antonio, will you wear this shirt?
It says "Team Heidi, Julia's Ninja."
- I love it.
- I'm the ninja, but Julia's the warrior.
[cheers and applause]
- Heidi is all smiles because Julia's wearing that shirt.
She's watching back in Utah with another friend of theirs.
- I love you!
- I love you, Julia.
- Heidi's got a big Utah contingent on the sidelines,
including her husband, Josh.
[countdown clock beeping]
She recently graduated from Brigham Young University,
but met Julia when they were seniors together
at American Fork High School.
[cheers and applause]
On now to the Shattered Panes.
Heidi is 5'7", grew up as a high-level gymnast.
- She's done a lot of local training.
Utah really becoming a hotbed for "Ninja Warrior."
- All right. - Watching this transfer.
- Nice, oh. - You can just see that focus.
- She crushed that one, Matt.
- Not in the clear yet though.
One more pane to go.
Aim for the center of this pane.
Try to minimize the impact of this pivot that's coming.
- That's so weird to just throw your body into--
oh, look at that.
Look at that third pane.
Everything is just moving and shaking.
- 60-degree tilt.
Lost traction but managed to save it.
And she is through.
[cheers and applause]
But now it's Split Decision.
Will she choose Broken Bridge on the left
or the Despicables on the right?
She's going for the Despicables.
- Fast feet. Fast feet.
- Julia says, "Fast feet."
Remember, these two trained for balance obstacles.
- Here we go, Matt.
- Otto, Bob, Stuart, and Kevin.
- There it is. - Nice!
[cheers and applause]
- And she's relieved.
- Heidi, you got it!
- They worked on balance, and it paid off.
- Now Heidi's gonna step up to take on Ring Chaser.
- She was on the USA Junior Olympic gymnastics team
for four years.
She's got legit skills.
Let's see how well she can race
out there and get that ring.
- Like the playground. Oh, she missed it.
- Going with the smaller diameter ring,
and this requires a lot more precision.
- Man, is she gonna have to really get focused
on this one.
- Wow! Locked it right in.
- That was no problem.
I don't even think she cared that she missed the big ring.
Okay, Heidi!
[cheers and applause]
And right to Final Frontier.
This is where her friend, Kyndal McKenzie,
went out moments ago.
- I see you guys. - What's up?
I see you.
- I'm finally here.
- Yeah, you're here.
All that work with Julia paid off.
- All right, she's got to get in the right headspace
here in Final Frontier.
- It just is so tricky.
Great transfer there.
- I like that, Matt, and it's all
about manipulating that weight transfer.
Get on one side, and then get to the other side.
- Doing a good job.
Those hands getting ready for the transfer
into Earth's orbit.
Trying to time it.
Yes! - Got it, nice.
Make sure you don't rock too much to the left.
You see her trying to get it? Scoot, scoot, scoot.
Oh, boy.
- Only eight ninjas were able to get past this obstacle
last week.
One of them was teenager Katie Bone.
- Yeah, you've got to be focused.
- Jorgensen's struggling right now.
both: No! [air horn blares]
- A fantastic run by Heidi Jorgensen
ends on the fifth obstacle.
We'll have to wait and see,
but that could get her into the semifinals.
- She did it!
- Oh, it brought Julia to tears.
You've got to love it.
Heidi Jorgensen was battling her way through the course
while her coach Julia was beaming
from ear to ear in Utah.
Heidi made it to the fifth obstacle,
and that could earn her a trip to LA.
And she did it all for Julia.
What a great run.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior."
We are in the final night of qualifying
here in San Antonio,
and if you're just joining us,
it has been an action-packed start to the night.
Minutes ago, Deren Perez
proudly waved the flag of his homeland,
the U.S. Territory of Guam.
- Biba Guahan!
- Excellent. I see you, big boy.
[cheers and applause]
- Perez is an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard
and had his family watching back in Guam,
more than 6,000 miles away.
- He wants that buzzer.
- The three-time veteran made it to stage one
in Vegas last year,
but he was sunk this year by the Despicables.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- I really love Minions, but apparently,
I forgot to bring my banana.
- Utah's Tyler Kurtzhals was all fired up
for his "Ninja" debut.
- He put some spin on that flip.
- The 18-year-old just graduated from high school,
and he put together a run that had to impress
his girlfriend, fellow teen competitor,
Ava Colasanti.
[cheers and applause]
- He's pumped!
- Kurtzhals looked like he was gonna cruise
through Final Frontier...
- Come on, Tyler. Dig deep.
Nice.
- But came up just short.
- No! - No!
- Oh, what a run, though.
- It was so much fun!
- Then it was Ava's turn.
- You got this, Ave!
- Last year, Colasanti lived up to her nickname Savage
as she became the youngest female ever on stage one.
- Nice.
- So she was looking to kick off
another big season tonight,
but those plans were shattered by Shattered Panes.
- Oh!
- No!
- And while she was disappointed,
her boyfriend Tyler lifted her back up.
- You did awesome.
I want you to be proud of that, okay?
I love you. You killed it, okay?
Everyone...
[cheers and applause]
They love you!
And I love you too.
Whoo!
- A very sweet moment,
and here comes another one.
This is Chris O'Connell, a 32-year-old dad
from Northern California who's brought his son Kavan
to the start line.
They are rubbing their chests because both father
and son are heart warriors.
[soft dramatic music]
- I was born with a congenital heart defect,
and so when I was 24,
I had to have open-heart surgery.
However, my wife was eight months pregnant.
* *
- When Chris made it through his open-heart surgery,
I started crying in relief 'cause I was just so happy.
We were just ready to go home and just prepare for our baby.
* *
- When we took my son to his two-week checkup,
that's where it all turned.
My son had a heart defect too.
* *
My son had open-heart surgery at two months old.
* *
- Yeah, I mean, you can't really prepare
for a moment like that.
It's--every baby is supposed to be born healthy...
* *
And he wasn't born healthy.
* *
But he pulled through.
* *
- My son Kavan is now eight years old.
You would have no clue that he had a heart condition.
- Go, whoo, whoo!
- Kavan is my little ninja sidekick.
I love bringing him with me to the Ninja gyms to train,
and he's my inspiration.
- Yeah! Whoo!
- I want to not only show Kavan,
but prove to everyone out there
who has a congenital heart defect
that anything is possible.
* *
[applause]
- There's a special bond between these two.
Dad's gonna send Kavan off with Mom,
and they're gonna watch from the sidelines,
while Chris's own dad and mom will be watching
from back in California.
- Yeah!
[countdown clock beeping]
Chris has competed twice before without much success.
Gets through the first obstacle.
- He looks relieved.
- That's make the family happy.
Mom's keeping her hands on Kavan's ears
because he's sensitive to loud noises,
but he did not want to miss seeing Dad compete.
- 'Cause Dad wants to show his son
there are no limits
no matter how many surgeries on your heart.
- Confident, c'mon.
Grab it. - Nice.
[cheers and applause]
- O'Connell's been Ninja training
for a couple of years.
Didn't do a lot of sports growing up
because of concerns about his heart,
but he's not afraid to try things anymore.
- Nice! - Oh!
- He's never made it past the second obstacle before,
but he's making the moves tonight.
- And he's through!
[cheers and applause]
And for the first time in his Ninja career,
Chris O'Connell's gonna be taking on
obstacle number three, going to Broken Bridge.
And he's looking at Kavan for some inspiration.
- You've got to stay on top, take big strides,
and move quickly.
- And he's through another obstacle.
And he is pumped, his best run ever.
Showing what it truly means to be a heart warrior.
- Matt, he's a sports producer for a radio station.
He might want to do a story about himself tomorrow.
- Now on Ring Chaser.
Didn't get that ring.
The difficulty goes up,
but this guy's faced long odds before.
- Yeah, Matt.
Missed the big ring. That's okay.
He's still got an option.
If you want to get to the next level, man,
you better put a ring on it.
- Well, this run's already been a victory
for Chris and his son.
Can he make the move here?
- Oh! - No!
Just couldn't get the smaller ring onto the hook,
but still a victory for him,
and he did it with his son, Kavan, by his side.
- Chris O'Connell wanted to show his son
to not be afraid of anything,
and he did that.
Couldn't land the small ring, but an inspirational run
for the heart warrior.
- Chris, we saw a beautiful moment at the start line.
Your beautiful son, Kavan, tell us a little bit about him.
Why was this run so special for you?
- Well, he's had two open-heart surgeries,
same as me.
We both had two.
So I just want to show him
that anything's possible.
Don't slow down.
I was told that my whole life, to be careful of my heart,
and that wasn't the case.
You can do anything you put your mind to,
and that's what I wanted to show him today.
- Awesome job on the course tonight.
You're such an inspiration. Thank you, Chris.
- Thank you.
This goes out to all the other heart warriors out there.
Thank you. - Matt, Akbar, back to you.
- Up next, we're headed out West,
where Ninja's favorite cowboy has a new ranch hand.
- Climbs it clear!
- Lance Pekus and teenager Elijah Browning are just ahead
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's the final night of qualifying
in San Antonio,
last chance to earn a trip to the semifinals.
One of the ninjas who's traveled far to be here
tonight is professional dancer Asaf Goren who's from Israel.
And his family was watching back home, 7,000 miles away.
Goren won "Ninja Warrior Israel,"
but this was his first time on our course.
- Now he's bringing his talent to America.
This Orthodox Jew had an unorthodox style...
He's leaving it to chance.
But it seemed to work for him. - Ooh!
- On Ring Chaser, he tried hooking
the big ring with his foot, but still got through...
- Nice!
- And made it to Final Frontier,
where the break dancer finally broke down.
[buzzer blares]
- Shalom, Mr. Goren.
- Another rookie, Emmanuel Williams,
showed off his happy feet at the start.
- Okay, do your dance then!
- The 29-year-old is a filmmaker,
and he created a dramatic final scene for his run.
- Ooh! [air horn blares]
Oh, boy, that looked like it hurts.
- We did it though! We did it.
- Utah's Dan Wentworth is known for being injury prone.
Over the years, the 37-year-old
has suffered through numerous broken bones
and bruises while training,
so when the father of three hit the course,
we he had all our ninjas with medical experience
on standby,
a nurse, surgeon, doctor, and physician assistant.
- Wow, that is the "Ninja" medic team.
- And it's a good thing we had them there
because true to form,
Wentworth suffered a hard fall...
- Oh, my goodness!
A shot to the kisser.
- And he had to be carried away.
- Oh, it's the knee.
It's the knee again, guys.
Thanks.
- Oh, Dan Wentworth,
he's always getting hurt, Matt.
- There are plenty of cowboys in Texas
but none quite like the Cowboy Ninja, Lance Pekus.
The Idaho rancher is back for his 11th season,
but he's looking to learn some new tricks,
so he turned to one of the sport's young stars.
- I've always been a huge fan of Lance Pekus.
Like, I've always looked up to him.
We started talking, and he's like,
"Yeah, no ninja has ever come to Idaho before."
- I've been doing Ninja for ten years.
I've invited ninjas out every year.
[cows mooing]
Nobody takes me up 'cause I am in the middle of nowhere.
- And me and my mom kind of looked at each other and like,
"Well, we're coming to Idaho."
[upbeat music]
* *
- Now to the balance.
This is not his type of balance.
* *
And does it easy.
- So it's Lance Pekus, right?
He's an incredible ninja warrior.
I was thinking, like, we'll get there,
and he'll have a ton of ninja stuff.
He has the sketchiest Warped Wall
I've ever seen in my life.
- Climbs it clear! Whoo!
- Actually, most of his Ninja stuff
is under his porch.
- [screams] Oh, I broke my stairs
I broke the step.
- I'm like, "Bro, let's build you something."
Loading up the lumber. - We're done.
- Ultimately, we had the goal of building a rig
so I can improve my lache and my connectivity.
- He's got this.
Whoa, makes it look easy.
- The way the course is changing,
you have to conserve that energy as much as possible,
and these kids are really good at connecting
obstacle after obstacle.
And that's why I'm slower than all these young kids.
- You know, Elijah might have learned
over the years of watching me,
but there's a lot I can learn from him.
- Yeah, Lance, quick moves.
Look at that cowboy fly.
Being out there in Salmon, Idaho
with Lance Pekus, it was so surreal.
- This is where I went down on my run.
Elijah is showing a lot better control.
- I'm gonna use what the Cowboy Ninja taught me,
and I'm gonna hit a buzzer tonight.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- And of course, Elijah will be
on the sideline for this run.
Lance's biggest fans are back in Idaho,
his wife, Heather, their two kids,
and other family members.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Let's go, Lance!
- Well, he wears a black hat,
but Pekus is one of the good guys.
Almost 20 years older than Elijah Browning,
but they found a common bond in Ninja.
- Let's go, Lance!
- Elijah taught him a newer way to lache,
taught him some newer tricks, the 2.0 versions.
- Trying to make it real efficient there,
5'8", 165.
No shortage of beef on this dude.
He is muscles.
- And the one thing that Elijah Browning
and Lance have in common
is they both like to compete
with their hat on.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, he tips his hat to the Minions,
but he's not trying them.
He's going to Broken Bridge.
- Here we go.
Nice, nice, nice, nice, nice, and he's through.
Giddyap.
- Ah, look at that,
drops his hat as a tribute to the Minions.
I bet that's for the kids, right there.
Now let's see if those laches that Elijah
was working on with him pay off.
- There goes that ring. Get it, get it.
- Oh, shocked. - He couldn't get that one in.
- I am surprised he didn't get that.
- Well, let's see what his lache skills are now.
Got to be precise with that smaller handle.
- Nice. Nice.
He got it. Right on target.
[cheers and applause]
- Deep breaths, bro! You're good!
- This is the one that's been tough tonight, Final Frontier.
- How will the cowboy do in space?
- You got it, broski! - Be easy on it.
Be easy.
You don't want too much weight moving forward
'cause you don't want to slide off.
- There you go. - Great control.
- Lean in on the planet.
Jupiter to Earth.
- We've seen him on the Super Salmon Ladder.
He's got power with the bar in his hands.
Of course, we keep saying it, this control stick
is so unique, that I-shape.
And he's fighting it now.
- Yeah, he is.
He's kind of got to get it over there.
Nice.
Oh, there it is. - Get it on the center line.
Nice, uh-oh, uh-oh, that's not secure.
That's not secure.
- Teetering on the edge, this may affect his jump.
- Oh!
Wow.
- Only a few feet from completing the fifth obstacle.
Not what he wanted, but he's still in good position
to stay in the top 30.
The Cowboy Ninja had a smooth ride early.
Lance got to use those lache skills
he's been working on with Elijah.
But on Final Frontier, got hung up
as he tried to swing over and came up just short.
- So Lance is gonna dry off,
and now his young training partner,
Elijah Browning, will try his luck.
The 17-year-old from Tennessee is nicknamed the Boss,
and was a dominant force last year.
Made it to stage two as a rookie.
And there's his biggest fan, his mom Renée.
Elijah's got more family watching back in Tennessee,
plus the top ninja from last season,
Kaden Lebsack and his family.
[countdown clock beeping]
They call him the Boss
because he's a true entrepreneur.
Only 17, but has his own sports car business
and several other money-making ventures.
- And he made a big impression last season.
He was the second fastest in qualifying
his first time on the course.
6'1", 165, what a stud this guy is.
I think he's got an autographed
Akbar Gbajabiamila rookie card, doesn't he?
- Yeah, you know, when he sent it to me,
I was pretty honored that he went out
and found my rookie card.
I signed it for him, Matt.
He really is a good kid and a great ninja.
- No trouble with obstacle two here.
The Boss with a decisive move at Split Decision,
going with Broken Bridge.
- All right, Matt. He's got to go fast here.
He's got to go fast. He's got to go.
Okay!
- The Boss in command right now,
going straight into Ring Chaser.
- Nothing like this at Lance's ranch.
- Oh, he's way ahead of the ring.
- He was waiting for the ring. Come here.
Come to daddy. - Come, my precious.
- Nice. - Perfect.
- Ooh, should be great on this lache.
And he's through.
- Come on, he's at the fifth obstacle
in under a minute.
- And Lance has now joined the sideline group.
Only one finisher so far, Jeramiah Boyd,
but the Boss is well ahead of that pace.
His buddy Lance, though, showed how dangerous
this obstacle can be.
- Oh, be careful, young fella.
- We go in Jupiter.
Getting on the inside there, you can see it.
It's where that center of gravity is
to keep that handle in orbit.
- Nice. - Good switch.
- Boy, he went at that one like a satellite.
- But it's that transition from Earth and Mars
to the final "Ninja" space station.
- Gliding through it.
And you see how he just shifted his body weight?
Nice. Lock it in, lock it in.
- This is where Pekus fell.
- Yeah, now it's secure.
All he has to do is get enough momentum.
I don't think he's got enough gas there, Matt.
Land this one, and it's over!
- Got it!
Trying to be just tonight's second finisher.
And he's through!
[cheers and applause]
Get that money. - Yeah, you are!
- Get that money wall.
- He just said, "Get that cheese."
- Get that cheese. Oh, yeah.
- These teenagers continue to amaze us.
We've already had one, Jeramiah Boyd,
get a Mega Wall tonight.
Will Elijah Browning be the second?
Here we go.
$10,000 for the 17-year-old on the line.
Oh, just missed it.
And that's gonna cost him the fastest time,
but the smaller wall should be no problem.
[cheers and applause]
[buzzer blares]
- And the Boss is back!
Our second finisher of the night.
[upbeat music]
- Let's go!
* *
- That close! - That close!
* *
- Elijah, I know you came so close
to getting that Mega Wall.
Take a look at it right here.
See how close you were.
Tell me what was going through your mind--oh!
- Well, if that lip wasn't there.
It was that.
[laughter]
- You know what?
I have a feeling you're gonna have
a lot more shots at that Mega Wall in the future,
but as of now, the next time we'll see you,
it'll be LA, buddy!
- Let's go!
- The Boss. - The Boss, Boss man.
The Boss is back on tour.
[cheers and applause]
- Go ahead, Matt.
We're gonna say it. Like a boss!
- Boss!
He's a high-flying professional dunker.
She's an Orthodox Jewish mother of four,
and we'll see them both
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- They're the only athletes to compete
on every season of "American Ninja Warrior"
with 33 buzzers between them,
and they hit the course minutes ago.
First up was Brian Kretsch, who's struggled
with balance obstacles over the years.
And he had another rough ride tonight.
- Oh, my goodness. He fell right on his appendix.
Take a look at this.
It took the wind right out of him.
- But the 37-year-old powered through the pain
and got through Ring Chaser...
- Oh, yeah, he's grimacing, Matt.
He's grimacing badly.
- And nearly finished Final Frontier.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- Oh, I had that.
- Then the Godfather David Campbell took his shot.
- Godfather, he's saying,
"You ain't gonna take me out just yet."
- The 44-year-old
is nearly three times older
than some of our teens but didn't show it.
- Wow, looked like a football player on that one.
- The pizza delivery driver delivered
on the fifth obstacle where other veterans couldn't...
- Nice hang time!
- And made his way up the wall,
finishing the qualifying course
for the fifth straight year.
- The Godfather is going back to LA, buddy!
- Yeah!
- One of the great things about "Ninja"
is our athletes come in all sizes
and from all walks of life,
and our next athlete is proof of that.
This is Liba Yoffe.
She's an Orthodox Jew who's a mom to four kids.
She's only 4'11", but do not underestimate her.
[praying indistinctly]
Being a Jewish woman,
it's something that's really important to me.
I keep the Sabbath.
I eat only kosher. I dress modestly.
I believe in faith...
and fitness.
I always dreamed of being able to be
in any sort of competition.
In 2019, I started training as a power lifter.
I may only be 4'11",
but I was able to deadlift 189,
and I really excelled,
and I wanted to enter competitions,
but they wouldn't allow me to enter in a skirt,
so it was very disappointing.
[upbeat music]
I really needed an outlet in sports,
and that's when I discovered Ninja.
- * This moment is mine *
In Ninja, you can be whoever you are.
Climb up. Reach, reach, reach.
And you can be small, tall, male, female.
I want to show women and girls all over the world
that they can do anything that they desire
and keep to whatever their values are.
Being strong is beautiful.
- * This moment is mine *
- And her husband and all four kids
are down on the sidelines, so proud of their mom.
Her sister's family is watching
7,000 miles away in Israel.
- At only 4'11" and running in a skirt,
these Shrinking Steps might be a challenge.
[countdown clock beeping]
Okay, big strides. Big strides.
- Nice! Just like that.
- Great job by Liba Yoffe.
And you can see the relief on her face.
What a moment for her and her family.
- Matt, you can see her,
she's looking over at her four kids saying,
"Y'all see what Mama did?"
- Well, now she's got another mountain
to climb with Shattered Panes.
- If she thought the Shrinking Steps
was intimidating,
the first pane is almost 12 feet tall.
- Needs to get a good run up. - No!
[air horn blares] all: Aww!
- She didn't back down, but at 4'11",
couldn't get up the 12-foot wall.
- I love that she came out here
and give it her best shot.
- Little Liba represented
for Orthodox Jewish women everywhere.
Getting big hugs.
Her family, her community are all so proud of her tonight.
Well, only on "Ninja Warrior"
would a 4'11" Orthodox Jewish mom
be followed by a 6'2" professional dunker.
This is Chris Staples, one of the best
in the world at what he does,
pulling off jaw-dropping slam dunks.
[dramatic music]
- Slam dunking is an art form.
I've taken my talents all over the world.
I've jumped over motorcycles, people.
I've jumped over Metta World Peace before.
* *
Dunk after dunk after dunk.
I'm always trying to wow the crowd.
* *
I want to come out to compete
on "American Ninja Warrior,"
because I want to challenge myself.
I have the ability. I have the athleticism.
I have the willpower,
and this is my time.
Looking at this course, feeling pretty good.
It's gonna be a slam dunk tonight.
* *
- Chris has a bunch of friends down on the sideline,
including his girlfriend.
- Whoo!
- Plus, an NBA legend wishing him good luck.
- Yo, what's good? My guy, Chris.
So happy to see all the successes and everything
that you achieve.
You got it, bro. Go out there and kill it.
You got this.
- Pretty cool having Metta World Peace
wish you good luck.
- That's pretty cool.
- Build you up. - Matt, can you do this?
Whoa. - Do what?
- Can you do-- - Can you do it?
[laughs] - Yeah, ooh, see?
- There it is.
[countdown clock beeping]
6'2", 190, with a 40-inch vertical leap.
- Matt, you know what I call that, right?
[together] Boosties!
[cheers and applause]
- All right, he's gonna need those boosties
here on Shattered Panes.
- Staples certainly has a longer stride
than little Liba Yoffe.
- Ooh, oh, oh, oh. - Whoa!
- He's got to boost himself up that pane.
- Does he have grip?
- And a great recovery. - Wow.
You know how powerful you have to be to recover like that?
- The shattered backboard,
he's looking for an exit, Matt.
He doesn't like being up there.
- The high-flying dunker looking surprisingly nervous
about jumping to the second pane.
- Hey, these courses are a lot harder than they look on TV.
He's way up there, and it's intimidating.
- Talking himself into it.
- You know, air up there. Nice!
- Got it. - Nice, nice.
- Hanging onto the rim,
that's allowed at "Ninja Warrior."
- Boy, he's got that hang time.
He's hanging on for dear life,
and you need technique here on the swing.
He's starting to slip, Matt.
- This third pane's gonna tilt on him.
- No! - Oh!
[air horn blares]
- Shattered Panes claims a second straight victim,
and whether you're 4'11" or 6'2",
this is a tough obstacle.
- That was tough.
- All right, watch this. Oh.
- Coming up,
on a remote Alaskan island, he had a Ninja dream,
and this competitor's journey is like nothing
you've seen before.
His story is next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior,"
coming to you from the Alamodome in San Antonio.
- Matt, the night's only half over,
but already we've seen some remarkable performances.
Eight-time veteran Sweet T, Tiana Webberley,
is no stranger to the spotlight.
She's a Hollywood stuntwoman on big movies and video games.
[upbeat music]
Minutes ago, she had to rely on those skills
to survive an early close call.
- Oh! - A great save.
- But the eight-time veteran
from Palmdale, California recovered...
- And she is through.
- And showed why she's one of "Ninja's"
most consistent performers.
Oh, what a catch!
- She came very close to finishing the fifth obstacle.
- No!
- And she's got a good chance
of moving on to the semifinals.
- Another sweet run by Sweet T.
- Then the Archery Ninja, Anthony Porter, took his shot.
- And there it is. - Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
- The archery instructor from Chino Hills, California
was on target on the course too.
- Bull's-eye! - Let's go!
- The 25-year-old shot through all six obstacles
and got a qualifying buzzer for the second straight year.
- Whoo!
Yeah!
- And the shirt's coming off.
- Then it was the return of one our old friends,
Josh Levin.
- Great to have him back.
- Levin missed the past few years
while getting his master's degree at Harvard.
- He is so smart.
- But this world-class climber
has been a top ninja in the past.
He's never fallen on the qualifier course,
or a semifinals course, or a stage one course.
- With his Harvard classmates cheering him on,
the 27-year-old became the night's fifth finisher.
- Josh Levin back where he belongs!
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
- Up next is one of the most unique athletes
we've ever had on the show.
This is Isaiah Waghiyi,
and he came more than 4,000 miles to be here.
- Oh, he's flipping out.
- He's happy because being here
is a really big deal.
He lives on an island located
between mainland Alaska and Russia,
one of the most remote places on Earth.
[wind whistles]
- I'm from Savoonga, Alaska.
[dramatic music]
It's in the middle of the Bering Sea.
* *
It's a very remote place.
* *
Winter is nine months out of the year.
* *
Temperatures can drop to 40 to 50 below.
In summer, the sun is up 24/7.
[all singing melody in native language]
We are Siberian Yupik native.
We live off the land and the sea.
* *
There's no restaurants.
There's no supermarkets.
There's one native store.
There's not very much fresh product,
but the ocean is like our garden.
* *
We eat meat. We eat fish.
We harvest vegetation that grow
from the bottom of the ocean to feed our family.
* *
Life in Savoonga can be dangerous,
but I'm very blessed to have grown up that way.
* *
I competed in a lot of sports in high school,
and then I watched the show.
I was drawn to it.
I told all my friends
I'm going on that show one day.
I feel like my life brought me here,
and my whole town,
they're all rooting me on, cheering me on.
We come from community where we're close-knit people.
A small town kid like me making it on the show?
I just made it possible for everyone in my island
to follow their dreams.
This is where I climb.
Natural Ninja training.
[laughs]
To hit a buzzer tonight, it would not only
be my hopes and dreams, but the whole hope
of my whole community.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- Wow, just an incredible moment
for Isaiah and everyone in Savoonga.
Only a few hundred people in his town,
but looks like most of them have gathered to watch this.
And Isaiah's family has come to watch.
Many had never left Alaska before this week.
- How cool is this?
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, I gotta say, obviously,
this is his first time on the show.
Doesn't have a lot of obstacle experience
up in Savoonga.
- Yeah, it's too cold to be outside.
- But what a testament to the reach and impact
"American Ninja Warrior" has.
He and his family,
they logged 4,300 miles to get here
and had to take five plane rides.
It ain't easy to get here from Savoonga.
- He's been watching "Ninja" for nine years.
He said as soon as he saw it,
he could picture himself on the show.
- He had his aha moment
when he was working on the family fishing boat.
Oh, good job hanging on.
That's his fishing experience.
He's used to scrambling around on the deck.
- Isaiah has an athletic background.
He did cross-country and wrestling
as he was growing up.
- He was state runner-up wrestler
in the Native Youth Olympics and met Nick Hanson,
the Eskimo Ninja.
He said it really convinced him
the journey was within his reach
to get on the show.
- Nice. - Great balance.
Are you kidding me?
- And showing great confidence for somebody who's never
been on obstacles before.
- And he's moving quickly.
Ready to take on Ring Chaser.
- There goes that ring. Get it.
- Come on.
- Yes--oh! - Oh!
Well, the difficulty gets ratcheted up,
but clearly, Isaiah is used to overcoming obstacles.
- Yeah, Matt, and the weather that they have to overcome,
that's an obstacle in itself.
Negative 50.
- No obstacles like this in Savoonga.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- Can't quite convert it,
but still, what a journey for Isaiah and his family.
He showed great athleticism,
and the people of Savoonga gotta be so proud.
- They're gonna talk about this run back in Alaska
because Isaiah was impressive for a guy making his first run
on a "Ninja" course.
Just missed on the big ring,
and then bounced off with the smaller one,
but a tremendous effort.
- And Isaiah is gonna celebrate
with a traditional dance.
[all singing in native language]
- Just been incredible having him here to compete.
Coming up, some of the favorites to win it all
are just ahead.
Plus, adrenaline junkie, Brittney Durant.
- It's intense.
It's fast and such a rush.
- She can handle skydiving.
Can she handle our course?
Next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- We've been monkeying around while we were away.
Incoming high school senior Colton Skuster
is a bit of a class clown,
so he showed up in a monkey suit.
- He better not run in that costume.
- After ripping off the sleeves,
he did run in the suit, but lost something
running across the stack.
- He dropped a banana.
Boy, a monkey without his banana,
that could be problematic.
- And the 17-year-old learned a valuable lesson
on the Shattered Pane.
- Oh!
I said, don't monkey around on this obstacle.
[monkey screeches]
- Megan Johnson had reason to smile.
She's about to graduate med school
and become a doctor for the U.S. Army.
Cheered on by boyfriend, fellow ninja, Kyle Soderman,
the second lieutenant used her head on Shattered Panes...
- Oh! - And still survived.
But the four-time veteran, nicknamed Megatron,
had no answers for the Minions.
- Whoa! - Good job, Megan!
- Then it was Kyle's turn.
The three-time veteran made a different choice
at Split Decision, going with Broken Bridge.
[cheers and applause]
The movie stuntman was among the final four competitors
last season...
- Nice!
- And proved he's a force to be reckoned with
again this year, as he not only finished...
- Come on, get it, get it, get it.
- He took down the 18-foot Mega Wall,
the second athlete to earn 10K tonight.
- Let's go! - That's ten Gs, bro!
- Soderman's a stuntman,
and our next ninja also knows how to make
some moves in front of the camera.
This is Brittney Durant.
She's a three-time "Ninja" veteran,
and her "Ninja" appearances helped to earn a job
as a host who goes to extremes.
- My name is Brittney.
- What are we here to do today?
- I'm here to skydive.
I've always been into extreme sports,
and I've been lucky enough to be a host
and producer on a new show.
Hey guys, I'm your host, Brittney Durant.
The goal and ambition for this show
is to get women to try extreme sports
that are more male-dominated.
Some of the sports that we've done on the show
are MMA fighting, skydiving...
[upbeat music]
- Motorcycle driving.
It's intense. It's fast and such a rush.
Some of these things, I've never tried before.
They're scary. They're new.
And it's kind of like how Ninja is.
You never know what you're gonna get.
Doing all of these extreme sports was super fun,
but there's no rush like hitting a buzzer.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- And she's throwing some love to family
watching back in California.
- Let's go, B!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, she's one busy ninja.
In addition to her hosting job,
Brittney runs her own clothing company
with her mom.
That's her on the right.
- Brittney Durant has been getting better each season.
She made it to the National Finals last year.
- Climbing up the first Shattered Pane.
Looking a little hesitant though.
Only 5'3".
Makes the grab.
Has to be careful here as she makes her way down.
- Hold on. Nice.
She's been jumping out of planes,
so these panes should be easy for her.
- You've got to build up some momentum.
- And there it is! - Okay!
- And she's gonna scramble through this second obstacle.
[cheers and applause]
Some of the other California ninjas
cheering her on.
And just veers over to the Broken Bridge.
Quick decision there.
- Come on, Britt, attack it!
- She used to be a gymnast.
She can handle the Broken Bridge.
- Come on. Come on, come on.
Run for it. Nice.
- Well, Brittney Durant continues
to fly through this course.
And she's ready for Ring Chaser.
She's never made it past the fourth obstacle
in qualifying.
And misses the big ring.
- All right, she's fine.
- And with the smaller ring, you can just see
that smaller diameter.
- She's fine.
- You got this.
- You got it, B. Good job, girl.
- Got to be precise with this smaller ring placement.
Got it! - What I tell you?
- Just needs the dismount.
This will be her best performance ever.
- Boom!
[cheers and applause]
The Final Frontier has been a handful.
Four women have reached this point tonight.
None have gotten past it.
Brittney Durant hoping to join that elite group
of women who've hit a buzzer on "Ninja Warrior."
- Come on, let's go, B. - You got it, B.
- Orbiting around Jupiter.
Now got to get over to Earth.
Nice.
- Well, really times it well.
These ninjas are learning about space travel.
- She's got to picture it in her head.
See it. - Wow.
Great job fighting through it.
- She's right there. She's right there.
Are you kidding me?
Brittney Durant, she wants that buzzer, Matt.
Come on.
- Needs a big transfer here to get to that home station.
- Matt, I feel it. The planets are gonna align.
- Nice, nice! - Got it!
- Brittney Durant just needs the dismount.
Got it!
- Yes, celebrate. Go on, girl.
Get your buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
Only four women all season have hit a buzzer.
Brittney Durant will be announcing her presence
with authority here in season 14.
- She's so close.
She can feel it. She can see it.
She can touch it.
- Got her hand up there. She has two more tries.
- Come on, B. - Come on.
- She was a competitive cheerleader.
Now she's got this whole crowd cheering
for her on their feet.
Vacaville, California representing.
Yes!
- Brittney Durant gets her first buzzer!
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
The first woman to hit a buzzer tonight,
and the emotions are real.
- Let's go! - Whoo!
- Well, you made it.
- Yeah! - You got your first buzzer.
- Ah, this is a dream. So surreal.
I felt it in my bones.
- Guess what. You're going to LA!
- Whoo, LA!
- Her TV show got her ready for this.
Flying across Shattered Panes
was like jumping out of an airplane,
she went fast across Broken Bridge
like she was on a motorcycle,
and she climbed the wall like she was doing a stunt.
And Brittney got a buzzer.
* *
- There was a pitching change while we were away
as former minor leaguer Adam Jorgenson
showed off his stuff.
- Ooh, that looked like a strike.
- Jorgenson played
in the Colorado Rockies Organization,
and he looked good rounding first.
- Nice.
- He was barely able to steal his way past second.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Safe. - It was safe.
- But was finally called out at third.
- Oh, that was a bad fall!
- Things cooled down with Idaho's Brigham Youngstrom.
The 24-year-old is an engineer,
creating elaborate ice palaces that attract tourists
from across the country.
On the course, the rookie was red-hot.
- Ice, ice, baby. Ice, ice, baby.
- In his "Ninja" debut,
Youngstrom carved up the course,
making it all the way to the fifth obstacle.
- Oh!
- And he's got a good shot at making it to the semifinals.
- Ah, so much fun.
Yeah!
- Fremont, California's Grant Nguyen
has some very unorthodox training methods.
The college student wears a straitjacket
while training balance obstacles.
The technique paid off at Split Decision.
[cheers and applause]
- Okay!
- And the 23-year-old was impressive,
making it to the buzzer his first time on the course.
- Let's go!
- I've dreamed of this,
and I'm so afraid I'm gonna wake up at any moment.
[laughter]
- Our next competitor is coming out
to make his first run on a "Ninja" course
at the age of 45.
This is Las Vegas entertainer David Funk.
He's got a smile on his face because he's
got extra motivation for his "Ninja" debut.
[soft music]
- I was born right here in San Antonio,
and then I was adopted
when I was like two days old.
I grew up thinking that my birth family didn't want me.
So last year, my wife got me one
of those family DNA tests online,
and I got a hit on an aunt
that still lived in San Antonio.
She actually put me in contact with my sisters.
Hey. [laughs]
The first time we made contact,
I was 45 years old.
- So I tried to look for you.
I always thought you might have been in San Antonio.
- I found out they had been looking for me the whole time.
To find out after all those years that I was wanted,
it's a weight lifted off.
* *
I'm from San Antonio,
and my birth family still live there.
The fact that the competition
would be in San Antonio
the year we reconnect,
how much more could the planets align?
This, I would say, is extra special
because this is gonna be the second time
I've seen my birth family.
To be able to show them and share the excitement
that I'm feeling right now,
that's a dream come true.
If I can hit a buzzer, that's just gonna make it
even more special.
- This is a real homecoming for David Funk.
His birth parents and sisters are here.
They still live in San Antonio.
He's seeing them for only the second time in 45 years.
His wife Heather also cheering him on,
more family watching back in Arizona.
- They've got pompoms and everything.
[countdown clock beeping]
- If you've been to Vegas,
you may have seen this guy perform.
He's been in a lot of the big productions,
including the medieval show at Excalibur.
Does fire twirling, horse riding, you name it.
Just such a positive guy.
"Ninja" superfan, says he's been training since 2008.
- Check him out.
He's really moving through these first two obstacles.
He doesn't look 45 at all.
- Just needs the dismount.
And he's through.
[cheers and applause]
But now Split Decision.
He consults with his wife.
And she says go with the Despicables.
- All right, high knees.
Come on, pick up your feet.
Oh, oh, oh. Whoo!
A little funky there, but he survives.
- Wow.
Are we sure this guy is 45?
- We're looking right on to Ring Chaser.
Come on, come on. Get it, get it, get it.
Nice! Are you kidding me?
Where did this guy come from?
- Well, he is putting on a show for his birth family.
- He's got to go up and out. Whoo!
- Look at him. Gets through.
- David with that funky beat.
I got to be honest, I didn't think
he had a chance to hit a buzzer
in front of his birth family, but he is impressive.
Could be the oldest rookie ever to finish a course.
This rookie, looking to solve one
of the most challenging obstacles we've had.
- Nice.
- This is just such a unique obstacle,
the technique, that I-handle,
having to kind of defying what appears to be physics there.
- And then it's all about the transfer to here.
Transferring over, transferring the weight.
- And he is fighting through it.
- He's almost there.
He's almost to the promised land.
And how cool is this for his birth parents
to be able to watch him?
Oh, be careful now. Be careful.
- Trying to go back to space station "Ninja."
- Nice. - Yes!
Just needs the dismount.
What a rookie effort by the 45-year-old David Funk!
- Get out of there, David. Get out of there.
Get it out of there, David.
- Got it--no!
[air horn blares]
- Splashes back in.
So close.
- I thought he had it, Matt.
- Still a truly impressive run for a rookie who's 45.
- Ah!
- He got all the way through Final Frontier,
but he lands on the edge,
and he can't quite stick the dismount.
He was so close to finishing.
- He's got a good shot at moving on to the semifinals,
worth celebrating with the family.
She just gave birth six months ago,
but Mady Howard's ready to tackle the course again.
We'll see her and her baby
next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- San Antonio, if you love "American Ninja Warrior,"
make some noise!
- Vegas MC Michael Pericoloso
got the party going while we were away...
- When I say "Ninja," you say "Warrior,"
Ninja! - Warrior!
- Ninja! - Warrior!
- And got a shoutout from UFC champion, Rampage Jackson.
- You got this Mikey P. You got this.
Easy work.
- Pericoloso is a legend of the Vegas party scene,
But the 36-year-old
got bounced out of the club early tonight.
- Ooh!
- Man, Spider-Man can't even do that.
- Then it was the pride of Butte, Montana,
17-year-old Evan Andrews.
- Okay! - Let's go!
- The high school student had family and friends
watching as the rookie from Big Sky country
blew through the course.
- Just a playground to him.
- The teenager looked like he might have the fastest time
of the night...
- Is he even gonna stop and take a breath?
- Until he was tripped up by the fifth obstacle.
- Oh!
- But his fast time meant Zuri could deliver some good news.
- We will see you in Los Angeles.
Congratulations. You excited?
- Thank you so much.
Los Angeles is gonna be a party.
- Another teen, 19-year-old Izabella Adkins,
also got off to a hot start.
- Yeah, Matt.
She's got some type of Ninja swag.
- She's a student at Northern Arizona University
and had school mascot Louie the Lumberjack
cheering her on.
- She's on this course like, "Let me introduce myself."
- The rookie was only the second woman tonight
to work her way through Final Frontier
- Oh, get out of there. Get out of there, Izabella.
Yes!
- But the fast pace seemed to catch up to her
as she failed three straight times on the Warped Wall.
- Oh!
- But it's the second best run tonight by a woman,
guaranteeing her a spot in the semifinals.
- Hey, you go, girl.
[cheers and applause]
- Up next, another one of our strong women.
It's our old friend Mady Howard.
The Utah nurse was a breakout star
three years ago and instantly became
one of our top competitors,
but Mady took last season off for a good reason.
- * I'm seeing it so clearly *
* Breathing in like a daydream *
[soft music]
- Last year, I didn't compete
because I had a little baby boy.
Ah, so fun.
His name is Beckham,
and he is just the cutest little guy.
Hey, buddy.
Did you wake up from your nap?
He is at such a fun stage right now.
He's rolling over, sitting up by himself,
and he's starting to laugh, which is so cute.
You never know how much you can love something
until you have a baby.
[laughs]
- * Every minute feels like happiness *
* Yeah, I guess I think I'm happy then *
* *
- I've been doing my workouts when I'm at home with him,
and if I'm looking at him and jumping,
he thinks it's the coolest thing ever.
Good job.
Beckham might be a ninja in training.
We'll have to see what he likes in the future.
It can be hard to balance the demands
of my job, and motherhood, and Ninja training,
but I've been working hard,
and I can't wait to hit that course.
- * Yeah, I guess I think I'm happy then *
- Look at that.
[cheers and applause]
- And baby Beckham is here in San Antonio.
- Aww, coming to support Mommy.
- He's with Mady's husband, Tyler.
Everyone's excited for Mady's return.
Her parents are on the sideline
and a big bunch of fans in the stands,
and her co-workers back at the hospital
where she works also watching.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Akbar, six months ago, she was giving birth.
It's remarkable that she's back out here already.
- Any mom will tell you, it's hard to find time
just to sleep when you have a newborn,
much less train for "Ninja."
- And she's back working at the hospital too.
She is so impressive.
Never underestimate the power of a mother.
- Oh, Mama's strong.
- And she knows Beckham is gonna
want to watch this someday, see--
- Oh, hanging on.
- Said she doesn't feel as strong
as she did in the past.
- Oh, she's gonna need some good strength here, Matt,
and your core strength is so needed
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Like right here on Shattered Panes.
- She was a college gymnast.
Got a lot of skills,
able to move her body in space.
- Oh, whoa, whoa, watch it.
- Good anticipation there.
That was a violent drop. - Ooh, rock the baby.
- Well, that's what Dad is doing over there.
Beckham, your mom's made it to Split Decision.
- Blowing a kiss to baby Beckham for good luck.
- All right, looks like she's gonna try Broken Bridge.
Mom doesn't want the Minions.
- All right, here we go, Matt.
Go, go, go, go. Nice!
- And rolls in. There's the tumbling!
- Whoa. That's it.
- And she looked like she surprised herself.
- Oh, and that one scared baby Beckham.
- She's keeping it moving, not taking a lot
of time between obstacles.
Going up on Ring Chaser.
- Oh, just missed it.
That's all right.
- Well, let's see how her laches are.
Gonna have to be precise.
Less margin for error with that smaller ring.
- Here's a chance to use those gymnastic skills.
- Nice.
- Did you see how soft that was?
- Well, she is just an outstanding athlete.
[cheers and applause]
- [crying]
- Beckham can't even watch. He's too nervous.
- Aww, it's okay, Beckham. Aww.
Poor mother, that's gotta be difficult,
to be competing
and hearing your baby crying on the sideline,
but yet, she's still so focused.
- And on the fifth obstacle, closing in on a buzzer
six months after giving birth.
- The Final Frontier is a beast.
- It's just such an unforgiving obstacle.
- Whoa, that handle's twisting.
- Oh, oh, oh, oh. Good save.
- That was a great adjustment.
That's exactly the adjustment you wanna make.
- Well, she's worked for years in the hospital ICU.
She knows pressure.
Good transfer.
- Yeah, she is so trained to be locked in, Matt.
- Come on! - Nice.
- And she's fighting her way.
And she's using her core muscle
to scoot that bar across.
Look at that. That's all core strength.
- This is remarkable. - It is, Matt.
And you see how much she's holding--
uh-oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Good recovery.
- Yeah, it's all about control.
- Uh-oh, uh-oh, that's not all the way locked in.
That's not all the way locked in
- It's spinning.
- No! - No!
- Oh!
- The grip gave out,
but not before an awesome return from Mady Howard.
- Baby Beckham, Mama did good.
- This new mom had extra motivation
with baby Beckham on the sideline,
and she didn't look rusty at all on the course,
powering her way to the fifth obstacle.
- And she and baby Beckham are standing by with Zuri.
- Oh, my goodness.
First of all, Mady, a lot has changed.
- Yes, it has.
- You are a new mama.
Baby Beckham was on the sidelines.
Hi, baby boy.
How hard was it for you to keep pushing through the course
when you heard him crying?
- Oh, my gosh, my mom heart hurt for a minute.
[laughs]
But I knew he was okay with his dad, so...
- What do you think about that, Beckham?
Yeah?
I think she's a rock star too.
You want to tell her, or should I?
She's going to semifinals, Beckham.
- I am? - I know.
- Yay! - Good news.
There's a lot to celebrate, buddy.
Oh, my goodness, congratulations.
You guys soak up the mommy and me time.
I'll see you in LA.
Guys, back to you.
- Big things are coming...
There's a big drink of water.
Because our tallest competitor,
6'5" John Mack, is up next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's our final night of qualifying here in Texas,
but minutes ago, it was a Minnesotan
bringing some Latin flair.
16-year-old Paris Juarez showed off the dance moves
she learned for her quinceañera.
- Oh, she got it.
- The Minnesota teenager is known asla Quebradora
the Crusher, because she destroys courses.
- She crushed that one, Matt.
- With her coach Ninja veteran,
Hunter Guerard, cheering her on...
- Come on, Paris!
- Juarez powered through Ring Chaser
and became the seventh woman tonight
to reach the fifth obstacle.
- Oh!
- And though she fell, her fast time guaranteed her
a spot in the semifinals.
- Good job, Paris!
[cheers and applause]
- Then the roles were reversed,
and Hunter got his shot on the course.
- All you, Hunter. Come on.
- The five-time veteran, whose nickname is the Lizard,
is known for going fast on the course.
- Nice.
- And he turned it on tonight...
- You showoff. He was showing off.
- Flying through Final Frontier...
[cheers and applause]
And grabbing the night's top time
by almost ten seconds.
[buzzer blares] - Another year.
- Not only was it another one, it was the fastest one.
- Whoo!
- Up next is our tallest competitor of the night,
Utah's 6'5" John Mack,
whose nickname is the Reach.
- You can see why. Look at that wingspan.
He could reach anything.
- And you can see the college student
pointing up to the sky.
That's to honor his dad.
[FLETCHER's "Healing"]
- Sports were really important with me and my dad
in our relationship when I was growing up.
* *
When I was 12 and 13, I suffered
two major head injuries that kind of prevented me
from playing any contact sports,
and I got really, really depressed.
* *
My dad discovered "Ninja Warrior"
when I was at home in hospital.
We were like, "Let's just see if we can build
some of the stuff in the backyard."
It kind of brought me back to 100%--
110%, really.
* *
After a few months of really getting
into "Ninja Warrior"...
* *
My dad took his own life and committed suicide.
- * I've been feeling *
* Inside out in my feelings *
- We had finally really started to connect
over something again,
and then one day, he just wasn't there anymore.
- * Breaking down don't mean I'm broken *
* Losing hope don't mean I'm hopeless *
- It wasn't easy to be 13 years old,
have a concussion, and then have your dad die
and then have to find a way to keep going,
but John did.
* *
One of the things that really saved him...
was being able to go outside
and be on his Ninja course.
- * The smoke ain't gone, but it's clearing *
- I'm so proud of John.
- * I ain't there yet, but I'm healing *
* Ooh, yeah, yeah *
* I ain't there yet, but I'm healing *
- My mom struggled,
but she was always there for us,
even at great personal sacrifice.
- Do you remember when he let you guys silly string him?
- Going to football games with Dad,
those are some of my favorite memories.
- And you had to be twins. - Oh, yeah.
- * I'm finally breathing *
* The smoke ain't gone, but it's clearing *
- To be able to run this course in front of her,
in memory of my dad, in honor of him,
it means a lot.
- * I ain't there yet, but I'm healing *
* I ain't there yet, but I'm healing *
[cheers and applause]
- And there's mom going crazy, along with John's grandmother,
and a big group
of other friends and ninjas chanting "Reach."
- Hey, I love y'all!
- He's also got the love and support of friends and family
back in Utah.
[countdown clock beeping]
- With them long legs, he should have no problems
with the Shrinking Steps.
- And he's through it quickly.
- Yeah, John, let's go!
- He'll probably only need a few steps
to get up Shattered Panes.
- That's a big body, though, to be throwing around,
6'5" and 190 pounds.
- Mack made it to the semifinals
last year as a rookie.
- Matt, he's so big,
his feet are almost touching that third pane!
- Sticks the landing,
wastes no time at Split Decision,
heading straight for Broken Bridge.
- Nice. - Oh, my goodness.
Now he's hitting the afterburners.
- Nice. - Are you serious?
Look at this.
- Whoa, John Mack is just like a Mack truck
on this course, Matt.
He's bulldozed through four obstacles
in under 45 seconds!
- Hunter Guerard has that top time,
but John Mack's got a good chance to beat it.
- He is flying, the Reach.
[crowd chanting] Reach, Reach, Reach!
- Listen to this crowd, Matt.
They want him to reach that buzzer.
- Well, he is absolutely beasting this.
And what's so impressive is his technique looks on point.
- Matt, I don't even have a word to explain
what I'm watching right now.
- 21 years old, went through that tragedy
losing his father in his teens.
Well, what a moment this is.
- Come on, come on, get it. Boom!
- Nice!
- And look at him pointing at the Mega Wall.
- At 6'5", homie's got to at least try it.
- Oh, the shirt's coming off.
- Oh!
- This has been an insane run.
This could earn him 10 grand,
but I think it would mean a lot more than that to John Mack.
Can he do it?
Oh!
John Mack! [buzzer blares]
The Reach!
- * Ain't there yet, but I'm healing *
- Let's go!
- $10,000.
That is impressive.
- I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving.
- You stay right there.
You just bulldozed through this course.
You got $10,000-- - Whoo!
- And the fastest time of the night.
- Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- John, I'm so impressed. - Thank you.
- And listen, I know I can imagine
all you've been through with the loss of your father.
What's it like right now doing what you're doing,
just looking so amazing?
- Man, it's incredible to be here after everything
that's happened, and it's really cool
to have my family and friends here too
because they're the ones that got me
through all that, you know?
And especially my mom.
* *
- Let's go! - Whoo!
- My mom is my hero and my role model.
And she's been by me through all the bad moments,
so it's finally good to have her here for a good one.
- Why don't you slide down and give your mom a hug
right now, man?
You're making me cry.
- * I'm healing *
- And that's what this is all about.
- Whoo!
- That's a beautiful moment right there.
- * I ain't there yet, but I'm healing *
[crowd chanting] Reach, Reach, Reach!
- Coming up, he won "Ninja Junior."
Look at you, big fella!
Can Jackson Erdos be the next "Ninja" superstar?
His debut is next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Two of "Ninja's" best took on the course
while we were away.
Sean Bryan is the Papal Ninja, the Catholic Church worker
with the loyal fan base,
usually including priests and nuns.
- They gon' be praying for him, Matt.
- Adam Rayl's the rock-solid Arizona concrete worker
who always has his mom Vicky
watching nervously during his runs.
- Oh, you know Vicky wouldn't miss this.
- Rayl and Bryan are good friends
and training partners,
and their runs were remarkably similar.
- Way ahead of the ring.
- They powered their way through the fourth...
- Nice! - And fifth obstacles.
- Yes!
[cheers and applause]
- Yeah, go get it.
- Both took a shot at the Mega Wall...
- Oh!
- Before rebounding on the regular wall.
[cheers and applause]
And we'll see both of them in the semifinals.
- Hey, homie, see you in LA!
- Well, our final runner of qualifying
is the youngest competitor of the season.
This is 15-year-old Jackson Erdos.
He was the champion
of "American Ninja Warrior Junior"
last summer, and if he's anything
like other "Ninja Junior" success stories,
he could be the next big thing in Ninja.
Last season's junior champ, Vance Walker,
got a Mega Wall, a safety pass,
and was one of only four athletes
to reach stage three.
The junior runner up Kaden Lebsack
went one step further, finishing stage three
and earning $100,000
as the last ninja standing.
The bar's been set pretty high.
- Jackson just doesn't let up.
[buzzer blares]
- But Erdos is confident he's got what it takes.
- I just want the world to know
that I'm coming for Mount Midoriyama.
- Whoa! - Jackson is a beast.
Honestly, this kid, just in a different league.
- And he is flying.
- There's definitely a lot of weight
off my shoulders knowing that I've done this before.
[dramatic music]
I'm really confident.
I've planned this out hundreds of times in my head.
I have what it takes to go all the way.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, we're not the only ones who want
to see what this kid can do.
He's got his family on the sidelines
and many of the other teenage ninjas.
Plus, a big group of his training partners
watching back in Pennsylvania.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
We have seen the youth invasion.
Will this be the next chapter?
- Yes! - Whoo!
- And Jackson, not a little kid anymore.
He's always been big for his age.
He's 5'11" now.
- And on "Ninja Junior," he went all out.
It was a fast style that worked for him,
but he may have to alter his approach on the big show
to avoid mistakes.
- And great body awareness.
- Yeah, especially as he traverses
through that third pane.
- Which way will he going to go here?
- He's going Despicables.
- He's a kid, Matt.
Of course, he wants to run on top of the little Minions.
Nice!
And he just crushed Despicables.
- Now hopping up to Ring Chaser.
- Now, Matt, he does admit that he gets
a little reckless on the course.
His speed comes with great risk.
- Oh, what? Are you kidding me?
- Love you, Jack! - I love you too.
- And he just yelled to his family,
"I love you too," in the middle of a lache.
[cheers and applause]
Erdos looks like he hasn't missed a step
since winning the championship
on "Ninja Junior."
- Yeah, this is where he cannot be reckless.
He really has to take his time.
- Well, he's not gonna beat John Mack
for the fastest time,
so he doesn't need to be reckless.
- Make the connection as you traverse through the universe.
- Oh, my goodness. Erdos is being a boss.
- Erdos sounds like a far, far away galaxy,
and he is from a far, far away galaxy
because he is talented.
- This is the transfer that's tripped up
so many ninjas tonight.
- Nice, whoo! - Got it!
Trying to get a buzzer in his first run on the big show.
- There it is!
- Let's go!
- You think he's going for that Mega Wall?
[all cheering]
- Let's make some noise!
- Oh, he wants some noise. Let him hear it.
[cheers and applause]
- 10 grand goes a long way at 15 years old.
- Well, remember, the previous "Ninja Junior" champ,
Vance Walker, got the Mega Wall
in his first run last year.
Can Jackson Erdos do it too?
- Come on! - Oh, he's fired up.
Here we go. - Go, go, go, go.
- Oh, no. - Oh!
- But doesn't waste a moment. Right up the smaller wall.
[buzzer blares]
[dramatic music]
Jackson Erdos gets a buzzer!
[cheers and applause]
* *
- You won "American Ninja Warrior Junior" season three.
Are you winning "American Ninja Warrior"?
- I can pinky promise you.
- [laughs]
Akbar is walking out of here.
Why don't you slide down and celebrate
with your friends and family, Jackson?
A great debut for him.
How far can he go this season?
- Hey. Hey, man, you pinky promised.
I want that pinky promise, man.
You're a beast, man. You're a beast.
- So that wraps it up for tonight.
John Mack's inspirational run lands him at the top
of our final leaderboard.
And check it out,
we had three teenagers in the top five.
We also had three competitors
conquer the Mega Wall tonight,
including stuntman Kyle Soderman.
44-year-old David Campbell, the Godfather,
was the night's oldest finisher.
And how about Brittney Durant?
She became the season's fifth woman to hit a buzzer.
Leading the non-finishers moving on
is Arizona College student Izabella Adkins.
We'll also see the Cowboy Ninja,
11-time veteran Lance Pekus, in the semifinals.
And rounding out our top 30 is Utah nurse,
baby Beckham's mom, Mady Howard.
Sweet T, Tiana Webberley,
grabbed the final spot for the women.
Well, that wraps up our history-making
qualifying rounds here in San Antonio,
but next week, we're kicking the excitement level up
a notch as we move on to LA and Universal Studios
for the semifinals.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."
* *
[dramatic music]
* *