[cheers and applause]
- It's take two in Hollywood
as we roll in to Universal Studios
for our second night of semifinals
on "American Ninja Warrior"!
Hello, everyone, and welcome. I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, we love being on this movie set.
It's a real Hollywood vibe.
You know, last week was like a family film
since we had two teenagers reach the Power Tower.
[buzzer blares]
- Jay Lache edges out Pippel!
- But tonight feels like a Western
since we'll see Cowboy Ninja Lance Pekus.
Or it could be an action movie
since we got stuntwoman Tiana Webberley.
And if you're looking for something faith-based,
you'll love the Papal Ninja, Sean Bryan.
So sit back and enjoy the show!
- Well, everyone will be fighting
for a coveted spot at the National Finals,
which kick off in just a few weeks in Las Vegas,
but for a look at the course tonight,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Thank you, guys.
The semifinals course
is ten obstacles long,
including two brand-new ones.
One is called Hopscotch,
but unlike the playground game,
ninjas will have to use their hands--not their feet--
to get across the small ledges.
Also new and perfect for Hollywood is Box Office,
another one where a strong grip is essential.
And the course ends right here at the Spider Trap,
a 35-foot climb to the buzzer.
Guys.
- Thanks, Zuri.
And just like last week, at the end of the night,
the top two competitors face off on the Power Tower
with a Safety Pass on the line,
which gives them a second chance
if they fall on stage one or two in Vegas.
[cheers and applause]
Well, we may be on New York Street,
but our first competitor is transporting us
to the canals of Venice.
The gondolier, Jonah Bonner.
That's him on the screen,
piloting that 1,500-pound boat.
- [singing in Italian]
* *
As my job, I row gondolas in Newport Beach, California.
[singing in Italian]
* *
We take people out on dates,
for anniversaries, for proposals.
Rowing a gondola is very calm,
peaceful, romantic.
It's one of those jobs
that doesn't feel like a job at all.
Buona sera!
But gondoliering isn't my only love.
[upbeat rock music]
I also do a lot of rock climbing...
- Yeah!
- Trampoline...
* *
And BMX riding.
Yeah!
I love the freedom of riding BMX.
The whole world is your course to ride.
It's wild. It's ruckus.
It's very much unruly.
Yes!
I would definitely call it an adrenalin rush.
[exciting music]
These polar opposite activities that I have
actually make me, as a whole, very well-rounded.
And, you know, if I bring those two together
on the "Ninja Warrior" course, I'm bound to hit a buzzer.
* *
- Jonah Bonner's got more fans than anyone tonight.
His family is down on the sidelines,
but he's also got dozens of friends
wearing the striped shirts, the straw hats,
the big heads.
And speaking of big heads,
that hat is too small for your head.
- Are you saying my head is big?
- My head is big. Yours is enormous!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Aw, Venice.
Know any Italian songs, Akbar?
- * Figaro, figaro, figaro *
- Now let's see if he can make the beautiful music
here on Lunatic Ledges.
- All right, he's got to "figaro" figure this one out.
- Well, as a BMXer,
he's probably faced a few lunatic ledges.
And he gets through.
[cheers and applause]
Next up, Clockwork, which we saw back in season 12.
And this, it's almost like handling an oar
in his arms right here on Clockwork.
Knows how to generate that power.
It's a real challenge here
because they're linked to three gears.
There's more mass than you anticipate.
- A lot of time is ticking.
Whoa, nice! - Wow!
- That was a last-minute effort here, Matt.
He's spent a lot of time swinging.
Nice. - Absolutely.
- A big throw. A big power move right there.
- There it is.
[cheers and applause]
Now to the Spinning Bridge.
Watch the footwork here,
the gondolier looking to stay dry.
- Here we go, let's take this one out for a spin.
- Whoa! - Whoa!
[cheers and applause]
- Now the fingertips are gonna be tested
right in front of his cheering section
because now it's this new one, Hopscotch.
Three 1/4-inch ledge on the first few squares.
It's a five-foot leap between them.
The small grips there, the hinge.
- All right, on this single one, Matt,
he's got to hit bullseye.
Got to grab it right there.
Great. Two hands together on one.
Nice! - Here we go.
The double side.
- Watch out here. - Get those hips up.
- It's like a blind grab
because you got to just feel it.
Just like that! - Absolutely.
- Let's go! - Go, go, go!
- On now to the free spin.
- Whoo!
- Yes! - Whoo!
- Didn't get that left index finger on,
but saved it. - Secure it with your thumb.
Nice. - Oh!
To the Warped Wall!
- Did you see that spin on that dismount?
Well, check this one out, Matt.
He makes that grab on the seventh hold.
Oh, look at that index finger coming off.
But he was able to save it
in a beautiful spin off on that dismount.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
- The seven-finger save.
And that in the bag!
Jonah Bonner's buona sera run continues.
[cheers and applause]
Got a buzzer in qualifying.
Hoping to make his first trip to the National Finals.
You don't need to point out, on the Strip,
there is a hotel called...
- Venetian. - The Venetian.
all: [chanting] Jonah! Jonah! Jonah!
Jonah! Jonah! Jonah! Jonah! - Here we go.
On the back half of the course,
and it starts with the Salmon Ladder.
- All right. Come on, Jonah Bonner.
Let's go.
Ooh, Matt.
He's starting to gas out, Matt.
Ooh, you gotta keep the metals, homey.
- Here we go. - Nice.
- New obstacle, Box Office.
You can see there are boxes, and they're on bungee cords.
And that drop is diabolical.
- Whoa-ho-ho! - Holding on!
- This guy's an entertainer. - Oh, my goodness.
It's an action movie for Jonah Bonner.
It's a cliffhanger!
Got to get the blind grab here front and back.
- Oh! - Oh!
Jonah Bonner's entertaining run
ends on Box Office, but he went fast.
Has a good chance of moving on to Vegas,
and he gave his fans a show.
[cheers and applause]
Our second competitor tonight
is gonna have a little help at the start line.
This is Mike Beadle and his daughter, Lindsey,
who's helping him get warmed up
with a little game of patty cake.
- Matt, do you remember doing that as a kid?
- I do not, but...
- Yeah, I don't remember all the sayings.
- [laughs]
- Aww. - Aw, come on!
Well, Lindsey's gonna run off to the sideline
while Daddy gets ready to run.
There's his wife and other daughter
watching back in Arizona.
- Whoo!
- Lindsey'll be down on the sidelines
with Mike's parents and other family.
[countdown buzzer beeping]
He's tied for the tallest competitor tonight at 6'5"
and has a huge wingspan
that's earned him the nickname the Albatross.
Watch his feet grazing the water at 6'5".
- Yeah, he's got to watch out for that.
He's a pretty long guy, Matt.
He's a big drink of water.
- Long and lean, but a solid athlete.
Was a pro skateboarder as a teen.
- And, Matt, he's so long, he didn't even need to swing.
He just rolled right into it.
[cheers and applause] - Breathe.
- Now taking on Clockwork.
Beadle works as a parks and rec supervisor,
has two kids,
so he knows how to manage time.
- Move, Mike, move. - Nice!
Matt, did you see him use his long reach?
- Albatross just stuck his wing out.
He can practically go hand over hand.
- Whoo!
- He's through, and pumped to get past that one.
Throws a wave down to Lindsey.
both: Come on! - You got this, Dad!
- Now, the skateboarder should have good balance
for Spinning Bridge.
And he does.
Well, this 35-year-old dad has looked good so far,
but this new obstacle, Hopscotch,
could be a challenge.
- This right here, you wanna land softly on these ledges.
- Makes the first move,
but now has to land both hands on one ledge.
- Deep breath. - Go!
- Oh! - Oh!
- It started with patty cake but ends on Hopscotch.
Still a good run for devoted dad Mike Beadle.
- Honestly, I got to share that moment with my daughter,
which is better than any buzzer could be.
I'll get this next year.
- Tonight's gonna be the bomb.
- Dy-no-mite!
- Ninja favorites like Mady Howard,
Lance Pekus, and Tiana Webberley are here,
along with some fresh, new faces.
- It's the Gritty.
- It's a night full of surprises.
Oh, no! Oh, no! - Oh, no, no, no, no!
- And some shocking exits.
- Whoa! - Oh, no!
We're gonna let 'er rip
for the second night of semifinals...
- Sheesh!
- On "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Los Angeles.
Moments ago, four-time "Ninja" veteran Casey Rothschild
was coming into the semifinals on a roll.
Back in qualifying,
Rothschild hit her second career buzzer...
- Reach for it! Nice!
- One of only five women to do it this season.
- Oh, my God!
- Tonight, the 23-year-old
rolled through the first three obstacles,
including Clockwork...
- Matt, you know she wants to get to that wall again.
- But the former college track star
didn't have the footwork on Spinning Bridge.
- Oh, no!
- I think I just missed a step. [chuckles]
[cheers and applause]
- Our next athlete calls Casey Rothschild
one of her inspirations.
This is 19-year-old "Ninja" superfan Izabella Adkins.
She's a college student and a climber
who gets her strength from her dad.
[sentimental music]
* *
- I really like climbing
because there's always a challenge.
Every route is different.
I love cliffhanger moves and vertical limits
and anything that's a small ledge.
Those moves translate really well to Ninja.
- Well, Akbar, consider us impressed
by this rookie, Izabella Adkins.
[cheers and applause]
- Yeah!
- My dad has had his fair share of obstacles.
When he was about my age, he was in a car accident
that put him in a wheelchair.
- My girlfriend was giving me a ride to work.
The car got caught on some trolley tracks.
We got sent to the other lane,
and I got a severe traumatic brain injury.
[solemn music]
And without doubt,
the most difficult time period of my life.
- Some people might fold after an accident
like my dad went through,
but he's pushed through every obstacle
that he's faced in his life,
and he has shown me that I can do the same.
- She is showing confidence! - Yeah, Matt.
She's got some type of ninja swag.
- Oh!
- * I wanna be *
* The best of the best *
* I wanna fight till there's nothing left *
- I love my daughter very much,
and I'm very happy to see her be successful.
- * I know it's never over till it's over *
- Wow!
- As much as my dad has inspired me,
I hope that I can inspire him too.
* *
- Izabella's thrilled her dad
made the trip to watch her run.
He's a therapist who's written a book about his journey.
He's on the sideline with Izabella's mom and sister.
[countdown clock beeping]
- You got it, girl. You got it.
- Yeah, she really impressed us in qualifying.
Made it to the final obstacle,
but couldn't get up the Warped Wall.
- Remember, the top three women move on.
If she can get to the Warped Wall again tonight,
she'll have a good shot of getting to Vegas.
- Uh-oh. Here we go.
Now you gotta make that transfer.
Nice. - About to start
her sophomore year at Northern Arizona University.
She's a quick study.
She's through Lunatic Ledges.
Hard at generating power here. Really need to extend,
use the full body on Clockwork.
- You got this! - Yeah.
- Uh-oh, she's got to generate enough swing here, Matt.
A lot of time is ticking.
Get up there.
Got it.
[cheers and applause]
- She grew up watching the show,
idolized all the women who blazed the trail
on "Ninja Warrior,"
and now she's out here competing alongside them.
[cheers and applause]
There's one of her heroes,
Casey Rothschild, on the right.
We just saw her fall minutes ago.
Let's see if Izabella can learn from Casey.
- Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed!
Ooh! - Ooh, hard fall!
But she's smiling.
She's now reached the fifth obstacle, Hopscotch.
- She's on this course like, "Let me introduce myself.
My name is Izabella Adkins."
- Well, this should be her playground.
With her climbing background,
should be familiar with landing on small ledges.
- Oh, nice.
- This is gonna be the test, Akbar.
- These handles get smaller.
Whoo, okay! - Great job!
What grip strength these ninjas have to have on this obstacle.
- Yeah--oh! - Oh!
Found the grip.
- Oh, be careful. It's spins on ya.
- Oh, my goodness. Are you kidding me?
- She's doing her thing.
- How about this 19-year-old rookie?
The first woman to beat Hopscotch.
- What? - Yeah! Way to go!
[cheers and applause]
- Way to go, Izabella!
Remember, she couldn't get up the Warped Wall in qualifying.
Hopefully, she's been putting in that work.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
Beat that wall!
- Get it, get it, get it, get it!
Oh, buddy.
- Missed the first attempt. Has two more.
- Izabella, take a second!
- Casey's telling her to take a second,
but she's going right up on her second attempt.
And still struggling on the Warped Wall.
- Take a second and breathe. I did the same thing.
I've gone third. I was rushing through.
'Cause you're like, "Oh, I gotta go."
You don't have to go, okay?
- Casey Rothschild coaching her; I love it.
Just telling her, "You don't have to rush."
- This is what I love about the ninjas, Matt.
They are always supporting each other.
- But this is her final attempt.
- Izabella! - Can Izabella Adkins deliver?
- Get your arms up! Reach out!
Aah! Oh! - Oh!
Had her fingertips on it, but can't conquer the wall.
Still a strong run by the rookie,
and her family and Casey are letting her know it.
- Izabella Adkins showed the strength she gets from her dad
as she conquered the first five obstacles.
But at the wall, she did get a good push up,
and she came up just short.
- It's okay!
- And giving her hugs to her dad.
You know he's gotta be proud.
Well, we'll have to wait and see,
but that run may have earned her
a trip to Vegas.
- Coming up, he's got a perfect record.
- That's big-time right there!
- Josh Levin's hit a qualifying
and semifinals buzzer every season he's competed.
- I'm loving Levin!
- Can he keep his streak going?
And don't forget, the night ends
with a duel on the Power Tower.
The winner gets a Safety Pass in Vegas.
- Welcome back to Universal Studios, Hollywood.
California clothing designer Brittney Durant
came into semifinals with a ton of confidence.
A few weeks ago, at qualifying,
she got her first buzzer.
- Yeah!
- Tonight, the 21-year-old was trying
to earn her second straight trip to the National Finals,
but she hit the wall at Lunatic Ledges...
- Oh!
- And was shockingly bounced out
on just the second obstacle.
- Oh, nightmare on New York Street.
- Physician Steven Cen showed off his physique
on the start line.
- Oh, my goodness!
Well, when this doctor tells you to "take two of these
and call me in the morning," you're gonna listen.
- Dr. Cen helps save lives
at a trauma hospital in New Mexico,
and he saved himself on Spinning Bridge.
- Come on, come on, come on! Oh, oh, oh!
Oh, wow!
Wow! That was so close.
- But moments later, the doctor was DOA on Hopscotch.
- Oh!
[crowd groans]
- Super fun course, guys.
Thank you so much for the opportunity.
- Up next is one of the most impressive athletes
ever to hit our course. This is Josh Levin.
Not only is he a top ninja,
he's a world-class rock climber
with an engineering degree,
and he just got his master's from Harvard.
And he's using his skills
to help others overcome obstacles.
- Over the past five years,
I've been working with a school called Synapse School
in Menlo Park, California.
It's an obstacle design class,
so they design and construct
their own original "Ninja Warrior" obstacles.
And those obstacles were some of the coolest obstacles
I've ever been on in my life.
This year has been truly incredible.
Synapse School takes this idea of obstacles and imagines them
through the lens of disability and accessibility.
Oh, nice. - Great job.
- Most athletes who have disabilities
can't necessarily compete on the "Ninja Warrior" course
as it is right now.
- Josh Levin back where he belongs!
- Whoo!
We should really be thinking about ways
in which we can design obstacles
for people with a variety of disabilities
to engage and enjoy.
This, to me, is, like, the coolest application
of all the things that I'm passionate about--
technology, education, and sports--
and how they're able to be combined together
to have a positive impact on the world.
- Josh Levin can do it all.
He's got a lot of fans, and look--
check out all the kids from that school,
cheering him on, I love it.
Along with his parents, who never miss any of his runs.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
- He missed the last few seasons
while he was going to Harvard, but he's back and ready
to be one of the elites once again.
- He's very smart, and he's very strong.
Those are two S's that you want to wear on your chest
on "Ninja Warrior."
- This runs happens to be sponsored by NerdWallet.
You might consider Josh Levin a nerd
with those advanced degrees,
but he's also an outstanding ninja.
Great control.
And there are some of his Harvard classmates
watching back at Cambridge.
Now up on Clockwork.
- Josh Levin's like clockwork.
He hits a buzzer on every qualifying, semifinals,
and stage-one course he's faced.
He's so incredibly consistent.
Let me just simplify it:
he's hitting that buzzer today in the semifinals.
- Well, it would be a surprise if he didn't.
Love watching Josh compete.
He's from the Bay Area
and has some Bay Area ninjas down on the sideline
along with Lance Pekus.
Psyching himself up for Spinning Bridge.
- He's huffing and puffing,
and he's about to blow something down.
Oh! - Just stays alive.
[cheers]
On to Hopscotch,
and this is where that grip will be tested.
An engineer understands the mechanics of it.
As a climber, this should be in his wheelhouse.
- Ooh! - Ooh!
- Whoo! - You got it!
- These grips are so challenging,
especially as they gets smaller.
- Single, double, single.
Nice!
- Now on to the side double again.
The handles get smaller here.
Just a 1/2 inch, and they're rounded.
- Taking his time. Feeling it.
Nice. Making the adjustment.
- Well, he's a 19-time national champion in climbing.
Just missed out on making the U.S. Olympic team
in that sport.
So this obstacle plays to his skills.
He is really locked in.
- You're there! You're there!
- And he gets through. - Nice!
[cheers and applause]
- The Warped Wall is next.
Had no problem with this a few weeks ago
in qualifying.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
- This man just sat out three seasons,
but he has not missed a beat in his return.
And he is headed to the back half.
- You're back! Yes! - Hey, buddy!
- Go get it!
[cheers and applause]
- Remember, only the top 15 will move on.
Normally, you have to reach that eighth or ninth obstacle
to have a shot, but Josh Levin is aiming higher.
He wants the Power Tower.
All his falls have been on stage two,
so he could really use that Safety Pass.
- Come on, Josh! - Let's go, Josh!
- Come on, Josh!
- He's got four more obstacles to go,
starting here with the Salmon Ladder.
[cheers and applause]
Got to get up four rungs.
- Coming in super aggressive on Salmon Ladder.
Very powerful.
Just showing off his power there.
- Yeah! - Yeah! Again!
- His climbing skills should help here on Box Office,
but watch out for the big drop on the bungee cord.
- Whoa! All right.
- And this one--even for a climber, this is a test.
Those bungee drops-- you don't see that
on the mount. - No, you don't.
You know, the movie prices
are really expensive.
It hurts. It can hurt your pocket.
But this Box Office one here, it can hurt your grip.
- Amazing! Got those side handles.
[cheers and applause]
On now to the 6-inch box.
- Whoa! - Whoa, he's swinging around.
Come on, you only get one shot on this one.
This could be a blockbuster move.
- Got it! - Yes!
He knows there's no sequel here
on Box Office.
Did he just use his chin to adjust?
- Whatever it takes. - My goodness!
- Josh Levin continuing to fight, solving the problems.
[cheers and applause]
- You can't tell me those kids aren't elated.
Look at that, they're going nuts for Josh!
- He's now gonna give us our first look at Split Decision.
Will he choose the dangerous balance obstacle,
Spin Zone, or will the climber
try the upper-body test of Dragonback?
- There's no way he's going down Spin Zone.
- I would be surprised.
Yep, he's headed to Dragonback.
Wants to keep his perfect record on semifinals courses,
and he's betting on the upper-body obstacle.
- You got this, Josh!
Keep pushing! You got this!
- Last week, seven people chose Dragonback,
but only three survived it.
Got to jump the bar up the notches on the dragon,
then slide down and do it again.
- The hardest part about this is keeping that bar centered.
- Come on, Josh.
- Watch those sides. Watch those sides.
- And talk about reliance on grip, Akbar.
He's comfortable hanging for as long as he needs to
and checking the sides of the bar.
- Well, hey, he can afford to do that, Matt,
because he's a speed climber.
He's got grip strength for days.
- And here's the drop. - Okay, feel it!
- Great job holding on.
He is legitimately a threat to go all the way, Akbar.
- All he does is hit buzzers.
- Every qualifying course. - Yeah.
Every qualifying course. - Every extended course.
- Every stage one. - Yes, that's exactly right.
- Josh Levin's staying calm.
You can see him checking the sides, being very careful.
Just taking his time.
What a testament to the grip strength.
- Oh, no! - Oh, no!
- Oh, my gosh!
The record is broken!
- His perfect streak comes to an end,
but it's the best run of the night so far.
- Good job, Josh! [applause]
- He got creative on Box Office.
Look--he used his chin and his face to him get through,
but on Dragonback, his left side got ahead of his right,
and he slipped right off.
But that should be good enough to get him to Vegas.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior"
at Universal Studios, Hollywood,
where you can soar over Hogwarts Castle,
journey into Jurassic World,
or let loose on Illumination's
The Secret Life Of Pets: Off the Leash.
- And let's not forget the world-famous studio tour,
where you'll go behind the scenes
on your favorite film sets.
Make it your best day in LA.
- Rapper Julius Ferguson was hoping
his run would be a day at the park,
but it quickly turned into a nightmare.
- Oh, come on, my ninja. You gotta go.
- The six-time veteran lost momentum on the Lunatic Ledges
and then spent two minutes fighting
with everything he had to get it back.
- Climb up!
- Oh, he's floating.
He's trying to figure this out.
- Get up there! Yeah, get up.
- Come on, you got this! Come on!
- At this point, he is just dancing with this ledge.
- As a last resort, he went high
and tried a Hail Mary jump to the landing pad.
- Yeah, he's just gotta go for it.
Boom! Oh, my word!
[cheers and applause]
- The Archery Ninja, Anthony Porter,
was able to get past the Lunatic Ledges.
- Just like that!
- The archery instructor from Chino Hills, California,
was looking to earn his second straight trip to Vegas.
- Anthony Porter looks like he's on target. Nice!
- After conquering Hopscotch...
- Got it!
- The shirt came off
and the bow came out.
- Uh-oh. Oh, he's about to shoot that buzzer.
- Watch out! - You coming for us?
- Not us! - You tripping, homey!
- Oh, heck no.
- Oh, no! Oh, no! - Oh, no, no, no, no!
My man taking shots at me!
- The 25-year-old then shot up the Warped Wall
and made his way to the eighth obstacle,
but on Box Office, he missed the mark.
- No! Aw! [crowd groans]
- Oh, awesome! - Great, job, man.
Great job! - Whoo, love you guys!
- Next up is one of the coolest kids you'll ever meet.
This is 18-year-old Jeramiah Boyd.
His friends call him Jera,
and they also call him a jokester.
He likes to have fun out here,
but he counts on his mom to keep him grounded.
- Jera, come on!
- Jeramiah Boyd. all: Beat that wall!
- He's trained for this.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
[suspenseful music]
- Oh, my!
Explosive!
- This dream of being an American ninja warrior
would definitely not be possible without my mom.
- You did it. Oh, my God!
- My mom's worked pretty hard to provide a good life for me,
especially with her being on her own.
- Raising Jera as a single mom, it was hard.
[sentimental music]
When you are a single parent
and you have one income,
to be in this position,
to really support my son,
I feel very blessed.
Hey, Jera, will you come in here and help me
make some breakfast, please? - Yeah.
- I do have to remind him to do his chores a lot,
but he eventually does them.
And he is very caring.
- One thing I could do to make my mom's life easier
is doing the chores that she asks me to do
around the house...
- You are doing really good.
- Thanks. - You're welcome.
- And maybe winning $1 million along the way.
Who knows?
* *
- Already won ten grand on the Mega Wall a few weeks ago.
Mom was there for that,
and she'll be on the sideline again tonight.
- Go, Jera!
- Got other family watching back in Minnesota.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Shrinking Steps should be no problem.
Was the captain of the high school track team.
And just sprints through it.
And goes right into Lunatic Ledges.
- Yeah, Matt, and on top of track,
he hits the gym three times a week to stay Ninja ready.
- Now, watch it once you transfer
onto the second ledge.
- All right. Here we go.
- Once you lose momentum, almost impossible
to build it up again.
- And you got to go now.
It's now or never. - Right here.
- It really is.
- And he gets through.
And, again, no break. Going right into Clockwork.
- You got it.
- We saw this two years ago, and you can see
the handles move all in conjunction
with one another.
The key is, tick-tock, you don't stop on Clockwork.
Keep it moving. - Yeah.
It's all about that timing, getting it up and out.
Nice! - Showing a lot of confidence.
[cheers and applause]
Taking on Spinning Bridge.
Oh, survives! - Whoa!
Well, it's a good thing he's got that track speed.
He fell forward on that one.
- And he's laughing at himself.
I think he can't believe he tripped.
- I like it. He's so loose.
- Better take this next one seriously, though.
Hopscotch.
This is a tough one.
Already ended the runs of a few ninjas tonight.
[cheers and applause]
And these just little cliffhanger ledges.
These fifth obstacles in the semifinals
have been so challenging.
- Now we're going to the side double.
Nice! - Outside, and he's got it!
- There you go!
- Only half an inch deep
on this free spinner. - Ooh!
- Locked in. Can he get off?
- Come on. Here we go.
Sheesh! - And out!
- He was giving double peace signs.
- Sheesh! - Right up the Warped Wall.
He was looking at us going up.
- Hey! - Hey!
- Big time, prime time, showtime?
- Yeah, big time, prime time, showtime,
all time, good time. You see that?
Look at this! This teenager is so cool,
he does a double peace sign as he dismounts.
- Well, he's created TikTok videos
that have millions of views.
I think that peace sign move may go viral.
Now starting the back half of the course.
First up, the Salmon Ladder.
First time on the semifinals course,
and he's making it look easy. - Come on!
- But can he hold on for these big drops on Box Office?
- Hold on!
- Yeah, Jera! Come on, you got this!
- And here, the handles are on the front and back.
A blind grab.
- Well, Jeramiah is starring
in Box Office right now because he's crushing it.
Nice!
- The smaller box, though, just a 6-inch box.
Got to launch up, try to get your hands placed properly,
and then absorb the big fall at the bungee cords.
- All right. Here we go.
You only get one shot. There is no sequel.
Oh! - Oh!
all: Oh!
- Jeramiah Boyd brought down to Earth
on Box Office, but he got there fast.
And he did it with flair.
Jera Boyd was ready for prime time.
The 18-year-old showed big time skill,
he flashed his showtime smile,
and made an all-time dismount after Hopscotch.
He couldn't make the grab on Box Office,
but he had a good time and could be headed to Vegas.
[dramatic music]
- Next up, we're headed for Big Sky Country
where a Montana teenager
created his own slice of Ninja heaven.
- Oh! No fear, dude.
- Evan Andrews' run when we come back
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- The last few minutes have been wild here
at Universal Studios.
Energetic teenager Lilah Nathison,
AKA LGrizz,
danced her way to the start line.
- It's not the Grizzy. It's the Gritty.
- The high school student from North Carolina
got her nickname because
of her grizzly bear-like ferocity.
- All right, come on. Bear down.
- And she's not afraid to growl on the course.
- Let me hear it! Let me hear it!
- Okay, she is screaming at the top of her lungs.
- At 15, she's one of our youngest competitors,
but time wasn't on her side at Clockwork.
- Oh! - Oh!
- I love you!
all: Six, five, four...
- Ronald Washington's nickname is Dynamite,
and he came out ready to blow the doors off this course.
- Dy-no-mite!
- The five-time veteran looked like
he was shot out of a cannon
as he sprinted through the early obstacles.
- Whoa!
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife officer
was living dangerously... - Ooh!
- And the speed seemed to catch up to him on Hopscotch.
- He's got to be explosive on this one.
Oh, my gosh! - Oh!
- Got a little too amped up. [sighs]
- Dynamite's from South Florida,
but our next athlete's from all the way up
in Butte, Montana.
This is 17-year-old Evan Andrews.
- And he's got the energy of a teenager!
- He's a self-made ninja.
Lives a long way from any Ninja gym,
but he's ready to represent for Big Sky Country.
[dramatic music]
* *
- Montana, it's a beautiful place.
* *
There's a lot of wide, open spaces,
rivers, mountains.
It's really a place where you can go
to get away from everything.
But in spite of all this coolness,
Butte does not have a single Ninja gym.
No parkour,
no rock-climbing gyms whatsoever.
And so I decided to build my own in my garage.
- So we're gonna install the flying bar?
- Yeah, so I got these cradles built.
So what I'm thinking is, I'm gonna make
some pretty big gaps,
like a foot further than the show.
- Okay.
- My dad and my grandpa helped me.
They showed me how to cut wood
and measure out things and track studs.
- Evan is the most determined
and disciplined person that we know.
* *
For years now, he has trained in that gym alone,
hours a day.
- I'm amazingly proud of Evan,
watching the success that he's had
doing "American Ninja Warrior."
- He is absolutely flying.
- It's just fun. It's just a playground to him.
- Let's go!
Coming off of qualifiers,
I'm known in Butte, Montana as the Ninja Kid.
What's up, guys? We're gonna train today.
The first is the Warped Wall.
Sprint, sprint, sprint, sprint, sprint!
Nice!
Oh, oh, oh! Good job, Caspian!
A summer camp took me on as a counselor
so that I could teach the kids about "Ninja Warrior"
and how to do it. Oh, oh, oh, oh!
No fear, dude.
Hey!
It started with just a couple of kids,
and now, it's about, like, over 100 that get to experience it.
My goal this season was to put Montana on the map
"Ninja Warrior"-wise,
and I really hope that my performance on the show
can help manifest more ninjas in Montana.
I'm gonna make Montana proud tonight.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- His parents will be watching from the sidelines,
along with some of the other young ninjas.
- Whoo!
- Watching back in Montana are his siblings
and some of the kids he trains with.
- This one's for Montana!
- And he's got more family watching from Hawaii.
Nobody wants to miss this.
- What's up, guys?
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
- Pretty amazing this teenager built
an entire Ninja community back in his hometown.
Other than his garage,
the closest Ninja gym is seven hours away.
Got to love the passion and dedication
in some of these ninjas.
- He's probably only the fourth or fifth ninja
from Montana we've ever had on this show.
- About to start start his senior year of high school.
A member of the National Honor Society and the debate team.
This kid is impressive.
[cheers and applause]
Just 17 years old, and here he is on Clockwork.
Should generate some power here.
- He's gotta have finesse.
Don't want to use a lot of grip strength here.
If you get the timing right, Matt, it's like clockwork.
It just works.
- Well, you know, they don't have this in the garage,
no matter how good Dad and Grandpa are.
- How do you even build this, Matt?
- Whoo! Yes, you're doing great!
- Spinning Bridge.
So easy to misstep here. - Yeah.
- But not for Evan.
[cheers and applause]
- 17 years old, I'm sure he's heard of hopscotch.
- I don't know, do 17-year-olds,
did they grow up playing hop-- maybe in Montana.
- No, I think they played video games, but watch here.
- Well, he seems to know how to play
this version of Hopscotch.
Working his way through it with ease.
Same here on the sides. - Nice!
- Now, this last one is free-spinning.
1/2-inch handles. - Oh, my God, there he goes.
- And look at him, he is really actively
using that spin to build up momentum.
[cheers and applause]
And he is pumped.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
Beat that wall!
- He's about to get up his first Warped Wall.
[cheers and applause]
- Don't ball up.
- Oh, you can just see the joy on his face.
Imagine all the time he was in that garage,
just dreaming of being right here where he is,
staring at the back half of a semifinals course.
- You got it! - You got it!
You got it!
- It starts right here with the Salmon Ladder.
Four obstacles to go.
First, you got to get these four rungs.
And--ooh, wow!
Explosive move there on the Salmon Ladder, Matt.
All right, now he's gonna see.
All right, get your popcorn here at the Box Office.
This one is tricky.
- Come on, Evan, here we go. Quick hands, quick hands.
- Got to grab on the sides here.
Oh, my!
Here we go.
This last box only 6 inches by 6 inches.
- Yeah, that's a hard one right there, Matt.
- Come on! - He made that look easy.
This kid is movie-hopping.
- Montana making a splash at the Box Office.
And he's through!
- Okay! - Come on!
- That's how they do it in Butte, Montana.
- Whoo! - Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- What will he do here at Split Decision?
He's staring down Spin Zone.
- Yeah, this looks like that little--
whoa!
- No, no, no! - He backflipped out of it!
- Amazing he's still got that kind of energy
after eight obstacles.
Now he's gonna try Dragonback.
And we saw him on the Salmon Ladder.
The kid's got power with a bar in his hands,
but you need control.
- Are you kidding me? Wow!
This is crazy!
Matt, he might be a rookie,
but he doesn't move like a rookie.
- And he's through.
[cheers and applause]
35 feet away
from punching his ticket from Montana to Las Vegas.
- All right, get that thing out; it's heavy.
I hope you been in the weight room.
- Those doors: 50 pounds each.
Two more sets.
Will Evan Andrews be the first buzzer of the night?
The teen invasion. - This is incredible!
- He's slowing down a little bit here,
but barely paused to take a breath on this run.
May be catching up to him.
- Come on! Come on!
- He's been doing a lot of Ninja work,
but this right here will work on the deltoids,
the shoulder muscle.
- And watch the traction.
You can see those feet slipping.
- He is gassing out now. - Got to dig in.
- He's got to really-- - 50 pounds!
- Oh, boy! - And 50 pounds!
- Put your back into it! - That foot is slipping!
- Put your back into it!
- Evan Andrews delivers!
- He can feel it, he see it.
- Let's go! [buzzer blares]
- Next up, he'll be in Vegas!
What a run for Evan Andrews!
[cheers and applause]
Hey, Evan, I got to ask.
Your dad and your grandpa
helped build those obstacles in your garage.
Did you ever dream that you would be standing
atop a semifinals course headed to Vegas?
- I just thought it'd take more years.
But we got here. It feels amazing.
- Congratulations! We'll see you in Vegas!
[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!
[upbeat music]
- Well, the rise of the teens continues.
Evan Andrews standing atop the semifinals course,
first buzzer of the night.
When a Texas mom was battling leukemia,
the Cowboy Ninja came to the rescue.
- It has saved my life.
- Lance Pekus' life-saving journey,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior,"
coming to you from Universal Studios, Hollywood.
- Matt, it's the semifinals, so the courses are tougher,
and we are seeing that tonight.
- Minutes ago, San Diego photographer Alex Nye,
who hit a buzzer back in qualifying,
was looking picture-perfect
until he reached Spinning Bridge.
- Oh, no! - Oh!
- Oh!
- Oregon's Caiden Madzelan
was one of last year's top teenagers.
And things were going swimmingly
for the Troutdale Ninja
as he reached the eighth obstacle, Box Office...
- Oh, no! - Oh!
But he couldn't finish.
The night's youngest competitor,
15-year-old Jackson Erdos, came out hot.
- Running with an urgency, Akbar.
- Erdos was last year champion of "Ninja Warrior Junior,"
and though he's a rookie, there are big expectations
for this Pennsylvania high schooler.
- Watch the balance. Wow!
- Erdos hit a buzzer back in qualifying,
and he was cruising through the course tonight
until he reached the fifth obstacle, Hopscotch.
No! - No!
- Erdos. A shocking miss.
- And his chances of moving on are in doubt.
Then it was the night's oldest competitor,
44-year-old David Campbell, the Godfather.
Two years ago, Campbell got hung up on Lunatic Ledges
and had to climb up and make an epic dismount.
- He's gonna go for a long leap!
Oh, my!
- And tonight turned out to be a sequel.
- What is he thinking?
And he's going up again.
Oh, my!
He survives!
- Shake it off. Shake it off.
- The 14-time veteran looked winded,
but he somehow rallied.
- Yes!
- And despite being almost 30 years older than Erdos,
he did get through Hopscotch.
- And there he is, breathing a little more easily.
- Yes! - Yes!
- And it was only fitting
that the Godfather would make it to the Box Office,
but that's where his gutsy run ended.
- Oh, no!
- And the Godfather is sleeping with the fishes.
- But he's got a good shot at going to Vegas
for the tenth time in his career.
- They have made hundreds of Westerns here
at Universal Studios,
but our favorite cowboy star
is still the rancher from Idaho, Lance Pekus.
He may wear a black hat,
but he is definitely one of the good guys.
You want to know why "Ninja" fans love him?
He's literally out saving lives.
[pensive piano music]
* *
- I'm about to meet a woman
who I donated my blood stem cells to.
Be The Match is a bone marrow registry
where they can match you up with people who have leukemia
or bone marrow cancer.
I've definitely have had a lot of medical issues
in my own family,
with my wife who suffers from multiple sclerosis,
and I would know that if somebody could step in
and be able to save someone that I know,
that I'd be eternally grateful.
I just had to take that opportunity.
I was able to help Ashley.
When Be The Match contacted me,
they told me that things lined up
and we happened to match.
both: * I've been living on empty *
* For so long now *
- She had leukemia.
Be The Match told me we have to do this within three months
or she could die.
It is super rare to match.
both: * I see the light at the end *
- Hi, Ashley. - Hey.
- So good to see you. - Good to see you.
- Aw.
both: * Of the tunnel *
- When I found out that I had a match,
I knew I could live and finish raising my kids,
because I have a second chance.
I appreciate you a lot donating to me.
It has saved my life.
- Well, I just--I just really do feel honored,
and I would love to give you another hug.
both: * Oh, better days are coming *
* Coming *
- I'm running the course tonight
for all the people out there that are in need of donation.
Hopefully, I can get more people to get on that registry
and go out and help save a life.
* *
- He helped save her life... - Hi, Lance!
- And Ashley is showing her thanks
by supporting him tonight.
She's back in Texas with her son.
[cheers and applause]
- Go, Daddy! - Love you!
- And Lance's family--his wife, Heather, and two kids--
are watching back at in Idaho.
- Go, Dada!
- Let's go, Lance! Let's go, Lance!
- You got this! - Come on, Lance!
- Let me tell you, Lance Pekus is a hero
on the course and off. He's always doing good things.
- Nice! - Good job, Daddy! Go!
- He's taking off the hat for Lunatic Ledges.
Besides being a good person, he's a pretty good ninja too.
Made it to the national finals six times.
- Okay. - Go ahead, Lance.
Come on. - Lance, come on.
- On this one! - Come on, Daddy!
- Giddyap! Nice!
[cheers and applause]
- Cutting it close, but he's gonna survive.
- Ooh!
- There's his young friend, Elijah Browning.
They train together in the off-season.
One of the things they worked on was laches.
Lance can use that training here on Clockwork.
- He may not be able to turn back the hands of time,
but he is moving forward on Clockwork.
- 35 years old.
Been competing here since he was a younger man.
- What, are you calling him old?
- Come on, Daddy! You got this!
- Oh, the shirt's coming off!
- Oh, he-- - Oh, come on!
- Aw! "I am a Be The Match donor."
I like that.
- Using his platform
to raise awareness.
- Ooh, nice little sprint.
- So many of our ninjas are involved
with projects that help their communities.
[cheers and applause]
Right now, Lance has got to keep this run going
if he wants to get back to Vegas.
And he kicked that handle there on Hopscotch,
but good recovery.
- Oh, look at this. Here we go now.
Oh! - Oh, no!
[crowds groans] - Dang it.
- Hopscotch has been trouble tonight,
and it gets the cowboy.
- Good job, Daddy!
- This man is a lifesaver,
and he got his message out tonight.
On Hopscotch, he kicked the number two panel
and was still able to catch it.
But on the next one, he got his fingers on that ledge
but couldn't hang on.
- Let's go to Zuri.
- Lance, it's always good
to see you out here on the course.
Talk to me a little bit about what went wrong here.
- You know, the game's getting tougher.
The grabs are getting tougher,
the ledges are getting smaller.
Missed it, and down I go.
- Well, you have a really beautiful shirt on
with a really important message.
Talk to me a little bit about what we're seeing here
right now.
- So if everyone can read it, it says,
"I am a Be The Match donor."
Several years ago, I signed up to Be The Match,
and I was able to help save someone's life
and very fortunate
that she was able to tune in tonight and watch my run.
- Well, it's a beautiful cause.
Hello again to Ashley, who's watching over there.
- Hi. - Hello to the family too.
They're looking good over there.
At the end of the day, you get to go home to that.
It's so good to see you out here again, Lance.
Thank you. Guys, back to you.
- Coming up, here they come.
Many of your favorite ninjas
are about to hit New York Street.
And at the end of the night,
we'll head to the end of the course
for the Power Tower,
a battle 40 feet in the air for the Safety Pass.
It's all coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Los Angeles.
Moments ago, Utah's Tyler Kurtzhals
took our semifinals course for a spin.
- Ooh, a nice, little flip.
- The energetic 18-year-old rookie
rolled through the early obstacles,
cheered on by his girlfriend, fellow ninja Ava Colasanti.
- He's got a lot of potential here as a rookie.
- But the third obstacle, Clockwork,
was more than he could handle.
- No! [air horn blares]
Wow! That was a great spin.
I'm flipping out about that one.
[dramatic music]
- Before his run, the Reach, 6'5" John Mack,
pointed to the sky as a tribute to his late dad.
The Utah college student had a memorable run
in qualifying a few weeks ago,
taking down the Mega Wall and getting the fastest time.
- Let's go!
- So tonight, the big man had high hopes
of earning his first trip to the National Finals,
and he went barreling through the course.
- Whoa, don't get thrown out!
- But at Hopscotch, his big hands
couldn't get a grip on the tiny ledges.
- Aah! - Oh!
[crowd groans]
- You did great.
- And up next is another Utah ninja,
26-year-old nurse Mady Howard.
She's been a tough competitor
since she debuted a few years ago,
but she's had to adjust her training
because she's not just a ninja anymore;
she's also a new mom.
- [chuckles]
I had my baby seven months ago now.
[growls]
It's been quite the journey this year
getting back into ninja shape,
but when I'm on the course and I look down
and see Beckham there cheering me on...
- Let's go, Mady! [cheers and applause]
- It gives me all the motivation in the world.
- Go, go, go, go! - Go, go, go!
- Oh!
Mama strong!
- Never underestimate the power of a mother.
- Yes! Yes! - Got it!
- I just hope he's not crying. [chuckles]
- [crying] - Aw!
It's okay, Beckham. Aww!
[upbeat music]
- I'm feeling a lot stronger.
My season isn't gonna just end here.
And I hope that other new and expecting moms
would know that there is life after having kids,
and you can get back to doing the things that you love.
* *
- Whoo! Let's go, Mady!
- Mady's blowing kisses to Beckham.
He's back home in Utah with her husband, Tyler.
Mady's mom is on the sideline.
Some Mady fans in the stands.
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, she impressed us a few weeks ago in qualifying.
Made it to the fifth obstacle
just six months after giving birth.
Balances her life with a newborn, her job as a nurse,
and still finds time to Ninja train.
- And as we know, just being a mom is a full-time job.
- Mady Howard, just so impressive.
Was a high-level gymnast in college too.
She has shown us so much potential.
- She's made it as far as the eighth obstacle in the past,
and you know she would love to get a buzzer tonight.
- Well, that would be impressive.
Only a handful of women ever completed
that extended ten-obstacle course,
but Mady Howard,
she's shown promise.
- Yeah, I think she has what it takes.
- 5'6", 125.
Got to generate some power here on Clockwork.
The three gears make that momentum
a little more challenging to build up.
- Yeah, you can see it. Nice!
Great transfer right there.
Whoo!
- Good job extending the body,
using the full body to build up that power.
- Well, she's making some really good transfers, Matt.
Nice!
- Well, let's test the balance here on Spinning Bridge.
- All right, let's go! Look at Beckham!
Working on his balance. He's almost standing now.
[cheers and applause]
- Uh-oh! Oh! Oh, my goodness!
- [screams]
- Gives the thumbs up! - Safe!
- Spins out, stays dry, but is disqualified.
- Good job, Mady! I love you!
- I felt good, and then all of a sudden,
my face was hitting a mat,
so I just must've gone crooked.
- Look at this.
On her third step, she came up a little short,
and the ball spins backwards.
That tripped her up and sent her flying off the obstacle.
A hard landing right on the pad.
- Well, that's how quickly it can end, Big Man,
but Beckham says, "That's okay, Mom.
I'm still proud of you."
Well, our next competitor has traveled more than 7,000 miles
to compete here tonight.
From Israel, this is Asaf Goren.
He's wearing a prayer shawl and playing the shofar,
which is sounded during the Jewish high holidays.
[shofar bellowing]
A shofar is not easy to play.
- It happens sometimes. [chuckles]
- You can see he's a performer.
Not only is he a professional dancer,
he's a big reality star in Israel.
- Shalom! What's up, y'all?
- Asaf has appeared on everything
from "Big Brother" to "So You Think You Can Dance."
[lively plucked string music]
He won the celebrity version of "Ninja Warrior: Israel"...
- [speaking Hebrew]
- And now he wants to test himself on our course.
- I would truly love to challenge myself.
I love to do things that makes me scared.
I really want to press on the buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
My girlfriend, she's nine months pregnant,
and we're expecting our first child.
It's a boy.
I want him to look at me one day
and be proud of me for this.
[cheers and applause]
- And he throws a kiss to his girlfriend,
watching back in Israel.
- She's nine months pregnant.
It can happen any moment.
- Oh, wow!
- Exciting times for them.
On the sidelines, Asaf's dad, Amir,
is about to be a new grandpa as well...
but hopefully, not tonight.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, he's a rookie on our course,
but he won the celebrity Version
Of "Ninja Warrior: Israel."
It'll be interesting to see how he does.
- 6'1", 180.
On the bigger side of the ninjas
we'll see tonight.
Those fringes you see hanging off his shorts
are the tzitzit,
a traditional garment worn by religious Jewish men.
[cheers and applause]
- And he's taking a lot of extra swings here.
- Oh! - Oh, whoa, whoa!
- Hangs in there and makes that grab.
- Yeah, say a prayer to that wall.
- Yes!
[cheers and applause]
- On to Clockwork. A bigger guy.
Should be able to generate the power to move these gears.
- You can see him starting to get
that pendulum of motion going.
Ni--oh! - Oh, no!
- Asaf Goren started strong
but didn't have the technique for Clockwork.
- They probably didn't have Clockwork
on the celebrity edition of Israel "Ninja Warrior."
Asaf just didn't generate enough swing
and only got one hand on the bar.
- But he's still a showman.
Coming up, ninja training is a little different
down on the farm.
Country boy Josiah Singleton swings into the semifinals
next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to LA,
where three more athletes
just took their shot at the course.
Concord, California's Verdale Benson
was back in the semifinals and ready to flex
after a devastating injury last year.
The 41-year-old physician assistant
ruptured his Achille's on the Mega Wall
in last season's qualifying.
- Oh, sh--na, na, na. Ooh.
- Tonight, that ankle looked strong
as the former army captain
marched to the third obstacle, Clockwork.
- This is impressive.
- But he couldn't come to grips with the second gear.
- Oh! Oh!
[all shouting]
- Look at it again.
He was down to three fingers and almost saved it.
[air horn blares]
- Moments later, college student Grant Nguyen
tried to earn his first trip to Vegas.
- Okay, Grant.
- The 23 year old from Freemont, California,
hit a buzzer in qualifying a few weeks ago,
and he was looking confident tonight.
- I think he wants a second buzzer.
- His background in rock climbing
was helpful on Hopscotch.
- Oh, oh, oh!
It pays off to be a climber.
- And the rookie made it all the way to Box Office.
- Oh, boy, keep the film rolling.
And watch that left hand!
Oh! [air horn blares]
- His fast time means he's got a shot at moving on.
Then it was the 34-year-old rookie
from Florida, Kyle McCreight.
Back in qualifying, he had a good luck charm with him,
his three-legged dog, Tray.
As McCreight reached the fifth obstacle...
- Oh, no!
- Tonight, Tray was watching from back in Florida,
and McCreight didn't have the same good luck.
- Nice--oh. - Oh, no!
- Oh, stay up! No!
- Oh!
- No!
- Oh, my goodness!
He almost saved himself.
- Back in qualifying, we introduced you
to the Lynchburg Loonies, the energetic ninjas
from Lynchburg, Virginia.
But only one of them made it to the semi-finals.
It's Josiah Singleton, the 25-year-old grad student
who lives up to his nickname, the Country Boy Ninja.
[upbeat country music]
- I'm from Brookneal, Virginia and it's a super small town.
Oh, my God, one stoplight. Everything is real small.
Whoo! [yips]
So living out here, we don't have
proper Ninja training equipment,
and so we had to get pretty creative with what we had.
all: Josiah! Josiah! [cheers and applause]
- So on one side of my family, we have a farm,
but on my other side of my family,
there's actually a golf course.
I also grew up, you know, playing golf.
* *
Out in the country, we have a little bit more leeway
with what we do sometimes.
Whoo!
Me and my friends, we'll take golf carts out,
and we'll go racing around the golf course.
We'll have speed golf.
Never made it to Vegas, and it's my third time,
so I'm swinging for a buzzer tonight.
Whoo!
- And you know Josiah's crew, the Lynchburg Loonies,
are gonna be making some noise.
- Let's go!
all: Go! Go!
- And some of his fellow students
are having a watch party back in Lynchburg.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
- Dude has a ton of strength.
5'8", 155.
Got a buzzer back in qualifying.
Feels he's stronger than ever before.
Plans to get another buzzer tonight, Akbar.
I like the confidence. - Yeah, I do.
Matt, let me tell you something.
Over there at Liberty University,
those students get hyped up about "Ninja Warrior."
- Well, there's nothing free about the trip to Vegas.
You got to earn it. - All right.
He's gotta go now.
- Go, go, go, go, go!
[cheers and applause]
- The Country Boy is feeding off the energy.
- Well, you know the Loonies are gonna keep him hyped up.
- Come on!
- He's put on ten pounds of muscle
since we first saw him in season 11.
- Yeah, he's country strong, Matt.
Oh! - Good launches.
- Easy, easy, easy.
- You can see the three gears spinning in conjunction.
Just like clockwork, out of time.
And he's got everyone hyped!
Including his sideline full of fellow ninjas.
Spinning Bridge is next.
- It's just like running across those hay bales.
Just like that. Wow.
- Real smooth. - Very athletic.
- The Country Boy can survive.
He's pumped.
- Let's go! [cheers and applause]
- Now facing Hopscotch.
This has ended the runs of many good ninjas tonight.
- These handles getting smaller,
starting with this fourth square.
Fingertips. - Oh, boy.
I love how he came into it very softly.
Now you gotta go to the double side.
Ooh, that--he's starting to grimace here.
- You could see him-- he's keeping his hips up,
giving himself time to get the hands in place.
Josiah Singleton looking country strong.
[wild cheering]
And the Loonies are loving it!
- He's not only country strong.
He is ninja strong.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall!
- The crowd is into it, chanting "Beat that wall."
- Beat that wall!
- And he's up. - Nice! Whoo!
I see you. Okay, Country Boy.
- That one's for you! - Hey!
Put some gravy on it. Put some gravy on it.
- The Loonies are pumped up.
- Oh my God! - They're loving this run.
From here in Hollywood, all the way back to Virginia.
And Josiah Singleton is now staring down
the back half of the course.
- All right, here he goes on the Salmon Ladder.
- Come on. - You got this!
- Next one!
Two, three, whoa! - Right up it.
- All right, now to the big screen, let's go.
- And Josiah Singleton continues to impress,
facing Box Office, which only two ninjas
have gotten past tonight. Good job!
- And that's a great technique.
He came in there with the L and absorbed
the drop there on the bungie.
- Now, this handle right here--
you gotta go out there on the side.
- Front and back.
- Matt, it's about to get real right now.
- Only the climber Josh Levin and the teenager Evan Andrews
have survived this obstacle.
Can the Country Boy Ninja be the third?
Yes! - Nice!
- And the Country Boy is still alive.
- Matt, this crowd's gonna go nuts if he can hang on.
- Giddyap, Josiah!
Yes! He did it!
- Come on!
[cheers and applause]
- And he's at the ninth obstacle.
[crowd roaring]
[all cheering]
- Yeehaw!
- And he's looking at Spin Zone.
No one has tried it tonight.
- He's like, "Nah, not this country boy.
Not me."
He's going back over to Dragonback.
- Loonies telling him to shake out the arms.
He got here faster than Josh Levin.
Some good ninjas to come,
but right now, Singleton's in line
to go to the Power Tower. - Here we go on Dragonback.
- This is farther than he's ever been,
The Country Boy Ninja is opening up
some eyes with this run. - Slide into it.
Just like that.
- Ooh, if he can finish, the Loonies are gonna lose it,
but he's slowing down.
- Matt, Matt, I think Josiah-- I think Josiah's in trouble.
- Country Boy's never battled the Dragon before.
- Ooh. Matt, with this drop.
- That grip seems to be giving up, the lats.
Does he have anything left to generate power?
Oh no! - No!
- The Country Boy Ninja with the run of his life
makes it to the ninth obstacle before he just ran out of gas.
- Hey, that's the farthest I've ever made it.
And my arms are tired.
- Well, Josiah had everyone hooting
and hollering on this run.
He's just the third ninja to get past Box Office,
but those arms finally gave out on Dragonback.
And he's down with Zuri.
- The Country Boy Ninja back on the course.
Josiah, you were doing your thing out there.
Talk to me a little bit about Split Decision.
What made you choose Dragonback?
- The balance looked really scary.
I mean, honestly, I wouldn't take anything back.
That was a lot of fun.
I had always wanted to try that obstacle.
It looked really fun.
So I wish I had a little bit more in the tank,
but you know, it was cool.
- Well, I know you love your Loonies.
I can't wait for y'all to have a good time
in Vegas, because that's where all of you
are headed. Congratulations.
We'll see you at the National Finals.
- Thank you.
- Coming up, it's time for some sweet tea.
- Yes!
- Tiana Webberley tries to book
a return trip to Vegas
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- More surprises here at Universal Studios
while we were away.
College student Brett Hernandez Strong
had a to-do list of things he wanted
to accomplish this season.
He won ten grand in cash when he conquered
the Mega Wall back in qualifying.
- Yes! - Are you kidding me?
- Let's go!
- That checked off one box.
Tonight, he wanted to get the next item on his list,
punching his ticket to Vegas.
The 20-year-old was going all out to make it happen.
- Oh, but still made it! He barely made that one, Matt.
- But to guarantee his spot in Vegas,
he needed to have at least get past Hopscotch.
- Oh!
- And that didn't happen.
So that item will have to wait until next year.
- Love you guys!
- Francisco Barajas calls himself
the 1% Ninja, representing the 1% of Americans like him
who stutter. - He made that look easy.
- And the three-time veteran was smooth on the course,
and he did have the hands for Hopscotch.
- He's hopscotching along, nice.
- The 25-year-old raced to the back half...
What's up, Francisco?
Where the swimming pool technician
splashed down in our pool.
- He's gassing out here, Matt.
Uh-oh. No!
- Ah! - But his fast pace
guaranteed him a spot in Vegas.
[cheers and applause]
- Our next athlete knows her way around a movie set.
Sweet T Tiana Webberley is a busy stuntwoman
working on blockbuster movies and TV shows.
She's been one of the leading ladies
of "Ninja" for the past eight years.
She's one of seven women who've reached
the back half of our extended course
three times.
- Go, T!
- Lots of love for Sweet T.
Her parents and sister
are watching up in Santa Clarita, California,
and some ninja friends are on the sideline.
[countdown clock beeping]
5'4", 125.
- Oh no! - No, no, no, no!
- Oh, my goodness! - Wow.
- That was a heck of a recovery.
- Incredible recovery.
- Come on, T! Whoo!
- If anybody could do that on the first obstacle,
it is Sweet T.
- Breathe! Breathe!
Let that go. Let that go.
- Great job keeping her cool, wiping the sweat off her brow.
She knows she dodged a bullet.
- Matt, she's not the only one wiping the sweat
off her brow. Me too.
- Generating some power here on Lunatic Ledges.
Was a pole vaulter.
Talk about the skill set there, got to fly.
- She's probably still in shock over that almost fall.
Now she's starting to collect herself.
There we go.
- Yes! Whoo!
- Now on to Clockwork.
This is the obstacle that ended her run
in season 12.
As a pole vaulter, can move,
but struggled to generate power
which she first faced it in St. Louis.
- And this is one of the obstacles
that is very difficult to try to replicate
in these home gyms.
So it's not really something you can practice.
- There you go, keep going. Feet behind you.
- Oh, boy.
- And you can see this is just
what happened in St. Louis.
No! - No!
- And Clockwork gets Tiana Webberley
for the second time.
And this crowd can't believe it.
Another big-name ninja bites the dust early.
- Matt, I can't remember a night like this
with so many shocking falls.
- She slipped on Shrinking Steps
but was able to save it-- whew, that was a scare--
and on Clockwork, was only able
to get one hand on the bar.
A short night for Sweet T.
- Ah. Happens.
You know? It is what it is.
Got to keep working and go for it next time.
- Well, enough with these falls.
We need someone to turn it around on the course,
and our next athlete may be the guy to do it.
It's Kyle Soderman.
The 27-year-old was one of our final four
in last year's competition,
but he uses his ninja skills to chase more
than just buzzers.
- Athletes, ready.
- Kyle Soderman, the sports record for most evasions
in a row with six.
- World Chase Tag is such an incredible sport.
It's not the type of tag that you used to play
on the playground as kids.
You compete on a 40-foot by 40-foot arena,
it has all different types of obstacles,
and I love these obstacles because they're not meant
to make you fall like they do on "Ninja Warrior."
Out of the 16 times that I've had
the opportunity to be a chaser,
I've actually made 15 tags.
- Crashing through, making the tag.
- Soderman got the shoelace.
- Soderman closes it out and makes the tag.
- The last two USA National Championships,
I've actually won the MVP award.
- Soderman is soaring and scoring.
- Doing chase tag really only makes me a better ninja
because there's a lot of quick movements,
a ton of speed, a lot of conditioning.
Catch me if you can, but tonight, the only thing
I'm gonna tag is the buzzer.
- Matt, the only person that can catch Kyle Soderman
this year is his girlfriend, Megan Johnson.
- She competed in San Antonio.
Megan also just graduated from med school.
She's now Dr. Johnson.
Kyle's mom and brother are watching
from back in Minnesota. - Kyle, you got this!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, at this point, we've only had one buzzer,
Evan Andrews.
Josiah Singleton currently in that second spot.
But Soderman wants to have something to say about it.
- Well, Soderman can move.
He was the second fastest on stage one last year.
- And won ten grand on the Mega Wall
a few weeks ago in qualifying.
Has never been on the Power Tower,
would love to get that experience
and would love to get that Safety Pass.
Soderman's buddy, Hunter Guerard, is coming up.
Those two would love to face each other on the Power Tower.
Still a long way to go, though, and right now,
just needs to get through Clockwork,
which has been a tough one tonight.
6'0", 180, a bigger guy, but so much power.
- And don't forget he's got that grown man beard.
You rarely see Kyle Soderman rocking the grown man beard,
but he means business.
- Now the Spinning Bridge.
- Whoa, he came in real fast.
- Yes! Whoo!
- Well, we know he can play tag.
Let's see if he can play Hopscotch.
And, again, 180, Akbar, on the bigger side
for the ninjas we're seeing tonight.
- You don't have to move very fast.
You just gotta be efficient.
- You can see him using that upper body
as a shock absorber.
- All right, smaller hold-- both: Whoa, whoa!
- He is fighting. - Yes, he is, Matt.
Oh, boy. Yes.
That was a cuticle save right there, Matt.
- On now to the free spin.
- Nice.
Secure it with them thumbs.
- Yes! - He is through!
On now to the Warped Wall.
Hey, buddy. - I didn't like that.
- You survived it.
He just said, "I didn't like that."
[cheers and applause]
Well, we'll see if he likes the back half.
He completed the semifinals course last year,
but we've only had one finisher
so far tonight.
Four more obstacles if he wants a buzzer,
starting with the Salmon Ladder.
Well, listen, we know he's a stuntman,
he loves the movies,
but Box Office has to be intimidating.
Only three ninjas all night have gotten past it,
and as he finishes the Salmon Ladder,
Kyle Soderman's now gonna get his shot at it.
- Kyle Soderman is hungry. He's got plenty of power
to get through Box Office.
Whoa!
I stand corrected.
- The stuntman taken out on the Box Office.
But his speed to that point guarantees him
a spot in the top 15.
Kyle Soderman is going to Vegas.
Did what he had to do. - Yeah!
- Oh!
- Oh. - Oh!
- Sorry I'm all wet.
- So who's going to be on the Power Tower tonight?
Could the boss Elijah Browning grab one of the spots?
We'll see him next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- This is one of the most unusual nights we've ever had.
Right now, the Power Tower matchup
would feature two big surprises:
17-year-old rookie Evan Andrews,
who's our only finisher,
and he'd go against Josiah Singleton,
who's never made it to Vegas in three seasons.
Minutes ago, a couple veterans tried to run
their way into the conversation,
including Hunter Guerard, who had the second fastest time
in his night of qualifying.
- Hunter looking to hunt this course down.
- The 32-year-old nicknamed the Lizard
had sticky fingers on Hopscotch.
- Yeah, the Lizard is a cold-blooded ninja, Matt.
This dude can go now.
- Just like his buddy Kyle Soderman,
Guerard made it to the eighth obstacle, Box Office.
But he couldn't get past it.
- Ooh!
- Still, he's assured a spot in the top 15.
He's going to Vegas.
- There you go, Hunter!
- Then it was another top competitor,
seven-time veteran Adam Rayl.
- As a contender, he's the guy to watch.
- The 28-year-old from Phoenix has made it to stage two
every season he's competed
and is always considered a threat
to win the $1 million.
- Show them guns. Nice.
That was perfect.
- The concrete worker was cruising
through Hopscotch...
- What? all: No!
- Until he shockingly missed on the final move
and will not be going to Vegas for the first time
in his career.
- I'm stunned. That's Adam Rayl.
- So there are only two runners left, and one of them
is Rayl's friend and training partner,
Sean Bryan, the Papal Ninja.
The Catholic Church worker has been moving very quickly,
already halfway through Hopscotch.
- Nice. - On now to the free spin.
- We saw Adam Rayl miss on this one.
Whoa!
- Not gonna fall on the same spot
as his buddy tonight.
- There he is!
- I don't think anyone's got more fans out here tonight.
A couple priests and nuns.
A lot of hands up for Sean Bryan,
including his dad.
His mom and other family watching back in New Jersey.
This guy is still one of the elites.
37 years old, reaching new heights.
- Nice. - On to the back half.
- You got this one, Sean.
- Hey, a little smile out of Sean Bryan.
With this pace, he's got a shot at the Power Tower.
And he knows how important getting there can be.
Remember, last year, he fell on stage two.
- Oh!
- If he had a Safety Pass, would've had another chance
and kept his season alive.
If he reaches the ninth obstacle faster
than Josiah Singleton, he'll move into second
and be in good shape to be on the Power Tower.
- I think back to when he won
our Super Salmon Ladder Skills Event,
so you know he's not gonna fall here.
It's all gonna come down to the Box Office.
- Wow, skipping a rung.
- He's got time, Matt.
He just needs to avoid a mistake.
- But this is a blind grab here.
- Nice! Got it! - Ooh!
Again, if he completes this obstacle,
he'll be in line for the Power Tower
with only one more runner to go.
- Nice!
Oh! all: Oh!
- The grip gives out.
The Power Tower looked like it might be within reach.
He's still going to Vegas,
but it's gotta be disappointing
to be that close and miss out.
- The Safety Pass is so valuable to have in Vegas,
but Sean Bryan let his chances of winning one
slip right through his hands.
- Now there's only athlete left.
He's one of last year's breakout teenagers.
From Thompson's Station, Tennessee,
it's Elijah Browning.
His nickname is the Boss because he
takes care of business on the course and off.
- * Y'all know we about to *
* Ride *
* Dee-dee-dee-ha, let's ride *
- We're getting to the end of my high school career,
and I'm taking a little bit of a different approach.
I'm actually planning on not going
to college my first year.
- * The one with the punk rock hair *
* And the one with the beard *
* That's rocking them Yeezys *
- I'm just gonna run all my businesses,
such as Boss Sports Cards.
- If he hits the buzzer on stage one,
I will increase the value of my trading card.
I got you. Here you go.
- I appreciate it so much. Let's go!
- There you go, man.
- Boss Sports Cards in 2021 had its best year by far.
* *
And we actually 10-X'ed from the year before.
- * Ride, baby, ride, baby *
- And then we have my ninja coaching business...
A little higher. Let's go.
Nice. Good catch.
Which--before last year, I was only coaching three kids.
Fast speed, fast speed.
All right, we're gonna have to move that bar up.
After "American Ninja Warrior" aired...
- And he's done it! - Yeah!
Let's go!
I now coach over 20 kids,
and I have "American Ninja Warrior" to thank for that.
I'm the Boss, and buzzers are my business.
- * Call me a *
- Is this kid the Boss? Well, let's just say
he's got collectible cards already, Akbar.
- Yes, he's got his own card,
and he better sign this one for me.
- He's got a huge cheering section over on the sidelines,
including his mom, Renée, and Lance Pekus,
who he trained with this off season.
[countdown clock beeping]
17 years old, 6'1", 165.
- And remember last year, in his rookie year,
made it to Vegas.
Matt, I know we're not in Vegas,
and I'm not a gambling man,
but I bet you he hits a buzzer tonight.
- I'm not taking that bet because I agree.
He made it all the way to stage two
of the final obstacle, Falling Shelves.
He really could go all the way, Akbar.
- That's because he puts in the work.
He travels all around the country
to train with the best ninjas,
including going up to Salmon, Idaho,
to work with Lance Pekus.
- You can see on Clockwork,
it's a little disruptive with those three gears.
Momentum.
- If you don't have enough power,
that gear won't come,
but because he's 6'1", 165 pounds,
you see he was able to reach out and get it.
- And you can see him now.
He's calm and using the whole body.
Staying on, now. Watch the balance obstacle.
Right through it.
Lance had that early frustrating exit
here on Hopscotch.
The Boss running for both of them now.
And here it comes on this fourth one now,
1/2 inch rounded handle on this single.
- Oh, boy. Whoa!
- Oh, no! - No!
- A shocking exit!
The Boss is knocked out at Hopscotch.
And he is looking up in disbelief.
Everyone in this crowd just stunned.
- The Boss went down in the same spot as Pekus.
But while Lance missed with his right hand,
Elijah got both hands on it
and ended up just peeling right off.
- So think about all the great ninjas
who ran the course tonight.
Some of the best ever, from David Campbell
down to Josh Levin, and none of them could finish.
The only one who did, an unheralded 17-year-old
from Montana, Evan Andrews.
Now Evan's moving on to the Power Tower
to take on the Country Boy Ninja, Josiah Singleton,
in a matchup no one was expecting.
We'll see them next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Our second night of semifinals
is down to one race, 40 feet in the air.
It's the Power Tower.
- And, Matt, this is definitely not
the matchup we were expecting.
- Well, it's our only finisher,
17-year-old Evan Andrews,
taking on the Country Boy Ninja,
25-year-old Josiah Singleton.
They were the two best on the course,
and they have two of the best cheering sections.
Josiah's got his Loonies back in Virginia.
- You got this. Go!
- And Evan Andrews has his classmates
watching from Butte, Montana.
- Whoo!
- And honestly, I have no idea what to expect.
Both these ninjas are newbies on the Power Tower.
- The Power Tower-- this year,
I think it's the craziest it's ever been.
- And I'm terrified of heights.
We're 40 feet in the air?
I'm thinking it's durn scary.
- This is Montana versus Virginia,
and we both had to be really creative
in our Ninja training.
- Got to love the passion and dedication
in some of these ninjas.
- We'll see what happens.
- Evan Andrews-- he'll be in Vegas.
- Oh, boy!
- I was the only one to hit a buzzer
on the course tonight.
That gives me the confidence boost,
and I plan to hit another one on the Power Tower.
- Whoo!
- Go big time, prime time!
He's pumped now.
- Country Boy to the big city.
Country Boy's gotta rep for Virginia,
and we got to take that Safety Pass
all the way to Las Vegas, come on.
[dramatic music]
* *
- They're going to move into position.
Power Tower has been redesigned from last year.
Evan Andrews will be on the right,
Josiah Singleton on the left.
- Go! Go!
- He can probably hear the Loonies
all the way from Virginia.
- And the Montana folks making some noise too.
A Safety Pass to use in Vegas is on the line.
Who wants it more?
[countdown clock beeping]
And here we go.
Those sleds are 100 pounds.
Now the Switchbacks.
Watch the hips.
Josiah Singleton moving quickly.
- Uh-oh, here he is.
- And you see Josiah getting that edge.
Gets to the rope swing first.
Oh, Andrews misses the second rope.
Gonna need extra swings.
Huge advantage for Josiah Singleton.
He's starting to climb the column
while Andrews is still on the ropes.
- But you can make up ground on this course.
He's just gotta keep pushing.
If Josiah falls, Evan Andrews could still come back.
It's not over yet.
- Anything can happen here.
Now, if I'm Josiah, I'm sitting here,
it's like, take your time,
but make sure you're effective.
- But this is where it gets dangerous
on the Dropping Shelves.
- Looking good, Evan Andrews has made up ground.
- But these shelves-- it's a jarring drop.
Can Singleton hold on?
Because here comes Andrews.
- Oh! Okay, here we go.
- One more shelf.
And Andrews is closing the gap.
- Uh-oh, here he is!
- But Josiah did it! [air horn blares]
[all screaming]
That early miss on the rope cost Evan Andrews.
He made up ground, but it wasn't enough.
Josiah Singleton got that Safety Pass.
He's gonna have an insurance policy in Vegas
if he needs it.
- Whoo!
[all cheering]
- Josiah was country strong from the start.
He took an early lead and never looked back.
Evan Andrews didn't make a clean grab
on the second rope
and had to do it again.
Josiah looked strong
in his first time on the Power Tower.
Evan never gave up, but no way he could catch
Josiah Singleton tonight.
[air horn blaring]
- The Country Boy is gonna make his first trip to Vegas.
- Vegas has no idea what is about to happen.
- What? What?
- I love you, Loonies!
Whoo!
- So Josiah Singleton will have a Safety Pass,
but young Evan Andrews will be in Vegas as well.
The only other ninja to reach the ninth obstacle tonight
was the veteran Josh Levin.
Others moving on include Minnesota teenager
Jeramiah Boyd
and the Papal Ninja, Sean Bryan.
Stuntman Kyle Soderman will also be in Vegas,
along with the gondolier Jonah Bonner.
Izabella Adkins' strong run landed her in the top 15.
She'll be making her debut at the National Finals.
Joining her in the top three among the women
are Casey Rothschild and Mady Howard.
So that's a wrap on night two
of the semifinals here in Hollywood.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior"!
[dramatic music]
* *