- "ANW" family, family, family.
- Dad, you didn't say "action."
- Action. - [laughs]
- * Oh, come on, babe, get up now *
* It's going down *
* It's a real good feeling *
* Yeah, you know the sound *
- We got the family here. [all cheering]
- "American Ninja Warrior"
has always been about family.
- [grunts]
- Siblings, couples,
parents, and their kids
have all run our course.
- You guys are the first father-son duo
to get the buzzers.
- Whoo!
- But tonight, we're taking it
to the next level.
For the first time ever,
the top Ninja families
will run the course together.
- I am so excited.
Like, I have been dreaming of this day.
You have no idea.
- * Hey *
* Yeah, we getting loud right now *
* Going to the top *
- We've got Ninja all-stars...
- Yes! - Oh!
- And new faces, too.
- There you go. - Ooh, there it is.
- And they're all working with their loved ones...
- That's my girl right there.
- To conquer our course.
- Bring it back. * We're on the top now *
* Yeah, it's going down *
- We have all competed individually
in "Ninja Warrior" competitions.
The first mom!
- * It's a real good feeling *
* Yeah, you know the sound *
- But tonight, we get to compete together.
all: Ninja!
- Yay! - Whoo!
- * Yeah, we getting loud right now *
* Shout it to the sky right now *
- Welcome to the Tacoma Dome.
History is about to be made
as we host the first ever Family Championship
on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, so many families watch "Ninja Warrior" on TV,
but now, a few are getting off the couch
to show what they can do on the course.
- We're gonna see moms and dads, sisters and brothers,
and every family competing has at least one teenager.
Ten teams in all.
And to tell us how it's gonna work,
let's go down to the third member of our family,
Zuri Hall.
- Thank you, guys.
We are throwing out the rules for the Family Championship
and doing something really special.
Each team will run our qualifying course twice,
relay-style,
tagging their teammate after two obstacles.
And they'll have to change up the team's order in round two.
The four families that conquer
the most obstacles will advance.
They'll compete in a head-to-head tournament
on the Power Tower to determine our champion.
All right, guys, let's get this Ninja family fun going.
- Well, we're gonna start things off with a family
that moves like ninjas.
Check these guys out.
How about that for an entrance?
- Let me tell you, I know this team very well.
This is the Lewis family from Del Valle, Texas.
Derrick, the dad, was my football teammate
at San Diego State.
He's competing with son Darius and his wife Noel.
They have very little Ninja experience
but lots of enthusiasm.
- And they're a big family.
They've got eight kids total,
and there's some of the rest of them
watching back in Texas,
along with Noel's mom and sister,
who are in New Orleans.
And they're definitely a family of athletes.
- * Come on down to Qualcomm Stadium *
* But if you come, you better... *
all: * Bring the noise *
- Akbar and I played
college football together
at San Diego State University.
His personality has always been
bigger than the camera.
- Ah!
We just ate a spider!
- I've always followed along.
Just a big fan of the show.
I thought this would just be
a great chance to bring the family in
and get my wife and my son involved.
When I met my wife, she was in college.
I had just gotten into the NFL,
played a few years.
And we have eight total kids,
six boys, two girls.
We brought with us our fourth son, Darius,
who plays collegiate football.
- I've played basketball all my life.
And sports is very much still a part of my life.
- Ooh!
- I'm just excited to be here, more than anything.
- I know my team is ready.
We're gonna make it tough
for anyone to beat us.
all: Three, two, one, Lew Crew out.
- So they're gonna get into their relay positions,
and it looks like 19-year-old Darius
will take the leadoff spot.
That means he'll take the first two obstacles,
Shrinking Steps and Wait for It.
- Go, Team Lew.
- Mom Noel, who played basketball at Temple,
will take the middle leg, so she'll choose between
Burn Rubber and Domino Effect,
then face Air Surfer.
And bringing it home,
it'll be Akbar's former teammate,
Derrick Lewis.
He'll tackle the final two obstacles,
Sideways and the Warped Wall.
- Ready, baby. We ready. - All right, man.
- Ready. - Get them nerves out, dog.
Get them nerves out.
- Well, here we go,
the first run of our Family Championship.
- Remember, no one on this team has
ever been on a Ninja course.
- Darius quickly picks up the first point.
[all cheering]
- Now on Wait for It.
You get a point for every obstacle the team completes.
Only the top four teams will advance
to the race on the Power Tower.
Nice grab there.
- Darius plays college football
at Abilene Christian University.
He's a slot wide receiver,
so you know he's got good hands.
This is what it looks like
when you go from the couch to the course.
It's not gonna look as clean
but he's making it work.
He's already got one point,
about to get two.
- Got it. - Look at that.
- What an effort.
- You see Mama over there giving him--
going, "Hey, you good."
- Gotta get the dismount.
- Okay, two points!
- Oh, he makes it. Tags Mom.
She can choose her balance obstacle,
and looks like she's gonna try Burn Rubber.
- All right, here we go.
Come on, burn out, burn out--
both: Oh!
No! - Down she goes.
So no points on the middle obstacles,
but Dad gets to continue.
- All right, Darius brought two points.
Now, my former teammate
is gonna try to get a point on Sideways.
- And again, this team has no Ninja training.
They're relying totally on their athleticism.
My goodness, what great technique.
- This dude has always been
good at everything he does, Matt.
- Let's go, Akbar!
- What--is he talking to me during his run?
- Sideways is such a technical obstacle,
and he is making it look easy. - He flew through this.
- My God, what a transfer!
- I am never gonna hear the end of this!
both: Oh!
- D-Lewis down!
- His grip gave out.
Couldn't hold on on Sideways.
But what a promising start for this family of rookies.
- Hey, for a team with limited training, not too bad.
Darius got through both of his obstacles,
and D-Lew looked very good on Sideways,
but got so high, he hit it with his shoulder.
He was very close to getting through.
- So two points for Team Lewis,
and they'll get another run at the course later.
Well, here comes another big family who likes to have fun.
Make way for the Webers from Lehi, Utah.
Oh, look at this. It is a--
wow! - Oh!
Now that's a strong family, Matt.
- That is impressive.
all: Weber Ninja!
- Oh, and they're still going. all: Weber Ninja!
- "Weber Ninja" on three.
all: One, two, three, Weber Ninja!
- The Webers definitely have team spirit.
They're led by Ian, a Ninja veteran,
his wife Karissa, and their nephew Kaleb.
And they have a lot of unique talents.
- I'm not your typical Ninja.
- When Ninja vet Ian isn't winning awards
for sign spinning, AKA "shaker boarding,"
he's working on his massive toy car collection.
Meanwhile, his wife Karissa is an avid baker.
- I do all our family's birthday cakes,
and we have a huge family, so I'm baking all the time.
- But their love of Ninja
brings the whole family together,
and it is a big group.
- We got the family here. [all cheering]
I got nine siblings
and 50 nieces and nephews.
- There are a lot of members of the Weber family.
- Smile!
- So taking this one home
as a family
is really what it's all about.
- Together, we are...
all: Weber Ninja!
- Well, that extended family is gonna be watching
from all over Utah.
There's a couple dozen of them in their hometown of Lehi.
- It looks like a family reunion over there, Matt.
[all cheering]
- Now, Ian is the most experienced.
He made it to the city finals
when he competed back in season nine.
Looks like he's gonna take the first two obstacles.
Wife Karissa will take the middle leg.
Now, she's a baker, and she made us some cupcakes.
- Oh, Matt, look at this,
we got the cupcakes. They ready.
- Snickerdoodle.
- You know what's cool? They actually customized them.
Mine has an M on it, for Matt, which is--
- No, Matt, that's a W. It's a W for "win."
They're trying to get the win. They're trying to get the W.
- That makes more sense. - Yeah.
- And finally, 19-year-old Kaleb
is waiting at the end
to try the final two obstacles.
Anyway, let's see how they do.
Hoping they have a delicious run.
- Mmm. - Mmm!
Oh, my God. - These are bussin'.
- Ah!
- Okay, he is fired up.
- Ian Weber, wow, he is attacking this course, Akbar.
- Yes, he is, he's trying to get them points, quickly, too.
- Got the point for getting through Shrinking Steps.
Now he's flying through Wait for It.
- And he's one of our bigger athletes,
6'1" and 200 pounds.
But he can move.
- He competed on "American Ninja Warrior"
four years ago and did well.
Well, it's really nice when you run a gym.
You get to go out here and show your students.
So far, he's been perfect.
And he's gonna pick up another point for Team Weber.
And half the state of Utah,
AKA the Weber family, is celebrating.
Now it's Karissa's turn.
She has a choice of balance obstacles.
She's going with Burn Rubber.
- Just go, stay on top! Stay--oh, Karissa!
- Oh! - Oh!
- She was so close! - So close.
- Let's go, Kaleb!
- Well, now it's up to Kaleb to add to their total.
Only 19 years old.
This is his first try on a Ninja course.
He's an aspiring stuntman
who's about to go on a two-year mission
for his church.
How cool, wherever he goes,
he can say he is a Ninja Warrior.
- That's right, well, before he goes off to his mission....
This is his number one mission:
get through Sideways.
- This is a real challenging
technical transfer--wow!
This 19-year-old rookie
looking so good on such a complex obstacle.
- Boy, he's putting Utah on the map.
- Down and around. Great job.
That is just remarkable stuff.
- Oh, get that wall!
- And right into the Warped Wall.
- Get that wall! - Boom!
- Yeah! [horn blares]
- Kaleb Weber! - I see the will!
Goodness!
[cheers and applause]
- How does that feel now, huh? Representing for the family?
- Representing. Weber Ninja.
- And it's like we can hear all of Utah
screaming from here,
because Team Weber just got four points.
They'll get to run the course again later.
Coming up, he's been an inspiration
to Ninja fans for years,
as he's battled Parkinson's disease.
- Coming out here with Parkinson's disease
and saying, "You know what? It's not a limitation for me."
- But this will be the final night of Ninja
for Jimmy Choi.
- You're a hero to me.
You're a hero to everybody with Parkinson's.
This is your moment, pal.
- We'll see him next
on the "American Ninja Warrior
Family Championship."
- Welcome back to the first ever
Family Championship
on "American Ninja Warrior."
While we were away, Scottsdale, Arizona's
Johnston family took their shot at the course.
And 16-year-old Preslie Johnston led it off.
- There you go. - Yeah!
- In her first time on the Ninja course,
the high school student crushed it.
- Okay, Preslie.
The rookie about to bring home two points.
- Then it was her dad, Cody,
an anesthesiologist
who's a four-time Ninja veteran.
- Nice! - He beat Burn Rubber
and then flew through the fourth obstacle,
Air Surfer. - Oh, all right.
Well, he slapped her hand pretty hard.
- So it was up to 19-year-old daughter Rylie
to bring it home.
She was looking solid on Sideways.
- Oh!
- But couldn't get a grip on the center slider.
- It's okay.
- And the Johnston family
ended up with four points.
- I blame Cody, though.
He slapped her hand pretty hard to tag off.
- Up next, a team led by one of
the most inspirational Ninja athletes ever.
It's five-time veteran Jimmy Choi,
who's joined by his daughter and cousin.
all: Team Fox Ninja!
- And of course, Team Fox refers to
the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research.
You know, watching Jimmy Choi run with Parkinson's
is so inspirational.
My father has Parkinson's, and it was Jimmy
who really inspired me to get involved.
- Well, he's joined tonight by
his 13-year-old daughter Karina.
And there's the rest of their family back in Illinois.
The third member is Jimmy's cousin, Miinkay.
There are her parents watching from Texas.
Miinkay's a Ninja rookie, but
she stepped up to join the team
because this night means so much to Jimmy.
- * Knocking me down but my heart keeps beating *
* Light going out but I won't stop dreaming *
* I know a brighter day will come *
- This is gonna be my last hurrah
on "American Ninja Warrior."
I've been living with Parkinson's now for 18 years.
Even though I'm strong, I'm fit,
my window of movement on any given day
is getting smaller and smaller.
- * I believe it, yes, I believe it *
- Five years ago, when I started this journey,
it was my daughter who got me started.
She never had a doubt in my abilities.
- * Every bruise and every scar *
* Makes us who we are *
- There it is. - Yeah!
- She's been a competitor herself.
She's been on "American Ninja Warrior Junior" season one.
- Karina's gaining the advantage there.
- She ain't playing around, Matt.
That's Karina Choi.
- Well, she's only 4'3".
- I'm really excited.
I've never been able to, like, compete with him.
I've always just been, like, cheering him on.
- * When I hear them say *
* That it can't be done *
* I'm not laying down *
* I will overcome *
- This is your moment, pal. This is your moment.
This is what you live for, it's what you train for.
It's what you--
you stay up late thinking about.
I mean, now's your moment. Now you got it.
Now you grab it, seize it, hold it, run with it.
Nobody can take it away from you.
You're a hero to me.
You're a hero to everybody with Parkinson's.
You're a hero to your family.
You're a hero to anybody with a pulse.
Go kick butt!
- For me to be able to finish
and hit a buzzer on top of that the Warped Wall,
I think there's no better or more perfect way
for me to close that chapter
in my "American Ninja Warrior" career.
- * Every bruise, every scar *
* Makes us who we are *
* *
[cheers and applause] - Amazing.
And Jimmy's giving a final hug to Karina.
She's our youngest competitor,
and she'll be taking on the two middle obstacles.
Cousin Miinkay is back at the start line.
She'll tackle the first two obstacles.
And Jimmy will take the final leg.
He'll try to get through Sideways,
and perhaps his first shot at a Warped Wall.
- Everyone in America would love to see that.
- Well, Miinkay does a lot of distance biking
and mountain climbing,
but this is her first time on a Ninja course.
- All right, 35 years old and only 5'1".
- Miinkay, a good start.
Gets her team a point.
And she is taking this seriously.
She flew from California to Illinois
to train with Jimmy and other Chicago area Ninjas
like Flex Labreck.
But this second obstacle, Wait for It,
is technical.
You really have to know how to lache,
something that can take a lot of training.
She's only 108 pounds.
both: Oh!
- Hard fall. She got a point. - That's all right.
- So now it's Karina's turn.
At only 4'10",
she's gonna take on Domino Effect.
- She knows how to play dominoes!
- Oh, she does! - Yes, she does!
- Now the 13-year-old's gonna step up to Air Surfer.
- Yeah, and Karina trying to bring home
the third point so far for the Choi family.
- Karina competed on the first season
of "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
Was only 4'3" back then.
Now a whopping 4'10".
- Uh-oh, watch out.
Okay, good. Nice correction.
- Well, that's a three-foot leap
on to the narrow ledge.
- Ooh! - A fall!
But she got a point too.
Now it's Jimmy's turn on Sideways.
And like you said, Akbar,
boy, it would be great
for him to get a buzzer.
Sideways is so technically challenging.
- This is it, and you can see,
he's leading with that right hand
to get on the other side.
- You can see the power-- - Whoa!
- Oh, my goodness! With one hand!
- That was a nice one-handed save.
Look at Jimmy right here. Nice.
- Such good form. - How great will this be?
I want to see Jimmy Choi hit that buzzer.
- Oh, it would be... - Whoa.
- A moment of a lifetime for Jimmy.
Going for that dismount.
- We've not seen him on his-- - There it is.
- This is it! - Biggest chapter: Warped Wall!
- We get to see him up the Warped Wall!
- [cheering]
- You got this, Jimmy! - Get that buzzer!
- Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- This is it, this is history. - Come on.
- This is it.
- Yeah! - If you're struggling
with Parkinson's, you've got to be inspired!
- Yeah! - This is your moment!
- You got it! - Whoo!
- * I believe it, yes, I believe it *
* I can see, yes, I can see it *
* Every bruise and every scar *
* Makes us who we are *
- I am so happy for you, man.
People all around the world
who struggle with Parkinson's-- my father--
you are an inspiration, and for you to get this moment
on the Family Championship, how special is this for you?
- I have no--I have no words.
I mean, people tell me I'm an inspiration,
but everybody out there watching in the world,
they give me the push to go on.
Inspiration's a two-way street.
But you know what? To share this moment
with my family, with my daughter,
everybody watching at home,
and for me to finally hit this darn buzzer--
[cheers and applause]
I--I--
- Jimmy, last year we saw tears of pain
when you fell early on the obstacle,
and now we get to see tears of joy
as you hit that buzzer.
Hit it one more time.
- Let's go! [cheers and applause]
- Yay! Whoo!
- I've got chills. - I do too, my friend.
* *
Coming up, we're swimming with the sharks
and the whales
and the manta rays,
because Ninja's not the only adventure
for the Heinrichs family. They're next
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to our first ever
Family Championship.
While we were away, the Auer family
stepped up for their shot at glory.
all: Auer time!
- They all work together at the family's Ninja gym
back in Holly Springs, North Carolina,
including 15-year-old Josh Auer,
who competed as the Bathrobe Ninja
on "Ninja Junior."
Leading it off was Hannah Auer,
a 24-year-old rookie.
- Look at the speed. Okay, Hannah!
- She earned a point by getting past
the first obstacle,
but came up short on the second.
- Ooh!
- Her brother-in-law, 15-year-old Josh,
had the second leg,
and he breezed across Burn Rubber,
and attacked Air Surfer,
but overshot it.
So it was Josh's big brother
and Hannah's husband, Caleb Auer,
who took off on the final leg.
- Hopefully, we have Happy Auer.
- Caleb's a Ninja veteran
who made it to the Atlanta City Finals two years ago,
but he's never hit a buzzer
until tonight.
- Whoo!
- So that's four points for the Auers.
They look good.
- Guys, I am a sucker for those wildlife shows,
with the scary sharks and all of the massive whales.
And our next dad is the guy who dives to get those shots.
I'm talking about underwater filmmaker Shawn Heinrichs,
who's competing with his daughters,
Anabella and Secorra.
all: To the finish line! Go Team Heinrichs!
- They're another team with two teenage girls,
and they have incredible spirit.
And as you can see,
lots of support back in Colorado,
including from Mom and other family members.
- Yeah, bring it on! - And the Heinrichs
don't just Ninja together.
[gentle music]
- As a filmmaker and photographer,
my job is quite unique.
It takes me to the corners of the planet
to film just about every charismatic species
you can imagine in the oceans.
One of the challenges of my job
is leaving my children,
and so we've created the opportunity
for them to come to my work.
- I started snorkeling when I was around two years old,
and even at that age,
I was already snorkeling with sharks,
so I've never been afraid of anything.
- I've seen a lot of really cool things.
The most impressive things are manta rays.
They're majestic, to put it into one word.
- When I come back from traveling,
we train together.
My daughters are incredibly talented.
They got in before me,
and they're younger, and they're stronger.
- There you go. You're almost there.
My dad, he's always been a very athletic person
my entire life,
so it didn't necessarily surprise me
that he was also good at Ninja.
- Perfect. - Whoo!
- Nice. - In my work, I have filmed
some of the most incredible spectacles in all the oceans.
But I can't imagine a more precious moment
than to stand on the platform with my two daughters,
holding up the Family Championship trophy together.
That moment would beat every other moment in my life.
- Well, Secorra's gonna be leading it off.
One of the youngest competitors out here,
just 14 years of age.
Her 49-year-old dad Shawn
will take the middle obstacles.
- Matt, the man is wearing shark socks.
- I'm gonna have to bite that style.
And that leaves the older daughter,
16-year-old Anabella Heinrichs,
to take the final leg.
- I love that hair!
Those Heinrichs have style.
- And they've got two other all-star Ninjas
cheering them on from Colorado,
Austin Gray and Gnarly Nate Hansen.
They've been coaching this family.
- And they're making the fishing motion.
Guess the Heinrichs are gonna reel in a buzzer.
- Secorra's gonna kick it off.
- And Matt, she's the baby of the family.
Here comes Baby Shark.
- Wow, that was a real confident start
out of Secorra. On to Wait for It.
- Let's go!
- Come on, Secorra.
- And again, just 4'11" and 90 pounds,
our lightest competitor.
Now this is a challenge here, a lache,
and that bar's gonna drop. - She looks like a pro, Matt!
- She's generating good power. - Yes, she is.
Fly, fly, nice! - Whoa!
Oh, my goodness! - Matt, she's so light,
she threw her whole body over the bar!
- Well, we were worried about Secorra,
but she seems up to the task.
Oh, my goodness.
- I tell you, it pays to be light.
- This kid keeps up,
I think we're gonna need a bigger course.
- This is a bigger lache. She's light,
so she might get up high again.
Nice. - Unbelievable!
[cheers and applause]
This is impressive, Akbar. - Come on, Secorra.
- 14-year-old rookie, and she just got
two points for her family. - Yeah!
Baby Shark tagging off to Daddy Shark.
- He's 5'9", 49 years old.
He's gonna put those legs to the test on Burn Rubber.
Balance gonna be tested. - Nice, ooh!
- Wow! - He was running around
like he was running away from alligators!
- This team is eating up this course.
They are like predators out here, Akbar,
chewing these obstacles up.
And remember, they're all Ninja rookies.
First time ever on the big
"American Ninja Warrior" course.
Gonna try to fly through Air Surfer.
- Ooh, be careful. You gotta correct that.
- Well, this is just a challenge--
instead of a bar, going with that board,
it's easy to overshoot the landing pad.
- And you can only imagine,
for a rookie, how challenging this is.
- And you can see, though, Akbar, that left side
is not well on. Watch this placement here.
- No, Shawn's looking a little uncomfortable.
- Got it.
Shawn was captain of the wrestling team
at Penn in the Ivy league.
Trying not to get pinned here. - Yes, come on, finish.
- And Matt--and look at the encouragement
from Teenage Shark.
Oh, my goodness.
- That's four obstacles.
So far, a perfect run.
Now, Annabella's up. - Come on, Annabella.
- Gonna take on this challenging fifth obstacle,
Sideways.
Look at her skills.
- Come on! Bring it home!
- Oh, my goodness!
Using that lower body to kip up
and make these transfers.
This is so impressive.
Oh, my goodness!
What a phenomenal effort here!
- Okay!
What?
- Are you kidding me? - Look at this!
- She just conquered Sideways!
[cheers and applause]
Now, at 5'4", the rainbow fish-haired girl
is going for the Warped Wall.
Looking to make it a perfect six points here.
- Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- This will be the best run thus far in round one.
- We saw her nice grip on the Sideways.
Let's see if she can grip it.
- Ooh, that was close.
But gets two more attempts.
- Oh, come on, you're there. - Come on, all in.
All in, all in. - You're right there.
- She's gonna need to grab the top of that Warped Wall,
use those Jaws-like grip.
- Ooh.
You get one more effort.
- All you need is one more. - Take a breath, take a breath.
Take a second. - All you need is one more.
- We're gonna see if she can put this together.
They've already got five points.
She's 5'4", but she can get up
this 14 and a half-foot wall.
She's done it in training.
Oh, yes! - Oh!
- Yes!
[cheers and applause]
Yes!
- Whoo!
- I see you, Teenage Shark!
I see you!
- Let's go! - Whoo!
- You gotta tell me, which one's scarier,
swimming down there with sharks
or doing this Ninja course?
- This. - Oh, okay!
- With their size and inexperience,
I don't think anyone was expecting
this type of run.
But this team of rookies on the big course
just crushed it,
the first to get all six points.
- And right now, they're down with Zuri.
- A family of divers avoids the water.
You're perfectly dry.
Way to pull off those six points.
Shawn, how are you feeling about
how the Heinrichs held it down?
- I am so, so proud of my two girls.
- Yeah. - They brought me to the sport.
I owe it all to them.
And this is one of the proudest days of my life.
- Oh, my gosh, a proud papa, indeed.
Secorra, how did you feel when you started things off?
- At first, I was pretty nervous,
but once I started, I knew that
our whole entire team was just gonna rock it.
- I love that.
And, Anabella, you hit that buzzer.
What were you thinking in those final moments
before you made it up?
- I was just thinking, like, "You got so close.
"You know you can do this. Just run as fast as you can,
jump, and get up there. Gotta go all out."
- You went all out and you got it done.
Heinrichs, congratulations.
Cannot wait to see what you guys do in round two,
if it's anything like this first one.
Good job. - Thank you so much.
- Of course.
- Still some good teams to come, but right now,
the Heinrichs are at the top of the leaderboard
with six points.
Remember, only the top four teams will move on
based on points from round one and round two.
It's gonna be rip-roaring...
Oh! - Okay!
- And hair-raising... - The hair's amazing.
- When we return on the "American Ninja Warrior
Family Championship."
- Welcome back to the first ever
Family Championship
on "American Ninja Warrior."
And moments ago, the Wright family
came out to see if they had the right stuff.
Mike Wright, the Speedo Ninja,
is a five-time veteran
known for stripping down to his Speedos.
- Oh! - Oh, there we go!
Tonight, with his sister Nikkilette
and cousin Roman at his side,
he was ready for another rip-roaring start.
Oh! - What?
- Oh! - Okay!
- They couldn't convince Roman to rock the Speedo.
- Roman said, "I am too cool."
- Looking good, Roman. Let's go, big man.
- Roman, a college basketball player
from Escondido, California,
picked up a point on the first obstacle.
- 19 years old, Matt. He's got some athleticism.
- But came up empty on the second.
- No, airball!
- Mike Wright, the most experienced member
of the team, had no problem on Domino Effect.
- He ain't playing!
- And the diving coach at the University of Tennessee
was able to keep his Speedos dry
on both his obstacles.
- Yeah!
- He tagged his sister, Nikkilette,
a stuntwoman in Hollywood.
- Ooh!
- But she had a crash landing on Sideways,
leaving Team Wright with three points overall.
- Our next family definitely has
the best haircuts in the bunch.
The Beckstrands from St. George, Utah,
also have the most Ninja experience.
All three members of the team
have competed on "American Ninja Warrior."
And they're hard to miss because of one thing...
- The hair. The hair is amazing.
- Yeah, the mohawks definitely make this team stand out.
all: Beckstrand family Ninjas!
- And this family has been preparing
for this competition for years.
- I never thought, when Brian
started building stuff in our backyard,
that it would literally change our way of life.
We are truly a Ninja family.
[all yelling]
- Both my parents have been on the show.
My mom competed on season 10 and 11.
- All right, just go for it. Wow!
- Ooh, a hard impact.
Look at that reaction.
- My dad competed on season seven and eight.
- Okay! I see you!
- Brian Beckstrand!
- And I competed season 13, with my dad.
- Get that buzzer! Yeah!
- Watching Kai and Brian make history...
- The first father and son to hit a buzzer
on "American Ninja Warrior!"
- First ever! - Yeah.
- Whoo!
- Was awesome.
- Beckstrands, baby!
We here!
- I feel pretty cool, 'cause most parents,
they're sitting on the sidelines
watching their kids compete,
when we're actually competing with our kids.
Yep, he's coming. He's coming, Bri, he's coming.
It's something that we can all do together.
- I'm super excited that we get to compete as a family now.
It's insane.
- [laughs]
- I think each one of us
has something to bring to the table.
Me and Holly have the experience and the age.
But we're definitely leaning on Kai.
He's our it-factor, he's our anchor.
And hopefully not everyone has a Kai on their team.
Let's go, we got this. - Yeah.
- Gonna be awesome.
Exciting.
- The other members of the family
are watching back in Utah.
And lots of friends at the Ninja gym
the Beckstrands own in St. George.
Mama Holly will be leading it off.
They're giving their all-star son Kai
the challenging middle obstacles,
and dad Brian will be going for the buzzer
on that final leg.
Let's see if the Beckstrands can bring it tonight.
- This family is definitely
one of the favorites to win it all.
- Holly kicking it off. Last saw her in season 11.
Good. - Hold on, okay.
One point for the Beckstrands.
- Wait for It.
- Come on, Hol. - You got it, Mom.
- Gotta lache on a moving bar
to catch another moving bar dropping down.
- Get up, yeah! - Wow!
Matt, this is a 41-year-old mom
who's got five kids at home.
- Well, they do own two gyms.
The whole family trains there. They train on vacations.
It's a very fit family, Akbar.
- It is. They stay moving, Matt.
- One more. - Same thing, same thing.
- I wonder if they have any deal with Mama Holly
to see... - Whoa!
- If she would get a mohawk, Akbar.
She is holding her own here.
- Big swing.
- I'm coming. - Get off of there. Big kick.
- Mom and son just having a little chat out here.
- Two points for the Beckstrands.
- Kai's gonna tackle Burn Rubber.
This kid was an absolute-- oh, my God--
revelation in season 13.
We lowered the age limit
and Kai was one of the teenagers who took advantage.
He made it all the way to Stage 2 in Vegas at just 15.
And whoa, almost came up short there.
But corrects it.
- A lot of potential superstars
among those teenagers,
and Kai Beckstrand's one of them.
- Well, the Heinrichs set the bar a few minutes ago.
They got through all six obstacles.
The Beckstrands trying to be the second team to be perfect.
And Kai does his part. - Nice.
- But now it's Dad's turn on Sideways.
This is such a technical obstacle.
Get that hand down and around.
- Oh, he's so strong, so technical.
We know he spends a lot of time in the Ninja gym.
- Yes. - He's also a firefighter,
so this man knows fitness is a matter of life and death.
- Yeah, two more. Almost there.
- And he's out here, at 42 years old,
keeping up with his 15-year-old son
and he's crushing Sideways.
- There we go! - Nice!
Look at this fitness level. This is why he passed
the fitness test with flying colors.
Nice!
[horn blares]
- Whoo-hoo!
- And no problem.
Brian Beckstrand and the Beckstrands deliver.
Six for six on these obstacles.
- * Whoa, whoa, whoa, oh *
- Brian, you've seen a lot of competition,
you, your wife, and Kai.
How does this one compare to "Ninja" and "Ninja Junior"?
- It's fun being able to be there and support each other
on individual stuff.
But to say that because of all of our efforts
we got to here, it's even better.
It doesn't get better than that.
- They say a family that plays together stay together,
and you guys stay together with six points.
Great job, man. - Thank you.
- Not surprising, man. The mohawk is looking good.
Hit that buzzer one more time.
Well, there it is. It's all about family
for the Beckstrands, for all the families out there.
It's what "American Ninja Warrior" is all about.
- Yes, it is.
- Coming up.
Can your cafeteria worker do this?
- My goodness.
- The Lunch Lady Ninja serves it up family-style,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to the Family Championship
of "American Ninja Warrior."
And right now, the Beckstrands and Heinrichs
sit atop the leaderboard with six points.
Only the top four teams will move on.
We've still got two more teams to run in round one.
And up next, from Indianapolis,
it's the O'Dells.
That's 41-year-old dad, George,
38-year-old mom, Amanda,
and their 17-year-old son, Trey.
- Look at them flexing some Midwest muscles.
- Well, they run a Ninja gym back in Indy,
and they've got their two other daughters
watching from home with some friends,
plus lots of students at their gym.
[cheers and applause]
And Ninja fans may remember Amanda.
She made a big impression a couple years ago,
representing for cafeteria workers everywhere.
[all chanting]
- Whoa!
Yeah, girl!
I am the Lunch Lady Ninja.
Ethan, you want lettuce and tomato?
- Uh, no.
- Here you go, bud. Have a good day.
Do you want any veggies?
It's just an awesome job. I love it so much.
Is everybody's food delicious?
Making your muscles strong?
The last time you saw me on "Ninja Warrior,"
I had a pretty successful rookie year.
- Rhythm, rhythm. Tater tot, tot, tot, tot, tot.
That's what I'm talking about! Yes!
- I made it all the way to the fifth obstacle.
- What a performance by this rookie.
- You know, for 20 years,
I've been trying to tell her how awesome she is.
What she's capable of, what I see,
that she can't see.
- She can't believe it, but her fans can.
- And I felt like, for just this little moment,
a few years ago, everybody got to see that.
And that--that was awesome.
- Training has definitely turned into a family affair.
My son competes in Ninja.
Trey is a very natural Ninja.
He has no fear whatsoever.
- Hanging out with my parents, doing Ninja, is cool,
'cause that's, like, not something that a lot of people
do with their families.
- It would be really cool
to have a really great couple of runs,
to get to the finals.
But I can tell you this, no matter what,
I'm super proud of them.
I couldn't be more grateful for them.
Just being here, right now,
has been awesome.
- So Amanda's gonna lead it off.
- Lunch Lady's got some dance moves.
- Let's go, baby!
- Her husband, George, will take the middle two obstacles,
and then their son, Trey, will take the final leg.
- My boy!
What's happening? Ah!
- I got a feeling this group is
gonna have some fun out here.
They've got their message: "Purpose over podium."
I like it. Purpose-driven life.
- Amanda actually became a lunch lady
'cause she wanted to have the same hours as her kids,
got to work at the school where was Trey was going.
And she shocked the world two years ago.
Came out as an unknown rookie
and ended up making it to the Cincinnati City Finals.
And she knows how to lache, Akbar.
Wait For It's a challenge, 'cause that bar drops down.
Great job. - Yeah, and it's the timing.
And she's got that timing.
And she never did any sports growing up.
But now, she's out here crushing the course
as a 38-year-old mom.
- Nice.
- And, Matt, now this is a bigger jump, a bigger leap.
Nice catch.
- Taking her time, but that's okay.
Lunch Lady's about to deliver something
as delicious as Sloppy Joe's,
and that would be two points. - Oh, all right.
Got it. - Two points.
- Here we go, come on. - Now it's Dad's turn.
Going for Domino Effect.
Oh! - No, no!
Domino Effect--he's down.
- Slapped down. Now it's up to Trey.
He'll start with Sideways.
- All right, Trey's 17 years old.
- Wow. - High school senior.
- And Sideways is a very difficult,
very technical obstacle that's knocked out
some top Ninjas over the years.
But this rookie is sailing through it.
- And it's--it's a blind grab.
You're just hoping that you get high enough
and then land that-- - Oh, my goodness.
Are you kidding me? - Okay, Trey!
Get your diploma! - And no hesitation!
- Ooh! - Missed the first one.
Two more attempts.
Only needs one--oh, my God.
- Look at him flexing!
- That's right, Trey! Yeah! Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- Trey O'Dell hits a buzzer
in his first time on a Ninja course.
And the O'Dells get four points total
on their first run.
I gotta ask, man. You're 17 years old.
What's it like competing with your parents?
- They're pretty cool. - They're pretty cool, huh?
- Yeah.
- 17 years old, out here competing
with Mom and Dad, and he held his own.
The Lunch Lady Ninja served up two points
by knocking down the first two obstacles.
Then the teenager came through with two more.
He got a leg up on the Warped Wall.
Now that's flexibility.
- So that's four points for the O'Dells,
a good start for them.
Up next, she made history here before.
The first mother ever to hit a buzzer!
Can Sandy Zimmerman do it this time with her family?
She's next,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back
to our Family Championship.
And remember, at the end of the night,
our final four teams are headed over
to the 40-foot monster, the Power Tower.
- Yeah, and it'll be our first ever Power Tower relay race.
They're gonna race head-to-head
to crown our first champion.
- Only the top four teams will move on,
based on their obstacle total in the two rounds.
Right now, the Beckstrands and Heinrichs
sit atop the leaderboard,
but we've got one more team to go in round one.
Zuri, get 'em started.
- She became a legend right here in the Tacoma Dome
as the first mom ever to hit a buzzer,
right on "American Ninja Warrior."
Now, Sandy Zimmerman is back with her family.
The Spokane PE teacher is a five-time Ninja veteran,
and her son Brett competed on "Ninja Junior."
But her husband Charlie,
well, he had to work for his spot on the team.
- We knew Brett and I were shoo-ins.
Brett and I were going to be part of this trio
of three Ninjas.
But we needed a third,
and so that was the funny part in the family--
who's gonna be our third?
- Hello? What about me?
- Mm, I don't know, Dad.
- Charlie competed on season ten.
- And he delivers!
- But we weren't sure how he would do.
- You're joking. - Sorry, Charlie.
We want to win.
- So we thought it would be fun to run a tryout.
We got Charlie on some obstacles.
- Oh, jeez.
I was super nervous.
I just kinda went along with it.
So that kinda lit the fire under me.
- We had a little checklist,
and seeing if he could make the cut.
- How we doing, guys? - You're doing a good job, Dad.
- [whispers] I think we better call Grandpa.
- Yeah.
- That's pretty good. - Yeah.
- That's pretty good.
Luckily, Charlie made the cut,
so he's our third person.
Yes, finish it.
- I definitely don't think I'm a weak link.
I'm gonna come up big tonight.
And I want to just make them proud.
- Hey, Charlie better represent,
because their two youngest kids
also do Ninja and can join the team, if needed.
- They're back in Spokane with the family's dog, Koda.
Lots of other friends watching.
The Zimmermans host a lot of events at their home.
They're the first family of Ninja in Spokane.
Charlie will get to show what he can do early.
He's gonna take the first leg with obstacles one and two.
- Ooh, Charlie's starting it off.
- 15-year-old son Brett is getting into place
in the middle of the course.
He'll face obstacles three and four.
And that'll leave ZimmerMom Sandy
to take the final leg,
which hopefully ends with her hitting the buzzer.
- Come on, Dad. You got this, Dad!
- Charlie's starting this thing off.
- Well, he was a pitcher for the Gonzaga baseball team,
so he was a college athlete.
And he gets their first point.
He and Sandy met at Gonzaga.
She was on the basketball team.
- Yeah, he's 6'2".
He's got those long arms to use right here on Wait for It.
- Get it.
That's it.
- Feeling pretty good
about what this family can do.
Charlie's not gonna set any speed records
for this obstacle, but that's okay.
Just needs to get through it.
Gotta get over to that final bar.
- You're good. - Come on.
- Nice.
Oh, Charlie! - Oh, fingertip save!
- Oh, my--crap! Charlie!
Geez, Louise, way to make it exciting.
- Sandy's nervous.
- Sandy is freaking out over here.
- All right, come on, get off.
- Charlie gets another point. Hand it off to Brett.
- He's choosing Domino Effect.
- Right through it.
And heads up to Air Surfer.
- That's my boy. - Come on, Brett.
- Come on, you can do this!
- Brett never failed an obstacle when he competed
on "Ninja Junior," Akbar. Kid's a stud.
Both his parents are Ninja Warriors,
so you know who his favorite Ninja is:
Najee Richardson,
who was his mentor at "ANW Junior."
- Well, you know, he can't-- he shouldn't overlook Mom.
Mama's a pretty nice Ninja.
- Four-foot leap here.
Ooh, almost came up short on that leap.
Cutting it close.
But now almost through Air Surfer.
Look at this, the Zimm family, perfect.
Leave it to Sandy to bring it home.
Tacoma's where she got her first buzzer in season 11.
- Yeah, she's had a lot of good things happen
here in Tacoma for her.
She's about to show her son,
"Boy, this is where you get your Ninja DNA from."
- Well, she competed in the Women's Championship.
Faced Sideways twice, bested it both times.
- Come on, Mom, you can do this!
- Now, the conversation at the house is
who's the better Ninja? And if you asked--
oh, no!
- Shockingly, the fall in the Zimmerman family
comes from Sandy.
She is such a competitor.
She is not gonna be happy about this.
- A few close calls for the Zimmermans.
Charlie made a one-handed save on Wait for It,
and Brett barely landed the board on Air Surfer.
For Sandy, her left hand got caught on the slider,
and they didn't land together on the next board.
That ended her run.
- Ugh, sorry.
- You're all right, you're all right.
- My right hand didn't get all the over the top of it.
- All right, we got one more run.
- That's right, they've still got a run
in round two.
And we've got two teams
who are perfect, with six points.
A big bunch of families
joining the Zimmermans with four points.
But no one's out of it yet,
with round two coming up.
And later, our champions will be determined
40 feet in the air, as our final four
go head-to-head on the Power Tower.
It's the Family Championship
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to our first ever
Family Championship.
All our teams have now had a shot at the course,
and now, they get to do it again.
- But in run number two, they change up the order.
So it could be a different story second time around.
- Plus, they have to pick a different balance obstacle.
So if they chose Burn Rubber in round one,
they'll have to try Domino Effect this time,
or vice versa.
Starting off our second round
will be the Johnston family
from Scottsdale, Arizona,
led by four-time Ninja veteran, Cody.
This family's Ninja journey
started back in 2015.
That's when Cody made his first run on the Ninja course.
His daughters were on the sideline cheering him on.
And though they fell asleep in the stands,
they got the Ninja bug.
- Big swing, big move.
- And now they train with Dad back in Arizona.
- Nice.
- That's enough.
- So 19-year-old college student Rylie Johnston
is gonna lead it off this time.
- She's competed on the regular season of "Ninja."
She's got experience.
- Her little sister Preslie will be waiting
to take on the two middle obstacles.
And then dad Cody stands ready
to take it home on the final two.
Gives him a good shot to hit his very first buzzer.
Lots of folks watching back in Arizona,
including the other members of the Johnston family.
- Go, guys!
- They got four points in round one,
and Rylie's gonna pick up another point
here on Shrinking Steps.
both: Yeah! - Whoo.
- Wait for It is a challenge, Akbar.
We've seen some falls here.
- Yeah, that's right, three falls on this in round one.
It can be very difficult if you don't know
how to generate a swing.
- Gets the first one.
- Boom. Solid.
- Rylie was a high-level gymnast
before she started Ninja training.
Just 5'1", 115 pounds.
Building up her swing to reach this final bar.
- Ooh! - That's a proud dad.
- He should be.
She's about to get another point.
And she does it.
Tags her sister, Preslie,
who must try Domino Effect,
since Dad did Burn Rubber earlier.
both: Oh, no!
- Uh-oh.
- So now, it's up to Dad.
To move on, a team probably needs at least eight points,
so Cody's gonna need to finish both these obstacles.
- And he's never hit a buzzer
in four seasons on "Ninja Warrior."
- He's never made it past the fifth obstacle.
Facing this critical move on Sideways.
Has to get off the slider.
Not sure which hand he's gonna lead with, Akbar.
- He's gotta get high, he's gotta get the height.
- Oh, that's a great save. - That was so close!
- That was an impressive save. His hips didn't have
much distance, but managed to hold on.
- Ooh, do you see how focused he is?
- Oh, my! A flip, and he's through!
And now he's gonna face the Warped Wall
for the first time in his Ninja career.
- Come on. - Come on!
- Come on.
- Just kind of taking his breath.
- This will be such a big moment for him.
- And he got it! - There it is.
- Cody Johnston. Oh.
Oh, from the top rope!
From the top rope! Oh!
- Yeah! - Oh!
I love it! - There it is!
- Whoo!
- Oh, man!
- He is ecstatic.
- I love that. That was fun.
- Man, I've been waiting to do this for years.
- Yeah. - Ah, this feels good.
- Well, how good does it feel doing it when you know
you're getting to compete with your daughters?
- This right here doesn't even compare.
Second to none.
Getting to compete with these strong young ladies...
- Nice job!
- Means the world to me.
- What a beautiful moment. The dad right there--
- Good job, guys!
Whoo!
- That's why we did this family special, Akbar,
for that moment right there. - Well, hey, Papa delivered.
- And the Johnston family has eight points total.
We'll see if that's enough to advance.
Either way, a great moment for this family.
Up next, taking their second run at the course,
it's the Auer family
from Holly Springs, North Carolina.
That's Hannah, her husband, Caleb,
and his little brother Josh in the bathrobe.
And there are more Auers back in North Carolina.
For this group, Ninja is a family business.
- Caleb and I met when we were ten, at church.
- The first time I saw her,
I was pretty much immediately smitten by her.
But I was too scared to talk to her
for the first few years I knew her.
- I had his friends constantly telling me,
since he was little, that he liked me, and I said,
"I'm not gonna believe it until he tells me himself."
- Eventually, I got up the courage
and started talking to her more and more.
In 2016, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.
Since then, it's been happily ever after.
- I had no idea I was gonna be married into a Ninja family.
- Go.
Ninja's really become our family business.
My dad owns the gym, I manage and coach.
Josh also coaches. Hannah runs the day camps.
And my mom does the books.
- Nice job. - Nice.
all: Whoo!
- I think working at the gym
and always being around obstacles
gives us the extra advantage over some of these teams.
I've been on two seasons
of "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
And I'm known as the Bathrobe Ninja.
And I made it to the semifinals both times.
- The Bathrobe Ninja... - Wow!
- With the massive dismount there.
- He's going for his fastest time!
- Me and Josh have definitely always been friends,
but "Ninja Warrior" has definitely
made us best of friends.
He pushes me to do things
I didn't think I could do,
and I push him to do things
he didn't think he could do so
we really work together well.
both: Oh! - Right there, man.
- It's so cool that we all
get to experience this together.
It's really just surreal. It's a dream come true.
- And the whole family's watching
back in North Carolina,
including Mom there on the left.
And a lot of the Ninjas they train with
are watching back at the family gym.
Caleb Auer is going to lead it off.
Only 24, but he's the old man on this team.
His wife, Hannah, who's also 24,
will take the middle leg.
And that leaves the Bathrobe Ninja, Josh,
in the anchor leg.
He first wore the bathrobe in his submission tape
when he competed on "Ninja Junior,"
and now he wears it to the start line
for every run.
The Auers grabbed four points in their first run,
and Caleb Auer quickly gets across the steps
to grab another.
both: Whoo!
- Going up on to Wait for It.
Caleb got two points in the first run.
Looking strong once again.
- Oh, almost overshot that bar right there!
- Caleb played high school football
back in North Carolina,
and he's showing good hands on this obstacle.
Needs to generate some swing here.
- Nice, you got this.
Yes, Caleb!
- Caleb was perfect in round one.
Looking to go perfect again.
And he does it. He's through.
Tags Hannah, who must do Domino Effect,
since they did Burn Rubber earlier.
- She's gotta run fast. Go, go, go.
She's leaning forward!
- Perfect! - Oh, Hannah!
- Yeah! - Hannah!
- And that obstacle's been tough tonight.
all: Yeah!
- You got this, Hannah.
- You can do this. You can do it, come on.
- Now on Air Surfer,
and you can hear her getting a lot of support there.
- I love that, husband tagging off to the wife,
and the wife delivering.
- There you go, just like that. Nice.
- And you hear Josh Auer offering a lot of advice.
15, he is confident with his Ninja skills, Akbar.
- Nice, Hannah! - Yeah! Let's go!
- Good work, come on.
- Josh actually fell on this obstacle in round one.
- She's lining it up.
Three-foot leap here.
- Come on, Hannah.
both: Oh, no!
- Just missed the transfer.
So now pressure's on for Josh.
In order for them to advance,
probably gonna need to get two more points.
A lot of families left to run.
- Wow! - Good pace here.
- Trying to get four here.
- It's this descent. You gotta go
down and around with that lead hand.
- And you can see him analyzing it
and then going up. - Oh, my goodness.
Nice--ooh, heard a little squeak in that.
- He didn't even bring the bathrobe, Akbar.
He is that focused.
Warped Wall should be no problem.
Right up it!
- Whoo!
- Let's go!
- There it is! And he is pumped.
- Oh, man!
[cheers and applause]
all: Whoo!
- * Show them what you're made of *
- Great job, man, you guys brought home five points.
- So the Auers are now atop the leaderboard.
It's looking like these families will need at least
eight points to be in the top four
and move on to the Power Tower.
But the Auers can celebrate for now.
They're the clubhouse leaders,
with nine points.
They were a big surprise in round one.
Can the Heinrichs from Colorado
make it to the final four?
They're up next on
the "American Ninja Warrior" Family Championship.
- Welcome back to the legendary Tacoma Dome
and our first "American Ninja Warrior"
Family Championship.
While we were away, the Lewis family
tried to add to the two points they got in the first round.
6'0" tall mom Noel Lewis took the slow approach,
step by Shrinking Step.
- Ooh! She got baptized!
- Then Derrick, Akbar's college football teammate,
tried sprinting through the Domino Effect.
- No! D-Lew!
- So it was left to son Darius to pick up some points.
The college football wide receiver
showed good hands on Sideways,
until he couldn't make the grab.
- Oh, Sideways!
- And the team with the football background
ends up with a safety, two points.
The O'Dells, from Indianapolis,
came in with four points from round one.
A good run could get them to the Power Tower.
And the 41-year-old dad came out strong,
ripping through the first two obstacles.
- Look at it. That's how you do it.
- He tagged 17-year-old son, Trey,
who made quick work of Burn Rubber.
- There's a different pace to the O'Dell family.
- And the teenager picked up another point on Air Surfer.
So it was up to his mom, Amanda, the Lunch Lady Ninja,
to bring it home.
- Ooh!
- Her fall on Sideways left the O'Dells
with four points for round two,
eight points overall,
still in contention to move on.
Well, up next, one of the real surprises
so far in this competition:
it's Colorado's Heinrichs family.
This underwater filmmaker dad and his two daughters
made a big splash back in round one.
- Whoo! - Whoo-hoo!
- Shawn, the 49-year-old dad,
is gonna lead it off this time
and tackle the first two obstacles.
His 16-year-old daughter Anabella
will handle the middle leg.
She hit a buzzer in round one
and looked very strong.
And 14-year-old daughter Secorra
is taking on the final two obstacles.
She was also impressive in their first run.
And Ninja's not the only thing
she's got brewing.
- Ooh, vanilla chai.
- That one might be my favorite.
- Oh, wow.
- My family is big tea drinkers.
This one is the lemon ginger.
And my mom started only letting me get
organic teas, and I could not really
find that many that I liked.
So then I got the idea that I should start my own company.
This is probably the coolest tea I've made.
Butterfly pea flowers are naturally blue,
and once you put lemon in them, they turn purple.
I currently have nine different flavors.
It reacts with the citrus.
- Oh, wow! - Oh, my goodness!
I thought it was gonna be slightly more blue.
That is amazing!
- I can't even believe that tea can do that.
- When we win this competition,
we're gonna toast a celebration with some of my tea.
all: Yay!
- Matt, we about to have a tea party
if this family wins this thing.
- Well, they've got six points from round one.
If they pick up five in this run,
they'll be guaranteed to move on.
And there's one of them.
[cheering]
- Dad's got the least amount of Ninja experience,
but he's been perfect so far.
- Now on Wait for It.
Gotta be able to lache and grab that second bar.
He gets it!
- Whoo! - Let's go!
- The former college wrestler
trying to wrestle his way through these bars.
There it is.
They and the Beckstrands,
the only teams to be perfect
in round one.
- Well, Matt, this is so great.
He really got into Ninja
because he wanted to spend more time
with his daughters.
Oh!
- Oh, no! - No!
- Dad can't complete the second obstacle,
so now it's Anabella's turn.
She must choose Domino Effect,
because they tried Burn Rubber earlier.
- You got it, you got it.
Yeah! Great job.
- And now they're up to eight points,
as she scrambles up to Air Surfer.
- Keep 'em up, keep 'em up.
- Well, she was so impressive on Sideways
and bringing home that buzzer.
Took her three tries, but she got it.
- Here we go, Air Surfer. - You can see that board's
already a little askew, Akbar.
Watch that left side. - And she's gotta land it.
You see her focusing to her left side.
Nice. - Ooh, barely got it on.
And very often Ninjas will do that.
They'll choose to focus on one side,
trusting the other one mounts.
But you can see, it's still a little uneven.
- Yeah, that's right. And that's a sign
of probably a right-handed person,
focusing on the left side, the less dominant side.
- Ooh! - Nice!
- Great job here. This is so impressive.
- Matt, but do you see how focused she is?
- She could put her family in a tie for first
if she finishes this obstacle.
And she does it!
Now, Secorra,
a 14-year-old, on Sideways. - You just can't help
but to fall in love with Secorra--look at her.
Okay, look at that, using the technique.
Oh! - Ooh!
Couldn't make the grab on that second board.
So the Heinrichs have to settle for three points.
But they're atop the leaderboard,
tied with the Auer family,
with nine total points so far.
Well, up next is another team
that needs a good run to stay alive.
It's Sandy Zimmerman and her family.
They only got four points in round one,
so they need a big run here to make it into the top four.
The rest of the family watching at home,
and many other friends from the Spokane area
cheering them on.
The Zimmermans such a big part
of the northwest Ninja community.
- My whole "American Ninja Warrior" journey
has been transformational.
For the first time in my life,
I have a group of people that I've let in,
and we become family.
Give me a hug, like you love me.
I know you do.
- Nice, Kellen.
Our yard has become
kind of the beacon of all Ninjas in the northwest.
We don't have a gym here, so everybody comes here.
And we have, you know, hundreds of people every month
that can come and train.
- Thank you guys so much.
I couldn't be here without you.
[applause]
Ninja's just a huge part of my family's life.
And we've been training together
as a family for over six years.
- Nice. - Whoo!
- At the beginning, I was able to really,
like, kind of set a bar.
The first mom!
And then what you discover, as a parent,
is that your child quickly will pass you up.
And so now, to see Brett crush it...
- The ZimmNinja gets the win!
- That's the part that I'm really most proud of.
Bounce, bounce, bounce. Good.
It's so mind-blowing to get to finally
get to do this together,
because it's been such a journey.
Our life has been absolutely changed
doing "American Ninja Warrior,"
and the thought that this could come full circle
and that we could win this Family Championship together,
it's like a dream come true.
- Sandy's gonna take the first leg.
Remember, she fell in round one,
and did not get any points.
You know she wants to redeem herself.
She is super competitive,
and she knows they need a strong run this time.
And gets a point right there.
all: Yeah!
- Sandy now on Wait for It.
Great upper body strength.
This plays into her wheelhouse.
But can never get overconfident.
- Matt, she played basketball at Gonzaga.
You know she's got good hands.
- There's still a few more teams to run,
but they probably need to get at least five points
on this run, for nine total,
if they want to advance.
Sandy is such a competitor, Akbar.
You know it killed her not getting a point
for her team in round one.
- All right, so she's bounced back in this round.
She's about to get her second point.
- Makes it through and tags Charlie.
He has to choose Burn Rubber because they went with
Domino Effect in the first round.
- Oh, okay! - Survives!
- Yes!
- Nice. Good job, Dad.
- Brett just said, "Good job, Dad."
And believe me, a 15-year-old saying that,
that takes something.
Complimenting Pops, it's good.
And Dad flying through Air Surfer.
They now have seven points.
If they get up to ten, they'll be guaranteed a spot
in the Power Tower tourney.
Long transfer.
Got it! - Okay!
- The 46-year-old dad was supposed to be
their weak link, but he has been perfect.
And gets another point. - Nice, all right!
- Brett can bring it home!
Now it's in the hands of their teenage son, Brett.
If he gets through these next two, they are moving on.
- This is dangerous.
Sideways. - Just 15 years old.
- Nice.
Just need three more moves here.
And he's good.
- This could be a big comeback
for the Zimmermans.
Mom's getting emotional.
- Ooh! - This kid is good!
- Heck, yeah!
- The Zimmermans have come back strong in round two.
And they're moving on to the Power Tower.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
- Attaboy!
- They're the ultimate Ninja family,
and they're now one of our final four teams.
Well, I know your mom is in
tears of joy on the sideline. - Yeah.
- Go down and celebrate with your family, big man.
Sandy got her redemption and got two points.
Charlie came through once again,
and Brett brought it home.
A perfect run for the Zimmermans.
- Sandy, a lot of emotion right now.
Can you talk me through what you're feeling?
- So many emotions. I'm first so proud.
You know, I let the team down the first run.
And, um--
And I've drug my whole family along on this crazy journey.
- Uh-huh. - I've loved everything
that it has done for us in our lives.
And this is my baby! I mean, this is--
- Not a baby anymore! - I know!
But to watch him hit that buzzer--
- I mean, you are the ultimate competitor.
Want to see more big stuff on that Power Tower tonight.
Good work out there, you guys. - Yes, thank you.
- So the Zimmermans jump to the top of the leaderboard.
They're now guaranteed to be in the top four
and compete on the Power Tower.
But still some other good teams to come.
This could be Jimmy Choi's last run.
Can he take his team to the final four?
They're coming up on
the "American Ninja Warrior" Family Championship.
- Welcome back to the first ever
Family Championship on "American Ninja Warrior."
Moments ago, stuntwoman Nikkilette Wright
got things going for Team Wright,
which came into round two with three points.
- All right, here we go, Matt.
- She conquered the first obstacle
to earn another point for the team...
- I love Team Wright.
Oh!
- But came up short on Wait for It.
So her 19-year-old cousin, Roman,
a Ninja rookie, took on Burn Rubber.
- Okay, Roman, come on!
Oh!
- The most experienced athlete on the team,
the Speedo Ninja Mike Wright,
was ready for the final leg.
- Get them points! - He finished Sideways
and made it up the Warped Wall
for two more points. - Let's go!
- But their total for both rounds was six points,
not enough to move on.
You guys having a blast out here?
- Heck, yeah. Wright Stuff, man.
That's right, that's awesome. - Wright way, baby!
- Then it was the Webers,
who had their huge family
watching again back in Utah.
- Boy, that's a big family.
Looks like a family reunion over there, Matt.
- Team Weber collected four points back in round one,
and 31-year-old Karissa led it off in round two.
- Oh!
- She made a quick exit.
So then her nephew, Kaleb, took the middle leg,
dashing across Domino Effect.
- Oh, my goodness!
And he's down, he's wet.
- After he hit the water,
33-year-old Ian Weber
was the last chance to get some points.
- And now it's up to Ian.
- And the Ninja veteran came through.
- Let's go! - Okay!
- The team captain got past both his obstacles
for two points.
They end up with six points total,
but they needed at least eight points
to stay in contention,
so they are eliminated.
Up next is one of the teams who was a perfect
six-for-six in the first round,
the mohawked crew from St. George, Utah,
the Beckstrands.
- Mom's kind of got a mohawk there.
- All three members of this team
have competed on "American Ninja Warrior."
And that experience showed,
as they were perfect in their first run.
But now they have to change up the order.
So this time, Brian, the 42-year-old mohawked dad,
will lead it off.
There's Holly Beckstrand.
She'll take the middle obstacles.
And the final mohawked member of the family,
15-year-old Kai,
will try to take it to the buzzer.
[countdown clock beeping]
Now, if the Beckstrands complete four obstacles,
they're guaranteed to move on.
- Oh, his shoe came off! - Uh-oh.
- But he doesn't need his shoe.
It's like he's at home.
Take your shoes off.
- Doesn't need it on Wait for It.
- You don't need your shoe.
- Relax.
Well, I don't think the Beckstrands ever relax.
Their vacations are built around training.
- Well, they--I mean, and they keep at it too.
They've got a nice pace going.
He's got one shoe on, one shoe off.
Who cares? It's an upper body obstacle.
- Good transfer there.
And needs this big lache.
Brian's says it is tough
training with the family,
'cause he says he feels like
the oldest, slowest one in the group.
- Well, you know what, Father Time is undefeated.
- But he gets through his second obstacle.
- Aww! - And a kiss!
- Come on, Mom.
- Now because Brian chose Burn Rubber
in their first run,
they'll have to go with Domino Effect.
- All right, come on, Mama. Come on, Mama.
Uh-oh, nice.
- Oh, no! - Dominoes!
- We've seen a lot of falls on Domino Effect tonight.
Now the pressure is on Kai.
He must complete this obstacle
to guarantee their spot
in the Power Tower tournament.
- Look at this, whoa! Look at--wow!
- We've never seen anyone fly through it like this.
Are you kidding me?
No one's ever done it this fast!
And he's already off, and headed up the Warped Wall!
- What the what? - Oh, my goodness!
[buzzer blares]
And with that, the Beckstrands are going to the Power Tower.
Yeah, buddy! You love this!
- Yeah, it's so much fun.
[cheers and applause]
- Congratulations, my friend. Go celebrate with your family.
- Oh, man. - That kid is good.
- Yes, he is.
- So with ten total points, they're the second team
to guarantee their spot on the Power Tower.
And right now, the Heinrichs and the Auers would join them.
They've each got nine points.
But there's still one more team to go.
And our final run in round two
is gonna be an emotional moment.
This could be the last hurrah for our friend, Jimmy Choi.
Now, his team needs to pick up at least five points,
or his Ninja career is over.
- At 45 and battling Parkinson's,
he's decided that this will be it for him.
He wants to end on a high note.
- He'll be taking the first two obstacles.
His cousin Miinkay, the Ninja newbie,
will be handling the two in the middle,
and Jimmy's 13-year-old daughter, Karina,
will try to bring it home.
They will need to be just about perfect
to stay in this competition.
- Competing with Parkinson's ain't easy,
and, no matter what happens, he's been an inspiration.
That's real talk.
[countdown clock beeping]
- He fell on this obstacle a couple of years ago.
But not this time. Gets another point.
How amazing would it be if he could end his career
conquering every obstacle in front of him?
- We know he's plenty capable of doing it.
- So challenging here, make that lache.
Grab that bar as it drops.
- Got it. This is epic.
- This is so awesome.
You want to make a difference, check out the Fox Foundation.
Support the battle against Parkinson's.
He's raised over half a million dollars.
- He's done great work, and such a great ambassador
for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
- Here we go, kipping up.
- He's raising his game, raising money.
He's raising the roof.
- Just amazing. I know he's just gotta be
remembering all of this, soaking it up.
And he does it again!
Jimmy Choi delivers!
- You got this! - Good job, Jimmy!
- Oh, that's just awesome.
That is just awesome.
Now it's up to cousin Miinkay,
and they need her to get at least one point
to have a chance at moving on.
Facing Burn Rubber.
- All right, come on, Miinkay. Just go!
Nice!
- Awesome job! - Uh-oh, uh-oh.
We got action, we've got action!
- Let's go, Miinkay!
- So they're up to seven points.
They need at least two more.
And Air Surfer will be a big ask.
Remember, Miinkay had no Ninja experience,
but stepped up so Jimmy would have a three-person team
and could compete one last time.
- That's right, that's right. Just like a lache.
Just like a lache, come on.
- You can see she's struggling to move this board forward.
This is gonna be a big challenge for her.
- And Matt, and it's the impact coming down, too.
This is a big drop.
both: Oh!
- So now all the pressure falls on
the youngest competitor, 13-year-old Karina.
- Take your time. Have fun up there.
- Her dad trying to talk her through it.
She's only 4'10".
Gonna take on the very difficult Sideways.
- Just remember, Karina's 13 years old.
So impressive.
- It's amazing.
And such a technically challenging obstacle.
This is incredible!
- Well, you know what, Matt,
she gets it from her daddy.
- This is a real tough transfer.
- It is.
- But yes! Look at this! - Awesome!
- Trying to get through one of the toughest obstacles
out here. Doing it for her dad.
[crowd screaming]
- Ooh, Karina!
She got this!
This 13-year-old is not messing around!
- Let's go! Let's go!
Yeah!
- Yeah, baby girl! Go, baby girl!
- She's 4'10", Akbar.
She would be the shortest person ever
to get up the Warped Wall! - I'm going to lose my mind.
- And if she does it,
they'll have a chance at the Power Tower!
Oh!
Two more tries.
Come on, Karina, you got this! - You go!
- It's okay, it's okay.
You can do it.
- Come on.
all: Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- Come on, you got this. Come on!
- Oh, fingertips!
You were there, Karina! You were there!
- Matt, she's there. I can't take it, Matt.
I gotta get down there.
- Everybody is cheering for this young girl.
- Come on, Karina.
You got this. This is it.
all: Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- You got it, Karina!
She's got this. - I know, she's got this.
- One final attempt.
all: Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- Here we go.
all: Oh!
- What a great effort!
- So close! Great job, girl. - Oh, great job.
Gave it her all.
- That was so close!
- Just an incredible run, an incredible competition.
And Jimmy ends his Ninja career
with a run he'll never forget.
- Jimmy goes out on a high note.
He finished every obstacle tonight.
Cousin Miinkay came through with a point.
Then Karina sailed past Sideways,
and, at 4'10", came up just inches away
from that Warped Wall.
You made me run out the booth.
That was impressive.
- Jimmy, how proud are you of this team right now?
- Are you kidding? I mean, I'm always shaking,
but this is extra... - Yeah.
- 'Cause I'm still so excited for her.
- Oh! - Oh, this is--
what an experience. This is awesome.
- Good stuff out there, guys. Great work.
- Thank you, thank you. - Of course.
- A great ending for Jimmy Choi.
But we're not done.
Our final four are headed to the Power Tower.
The Beckstrands,
the Zimmermans,
the Auers,
and the Heinrichs
will battle to be our first family champion,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to our Family Championship.
We're down to our final four, and the action now shifts
from the regular course
over to the Power Tower.
For a preview, let's go down to Zuri.
- Guys, this is the toughest obstacle
we have ever created.
And tonight, for the very first time,
our Ninjas will turn the Power Tower
into a relay race.
The first family member races up the Giant Steps,
and then slides down the Fire Pole.
They'll tag their teammate,
who will run across the Angled Steps
and swing over to the Column Climb.
They'll have to work their way up and around
to the Cliffhanger,
and then tag the final teammate,
who must leap across the Dropping Shelves
to the buzzer.
- And our first matchup,
West Coast versus East Coast,
Zimmermans versus the Auers.
- But a big difference in age.
The Zimmermans have a couple of fortysomethings.
The Auers' oldest member is just 24.
They're our youngest team.
Team Zimmerman, cumulatively,
42 years older than Team Auer.
- This is gonna be interesting. Young versus old.
- The women are gonna start it off.
44-year-old Sandy Zimmerman
racing 24-year-old Hannah Auer.
That middle leg could be the deciding one.
And waiting there will be Brett Zimmerman
and Caleb Auer.
And the final leg will feature
15-year-old Josh Auer
against 46-year-old Charlie Zimmerman.
- And, Matt, all their families are fired up
watching back home, Matt. [all cheering]
This is good. - Here we go.
- These two women are gonna have to go King Kong
on Giant Steps.
[countdown clock beeping]
- 26 feet up. - Oh, boy.
There's a major hustle up these Giant Steps!
- Oh, and a stumble there by Sandy.
That's gonna put her a step behind.
The Auers in front as they reach the top.
Now they're gonna have to jump out
to this pole and slide down.
It is dead-even. - There's the tag right there.
- Now Brett and Caleb going head-to-head.
Oh, but Brett misses. - Oh, oh, oh!
- An extra swing for Brett. - Brett is behind!
- Now look at this, Caleb has an edge.
Well, let's see if that 15-year-old can close the gap.
They've got to climb up around the column and switch sides.
They're the first ever to try this.
And Brett seems confused on which way to go.
- Matt, Caleb is starting to break away.
- Caleb Auer on that Cliffhanger,
a commanding lead! - Uh-oh.
- Tags on to Josh. And look at this, Akbar.
- This is a big move here.
- The Bathrobe Ninja has to bring it home.
One mistake has cost the Zimmermans.
But the Auers, one shelf move...
- Whoa-ho-ho-ho! - One leap away!
- Look at Josh!
Look at Josh. - Oh, my!
[buzzer blares]
Unbelievable!
"The Ninjas of the Auer"
deliver what would be considered an upset, Akbar.
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
- Well, Sandy had a stumble on the stairs,
but she caught up.
It was close as they started the second leg,
but Brett got hung up and lost time
on the Column Climb,
while Caleb and Josh Auer were flawless.
And they got the easy win.
- Well, Charlie Zimmerman is gonna finish.
All around, great efforts. And this family competition
continues to surprise us, Akbar.
- And the Auers are the youngest team,
but we'll see them, in a few minutes,
in the final race.
- Well, now it's time to find their opponents.
It's Beckstrands versus Heinrichs.
And this is another matchup with big differences.
- The Beckstrands have the most experience.
They've all competed on "American Ninja Warrior."
The Heinrichs are all rookies.
None of them have been on
a big Ninja course before tonight.
Matt, you never know what can happen.
Rookie versus vet.
The rookies could come up with an upset.
- And an interesting strategy for the Heinrichs.
The dad Shawn is gonna take the first leg
and let his teenage daughters
handle the scary legs up top.
He'll be running beside Mama Beckstrand.
The middle leg is a real contrast:
42-year-old Brian Beckstrand, who's 6'2",
taking on the same obstacles
as 14-year-old Secorra Heinrichs,
who's only 4'11".
And then a couple more teens will take the final leg,
16-year-old Anabella Heinrichs
and 15-year-old Kai Beckstrand.
The winner takes on the Auers
for the championship.
Will it be the veterans or the rookies?
Well, let's find out. Here we go!
[countdown clock beeping]
Ooh, a little stumble out of Holly.
And that's gonna let the Heinrichs jump out
to an early lead.
Well, Shawn is gonna slide down.
Looks like he's gonna give Secorra a good advantage
over Brian Beckstrand. - I told you, Matt.
Don't sleep on the rookies! - Oh, my!
- Oh! - But Secorra misses,
just like Brett Zimmerman,
and now the Beckstrands can catch up.
But here we go. It's about even.
- Okay, come on, Secorra. - Unreal.
Well, Secorra has been so strong.
- She's only 90 pounds, and look at her fight!
- But Brian Beckstrand will be first
on the Cliffhanger.
Brian is gonna try to
tag off to his son,
but Secorra, keeping it close.
The Beckstrands make the final tag.
Well, there goes Kai.
- Oh, well, you know, when Kai goes, he goes.
- But here comes Anabella.
- And Anabella's not messing around.
She's right there behind--
- One more move!
[buzzer blares]
And Kai delivers,
but credit to the Heinrichs,
pushing them to the limit.
- Matt, they gave the Beckstrands
a run for their money.
This race was similar to the first.
There was a stumble going up the Steps
that put the Beckstrands behind,
and then a miss on the rope swing
that let them get back in it.
They finished strong, getting the buzzer,
and they're moving on to the final race.
- So it's gonna be the Auers versus the Beckstrands.
One team's taking home the trophy as champion
on the "American Ninja Warrior"
Family Championship next.
- Our first ever Family Championship
has given us some great moments,
a few laughs,
a lot of heart,
and plenty of heroes.
But now, it's all gonna be settled
40 feet in the air on the Power Tower,
one head-to-head race
between our final two families,
Team Beckstrand, the team with the most experience
in this whole competition,
against Team Auer.
- The Beckstrands run a gym in Utah,
and the Auers have one in North Carolina.
The big difference is age.
The oldest member of the Auers is just 24.
The Beckstrands have two members over 40.
- The Beckstrands have been an unstoppable force
this entire competition.
- The Beckstrands, definitely a powerhouse team.
- They got the mohawks.
They're super flashy on the course.
And they definitely have the skills to back it up, too.
- Wow! - Oh, my goodness.
- I don't even think he's blinked.
- Going against the Auers is kind of scary,
because they're young, they're fast,
and it's gonna be anyone's game.
- Look at the speed! - Running with an urgency.
- Going against them is gonna be really, really tough.
- On that Cliffhanger, a commanding lead!
- But the Beckstrands are fearless,
so we're gonna conquer that Power Tower.
- We're so close, so we're gonna have to
take care of business right here, right now,
if we're gonna win it all.
- So each team is gonna go with the same order as before,
with the women leading it off.
They'll be tagging their husbands,
who'll be waiting at the bottom
of the Fireman's Pole.
And the 15-year-olds will be waiting at the top
for the final leg.
- Two good teams.
Just gotta avoid mistakes.
- Well, let's find out who will be our first ever
Family Champions!
Here we go.
[countdown clock beeping]
This scramble up the Steps is so much harder than it looks.
And it looks neck-and-neck.
- Oh, yes, they are, Matt.
Wow!
- Hannah takes the lead
as they come over the top.
But a little tentative on the pole.
And Holly's down first and makes the tag.
Now it's gonna be Brian against Caleb,
and Caleb really shined here last time.
Who will climb faster?
- And already you can see Brian is starting to separate.
- But here comes Caleb. It is gonna be close!
- Oh, Matt, this is so close. - Oh, my!
Now facing each other on the Cliffhanger.
It's gonna be two 15-year-olds,
squaring off, Kai and Josh, neck-and-neck!
Who will get there first?
- We said, time after time, Kai has been elite!
Kai is right there! - Josh went for one move!
- And Kai--oh, my goodness! [buzzer blares]
Whoa, what?
[all speaking at once]
- Oh, my word!
Josh Auer, the Bathrobe Ninja,
well, he's ready for a victory plunge here.
What a win!
- We thought it would be close,
but that was really close.
This was neck-and-neck from the start.
But it came down to the 15-year-olds.
Kai pulled ahead for a moment,
but Josh was using quick moves with no swing,
and he was able to pull ahead.
The Auers win it by half a second.
- They're celebrating in Holly Springs, North Carolina.
The Auers are the winners of "American Ninja Warrior's"
first ever Family Championship.
Well, we hope your family
has enjoyed this as much as we have.
- It's been a lot of fun. - It always is, big man.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time
on "American Ninja Warrior!"