- Welcome to Universal Studios Hollywood,
our home for qualifying on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, we're just a few weeks in,
but this season has been dominated
by young stars like Taylor Greene
and Nacssa Garemore,
who have come up big in their "Ninja" debut.
But tonight, "Ninja" veterans get their chance to shine.
- For a preview, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- That's right, guys.
Tonight's field features some of "Ninja's"
biggest crowd favorites.
That includes the man with more buzzers
than anyone, Joe Moravsky.
- The Weather Man delivers!
- Plus, the return of the trailblazing
Michelle Warnky Buurma,
who is back with her miracle baby,
and the papal ninja Sean Bryan,
who's really flying high these days.
* *
- And we're gonna take the law into our own hands
for our first athlete.
This is John Uga from Everett, Massachusetts.
And yeah, he's a cop.
A ninja cop.
[siren wailing]
- I've been a part of the Everett Police Department
now for about a year.
It definitely gives me a sense of pride.
How's it going today?
Being a ninja warrior before coming into this job
has definitely helped out a lot.
In my department, a lot of them called me
the ninja cop.
I ever get into foot chases,
I'm, like, terrified to lose them
'cause I know I'm never gonna live it down.
I've climbed a lot of buildings now,
looking for people.
I've jumped over fences.
I've done everything you can think of at this point.
[upbeat music]
- [laughs]
Every time we have the conversation
about "Ninja" in the department,
they're like, "You haven't hit a buzzer?
Have you won the million dollars?"
They're always messing with me.
I really want to put on a good show tonight
because I got the entire Everett PD
back home watching me, and I can't disappoint.
* *
I'll see you guys out on the course.
I'm definitely gonna--
- Two, do you copy? - Go for 2.
All right, I gotta go.
I'll see you guys out there.
* *
[siren chirps]
- I think that's gonna be
NBC's new hit TV show.
"Law and Order: Ninja Cop."
His buddies watching back at the police station.
And Uga's got us on lockdown up in the booth.
- Uh, Matt, I think we're gonna be together for a long time.
- We need you to get
to the top of the scoreboard with the keys.
Let's see what he can do on the course.
- Get us out.
[countdown clock beeping]
- The police officer's first test tonight
is Pole Vault.
Ooh, he almost missed right there.
Oh, boy, he better get up. Get up.
- Boy, look at that.
- He's smiling.
He knows he barely escaped that one.
Now in hot pursuit on Rollercoaster.
- Yes, he is.
- Whoo, whoo!
- Here he goes. Sirens on. Get up.
Get it going, the Rollercoaster.
Matt, Uga does not need any backup.
He looks like he's plenty fine.
- But if he does need backup,
he's got his parents on the sideline.
Now a foot chase on the balance obstacle
Domino Effect.
- All right. Stay up.
Stay up, stay up, stay up, Uga!
- Right through it. - Nice.
- And now he's in The Getaway.
Can this cop break through this bank?
- Oh, my goodness, somebody call 911,
because Uga is doing it.
- We've got a cop in an obstacle that's designed
around a bank heist.
Uga's opened the safe and grabbed the diamond ring.
Now needs to make his escape with that bag of cash.
- Hey. Ooh. Get it!
Nice.
All you gotta do is get that bag.
He is in pursuit, trying to retrieve the money.
- Oh!
[all groaning]
- John Uga.
Unfortunately, Getaway gets away from him.
- Well, Matt, John Uga went from good cop to bad cop,
and we're still cuffed.
- The police officer showed he wouldn't be
a very good criminal.
Uga got the jewels, but he couldn't get the handle
on the cash on The Getaway.
* *
- Guess I'm better off being a cop.
Can't get away with it.
- Now get ready to rock, because our next athlete
is a drummer in a speed metal band.
It's 18-year-old Jonathan Godbout.
This college student goes to extremes with his music
and his workouts.
[metal music]
- I'm in a metal band called Devitalized.
* *
[singing indistinctly]
* *
It is so much fun.
I'm back there on the drum set.
All the music is very, very fast tempos
and very complex.
So when I'm up there playing,
it is an entire workout.
* *
I've always been into challenging myself physically,
so I ran an Ironman Triathlon.
I didn't really train for it,
but I just woke up one day and decided to do it.
[upbeat rock music]
Another challenge I did was there's this
100-foot staircase near my house.
I walked up and down it 291 times,
because that's how tall Mount Everest is.
29,032 feet-- I did that in three days.
* *
After doing these challenges,
I feel like I can accomplish anything.
So if I see one obstacle out there
in the "Ninja" course I don't think I can do,
I know that I've done something
so much harder than that in the past.
* *
- He's a true rock and roller.
He's got his bandmates watching,
along with his girlfriend.
- Yeah, Jonathan!
- His brother and parents down on the sidelines.
[cheers and applause] [countdown clock beeping]
- Hopefully, he can start a little cleaner
than Uga just did.
- Wow. - And he does.
That's how you wanna do Pole Vault.
- He'll try to keep it going here on Rollercoaster.
- We met him on "Ninja Junior."
Came on the big show in season 13.
Had a perfect season going all the way to stage 2.
Had an early exit last year.
- But he's looking strong tonight.
Ready for the balance obstacle Domino Effect.
- Hopping, hopping, hopping.
Ooh!
He is flying, big man.
This dude loves a challenge.
- Look at Godbout.
- He's in a speed metal band called Devitalized.
But he is looking very vitalized on the course.
- Well, Matt, I just think he's got so much confidence
at 18 years old, 5'7", 150 pounds.
He has three years of experience.
- And he is looking solid.
- Yeah, he's feeling it too.
Look at that smile.
- Now gonna give us our first look
tonight at the fifth obstacle, Lasso Launch.
- One more, one more. - You got it.
- If he finishes in a minute 20,
he'll get to take a shot at the Mega Wall for 10 grand.
But Lasso Launch is so tough.
You have to loop the rope handles around the three cows.
Has to spin this one around.
- This reverse move with those hands high,
trying to reposition to keep it even.
- Get it, get it!
- Nicely done.
- Not gonna be fast enough for the Mega Wall,
but a finish guarantees him a spot in the semifinals.
- Gotta go up and out now on this one.
Hold on.
Watch that right hand.
Up and over.
Nice!
- Got it.
Great elevation out of Godbout.
- Now just needs the Warped Wall,
and he can be our first finisher.
- Look at that.
- Come on! Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
Yes!
Come on!
Let's go!
- Man, you are looking stronger than ever.
What's it like getting another buzzer?
- It feels so amazing.
I didn't hit one last season.
I missed how good this felt. This is so incredible.
I worked hard for this.
Just couldn't be happier.
- Ready to toss this one?
- Can I hit it?
- Yeah. Here you go. Boom.
- There it is!
Bang!
There we go. - Yeah!
- [laughs]
- Whoo!
- Coming up, it's gonna be a night of "Ninja" legends.
We'll see The Weatherman, Joe Moravsky,
one of "Ninja's" all time greats,
Michelle Warnky Buurma,
and Captain NBC Jamie Rahn.
And up next...
- He's fighting with everything he has.
- He made it all the way to stage 4 last year.
Now teenager Josiah Pippel's revved up
to race for the million dollars once again.
He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
[soft music]
- No, it wasn't David Hasselhoff
who hit the course minutes ago.
It was Ocean City, Maryland, lifeguard Andy Friedman.
[whistle blasts]
- He's got all the signals down.
He's ready.
- The 45-year-old kept his head above water
through the first few obstacles.
- Nice. Ride it, ride it!
OK.
- And made his way to Domino Effect.
- Matt, you think he's gonna do the slow-mo run here?
Oh.
No!
- Luckily, he had backup.
[whistle blasting]
- Man down, man down.
[cheers and applause]
- Always swim near your lifeguard.
- Albany, New York's Jenson Little had
one of the loudest cheering sections of the night,
including his twin sister Nicole.
The trans athlete had no problem navigating Pole Vault.
- Nice. All right, Jenson.
[cheers and applause]
- The three time "Ninja" veteran
fell on the Rollercoaster last season,
so he was looking for redemption.
- Everybody's rooting for Jenson on this one.
Oh!
- Despite the fall,
he got much appreciation for the effort.
- I love you so much. - I love you.
- New Jersey wedding photographer
Ibrahim Hayek was looking to be picture perfect
in his second year.
With his family on the sideline,
the 31-year-old got redemption on Domino Effect,
which took him out last year.
- I see you out there!
- He made it to the fifth obstacle, Lasso Launch.
- Oh!
Aw, don't cry, Yasmin.
- Well, no need for tears.
That run should get him into the semis,
where every run is a race.
- That was so much fun.
Oh, my God.
- And our next athlete is ready to go racing.
He loves speed.
New Jersey teenager Josiah Pippel
made it all the way to stage 4 last year.
And the changes this season with side by side racing
are right up his alley.
[rock music]
- Ever since I was a child, I have always loved cars.
And that kind of spun into a love of racing
and high performance mechanics.
And then as I've gotten older,
I've gotten into racing shows, Formula One.
I've always been a fan of speed,
and now we've brought that into the world of "Ninja."
- Linking it together, wow!
- I love fast cars.
And tonight, I'm hoping to be really fast on the course.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
- Josiah's 6'1", 150 pounds.
He's grown since last year.
Put on some muscle too.
[cheers and applause]
Family's watching back in New Jersey,
with Dad and other ninjas on the sideline.
- He has got a quick pace going, big man.
- Here's that Rollercoaster. Nice.
- But I like it-- staying in control,
didn't try to launch that and land it prematurely.
- Yeah, he's looking to set the pace
for this group of ninjas tonight.
- Yeah, he got the Mega Wall last year.
He may want a shot at this 18 1/2 foot Mega Wall.
- Ooh. - Get another $10,000.
- Yeah, he is going Southwest on Getaway.
He is flying.
- Remember, gotta finish faster than a minute 20
to get that shot on the Mega Wall.
- Nice.
[cheers and applause]
- We told you, he likes to go fast, and he's proving it.
- Oh, maintained that high hold right there.
- You saw that rope hook.
No lip on this one.
Should be a little easier, other than the fact
you're doing it backwards.
- If he gets this one, Matt-- it's a shorter tongue too.
Look at that, shorter tongue.
Oh, barely on there!
Look at that, my goodness.
- Barely hangs on.
But the clock's ticking if he wants a Mega Wall.
Fighting to stay on.
Can he launch it?
- Uh-oh, here we go.
Nice.
- And you just saw how he elevated there.
Didn't want to risk it, but he's gotta get going
if he wants a shot at the Mega Wall.
- Gotta go-- oh, just missed it.
- Josiah Pippel.
[cheers and applause]
- I don't even remember half of that.
- You were flying.
The time to beat to get a shot at the Mega Wall
was a minute 20.
You were a minute 22, Josiah.
- No!
- And that little hook up on Lasso Launch
seemed to catch you there on the rope.
- Yeah, I think that was what did it.
- Well, you look stronger, man.
You've been in the weight room?
- I've been hitting the gym a little more.
- I know! I could tell, man.
- Well, hop down and celebrate.
No Mega Wall, but he is our second finisher,
and we'll see him racing in a few weeks in the semifinals.
- She is a true ninja legend and was just the second woman
ever to make it up the Warped Wall.
And this year, Michelle Warnky Buurma's
got someone special on her sideline.
You can see her shirt says "Fight like a preemie,"
and she's holding up the tiny diaper
that her little miracle Grace was wearing
just a few months ago.
[soft music]
- Grace was born at 27 1/2 weeks.
She was known as a micro preemie.
- * Take it in while you can *
* It's like a million heartbeats *
- She needed immediate care,
and so they took her away to the NICU,
where they put her in an incubator
to keep her warm.
They have a tube on her to help her breathe.
It just blew my mind that she could survive.
- Her hand's the size of my fingernail, her whole hand.
- It was hard, and I didn't get to see my baby at all.
And I just remember crying.
Get a blankie under...
[shushing]
- * Start breathing slow *
* Stay in the moment *
- I think two months after she was born
was the first time we actually got to see her whole head.
Good job, little girl.
And to get to bring her to our house
and just actually hold her,
and nothing on her face,
nothing on her body was so exciting.
- [fussing]
[laughing]
- Training looks a little bit different now.
A lot of my training is literally
carrying her around, throwing her up and down,
swinging her around.
* *
She's fought so hard through her life,
and I want to fight like her on that course.
* *
- It is so great to have Michelle Warnky back
and to see Grace on the sidelines.
- Well, she's watching Mommy with Daddy Joel Buurma
and other friends and family.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Michelle's such a legend.
So many great accomplishments.
- Second woman to finish a qualifying course.
Second woman to finish a semifinals course.
And gets through Pole Vault.
- Her gym M Lab in Columbus--
first woman to own a ninja gym in all of America.
Milestones for Michelle Warnky.
Going for a ride here.
- Nice.
Good.
That's all right.
Hasn't been training like she wanted to.
But you know what?
She's got muscle memory.
- And she is through two obstacles.
But Baby Grace not impressed yet.
- She's a tough audience.
- Let's see the balance here on Domino Effect.
Fell on this obstacle two seasons ago.
- Oh!
- And falls again.
[crowd groaning]
Goes out on the third obstacle.
But when Baby Grace watches years from now,
you know she'll be proud of her mom.
- We'll take Michelle Warnky Buurma
back on the course anytime.
- And she looked good through the first two obstacles,
but Domino Effect got her again.
- Hi, girly.
- There's Mama.
- She makes it all worth it.
- Hello, hello. - Hi.
- How are we doing, love?
- Sorry, I'm wet.
- Oh, it's OK.
I mean, look at Baby Grace.
How sweet is it to have her on the sideline?
Grace is very proud of her Mama.
Talk to me a little bit about what did go wrong
here on Domino Effect.
- I wanted redemption.
I think I was just
a little too heavy on my feet.
I mean, I've had limited training,
so I knew it would be a bit-- a bit harder this year.
But I was so thankful to be back.
- Understandably. You're a busy mama.
We'll know soon if you went far enough fast enough.
Great to see you out here, Michelle.
Hi, baby girl.
Matt, Akbar, back to you.
Hi, cutie. Hi. Ooh.
- Still to come, we've got movie stars, country stars,
and of course, ninja stars
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Our ninjas come from
all over the globe and all walks of life.
Take Parker Hurley,
an American living in Bali,
where he's a yoga teacher and model.
- Yeah, he handed us his modeling portfolio, Matt.
- Hurley was "People Magazine's"
sexiest male model in 2014,
and he looked good as he went Downward Dog on Pole Vault.
- Whoo! Nice.
- But he got hung up on Rollercoaster,
and the yoga moves couldn't help.
- He's probably saying namaste.
Namaste right there in the water.
[upbeat music]
- Nate Tackett comes from Ohio
and is a cousin of country music legend Crystal Gayle.
- We want you to stay strong, fast,
and get that buzzer. We love you.
- The words of encouragement seemed to help
as Tackett, a former football star,
had it rolling through the early obstacles.
- He's got the rhythm down!
- But The Getaway turned his brown eyes blue.
- Oh! But couldn't get that bag.
- Matt D'Amico's motto is,
"Every course is a speed course."
And he came out flying.
The 22-year-old from Massachusetts
had a breakout season last year
when he almost completed stage 3.
both: No!
- He was so close.
- Tonight, he was speeding towards another buzzer.
both: Oh!
- But his fast time means
he's still got a good shot at moving on.
Well, we're on the back lot of a movie studio,
and our next ninja works in the film business.
This is Daniel Novarro,
a visual effects artist who worked on
Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story."
And he's got a special message from two of the film's stars.
- Hi, Dan. - Hey, Dan.
- We just want to say good luck out there.
And before you can beat the obstacle course out there,
you gotta beat the obstacle course in here.
- Listen, anybody can work out.
But it takes real courage to work in.
- Yeah. - You know?
- We love you, buddy. Good luck.
- Wow, getting a shout out from María herself.
That's a Golden Globe winner.
That's pretty big time.
- He's also got his girlfriend
and some friends here on the sideline.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Ooh, took a shot to the face.
- He's not gonna feel pretty after that one.
- Well, he hangs on and gets through Pole Vault,
but a rough start.
And yeah, he's holding his chin.
He may want to edit that one out.
[cheers and applause]
But he's smiling as he steps up to ride Rollercoaster.
- Spielberg's office is right up the street.
Daniel should feel at home here.
- And he just flies right through it.
- When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way.
- Now gonna rumble with the dominoes.
Oh-- both: Oh, no!
[air horn blares]
- And Daniel Novarro's "West Side Story" goes south.
- He tried to jet across the dominoes,
but ended up swimming with the sharks.
- I think I did too much working in
and not enough working out.
I'll get 'em next time.
- Our next ninja is also right at home
at Universal Studios.
It's the superhero Captain NBC Jamie Rahn.
But the 13 time "Ninja" veteran
has a new sidekick this year,
his son, Ziggy.
- Oh, Ziggy's a superhero too!
- After years of trying to start a family,
Jamie and Kim had Ziggy on the 4th of July last year,
and he is definitely a ninja in training.
[cheers and applause]
So happy for Jamie and Kim.
She'll be on the sideline, watching with Ziggy.
[countdown clock beeping] - Boop, boop, boop!
- 21 career buzzers for Jamie Rahn.
Only a handful of ninjas have more.
- All right, stays dry.
- In addition to Ziggy and Kim,
he's got good friend Michelle Warnky and her baby
cheering him on.
[cheers and applause]
- Nice.
- He's a superhero.
Let's see if he's got the power of flight.
No problem.
Now facing Domino Effect.
- Check the balance.
Perfect.
- Oh, he's got that going. Right into it. Boom.
Right into The Getaway.
He's getting away now.
- At 34, more than double the age
of many of these athletes--
Jamie Rahn, though, still spry.
Very athletic.
- Yeah, he spends a lot of time training,
making sure that he can keep up with
a lot of these young ninjas.
And these young ninjas have really been
pushing a lot of the veterans like Jamie Rahn.
- He's made it to the national finals
eight times.
We expect to see him in Vegas.
Gotta make the leap with the diamond ring.
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- Well, that ring was Jamie Rahn's kryptonite.
Captain NBC plummets into the water.
- Jamie Rahn hasn't fallen on a qualifying course
in 12 years.
But on The Getaway,
he just came up short with the ring.
Not what we were expecting.
We'll see if that's good enough
to get him to the semifinals.
For now, he's at least got hugs from the family.
Coming up, he's not just a janitor.
Ninja Nick is changing lives.
- Kick.
- Yeah! - Whoo!
- And we'll see him next.
- I love you, dude.
- I love you, man.
- On "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back.
Three unique ninjas
hit the course minutes ago.
Logan Broadbent's boomerang trick shot videos
have millions of views,
and he pulled off another one at the start.
- Hey!
- Broadbent's not only a four time boomerang world champion.
- Throwing himself like a boomerang.
- He's also a top endurance racer
and has completed multiple marathons.
So his run across Domino Effect...
- Oh, wow.
- Was surprising.
- You can't come back from this one
like a boomerang.
- Laura Erickson is known as the nerd ninja.
She graduated college at age 19 with a perfect 4.0
and now works as a software engineer.
- Wow, that's impressive.
- The now 20-year-old from Coon Rapids, Minnesota,
was able to crack the code on Pole Vault.
- Well, she knows computer science,
and clearly, she knows ninja science.
- But she couldn't work out the bugs on Rollercoaster.
- Oh!
Just missed it.
- 24-year-old Alex Goodwin works at a rescue center
for exotic animals like lemurs,
kangaroos, and bobcats.
And the Massachusetts resident even wore his work boots
on his run.
- Oh!
- He had a wild time on The Getaway...
- Oh, he's hopping through this course like a kangaroo.
- Until the very end.
- No!
Oh, wow,
that stinks like a skunk.
- Our next athlete will get this crowd fired up.
This is schoolteacher Rachel Degutz.
She's one of the founding members of the Jersey Girls,
the female ninjas from the Garden State
who train together.
Two others are on the sidelines,
wearing their Jersey Girl jackets,
led by Rachel's good friend Abby Clark.
- Whoo!
- Well, there's her signature scream.
Does it before every run.
And she brings that energy to the classroom.
Degutz teaches science at Riverfront Middle School
in Florence, New Jersey.
- Let's go, Miss Degutz!
- Matt, that's gotta be cool
to have a teacher like Miss Degutz.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Made it to Vegas each of the past two seasons.
- Yeah, she's the real deal, Matt.
Get up high, nice.
- Good acceleration.
The science teacher understood physics there.
- In fact, her curriculum includes the human impact
in physical science.
- Some of her students are watching.
She's become one of the top female ninjas,
but has yet to get a buzzer in her career.
The transfer-- - Nice.
Nice transfer too right there, Matt.
That was great technique. - Good adjustment.
[cheers and applause]
- We've only had one woman hit a buzzer all season,
but Rachel Degutz is certainly capable.
- Nice.
- Little stumble, but right through it.
- Riverfront Middle School, they gotta be psyched.
- We didn't have teachers like this back in the day.
- They're gonna watch their teacher
and see if she can get through The Getaway.
There's definitely some physics involved
in turning the safe handle.
- Nice.
- Just 5'3", she's really having to really crank it.
Using momentum very effectively.
- All right. Ooh, nice.
- She just moved in with her boyfriend.
They may be thinking about rings.
Oh, that's a nice-size ring. She looking at it.
But she needs to take that diamond
and land it on the hook.
Tell 'em what you want!
Nice.
- Now, just needs to swing over to the bag of cash.
- Ooh.
- And Degutz has made it to Lasso Launch.
[cheers and applause]
This is the third time she's made it to the fifth obstacle,
but has never gotten past it.
Would love to get her first buzzer,
but Lasso Launch is so tough,
We've only had one woman finish the qualifying course
all season.
- Nice.
- She got hooked on that lip,
but managed to survive.
- Here we go.
- Keeping those hands up high, good control.
- Nice! OK!
- Oh, my. - OK!
- One more transfer.
What does she have left?
Her grip is sliding down, giving way!
- Keep going, keep going, keep going.
Oh!
Sha-na-na.
- Good job, Rachel! - Awesome job, Rachel!
- She had guts.
She just didn't have enough grip strength.
It gives out there on Lasso Launch.
- Rachel Degutz was looking strong.
Got the backwards leap on Lasso Launch
and was very close to her first-ever buzzer,
but came up just short on the final move.
Well, you know she's disappointed,
but that very likely earned her a spot in the semis,
where every run is a race.
No, that's not the cleaning crew heading to the start line
for a wipe down.
It's Ninja Nick. - Let's go!
- This is Nick Roalef from Patchogue, New York.
He is, in fact, a real janitor,
but he's so much more than that.
- How are we doing, everybody?
- Fine! - Great!
- You guys ready to get warmed up, get the day going?
- Yes! - Get that blood pumping?
I am a custodian at a facility
that works with people
who have developmental disability.
And we do day services, so that they can learn
to pick up skills that will help them in life.
Bring your elbows up. Pull back. You feel that?
- Oh! - You feel it, right?
I have the opportunity to be somebody in their life
who can help them see themselves
for what they're capable of.
Oh!
- Nick is so fun.
- Oh, we got it, Lee. Come on, Lee. Come on, Lee.
- You can feel a presence in the room when he's there.
- Gonna wave our shoulders around.
One of the fun things that we did
was Ninja Nick's Warrior workout,
where we would practice our ninja skills,
trying to get stronger and faster.
Everybody say, "we're ninjas!"
all: We're ninjas!
- Now give me a kick.
Whoo!
All right.
Hold that stretch, hold that stretch.
- He inspired all of us to do
anything we put our mind to.
And that's how special he is.
- I love you, Lee.
- I love you, man.
- We're dancing, we're dancing.
It means the whole world to be able to run tonight
and know that they're gonna be watching
and rooting for me and cheering me on.
Ninja Nick is the coolest.
all: Ninja Nick is the coolest!
- Whoo!
It really makes me just want to go out there
and crush this course.
* *
- What an awesome guy.
And you can see the handprints on his shirt.
Those are from the folks at the center you just saw.
There they are.
Gonna be cheering for him,
along with a big group from the gym where Nick trains.
[countdown clock beeping]
- You know he wants to show up and show out for them.
- Well, at 5'4", 140--
- Hold them legs up.
Nice. Way to avoid the water.
- That heel was close.
He's still alive. - Ooh, very close.
[cheers and applause]
- Janitor almost had a spill there on the first obstacle.
Watch him now on the Rollercoaster.
Great seeing the handprints from the people he works with,
supporting him.
- Nice. Ooh. - Good transfer.
- All right, little sticky on that second one now.
[cheers and applause]
- And he gets through Rollercoaster.
And he's pumped up.
- Whoo!
- He's living it up,
and so are the folks back home in New York.
- Now it's the balance obstacle Domino Effect.
Oh, the janitor cleaning the glass for a better look
at the dominoes.
He says, "No problem, I got this."
Focus on the obstacle in front of you.
I like that, Ninja Nick.
- He's slapping bones out here.
Ooh! And he's down, but he saves it.
- Still upright.
- Oh! - Ooh.
- Dominoed!
- That was almost a great save by Nick Roalef.
But instead, the janitor is flushed by the dominoes,
and down he goes.
- He gave his friends a moment they won't forget.
He made an incredible save on Domino Effect,
but then just couldn't hold on.
all: Ninja Nick! Ninja nick!
- Despite the fall, they love Ninja Nick back in New York.
He's still spreading that positive energy.
- Joe Moravsky has hit more buzzers than any ninja
in history and scaled the Mega Wall three times.
Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card will pay $10,000
if he can do it again.
Joe's up next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to qualifying,
where we've had some impressive ninjas
in the last few minutes.
19-year-old David Fleming goes to Yale,
and he's even patented his own device to treat headaches.
- Ooh, that looks like it's good.
Yeah, he's a brainiac.
- The Ivy Leaguer looked smart on Rollercoaster.
- He doesn't need his glasses.
You see this? You see this?
- But he couldn't solve Domino Effect.
- Oh, no! Oh!
- Doesn't always work out the way you want it to,
but you're better for it.
Thank you, "American Ninja Warrior."
- Virginia teenager Austin Baron
brought along some of his creations,
dog toys he makes for charity.
- [growling]
- Baron's run tonight falls on his 17th birthday,
and he had plenty to celebrate
as he ran his way to the fifth obstacle, Lasso Launch.
- Looks like one of his dog toys,
so he should know how to handle this lasso.
Nice!
- He was only inches from finishing.
- Oh, no!
- Though he fell, he's guaranteed to move on
to the semifinals, where our ninjas
will race head to head.
Then it was the oldest athlete of the night,
45-year-old David Campbell.
- He is a legend, Matt.
- The man known as The Godfather
has competed on every season of "Ninja Warrior."
- OK, Godfather.
- And despite being three times the age
of some competitors,
he marched to the fifth obstacle.
- What the what?
- Although he didn't get a buzzer,
he too is moving on to the semis.
- Oh, well. I feel good.
- Well, up next is Campbell's friend and training partner,
another fan favorite.
It's the Papal Ninja Sean Bryan.
The Catholic Church worker is competing
for his eighth straight season.
But he's got a new hobby.
He just got his pilot's license in the last year.
Loves to soar in the skies above his home
in the Bay Area.
[cheers and applause]
There's a huge group of supporters for Bryan,
including his dad and his father,
Father Michael Sweeney, who's always on the sideline.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Say your prayers before you get on the course.
Here we go.
- Gymnast for four years of college,
good ascent there.
That was easy.
- He may already be eyeing the Mega Wall.
- At 38, he'd be one of the oldest to ever do it.
- Sean Bryan has had some mistakes at speed before.
But looking controlled here.
Watch him on Domino Effect.
- Wow. - Oh, my!
- He's a pilot now,
and he's zooming through this course like a top gun.
- He's at the afterburners here, big man.
He is flying through the course.
- I see what you did there.
He's a pilot, so of course he's flying.
- He tried but failed on the Mega Wall last year.
- Knows he needs to complete this course under 1:20.
- All right, good grip, nice.
And take a look at the tongue.
Now, the tongue here on this transition
is a little shorter than on that second one.
Nice! Ooh, barely. - Got it locked in.
Sean Bryan,
gotta get this dismount.
- Ooh, you gotta get up and out, up and out.
Nice. - Got it!
And he's gonna do it.
Looks like we're gonna get our first Mega Wall attempt.
- Ooh, ooh, ooh.
- He is up, and he has done it.
The fastest time of the night.
Sean Bryan--oh, oh!
[cheers and applause]
* *
Boy, you too cool, man.
You were flying high.
* *
Hey, all right. - [laughs]
- Hey, we got the glasses on.
I wanna see you hit that Mega Wall
with the glasses on, huh?
- Uh--sure, why not?
- Oh, why not? - Why not?
Hey, you're cleared for takeoff, buddy.
Go down and do it.
Well, he's the first to try it tonight,
and no one's taken it down in three weeks.
- And don't forget,
it's 6 inches higher than last year.
[chanting] Mega Wall!
- Looks like he's gonna take off the shades.
Probably a good idea.
[chanting] Mega Wall! Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
- We're in the air traffic control booth,
he's cleared for takeoff.
And he's up! Oh.
A good effort. The aviator.
Most importantly, though, he got the buzzer, Akbar.
- That's right.
The pilot was flying through the course
and got to the buzzer faster than anyone tonight.
But on the Mega Wall, he comes up a few inches short.
We've still only had three ninjas
to get the $10,000 reward all season.
- No one has conquered the Mega Wall more times
than our next competitor.
And you know Joe Moravsky wants another shot at it tonight.
He's grabbed that 10K, a record-tying three times
in his career.
- You know how they say lightning never strikes twice.
Well, guess what.
It's gonna strike four times on top of that Mega Wall.
I'm gonna tell you that right now.
- Lots of family watching his run tonight,
including his wife, Stephanie.
And he's got some Northeast ninjas on his sideline.
- You got this, Joe.
[countdown clock beeping]
Has 28 buzzers in his career,
the most by any ninja in history.
- Everything he does, he does it with high intensity.
And he does it with speed.
- Not an easy course tonight, only three finishers.
But Joe's gonna go for speed and try to earn that $10,000.
With those three kids, he could use it.
- Wow. And he is flying.
- If he gets it, he's going with that kitchen remodel.
Come on, give Stephanie what she wants.
She's already got a ring.
She just wants that new kitchen.
- Well, Moravsky said last season he thought
he was in the best shape ever.
Until this year--he feels even stronger, big man.
- Yeah, that's right. He's been in the weight room,
and he's really been putting on the muscles.
[cheers and applause]
- You can see, even Joe's slowing his pace,
trying to make sure here on Lasso Launch.
- OK. - Seen so many runs
end right here--
- Right here. But this one right here--
and you can see right now,
Joe Moravsky's got a low hold on here.
- It's sliding.
With the lower-case-- - Oh!
- And he misses it!
Oh!
* *
- The Weatherman did not predict that.
- He looked on track for another Mega Wall,
but Lasso Launch has been a tough one all night.
He just whiffed on the backwards launch.
But his time's still good enough,
and we'll see him racing
in our Ninja Versus Ninja semifinals.
- So here's a look at all the men moving on.
Sean Bryan sits at the top.
He was the fastest of our three finishers.
The non-finishers moving on include veterans Joe Moravsky
and The Godfather David Campbell,
plus Captain NBC Jamie Rahn.
The top 11 are set, but that final spot
will be determined in the runoff.
That's gonna be a race between Massachusetts police officer
John Uga and "West Side Story" crew member Daniel Novarro.
It's gonna be a rumble,
next on "American Ninja Warrior."
* *
- Welcome back.
Moments ago, the night's final female competitor,
New Jersey's Abby Clark, hit the course.
Cheered on by her agility dog, Ace,
and her Jersey Girl training partner, Rachel Degutz.
Clark, a six-time "Ninja" veteran,
is coming off her best season,
where she made it to the Final Four
of the Women's Championship.
- Let's go, Abby Clark.
- And the former gymnast made it all the way
to the fifth obstacle. - Whoo!
- But she had the fastest time of the night among the women,
so she stands at the top of the women's leaderboard,
just above fellow Jersey Girl Rachel Degutz
and Michelle Warnky Buurma.
They're all moving on.
And that set up our runoff race
between our fourth and fifth place women,
Utah personal trainer and mother of two Amy Harski
and California clothing designer Brittney Durant.
Harski, a former college pole vaulter,
came out fast, but hit the water.
- Oh!
That's exactly what speed can do to you.
- That gave Durant, the four-time "Ninja" veteran,
an easy victory.
We'll now see her racing again back here in a few weeks.
- She's going to the semis, baby.
- So now, it's the men's runoff,
which features two athletes we saw earlier--
John Uga, the Massachusetts police officer
who had Akbar and I in cuffs earlier tonight,
and Daniel Novarro, the visual effects artist
who got the send off from the stars
of "West Side Story."
* *
- John's out there, getting into these crazy foot chases,
chasing down criminals.
And I'm sitting behind my desk,
waiting for my VFX shot to render.
- The pressure's on my shoulders
every day not to mess up.
This course, it's like the same thing.
I was built for this, and I'm ready to go.
- The only law that's gonna be broken tonight
is the law of gravity 'cause I'm gonna be
flying through this course.
- If I lose this foot chase tonight,
I'm never gonna hear the end of it at the station.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- And Uga will have his guys watching back at the station,
so the pressure's on--
a spot in the semis on the line.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Oh, John Uga's used to chasing down bad guys.
He might have an advantage.
- Oh, and he just bounded through.
Uga running with confidence.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Trying to find the rhythm on Spring Forward here,
couple extra swings. And look at this.
- And here comes Daniel.
Here comes Daniel!
- Well, that's how quickly these races can change.
- Whoo!
- Uga, selling out.
- Ooh, 5-0 moving real smooth.
- Well, Novarro's the one in hot pursuit.
Trying to catch up to the police officer.
- Daniel Novarro needs some movie magic.
He better turn on the jets
like this is "West Side Story."
- Uga makes it to the final honeycomb,
but he's taking some wild spins.
- Oh, boy.
Eating up time.
Now, finally gets through.
Novarro still in it, but he's running out of time.
Just one obstacle left.
It's Hopscotch. This is a tough one.
Anything can happen.
* *
- Novarro's gotta complete. - Ooh!
And look at John Uga with the one-handed save!
- That's tremendous save-- stays alive.
- Wow.
[indistinct cheering]
He's gonna have to step on it, Matt.
He's gonna have to step on it.
- Oh, what a catch by Uga!
Can he get the dismount? - He's got one more.
He's starting to fatigue here.
And Daniel's taking a mega-- oh!
- Novarro must finish the obstacle.
- I think him falling might have messed
with Daniel's head.
- Look at him coaching.
- Oh!
[groaning]
- So the police officer survives this foot chase.
John Uga, we got some news.
You're going to the semis!
[cheers and applause]
- That was great. - It was awesome.
- But Uga, can we get the keys, man?
Come on, bro. - Please.
- Good work, John. - Whoo.
- Fought the law, and the law won.
- [laughs] Oh, yeah. Good job, man.
- That wraps up another night of qualifying here in LA.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."
[upbeat music]
* *