- Tonight,
"American Ninja Warrior" returns...
[buzzer blares]
- Whoa! No!
Oh!
- With fresh faces,
fan favorites...
- She's back!
- And edge-of-your-seat action.
- ♪ Ain't nobody roll like me ♪
- Yes! - Oh!
- And brand-new challenges for our ninjas.
- We've got some exciting additions this season--
- Wow! Look at this!
Oh!
- Including our first ever three-lane race course,
The Tripleheader.
- How did he do that?
- One, two, three, go.
- My first thought was, they are out of their minds.
Like, this is going to be crazy.
- Now, I've got to worry about not just one athlete, but two.
Whether I'm in the middle or on the side,
it's going to be exhilarating, for sure.
- Hundreds of hopefuls will tackle the qualifying course.
Ninjas must outshine their local rivals
for a chance to compete in the National Finals.
Which region will come out on top?
It's all starting right now.
[upbeat rock music]
- Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas,
where we're about to roll the dice
once again on another season of "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us
as we kick off another year.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Partner, it feels good to be back.
We're going to have fun this year with some of these
new twists, including our first ever
three-lane race course, the Tripleheader.
- It's going to be insane.
We'll see it in two weeks.
But for a look at tonight's course,
let's go down to the third member of our team,
Zuri Hall. - Thank you, guys.
It is so great to be back.
Tonight, we are seeing the best ninjas from the West,
and their first test is this six-obstacle course.
[dramatic music]
It starts with a sprint across the Shrinking Steps.
Then it's a brand-new obstacle, Roller Bags.
Ninjas need to pull out the handle on the first suitcase
and swing over to the second.
The third obstacle is Diamond Dash,
back for the first time in four seasons.
That's followed by Kite Surfer,
which requires precision, timing, and grip strength
to work their way past the two kites.
Obstacle five is the upper body test,
Kaleidoscope,
which leads to the Warped Wall.
Run up and hit the buzzer in under a minute and ten,
and ninjas earn a shot at the Mega Wall.
Get up and 18-and-1/2-foot Mega Wall,
and they'll win $10,000, courtesy of
the Active Cash Credit Card from Wells Fargo.
The Active Cash Credit Card earns unlimited
2% cash rewards on purchases. Terms apply.
- Thanks, Zuri.
This season in every qualifying episode,
the three of us are picking who we think
will be the night's fastest. Akbar, who you got?
- That's an easy one for me.
I gotta go with Josiah Pippel.
Bro's been training for speed,
and I think he's a strong contender and
could be the next champion. - Wow.
- All right, that's fair.
Look, my money is on Kaden Lebsack.
I mean, he is a two-time last ninja standing.
He was in the final four last season.
- Well, I know who I think is going to be standing tall
at the end of the night.
The night's tallest competitor, 6'6" John Mack.
The Reach is going to use his size
to glide through the course.
The guy just became a dad.
You know he's running
with extra motivation.
- And lots of others to watch tonight.
I mean, Jessie Graff.
She is about to run this course in heels.
Can't wait to watch that.
- This season, we split the country
into three regions-- East, Central, and West.
Over the next three weeks,
80 ninjas from the Western U.S.
will battle for 20 spots in the National Finals.
And nobody is more Western than our first athlete,
the Cowboy Ninja Lance Pekus.
He's always been a fan favorite,
and it's been quite a Ninja journey
for Lance and his family.
[upbeat music]
- Takes off his cowboy hat, and he's going for it.
- This will be my 15th year competing
on "American Ninja Warrior,"
and it's helped me overcome so many obstacles
in my own personal life.
My wife, Heather, has multiple sclerosis, MS.
We came out on "American Ninja Warrior"
about my wife's condition several years ago.
- I love riding with you, Mommy.
- I love it too.
- She's been that shining light.
She's been able to help people through a lot of stuff.
And, ultimately, being able to share our story
with everyone across the country has helped
us through our own issues as well.
I can't honestly even remember the last buzzer I hit.
I really hope that changes tonight.
So it's about time that I wrangled up myself a buzzer.
- And there's Heather.
She's on the sideline once again
along with their kids.
[cheers and applause]
And Lance is making history tonight.
He's the first Ninja to be mic'd up during his run.
- What's up, Cowboy Ninja?
- What's up? How's it going?
Howdy! Whoo!
- Howdy!
Man, this is pretty cool to be able to talk to you
through the process, man.
Give us that insight, 'cause that's what we want.
- All right, well, I'm going to attack it the best I can.
Obviously, I've had a little bit of experience,
so, hey, here it goes. It's game time.
- So, Lance Pekus, show us what you got, buddy.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Whoo! Here we go.
- I don't want to be too much of a distraction,
but if anybody can handle us going back and forth,
it is Lance Pekus.
- Smooth through the Shrinking Steps now.
He'll be the first to take on this new obstacle, Roller Bags.
- All right, I'll take this off just in case.
- OK.
- All right, you don't want to get it messed up.
- He's got to grab the handle on the first bag
and swing to the second.
- How heavy is that bag, by the way?
My goodness.
Good power.
Uh-oh. All right.
Now, this is where he's got to make that transfer.
- [exhales]
- Oh, he's starting to feel it.
You hear him.
Ooh! - Got it.
- Whoo!
- There we go!
Lance, you fell on balance last season.
Any concerns here on Diamond Dash?
- Well, hopefully diamonds are a cowboy's best friend.
[laughter] - OK. All right.
I don't know how he's going to run in them jeans.
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, so good, Pekus.
5'8", 165.
This guy's upper body strength is legendary.
Not going to get bucked off the Kite Surfer.
- Time to go surfing! - Oh, OK.
- I like it!
- Nice. - [huffs, grunts]
- You can hear how strenuous these moves are.
- Transfer up.
- You've got this!
- You got this, Dad!
- Nice!
- But this is a tough section.
You got to go wide with your hands.
Oh, no! - No!
[air horn blares]
The cowboy got bucked off.
Now we'll have to wait and see if that's good enough
to move on to the Western regional finals.
- Lance, what happened right there?
- Ahh!
I went to go wide and then got caught.
Yeah, I didn't play well enough on the Kite Surfer.
[applause]
- Lance, it's always a pleasure watching you compete, my man.
- Thank you, Matt. Thank you, Akbar.
- Well, up next, teenager Lumi Rivera.
When this high school student isn't training for Ninja,
she's chasing down chickens on the family farm.
[rooster crows]
- I've got over 115 animals on the farm.
[chickens clucking]
Chickens, emus...
Best buds.
Tortoises, ducks.
I've been breeding chickens since I was eight years old,
I have cochins, frizzles, Polish, silkies.
The hardest part about breeding chickens
is they're pretty fast.
I have to, like, match their speed to catch up to them.
Tonight, I'm going to be extraordinary.
[chicken clucks]
[cheers and applause]
- Lumi actually named a couple of her chickens after us.
They're right here, Akbar. Matt and Akbar...
- [laughs] - Are her chickens.
- I like that. [clucking]
We even have the little crocheted knockouts.
Mine--mine's kind of salt and pepper.
Looks like Tina Turner there.
- Yeah, and mine is this color of my alma mater,
red and black, San Diego State.
- That is some aggressive hair right there.
- Yeah, it is. I don't have that kind of hair.
- Let's go!
- Lumi will have her parents cheering her on
along with her coach, "Ninja" veteran Karsten Williams.
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, let's see what kind of run
Lumi Rivera can hatch right here.
It's a bit of a chicken walk across the striding steps.
- Yeah, she's got a sweater around her waist.
Doing it in style.
- Whoo! - Let's go!
- Now gets to try this new second obstacle.
- Let's see what she can do here,
going for a ride on Roller Bags.
- Just 17 years old, 5'6".
- And you can just see struggling, though,
to get that handle deployed.
You can see the bars on the right side.
There we go. - Nice and--uh-oh, uh-oh.
- A lot of extra swings.
And another one.
- There's a little bit of a jerk there.
Now, she's going to see it--
- Oh, she needed to let go right there.
- Uh-oh.
- Now she's going to have to build up momentum.
- It could be hard to recover from this.
- Oh, she might end up-- - You got to go through it!
- Like Humpty Dumpty here, Akbar.
Struggling to get her momentum. - Come on. Right here!
- Oh, Matt, she's scrambling like eggs
right now, trying to get over.
Oh, Matt. - Oh, look at that!
- Oh, she might be fried.
- Lumi has to spread her wings.
- Ooh! Sunny side over.
[air horn blares] My goodness!
- It's a new obstacle,
and Lumi couldn't quite figure it out.
- Lumi just made a bad decision.
You can see right there her legs were over the wall.
If she had let go at that point,
she would have cleared it.
But she held on and could never
regain momentum.
- Season 18 of "American Ninja Warrior"
is ready to take flight.
Tonight, we'll see some of the sport's best
and fan favorites, including
the history-making mom Sandy Zimmerman.
And this year, Sandy's got company.
- So I asked the family to come back
and to do my tenth season with me.
- Plus, get ready to hit the Like button.
One of social media's biggest stars,
Ben Azelart, is going to take on our course.
- I think my followers are going to be stoked
to see me do this.
- It's party time on the season premiere
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Vegas, where it's qualifying night
for the West region, and two Olympic hopefuls
hit the course while we were away.
Charles Mangold III
is not only a professional bull rider,
he's also trying to make the U.S. bobsledding team.
- I've got to tip my hat off to him because
that right there is a true athlete.
- After taking off the cowboy hat,
Mangold managed to get past the Shrinking Steps-barely.
- Ooh, that first obstacle looked a little shaky.
- And then the rookie was bucked off on the Roller Bags.
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- En guard! En guard!
- Akbar and I were en garde as high schooler
Luke Filar showed off his fencing skills
at the start line.
Filar moved to the U.S. Pentathlon Training Center
in Charlotte to prepare for the 2028 Olympics
when fencing and Ninja will be two
of the five events in the pentathlon.
With his teammates cheering him on
from back in Charlotte, Filar got some practice
on one of the other pentathlon disciplines,
running. - Ooh!
Be careful.
- And unfortunately, another event,
swimming. - Oh!
[air horn blares]
He was not en garde right there.
- I don't even need a mask.
Up next, it's a Ninja legend.
And for Sandy Zimmerman, this is a special season.
It marks the tenth anniversary of her "ANW" debut.
So she's brought along the whole family.
[gentle music]
- It's a big season for me, ten years.
- Ooh, OK.
That's not your ordinary PE teacher right there.
- So I asked the family to come back
and to do my tenth season with me.
- At first, I was like, ooh, like,
I haven't done this in a little while.
- Now it's in the hands of their teenage son, Brett.
- After I thought about it more, like,
I knew that it would be a lot of fun.
- And they're moving on to the Power Tower.
[buzzer blares]
- Attaboy! - Yes!
- "Ninja Warriors" meant a lot to my family.
It's been very much a bonding thing.
We've watched each other compete.
We've supported each other in it.
- Oh!
- Charlie holds up his end of the bargain.
[cheers and applause]
- My favorite "American Ninja Warrior" memory
would have to be my mom hitting the big buzzer
in the Tacoma Dome.
[together] Our mom is going to be
the next American Ninja Warrior.
- The first mom!
- Yes! Yes!
- I just think that was so special
and just, like, very historic.
And we were just all so excited for her.
- This feels like the last chapter.
Our kids are getting older,
and this may be our last hurrah together,
our last chance to be on this stage together.
The last chance to make memories through Ninja,
which has been such a huge part of our family.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- So Sandy's going to lead it off.
Then Brett will run next.
Sandy's husband Charlie will compete next week
along with daughter Lindsey.
Her youngest son, Blake, is only 14
and hopes to get his shot on the course next season.
Sandy, always a fan favorite.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Former point guard for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Looking to be a sure shot here.
- Oh, here we go.
You gotta check yourself on this new obstacle, Roller Bag.
You got to check yourself like TSA.
- 5'6", 140.
Akbar, has had early struggles on the course.
Wants to be cautious here.
Get this handle out.
- There it is. Use that momentum.
And I think this is the perfect time to make that transfer.
Good. - Got it.
- She's got clearance. You're good.
Oh, oh! - Boy, that was not--
- She's clear.
- Pretty, but, Akbar, she got through it.
But that has to take a toll.
A lot of jolts there for Sandy Zimmerman.
[applause]
See if she can travel through Diamond Dash.
- Just don't get crossed up.
Just like that!
[cheers and applause]
- We'll see if those extra swings,
those jolts on Roller Bags, they come back to haunt
her here on Kite Surfer.
[cheers and applause]
Big transfer down.
Going to take a couple extra swings here.
- Sandy Zimmerman is so focused.
She is locked in. Look at her.
She is locked in.
[cheers and applause]
- The top five women from tonight will move on.
And with this run, Sandy's giving herself
a chance to be one of them.
- Nice! - Oh, my!
- There it is. There it is.
You want to get to the narrow point of that second one.
- And she's reached the fifth obstacle.
[cheers and applause]
Sandy's now a successful author and motivational speaker.
And she's got this crowd on its feet.
[cheers and applause]
Charlie and Lindsey are running next week.
They better be taking some notes from mom's run.
But what does she have left for Kaleidoscope?
- Built a backyard course years ago.
She's put in work, and now it's showing back up.
- Well, it's her tenth anniversary
of competing on the show, doing it with her family.
It's got to mean so much.
But, Akbar, a buzzer would be so special.
- She is ready, Matt. She is ready.
- That backyard course known as the Fortress.
She trains grip relentlessly.
- Look how clean and smooth she is with that.
- But Akbar, these are big reaches.
- Ooh! - Oh, no!
Sandy Zimmerman makes it to the fifth obstacle.
A strong run for Sandy on this special season for her.
- This was vintage Sandy Zimmerman.
She put together her best run in five years.
She just ran out of grip on Kaleidoscope.
- Sandy, it's so great to see you out here.
What does it mean to you to not just be running
with the family supporting, but knowing the family
is running alongside you?
- Man, this is already the most special season for me,
and getting to do it alongside my family.
Would have been nice to get a buzzer
and celebrate it with them, but hopefully another Zimmy
is going to get one, so...
- Spoken like the true competitor you are.
We love it.
We'll know soon if you went far enough fast enough.
But great work out here tonight.
- Thank you so much. - Absolutely.
Guys, back to you.
- Coming up, we're going all the way to Guam,
where Ninja's blowing up.
And we've got the first teenage competitor
from the island.
- To put Guam on the map, it's really important
to represent the island.
- Welcome back to Vegas.
This year, we are going to see how well
you know our ninjas by showing you
their baby pictures, like this one.
Can you guess who it is?
Well, we'll narrow it down for you.
It's either Sean Bryan, Lance Pekus, or Kaden Lebsack.
We'll reveal the answer a little later.
- Thanks, Zuri.
While we were away, Brett Zimmerman,
the 19-year-old son of Sandy Zimmerman,
got his shot at the course.
- Come on, Brett!
- Though he's competed on "Ninja Junior"
and with his parents on our family special,
this was Brett's first appearance
on the big show.
- Oh!
- No! - Wow!
- And the new obstacle, Roller Bag, sent him packing.
- Wow, he picked up the wrong luggage.
- Then it was high school student Ellie Swenson,
who came out swinging, showing off
her dance moves with her brother.
- This is too cool.
- Then the 17-year-old danced her way
across the early obstacles.
- Watch the athleticism go to work here on Diamond Dash.
There you go.
- But the rookie's run was cut short on Kite Surfer.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- Up next, high school football coach Brandon Dodson.
He's competed four times before but has never made it
past the third obstacle.
Now he wants to prove to his players
you've got to keep fighting.
[whistle]
- Ready, three, go.
Good job. Let's get it.
Being able to shape young people,
especially young men, has been awesome.
I've been doing my gyms club with fourth
and fifth grade boys for the past six years.
We go over everything from how to tie a tie
to accepting and receiving compliments,
how to ask for forgiveness,
how to behave at a table, manners.
Let's just make sure we keep eye contact
while we're shaking hands.
Being a coach has actually helped me
become a better ninja.
You have to be able to move on to the next play.
And for me, it's letting the failures of the past go.
Not harping on it but also learning from it.
- Whoa! Ooh!
He lost it!
- Coach Dod is hitting the buzzer tonight,
because if I don't, I'm going to hear about it at practice.
[whistle blows]
- Well, he's got some of those players watching
from his football team, cheering him on.
- Let's go!
- Plus his home team--
his wife and three daughters.
- He's a girl dad too.
Look at his beautiful daughters.
Ah, look at that.
[countdown clock beeping]
- He was a quarterback.
Let's see if he can stick with these obstacles here.
- He played college ball at the University of Montana.
- Real smooth start.
This new one, Roller Bags.
Get ready for a flight here.
And you can see this is timing, Akbar.
You have to levitate and pull when your body is weightless.
[cheers and applause]
A little trouble getting that first bag released.
- Let go!
That was like an interception right there.
He just went out and just grabbed that last handle.
- Now Diamond Dash.
Look at the speedy defensive back go.
And the fifth time's the charm.
For the first time ever, Brandon's made it
to the fourth obstacle.
But he's got his work cut out for him here.
Kite Surfer is a tough one.
Already ended the night for a couple of ninjas.
- Watch the hand placement here.
Good work.
- At 37, he's putting together his best run ever.
He's showing his players how it's done.
- Smooth.
And didn't expend a lot of energy.
- At 5'8", he's got plenty of wingspan
to kind of go wide here on this big arrow
with the Kite Surfer-- oh!
He missed it.
- Oh! - Oh!
- The former quarterback couldn't make the catch.
But all in all, a successful run
for Coach Dodson.
This is the Western qualifiers, and no one has come
further west than our next ninja.
From 6,000 miles away on the island of Guam,
this is 16-year-old Rai Flores.
Joining him at the start line is his coach, Deren Perez.
They're excited because they want to put
their island on the Ninja map.
[plane whooshes]
- Being the first ever teenager to represent Guam
on "American Ninja Warrior," I mean, it's really a privilege
representing the island.
And more than that, being able to do it with my coach, Deren.
- Deren started his Ninja journey ten years ago
when he competed in Kansas City.
- There you go. - Nice!
- After that run, he wanted to bring Ninja
to his home island.
- Before I moved to Guam, there was no Ninja available.
We are literally in the middle of nowhere.
And I did not let that stop me.
I created something in my backyard.
And from there, it just evolved.
Training students.
- The first time I did Ninja Warrior
was in Deren Perez's backyard.
And now I'm opening up my very own gym.
- Viva!
- Guam's first Ninja Warrior gym.
- Something I wanted to do for myself end up evolving
into me doing something for my island.
Down. There you go.
Nice, light work. Good job, Rai.
Rai Flores, one of my top students.
There it is.
The kid is phenomenal.
He is naturally talented.
- I just feel so happy that I have this opportunity.
Deren got his first buzzer last season.
I'm getting mine tonight.
[rock music]
[cheers and applause]
- Rai is the first teenager from Guam to compete.
Calls himself King Rai because "Rai" means "king"
in the native language of Guam.
Deren runs next.
He's on the sidelines,
flanked by Rai's mom and brother.
- Hello!
- And lots of family and friends
are watching back in Guam, including Rai's dad
there in the middle.
- Go Rai!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Here we go. - Viva!
- I love this kid's propeller hat.
He started wearing it to stand out at Ninja competitions.
I think that thing is his secret weapon on the course.
- 5'7", 135, just 16.
Real smooth. Wow!
- Oh, we're going to have to-- - Ooh!
We're getting some rough dismounts on the Roller Bags.
- Let's go! - Come on, Rai!
- You got it!
- We might have to put Guam a sticker on the luggage.
- And runs right through Diamond Dash.
- Let's go! Let's get this!
Yeah! - Shake it off!
- Matt, he came 6,000 miles just to get here.
He wants it badly.
He didn't show up just to get on the course.
He wants to get through the course.
- There you go.
- Let's see if he can fly through Kite Surfer.
This is the big move.
With his hands up and around. Nice.
- Well, I hope that little spinning thing helps him
fly even further, because he's going to need it
on this second kite.
[cheers and applause]
- Akbar, he is looking so strong.
His motor-- - Hit it. Nice!
He's got his foot on the accelerator.
[cheers and applause]
- And the blade isn't even spinning on his hat,
and he's still flying.
- King Rai!
- He is pumped up, King Rai.
- He flew 6,000 miles just to get here.
He wants the action, Matt. He wants that smoke.
He wants that "Ninja" smoke.
- Well, his dad was a swimmer for Guam in the '92 Olympics.
He's got some athletic genes, and it's showing.
But Rai doesn't want to go swimming tonight.
- All right, big swing. Easy.
- Yeah, he looks so smooth.
But this is where Kaleidoscope gets tough.
He's got to reach up and rotate the panels down.
Just like that!
Now has to swing over and land on that small ledge.
And he's got it!
- How about it? - Get out of there.
Get out of there, young fella. - He's done it!
- The King!
- Could be our first finisher tonight.
King Rai looking to ascend to the throne and get that buzzer.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- Look at mom getting ready to cry.
- He gave the propeller a little spin.
And he does it!
King Rai, a buzzer on his rookie run!
And a ninja from Guam is our first finisher of the season.
- Good job, Rai!
[cheers and applause]
- Hey, bud, what do you want to tell some other kids watching
around the globe who maybe feel like "Ninja Warrior"
is a world away from them.
What do you want to tell those kids?
- It really doesn't matter how small or big
your country is, how hard it is to train.
As long as you want it, it's a lot of dedication.
We just keep going. And that's all that matters.
We keep putting in the time, and we're here right now.
This shows. - Started in Guam.
Now you're here, baby.
Hit that buzzer again.
- Let's go, come on!
[cheers and applause]
- They're celebrating in Guam tonight.
Rai Flores delivers.
- Yes!
- Coming up,
it's been a stressful time for John Mack.
His newborn baby has been fighting for his life.
Now he'll try to bring home a buzzer for his family.
- Sweet boy, can you wake up?
- [coos]
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to qualifying night for the West region.
Minutes ago, we saw Guam's
Rai Flores get the first buzzer of the season.
And while we were away, Rai's mentor, Deren Perez,
got his shot. - Viva Guam!
- Raising that flag proudly.
- After flying the flag for Guam,
Perez then started flying through the course.
- Oh, nice!
- The Coast Guard recruiter was cruising.
And he powered his way through the final obstacle.
- Let's go, baby!
- Come on, get up that wall!
- He gave Guam the island's second buzzer of the night.
- For Guam! - Viva!
[cheers and applause]
- Then the Myler family, better known as social media
superstars the Ninja Kids, kicked off their second season
on "Ninja Warrior."
- Look, the kids love him, Matt.
- 17-year-old Paxton Myler was the first of three siblings
who will compete this year for the family
that has 40 million subscribers on YouTube.
Paxton made it to the National Finals last year,
but tonight... - Oh!
- The tilt.
- He was cut down on Kite Surfer.
That may not be enough to move on,
but his twin sister Payton and older brother Ashton
will get their chance next week.
Our next ninja almost didn't make it
to the start line this year.
It's Utah's John Mack, who was living at the hospital
until just a few days ago as his new baby boy
was fighting for his life.
[soft dramatic music]
- My wife and I were on a babymoon,
having a lovely time before our little boy was born.
When all of a sudden, my wife started
to have some complications.
My wife had an emergency C-section.
Jason was 11 weeks premature.
And then after a few hours,
he took a very sharp left turn.
♪ ♪
They could not figure out what was wrong with him,
but his health was rapidly declining.
A few days later, when the doctors told me
that we might not be able to take him home...
[sighs]
You know, broke my heart.
I've always wanted to be a dad.
My wife has always wanted to be a mom.
And to feel so much love and then
be told we might not be able to have it was...
♪ ♪
It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with.
♪ ♪
My whole life seemed to just stop.
♪ ♪
After a few days, they found out that he had pneumonia.
And they were able to start him on antibiotics.
He perked up really quick, started gaining weight
and has been happy and smiling ever since then.
- [coos]
- I'm really, really excited and grateful
for this opportunity to run "Ninja Warrior" this year.
It means a lot more to me.
You and mom are going to cheer me on?
You guys are going to watch me?
Eventually, I'll be able to show him this run
and tell him that I ran for him.
Jason, I'm going to hit this buzzer for you, buddy.
[cheers and applause]
- And there's his wife Ashley and baby son Jason.
So glad they're doing OK now.
- Hi, buddy.
[cheers and applause]
- John's also got his mom on the sideline,
along with other family and friends.
And John is my pick to be the fastest of the night.
With that newborn, he's going to be running with a purpose.
Plus, he's 6'6", our tallest competitor.
[countdown clock beeping]
- All right, let's see if Matt's
got the right pick tonight.
- Well, right now, Deren Perez has the top time,
a minute and 43. I know John can beat that.
He doesn't want to be hanging out on this course
with his big mass.
Would love to finish in under a minute and 10,
so he'll get a shot at winning 10 grand on the Mega Wall.
- Wow. - That was easy.
Watch the steps here. Stay centered.
Nice.
Akbar, he is effortlessly flying.
And the Kite Surfer with that big reach is looking easy.
- Ooh. - Wow.
- You see that?
That's exactly how you're supposed to do that.
He made it easy.
As efficient as we've seen a ninja go through that.
- OK, John is moving.
Might be on to something here.
- Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good about my pick right now.
- Yeah, he is like a Mack Truck on this course.
He is just crushing it.
- His reach is going to help him,
but 200 pounds is a decent amount of mass right here.
These are big reaches.
Look at him locking it up, Akbar.
- Nice, and you can see him utilizing the rails.
Here we go.
This is a big transfer.
- Akbar, he's going to have about 15 seconds
if he can get this dismount.
- He's gotta go now.
Go, big fella! Go, big fella!
- And it's going to be close!
John Mack delivers!
[cheers and applause]
Akbar, I said he was going to go fast,
and I was right. - You did. You did.
You did. - Matt, you were right.
[cheers and applause]
- John, you're a new father.
I salute you, my brother.
I know your wife's with Jason right now.
They're watching.
What do you want to say to him, bud?
- I love you guys so very, very much.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, there's dad strength, and there's dad speed.
You did that really fast, man.
- So, John, he's right.
The time to beat for a shot at the Mega Wall
was a minute and ten.
You did it in 1:04.
So get down there for $10,000, brother.
[cheers and applause]
- You can buy a lot of diapers with that one.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- He'll be the first this season to attempt
the 18-and-1/2-foot wall.
Only three ninjas conquered it last year.
Akbar, I picked this guy to be the fastest of the night,
and he just set a very high bar.
Can he also take home 10K?
- Ooh! Oh!
- So close. - Almost had it.
That close.
But just an inspired run by John Mack
after all he and his wife have been through
in the past few weeks,
and he sits atop
our current leaderboard.
Remember, only those in
the top 20 at the end of
the night will move on.
And the top 5 get a bye
in the first round
of the regional finals.
Still to come,
we're going up, up, and away with a ninja
who has one of the coolest jobs on the planet.
- It's pretty intense, but it's a lot of fun.
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- So did you figure out who this little guy grew up to be?
That baby in the bow tie...
became the Cowboy Ninja Lance Pekus.
- Well, we've got a ninja from the Cowboy State
headed to the start line right now.
Carrying the flag from Wyoming,
it's college student Gabe Villalobos.
He's just the third ninja ever from his home state.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
- It takes a lot of work to be a ninja in Wyoming.
I mean, you have to drive like 200 miles
just to get to your next Ninja gym,
because there's only one, you know?
I'm from one of the biggest towns.
There's only 26,000 people in the whole town.
I mean, there's more cows than people in Wyoming, you know?
[cow moos]
This is one of the biggest things that happened
in Wyoming, honestly, and I cannot wait
to represent and make everyone proud back home.
[cheers and applause]
- His run is big news in Wyoming,
so they're watching at his gym.
And he's got a group on the sideline,
including his dad.
- Go, Gabo!
- Let's go, Wyoming!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Gabe's last name "Villalobos" means
"village wolf."
[howls]
Let's see if he can attack our course, Akbar.
- He says that's one obstacle down.
We've already seen a few ninjas struggle here
on this new obstacle, Roller Bags.
- Well, we've got six brutal obstacles here.
This one is brand-new.
- And you can see him take an extra swing.
And not looking confident, Akbar.
- But he's thrown up the deuces.
He's through two.
- The Village Wolf's still alive.
Let's check out his footwork here on Diamond Dash.
These balance obstacles always lethal,
even for a wolf.
- You can see him holding up fingers up there--
- Oh! - He drops--oh!
Hold up that three! Hold up that three!
There it is! - [howls]
Let's go!
- The wolf is alive!
And now let's see if this wolf can fly on Kite Surfer, Akbar.
The way the night is shaping up,
probably needs to get through this to have a chance
to move on.
Well, Akbar, he is looking to establish himself
as the greatest ninja from Wyoming of all time.
- To do that, he'd need to match Colby Frontiero,
who hit a buzzer way back in season five,
13 years ago.
- Well, the Kite Surfer, this wide point,
48 inches.
I like how he grabbed the more narrow part of this.
- Be careful with the tilt.
But he is through. [cheers and applause]
And he can hold up the four fingers.
[cheers and applause]
And if he can get through the next two obstacles
and hit a buzzer, he'd match the greatest performance
ever by a Wyoming ninja.
A proud accomplishment for this rookie,
just 23 years old. - Well, here it is.
This is his drive for five to become the greatest
in Wyoming history.
- Well, what a story of perseverance.
Can the Village Wolf fight on Kaleidoscope?
Big transfer here.
- Ooh, Matt, I'm not confident about that swing.
It looks like he's starting to gas out.
- Come on, Gabe.
- Oh! - Oh, you could see it, Akbar!
The wolf's legs didn't give out, but his grip did.
Does not set the mark as the best ever Wyoming ninja,
but still, pretty good run by this rookie.
- You could see he was starting to feel it.
And as he went for the last panel,
his fingers just peeled off, and the wolf got wet.
[howls]
- We'll have to wait and see if his pace
was good enough to move on to the Western Regional Finals.
- Up next on the course is Utah's Ally Tippetts Wooton,
better known as the Flippin' Ninja.
- Oh, she flippin'.
- Ally recently had her second child,
and to get back into Ninja shape,
she teamed up with a couple of other Utah Ninja moms.
- All right, mamas, let's go.
- So in St. George, we have this little mom posse
with Kyndal and Mady Howard and I.
- Mady Howard keeping the pressure on Wooton.
And now they're neck and neck. And here comes Kyndal.
- It's a nice little group we have.
We all have kids around the same age.
We like to train Ninja together,
and then our kids can kind of play.
Underneath. Go under, go under.
It's really helped me train and get ready for the season.
So three up, three down? - Sure.
I mean, I'm sure we could even do two up,
two down, whatever you want.
- You don't have to push pause on your own dreams
and athletic goals just because
you're in the season of having your kids
and growing your family.
- Looking strong.
The mom posse is going to make it happen this year.
[cheers and applause]
- We'll see Kyndal compete next week.
Mady is taking a year off,
and Zuri has decided to step in
and help Ally's husband with babysitting duties
during the run. - Oh, my gosh.
Look. Hi.
- Go! - Let's go!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Matt, she missed last season because
she was pregnant with her daughter.
Now, Ally's back for the third time.
- Let's go!
- She is ready to do her Ninja thing.
- Let's see what she can do on Roller Bags.
- Yeah, I've been there before.
Traveling with little ones, it's not easy,
especially when you got them roller bags.
- And you see the athletes just hesitating on that first swing
and taking another one, Akbar.
- All right, got to really feel it.
Got to--oh!
Nice!
- As clean a dismount as we've seen.
That was smooth.
Let's see if she can stay firm on Diamond Dash.
- Ally is super, super athletic.
That Diamond Dash should be pretty easy.
Watch it. Watch it. Nice!
Light on her feet.
- And the mom posse approves.
- She looks like she's got this.
You can see that 5'6", 125--
- You've got this!
- She's been working on her upper body strength.
- Matt, a lot of this goes back to her origin.
Being a gymnast at a very young age,
she's been doing that for a long time.
- Trying to be the second woman to get past
Kite Surfer tonight.
Watch this transfer down. Bounce it off.
- Nice!
This obstacle Kite Surfer has already
knocked out five ninjas.
You got it. You got it.
Yeah!
Makes it to the second kite.
But this is a big move.
Got to go wide around those edges.
- Well, Akbar--
oh, no! - Oh, no!
- And she flips out, missing that hand
placement on Kite Surfer.
Ally Tippetts Wooton and splashes down
on the fourth obstacle.
But still a solid run and the mom posse can be proud.
[applause]
Coming up, he's one of the biggest
social media stars in the world,
and Ben Azelart's latest stunt
is running the "Ninja Warrior" course.
- This, for me, is all about just, like,
making a childhood dream come true.
- That's just ahead on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Las Vegas,
where we're about halfway through
our first night of qualifying.
- And these ninjas are starting off the season strong.
Vegas native Colby Player came to play.
The 30-year-old rookie was rolling through the course.
- Oh, wow!
- This former circus performer put on a show
for his hometown crowd.
- Oh, the flip.
- He made his way to the buzzer,
becoming our fourth finisher of the night.
- Well, they say the house always wins,
but tonight, it's the player who comes out on top.
- Ontario California's Xzavian Ochoa
showed his strength at the start line
and then showed his speed on the course,
confidently racing across the early obstacles.
- One of the faster runs we've seen to this point.
- The three-time veteran had never made it
past the fifth obstacle, but did so tonight.
[cheers and applause]
And he climbed up the wall to become
the night's fifth finisher.
- And Xzavian Ochoa gets that buzzer!
- Let's go!
- Up next is 24-year-old grad student
and rocket scientist Max Manson.
He's one of several athletes competing this year
from Stanford University.
All of them were inspired to try this sport
by former ninja and their good friend
Vincent Pane.
- I first met Vince at a climbing team practice,
and I just remember thinking,
this is probably the most interesting person
I've ever met.
[energetic music]
He was the Stanford Ninja
setting up obstacles on campus.
- This is definitely a circus person move.
- Vince was definitely super eccentric.
- Gnarly.
- He made a lot of his own clothes.
Just so many talents.
[chainsaw hums]
Always just setting up these amazing adventures
that really kind of brought us together.
Last summer, Vince and I were attempting
this long ridge traverse along the Continental Divide.
[somber music]
And the only way to really do it is to move light and fast.
And lots of loose rock,
that's when the accident happened.
♪ ♪
- We know that Vince would be heartbroken
if we ever stopped adventuring.
And so we keep going to make him proud.
- Whoa!
- It's been cool to get to kind of see the legacy
he left behind, and I'm excited to bring
that with me when I run.
[cheers and applause]
- And there are two other ninjas from Stanford,
Bennie Hesser, who competes next week,
and Sam Boeschen, who runs later tonight.
They're on the sideline along with Max's parents.
[countdown clock beeping]
It was Vince who got him into the show last year.
What a tragic loss.
And Max Manson was a natural for this sport.
He's a top rock climber and also a rocket scientist.
So he knows all about speed.
This guy doesn't just want to design rockets.
He loves being in the sky.
This guy's gotten into skydiving, Akbar.
- Yeah, that's real dangerous.
He likes all that stuff that can fly.
Well, he's flying through the course.
- Yeah, you want to avoid free-falling
here on Kite Surfer.
- He likes rockets. He likes skydiving.
I'm sure he's going to love Kite Surfer.
[cheers and applause]
- Come on, man!
- Making good progress.
A lot of forward thrust here for this rocketry student.
And now Kaleidoscope.
6'1", 180, on the bigger side.
The bigger your payload, the more that
grip strength gets taxed.
That's a pretty good amount of weight to try to keep
in orbit here on Kaleidoscope.
- Max was a very successful Division I
pole vaulter at Stanford.
He's a good all-around athlete. - Yes!
- Well, these rockets students, they don't spend
all their time in the lab.
This guy, also a rock climber.
You can see that grip strength serving him well.
[cheers and applause]
Look at this, Akbar. Big Max.
- I don't know what the equation is
for what he's doing, but whatever it is,
it equals success.
[cheers and applause]
- 14 and 1/2 feet away.
And he gets that buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
Well, it was awesome watching you, Max.
I know on your mind has got to be your buddy, Vince Pane.
He got you into this sport.
What's it mean standing here having hit that buzzer?
- So special just to be able to kind of
carry on what he got me into.
And, yeah, I definitely felt him out there
with me on the course. - Oh, man.
That's special.
That's real special, man.
We love Vince, man. I know how much you love him.
Hit that buzzer one more time. An amazing run.
[buzzer blares]
- And Max joins our other
finishers on the leaderboard.
We're up to six so far.
Remember, only the top 20 at
the end of the night will move on.
It's looking like you need
to reach Kaleidoscope
to have a chance.
Coming up, the Beckstrands are the first family of Ninja.
Kai's our defending champ. - He got it. Yeah!
- His brother Luke's a top competitor.
What a run!
- And tonight their sister Baylee
and their dad Brian can make history
of their own when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- It's "Ninja's" opening night,
featuring athletes from the West region.
And minutes ago, Utah's Violet Kepo'o
honored her Hawaiian heritage.
The high schooler's great grandfather
was a warrior chief in Hawaii.
And Kepo'o looked like a warrior
as she raced through the early obstacles.
- Wow! Kepo'o. Oh!
[cheers and applause]
- The 18-year-old is looking to advance
past qualifying for the fourth straight season.
- She's got to reach up, and she's got to make those turn.
Ooh! [air horn blares]
- Though, she fell on the fifth obstacle,
her fast time means she's in a good position to move on.
Daniella Blanchard moved from New York to LA
to live and train with Ninja great Jessie Graff.
And it seems to have paid off.
Two years ago, Blanchard fell on the first obstacle.
But tonight, she confidently made her way to the fifth.
- Now, get out of there, Daniella!
Ooh, ooh.
I see you! I see you!
- Blanchard was poised to become the first woman
to hit a buzzer this season,
until she came up short in her three attempts
at the Warped Wall.
[audience groans]
- Oh! Oh!
She had it.
- Still, she's in a good position to move on.
Well, we've got a dance party at the start line.
This hip-hop troupe is from St. George, Utah.
And out front is our next ninja,
Baylee Beckstrand, who loves dancing
almost as much as she loves Ninja.
- Oh, yeah, you can tell.
Look at that.
- Her family's been busting moves on the course
for more than a decade.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
- I am the fifth Beckstrand to take on the "ANW" course.
My dad and my brothers have all had buzzers.
- Teasing that mohawk.
He just set the record.
He is now the new youngest ever to hit a buzzer on stage 1.
Luke! [buzzer blares]
What a run!
[buzzer blares]
- Watching everything they do has always just pushed me
to become better 'cause I've always wanted
to do everything that they do.
- Little sis wants to show the whole family
she can Ninja as well.
- Since last season, I've just been
trying to get in the gym more and training more
with my brothers and taking their advice more.
I'd say I feel pretty ready to follow in the family legacy
and, hopefully, get a buzzer this season.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- Her dad, Brian, runs next.
He's over there with mom Holly and brothers Kai and Luke.
Who both run next week.
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, last year, an impressive rookie campaign.
Made it to that fifth obstacle.
- Well, Matt, what Baylee has been doing
is she's been training with her brother Kai and Luke,
and that really has upped her game.
And I think we're going to see a big difference
with what she did last season to this season.
That means getting a buzzer, Matt.
- Well it's so great.
The Zimmermans, the Beckstrands, the Barons,
all of these great Ninja families showing
what this sport is all about.
But only 5'1", needs big strides on Diamond Dash.
Right through it.
- Well, I will say, Matt, she danced
her way through Diamond Dash.
One thing I can tell you about Baylee, she is fearless.
She's been doing Ninja training since she was four years old.
That's 12 years of Ninja.
- Baylee, such confidence, Akbar.
What a difference a year makes.
- Well, the confidence really does come from the preparation.
She was born into a Ninja family, Matt.
She's had no choice.
This is the family business.
- They have two Ninja gyms in St. George, Utah.
- St. George, not that far away from here,
about an hour away from where we are today.
Nice!
- Good transfer.
Another big performance.
And she's back, facing the fifth obstacle yet again.
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go, Bay!
- She made it to the fifth obstacle last year
but couldn't get past it.
This would mean a lot to her
if she could conquer it this season.
And if she does, she's assured of moving on.
- Well, she's attacking it with no hesitation.
- Baylee only weighs 106 pounds,
but such strength.
- Matt, I try to read the body language of the athlete
as they're on this course.
But confidence, though, is there
that she's had the training.
She's had the preparation.
Look at that.
Look at the technique.
- Her dad set a goal that both...
- Nice.
- He and Baylee would make it to the National Finals.
- Matt, I called it earlier. She's getting it.
She's about to do it.
- She could get a shot at her very first buzzer.
- Yes!
Yes. Yes.
Bend it like Beckstrand.
- Baylee!
Beckstrand!
- Yep.
[cheers and applause]
- Looking to be the fourth member
of the family to get a buzzer.
- You got this.
This is so cool.
Kai's good. Luke's good.
Baylee's good.
Everybody's good.
- 14 1/2 feet away from getting her first ever buzzer.
- Come on, Baylee. Come on Baylee! Yes!
- Just like at home.
Baylee Beckstrand gets the buzzer.
- That's Baylee Beckstrand.
Oh, my word!
[cheers and applause]
- What a smile.
- Welcome.
Welcome to the top of the Warped Wall.
Is this how you dreamed it?
- It doesn't feel real yet.
So it feels like a dream. - Yeah.
Well, it's got to be a good dream.
We've talked so much about your brother Kai,
about your brother Luke, about your dad, Brian.
But this time, it's all about Baylee.
How good did that first buzzer feel?
- Really good.
- Now, come on.
You made it to the top of that Warped Wall.
I want to see a little bit of dance move.
Come on, play that music.
[upbeat music]
- There it is.
Oh!
- Hit that buzzer.
- Hey!
Come on, man.
We coordinate that, man.
- Call it the Beckstrand.
- [laughs] Well done.
- Way to go, Baylee.
- Well done.
One day, I'm going to dance just like Baylee.
- So now, for the first time,
four members of one family have hit buzzers.
Baylee just got her first.
Her dad, Brian, has three.
Her brother Luke has eight buzzers so far.
And leading the way, our defending champion,
Kai, with 19 buzzers in his four seasons.
- Wow, that's 31 buzzers
for the Beckstrand.
- And they've got a chance to add another right now,
as the 47-year-old patriarch of the Ninja dynasty,
Brian Beckstrand, heads to the start line.
Made history five years ago when he and Kai
became the first father and son duo
to hit buzzers the same night.
Now he can make more history as part
of the first father-daughter duo to do it.
Baylee just did her part.
Now it's up to dad.
[countdown clock beeping]
At 47, he's one of the night's older competitors.
But this firefighter is in tremendous shape.
The Beckstrands' "Ninja" journey started 11 years ago
when Brian first competed.
He got a buzzer his first time on the course.
- Oh, oh. - Oh!
Oh. Matt, that was close.
Let's look at it again.
His right hand was coming off the handle early,
and he just barely got that left leg over the wall.
Whoo, the dismount on this obstacle is really
giving our ninjas trouble tonight.
- That firefighter, almost a five-alarm fire.
- Oh, get it, get it, get it, get it.
But one thing that he does, he gives a lot of credit
and has a lot of respect for his kids
and how far Ninja has really pushed them.
And it's also his kids pushing him.
Matt, he's now back in the weight room.
He's training with Kai.
He's now bench pressing 235 pounds, squat 250,
deadlifting 405.
- 6'2", 185, one of the bigger athletes we'll see out here.
Does he have the grip strength to survive Kite Surfer?
- Get both hands on. Both hands on.
- Got it. Nice!
- Akbar, Brian Beckstrand's last buzzer was in season 13.
- Yeah, Matt. He's going to change that.
I feel it.
- Yeah, Dad, come on!
- Hoping to make Ninja history with his daughter Baylee.
But with his size, landing on these tiny ledges
of Kaleidoscope, going to be a challenge.
- All right, now we got to remember, these things,
it does have a little roll to it.
So he's got to roll with it just like his corn rolls.
- And you can see, Akbar, he's going in circles.
This is a real struggle expending
a lot of grip strength! - Oh.
- Brian Beckstrand, the firefighter
ends up in the water
and misses out on becoming the first
father-daughter buzzer duo. [applause]
- He spent a lot of time going in circles
at the start of Kaleidoscope.
His spinning created a moving target for him
to grab on that second ledge.
And he just couldn't get a handle.
But he has a good chance to be in the top 20 and move on.
He could still join Baylee in the regional finals.
And sons Kai and Luke might be there too.
They get their chance at the course next week.
Up next, it's an unbelievable story.
The Serrano family nearly lost their dad
in a horrible explosion.
- His hard hat melted onto his head.
He literally ran through fire.
- But dad battled back.
And now his two kids will battle the course
in his honor when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Its qualifying night for the West region,
and a couple of Californians just took on the course.
Sam Boeschen's family owns a winery in Napa Valley,
and he brought us a bottle of his best.
- We raise a toast to Sam Boeschen.
Boeschen's a grad student in mechanical engineering
at Stanford, so you know he's smart.
And he had the early obstacles figured out.
- C'mon, baby!
- The 22-year-old was captain of the Stanford climbing team,
but he couldn't get a grip on Kite Surfer.
- Whoa! [air horn blares]
- Concord, California's Sean Bryan,
better known as the Papal Ninja,
has never failed to finish a qualifying course.
- The older he gets, the better he gets.
- The Catholic Church working is competing
in his 11th season, and shows no signs
of slowing down.
- He's got to go right now. He's got to go right now.
- He finished in under a minute and ten...
- Nice!
- Which earned him a shot at the Mega Wall.
[audience chanting] Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
Mega Wall! - Let's go, go, go!
- [groans]
- Ooh.
- Though he came up short, he's in position
to get one of the five byes in the regional finals.
The force is strong with this next athlete, Akbar.
Arona Spader is a graphic artist
who does cosplay and stunt work.
And on the weekends, she likes to go
up, up and away.
- ♪ We want to live like that ♪
- I work grounds crew for hot air balloons.
[bright music]
I help get the balloons up in the air,
and then I get them down safely.
Wrangling a balloon is like pulling a five-story building.
It is very strong.
It is very strenuous on your body.
But you got to make sure the balloon comes up safely.
[laughs]
It helps with body control, my strength, my grip strength,
a lot of body awareness because that's
the biggest thing that you need when you're doing Ninja.
Sometimes you get to ride in the balloon.
Whoa.
Super peaceful and just calming
and you watch the whole town.
They're like little ants at the bottom.
I love it.
Tonight, nothing's going to hold me down.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- In addition to her high-flying hobbies,
Arona also coaches at her Ninja gym in Arizona.
Some of her students have come out to watch.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
Was a high school national champ in track.
We know she's got speed.
[cheers and applause]
- She had very little training before competing last year,
and she fell on the second obstacle.
She's much more prepared this season.
[cheers and applause]
Little trouble getting that handle deployed.
- Come on. Come on.
- Focus! Big pull!
- Got it. Nice!
- Used to wrangling those hot air balloons,
which sounds fun, but can be a dangerous job.
- Nice. She did it, Matt.
She's gone further than she did last year.
[cheers and applause]
- Now, the former track star will try to sprint
across Diamond Dash.
- Got it.
- And look at that smile.
She's enjoying this.
Four women have made it past Kite Surfer so far.
If Arona can join them, it'll greatly improve
her chances of moving on.
- 5'7", 130, good reach. - Big pull.
- Right there.
- It's the second kite where we've seen
ninjas have trouble.
The arms start to get tired.
- Nice. Hold it!
[cheers and applause]
- This is so taxing, Akbar.
- Right here.
Load this up.
Here it is, right here. You are there.
Yes. - Nice!
- Big transfer here.
- Get narrow. Get deep.
- Big hits.
[cheers and applause]
- Got it! - Finger-tip save.
- Ooh!
That was a double save.
- And she's through.
Arona Spader in her second year,
and she is soaking it all in.
- I see you.
- I think she's elated with her performance to this point.
Can she get through this?
- You can see she's got her warrior tattoo.
Her warrior artwork on her hands.
- You got it. - You got it.
- Akbar, just looking so much more confident
than what we saw last year.
- Well, sometimes you just need to get a little bit
of that experience.
Get it out of you first.
- Remaining calm. Doing a good job.
Getting power with the hips.
- Here's the test. Here's the test right here.
Big reach. - OK.
She's got the long, straight arms here,
and she's got to go up for it.
The longer she hangs--
no! [air horn blares]
[cheers and applause]
- Can't make the grab, but a huge improvement
for Arona Spader.
We'll have to wait and see if that's good enough to move on
as one of our top five women.
[cheers and applause]
Up next, a 16-year-old rookie from Austin, Texas,
Simeon Serrano.
He's competing with older sister Salome who runs next.
They're going to take on the course
this year to honor their dad.
[ominous music]
- Two years ago, my dad was in an explosion
at an oil refinery in California.
He was covered with third-degree burns.
- His hard hat melted onto his head.
He literally ran through fire.
♪ ♪
We didn't know if he would be alive when we got there.
- I just remember being like, really quiet, pondering,
like, what am I going to do if, like, my dad's gone?
♪ ♪
- The next couple months, there were a lot of instances
where when I said goodbye to my dad,
I thought that might be the last time.
♪ ♪
His recovery took about eight months.
And during that time, he went through 20 surgeries.
[soft dramatic music]
- He never should have survived.
And he made it.
[bright music]
- He's taken me to "Ninja Warrior"
forever since I was, like, really young.
Having my dad here watching me tonight
means that I can fulfill a part of his dream as well as mine.
- That looks crazy.
- Oh, my gosh, that is cool.
- As a dad and as a parent,
I couldn't be more proud of them
and what they're accomplished.
- My dad has shown me that nothing is impossible,
so I'm coming for that buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
- And there's Jerome on the sideline,
cheering on his kids with the rest of the family.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Competing in front of their dad,
what a special moment.
- Well, Simeon said his dad really taught him
that when bad things happen,
you can make it worse with a bad attitude,
or you can choose a positive mindset.
And that's what this family's done.
And they've got to feel so good seeing their son
out here on the second obstacle.
- And what a great motivation to have their father
on the sideline, a person who's overcome so much,
the 20 surgeries.
And everything else that he had to go through
to fight for his life, his kids,
they have a big challenge in front of them right now.
- He's just 16 years old, Akbar.
Think of all he's endured watching his father battle
back and out here on the fourth obstacle
in his rookie campaign, showing that Serrano family strength.
- Nice. You got to figure it out.
This is a big one.
We're seeing a lot of ninjas so far tonight
not riding that bungee on that spool.
- Little extra swing.
And, Akbar, I don't mind it.
We're seeing a rookie. Make sure of the transfer.
- Nice.
- At 5'11", 140, he's got wingspan, and he's light.
[cheers and applause]
- Yeah, he is bringing so much joy to his family.
- Well, how appropriate there on the Kaleidoscope.
No matter what you look at with the Kaleidoscope,
it always appears more beautiful.
I think that's something the Serranos
have learned how to do.
But let's see if it's still looking pretty
as he gets through this obstacle, Akbar.
- You can see struggling a little bit.
The Kaleidoscope is moving.
He's trying to get a little grip.
Got it!
- Well, he's relying on his youth, Akbar.
You're right.
Not being terribly efficient.
And those swings, that's still expending
extra energy. Long reaches.
- Nice. 16 years old.
- All right, Akbar. - Crushing it.
- You have this. Let's go!
- A lot of movement, though, side to side.
- Big move! Big move!
Get out of there. - Can he get the dismount?
- He's got to get out of there. Nice!
- Simeon Serrano. - Wow.
- 14 1/2 feet away from hitting the buzzer.
- And dad is getting the chance to witness all of this!
- Oh, my goodness!
Just incredible!
[cheers and applause]
Simeon Serrano hits a buzzer
with his father watching!
Looking at your father's courage
over the past couple of years, what's the lesson you think
your father has taught you that you carried
with you on this course?
- Wake up and just be the best person you can every day.
- Well, Simeon, you did. I'll tell you what.
Why don't you go down and celebrate with your dad
right now?
You just got a buzzer.
Akbar, what a display of courage.
And I know as excited Simeon is to hit that buzzer,
his dad's gotta be even happier.
So let's update
our leaderboard.
Remember, the top five
at the end of the night get
a bye in the first round
of the Regional Finals.
Simeon's finish has him
currently in the sixth
position and he's guaranteed
to move on.
Among the women,
Baylee Beckstrand
leads the way, but there are
still many top ninjas to run.
Up next, if you don't know him,
your kids will.
Ben Azelart's outrageous YouTube videos
have earned him millions of followers.
Now, he's ready to take on our course
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to Vegas
and our first night of the new
"American Ninja Warrior" season.
Minutes ago, it was an emotional moment
as Simeon Serrano hit a buzzer.
And while we were away, his sister Salome
got her shot at the course.
The 18-year-old from Texas looked like she might
match her brother's performance.
- She said, I am not going to let my little brother outdo me.
- But on Kite Surfer, she lost her grip.
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
Well, our next ninja is one of the biggest
social media stars in the world.
This is California's Ben Azelart.
His outrageous videos on YouTube
have earned him millions of devoted fans.
And competing on "Ninja Warrior" is something
he's been dreaming about for years.
- I'm Ben. I'm a YouTuber.
What's up, guys? Welcome back to My channel.
On YouTube, I have, like, 65 million subscribers.
Across platforms, probably in, like, the 80-million range.
We do a lot of adventurous stuff.
Whoa!
This, for me, is all about just, like,
making a childhood dream come true.
Answering that question of,
can I do "American Ninja Warrior"?
I've shown that I have this agility,
but also, like, it's never been all put together at once.
So I think seeing me do this course is going to be
really cool, because childhood me
definitely thought I could. So I got to find out.
I think my followers are going to be stoked to see me do this.
Let's go.
[upbeat music]
[cheers and applause]
- Watching Ben will be his girlfriend, Hannah,
a social media star in her own right.
She's on the sideline with other friends and family.
[countdown clock beeping]
He's had almost no Ninja training.
He's just going to wing it and rely on his own athleticism.
Good start.
- Click and subscribe right now because this is Roller Bags.
- Well, this guy isn't just making videos.
This guy is an incredible athlete, a skateboarder.
Does a lot of tricks there.
And you know Ben's gone through a lot of airports.
- Oh, wow!
He knows how to get through Roller Bags.
[cheers and applause]
- That's how you want a dismount off that obstacle.
And at 6'1", 185, Ben Azelart,
a big boy coming up big on our course.
And right through Diamond Dash.
Akbar, smash that Like button.
No wonder this guy's got so many followers.
Ben Azelart a work of art here.
Can he handle Kite Surfer?
- Matt, Ben is here to not only show his athleticism,
but also to prove that he's more
than just a famous YouTuber.
- He's 185, Akbar.
That's a decent amount of weight.
Watch his transfer.
- And then he's going to come-- - Can he get right up?
- Oh, he missed that opportunity
to ride the momentum from the bungee up onto Kite Surfer.
- And you can see, Akbar, he's going up and down.
He's not trying to get some front-to-back movement.
And this is expending a lot of energy.
- He's going to lose that grip. Oh!
- Good transfer.
- Watch out for the tilt as he makes this transfer.
If he doesn't make simultaneous contact,
it can tilt on you and throw you off.
Oh!
[air horn blares]
Ben Azelart, tremendous run, but down on Kite Surfer.
- Ben got off to a good start and sailed across
the first three obstacles.
Didn't have great technique on Kite Surfer
and couldn't make the grab on the second kite.
But an impressive run for this "Ninja" rookie.
- Ben, congratulations on your first run on the course.
- Thank you.
- Had you ever done any Ninja training before?
- Zero Ninja training. - None.
- No, not even one day.
I thought I was falling on obstacle number one,
but I passed it.
- You looked good out there.
Round of applause. Well done.
It was great to see you out here.
And I hope we see you again soon.
Thanks for coming out. - Thank you so much.
- Absolutely.
- You heard it here first, guys.
He'll be back.
- Well, at the start of the night,
we picked who we thought would be fastest.
My man John Mack is the only one to run so far.
So he's got the time to beat.
But, Zuri, it's time for your choice.
- Kaden Lebsack is headed to the start line right now,
and I just know he's going to get the job done tonight, guys.
- Well, twice he's been last ninja standing.
And at just 20 years old,
he's already got 24 career buzzers.
There's a big group on the sideline for Kaden,
including his parents and his girlfriend
former Women's Champion Katie Bone.
[countdown clock beeping]
We expect him to go fast.
And if he's under a minute ten,
he'll earn a shot at the Mega Wall.
Well, Kaden is really focused on his speed this year.
But with speed, mistakes can happen.
Zuri, your choice is looking pretty good, though.
- This is a pretty smooth run so far.
He's been focusing on explosiveness
with his training this year.
You can see that right now.
You guys, I think he's going to bring it home.
- Can he link the transfer? Oh, no!
- Oh, couldn't get it smooth enough.
- That's where he needed to be smooth.
That's going to cost him some time.
- Well, that was one or two seconds right there.
With these margins, he's going to have to make it
up here on Kaleidoscope.
- Well, and you don't want to rush Kaleidoscope.
You want to be efficient.
- It's easy to make a mistake here,
and it's going to be close.
But I don't know if he's going to beat John Mack
for the fastest time.
[cheers and applause]
- Zuri, I don't mean to tell you this on television,
but you're wrong.
- You know, it hurts to hear, Akbar.
[cheers and applause]
- But he's still going fast though.
- But he's still getting the job done.
He's headed to that buzzer.
- Kaden Lebsack.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
Well, Kaden Lebsack, you continue to impress us.
You didn't get the fastest time of the night,
but you did earn a shot at the Mega Wall, brother.
So head on down for a shot of $10,000.
- Let's go, Kaden!
- All right, let's go.
- What about predictions here, Zuri?
You think he's got it? - I've got faith.
You know what?
He's taking it to the top.
Hit that buzzer, Lebsack.
[audience chanting] Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
- Well, he tried the Mega Wall back in season 15
and came up short.
- You got this.
- We all think he's got it.
Oh!
[applause]
Doesn't get the 10 grand, but he's almost assured
of landing in the top five and getting
a bye in the regional finals.
- Coming up, those are high heels.
and Jessie Graff is going to run the course in them.
And the crowd's fired up to see it.
That's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Two more ninjas took on our course minutes ago.
College student Emily Gardiner,
known as Big M, brought the big energy.
- Matt, she is jumping for joy after every single obstacle.
- A freshman at the University of Tampa,
the four-time "Ninja" veteran enjoyed every moment.
- Let's go!
- I see you. I see you.
- Cheered on by her dad, who got her started in Ninja,
the 18-year-old conquered Kaleidoscope
and made it up the Warped Wall for her very first buzzer...
[cheers and applause]
[buzzer blares]
Where she paid tribute to her dad.
- I love you so much,
and I am so grateful towards you
for getting me into this sport, Dad.
I love you. - I love you too.
We all love you, Hon. Great job.
[buzzer blares]
KC Boutiette is a four-time Olympic speed skater
who now makes custom shoes for athletes,
including ninja Jessie Graff.
Though the Colorado native wasn't always smooth...
- Nice!
- He did skate his way past the first four obstacles.
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, the shirt's off! The shirt's off!
- But the four-time "Ninja" veteran ran out of gas
on Kaleidoscope.
Oh!
[air horn blares]
- That was amazing.
- So now it's Jessie's turn.
And Zuri's going to get her started.
- Guys, Jessie Graff's had lots of memorable moments
on our course over the years.
And she's about to add another one.
Jessie is about to run the course in high heels.
[applause]
- In 2011, on a stunt job,
we'd choreographed all these flips
and kicks and spins, and then
they hand me a pair of 4-inch heels.
I went to the costume department
and was like, hey, could you just cut off the heel,
and I'll walk on my toes, and then I can pop up and down
when I need to?
They looked at me like I was a lunatic.
[sawing grinding]]
- ♪ Do what you want ♪
♪ Do what you want ♪
[saw whirring]
♪ You are a star ♪
- Much better.
One day, I was rollerblading with KC Boutiette,
a modern-day cobbler,
and so I pitched this idea, how do we make a wedge
that's more compressible, that goes completely flat,
that has no potential of messing up your ankles
but that pops out instantly?
- ♪ Do what you want ♪
- And six months later, he'd created a solution.
I can perform obstacles just as well in Hero Heels
as I can in any standard Ninja shoe.
Tonight, I'm ready to put these Hero Heels
to the ultimate test.
- ♪ Do what you want ♪
[cheers and applause]
- Matt, this is a first. This is pretty cool.
- And the man who crafted those shoes,
KC Boutiette, who just ran, is on the sideline,
along with a big group of Jessie's friends
and her mom, Ginny.
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, a real test for those shoes right away
on Shrinking Steps.
You need good traction,
and she gets through no problem.
She is looking stylish and smooth as ever.
[cheers and applause]
- Wow.
- Pushes her body so hard.
Says she's up to 41 pull-ups.
- Well, that's more pull-ups than I can do.
[cheers and applause]
- And looking real smooth.
Here's the test for the Hero Heels.
- I like them heels. - Oh, come on!
[cheers and applause]
- In addition to her heels, she's wearing
a peacock feather skirt.
Well, Peacock is the streaming home for "Ninja."
- Jessie.
[cheers and applause]
- I hope there's a patent on those heels, man,
because that is a pretty cool thing.
Nice.
[cheers and applause]
- It's been a strong night for the women.
So Jessie needs to get through this obstacle
if she wants to move on.
It would be the 11th time she's advanced past qualifying,
more than any other woman.
- Well, I can tell you right now,
Jessie Graff looks like she's on the heel of another buzzer.
Her eighth career buzzer--
- An look at that. - With the handstand.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, Akbar, two women have already hit buzzers tonight--
Baylee Beckstrand and Emily Gardiner.
Jessie's gonna try to join them.
It would be her eighth career buzzer.
Well, just remarkable, Akbar.
Surgically repaired shoulders. - Really?
I can't tell. - But her living room--
her house is a climbing Ninja odyssey gym.
It's insane.
- She literally eats and breathes Ninja.
Go into her house, and you'll see...
- Oh, look at this.
- Obstacles everywhere.
- Well, here it is, Jessie Graff.
A little fall and a pose.
- Wait a second, though, Matt. Warped Wall--
- In heels. - Warped Wall in heels?
Hey, Jessie.
Warped Wall in heels?
- How will I do it? - I don't know.
- This is going to be a "Ninja" milestone.
The first person to ever run up a Warped Wall in high heels.
There it is! - There it is!
- History.
- Jessie Graff does it.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
- Wow.
- Jessie, your eighth buzzer.
You do it in high heels.
What's it like being out here,
competing against so many of these athletes
who you inspired to get into the sport in the first place?
- Oh, my gosh, they inspire me so much now.
It's like, this sport has risen to a level
that I never imagined would be possible.
I'm so, so happy I get to be part of this sport.
- A real life superhero, Jessie Graff delivers again.
- Thank you, everyone!
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
- Coming up,
Josiah Pippel is one of the favorites to win it all.
Can Akbar's pick for fastest time come through?
He is next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Vegas,
where a couple of familiar faces
hit the course while we were away.
First, it was six-time "Ninja" veteran Max Feinberg.
- He's got a nice plan.
He's got a vision.
- The college student always features
pink ribbons on his sidelines
to raise awareness for breast cancer.
His mom is a breast cancer survivor.
- Good job, Max Feinberg.
- The 21-year-old has never failed
to finish a qualifying course in his five previous seasons,
and he kept his streak alive tonight.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
Then it was our old friend Cal Plohoros,
who's now an actor
whose stage name is Cal Tolentino.
- And action.
- When we first met Cal years ago on "Ninja Junior,"
he was an undersized kid from Pennsylvania,
but he's muscled up and moved to Hollywood
to pursue a career in entertainment.
- He's got the moves. He's got the look.
He's got the physique. He's ready.
- He looked like an action hero tonight,
not just finishing the course, but doing it
fast enough to earn a shot at the Mega Wall.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
Though he came up short on the 18-and-1/2-foot wall,
he's one of our top five fastest finishers.
So he'll get a bye in the regional finals.
So we are down to our final runner,
and it's 19-year-old Josiah Pippel.
And he's Akbar's pick to be the fastest of the night.
- Matt, I've been a fan of Josiah since "Ninja Junior."
- Josiah putting the pressure on.
Josiah Pippel hits the buzzer!
- Think about it.
Reaches stage 4 in just his second season.
20 career buzzers before he turned 20.
- And Josiah Pippel does it!
- - And he's been the fastest in qualifying
the past two seasons.
- Fastest time of the night.
- He lost to RJ Roman in the round of 32 last year.
That just means he's coming in determined.
- I'm back in it to win.
I really have that drive and that fire.
I'm picturing myself as the champion.
[dramatic music]
[cheers and applause]
- His girlfriend, Jojo Grubesic,
will be watching along with Josiah's dad,
Frank, and other friends.
His mom and siblings watching from back home
in New Jersey.
[applause]
And as the final runner, Josiah knows what he needs to do.
Has to beat my guy John Mack's time
with a minute four.
Zuri's pick, Kaden Lebsack, sits in second place.
- I have confidence in him.
[countdown clock beeping]
All right, let's go, Josiah.
Make me look good.
- And if he can finish in under a minute and ten seconds,
he'll get a shot at the Mega Wall.
- And he's just 19 years old.
Has 20 total buzzers.
Just an insane start to his Ninja career.
[cheers and applause]
- Josiah is blazing through this course right now.
- What I tell you, though, Zuri?
He's built for this course.
- Tremendous balance.
Oh, just as smooth as we've seen
anyone here on Kite Surfer.
Well, I love it, Akbar.
He's going fast, but he's doing it efficiently.
- Matt, that's what I like.
He is picking this course apart.
- Well, your pick is looking pretty good right now.
24 seconds still to go.
- Matt, I picked him because I really believe in his talent.
He's going to probably do this in under a minute.
- Josiah Pippel, though. - Nice!
- Look at that, links it!
- Under a minute.
That's what I'm talking about! - Josiah Pippel!
[buzzer blares]
[laughs] He's gonna reach for it.
[cheers and applause]
- Hey, good job, man.
- And there it is, the big smile.
- Hey, man, that was a double whammy for you, Josiah.
You got the fastest time of the night,
and you made me a winner because
you were my pick tonight.
Well done.
- Let's go.
- Well, actually, that's a triple whammy because
you get a shot at the Mega Wall!
[cheers and applause]
You got it?
Should I put my money on you? You got it?
- It's been 1,096 days since I got the Mega Wall last.
- OK. Wow.
- Not that you're counting. - Right, right.
[laughs]
- 1,096 days since he last got it.
That was back in 2022.
But he's failed on his last two attempts.
Four other Ninjas have tried
the 18-and-1/2-foot wall tonight.
None have been successful.
- He wants it.
- There he is.
- Oh, my!
[buzzer blares]
- Well, 1,096 days.
It was worth the wait.
You just earned $10,000 courtesy of the Active Cash
Credit Card from Wells Fargo.
The Active Cash Credit Card earns unlimited 2%
cash rewards on purchases. Terms apply.
- Hey, today is your day.
In fact, we're just going to make this
National Josiah Pippel Day, huh?
How about that? - I'll take it.
- Well, impressive.
1,096 days.
I'm sure it was worth the wait, but I know you got a goal,
and that is to hit that buzzer at the end.
You've just taken one step closer.
Let's go celebrate with your friends and family, buddy.
- Matt, what did I tell you? What I tell you?
Today was a big day for Josiah Pippel.
He got the fastest time.
He got the Mega Wall!
I mean, this dude is balling out.
- And he's moving on
to the Regional Finals.
He and all the other ninjas
in the top 5 will all have
a bye in the first round.
They'll go straight to
the Tripleheader,
our three-lane race course.
We had 12 finishers in all,
including Guam's Deren Perez
and 16-year-old
Simeon Serrano.
Also advancing
is Brian Beckstrand.
So in two weeks,
he'll get another chance
to hit a buzzer
with his daughter Baylee,
who sits atop
the women's leaderboard.
She's one of three
female finishers,
along with Jessie Graff
and Emily Gardiner.
So that wraps it up for tonight's season premiere.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
And we'll see you right back here next week--
- On "American Ninja Warrior!"
- What he said. - Yeah, that's my line.
- [laughs]