- It's always exciting in Las Vegas,
and tonight should be no different,
as we kick off another qualifying round
on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, the ninjas from the East are a beast,
and we're gonna see some of the best tonight.
- Absolutely, big man.
Now last week, the ninjas from the West
punched their ticket to the finals
on our three-lane course, the Tripleheader.
Now athletes from the Eastern U.S.
make their debut.
And for a look at what they'll be facing,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Thanks, guys.
We have switched up the course
with three obstacles making their season debut.
In the number two position this week
is Rollercoaster, back for the first time in three years.
That's followed by the classic balance obstacle,
Domino Effect.
Obstacle five is now Wall to Wall,
where ninjas have to work their way
across the small ledges.
This week, if they can get up the Warped Wall
and finish the course in less than one minute,
they earn a shot at the Mega Wall.
Get up the 18 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, we're picking who we think
will be the night's fastest finisher,
and I'm gonna go first.
I like Noah Meunier.
Last year, he was the runner-up.
This year, I think he's taking down obstacles
and competitors two by two
until he's the last one standing.
- OK. - Zuri, who you got?
- Ooh. My choice, Nacssa Garemore,
another young ninja who's been so close to winning it all,
and he has been such a joy to watch on the course,
so much exuberance.
I love watching him.
- All right.
My pick may actually shock you guys.
I'm gonna go with a teenager making his debut.
I present to you Charlie Ball,
just 15 years old from New Jersey.
He impressed us a few years ago on "Ninja Junior,"
and he's been tearing it up in local competitions.
- You're putting your faith in the rookie.
We'll see what happens, Zuri.
- Also, guys, we have got some very impressive ladies,
including former women's champ Addy Herman,
and making their debut, the Barrett twins.
They are small, but we are expecting some very
big things from these sisters.
- Well, we're gonna kick things off
with another impressive female competitor.
This is Lisa Hair coming to the start line
with her daughter, Lena Rose.
This Florida mom is raising two daughters
while fighting a brutal medical battle.
[suspenseful music]
- Ankylosing spondylitis, it's a rare chronic condition
with pain in your joints.
It can attack any area of your body.
It's debilitating pain.
It is honestly worse than childbirth.
And there's no medical cure for it.
- Thank you, chicken. Hi.
Sometimes when my oldest daughter
will play mom and mimic me, she'll walk around with a limp.
And she'll go to her baby doll and she'll say,
oh, my back is really hurting.
I can't hold you, baby.
I love you so much, but I can't hold you.
It breaks my heart.
I don't want her to see Mom as not capable.
I want her to see Mom is capable,
and no diagnosis can stop you from doing anything.
- Go, hot feet. Nice, nice.
- Gets through it! - Look at that.
- It's very hard to not think about
what it's gonna feel like if I step wrong.
And if I do this little tweak,
am I not gonna be able to walk for the next month?
- And then all of a sudden-- - Huge!
- Here comes Lisa Hair!
- But I want Lena Rose and Lillian to see me
go out and crushing it every day at Ninja
so that they know that there's nothing
that they can't do either.
- And she's got it!
- I want them to play mom and be strong.
[buzzer blares]
- Lena has joined her sister Lily
on the sideline along with other members of the family.
[countdown clock beeping]
Ankylosing spondylitis, the autoimmune condition,
challenges her mobility, but Lisa Hair refuses
to let it slow her down.
Second obstacle tonight is Rollercoaster.
Timing's important as you ride the bar down the tracks.
- A little g-force here.
Boom.
- She gets it.
- Yeah, Lisa!
- It's so cool for her daughters to see her
just doing her thing here on "Ninja."
- Now Domino Effect.
Let's see if she can survive this balance obstacle, Akbar.
- Pop, pop, pop, pop.
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.
Good. That's good, Hair.
- And she's pumped.
Has matched her best performance.
Reached the fourth obstacle back in season 16.
Can she surpass it and survive Kite Surfer?
- Make no excuses.
Everything she's been battling,
she comes out and she puts on a show.
- Good transfer.
- Looking to put her best performance yet
on "Ninja Warrior."
- All right.
- Well, just showing tremendous mobility and flexibility,
generating a lot of power.
These are challenging moves, especially at 5'1", Akbar.
Doesn't have quite the wingspan,
has to be precise with the hand placements.
- That hand placement's got to be perfect here.
- Nice! - Got it!
- Almost slipped. Get out of there!
- What a fingertip save!
- That's her best performance on "Ninja" so far!
First time getting past the fourth obstacle.
- Oh, and look at Lena Rose.
Lisa Hair showing her daughter what strength is all about.
- Hey, her mom is putting on a show.
- Now taking on the fifth obstacle,
and Wall to Wall is gonna be a challenge.
Have to maneuver across with only small ledges to grab onto.
- Go Lisa! Whoo! - Nice!
- 5'1" though. Not much reach here, Akbar.
Really gonna have to get a good push
to transfer to that second wall.
Big jump. Big jump. See it, grab it, hold it.
Oh, you got it. Don't second-guess yourself.
Nice! - Wow!
But the last move's the toughest.
You've got to get yourself on that small ledge.
So awkward just trying to find foot placement,
trying to make sure you can get a launch
at 5'1" to give yourself a chance
for those hands to find the ledge.
- Get in there. Get rough, get tough.
This is a hard one.
Just go for it.
Oh! [air horn blares]
- Well, Lisa Hair, so close,
but still her best performance in her Ninja career.
- This mama's shown her girls what strength is all about.
She battled to the fifth obstacle.
But look at this.
She only got one hand on that final ledge
and just couldn't hold on.
- Lisa, that was an incredible run.
- Thank you so much!
- You've got your beautiful family here with you.
How special is it to be able to pull off
what you just pulled off with them here cheering you on?
- Oh, my gosh. The whole time,
I was like, oh, my gosh, thank you, God.
How am I even here?
Like, a couple months ago,
I couldn't even push into a crawl position.
The girls got to be a part of it.
And nobody's gonna be able to tell them
that they can't do something.
- Right. Is that right? Yeah?
- Yes. - What's your favorite thing?
- "American Ninja Warrior." - "Ninja Warrior."
- Let's hear it for Lena Rose.
Guys, back to you.
- Yeah, let's go! - Well, get ready to rock.
Our next ninja is one of the most exciting
new competitors we've had in years.
It's Virginia teenager Daroch Wilmoth, AKA D-Rex.
And from his ponytail to his pets,
this kid's a true original.
[heavy metal music playing]
♪ ♪
- I got my first guitar when I was six years old.
As soon as I got my hands on my guitar, I wouldn't stop.
My brother Ryan started playing the drums
and my brother Liam started playing the bass
and we had a family band.
When I'm on stage, I'm always, like, flipping the hair,
tossing it around.
It's so fun.
And I like to stand out, you know?
[feedback wailing]
Our family has one dog and four ferrets...
Roxy, Rollie, Reggie, and Rosa.
They steal things. My toothbrush, my keys.
They sleep about 22 hours a day.
But when I'm training, all eyes are on me.
And I guess they've watched me enough to where
they're as good of coaches as they are spectators.
OK. I'll try that.
We're gonna rock this course tonight.
[upbeat music]
- Well, Daroch's got a mosh pit on the sideline.
Dad and brothers are rocking out and so are we.
We're letting our hair flow.
- Oh, yeah!
Man, I don't know, but having long hair's
a little itchy on my neck.
- Yeah, Akbar. It's really overrated.
- [laughs]
- Everyone's having a good time, except his poor mom,
who's a nervous wreck.
- D-Rex!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Now he's got to channel that energy and shred this course.
- Go on with your bad self.
Good.
- I'm here right now. How crazy is that?
- 5'8", 160, started watching "Ninja" when he was seven,
been training since he was 11.
- Ooh!
- And D-Rex, finding his rhythm.
- Yeah, he's got a nice flow like his ponytail.
You see what he's doing there?
That's like his good luck thing.
That's like his Samson power.
- He looks like Legolas from "Lord of the Rings."
- Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- And he's sharp out of there.
He is pumped. - Yes, he is.
I'm pumped for him.
But now he's got to get serious.
Kite Surfer.
- The whole family's about music.
Well, Akbar, they got to like this rock and roll ballad.
I guess it's "Born to Run."
Time for me to fly.
- There was a great opportunity to ride that bungee up,
but that's all right.
Took a second swing at it, got it.
- D-Rex is trying to ride the lightning here,
and he's through.
Putting on a show, and this rookie
has reached the fifth obstacle, Wall to Wall.
- He is putting in some real work.
- Smooth.
But this last wall's the real challenge.
Got to grab that tiny ledge.
- All right. Let's go, Daroch.
Got it! Look at him, Matt.
He is head and shoulders above the rest.
- Just our second athlete, and he could be a finisher.
D-Rex delivers!
[cheers and applause]
- D-Rex!
- Whoa!
[rock music]
And Mom can finally breathe.
♪ ♪
- See this right here?
You got me touching my ponytail all the time now.
Huh, is that your source of strength?
- Absolutely, man. It all comes from here.
- Hey, D-Rex, you love to rock.
What song would you use to describe this run?
I'll tell you, I'd go with "Thunderstuck," brother.
- Yeah, "Thunderstruck." Yeah, man.
- "Thunderstruck."
- Yeah, this hair's thunderstruck.
- Go celebrate with your family!
♪ ♪
Yeah! Ah.
all: Daroch! Daroch! Daroch! Daroch! Daroch!
- Tonight, the ninjas from the East are a beast.
- Ah!
- We've got future stars and superstars.
Plus, Bob Reese has millions of followers
and thousands of tricks, but tonight,
he's doing something he never does.
- I promise you're gonna want to see it.
- And these ninjas are having a glow-up,
and it's no day at the beach.
- All of us meeting around 2:00 a.m. is kind of just
what works for everyone.
- It's all coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's the first night of qualifying
for ninjas from the Eastern region.
And minutes ago, New York's Sienna Perez
looked confident as she was striding
across the Shrinking Steps.
But even though she's an engineering student
at Stanford, she couldn't solve Rollercoaster.
- Ah!
She didn't jump with the bar.
She just rolled right off the edge of the track.
[upbeat music]
- New Jersey's Brandon Singletary
is a baggage handler at Newark Airport.
- Look at that. Destination Warped Wall.
This bag ain't gonna make the flight.
- It looked like it was gonna be a non-stop trip
for the four-time veteran.
- Oh, this brother knows how to play dominoes.
Here we go. Nice.
- But he missed his connection on Wall to Wall.
- Making that transfer.
Ooh.
That last move is a tough one.
- Our next athlete is the oldest competitor tonight.
Georgia's Glenn Davis is 62 years old
and out for his seventh season of "Ninja."
Glenn's a grandfather himself
and he gets his old man strength
from his 94-year-old dad.
- Gotta take big strides and go fast.
Ooh!
- Glenn Davis looks like he's been drinking
from the Fountain of Youth.
- What? - Perfect.
- What? He's not 56!
I want to see his birth certificate!
[upbeat music]
- I have his birth certificate. It's upstairs.
I'll get it for you.
- Last year during qualifying,
all I could hear Akbar saying was,
old man strength, old man strength.
- Old man strength, old man strength, old man strength!
- Good job.
- And I get that from my father.
My dad was a builder and in construction
and he was working until he was almost 90 years old.
Growing up, it just gave me a no-quit attitude.
That's why I'm gonna fall on my butt.
[laughter]
Old man strength, it's kind of blue-collar.
Nobody messes with old man strength.
There's an obstacle in your way, knock it down.
Another one comes up, knock it down,
and just keep knocking down obstacles.
And that's the "Ninja Warrior" to me as well.
Me at 62 and my father at 94,
it tells me that I still have a lot more in the tank.
To be out here with the young guys
really makes me feel good.
Akbar, here comes that old man strength again.
- I hear you, Glenn. Show me what you got there.
- And there's his dad, Ralph, who's watching from New York
along with other family members.
- Come on, Glenn!
- Glenn's wife, Melissa, on the sidelines.
Looking to do something he's never done before,
hit a buzzer and become the oldest ninja ever to do it.
Jon Stewart has that record now.
He was 56 when he hit a buzzer back in season 10.
Glenn Davis looking to do it at 62.
And Akbar, he is still a great athlete.
He was a college gymnast, still does handstands on skateboards.
- Oh, yeah.
He's got that old man strength
and showing off that old man athleticism.
This next obstacle is a big one for him.
He went out on Domino Effect season 14.
Ooh, ooh! Nice!
- Oh, no! - Oh, my goodness!
He wants that revenge.
- The rematch! - Here we go.
Quick feet, quick feet, quick feet.
Nice! - Perfect.
- That's what I'm talking about.
[all cheering]
- Glenn Davis showing he's got the balance.
And now on to Kite Surfer.
5'5", 145.
This is where your endurance really is getting tested.
- Well, the endurance, the grip strength too,
is gonna be critical.
That's where he's got to tap into that old man strength.
62, he's wearing it proudly.
He's wearing it on the back of his shirt
like it's a football jersey.
- Well, he's come close before,
making it to the fifth obstacle multiple times.
How amazing would it be to break through
and get that first buzzer?
Akbar, some trouble here.
- Oh! Oh, no, no, no, no! - Oh.
- Ah.
- He was looking strong, but Glenn Davis's quest
for a buzzer ends on the fourth obstacle.
- Well, he rocked the Rollercoaster,
and Glenn had it going, but just didn't have
the quick hands needed for Kite Surfer.
- Well, here's what's great about Ninja.
Our next competitor is 47 years younger than Glenn.
This is 15-year-old Lily Barrett,
who's making her "Ninja" debut this year
along with her identical twin, Charlotte.
[laughter]
- Go.
- I'm definitely grateful that I get to be able
to compete with Charlotte.
- People that we know can, like, tell us apart.
But, like, if we don't know them,
people definitely get confused.
[laughter]
- If we're together, then we're both, like,
really loud and, like, talkative.
- Amazing flip, Lily.
- But I would say she's definitely a lot more, like,
outgoing than me.
I'm more shy.
- Definitely more likely to sing karaoke.
[upbeat music]
- We're always together.
We have, like, a lot of classes together in school,
and then we go straight to Ninja together
and we spend, like, the entire day together.
- Nice. That was good.
- When Lucas first started coaching,
it was actually our first class as well.
- Seeing him on the show when we were little,
I was like, wow, like, I want to do that.
- Nice. Come on. Find your foot speed now.
Lily is just one-of-a-kind.
Oh, all day. Look at the power.
- Nice, Lil.
- Fierce, driven, motivated competitor.
And Charlotte is one of the most hard-working
students I think I've ever had.
Watching Lily and Charlotte run the course
is gonna be, like, the greatest thing
that I get to experience on "Ninja Warrior" ever.
both: Tonight, we're gonna hit twin buzzers.
♪ ♪
- Charlotte's already emotional.
She'll be watching with Lucas and other family and friends.
[countdown clock beeping]
- These two have been tearing it up in regional competitions,
and competing on "Ninja Warrior" is
a dream come true for these sisters.
- Lily's only 5'2"
and Charlotte's even smaller, 4'11".
They're identical twins, but Akbar,
a 3-inch height difference.
And they say Lily's the faster of the two.
- Wow. Yeah, and she's also very, very competitive.
Oh, my.
- Akbar, no hesitation on Kite Surfer.
Lily Barrett, running with an urgency and a confidence
that belies her age of 15 years.
- And that's part of her personality.
She gets really locked in.
The crowd, cheering her on. She is on a mission.
- But this grab on Kite Surfer could be
a challenge at only 5'2".
- Ooh!
Did you see the mid-air adjustment?
I mean, I got to see that one again,
because she had hang time.
She did the straight up "Matrix,"
bent her body back just to be able to make that grab.
- Wow.
And then now, staring down Wall to Wall.
- Wow.
- Lisa Hair made it here as well.
How impressive is a rookie to be facing this fifth obstacle?
- I mean, she's going from Wall to Wall
like it's a lily pad.
- Ooh. - Look at her go.
- And you saw when that foot missed,
she slammed into the wall, but held on.
Impressive poise there.
- This is the most difficult part on Wall to Wall,
this transfer from the second wall to the third wall.
- Come on, Lil! - Come on, Lily.
- No! - No!
- It's that drop.
It's the 2-inch ledge and the drop.
- Well, an impressive run out of Lily Barrett.
All the way to the fifth obstacle
in her rookie campaign.
- The first time on the course for this 15-year-old
and she looked impressive.
Barely got her left hand on that final ledge,
and when it dropped, she couldn't hold on.
But that may be good enough to move on.
- The twins have that special connection,
so Charlotte's feeling all the emotions of her sister.
Charlotte and her coach, Lucas, run when we come back.
- Do you recognize this little ninja?
She grew up to be one of our top competitors,
and we're gonna tell you who it is in just a bit.
- Also coming up, he's come a long way
since "Ninja Junior."
Now, rookie Charlie Ball is Akbar's pick
to be fastest of the night.
He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Before the break,
Massachusetts teenager Lily Barrett made it
to the fifth obstacle before falling.
And while we were away, her coach, Lucas Reale,
got his shot.
The 27-year-old is a seven-time "Ninja" veteran
who's never failed to advance past qualifying.
- Nice simultaneous grab.
- Just like Lily,
Reale reached Wall to Wall with ease.
But on the final move--
- Oh! - Oh, no!
He suffered the same fate as his student.
Both Lucas and Lily will now have to wait to see
if their runs are good enough to move on.
Well, now it's the other Barrett twin,
15-year-old Charlotte.
She watched her sister run minutes ago,
but now Charlotte gets her shot.
Lily will be watching on the sideline along with Lucas
and all of their family and friends.
[countdown clock beeping]
Lily and Charlotte, identical twins,
but Charlotte is smaller in size,
3 inches shorter and 15 pounds lighter than her sister.
Her coach, Lucas Reale says Charlotte is tiny, but mighty.
Here we go on Rollercoaster.
- She's had the unique advantage
of having her twin sister go before her,
so she gets to learn from her.
And not to mention there's that twin thing that happens too,
so it's kind of like this is her second time
running the course.
- Well, Akbar, she is flying, but at 4'11",
these are gonna be some big reaches here.
- Nice grab.
- Great power though.
What a fearless approach out of Charlotte Barrett.
You can see why Lucas is so high on these two.
- Come on!
- And, Matt, I want folks at home to pay attention
to the way she's utilizing her legs
to be able to get momentum.
- Great throw there.
- And this could be a little bit of a disadvantage,
4'11", 95 pounds.
[all cheering]
Being able to have enough weight
to be able to turn the walls.
- Well, how identical are these twins?
Charlotte Barrett, just one second slower
than her sister, Lily,
but has a chance to best her by surviving this obstacle,
looking to be the first woman to do it tonight.
- Yeah, trying to get a little bit of weight
to turn that wall around, using all 95 pounds.
- Well, you can see it.
You really have to use your hips and change,
build up that momentum going from one side.
- Just have a little bit of physics here.
- There it is. - Good. That's it.
- But Akbar, you can see she looks comfortable up there.
- Well, she can carry her weight.
- Got it. - Nice.
- But this is a big leap here at 4'11 with the drop.
- Got to anticipate that drop from the second wall
to the third wall.
- Lily got here and fell.
Then Lucas got here and also fell.
Can Charlotte do what her sister and coach couldn't
and make this grab?
- Come on, Charlotte!
Let's go!
- It's a 2-inch ledge and an 8-inch drop.
No! - Oh!
- What an effort, Charlotte Barrett.
And that was the first time I felt where the height
really penalized her.
- Matt, she got both hands on that ledge,
but she peeled off in the exact same way as her sister.
Look at this. These falls are identical.
- So both sisters and their coach, Lucas,
get to that fifth obstacle, a strong showing,
but they'll have to wait to see if that performance
is enough to move on.
Up next, another rookie we're expecting
big things from this year.
In fact, Akbar picked him to be the fastest of the night.
It's New Jersey teenager Charlie Ball.
- Yeah. We met him on "Ninja Junior,"
and he's gotten much stronger since then.
[rock music]
- I competed on two seasons
of "American Ninja Warrior Junior,"
seasons two and three.
- He is gonna be a force to be reckoned with.
[buzzer blares] - Let's go!
On season three, I was almost perfect,
but I lost my final race.
- Oh!
- I got second place.
I've probably grown almost a foot
since my first season
of "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
Feel like I've got a lot bigger and stronger as well.
- Good. Down slow.
- My dad is super passionate about the gym.
He used to be a professional bodybuilder.
- I'm proud of you, Charlie.
These weights are starting to move up.
- A lot of ninjas stay away from weightlifting
because it makes you heavier on the course,
but I feel like it just makes me more explosive and fast.
- Good job.
- You guys are gonna be seeing a lot of me
on this Ninja course,
because I'm gonna be unstoppable.
- Charlie will have his dad and mom on the sideline,
along with some ninjas he trains with.
Grandparents watching from back in New Jersey.
- Come on, young fella.
Charlie, make me look good here.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Daroch Wilmoth, our only finisher so far.
You know Charlie's gonna be trying to beat his time.
- Oh, he's going for speed. He's going for speed, Matt.
- 5'8", 145. Just 15 years old.
These young kids, Akbar, they run with no fear.
- Wow.
- Just dialed in on Domino Effect
and right into Kite Surfer.
Akbar, did he hear you picked him?
- He definitely heard that I picked him.
He's showing off that max aura right now.
- Wow.
And look at those moves.
Single moves on Kite Surfer.
- Akbar, you called him a star. You're right.
He's barely at 30 seconds
and already on the fifth obstacle.
- Wow.
Akbar, that was a little risky, though,
letting those feet dangle, really tax that grip.
- And he's got about 15 seconds
if he wants a chance at the Mega Wall.
- Oh, he's looking unstoppable! - Ooh.
- Get going, Charlie!
- Oh, he's going for it.
He's got 5 seconds to hit it.
Three.
- Wow! - Charlie Ball!
- Let's go!
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Charlie, we thought you were fast on "Ninja Junior."
You're even faster on the big show.
The time to beat was a minute for a shot
at the Mega Wall, brother.
You did it in 57 seconds.
You got to go down and you got to take a shot
at the Mega Wall right now, buddy.
- And Charlie, you were my guy on this one, man.
I had you going the fastest. I see you, baby.
- All right. We heard you. - Yeah, I see you.
Getting a hug from Pops.
all: Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
- He's done all that strength training with his dad.
Will it pay off here on and 18 1/2 foot wall?
- Here we go. Big one.
Big one, big up, big up! - Oh!
Doesn't get the 10k,
but an impressive debut for Charlie Ball.
And Akbar, your pick currently
sits atop the leaderboard.
- Of course it does.
You know I know how to pick.
- But Zuri's guy,
Nacssa Garemore,
and my choice, Noah Meunier,
have a chance
to beat that time
when they run a bit later.
Coming up, this ninja's only 4'11",
but she's a slam dunk on the basketball court.
- People look at me like,
oh, you don't look like you do Ninja.
You don't look like you're on the dunk team.
Well, I am.
- Taylor Johnson hits the course next.
Plus, he was 18 years old when he got a little brother.
- I absolutely was not prepared for it.
I had to learn how to change a diaper for the first time.
- Now Mazeiah Andrade is making the most of it.
He's coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's night one of our East region qualifying,
and a couple of ninjas made house calls
while we were away.
First up was Matthew Long.
A backflip and physician assistant
from Emerald Isle, North Carolina.
The 24-year-old had just what the doctor ordered
on the Shrinking Steps.
But on Rollercoaster--
- Oh!
- He was DOA.
39-year-old nurse practitioner
Nicolette McDonnell fell on Rollercoaster three years ago.
- Ride it! Ride it! Yes!
- Let's go!
- The Boston native celebrated getting past it
tonight, though Nurse Nicky stumbled on the next obstacle.
- Oh!
- But it was still a successful run.
- So grateful to be here.
Yeah, this is an awesome time.
- Up next, one of our most unique competitors.
This is Vermont's Chris Tower.
Not only does he grow vegetables
to make his own hot sauce, he's also built
his own snowboard park right in his backyard.
[upbeat rock music]
- I've been doing extreme sports most of my life,
and I always wanted to have a snowboard park.
♪ ♪
The Devil's Playground is my 18-year-old self's dream.
Literally everything that I build
in the Devil's Playground, every feature, every rail,
I built myself.
I am the only person in Vermont
that has something of this extent.
I grew up with my parents always gardening,
my grandparents always gardening.
This year, I grew 22 varieties of peppers,
and I make hot sauces every year.
This Vermont farmer is about to bring the heat.
Hey, guys.
- Chris has his family back home
and some Vermont training partners on the sideline
ready to cheer on his rookie run.
And Akbar, he brought us some of his hot sauce.
I've got the Melancholy Meltaway hot sauce.
- Yeah.
And I've got the Devil's Playground cherry sauce.
- I gotta say, that sounds intimidating.
- It does.
Well, I told Chris,
I said, hey, look.
For every obstacle you complete,
I will eat the hot sauce on some crackers.
[countdown clock beeping]
- We know he can snowboard, but can he Ninja?
- All right, well that's one.
- Oh, this Melancholy Meltaway is delicious.
Really got a kick.
- Let's see what this Devil Playground, this--
this obstacle can be the Devil's Playground.
Oh. - Oh, no!
- Well, I guess that's just one bite for me.
- The hot sauce aficionado is doused on the Rollercoaster.
But Akbar, I think we're gonna keep sampling his wares.
This one's really good.
- [coughs] Ooh.
Ooh, this one's hot. Ooh.
- Well, up now, another member
of that group from Massachusetts,
Taylor Johnson, AKA Teej.
- Let's go. Come on! Come on!
- TJ always brings the energy to the course.
And though she's only 4'11", she flies through the air
as a member of the Boston Celtics dunk team.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Nice.
All right, showtime. - Ready?
- There's 18,000 people watching.
Look at all those people up there.
♪ ♪
- Yeah!
I'm so excited to be on
the Boston Celtics dunk team this year.
Never really thought it was something that I would do.
That was a good one. - That was good.
- But my friend Matt D'Amico convinced me to just try out.
And I was like, I have no idea what I'm doing,
but I ended up loving it.
♪ ♪
Being someone who's 4'11" who does Ninja,
I always know that I have to know how to hit a trampoline.
This is so different.
Like, I have to get so much more height
to be able to get any kind of dunk compared to anyone else.
It's really cool for people to look at me and be, like,
oh, you don't look you do Ninja,
you don't look like you're on the dunk team,
and me to be like, well, I am.
♪ ♪
- Teej is beloved, and she's got friends watching
back in Massachusetts and her parents leading
a big group down the sideline.
[countdown clock beeping]
Taylor Johnson, we're seeing
if she can get a slam dunk on a buzzer
for the first time in her career.
She has really stepped up her training.
At 4'11", knows she needs to be solid to compensate
for that limited wingspan.
Real smooth on Rollercoaster.
- Well, everything's gonna
come down to technique for Teej.
What she lacks in height,
she makes up with her technique.
Just like that!
- Yeah!
- Such a passionate competitor, so gritty.
- And remember, last year she went out
early on that second obstacle, and here she is on the fourth.
- But Akbar, what I love is,
she is attacking these obstacles,
a lot of confidence in all her moves.
- Yeah, Matt.
I think she's got this renewed energy
and self-confidence from being on the dunk team
for the Celtics.
- Well, you can see it.
Teej isn't afraid to get her knuckles dirty
when she's competing.
- She is taking her shot like she's Larry Bird.
- Could she be the first woman to get past Wall to Wall?
- I love you guys.
- Has never made it past the fifth obstacle.
- Well, she will have a little bit
of difficulty trying to maneuver,
especially the first wall, which is really heavy.
And you can see-- - Oh, Akbar.
- The way she uses technique, gathers it around,
and then watch the push-off here.
But she's got to see it, grab it.
- Nice.
She's using her hips like she's boxing out.
But this is the big transfer.
At just 4'11, this is a relatively long leap.
- Go up. Go up.
- Got it! - And there it is.
Nailed it.
Anticipated the drop, and now she's getting ready to make
history, her history.
She's in complete shock.
- Akbar, eight seasons, she's waited for this moment.
- This is her moment.
- A shot at the Warped Wall.
She would match the shortest athlete ever up it,
Jason Behrends at 4'11".
Taylor Johnson, 14 1/2 feet away
from her first-ever buzzer.
- Get up that wall. Get up that wall.
Holy moly! - Yeah!
- Wow! - Taylor Johnson has done it!
- What?
- Her first-ever buzzer!
- 4'11"!
- Let's go!
Guys! - Are you kidding me?
- I did it!
- Oh, you're gonna make me cry.
- Oh, my God. - Oh, my goodness.
You've waited eight long years for this moment.
Tell me what this means to you.
- Oh, my gosh. I don't know.
I wasn't even expecting to get a buzzer,
to be completely honest.
It just all came together and I feel like
all the hard work I've put in over the years,
and just having the best support system
got me all the way there.
- Teej, you came up huge.
Hit that buzzer and go celebrate with your friends.
- Let's go!
[upbeat music]
Akbar, it means something more
when you have to wait for it for eight years.
And for Teej, you could see the enjoyment.
- What--what just happened?
- And Teej is now
on our leaderboard,
the third finisher so far.
And the women off
to a strong start.
Remember, only the top 20
ninjas at the end of the night
will move on to the
eastern regional finals.
Coming up, in the dead of the night,
they hit the beach for some unorthodox training.
Avery Glantz and the Motion Mob are making waves
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to night one of qualifying
for the eastern region.
Minutes ago, Florida's Jay Martinez
showed off the shorts he wore when he weighed 250 pounds.
- Wow.
- The 29-year-old is now an acrobat
and demonstrated his skills at the start line.
- He's flipping out.
All right. Let's see if he's an athlete.
OK!
- Martinez trains in Orlando
with other ninjas, including Avery Glantz.
- Nice!
- But the rookie wasn't quite ready
for Domino Effect.
- Oh! [buzzer blares]
Sha-na-na!
- And here's another ninja from that Orlando training group.
It's 23-year-old Luke Dillon.
He's established himself as
a top competitor, making it
to the National Finals
in three of his previous
seasons with ten buzzers.
Luke's sideline, led by his girlfriend, Avery Glantz,
plus many other ninjas from the Orlando area.
[countdown clock beeping]
Luke made it to the round of 32 last year,
and has never failed to finish a qualifying course.
- Let's go, Luke!
- Been training with Jay "Lache" Lewis.
A couple of beast ninjas there, Akbar.
And you can see he's been working on his speed.
- Nice.
You can see--ooh! - Oh, no!
- What the what?
- We say it.
Even the best ninjas fear the balance obstacle
for just that reason, Akbar.
- He was moving quickly,
and came up a little short on the second domino.
That threw his footwork off
and he just couldn't recover after that.
That is a shock.
- You can see the disappointment,
his season over in an instant.
Avery's trying to console him,
but she's got to get ready for her own run.
- While Avery heads to the start line,
let's take another look at our baby picture.
Do you think that little girl grew up to be Avery,
Rachel Degutz, or Addy Herman?
We'll reveal the answer a bit later.
- Avery now stepping up to take her shot.
The 20-year-old is a Ninja coach
and college student at the University of Central Florida.
And like a lot of college students,
she often stays up late.
[upbeat music]
- The Motion Mob is a group of athletes that consists of
a multitude of sports, all super unique,
like martial arts, tricking, flipping, aerialists.
We have been teaching the other athletes
a bunch of Ninja,
and they've been teaching us a lot of flipping and tricking.
- ♪ Life's a beach, so let's party till the sunrise ♪
- The Motion Mob usually meets around midnight
and then we often stay till 4:00 a.m.
Everyone's schedules are so all over the place.
It's kind of just what works for everyone.
It definitely inspires me to do crazier things.
I feel confident that after all my training this year,
I can put it all together and hit my first buzzer.
- ♪ Till the sunrise ♪
- Avery's got family and friends watching from back home
and on the sideline, along with Lucas, her dad, Matt.
He's a professional poker player.
[countdown clock beeping]
Dad normally watches her from home,
but wanted to be on her sideline tonight.
Maybe he'll bring her good luck.
- One down.
Rollercoaster, we've seen this take out
some really good ninjas.
- Avery probably needs to at least
get to the fifth obstacle.
- Oh.
Matt, that's two down,
- But now this is the rematch with Domino Effect.
Fell on this obstacle three years ago,
and it knocked her boyfriend out minutes ago.
- Yes! - Oh!
She's aces.
- Well, I think the late night training on the beach
is paying off.
She's really making big waves out here on the course.
- At least five women from tonight will move on.
Avery's looking like she could be one of them.
She's been preparing for this season
with her boyfriend, Luke.
They've been pushing themselves, going for speed.
And Akbar, Avery looking strong.
- Matt, she literally just clubbed that fourth obstacle.
- In her five seasons, she's never hit a buzzer,
but she's getting closer.
Going to have to survive Wall to Wall.
We've already seen five ninjas knocked out on this obstacle.
- Oh. She's got a poker face.
But inside, you know she's thinking about that buzzer.
- You can't bluff your way through it, Akbar.
Let's see if she has the river card here.
- This last move is the tough one.
- Come on, Avery! - You've got this!
Everything you've got!
- That third wall, you gotta go for it.
- Got it! Avery Glantz!
And now she's gonna get a shot at her very first buzzer.
Well, I think her dad did bring her good luck.
all: Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- She's gone all-in. Can she finish it?
Here we go.
- You know when to hold it. You know when to fold it.
And she ain't folding nothing!
- Avery Glantz, the queen!
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Wow!
- What a moment, Avery.
We're here in Vegas with your dad on the sidelines.
You went all-in.
What's going through your mind as you get that first buzzer?
- For him being here, for this moment,
the best moment I've ever had on these courses,
it's just like, I'm so grateful.
- Hit that buzzer one more time.
That was great.
♪ ♪
- Up next, a Ninja legend is coming out of retirement
and headed to the start line.
Who is it?
We'll find out when
"American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "Ninja Warrior."
We're about halfway through this qualifying round.
Big man, what's your take?
- I think these ninjas came to play.
6'5" teenager Bray Weinacker is not only good at Ninja,
he's a volleyball star too.
Wow.
- Knows how to make an entrance.
- The Florida high schooler had a huge crowd
cheering him on as he battled his way across the course.
- And Bray Weinacker has his foot on the accelerator.
- Wow!
- With his long hair flowing,
the 16-year-old put up the second-fastest time
of the night, just missing out on a shot at the Mega Wall.
- Richmond, Virginia's Barry Boyd
is training to be a police officer,
and he attacked the course
like he was chasing down bad guys.
- The training in the police academy
is gonna be cake compared to what he's doing.
- With his family watching, the 29-year-old
muscled his way past obstacle after obstacle.
- Oh, my!
I love it out of Barry Boyd, and survives!
- The four-time Ninja veteran added his name
to our list of finishers.
[buzzer blares]
- And now it's time to reveal the Ninja legend
who's coming out of retirement.
Zuri, do the honors.
- We thought his career was over, but lo and behold,
he is back.
The man with the most buzzers in "Ninja" history returns.
It's Joe Moravsky.
He is one of the greatest of all time
with 35 buzzers to his name,
so it was a shock when he told us last year he was retiring.
But after talking with his family,
the weatherman decided he's not done yet.
- Come on. This is where you got to go.
Oh!
- At the end of last season, I really thought
this was the time to take a break from Ninja.
You know, letting out the secret
I've kept in all season, in that this is my last season.
- Wait, Joe.
- I have so much that I've wanted to do,
spend more time with the family and focus on career.
And I just figured that it was impossible to do it all.
- A momentous moment as Joe Moravsky,
the most successful ninja of all time, calls it quits.
- My family ultimately helped me make
the decision to come back.
My kids, I asked them at the end of last season,
what should I do?
And my daughter was like, do it, Dad.
And my two boys were like, yeah, Dad.
And so, I was like, oh, how can I say no?
They want it for me, and I want it.
And I just realized
I'm just gonna have to do the impossible.
Right now I'm balancing work and family and training,
and it's not easy.
But you know, I am not afraid of challenges.
I'm not afraid of obstacles,
and this is just another one of those.
Weatherman is back and here to stay.
- Joe is gonna have the whole family
watching from back home. - Let's have some fun.
OK?
- You got it, Joe! You can do it!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Joe had another impressive season last year,
added two more buzzers to his résumé,
and made it to the final 16.
- He wants to be that champion.
- No! - Oh!
[air horn blares]
- What? - Oh, my goodness.
- Wow.
- What the heck?
- Akbar, Joe is stunned. - Wow.
Everybody courtside is in shock.
He went out on the second obstacle,
the first time in his career that he's gone out this early.
- Wow.
- We still love you, Joe!
- A severe weather alert, the weatherman
downed in stormy weather on the Rollercoaster.
- Well, Matt, take a look at this one.
This was a shocker. Look at this.
Joe wanted to grab that second bar in a switch grip,
but his right hand just completely missed.
Just shows that even a Ninja legend can make a mistake.
- OK, wait a second.
So the last time you and I were talking,
we were on the sideline, and you said you were done.
You decided to come back,
and then this happened so early.
I don't think any of us expected this.
What went wrong?
- It is a shock.
I--it's--I actually don't know what to say.
Um, it's frustrating, really, really frustrating.
But I still get to go home to my beautiful family.
- Daddy.
- You know, I think the inevitable question
at this point is,
should we expect to see you back again?
- I will never retire.
- You will never retire?
- I'm here to stay. I'm so sorry, everybody.
You're stuck with me forever.
This is my new worst season, and I did not expect it.
But hey, it happens.
- I'm sorry it ended this way, but it sounds like
we'll see you again soon.
- Yeah.
Hopefully it'll be a lot better, I promise.
- There we go. Thank you, Joe.
Guys.
- Coming to the start line now,
it's Woodbridge, New Jersey's Mazeiah Andrade.
And even though he's 20 years old,
he recently became a big brother
for the very first time.
- Oh, what a steal.
This is Ehlias right here.
My little bro.
Hey!
Lift-off.
Parents always work, so two to three days of the week,
I'm basically a full-time babysitter.
More?
- Yeah. - There we go.
I start at 7:00 in the morning
and then I go from 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon.
It's long days.
Try to throw it out there.
Good job.
Being the only child for so long,
I absolutely was not prepared for it.
I had to learn how to change a diaper for the first time.
[laughs] Good job, Ehlias.
How to make formula.
I didn't know how to carry a baby.
There you go.
Hey!
It's so cool to be a big brother
because I know that I can be, like, a role model for him.
All I want to do is hit a buzzer
and have him seeing me on top of the Warped Wall.
And then one day, he'll be able to get up there too.
[chuckles]
♪ ♪
- And there's Ehlias on the sideline in Mom's arms,
along with Dad and a bunch of friends,
including good friend and training partner
Jackson Erdos.
Mazeiah is also a clothing designer,
wearing his own brand of shorts tonight.
- This Athlikos gear is pretty nice.
- I'm liking this.
And Athlikos means athletically untouchable.
We'll see if Mazeiah can live up to that moniker
here on the course.
This, his fourth time on the show.
Never made it past the fifth obstacle.
- Well, you know what, Matt?
I think today, it's his day to be an Athlikos.
- Through Rollercoaster, no problem.
- Nice. - Great balance.
Wow.
- He barely touched Domino Effect.
- 5'9", 150, right into Kite Surfer.
And Akbar, I like it.
He's running with an urgency and he is launching himself.
Mazeiah Andrade.
- Matt, it looks like he's on a mission.
You can tell not being able to get past the fifth obstacle,
not being able to get that buzzer
has meant something to him.
He is running with purpose and intensity.
- He said he's running for his brother
with that extra motivation,
helping him get his first buzzer.
Big transfer here, though.
- All right. Come on.
Oh! Hold on, big body.
- His feet slipped, but he hangs on.
And now has his final leap.
Remember, he has never beaten the fifth obstacle.
- Nice. - Got it!
And Mazeiah Andrade... - OK!
- His best performance in his career.
- Get it.
- Athlikos indeed.
- OK, Mazeiah!
- Gets his first buzzer, and even better,
does it with his little brother watching.
And look at Jackson Erdos.
He knows how hard Mazeiah has worked for this moment.
- You just got your very first buzzer on "Ninja Warrior."
How does that feel?
- I'm really happy right now.
And I--I know the training's paid off.
And I thank all these people over here for getting me there.
- Well, I know who's got to be excited to see you running,
your little brother.
You gave him something he'll remember the rest of his life
when he sees the video.
Mazeiah, why don't you go down and celebrate with your family
right now, buddy?
[upbeat music]
So Mazeiah Andrade gets a buzzer for Ehlias,
and we'll be seeing him again in the eastern regional finals.
And he's now on our
leaderboard, where the
finishers are starting
to stack up.
We're now up to seven.
It's looking like he'll need
to at least reach Wall to Wall
to have a chance of moving on.
Coming up, his flip on the course last year blew us away.
Oh, my God! - What did you do?
- What was that?
And blew up online.
What's social media star Bob Reese
got cooked up for tonight?
He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Minutes ago, two ninjas who play other sports
took their shot on our course.
Cathy Ordile is a center for the Boston women's rugby club.
- Well, Matt, we've had all the athletes now
come out on "Ninja Warrior."
- She had a scrum of supporters on the sideline
as she rumbled through the Striding Steps,
but she couldn't make the catch on Rollercoaster.
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- She missed it!
- James Bartholomew used to play
for the Washington Generals,
the team that took on the Harlem Globetrotters
every night.
- Got skills to play the bills.
- The 40-year-old from Florida is now
a coach for NBA prospects, and he showed
he's still got some moves.
- You know how much cred this gives him amongst his athletes?
- But after a fast break on Domino Effect--
- Oh, come on. Come on.
- He committed a turnover on Kite Surfer.
- Oh!
[air horn blares] - That's a tough one.
- Up next, from Holly Springs, North Carolina,
it's Matt Kalanz.
He's a strength and conditioning coach
for the U.S. Army, so being strong is his business.
Matt helps members of the military
get back into shape after recovering from injuries.
Matt trains alongside his clients
and calls himself an arm enthusiast.
- My arms are strong enough to pull
my body through the course.
I'm ready for it.
- He's got a lot of folks watching back in
North Carolina, including family and some of the people
he trains with, and his girlfriend,
Megan, here on the sidelines.
[countdown clock beeping]
But when he's not in the gym,
this guy does stand-up comedy, but he's no joke as a ninja.
Made it to the semis when he competed three years ago.
Let's see if those strong arms he talked about
will help him here on Rollercoaster.
- Boom. Got it.
Now get off.
Nice dismount.
- And he's moving quickly.
both: Oh!
- Those strong arms couldn't help him there.
Matt Kalanz's run comes to an end on Domino Effect.
- He was looking impressive until he hit the Dominoes.
He started falling forward on that third one
and couldn't save it.
He went in head-first.
- Guys, Bob Reese blew us away
with that flip on the course last year.
Not only did it stun Matt and Akbar--
- What was that? Are you kidding me?
- It racked up more than 10 million views
across the internet.
The social media star from South Carolina
is always thinking of new tricks
for his millions of followers.
But lately, his son's story has been stealing the show.
- How to beat a one-year-old in a foot race.
Use a distraction.
Oh, pieces of candy! I win!
Making videos with my son is so much fun.
[laughs]
So just grab the ball and make it in.
Go ahead. Grab the ball. Just grab the ball, man.
- [giggles] - Just grab it.
This entire, like, last year of his life
has just been, like, the best year of my life.
Balloon fight!
I don't know if I've ever been more excited
than when I see him do something for the first time.
That was his first jump! You just did your first jump!
Speaking of firsts, every episode before this one,
I've went for style.
I post the clips online. They go viral.
And a lot of people in the comments tell me,
you should just go for speed.
You should actually try to win the show.
So tonight, I'm gonna do something
that I've never done before.
I'm gonna go for speed
and I'm gonna try to get that Mega Wall.
10k sounds pretty nice.
- Tonight, his son will be watching
from home with Mom
and other family members.
Bob's always creating content.
You can see he's got a camera strapped to his chest.
[countdown clock beeping]
[chuckles] Oh.
- Hey, when this run gets posted,
he'll probably get a few million views.
- Bob Reese moves so well for his size.
He's 190 pounds.
That's on the big side for Ninja.
Gets through Rollercoaster, and now Domino Effect.
- Boom, pow. Boom, pow.
Nice.
- Early Bob finished in just over 57 seconds.
That's the fastest so far.
Bob's gonna have to be close to that pace
if he wants the Mega Wall.
- This is his sixth time competing,
and this by far is the fastest we've seen him run.
- And now has a little over 30 seconds
left if he wants a shot at the Mega Wall.
- This is where that 190 pounds can be a problem,
landing on these tiny ledges.
- Gets to the second ledge,
but the final one's the toughest.
But he's got it! Just needs the dismount.
Sticks it.
- He's got about 10 seconds left.
He's got to get up there to get a chance at the big Mega Wall.
Yes!
The fastest time of the night so far!
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
Bob Reese.
♪ ♪
- Bob, usually, you are flipping on the course.
But this time around, you were dipping on the course
like you were going for that fast time
and a shot at that Mega Wall.
- That was definitely the fastest I've ever run.
I usually go for style.
This time I went for speed. [chuckles]
- Well, Bob, the time to beat was one minute.
You did do it in 52 seconds.
- 52? - So, Bob Reese,
you're getting a shot at the Mega Wall, brother!
- Yay!
- Well, his story's watching.
We want to see how this turns out, buddy.
18 1/2 feet for 10k.
all: Bob! Bob! Bob! Bob! Bob! Bob! Bob! Bob!
- For a man who loves to go viral, can he do it here?
- Wall is a little over three times his height.
Can he do it for the $10,000?
Oh, no!
- Shocking! - He had it!
- Sha-na-na!
[dramatic music]
- He had 10k in his fingertips, but couldn't hold on.
- I was that close to 10k.
- You can't get any closer than this.
He had his fingers over the top.
And then just right there, he slips off.
Oh!
- Coming up, it's always a fun run
when Nacssa Garemore's on the course.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Zuri's pick to be the fastest of the night
is just ahead when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to Vegas, where moments ago,
a couple of training partners from Long Island
were raising cane before their run.
- I don't know what they're doing, but they're having fun.
- Going first was Mike Wyer,
who calls himself the King of Canes.
That's because he loves using one
when he trains on Ninja obstacles
back in his gym in New York.
And while the king's crossing of the first obstacle
impressed his royal subjects,
on the second obstacle, he was dethroned.
- Ooh!
- But that early fall didn't dampen the enthusiasm
of his buddy Nick Roalef.
- Let's go!
- This is Nick's third season on the show,
and the rehab clinic worker was fired up.
He put together the best run of his Ninja career,
making it to the fifth obstacle.
Roalef looked like he might have a shot
at his very first buzzer.
- Ooh. [air horn blares]
- He'll have to wait to see if that's good enough to move on.
- Up next, another ninja from the Empire State.
Skating to the start line is Sebastian Ramos,
a 24-year-old from East Harlem, New York.
We introduced you to him last year.
He has to be a bit of a ninja every day for work
as he skateboards across Manhattan
dodging traffic and delivering food all across the city.
- I think my reflexes, if anything happens,
I'll be ready, and I'm gonna deliver on this course tonight.
- Sebastian's supportive girlfriend, Angelina,
on the sidelines along with his parents.
And he's got a big group
watching in his gym back in New York City.
[countdown clock beeping]
Ramos was a star athlete at Stony Brook University,
was a sprinter.
I think he's gonna go fast, Akbar.
- Yeah, he also played wide receiver in high school,
so he could use those good hands on Rollercoaster.
- He is flying.
A little stumble, but pops right back up.
And quickly onto Kite Surfer.
He's picking up right where he left off last year.
Made it to the semifinals as a rookie.
Putting himself in good position to move on tonight.
- You got it!
- Akbar, the next time I order takeout food,
I want this guy delivering it.
He is running with some urgency.
Sebastian Ramos got a qualifying buzzer
last year in season 17, looking to repeat the feat.
- 5'10", 185 pounds.
He is holding a lot of his body weight
now on that second panel.
- Good job getting the feet up.
Does he have anything left for this third wall?
The mail slot with the drop.
- I'm a little concerned about that drop.
I'm a little concerned. [air horn blares]
- Well, it looks like your delivery is gonna be
a little held up, Akbar.
- You want your delivery fast, and Ramos was that.
On Wall to Wall, though, watch his hands.
They slipped right off when it dropped down.
- But he got there quickly.
That could keep him in the top 20
so he could move on to the eastern regional finals.
Up next, it's Zuri's pick to be the fastest of the night,
and that's probably a good bet.
Florida teenager Nacssa Garemore
is one of the sport's elite.
Made it to stage four his first two seasons.
And yes, he likes to have fun on the course.
We got a taste of his personality with This or That.
[upbeat music]
- I have to go with pepperoni, because, like,
pineapple does not belong on pizza.
You might as well throw cereal on some pizza.
I really like my hair, you know.
And the sand gets in my hair.
At the mall, there's no sand, you know?
And I do like shopping.
I don't answer my text messages.
You can ask my mom.
Anybody who has my number, I don't answer.
I actually have, like,
over a thousand messages on my phone.
I used to have, like, 2,000,
but I had to answer some of them.
- Nacssa will have his training partner,
RJ Roman, and his mom, Angela,
leading the cheers on the sideline.
Well, at the start of
the night, we picked who
we thought would be fastest.
Akbar's guy, Charlie Ball,
was in the lead for a while,
but was just knocked from
the top spot by Bob Reese.
Nacssa is Zuri's pick,
so she's gonna join us
for his run.
Zuri, what do you think Nacssa's gonna do?
- This is my moment, and Nacssa delivers every time.
I mean, he puts his heart into it.
He moves like a speed demon. - Put a time on it, though.
You got to put a time on it. - Ooh, OK.
Let's get a little crazy.
I'm gonna say 50 seconds. - OK.
- We're shaving 2 seconds off the best time.
- Well, Nacssa, this kid only has one speed.
Let's see if he can bring it home for Zuri.
[countdown clock beeping]
Nacssa was second fastest in his qualifying night
the past two seasons.
- Well, remember, speed kills too,
so I mean, we want to make sure that he's not going
so fast that he makes a mistake.
- Oh, he came off the track!
- Uh-oh. That was close.
- Zuri, this was a strong pick.
- Whoa! - Whoa!
- Whoa, whoa! - Whoa, whoa!
Whoa.
- Well, you got scared, didn't you?
I got scared too. - A little bit.
- I did too.
- I kind of leapt out of my chest for a second there.
Not gonna lie.
- Those balance obstacles
will have the ninja's hearts in their throats.
What a pace to this point.
How smooth can he be on Wall to Wall?
- Wow. He's got to really turn that wall
and get right to the business on the next wall.
- Oh, he is having a little bit of hesitation.
- Wow, Zuri!
- He still wants to secure that buzzer.
- He's got this.
All right. There we go, Nacssa.
Take it home. - It's gonna be close.
Got it!
Zuri, you were right on the money at 50 seconds.
How did you do that?
- Hey, I know my ninjas.
- It's the best time of the night so far.
Nacssa, you continue to impress us, my friend.
- I almost fell on the Rollercoaster.
- We saw. - I saw that.
- We noticed.
- That right wheel came off the tracks.
Luckily, you saved it. Your night's not over yet.
Because, my friend, you earned a shot
at that Mega Wall, Nacssa.
18 1/2 feet with $10,000 on the line.
- All right, Nacssa, beat that wall.
all: Mega Wall! Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
Mega Wall!
- He's been here before.
Nacssa was one of only two ninjas
to conquer the Mega Wall last season.
all: Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
- All right. Here we go.
- He's done it before. Do it again!
[cheers and applause]
- And he's done it! - Let's go!
- He's beating that buzzer up!
[dramatic music]
Nacssa Garemore!
$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, you got to show me
one of them new dances now, man.
You just hit that big buzzer!
- Hey, hey, hey, hey. - Hey. [laughs]
- He danced his way
all the way to the top of that Mega Wall.
That was outstanding. - Yeah, he did.
Incredible.
- And Nacssa now sits
atop our leaderboard
with the fastest time.
It's looking like you'll need
to finish or at least get
to the fifth obstacle,
Wall to Wall,
to have a chance of moving on.
Coming up, you may have seen her face
on billboards around the country.
Now former women's champ
Addy Herman kicks off her season,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to Las Vegas,
where it's qualifying night for the Eastern region.
There was something fishy
about a couple of our ninjas minutes ago.
Jason Meland goes diving off the coast of Florida,
searching for the fossilized teeth of giant sharks.
- Big megalodon tooth.
- The Ocean Ninja stayed afloat on the Striding Steps,
but on Rollercoaster, he didn't let go
when he came down the tracks.
- Oh, wow. There's blood in the water right here, Matt.
He's in trouble. - Oh, no.
all: Jason! Jason! Jason!
- After fighting for more than a minute...
- He might need to put his mask on,
because he's going swimming.
- The Ocean Ninja hit the water.
- Oh!
- Cohen Smith calls himself the Fishing Ninja,
because the teenager loves to reel them in
from the lakes around his home in Cold Springs, Alabama.
He's trying to reel it in.
- Oh, let's see what Cohen Smith can do.
You got something there, Matt. What is it?
- Oh, I landed a "Ninja Warrior" logo!
Back on the course, Smith landed Rollercoaster.
- That boy's got game now.
- But on Kite Surfer, it was catch and release.
Oh! [air horn blares]
- He just rushed it.
- Up next is the ninja they call Amazing Grace.
This is 16-year-old Florida high school student
Grace Gordon.
She put together an impressive run last year
in her rookie debut,
and she couldn't believe the response.
Amazing Grace.
Let's see sweet the run is.
- Oh, how sweet it is. - Wow!
And she is pumped up.
- I didn't even know they posted my run.
And I went on TikTok and I was like, oh, my goodness.
That video went viral over the next few days.
I was like, it's not stopping.
Like, it just kept on going.
I think it had, like, 10 million views.
I have no idea how that happened.
I didn't hit a buzzer my first year.
Tonight, I'm gonna get that buzzer.
- Grace will have her mom and dad on the sideline,
as well as Ninja great RJ Roman,
who started coaching Grace when she was ten years old.
[countdown clock beeping]
We've already had two women hit buzzers
and three others reach the fifth obstacle,
so Grace needs a good run if she wants to move on.
- You got it. - You got it.
- She played on her high school volleyball and lacrosse teams,
so she has good hand-eye coordination.
- And she's through, right into Domino Effect.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa. Watch yourself.
Nice.
- Getting encouragement from her first coach, RJ Roman.
And you can see Grace Gordon learned
to shred the course from him.
- Big, big move.
Here it is. It's a nice, easy transition.
- Not showing any signs of a sophomore slump.
Grace Gordon looks in complete control.
But the fifth obstacle is where she fell last year.
- It's all in her facial expression.
She looks like she's got this.
She's got this, Matt.
- We've seen Avery Glantz and Taylor Johnson hit buzzers.
Can Grace Gordon become the third here?
Well, at 5'3", 123, I think this obstacle is a much better
match-up than Battering Ram last year, Akbar.
But this is the big challenge.
Going to the mail slot with the drop.
- You got to see it.
You got to be so precise with the handle.
You can see she's trying to shake,
get a little bit of life.
Nice.
- Got it! - Oh! Oh, wow!
- And Grace Gordon, she's feeling it.
14 1/2 feet away.
And this high school junior-- - All right. Go get it.
Go get it.
- Is gonna get her first buzzer!
[buzzer blares]
Amazing Grace.
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
I love seeing this, Grace.
It looks like you don't even know what to do yourself.
What's going through your mind right now
after hitting that buzzer?
- I can't believe it.
Like, I never thought
me doing a Ninja class with RJ,
like, six years ago would get me here.
It's just unbelievable.
- That run just gave you major Ninja aura.
You got Ninja aura.
Great job. - Let's go!
- Amazing Grace, how sweet the run.
Hit that buzzer one more time and go celebrate!
- Wow. Add her name to the list.
- Akbar, I gotta say, the women showing up strong
yet again here in season 18.
We've now tied the qualifying record
with three women finishers tonight,
and we've got more top women still to come,
including our next competitor.
Zuri, get her going.
- Coming to the start line now is Addy Herman.
She won our Women's Championship two years ago,
and she hasn't slowed down since.
She was featured on billboards around the country
promoting "Ninja Warrior," and now,
she's launched a career as a public speaker.
- Seeing my face on the billboard
for "American Ninja Warrior" was absolutely crazy.
I had a ton of friends taking pictures
and sending it to me from all over too.
Because of my success on "American Ninja Warrior,"
been asked to go and speak to schools, youth groups,
even adults.
Ninja is a pretty huge part of my life.
I've had the opportunity to compete five times
on the show "American Ninja Warrior."
Main message when I speak is to not limit yourself,
chasing your goals, dreaming big,
and inspiring other people while you do it.
I feel better than I ever have coming into this season.
I feel super-prepared, super focused,
and I can't wait to see how it goes.
- Addy's two biggest fans on the sideline,
her mom and her boyfriend, Noah Meunier.
[countdown clock beeping]
Addy Herman, six-time veteran of "Ninja Warrior"
at just 20 years of age.
Said last year was coming off an ankle injury,
was disappointed with her performance.
Addy Herman is motivated.
- Wow. - Real smooth.
Beautiful symmetry.
- Last season, was the face of "Ninja Warrior."
- Locked in!
- Her face plastered on Sunset Strip.
- What a night it's been for the ladies.
We've had three hit buzzers tonight,
including Addy's good friend Taylor Johnson,
who's on the sideline.
- Come on, Addy! Confidence!
- Very strong on Kite Surfer.
- Yeah!
- And she's through.
Addy Herman now on the fifth obstacle, Wall to Wall.
- And this is interesting to me.
Addy's never made it past the fifth obstacle
or hit a buzzer in qualifying.
- Would love to add that to her impressive résumé.
- Nice. Ooh. - The transfer.
- Was a little tricky on that transfer.
But this transfer is where she needs to really lock in,
because there's a drop on this third wall.
- 5'5", 130.
Got to get a good leap so your fingers
have time to get purchase, get locked in before the drop.
- Oh!
- And once again comes up short,
doesn't get the buzzer in qualifying.
- Watch her left hand. It doesn't land cleanly,
so she doesn't have a good grip.
When the ledge drops, she drops.
- Addy, you have had so many close calls
on the qualifying courses.
How did you feel about tonight?
Did you think you had it?
- Yeah, I felt super good, and I think I just--
my left hand wasn't in the right spot.
So when I came down, didn't quite have it.
- OK.
Well, I've got some good news for you.
You went far enough, fast enough,
so we'll see you in the regional finals.
OK? Great work. - So excited.
Definitely buzzers to come.
- There we go. Buzzers to come.
We're manifesting, guys.
And remember that baby picture we showed you earlier?
That little girl grew up to be
Addy Herman.
Congratulations if you guessed correctly.
- Coming up, he's a Ninja legend, and tonight,
Flip Rodriguez is mic'd up.
- 16 years, man. - 16 years on this stage, baby.
- The fan favorite runs next
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Tonight, we're seeing ninjas from the east region.
And while we were away,
a couple of strong Florida women
got their shot on the course.
50-year-old Solymar Benitez is the night's oldest
female competitor.
- She's putting in work.
- This Miami personal trainer and mom
has been racking up wins in her age group
at local Ninja competitions,
so she was feeling good about her rookie run.
But on Shrinking Steps, her foot hit the water.
- Oh, no! Oh!
- And her run was over.
Olivia Lopez is the quarterback
of her high school's flag football team.
This 16-year-old is also a competitive weightlifter.
- She ain't messing around in the weight room.
- The rookie showcased her agility,
powering through the obstacles.
- Ooh, good adjustment, and making that strong grab.
- The teenager was getting close to a buzzer
in her first time on the course.
- It's the drop that really throws off
a lot of these ninjas.
- Ooh!
But she's still got a good chance
of moving on to the eastern regional finals.
Well, we've already had three buzzers from the women tonight,
and our next ninja is a threat
to get a record-breaking fourth.
It's Rachel Degutz,
the energetic Ninja veteran from New Jersey.
- Wooo!
- That's her trademark "wooo" scream.
And this year, she has a special reason
to be a little more excited.
- I just got engaged.
So I have a lot of positive energy going into tonight.
I had a feeling he had the ring,
and he took me away for the weekend.
I kept, like, waiting and waiting and waiting,
and he didn't propose,
because I would be expecting it.
Guys, the ladies, we know what's coming.
We just want it.
Don't disappoint them.
- Will you marry me?
- Oh, my God!
- See? She's surprised!
- Gotcha!
[laughter]
- Yeah.
I guess good things are worth the wait.
It was the best Christmas present I've ever gotten.
- Congrats to those two.
Matt will be on the sideline
along with some of Rachel's other friends.
[countdown clock beeping]
Now she's made it to the National Finals
in four of her five previous seasons.
She hit a buzzer in the finals last year,
so she's got a chance to be a part of Ninja history
if she can get one here.
- Come on, Rachel!
- Oh, no! - Oh! Ooh.
Oh, man.
- An unexpected early exit for Rachel Degutz.
She can't believe it.
Out on the second obstacle.
- Take a look.
Instead of jumping the bar across the gap,
she just rolled off the end of the track,
and her season is over.
- This season, we've had a lot of fun
mic'ing up fan favorites
while they're on the course.
And tonight, we've got the 36-year-old
16-time "Ninja" veteran.
It's the great Flip Rodriguez.
- Yeah, it's great to see Flip Rodriguez out there.
Flip, what's up, dawg? How you doing?
- Yeah. What's up Matt, Akbar?
- Man, it's so good to see you out here, man.
Can you believe, 16 years, man?
- 16 years on this stage, baby.
- Yeah.
- Well, hey, buddy, Flip, we remember
when you were a young buck.
But I think tonight, it's time to remind them
just who to Flip Rodriguez is, my brother.
- And you know it, brother.
I'll see you guys at Mega Wall.
- That sounds good, buddy. - OK. Oh, I like that.
He's already calling it.
- Flip's girlfriend, Megan Budway,
will be leading a big group on the sideline.
- Come on, Flip!
- Ah!
- There it is.
- Let's go!
- And Flip's fired up.
Look at all his students watching from back in Florida.
Everybody loves Flip.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Nice and smooth, Flip. Come on.
Nice and smooth.
- Talking to himself. Nice and smooth.
- Smooth is fast.
- Going for a ride on Rollercoaster.
He's done this a lot of times.
Nice. - Ooh, yep.
- Nice and smooth, baby.
- Now let's check the balance.
- Last season, went out on Block Run.
- Oh, no! - Oh, no!
[air horn blares]
all: Let's go, Flip! Let's go, Flip!
- Yeah, buddy. - Yeah, buddy!
- [laughs]
- Balance obstacle doesn't get him tonight.
- Looking good!
- Oh, Akbar, I like this pace out of Flip.
- Whoo! OK.
That's weird.
- And it's kind of cool too, to get a little inside look
into his mentality.
- I love hearing the talk that goes on.
- Whoo, yeah.
- Oh, almost lost that one.
You know, Matt, he's been doing this
longer than some of these ninjas have been alive.
- Come on. Turn, papa.
- Turn, papa. - Turn, papa, huh?
Nice.
- He said he wanted the Mega Wall,
and he's got a shot, Akbar.
- OK. Now this is the one right here.
- Gotta make this move and get off.
- Nice! - Come on, Flip!
- OK. - Ah, no!
- Flip is back!
- Come on, baby. Get the Mega Wall, baby.
Come on, baby. Let's go, baby!
Let's go!
- Oh, my goodness!
- Oh, man.
- Did I get it?
- You missed it by less than 4 seconds.
- Ah!
- I know you wanted that Mega Wall.
- Yeah.
- But 36 years old,
you just got your 26th buzzer.
Tied for third all-time.
My friend, what's it like being out here
still getting buzzers?
- Hey, I'm too old for this, man.
- [laughs]
- 16 years of my life, and I can honestly say
because of ANW, I've been able to impact a lot of lives.
And not only that, it has changed my life completely.
So I'm forever grateful for you guys,
and it feels good to hit a buzzer again
after last season.
- Yeah, I bet it does.
Why don't you go celebrate with your crew, brother?
I gotta say, "Ninja Warrior" is so much better
for having Flip Rodriguez as one of our athletes.
- Absolutely, Matt. Great job by Flip Rodriguez.
- We're back. We're back. What's up, guys?
- Up next, Noah Muenier's been close before.
- Oh!
- Can this be the year he wins it all?
My pick for fastest
of the night runs next
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Flip Rodriguez got a buzzer minutes ago.
And while we were away, his girlfriend, Megan Budway,
got her shot.
- Nice!
- This is a competitive couple.
- The five-time veteran has a history of falling
on balance obstacles, including Domino Effect,
which took her out in season 14.
- Yes! - Oh, yeah!
There it is! There it is!
- Let's go!
- Budway needed to get past Kite Surfer
to have a chance of joining Flip
in the regional finals.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- That didn't happen,
but it was still a run worth celebrating.
- I'll take that. [laughs]
- Then it was the other Rodriguez, Kevin.
- All right. Let's go, Kevin Rodriguez.
- The 19-year-old from Cranston, Rhode Island,
had an eye-opening run.
K-rod absolutely crushed every obstacle.
- Oh, my goodness. Blazing time.
- He put up the fastest time of the night so far,
knocking Zuri's pick, Nacssa Garemore,
out of the top spot.
- Dang! Wow!
Where did that speed come from?
- That not only secured him a bye
for the eastern regional finals in two weeks,
it earned him a chance to win $10,000 on the Mega Wall.
- Whoa.
Look how close he came.
- There's only one Ninja left who could outrun Rodriguez
for the fastest time, and that's my pick
for tonight, Noah Meunier.
The electrician from Massachusetts
has been a contender to win it all
since he made his "Ninja" debut three years ago.
[upbeat music]
Oh! So close!
- I've always come so close to finishing.
- Oh, my goodness!
- My first two seasons, I finished third.
Last season, I finished second.
- And Meunier is down!
- I think that coming that close to such a big goal
fuels the fire, so now it's time for first.
♪ ♪
I know that this is gonna be my season,
and I'm ready to prove that I am
the best ninja in the world.
♪ ♪
- His girlfriend, Addy Herman,
leading a group on the sideline.
He'll have his family and kids from his gym
watching back in Massachusetts.
[countdown clock beeping]
Right now, Kevin Rodriguez is the fastest.
None of us picked him, but if Noah beats K-Rod's time
right now, he'll get me my first win of the year.
Both of you already have W's this season.
Now it's my turn.
He's off to a good start. He's definitely going for it.
- Ooh!
- Has an incredible Ninja résumé so far.
But one thing he doesn't have yet is a Mega Wall completion.
And he's on pace to get another shot tonight.
- Oh, he is definitely going for the Mega Wall.
- And just to think he started his first two seasons here
on "Ninja Warrior" without ever touching the water.
- Back-to-back climbs on stage four last year.
Came up just short to Kai Beckstrand.
- Oh, nice.
- He gets his dismount.
- 2 seconds.
- Ooh. Here we go.
[buzzer blares] both: Oh!
- Oh! Wow.
- Misses out on the top time by 6/10 of a second.
- So close. Still very fast.
- Noah Meunier,
you were my pick to go fastest of the night.
I have some bad news.
By 6/10 of a second,
you had the second fastest time.
But you're getting a shot at $10,000, Noah!
- Let's go, fellas!
- All right. You think you got it?
You think you can get that Mega Wall?
- I think so, man.
- All right. - Hey, Noah, head on down
and get your shot at $10,000.
- All right. - Come on, Noah!
- Three times before, he's had a shot at the Mega Wall, Akbar.
Has never completed it,
but he said he believes this is his year.
Well, Noah Meunier, this kid's so impressive,
so consistent.
all: Mega Wall! Mega Wall!
- Yes!
[buzzer blares]
- Oh! - Got it!
- Whoa!
[upbeat music]
- Yeah!
- That's $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.
- This thing has been off my résumé for way too long.
- I knew you had it in you, man.
- That's awesome. Let's go.
- Well, Noah, you continue to do just about everything
in "American Ninja Warrior."
The one thing left to do, win it all.
Is this gonna be your year?
- You know it. - I love it!
Well, Noah, go down and celebrate.
You're $10,000 richer, brother.
[cheers and applause]
- So he and the other ninjas
in the top five will all get
a bye in the first round of
the eastern regional finals.
That includes social media
star Bob Reese.
We had 13 finishers in all
tonight, including Florida
teenager Grace Gordon.
She's one of three women
to hit buzzers.
The others were Avery Glantz
and Taylor Johnson.
Addy Herman's also moving on.
There's seven women in all
advancing, tying
a qualifying record.
That includes the Barrett
sisters, Lily and Charlotte,
plus Florida's Olivia Lopez.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila
and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪