[upbeat music]
- Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada,
our home for season 18 of "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and thanks for being with us once again.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, tonight, we'll see our second group of ninjas
from the Eastern U.S.
Last week set the bar high.
We had three women get their first buzzers,
and not one, but two ninjas earned 10 grand
for taking down the Mega Wall.
- Tonight's group is packed with fan favorites.
And everyone will be trying to advance
to next week's regional finals,
where we'll see our three-lane race course,
the Tripleheader.
But for a preview of what they'll be facing tonight,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- To move on, our ninjas will have
to survive our six-obstacle qualifying course.
Once again, it starts with the Shrinking Steps.
Then it's the Rollercoaster,
which took out the legendary Joe Moravsky last week.
- No!
- The balance obstacle is Domino Effect.
That's followed by Kite Surfer,
with Wall to Wall as the fifth obstacle.
Then it's a run up the wall to the buzzer.
Once again, if ninjas want a shot at the Mega Wall,
they'll need to finish in under a minute.
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.
- Well, now it's time for us to make our picks
for the fastest of the night.
None of us made the right choice last week,
when Kevin Rodriguez put up the top time.
For the season, I'm still sitting at zero,
while Zuri and Akbar have one win apiece.
I'm gonna start it off and go with Jackson Erdos.
Former "Ninja Junior" champ,
and this kid knows how to win races.
- All right, I'm gonna go with my man, RJ Roman.
He always goes fast.
And he just started wrestling,
so you know he's gonna put on a show.
- My pick, Enzo DeFerrari Wilson.
I think Electric Enzo is gonna light it up tonight.
He's added a lot of muscle,
and he's been focusing on speed.
My money's on Enzo, OK?
- So let's get it started.
Inside that vehicle is our first competitor,
Kirill Rebkovets.
He's a circus performer and acrobat,
And he actually drove that car across the country,
sleeping in it along the way.
And it's not just a car.
It's a mobile Ninja gym.
You see, he's got a Salmon Ladder.
- Oh, my goodness. [cheers and applause]
- Lots of other obstacles attached to his rig,
including Wingnuts, which will swing him
right to the start line.
- I don't think we've ever seen anything like this.
A mobile Ninja course?
- I'm a little crazy.
I love to challenge myself.
I'm gonna use my CNC machine,
and we're gonna precisely put the holes in
so it's nice and perfect.
[tools whirring]
Oh, this is not going anywhere.
I decided to make a portable rig on top of my car
so I can just set it up anywhere
and just do some Ninja.
Boom. Don't need carabiners.
You can attach things and change configurations
of different obstacles
so I'm not just stuck with one thing.
[drill whirring]
I'm an entertainer, and it's just something
I really enjoy doing, just putting smiles
on faces of people.
Took my kids with me on the road,
coming here to Vegas.
- Yes.
- The car is actually not just a Ninja rig,
it's a full living headquarters.
- Oh. - It's really working.
I had to build the shower. I have, like, an air fryer.
I have a cooking top. We can sleep three people.
I have an entertainment system.
You have everything an RV would have.
I live, sleep, and drive Ninja.
And tonight, we're gonna press the buzzer.
[mechanical clacking, beeping]
- He could've flown here, but he loves that car
and wanted to drive it cross-country.
He takes it everywhere.
There's his very understanding family.
The kids made the trip with dad.
Mom wisely flew from Florida.
[countdown clock beeping]
Kirill's performed in circuses all over the world.
This guy's a legit athlete, Akbar.
Insane balance. - Oh, ooh!
OK, that was a circus act, right there.
- A high-wire act.
He's avoided falling,
but now, going for a ride on the Rollercoaster.
Good transfer.
- Nice!
And he's through.
[cheers and applause]
He's a born showman.
When he competed back in season 11,
showed off some insane balancing tricks,
so should be able to stay upright on Domino Effect.
No problem. Right through.
And with a flourish.
[cheers and applause]
He's having fun out there.
Already better than the last time
he ran the course, when he fell on his second obstacle.
He's made it to the fourth, Kite Surfer.
- Well, he's been designing his own balance obstacles,
so we knew he had great balance.
But what about this?
Kite Surfer, this is different.
You can't build this on your car.
- There you go. You're there, you're there.
- Smooth.
Have a wide grip.
This is the move that ended a lot of runs last week.
But he hangs on.
Now can he get the dismount?
Yes!
[cheers and applause]
- Well, he was born in Russia, but they love him here
on "American Ninja Warrior."
[cheers and applause]
Now it's Wall to Wall.
This took out a lot of top contenders last week.
- This is a difficult one.
Mr. Rebkovets, tear down that wall.
- And you can see, good place for foothold there.
Rotate it around.
- Good rotation. - Now 180 transfer.
- Nice!
- But look at this final one.
- And as a guy that is 6 feet tall,
you can see, he's really compact.
And now he's got to explode out.
Again, the distance is 6 feet between the walls.
- A narrow slot to get your fingers in there.
You have to be so precise.
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- The show ends for Kirill Rebkovets
on the fifth obstacle.
Now, we'll have to wait and see if he went far enough,
fast enough to move on.
- Well, he arrived at the start line in style
and kept the crowd entertained throughout.
But on the final move on Wall to Wall,
his fingers peeled right off that tiny ledge.
- Let's go, man!
- If he doesn't move on, it's gonna be a long ride
home for the family.
- First, they got to find where the "ANW" traffic cops
towed his rig to.
- Well, our next athlete
also likes to have fun on the course.
This is Vermont's Rose Lord, a teacher's assistant
and talented artist who drew all those roses
you see on her arms.
Those aren't tattoos.
It's part of how Rose prepares to compete.
- All right, they're on the run.
- When I first appeared on "Junior,"
I made it all the way to the semi-finals.
[buzzer blares]
- Rose Lord, you are now Lord of the Ninjas.
- I feel like it. - Yes!
- Seven years later, being on the big stage,
it's a little surreal.
When I'm not training for Ninja,
I work as a teacher's assistant
at my old elementary school.
I help a lot in the after-school program
and with music classes. I love staying creative.
I started drawing my roses on for every competition,
and I liked it.
It felt like a sort of armor almost?
I have this art all up and down my arms,
and I just feel--
I feel like I look cool, which does, frankly,
wonders for just my mindset going into the competition.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- Rose has lots of supporters back
in Vermont, including her mom and other family members.
- Rose! - Let's go, Rose!
- Her dad is on the sideline with some
of her training partners,
including good friend, Amir Malik.
- You got it! [countdown clock beeping]
- I'm sure all the kids back at her school
are watching Rose tonight.
- Yeah, this is your moment.
This is your time.
- No problem there on the Shrinking Steps.
- All right, now, this is all about timing.
- Come on!
- Go for a ride here. Smooth transfer--
- Big, ooh!
- Yes! - OK, Rose Lord.
- I gotta say, great job controlling her momentum.
Good body awareness there. - All right.
Nice quick feet--oh, oh, oh!
- Oh, my! - Oh, she slayed the gap!
Wow!
- Well, this Rose is blossoming.
What a save there on Domino Effect.
- I want to see that one again!
Rose started falling forward halfway across,
but somehow landed on top of the last domino.
Normally, you can't recover from that, but Rose did.
Wow!
- Rose Lord rejuvenated by that close call.
- She's gonna be showing video of that to her kids at school.
- Dad's loving what he's seeing.
He's giving her advice for Kite Surfer.
And she's been moving quickly.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, what a run for this rookie, Akbar.
- Here! - Up!
- Nice. - Let's go!
- But only 5'3."
The last grab is gonna be a challenge.
- Come on, Rose! Yeah!
- Oh, but Rose gets it.
Now just needs the dismount.
And she's through.
- Whoo!
- Well, I remember her as a shy 12-year-old
competing on the first season of "Ninja Junior."
And now Rose is a confident rookie,
crushing this course. - Lean all the way!
Come on! - Breathe!
- You got it.
- Just attacking Wall to Wall. - Oh, hold on.
- Locks it in.
Rose Lord. - You got it.
You got it.
Uh-oh, she's doubting herself a little bit,
feeling the fatigue.
- Big jump! You got it!
- Long reach.
- She's got to make sure she knows it's there.
Oh, wow! - Oh, look at this!
- Oh! - And rides it through!
- I mean bumping and running all over the place.
[cheers and applause]
- And Rose Lord,
14 1/2 feet away from a buzzer in her rookie debut.
- Let's go! Let's go, Rose!
- Oh!
Good slide. - Hey-o.
All right, I think she just did that for fun.
- Maybe the roses on her arm can lift her up.
- This one, she's got to generate that power.
- Oh! - Ooh!
- But she's got to know she can do it.
- Yeah, she knows. She was able to touch the top.
I think this next one is it for her.
Rose Lord's got this one.
- Everything you got.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- One final attempt.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- You can do it!
- Everything you got.
- Come on, Rose!
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- Comes up just short.
- Oh. - No.
So close but so far.
- Well, not the finish she was looking for,
but, Akbar, still a great rookie performance.
- Yeah, you got to give it up for Rose Lord.
She finally got that moment, and she made the most of it.
- And goes in for the hug with her proud papa, Paul.
Aw. - Aw, she loves her daddy.
- That's a great shot right there.
Tonight, we're kicking off one of the wildest...
- Are you excited? - [squawks]
- Most explosive...
most animated nights of the season.
- Whoa!
[buzzer blares]
- And he does it!
The best Ninjas from the East are here,
and they're coming off the top rope.
- [grunts]
- We're going deep... - Ooh, that's a nice spiral.
- On "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to night two of qualifying
for the East Region.
Minutes ago, two musicians put on a show.
Guang Cui is a tech entrepreneur
in New York City,
but he's also a classically-trained violinist.
He serenaded us back in season 14.
On the course tonight, the three-time "Ninja" veteran
was hitting all the right notes,
and he cruised across the early obstacles.
- Get on, get off. Nice!
- Yes! - Let's go!
- Guang's a graduate of MIT, but Kite Surfer
proved to be a real test.
- He'd better be careful.
It has a little bit of a tilt to it.
No!
[audience groans]
- He'll have to wait and see
if that's good enough to move on.
Teenager Grace Carr came out ready
to beat this course like a drum.
She plays percussion in the band
at Stroudsburg High School in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Once on the obstacles,
this rookie quickly showed us she's more than a musician.
- This is the real test. Watch this.
I'm an athlete. Put some respect on my name!
[upbeat marching band music]
- She marched through Kite Surfer with ease...
- She is so locked in, dialed in.
- And then took on Wall to Wall.
- Being in the band, she knows all about rhythm.
Oh!
- It's early, but that run could get her into
next week's Eastern Regional Finals.
[cheers and applause]
Up next is Ninja's resident mad scientist, Jay Flores.
And he's got something cooking at the start line.
- Oh, he's mixing chemicals to create a smoke show!
- Well, Jay's a STEM ambassador.
He makes YouTube videos and has written a new book,
all aimed at making science fun for kids.
And his biggest inspiration is his own son.
[upbeat music]
- Is it enough? We may not have put enough.
- I don't think so. Let's try.
- Whoo-hoo! [laughs]
"Chemical engineers-- like a chef,
they mix and brew medicines, fuels, and even shampoo."
"Engineer Someday" is a bilingual STEM adventure.
The message behind it is that if you love to build and play,
you can be an engineer someday.
The characters in the book
are mostly based off of family members.
Whoo! - Whoo!
[record needle scratches] - It landed in the tree.
- No!
- Is it stuck in the tree? Let's check.
- It's stuck in the tree.
- Gio is my 14-year-old son.
He came into our lives when he was 12.
- Don't think I won't chase you, Pluto.
We wanted to explore the idea of adoption.
And he has just been a roller-coaster for us,
if I'm honest, but it's been a wonderful ride.
Throw. Let's go.
All right. Back again.
He's got tons and tons of energy.
So one of the first meetings we had with him
was at a Ninja Warrior gym.
- Whoa!
- Right away, he looked like he was a kid in Candy Land
and wanted to try out every single obstacle.
- Yes!
Swing!
- It was a wonderful opportunity for us
to learn together and grow together.
Now he gets to cheer me on my sideline
and hopefully go crazy when I hit that buzzer.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- And there's Gio.
He'll be screaming at the sideline
with Jay's wife, Diana.
And Jay's got lots of family and friends here
who've come from Florida to watch his run.
[countdown clock beeping]
- First problem for the scientist to solve
is the Shrinking Steps.
Well, he's gonna let gravity take over
here on Rollercoaster.
Did well in his previous two seasons.
Made it to the semis both times
but has never hit a buzzer, Akbar.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, this is gonna take a little bit of magic
and science to get through Domino Effect.
Got to have great balance.
Good! Nice!
Ooh! That's a hard landing.
- But he's striking the pose, keeping this crowd entertained.
Now on to Kite Surfer.
The top 20 from tonight advance to next week's
regional finals.
If Jay gets through Kite Surfer,
he'll have a good chance to be one of those who move on.
- And you mentioned it. He's never hit a buzzer.
He would love to get his first one here in front of his son.
[cheers and applause]
- Akbar, he is looking solid here.
- I think he's on a mission. He understands.
And I think too, him now being a father--
success is a little sweeter
when you can share it with your son.
[cheers and applause]
- He's now matched his best performance ever
reaching the fifth obstacle.
- Come on! - Whoo!
- Well, Wall to Wall would be a good example
about controlling your mass, figuring out how to use
your body's gravity to move this wall.
Let's see the scientist
conducting his experiments here.
- Well, with the mechanical engineer background,
you know he can figure this one out.
- Breathe in!
- He's trying to get his footing there.
- Nice!
Well, you can understand the theory,
but sometimes in the experiments, things go wrong.
Jay Flores dialed in, but this is a big move
to that final ledge.
- Technically, theoretically, whatever it is, just hold on.
Oh! [audience groans]
- Doesn't get a buzzer, but a good effort from Jay Flores,
equaling his best run ever.
- He wanted to set a good example for his boy Gio,
and he did that.
Made it to the last wall on the fifth obstacle,
but his fingers just peeled off.
[dramatic music]
- Dad, awesome!
- Gio's got to be proud of Dad.
He'll have to wait and see, but there's a good chance
he went far enough fast enough to move on.
Yeah, we may see Jay Flores dancing
in the Eastern Regional Finals next week.
Up next, one of our most inspiring athletes ever.
[dramatic orchestral music]
Sean Loughlin's rare disease
keeps him connected to a feeding tube 20 hours a day,
but he's disconnecting to compete tonight.
- Because I get to do "Ninja,"
it makes my life 100 times better.
- He's up next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to the second night of qualifying
for the Eastern region.
Minutes ago, Florida's Mike Belalcazar
made his "Ninja" debut.
He's a technician who works on planes at the Orlando Airport.
The 5'3" rookie had a smooth takeoff
on the Shrinking Steps.
- Here we go, here we go.
- As he reached altitude on Rollercoaster,
there was a malfunction.
- Oh, sha-na-na!
It's a long way down from up there.
Wow.
[cheers and applause]
- Then it was another Florida Ninja,
Kyle McCreight, who brought a beach vibe to the course.
- He's having way too much fun here.
- The four-time "Ninja" veteran from Sarasota
breezed through the early obstacles.
- This ain't his first rodeo, Matt.
- The occupational therapist hit a buzzer
in qualifying last year, and looked like
he was on his way to another. - Oh!
[air horn blares]
- But on Wall to Wall, his day at the beach was over.
- Body-slammed into the water!
- Our next athlete is nothing short of amazing.
This is Maryland teenager Sean Loughlin.
He was born with mitochondrial disease,
which affects his energy level.
That backpack he's wearing contains
his feeding pump, which is attached
to his abdomen 20 hours a day.
He's gonna disconnect just for this run.
Akbar, we talk about overcoming obstacles.
Just to get here,
I don't know that anyone has overcome more
than Mitoman Sean Loughlin, a real-life hero.
- Don't get these muscles from eating junk food.
Grr!
[somber music]
- When Sean started getting sick, like,
around three months old, we noticed
there's something not right.
We spent a lot of time in the hospital
the next couple years trying to figure out
what that was until we finally got his diagnosis.
- Having a mitochon disease is very, very hard.
Sometimes I'll just, like, have seizures
throughout the day.
I can't eat any food by mouth
and can't convert food into energy,
so it's always very tiring for me to do anything.
- ♪ You can't break me ♪
♪ I will never lose control ♪
- Every day, Sean makes his batches of formula.
- This is why every Ninja Warrior should
have mitochondrial disease.
They can work out every day with this.
- [laughs] I know, really.
At home, he uses an IV pole.
[device beeps]
When we go out in public,
he switches it to a little medical bag.
- All of my formula goes through a foot-long tube
that starts at my stomach
and goes through my intestinal tract.
I need to be connected to my feed 20 hours a day.
The only times I disconnect my feed
is to go outside and do Ninja.
[bright music]
Because I get to do Ninja,
it makes my life 100 times better.
♪ ♪
- ♪ I will show 'em what I'm made of ♪
♪ I feel it ♪
♪ It's in my blood, in my blood ♪
- Sean's worked really hard to get here.
He cannot train like most kids can.
It's just incredible, like, that he can do this stuff.
I'm so proud of him. [laughs]
- Now I'm ready to rock and roll.
- ♪ Show 'em who I am ♪
- Being able to go on the show is a dream come true.
I'm so excited to be here tonight
and get to go on the course.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- Sean's mom and dad on the sideline
leading a big group of supporters
who've come to Vegas. - Let's go, Sean!
- Family and friends that couldn't make it
will be watching from all over the East Coast.
Just an incredible story, Akbar.
[countdown clock beeping]
In addition to other obstacles Sean is facing,
he's just 5'1" and 94 pounds,
our lightest athlete tonight.
- Yes, and I love the message on the back of his shirt--
"Running on empty, Winning by will."
Here we go, big ride.
- The transfer.
Smooth. Got to get the dismount.
Look at this, Akbar.
This is a kid who fights to have energy,
and he is annihilating this course.
- Oh, oh, oh, there we go!
There we go!
[cheers and applause]
- Look at that smile.
How can you not root for this kid?
- Now time to see if Mitoman can fly.
With his 5'1" wingspan, this is gonna a challenge,
but you can really feel
everyone in this crowd is behind him.
- This is where you would expect him
to start getting fatigued, but he's not showing it so far.
He's got Ninja energy all over him.
- You know what it is, Akbar? He's got heart.
That is absolutely Mitoman's superpower.
- Nice! [cheers and applause]
- And here he is at the fifth obstacle.
- But how much energy does he have left to complete it?
- Somehow, Sean Loughlin finding a way
to power through these incredibly
challenging obstacles.
- His will to win is high.
And you can see at 94 pounds,
he's having a little bit of issue here,
trying to get this wall locked in.
- And this is the challenge, Akbar.
A smaller athlete, just 5'1", and just can't seem to find
the rhythm and the power.
- And my concern now is how much energy has he utilized?
- A lot.
- "Running on empty, winning by will."
- Big transfer here. - Let's go, buddy.
- I don't know what that gas tank needle says,
but I know that heart is still going strong!
- Ooh! My goodness.
- Oh, what an effort.
- Mitoman is very mighty!
- But this last move is the tough one.
Gotta land on that tiny ledge.
Everyone in this crowd behind him right now!
- With a young kid who is going through everything
he's gone through, and to be at this moment
on the fifth obstacle--
- Yes! Are you kidding me?
- What? - Sean Loughlin!
- Come on!
- Mitoman, 14 1/2 feet away from a buzzer.
That is pure will.
- Sean Loughlin is locked in. - Oh!
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- Every year, Akbar, we have a run
that you just know is special.
I feel we are witnessing this year's special run.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
Beat that wall!
- Come on.
This sixth obstacle is big. - Finish it off!
- Oh, Loughlin slipped a little bit.
That's all right. He slipped a little bit.
- Come on, Sean! - Stand up tall!
- Like he said, he's running on empty.
Does he have the will to conquer this final obstacle,
the Warped Wall?
- You can do it!
- Here he is, Mitoman.
Second attempt.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- Come on, come on, get up that wall.
- No, so close! - Very close!
- One--one more! You got this.
- Let him hear it, folks!
[audience roars]
Akbar, the crowd on their feet, witnessing something special.
Chanting his name, buddy!
Come on, Mitoman!
- The energy here is electric.
You can feel it! He feels it!
- Final attempt.
- Come on now.
Come on now.
- It's his moment!
Yes! - Yes!
[buzzer blares]
Yes!
That's what I'm talking about! - Mitoman does it!
- That's what I'm talking about!
- Sean Loughlin gets a buzzer.
The crowd erupting!
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
- You locked in on that one, baby!
Hey, Sean, with everything that you've gone through
with your condition, this long course,
at any point, were you ever concerned?
- No.
I was never planning on giving up.
Always gonna give it my all. - Nice.
- Sean, I got to say, your story is so inspiring.
To have overcome everything just to get on this course,
I know there are a lot of people
at home watching this show,
and a lot of them probably think
this is an impossible dream.
What do you want to say to them, buddy?
- No matter how big the battle, you can always overcome it.
[cheers and applause]
- Hey, Mitoman, hit that buzzer one more time and go celebrate.
[buzzer blares]
Well, Akbar, we've seen the origin story of Mitoman,
and it might be the story of the year.
What a run.
Coming up, his Ninja gym is a zoo.
And Justin Andelin brought some friends.
- Whatever you do, Kobe, don't poop on me.
- [squawks]
- That's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- A decade ago, they were dubbed the Fantastic 4--
Jesse "Flex" Labreck, Michelle Warnky,
Allyssa Beird, and Rachael Goldstein
all advanced the semifinals,
something that had never been done before.
Tonight, two of them were back.
First up was Rachael Goldstein-Stahl,
since she's now married and has three kids.
And the family was watching from back home.
- Yo, let's go.
- The stay-at-home mom hasn't competed in six years,
but she was light on her feet across Shrinking Steps.
Then her night was ruined by the Rollercoaster.
Ooh. - Oh.
- I just went up instead of over.
- Massachusetts' Allyssa Beird was back
for her ninth season of competition.
- Whoo!
- With fiancé James McGrath cheering her on,
the schoolteacher made quick work of the first obstacle.
- McGrath offered her advice for the Rollercoaster,
and she made the first transfer.
But then, things went off the rails for her as well.
- Ooh, no. [audience groans]
- Not such a fantastic night, but we always love to see
these "Ninja" trailblazers compete.
- May have been my worst run ever.
- Things are about to get wild,
because up next is Justin Andelin,
who's the manager of the Richmond Zoo.
He's brought one of his birds with him,
and we've got another up here with us.
- Yeah, we actually have Kobe right here.
We've got Kobe over there.
We've got Keanu on the start line.
- Well, Akbar, hopefully, this will go better than
the last time Justin brought a bird.
[bright music]
- I am the general manager at the Metro Richmond Zoo
in Richmond, Virginia.
I have been working at the zoo for the past 13 years.
We have about 2,000 animals there
on site on about 300 acres.
And we get about 300,000 people a year to the zoo.
[penguins honking]
I do have a history with Akbar and birds.
- But I've just made it to Antarctica,
and there's a penguin.
[penguin squawks]
Oh! What?
[penguin squawks] What?
- [chuckles]
Tonight, I'm bringing two blue and gold macaws,
Kobe and Keanu.
And maybe he'll be able to pet them.
Or maybe they won't let him. [laughs]
We'll see.
[bird chirps]
This is my chance to prove that I can run
with cheetahs and fly with macaws.
[cheers and applause]
- Hey, I'm hoping Kobe is better behaved
than that penguin.
- I'm gonna do this entire run
as if this bird is not on my head.
Well, Justin's gonna hand Keanu off to Zuri
to bird sit while he runs the course.
- Hey, Keanu. [bird squawks]
You excited?
- Justin's human family and friends will be watching
from back in Virginia.
And he's got some other friends on the sideline.
Justin has competed three times before.
[bird squawks] [countdown clock beeping]
Has made it as far as the fifth obstacle.
- He's flying through like a parrot.
[cheers and applause]
- Getting ready, though, to go for a ride on Rollercoaster.
This is about letting that bar control your momentum.
Don't get overly aggressive on the transfer.
[bird squawks] - All right.
The parrots are saying fly, baby, fly.
Let's go! Nice!
[bird squawks] - Nice!
- He made that look easy on Rollercoaster.
[bird squawks]
- Look.
- All right, but this is when it gets serious,
right here, this balance obstacle.
- Oh! - Oh!
[air horn blares]
- Oh!
- Justin Andelin gets his wings clipped by Domino Effect.
The Zoo Ninja splashes down.
- What happened?
How come--how come the Zoo Ninja couldn't hold on?
[bird squawks]
Don't take a bite of my microphone.
Your boy was looking good at the start of Domino Effect,
but began to stumble on the fourth one.
He reached the landing pad, but couldn't hold on
and went right back into the water.
- What'd you think of the run?
[bird squawks]
- We're gonna get the birds out of here
and get ready for our next athlete.
It's "Ninja" rookie PeaceSelah Lopez.
- Oh, she's breaking it down, Matt.
- She can dance.
And she's also a talented musician,
fronting her own band back in Connecticut.
[upbeat rock music]
- ♪ The world seems big when you are young ♪
The new band that I have, it's called
Peace and the 30-Somethings.
It is me and a couple of 30-somethings.
[laughs]
We just kind of ran into each other
through the gym, funny enough.
We just catch a vibe.
You--all of a sudden, you hear a different riff.
Then we practice, and you just kind of go with it.
There is a connection between music and Ninja Warrior.
It's all a mental game.
When you stand on a stage and when you stand
on a "Ninja Warrior" stage, it's the same kind of idea
where you have to mentally prepare yourself
for the challenge ahead.
So I'm feeling better than ever.
[laughs]
- Her family is gonna be watching
from back in Connecticut.
And she's got fellow ninjas on the sidelines.
Some of them competed with her on "Ninja Junior."
[countdown clock beeping]
- All right, let's go, Peace!
- She competed on the first two seasons of "Junior."
She started the sport when she was 10 years old.
- Good job. Good job. Let's get it.
- This is her first time back on the course in a few years.
And try to survive the trip down Rollercoaster.
- Oh! - Oh!
Not the result she was hoping for.
- She had no trouble making the jump from the first bar
to the second, but as she came down
the track to make that final move,
just came up short. Peace out.
- I choose to be a kind human.
I choose to be a kind athlete, but this was not kind to me.
- Coming up,
he's already won "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
- Oh!
- But he's got his sights set even higher.
- I want to be the first
"American Ninja Warrior" president.
- Meet impressive teenager Max Salebra
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to Vegas, where minutes ago,
a couple of ninjas served up a breakfast buffet.
New York's André Patnode was excited to be back
for his third attempt at the course.
- Yeah, yeah!
Whoo!
- He's an executive for Dunkin' Donuts,
and he shared a few with us.
- Man, he brought some of the best donuts up here.
Come on!
- When Patnode got past the first obstacle,
he had reason to celebrate.
It was his best performance ever.
- The best performance is the fact
that you're eating these donuts like it's going out of style.
- But the good times came to an end on Rollercoaster.
- Ooh! - Oh!
- He was not even close.
- Well, André, thanks for the donuts.
David Bergstrom-Wright was back for his seventh season,
but with a new twist.
He's nicknamed the Cake Ninja because for years,
he's fueled up with his favorite dessert
at the start line.
- [chuckles] Look at that.
- But now, he's cutting back on sweets
and rebranding as the Pancake Ninja,
and he brought us a short stack.
- His great-grandma's recipe is delicious.
- Wow. OK, Pancake Ninja.
- Bergstrom-Wright headed to the final 60 last year,
and he got off to a quick start tonight.
- Matt, this should be entertaining.
- The pancakes must have been light and fluffy,
because Cake kept up the quick pace
and absolutely crushed the course.
With his wife, Caitlyn, cheering him on,
he had a chance to earn a shot at the Mega Wall.
- He's got to get going right now.
He's got to go, go, go, go!
Oh, my goodness! Oh! Oh!
- Oh, my goodness.
5.88 seconds.
- Oh. - You got it!
- Yes! - You got it!
10 grand would have been icing on the cake...
- Oh! [audience groans]
- But it wasn't meant to be.
Still, he's got the fastest finish so far.
- That's all right.
Hey, you put a fork in it.
- Up next is our most animated athlete.
This is Cole Rhodes-Dow, who calls himself the Cartoon Ninja
because he's an animator.
And this rookie has some lofty goals for his first season.
[funk music]
- I run an animation studio.
We're based in Brooklyn, New York.
We have voice actors, character artists,
storyboard artists, me as the director.
I created an animation for tonight
that is the story of me conquering the Mega Wall.
Ever since I stepped into Ninja gym,
I've become obsessed with the Mega Wall.
I think it's the coolest thing in the world.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
- Oh!
[buzzer blares]
- And he does it!
- And for Matt and Akbar,
I created two animated cutouts that they'll be wearing
over their faces as I run.
But tonight, it's time for the live-action version
of Cole conquering the Mega Wall.
- His very animated girlfriend
is gonna be leading a big group of supporters on the sideline.
And Akbar, he drew us.
I think these are some pretty cool representations.
- Well, I like this.
I mean, I think I'm always saying, oh!
[countdown clock beeping]
- To get the Mega Wall, needs to finish
in under a minute. That's ambitious for a rookie.
If he gets it, he says he'll use the 10 grand
to make an animated movie.
- But he's gonna have to speed it up
if he wants that Mega Wall.
Oh, wow.
That got a little scary.
- Whoa!
- He made an oh face, like you, Akbar.
Well, not a smooth animation thus far.
Kind of a stop-motion approach here.
- Yeah, he's trying to draw a straight line to the end.
Nice.
- Unless he really picks up the pace,
he's not gonna get the Mega Wall.
- Well, I think it's more important for him
to get that buzzer and really get that confidence
that he can go far.
- Well, he walked into a Ninja gym,
became obsessed with it, kept going back
for seven days in a row
until he bested the Warped Wall.
Hasn't stopped training since.
- Yeah, he's definitely not gonna finish in under a minute,
so no Mega Wall.
- But he has a good run going.
He can still get a buzzer.
He'll go far enough to move on to next week's regional finals.
- Yep, right here.
You got it, Cole. Come on.
- He's made the tough moves on Kite Surfer.
Just needs the dismount.
And he's through.
[cheers and applause]
At 6'1", 180, we've seen
some of the bigger, heavier athletes.
It's a little harder for them to fit on these walls.
- Whoo!
- Wow. - Hold on.
Hold on. - Get those legs up.
Offload that grip.
This is gonna be a big move here to the final wall.
- You can see him. He's kind of looking.
- You got it.
- Looking to see where he can place his body,
where he can place his hands.
You can see the facial expression getting
real animated for this jump.
- Oh! - Oh.
- Oh!
- Didn't get a Mega Wall or a buzzer,
but a good rookie run from Cole Rhodes-Dow.
[upbeat music]
- I gotta turn my smile upside down.
I'm frowning.
Our last two champions, Kai Beckstrand
and Vance Walker, also won on "Ninja Junior."
And here comes another young athlete
who was a "Junior" champion.
This is Florida's Max Salebra.
He's only 14, but he's got big plans for the future.
- Vote for Max 2046. Whoo, whoo!
I want to be the first "American Ninja Warrior"
president when I grow up.
That looks about right.
- Max has always had big goals.
The first year that he was allowed
to run for student body,
he became president of his class.
"American Ninja Warrior Junior" champion,
Max Salebra!
- I won "American Ninja Warrior Junior" season three.
I'm gonna make you my vice president.
- Oh! OK!
- Max and Akbar 2046.
[all chanting] Max for president!
- Max-- he's got my vote.
- Matt also wants to be the head of Secret Service
because I need a really buff bodyguard to protect me.
This course is definitely a little bit bigger
than the "American Ninja Warrior Junior" race course.
It's just a little bit harder.
I'm super pumped to get a chance to do the course.
I've seen my friends go on.
And I was like, dang, I want a turn.
Yes! Yeah!
I'm here with some of the best athletes in the world,
and I cannot wait to take on the course.
[cheers and applause]
- Max has a big cheering section on the sideline,
led by his parents.
And his mom is looking very nervous for his first run
on the big course.
[countdown clock beeping]
Max is known as the Cadet Ninja.
Got the nickname because when he started competing,
he was going to military school.
He is such an impressive young man.
- Well, at "Ninja Warrior," we don't get into politics,
but he says he wants to be the first ninja president.
- Well, Akbar, he's got my vote.
Look at him go.
Well, Akbar, he is making his case.
He is moving hard, campaigning.
Already halfway through Kite Surfer.
- Ooh!
- Well, he's got a policy agenda,
and he's implementing it, Akbar.
- Nice. - Wow!
Oh, my goodness.
- You want a president who can move like this.
[cheers and applause]
I don't know why we're calling him the Cadet.
He looks like a full-blown soldier.
Look at that.
He's even got the American shoes on, Akbar.
- Good, good, good. Nice.
Lock it in. He is dialed in.
- Big transition here, Akbar.
- Ooh! - Got it!
Oh, it's gonna be close for the Mega Wall!
- Oh, he's going for it. He's going for it!
- Oh, my goodness.
Max Salebra!
♪ ♪
He's now the youngest person ever to hit a buzzer
on "American Ninja Warrior."
He is feeling it.
[cheers and applause]
And so is his mom. She can finally relax.
- Take it all in, man. That is impressive.
How you feeling right now?
- I feel so good.
- What did this experience feel like for you
in hitting that very first buzzer?
- I can't even explain it.
Being here with all my friends...
- Yes!
- It's insane.
- Well, it was an incredible run.
We were so impressed when we saw you on "Ninja Junior,"
and we're still impressed now.
Hit that buzzer one more time, buddy.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
All right, buddy, well, go celebrate with your family.
Congratulations.
What a beautiful moment for this impressive young man.
So Max is our third finisher.
Remember, the top 20
at the end of the night
will move on.
Probably will need to get
to the fifth obstacle
to have a chance.
Coming up, our three picks to be the night's fastest
are gonna battle it out.
Jackson Erdos, Enzo Wilson, and RJ Roman.
Plus, it's not just buzzers for Abby Clark.
- Let's go!
- It's also wedding bells.
- Aw. - [chuckles]
- It's all coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Las Vegas, where we're midway
through our round of qualifying.
- And our ninjas have had a run of success
in the last few minutes.
- The Country Boy Ninja, Josiah Singleton,
has changed his nickname
now that he's working at a golf course.
The Country Boy Ninja is now the Country Club Ninja.
The five-time veteran had lots of support from
his fellow Virginia ninjas.
[together] Whoo!
- They're known as the Lynchburg Loonies,
and Zuri joined them.
Singleton is a scratch golfer.
Whoa.
But he was almost in the drink on Domino Effect.
From there, Singleton had a bogey-free round.
- Let's go!
- And gave the Loonies something to shout about.
He went on to become our fourth finisher tonight.
- Let's go!
Come on!
- Then it was 14-time veteran
James "The Beast" McGrath
in search of his 26th career buzzer.
- And the Beast is moving, Akbar.
- From the start, it was clear that the Beast
was going for a shot at the Mega Wall.
- This guy knows how to move.
- The 38-year-old not only finished,
he put up the fastest time of the night so far.
- Oh, he's turned back the clock!
James "the Beast" McGrath.
- It earned him a chance to take on the Mega Wall for 10K.
- Oh!
- He couldn't cash in, but he's moving on
to next week's Eastern Regional Finals.
- OK, guys, here's my pick to be the fastest of the night.
Enzo DeFerrari Wilson.
He has added muscle, and he looks electric.
- Here we go, guys. Let's go.
- Now, he's turned his strength training into a new business.
[upbeat music]
- All right, you ready for today's session?
- Absolutely.
- OK, we're gonna start with some tricep extensions.
After season 16 of "American Ninja Warrior,"
I realized my biggest weakness was my power.
- Well, this kid is so-- - Oh, oh!
- Oh, my goodness.
- I started going to the gym a lot more,
and eventually, it turned into me
just falling in love with lifting weights every day.
One day, my dad came up to me,
and he told me he wanted to lose 5 pounds in a month.
And I was like, Dad, I'ma train you for free.
I'm gonna help you with the diet.
We're gonna see if we can do this.
As your bottom one comes down, lift the other one up.
Nice.
And I had so much fun doing that process
that I decided I wanted to become
a personal trainer myself.
Hold, hold, hold.
Yeah, you're good.
And now I have my own online coaching business.
I coach ninjas from all around the country
and even all around the world.
Nice.
Good. Legs in front.
Oh, oh, OK.
All right, I think you might have been
going a little bit too fast.
The changes I've seen in my own physique
have been amazing, but also,
I feel like going to the gym has made me sharper.
- Go, go, go, go, go, go!
Oh, yeah!
- And I know I can do anything that
"American Ninja Warrior" throws at me.
[cheers and applause]
- Enzo's dad did his fitness school,
and now he's gonna be leading the charge on the sidelines
along with Enzo's mom.
- Here we go. Let's go, guys.
Let's go!
- Well, Akbar, I think we likened him
to an Italian sports car in previous seasons,
but now he's bulked up.
He's like an American muscle car.
- Yeah, guys. And Enzo's not just stronger.
He's been competing in obstacle course races
around the world to improve his speed.
That's why he's my pick.
- We know speed is dangerous. - Uh-oh, uh-oh.
Whoa!
- Getting through it.
- Yeah, he had to recharge on that one.
- Akbar, but you know the top five athletes get a bye,
so speed matters.
Not just about hitting the buzzer.
You want to set yourself up,
avoid a tough matchup in the next round on the Tripleheader.
- Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- 5'10", 160 pounds.
You can tell just how much he's put into the weight room.
But just because he's put on some muscles
doesn't mean he's lost his athleticism
and his Ninja skills.
- Oh, he might actually-- he might actually do this.
Hold on.
- Zuri, it's gonna be close.
He can beat McGrath's time.
- Oh, he's going.
Oh. Oh, my goodness! - Oh, a little stumble!
- Didn't matter. - What a recovery!
[buzzer blares] - [laughs] Wow.
♪ ♪
- And Zuri's pick gets the fastest time
by 2/10 of a second.
[upbeat music]
- That was a hard fall and a fast finish.
Enzo, I see the emotion.
What's going through your mind, brother?
- I'm so happy, guys. I love being out here with you.
My friends and family being out here means the world to me.
This is literally the most grateful I could ever be.
Thank you guys for this opportunity.
- Listen, by just 2/10 of a second,
you not only have the fastest time,
you went under a minute. You get a shot at $10,000.
Get on down there and go for it.
Wow, this kid's so motivated.
His parents, Mark and Christine, so proud of him.
Tried the Mega Wall each of the past few seasons
and came up short, Akbar.
That's why he's been training for it.
[dramatic music]
- Tear it up.
Everything you got now.
Let's go! - Get it.
Get it. Get it.
Pow, pow, power!
both: Yes!
- Enzo does it!
♪ ♪
Enzo's first-ever Mega Wall.
- Wow.
- Enzo, 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, Enzo.
I seem to recall saying you couldn't
feel any more grateful.
Well, how you feeling now, brother?
- I think I feel a little more grateful.
- Go celebrate. Come down and celebrate.
- $10,000! - Go celebrate.
- And Zuri can celebrate too.
She's in the driver's seat.
Her guy Enzo has set
the time to beat.
Akbar's guy, RJ Roman,
and my pick, Jackson Erdos,
will have their work cut out
for them when they run later.
But for now, the night belongs to Enzo
and he and his crew are gonna celebrate.
- Yeah!
- Still to come...
- We giving out gas, baby.
- Brad Giles is known for giving to others...
- Merry Christmas.
- But he and his wife got the ultimate gift this year.
- Mwah!
- He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's night two of qualifying for our East Coast ninjas.
And minutes ago, DC Banks, who calls himself
the Dreadhead Ninja, got things rolling
with a selfie at the start line.
The content creator from Florida
wore a chest camera to capture the run for his followers.
Back in season 15, DC fell on Kite Surfer.
- Oh!
- But tonight, he got a second chance.
- All right, here it is, his rematch with Kite Surfer.
- Once again, Banks almost made it across the obstacle.
But on the final move--
- Oh! - Ooh. Wow.
That looks almost identical to what we saw back in season 15.
- Oh, well. I guess I'll get 'em next time.
- The TNT Ninja, Asher Roy,
came ready to blow the doors off the course.
[together] Three, two, one, boom!
- Explosive.
- The 15-year-old from Virginia
got his TNT nickname because of his explosive moves.
- Oh, there it is.
- The rookie was having a blast during his run.
- You see him?
He just said yes.
- But on Wall to Wall, his dreams of a buzzer...
- Oh!
- Were blown away.
But he's still got a good chance
of moving on to next week's regional finals.
Well, our next athlete always has her game face on.
Bringing her big energy and a football,
it's North Carolina's Lilah Nathison.
- Ooh, that's a nice spiral.
- She's showing off her good hands and strong arms.
In fact, Lilah's football skills
were so impressive in high school
she got a college scholarship.
Dogs on me. Dogs on three.
One, two, three.
[together] Dogs!
- I'm a freshman at Barton College
in North Carolina, and I play flag football.
I play linebacker on defense. And then on offense...
- Ready, go.
- I'm a really good wide receiver.
- High point. High point.
- High point.
There you go.
- All right, I'm gonna walk you guys through a play.
You can't go until the snapper snaps the ball.
When they snap that, it's like the same feeling
as when you start a Ninja course.
It's, like, right there. You're just locked in.
I don't hear anything going on on the sides.
And that's how I know I love flag football
is because I get the same exact feeling
I get when I do Ninja.
- Let's go, El Grizz.
I see you!
- Did you see that? Did you see that? Yes!
[upbeat music]
- Some of her teammates will be watching
from back at Barton College.
- Go Bulldogs.
- Let's go, Lilah!
- And her mom will be leading the cheering section
down on the sideline.
[cheers and applause]
Her nickname is El Grizz because she's fierce
and fearless like a grizzly bear.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, this first obstacle, Shrinking Steps,
is like running a nine route.
That's just straight down the field.
- Well, one of the reasons she's so active, at age 12
was diagnosed with ADHD.
Started getting treated and recommended her finding
some high-impact sports to get that energy out.
And Akbar, she's done it here at "Ninja."
And she looks focused. - She's a receiver.
She's got quick and great feet.
Nice.
- And right into it on Kite Surfer.
- Boy, she is tackling this course like it's no problem.
- Well, she knows it's very likely
gonna be a race to the fifth obstacle for the women.
Can she survive Kite Surfer? - Hold on.
I don't know if her grip strength is from Ninja training
or from pulling all them flags.
[cheers and applause]
- All right, gotta get up on that kite.
- Pull yourself up.
Nice.
- Use your hip! Use your hip!
- Matt, to be a receiver, it requires great hands.
Can she make the catch with the game on the line?
- This is it.
- Make that grab.
Nice! - Oh!
[air horn blares]
Just fumbles it.
- Good job, baby!
- But Lilah Nathison always makes it fun.
- She looked like a receiver sprinting down
the field on Domino Effect.
But on Kite Surfer, just couldn't make the grab.
That probably won't be far enough for Lilah to move on,
but she's gonna do a touchdown celebration anyway.
- [chuckles] [cheers and applause]
- Well, our next athlete is always money.
This is Brad Giles.
He runs a successful health care business,
and he's known around Atlanta for giving away his money
to the less fortunate.
He's especially happy tonight because he's
in the best shape of his life, so he's running shirtless.
Plus, he's got a miracle baby watching his run.
- My baby girl, Nyla, she's a blessing because
it took so long for us to be able to have her.
With all the doctors telling us that things would never work,
that we should just give up.
It took us seven years, seven IVF cycles,
seven surgeries to be able to have her.
Mama here and Dad is here.
Hi.
She's a miracle baby.
- Oh, Mama, she's so little.
- I love being a dad. Being a dad is awesome.
Mwah!
There's about to be some fun in the sun.
Let's go.
I love looking at her every single day
when she runs around the house and says, Daddy, Daddy.
And now that she's starting to form her words, I'm like,
oh, man, she's just, like, the sweetest little angel.
- [laughs]
- There's no other feeling that lifts your heart
and your spirits more than having a baby girl.
With my baby girl right here seeing me for the first time,
I got to make sure I give her the first buzzer
I've ever gotten in my life.
[cheers and applause]
Nyla!
Hey, baby girl.
- His miracle baby Nyla and his wife, Tronda,
will be watching from back home.
- Get it, Daddy. [chuckles]
- Now, we told you he's generous.
Tonight, for every obstacle he completes, he's giving $500
to ten different Atlanta families in need.
And Zuri's gonna be adding it up for us.
[countdown clock beeping]
He also gave away money the last time
he competed four years ago.
- All right, that's $500.
- Such a big heart on Brad Giles.
- Yeah, it really is.
- This is his third time on a qualifying course.
Both the previous times went out on the fifth obstacle.
He's got some skills.
- Good job. Whoo-hoo!
- 500 more dollars. That's $1,000 for charity.
- Whoo! - Boom. That's $1,000, Matt.
- Can he add more on Domino Effect?
- Watch the footwork. - Going for a good cause.
OK.
- Let's go!
- That's 1,500.
And it looks like Zuri is having a hard time keeping up.
His generosity is well-known around Atlanta.
He's bought groceries and Christmas gifts
around the holidays for less fortunate families.
- And Matt, he's inspired this year by that new baby at home.
- Good job, babe.
- Well, and I'll tell you this.
He's putting together a solid run on the course here
at 43 years of age.
- Ooh!
And looks like he's having fun too.
- But these are the tough moves on Kite Surfer.
We've seen many fall here.
But he makes the grab.
Is he gonna add another $500, Akbar?
There it is.
- $2,000!
- I've never seen someone so happy
to be giving away his money.
- Go ahead, baby.
- And remember, he has a business to run,
so he doesn't get to train as much as some of these teens.
Yet, here he is closing in on a buzzer.
In each of his previous qualifying runs,
he made it to the fifth obstacle.
Will this be the year that he is money, Akbar?
- Throwing 180 pounds from Wall to Wall ain't easy.
- Whoa. - That is not easy.
- And couldn't get his feet up there.
That really taxes the grip.
- You got it. You got it. - Come on, man.
- Matt, I'm a little concerned. 180 pounds on this last wall.
He's got to come in tight to absorb some of that weight.
Oh! [air horn blares]
- Comes up short of his first buzzer,
but still, a run worth celebrating for Brad Giles.
- Hey, it's OK.
- He enjoyed every minute of this
and he conquered four obstacles,
so he's giving $2,000 to each
of ten different families in need.
- Brad, awesome work out there today.
- It was a blast.
- I mean, it looked like you were
having the time of your life.
What did it mean to you to be able to run,
give back while you did it? - Oh, it's amazing.
I mean, the thing is I've been so blessed in the fact that
we were able to have our baby girl.
Took us seven years to be able to have her.
And anytime you're blessed, it's good to be
a blessing to others.
And that's the reason why I want to at least be able
to give to charity while being able
to still be thankful for the new little newborn
that we have now. - Amen. Absolutely.
- What better way to do it on "Ninja"?
- Absolutely. And a beautiful family, indeed.
Congratulations on a great run.
We'll know soon if it was far enough, fast enough.
- All right, thank you. - And 2k.
Here we go. - 2k, baby.
Let's go!
- Guys.
- Still to come, he can rip through the course...
- RJ Roman, this brother can move.
- And rock the guitar.
[energetic rock music]
Now RJ Roman's coming off the top rope
in the wrestling ring.
♪ ♪
He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Every season, we have special moments
on "American Ninja Warrior."
We certainly had one earlier with teenager Sean Loughlin
who unhooked from his feeding tube
and then made it all the way to the buzzer.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Yes! - Yes! Yes!
That's what I'm talking about! - Mitoman does it!
- That's what I'm talking about!
- We had another unforgettable moment two years ago,
when, in his eighth season, the Deaf Ninja, Kyle Schulze,
finally got his first buzzer.
Kyle Schulze has done it!
[cheers and applause]
- And minutes ago, Kyle was back at the start line
using sign language to fire up the crowd.
- He wants to show up and show out.
- The nine-time "Ninja" veteran was flawless
on the early obstacles.
- Ooh, smooth.
- Schulze looked like he was on his way to another buzzer.
- Nah!
[air horn blows]
- He became the eighth victim of Wall to Wall tonight.
- That drop is dropping ninjas like flies.
- Florida rookie Aaron Deal is nicknamed the Big Deal.
And he showed why tonight.
- OK, young fella.
- Despite being one of the smaller competitors at 5'4",
he moved through the early obstacles with confidence
and faced his own moment of truth on Wall to Wall.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on.
- The teenager survived.
And captured a buzzer his first time on the course.
[buzzer blares]
- You truly live up to your nickname because you know what?
You are a big deal. Great job.
- Massachusetts native Matt D'Amico
is known for going fast.
And he didn't disappoint tonight.
- Hurry, but don't rush.
- The four-time "Ninja" veteran made it
to the final 16 last year
and looked like he hasn't missed a step.
- Look how fast he's moving.
- He finished with the fastest time of the night
so far at 47 seconds and change.
- Let's go! We're so back!
- That earned him a shot at the Mega Wall.
Oh, so close.
Though he just missed out on 10K,
he'll be one to watch in next week's regional finals.
- Hey!
- Well, that run was bad news for Zuri
because D'Amico outran her pick
to have the fastest time,
Enzo DeFerrari Wilson,
so she can't win tonight.
My guy, Jackson Erdos,
is going last.
Akbar, it's time for your choice.
- RJ Roman.
You guys already know that that's
the one thing he's built for.
He's built for speed.
- Well, yeah, he is one of the best ninjas in the world.
But he's also a rock-and-roll musician,
and now he's rocking the wrestling ring.
[energetic rock music]
- [shouting]
I grew up loving watching wrestling.
♪ ♪
So when I had the chance to get into the ring,
I couldn't pass it up.
[both grunting]
My Ninja background definitely helped me
excel a little bit faster in the wrestling classes.
- That's how you do it.
- And there's definitely a lot of similarities,
like, in the athleticism.
♪ ♪
At least the style of wrestling that I like,
which is obviously high flying,
jumping off the ropes, and doing flips.
♪ ♪
I like to showcase a lot of energy.
I think wrestling has had a lot to do with
who I am as a person, so it was awesome
to step into that world.
Finishing a qualifying course is nothing
compared to a wrestling match.
[both grunting]
[cheers and applause]
- Well, I know RJ's gonna be a fan favorite in wrestling
because he's certainly one here at "Ninja."
Look at his sideline.
So many he's trained with or coached
are here to support him.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
- And let me just remind you guys, RJ's been
the fastest in qualifying four out of the eight
seasons he's competed.
Look at this. Going for it.
Nice.
- Wow, flawless execution.
- RJ Roman, he's so fast the Roman Empire
had to get rid of Roman numerals.
- Man, he is just launching himself forwards.
- Oh, wow!
- But what I love is seeing the efficiency.
Looking so smooth. No wasted energy.
Oh, my, Akbar.
- Oh, my goodness. - Get it.
Get it. Get it. Come on, RJ.
- He is blazing through this course.
- That's my boy out there.
That's my dog.
- Ten seconds left!
- Come on! - Big move.
Oh, he's got it.
- Oh! - RJ Roman!
He's going.
That's what I'm talking about. [buzzer blares]
- By 2/10 of a second, he gets the fastest time.
[cheers and applause]
- I hit my knee somewhere.
I don't even know where.
- You were so fast you didn't even know
where you hit your knee. - I don't know.
I'll leave it behind me, though.
- I know you're looking to become an aspiring wrestler.
- Yes, sir.
- That was a takedown of the top time, and you're not done.
We're talking about $10,000 on the line.
You got a shot at the Mega Wall, RJ.
- Rise up.
Well, he banged his knee.
That happened when he went flying into Wall to Wall.
That could slow him down here.
- Come on, RJ!
- RJ's had four chances, but only gotten
the Mega Wall once before in season 14.
Yes! - Yes!
Let's go!
- Can he do it again tonight?
[audience chanting] Beat that wall!
- RJ Roman, one of the greats, so beloved in this community.
- He has the fastest time of the night.
- Oh. - Oh.
- Oh, he slipped. That doesn't count.
No, that doesn't count. He slipped.
Do it again. He slipped.
That's not right.
I want to see my boy get $10,000.
- He won't get the money, but RJ does
put you in the driver's seat.
My pick, Jackson Erdos,
will get his chance a bit later.
And our overall leaderboard
is filling up with finishers.
Remember, only the top 20
at the end of the night
will move on.
It's looking like you'll have to at least reach
Wall to Wall to have a chance.
Coming up, she's one of this season's
most promising rookies,
and she's powered by peanut butter cups.
Akshara Pappu is up next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Vegas,
where a couple of high flyers hit the course minutes ago.
Florida's Cicilia Bogle
flipped her way to the start line.
She's a trapeze artist with the Flying Caballeros,
a traveling circus that entertains crowds
all over the country.
Her acrobatic skills came in handy on Rollercoaster.
- She had a lot of up on that one.
- Then she worked the bungee on Kite Surfer
like she was on the trapeze.
- She's got to drive it. Drive it.
Whoa!
[cheers and applause]
- Last year, she fell on the fifth obstacle twice.
But tonight... - Ah!
Got it! Got it!
- She made it to the Warped Wall for the first time.
But at only 5'2"... - Oh!
- And on tired legs... - Ah.
- She failed on all three attempts.
- Oh.
[air horn blows]
Man.
- But she's almost assured of moving on to next week's
Eastern Regional Finals.
Braidon Fredericksen gets a little dirty
when he catches big air.
He's a motocross racer and gets his thrills
on the dirt track back home in Pensacola, Florida.
With the helmet off, the daredevil
had the crowd roaring.
- He's on the big show putting on a big show.
- The teenager is nicknamed the Tornado,
and he blew through the course like
he was riding a motorcycle.
- The Tornado takes everything with it.
- In his rookie run, he had a chance
to finish in under a minute
and get a shot at the Mega Wall.
- He's got to get out of there. He's got to get out of there.
Two, one, oh!
[buzzer blares]
Oh.
- Though he missed the Mega by just over a second,
the Tornado is moving on.
Well, up next is another rookie.
Looking a little nervous as she makes her way to the start line
is Akshara Pappu.
Like a lot of teenagers, she's got a sweet tooth,
and it may be the secret to her success.
[upbeat music]
- I started getting into "Ninja"
when I was about six years old.
Got it? - I got it.
- Some of my first coaches were Jesse Labreck
and Allyssa Beird.
They really inspired me to become a better Ninja
and push myself.
Now I train with Addy Herman a lot,
and she inspires me so much.
I kind of watch her and look up to her
as a mentor and friend.
- Yeah, that was so good.
- My dad came up with a tradition
of motivating me with food.
But my coach, Jordan, started the tradition
of calling me Snackshara.
He said, if you beat Abby Herman's time,
you get an ice cream sandwich.
And it seems to have made me a lot better.
- She's a beast.
- Out of all the candy I could be bribed with,
it would definitely be peanut butter cups.
- Let's go, Aka.
- But the best treat of all would be a buzzer tonight.
[cheers and applause]
- Addy and other friends are here to cheer her on.
And she's got a big group watching
back at the gym.
And there are her parents.
It was her dad who started her on the snack training method.
- Yes, she loves peanut butter cups.
You know how much I love peanut butter cups.
And I love that we have snacking in common.
[countdown clock beeping]
Her nickname, Snackshara.
My nickname, Snackbar.
So we love snacks. Let's go.
She's about to have a snack attack.
- While her training method may be unorthodox,
it seems to be paying dividends.
She's been killing it in other Ninja competitions.
She actually beat her coach, Addy Herman, in a recent event.
[cheers and applause]
And she's quickly through the first three obstacles.
- Addy told us Akshara is a force to be reckoned with.
- Only a freshman in high school,
but looking so confident.
- Come on now. - That's you, Aka.
[cheers and applause]
- A little more challenging, the wingspan, here at 5'1."
- Matt, she wants it badly.
And we're talking about the buzzer.
I think I'm talking about the peanut butter cups.
- Just needs the dismount.
And she is through Kite Surfer.
Now goes right into Wall to Wall.
And she's gone far enough that she's already assured
herself a spot in the top 20.
She's gonna be moving on.
- Nice. - Look at that, Akbar.
That was great body control.
Make that wall lock into place in one move.
- I saw her trying to measure here.
Six feet across.
Ooh! - No!
- Ooh, that's tough.
- Had a great run going,
but came up short on Wall to Wall.
- She didn't stop for snacks, but Akshara put together
a sweet run, moved quickly,
and made it to the fifth obstacle
before missing the grab.
- Our next athlete also likes his sweets.
He makes them every morning.
It's Vermont baker, Amir Malik.
Amir spends his offseason focusing
on what he calls the three Bs.
Baking, building, and buzzers.
- I bake all different types of goods
from cookies, scones, croissants.
Just love making delicious treats for people.
[upbeat music]
I love working with my hands.
I love being active.
I turned the upstairs of my mom's house
into, like, a small apartment.
♪ ♪
- Amir Malik.
- I see these obstacles, and it's just--
it's a new problem, a new challenge for me to tackle.
[cheers and applause]
Whenever you finish a course,
you have so much energy and excitement.
I tend to take it a little bit too far.
Let's go!
My first season, breaking the buzzer.
- He broke it. - Broke the buzzer.
- He broke the buzzer. - You know what?
- [screams] - [laughs]
- Last year, you know, I tried not to break it,
but no promises this year.
Baking, building, buzzers.
These hands can do them all.
♪ ♪
- Amir's mom will be leading cheers on the sideline,
along with other friends and family.
[countdown clock beeping]
- They call the man Sonic because he likes to go fast.
This may be a blur.
- He sat out a couple of seasons,
but made a big comeback last year.
Hit four buzzers, made it to the round of 32.
[cheers and applause]
And Sonic dances through Domino Effect.
Well, Akbar, this is his fourth time competing
in "Ninja Warrior," and he's completed
the three previous qualifying courses.
And a great pace to this point.
He's got a shot to beat RJ Roman's time.
- I think he's gonna get that Mega Wall time.
He once broke the buzzer.
Now he may break the course.
There he goes, Matt.
He's trying to earn that Mega Wall.
Here we go. Here we go.
And for the fastest time!
[buzzer blares] - Let's go!
- Wow.
- Yeah!
♪ ♪
Let's go!
- Amir, you just had the fastest time.
You beat RJ Roman by more than two seconds.
- Let's go!
- And needless to say,
that means you earned a shot at the Mega Wall for 10 grand.
[cheers and applause]
- I'm still in shock at how fast he ran through the course.
- 44.89 seconds.
But at 5'6", this 18 and 1/2-foot wall
is a tall order.
$10,000 on the line. [chanting] Beat that wall!
- This would be his first ever Mega Wall.
- This will be his first-- oh!
Oh, shaka, shaka, shaka.
- No 10K, but Amir's all but guaranteed to be
in the top five and getting a bye for the first round
of next week's regional finals.
Coming up,
she's one of "Ninja's" top women competitors.
[buzzer blares]
Abby Clark goes for her third straight qualifying buzzer.
She's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to the second night of qualifying
for our East Coast ninjas.
While we were away,
Florida's Caitlyn Bergstrom-Wright
hit the course, trying to join her husband David,
who hit a buzzer earlier. - Let's go, babe.
One obstacle.
- The "Ninja" veteran has made it past qualifying
in all five of the previous seasons she's competed.
- Good balance there by Caitlyn Bergstrom.
- Tonight, Catie was looking confident
on the early obstacles, but on Kite Surfer...
- Oh. - Oh.
She couldn't make the grab.
And that won't be far enough for her to move on.
- She is one of our top competitors,
and Abby Clark is basically spending
her honeymoon on the course.
She just got married.
After exactly 13 years of dating,
Abby and fellow ninja Joe Capo tied the knot
on their anniversary, high atop a mountain
in New Hampshire, her childhood home.
They and the guests even took the chairlift to the top.
- I didn't know my honeymoon would be
in Vegas, filming season 18 of "American Ninja Warrior,"
but hitting a buzzer would just be icing on the cake.
[cheers and applause]
- And there's Joe. He and Abby run a gym together.
He's on the sidelines with other New Jersey Ninjas.
[countdown clock beeping]
Abby Clark's hit buzzers her last two seasons in qualifying.
Was a record-setting gymnast in college,
and has really taken to Ninja Warrior.
She and Joe Capo running that gym have
so many of their athletes they trained in the competition,
but wants to remind them these teachers
can still walk the walk.
- All right, take your time here.
Hit. Hit it.
Hit it. Hit it. Nice.
- Real smooth and a good pace.
5'3", 130.
- You got this.
- Kite Surfer's gonna be all about having precision.
There's a little bit of patience here.
And she knows all about patience
after waiting 13 years before Joe said let's get married.
- Abby has solidified herself as one
of our top women competitors.
She's got four career buzzers.
If she can get another one tonight,
she'll climb into fourth place all time among the women.
- And keep in mind, she's only behind Flex Labreck,
Jessie Graff, and Taylor Greene.
That's pretty impressive.
[cheers and applause]
And with her pace to Wall to Wall,
she's now assured of being in the top 20,
but wants to add another buzzer to her résumé.
I like watching Abby on the course.
Always a focused competitor.
- Yeah, and marriage seems to agree with her,
but this is where we've seen a lot of runs come to an end.
- Gotta commit to it. You have to commit to it.
- Full commit. - You have to commit.
- Well, this is the challenging move here.
Hold on for the drop.
- She got it. - And Abby Clark--
- You said it. You said it.
- There you go!
And Abby Clark 14 and 1/2 feet away from her fifth buzzer.
- She's wiping that sweat off her brow like, whew,
I worked hard to get here.
- Well, she's had her issues getting up the Warped Wall.
Three times she's reached this point,
but couldn't finish it.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall!
- Beat that wall. Beat that wall.
Let's go, Abby Clark.
Ooh!
- Well, as we said, the Warped Wall
is no gimme for her, but she's got two more attempts.
[audience chanting] Beat that wall!
- And you can see her husband, Joe, right there.
They've done this in their gym numerous times.
- So cool to see her husband there to support.
- There it is.
- Got it. - There it is.
[buzzer blares]
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
Abby Clark, congrats on your fifth buzzer.
- Thank you. That one felt really good.
- That's your first buzzer as a married woman.
- It is. - Yeah!
Congratulations, by the way.
- I'll tell you what.
This has to make for a memorable honeymoon.
And it's not over.
Why don't you go celebrate with Joe
and the rest of the crew down there, Abby?
Well, you can see the smile on her face.
A married woman, and got her fifth buzzer.
That's some nice bling. - Yeah, it is.
And a big hug by Joe.
- Hitting buzzers is gonna be important for Abby
and all the other female competitors.
[countdown clock beeps]
This year, every obstacle counts.
♪ ♪
For the first time ever in the regular season,
the top four women, those who've completed
the most obstacles across all rounds,
will compete for the Women's Crown.
Oh! - Yes!
- She did it. - Yes!
- Three dramatic head-to-head races
to determine this year's Women's Champion.
- I love this competition.
- Up next, the ninjas tonight started off hot...
- Wow.
- And just got faster and faster and faster.
- Let's go! [buzzer blares]
- Now my pick will try to top them off.
Jackson Erdos is up next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Two best friends who do everything together,
Maddie Valentine and Milo Carpenter,
hit the course minutes ago.
Maddie went first and showed some love to her bestie.
- Let's go, Maddie!
- This is the second year competing for both girls,
and Maddie was looking confident early.
- Valentine, love it. - Yes!
- At 5'9", she could take big strides on Domino Effect
and made it to the very end of Kite Surfer.
- Oh!
[air horn blares]
- It's an improvement over last year,
but won't get her into the regional finals.
Then it was the other M&M girl,
Milo Carpenter, who was supported by her buddy Maddie,
and also her boyfriend, Jackson Erdos.
Carpenter got off to a rocky start on the Shrinking Steps.
- Ooh. Slipped there.
She's got to get going now.
- Then tried to get back on track on Rollercoaster.
- All right, take your time. Feel it.
Nice momentum. Oh!
[air horn blares]
That has got to be tough for Milo Carpenter.
- Well, now her boyfriend Jackson's gotta shake
that off and get ready for his run.
The former "Ninja Junior" champ is feeling good
about his chances to win it all this year,
but also feeling good about life with a Ninja girlfriend.
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- This year, I get the chance
to compete with my best friend.
- Yay. - Let's go.
My girlfriend, Milo Carpenter.
There we go. - Nice.
- My favorite thing about Milo is just her experience
and knowledge for the things that
I love doing, especially Ninja.
Let's go, Milo. You got it.
♪ ♪
Yeah!
Me and Milo kind of do everything together.
♪ ♪
We've definitely trained as much as humanly possible.
- Whoa! - Whoa.
Any off time I have from Ninja,
I'm going to want to spend it with Milo.
♪ ♪
- [laughs]
♪ ♪
My favorite thing about Jackson is his ability
to be open and communicate.
- All right, Milo, first one to get it in the hole
wins this challenge-- three, two, one, go.
- What? What do you mean? No.
He's definitely very passionate all the time.
[laughs]
- Aw!
I think we need to go back to the Ninja gym.
- [laughs]
- We kind of have some sort of telepathy going on.
We understand each other on such a deep level.
- Wow. - Yay, Ninja.
I could not be more happy just to experience
"American Ninja Warrior" with her.
- Despite her disappointing fall minutes ago,
Milo will be cheering on Jackson
from the sidelines, along with other family and friends.
- What's up?
- He's got lots of folks watching
at his gym back in Philly.
Jackson's my pick
to be the fastest.
He's the only one left.
Zuri and Akbar's picks
have been bested by Amir Malik,
who has the time to beat.
- You know, Matt, maybe Jackson can finally get you a win.
- Yeah, I am due.
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, it's just been a track meet tonight
with increasingly fast times.
To beat Malik's time of 44 seconds,
Jackson's gonna have to be almost flawless.
- All right, Jackson, let's see what you got.
- Wow, Akbar. - Oh, he is moving.
Oh, my goodness.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, his nickname as a kid was Jaccident
'cause he was so accident prone.
- It's no accident that he got this good
from practicing over and over again.
- Guys, I think having a girlfriend
is working for Jackson.
Oh, my gosh, he's almost done with the course.
- 5'11", 155.
Can he get through Wall to Wall?
- Wow.
Matt, he's racing so fast.
He's beating his family and friends down the course.
- Well, here we go. Gotta get right up there.
- Oh, my goodness. Big step.
Nice!
[buzzer blares]
♪ ♪
Oh, did he bust his head? - We're good!
♪ ♪
Ow.
- Did you hit your head?
- Yeah, the Jaccident is back, I guess.
- I was just saying we don't call you the Jaccident anymore!
- I might need to bring him back for this year.
Well, we'll see. - [laughs]
- Well, Jackson, you were my pick
for the fastest time of the night.
And, my friend,
you delivered the fastest time! - Let's go.
- Unbelievable. 42 seconds.
- And with that comes your shot at $10,000.
Jackson, you gonna be safe to get on the Mega Wall?
- I think getting down will be the hard part.
The rest of it will be fine.
- Let's go. Let's see you.
- Let's do it.
[cheers and applause]
- Has only attempted the Mega Wall once before,
last year, but he failed.
Can he get the fastest time and the 10K tonight?
[audience chanting] Beat that wall! Beat that wall!
Beat that wall!
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- All right, chest back. Chest back.
Rock with it. Rock with it.
Oh, explode. - Oh, my goodness!
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause] - What?
- He hung in the air!
I don't think that-- I think he defied gravity.
- Hang time.
[cheers and applause]
- Are you serious?
[cheers and applause]
- You deserve $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.
- I didn't expect that.
- How did you do it?
- I--I didn't even know.
- You hung in the air!
- I'm usually really bad at Mega Wall.
- Are you serious, man?
Did you feel the hang time?
- Yeah, I was in the air.
And I was like, this probably isn't gonna go.
And then I just took one more step. Wow.
- Wow. - I was not expecting that.
[laughter and cheering]
- Well done today, man. Keep it up.
- Hey, one last thing. Be careful getting down.
- That's the hardest part.
[laughter] - Yeah, Jackson.
[cheers and applause]
- So Jackson Erdos gets the top time, 10K.
And now Jackson and the others
in the top five will get
a bye in the first round
of next week's Eastern Regional Final.
We ended up with 13 ninjas
in all who hit a buzzer,
including former "Ninja Junior" champ
Max Salebra.
Abby Clark was tops
among the women.
And our final finisher was
Sean Loughlin, the teenager with
mitochondrial disease who had that
unforgettable run earlier.
All those moving on made it
at least to the fifth obstacle,
Wall to Wall.
Well, that does it for tonight.
Next week, we'll be on our three-lane race course,
the Tripleheader, with a spot
in the National Finals on the line.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."