- The best ninjas from the middle of the country
are about to battle it out.
Its regional finals night on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello and welcome to Las Vegas.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, it's the last stop before the national finals.
- The action starts with round one,
where ninjas who made it past qualifying
have to sprint through our modified six-obstacle course.
- For more, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, just hitting a buzzer on this round one course
may not be enough to move on.
They're gonna have to finish fast.
The ninjas will be facing two obstacles
that they didn't see in qualifying.
Diamond Dash is now the balance obstacle.
both: Oh!
- And Kaleidoscope is now in the fifth position.
both: Oh!
- Oh, my goodness.
- The top 14 men and top 6 women
will move on to round two,
where they'll join the 10 athletes
that went so fast in qualifying, they earned a bye
and get to skip this round.
Round two is when we go head to head to head
on our three-lane racecourse, the Tripleheader.
Last time we were here, it gave us some shocking upsets
and nail-biting races.
- We're gonna start with a content creator
with a big following on social media.
This is Aydon Holley, who's recording
right now for his fans.
And he showed in qualifying he's got some serious moves.
Aydon Holley, over 15 million followers
across platforms.
Gonna pick up a few more tonight.
- Hey, guys.
If you didn't see, I actually just competed
on "American Ninja Warrior" for the first time.
My main goal was not to embarrass myself.
- He took the bar with him.
- And I made it all the way to the fifth obstacle,
one away from the buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
- Oh!
- Such an amazing experience, and I guess
you could say I'm hooked.
Because I'm coming back, and I'm trying again.
[upbeat rock music]
I'm an athletic guy. I do parkour.
I do these crazy flips and these crazy stunts.
Maybe there is a future for me running obstacle courses.
Be on the lookout for your boy, and thank
you all for the support.
You already know I'm doing this for you guys.
I love you, and I'm gonna hit a buzzer next time.
- Hey, there we go.
- He's gonna hand off the phone to his fiancée, Riley,
so she can record his run from the sideline.
- Come on, Aydon.
- Come on, you got this.
- Well, everyone was flipping out
from Aydon Holley's first run.
With little Ninja training,
he made it to the fifth obstacle.
6'1".
- If he's gonna post this run, he wants to look good.
Oh, what the--
[air horn blares]
Oh, no!
- Well, he does love to flip, Akbar.
- He made it through both drops,
but he didn't let go in time and went tumbling backwards.
Take a look-- right here on his video,
his phone and his fiancée got splashed.
- Well, I guess that's gonna go viral.
Yeah, that was embarrassing.
There's always next time, though.
- Rolling up to the start line with a miniature RV
is Utah's Anna McArthur.
This college student works at her family's
RV park in St. George,
and after four years of competing on "Ninja Warrior,"
she's become a bit of a celebrity
around the campground.
[horn honks]
- Temple View RV, this is Anna.
How can I help you?
So I'm still working at the RV park.
[bell dings]
Hi.
Every single day, more and more people come in asking,
where's the ninja at?
It actually blows my mind how many
people come in asking that.
Lots of people tell me that it seems like I'm having
fun out there on the course.
It's because I am.
Who wouldn't have fun out there?
- And look at that smile.
She is living her dream.
- Getting a buzzer has been a dream for a long time.
- Ooh!
both: No!
- No!
- I've fallen on the fifth obstacle five straight times.
- And it happened again!
- It's my nemesis.
- And nice lache.
- No! - Oh!
- Tonight, that obstacle is going down.
[horn honks]
- A big group of supporters here from Utah,
including her parents and sisters.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
Well, Anna McArthur has been on four
seasons of "Ninja Warrior."
All four seasons, she's advanced out of qualifying.
She's even made it to the national finals.
But if she wants to move on,
she's probably gonna need to hit her first buzzer tonight.
[cheers and applause]
Only 5 feet tall.
Needs big strides for Diamond Dash.
But she gets through.
- And there's that enthusiasm she brings to her runs.
Back in qualifying, she got a little hung up
here on Tilt-A-Whirl.
Rematch.
- Well, with her size, really has to work
to turn these panels around.
It's gonna be so important in these runs
tonight to go fast.
And this obstacle can eat up a lot of time
if you're not efficient.
- Nice!
Well, using that lower body.
Kind of little twist.
All right, watch out.
There's a short side of the stick there.
Be careful.
- Gets through!
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, she's got this crowd excited.
- But this is the part of the course
where she's had problems.
Went out on the fifth obstacle in qualifying.
It was the cubes.
Now facing Kaleidoscope, with a similar grip test.
She's a hard worker.
That's what we keep hearing about Anna McArthur.
Perfect GPA.
She crushes life.
- Be amazing to see her get her first buzzer.
She started from the bottom, now she's here.
- Well, we just see this hunger and this steady progress.
And the real thing that's grown,
I'm just seeing a much more confident
Anna McArthur out here.
- You can do it. - You got this.
- You can do it.
[cheers and applause]
- She's so poised.
Just look at her.
- And she's gonna get through the fifth obstacle
for the first time.
Anna McArthur can barely believe it.
- She couldn't-- let it out, man.
- Her first time facing the Warped Wall.
Hey, Anna! - Okay.
- Her sister's in tears.
It's so great.
But this, this is the frosting,
the bow, the cherry on the sundae, getting that buzzer.
- Only 5 feet tall, this ain't no gimme.
Get it all the way to the top.
There you go! - And she's got it!
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Your sister's crying.
You're crying.
We're crying.
Oh, man.
There was a lot of emotion when you completed Kaleidoscope.
What was going through your mind?
- I was just holding on for dear life at that point.
I was like, oh, my gosh, I caught it.
- Oh, my goodness.
- It's just amazing, Anna.
We know how hard you've worked,
not just here, but back at the RV park, back in school.
You're crushing it.
We know there are probably some fans back in Utah watching.
What do you wanna tell those people who stayed up
late at night to watch you?
- Thank you for your support.
I love you all.
- Oh, man.
- Well, hit that buzzer, Anna.
Go celebrate with your family.
[buzzer blares]
Anna McArthur setting the bar high for the women.
It's gonna be a race to the buzzer all night long.
- Oh, my God.
- Tonight, we've got an all-star group with "Ninja"
legends and top competitors, all fighting
to keep their season alive.
- Oh! [air horn blares]
- First, we're pushing the speed limit in round one.
- My goodness!
- If they survive, they'll move on to round two,
where they'll face the three-lane race course,
the Tripleheader.
- Wow. [buzzer blares]
- It's three times the excitement.
And it's all coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Let's go, baby.
- Welcome back to Vegas, where ninjas from our Central region
are racing to keep their season alive.
Illinois doctor Steven Bachta did a quick checkup
before his run.
- Check yo-self before you wreck yo-self.
- The doctor had his family and friends watching back home
as he hit the course, knowing he'd
need a fast finish to move on.
- But if he rushes, he could make a critical mistake.
- The four-time "Ninja" veteran hit a buzzer
in qualifying, but not tonight.
- No! [air horn blares]
Ooh, that hit was board-certified.
- Still alive.
- With only six women moving on from round one,
Florida's Emma Pereyra knew needed a strong run
to keep her season alive.
- And that's why she's gotta just run with it
and flow with it.
- The four-time "Ninja" veteran has never made it past
the fifth obstacle.
- I can tell she wants it badly.
Get out of there.
- But she did tonight.
- Nice.
Yes.
- But at the Warped Wall, she came up short on the first...
- Oh! - The second...
- Keep your eyes up.
Ooh!
- And third attempt.
- No! [air horn blares]
- Now she'll have to wait and see if that's far enough,
fast enough to move on.
Aspiring pilot Nam Phan was hoping to land
his spot in round two in his rookie season.
And the college student from Missouri
hit the afterburners early on his run.
- He is aggressive right now.
- Phan hit a buzzer in qualifying,
and he followed that up with another wild run tonight.
After missing his first attempt at the Warped Wall...
- Oh!
- He regrouped and made it on his next attempt.
And his time should be fast enough to get
him into the next round.
- Catch your breath, homey.
- Our next ninja was born on the 4th of July.
This is energetic high school student Meredith Kim.
She's from Texas, and she is all-American.
[bright patriotic music]
- Hi, I'm Meredith Kim, a 16-year-old who loves
the 4th of July, as I share the same birthday
with this amazing country.
I've been doing "American Ninja Warrior"
since I was ten years old.
When I first started, everyone had a ninja name,
and mine was Merica, which stands for Mer,
which is my first name, and America.
And I had it for "American Ninja Warrior Junior"
season two.
And so that's how my "Ninja" career started.
- Block wall's intimidating.
You just gotta run through it like a block party,
and Meredith pulls away.
[buzzer blares] - Wow.
- She gets it.
She's flossing.
- This is my first season on the
"American Ninja Warrior" course.
- Her rookie campaign, and she's staring
down the fifth obstacle.
- Just like the flag, Merica's got star written all over her.
Look at her.
- Tonight, you should definitely expect fireworks
because I'm Merica.
I'm ready to light this course up like the 4th of July.
- Meredith's founding father and mother will be leading
the parade on her sideline.
Akbar, this year, the 250th anniversary of our country.
I think we could pull for a woman named Merica.
- That's a pretty cool nickname.
Meredith fell in love with "Ninja Warrior"
at the age of nine.
She begged her mom to give it a try.
- She had an impressive debut in qualifying.
Made it to the Warped Wall.
Little stumble but stays alive.
[cheers and applause]
Jumps right into the switch grip there.
Mature approach for this rookie.
- Yeah, she's working the red, white, and blue.
- Well, I was gonna say our teenage competitors, Akbar,
what strikes me is their poise, their--
their maturity to be out here competing
in front of crowds this size at their age.
And you see tremendous problem-solving and confidence
here out of Meredith Kim.
- That's what you call a student athlete right here.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Student ninja, whatever you wanna call her.
- But with this field of women, she's gonna need to speed up
and probably get a buzzer to advance.
But this is tough.
She's hung up on that final Tilt-A-Whirl
and just can't get it locked in.
- Ooh. Okay, good. - There it is.
- All right.
You saw she had to do that little swing with her core
just to get it turned around.
Okay, Meredith.
I see you.
- But, Akbar, that really had to impact her grip strength.
- And because Meredith Kim is a rookie,
we don't have a large sample size of what
her grip strength is like.
So this is gonna be interesting watching
her get through Kaleidoscope.
- 5'4", 100 pounds.
- And what we don't know about her skill set,
we'll learn a lot about the type of athlete she is.
Look at her, fighting through.
Whoa!
- No! [air horn blares]
- Sha-na-na.
- Makes it to the fifth obstacle,
but now Meredith Kim will have to wait
and see if that's far enough, fast enough to move on.
Our next ninja's not your typical teenager.
Weston Boswell has never eaten fast food
or even had a PB&J.
He has food allergies so extreme,
it affects his everyday life.
[gentle guitar music]
[metal clanging]
- I've been overcoming obstacles my whole life.
When I was two years old, I was fed a cashew,
then I went into anaphylactic shock.
When I go into anaphylactic shock, my throat swells up
and I can't breathe.
I was tested for my allergies, and I had over 30.
There's even trees on the farm I'm allergic to,
like the pecan tree.
I have to carry three EpiPens just
in case I go into anaphylaxis.
If I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,
it could kill me.
[upbeat music]
I don't get to do what a lot of high schoolers do,
like go to prom and eat fast food.
I don't go to birthday parties.
I've never eaten at restaurants
or attended family gatherings.
I make all my own food.
My family bought an RV so we could travel,
because hotels and planes are a little too risky.
♪ ♪
Ninja's pretty much the only thing I can do athletically.
I'm able to compete because I'm very careful,
never go to gyms.
I train in backyard.
I hope it spreads awareness how severe
food allergies can be.
And I can definitely run out there with the best.
- Pretty amazing he's down here competing at all
considering all the extra obstacles he faces.
He and his family drove here from Texas in their RV.
[countdown clock beeping]
He can't just go to a Ninja gym.
Can only train in his backyard
because of those severe allergies.
- The tree nuts, eggs, soy, fish, legumes.
- Well, he is out here as always with an EpiPen nearby.
- But the one thing we know he's not allergic to,
he ain't allergic to Ninja.
Whoa.
- Real smooth.
He had a fast time and a buzzer in qualifying.
Got an even better pace tonight.
- He is eating this course up.
- Well, I'll tell you the other thing,
though, he eats very healthy.
There's no fast food in his diet.
5'10", 155, and he is strong.
He works in the construction business,
gonna try to hammer his way through Kaleidoscope.
No quit, Akbar.
He's not gonna live life in a bubble.
- Nice, big--ooh. - Wow.
Nice link.
- Yeah, he wanted to make sure he cut
down some time with that one.
- Akbar, this is so remarkable.
Weston Boswell just attacking this course.
And despite of all of the hurdles he faces,
he's gonna put up the fastest time
of the night so far. [buzzer blares]
- Oh, wow!
[cheers and applause]
- Buddy, what a run.
You have overcome so much dealing
with your food allergies.
How are you feeling out here, brother?
How is it hitting another buzzer?
- Amazing.
I really appreciate it if I get a chance
to race on the three lanes.
- Well, Weston, we know you're allergic to a lot of things,
but we are finding out clearly
you are not allergic to buzzers.
Hit it one more time and go celebrate, buddy.
[buzzer blares]
Still many runners to go, but I think
we can safely say Weston Boswell
will be racing on the Tripleheader.
Coming up--
back in the day, Tyler Smith could cut down a course.
- And he's got it.
- Lately, he's been cutting down other things.
Can the tree trimmer keep his comeback going?
He's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- We first met them on "Ninja Junior,"
and moments ago, three young athletes stepped up
to take on the big course.
Maggie Owen knew she'd need to go fast
and probably have to hit a buzzer
if she wanted to move on.
- All right, sprint time.
- But in her six seasons, she'd only finished
the course once, and that was last week.
- Whoa.
Got lucky on that one.
- Despite a few stumbles, the college student from Chicago
clawed her way to the Warped Wall.
- What a season we're having on "Ninja Warrior."
All these powerful and strong women.
- Though only 5 feet tall, she made it to the top
and became the second finisher among the women.
- Let's go.
- Dylan Yee's a talented cellist,
and showed off his musical skills at the start line.
[cello music]
♪ ♪
- Matt, this is impressive.
- Then the Ohio high schooler showed off
his Ninja skills, sprinting through the early part
of the course.
- Matt, he's already on the third obstacle.
- Though only 5'3", the teenager
made short work of the course,
following up his buzzer in qualifying
with another one tonight.
[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!
- High school junior Ryan Cooper, AKA Ninja Coop,
came out firing on all cylinders.
- Well, Coop's got good speed.
- The teenager didn't let his smaller frame slow him down.
- 5'4", 105 pounds.
He's moving that weight like it's nothing.
- And he came up big in his second season of "ANW."
[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!
- He's now assured of being in the top 14 for the men.
He's moving on.
Up next is another athlete who started on "Junior."
It's Texas teenager Zuri Harrison,
a high schooler who's having an impressive rookie season.
When we first met Zuri on "Ninja Junior,"
her training partners were four-legged.
- Go!
- In the past few years, she's turned
her focus to pole vaulting
and increased her Ninja training
working with "Ninja" veterans Karsten Williams
and Jonathan Bange.
[both shout]
- They both have such a big impact
on my journey with Ninja.
- Ahh! [laughs]
- Honestly, without them, I don't think I would
be the person I am today.
I really wanna hit a buzzer.
I'd be so thankful to move on my rookie season.
I would love that.
[cheers and applause]
- Yes, ma'am.
- And her coaches are here tonight.
Karsten will be running in just a few minutes.
- Commit, commit.
- And this Zuri is gonna have a special cheerleader,
our Zuri.
- Let's go, Z.
[countdown clock beeping]
- She reached the fifth obstacle in qualifying
but probably needs to hit a buzzer
if she wants to move on tonight.
Needs to use her track skills.
- Pole vaulters make such great ninjas,
and we've seen that over the years.
Nice.
- Come on, Zuri.
- Needs to sprint across Diamond Dash.
- All right, come on, come on now.
Whoa! No!
Oh! [air horn blares]
- That's all right.
- Good job, Zuri. - Good job, Zuri.
- All right, dude.
- You wanna land in the center of the diamond,
but she went too far forward.
That caused her to trip,
and she ended up doing a scorpion right into the pad.
- An awkward fall, but she's still smiling.
Well, now it's time to crank things up,
because our next athlete is Tyler Smith,
a tree trimmer from Des Moines, Iowa.
Tyler is making a comeback this year.
- Ninja!
- He last competed in season 11.
- Go, go, go, go.
[buzzer blares]
He's got something to prove here.
And he's got it. [buzzer blares]
- It's been seven years since I've been on.
I made it to Stage 3 of the Las Vegas National Finals.
- Wow, great progress out of Tyler Smith.
- When I was on "Ninja Warrior" before,
I was known as the Ninja Bug Man.
I had done ten years of pest control.
Pretty cool, huh?
That's a big one.
And then I started a new career.
[chainsaw whirring]
It's been about five years
since I started doing tree work.
It is an extremely physical job.
There are days that I'm possibly 100 feet up
in the air, climbing up and down
and doing a lot of manual labor,
so I get a lot of training in that way.
- Okay, I'll go first.
- At home, things are busy.
I've got five kids.
Oh!
Did you wipe out?
- Yeah.
- Even though things can be crazy,
I wouldn't trade it for the world.
After climbing trees and wrestling
a whole gang of kids,
I feel pretty good about my chances,
and I'm excited to get out there and test my skills.
- Tyler's wife and five kids are part of a big group
watching back in Des Moines.
[all cheering]
His cousin, Spencer Johnson, who runs later,
is getting the Iowa ninjas revved up on the sideline.
- Come on, baby.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, seven years away and Tyler Smith
cut this course down to size, getting a buzzer
back in qualifying, Akbar.
- All right, he'll need to get another one tonight
if he wants to move on.
- He's off to a fast start, just sprinting
through the obstacles.
He's running like a buzzsaw through this course, big man.
- Matt, you know Tyler wants a crack
at those Tripleheader races.
- Go!
- Real smooth.
I mean, we forgot, Akbar, he was a legit athlete.
Seven years away,
and he seems to have gotten stronger.
- To step away and then to come back,
that is very, very hard to do.
How many athletes you know can step away from the game
for seven years and then get right back into it?
- He just over-rotated that, Akbar.
A couple extra moves.
Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite him.
35 years old in this second chapter.
- 6'1", 165 pounds, long arms.
Big move. - Oh!
- One more. One more big move.
- Ooh!
It's catching up, Akbar.
- It catches up to you when it catches up to you.
Nice.
- Does he have anything left for this final dismount?
Yes.
And he's about to blossom once again.
- Oh!
- Tyler Smith.
- Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
- It wasn't pretty.
- He's cooked.
He's cooked.
- Oh, my goodness.
- When you fall at the top of the Warped Wall, you're cooked.
- I'm tired.
- Dude, we could tell you were tired,
but you did it, Tyler.
Go down and celebrate with your crew.
It's not guaranteed just yet, but you're in good position
to move on.
I think we're gonna see you racing on the Tripleheader
in just a bit.
Coming up,
she's been a fan favorite for a decade.
all: Let's go, Barclay, let's go!
- But something's been missing for Barclay Stockett.
- All that's left is to hit that buzzer.
- She's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- A couple of football players hoping
to go deep into the season kicked off
the action minutes ago.
Kenzie Hughes plays flag football
for her high school team in Libertyville, Illinois.
And she had lots of cheerleaders for her run
on the sidelines and watching from back home.
The teenager made it to the national finals last year,
and she got her first buzzer two weeks ago in qualifying,
so she was feeling confident.
- Her performance strong.
Oh!
Daggum.
- Her disappointing fall at Diamond Dash
means her season is over.
- Oh!
[whistle tweets]
- Nick Warren plays linebacker
for his Pennsylvania high school team.
- That's what I'm talking about.
Come on.
- Yeah, he's ready for some football.
- Once the helmet came off, it was an all-out blitz.
- Uh-oh!
All right, he knows how to get back up.
That's part of football.
- The teenager tackled one obstacle after another.
- Coach, put him in.
- And got his second straight buzzer.
[buzzer blares]
- Come on!
- His time was fast enough that he's now assured
of a spot in the top 14.
He's moving on.
- Ninja on three.
One, two, three. all: Ninja!
- Nice.
- Then it was Iowa's always entertaining
Behrends brothers.
First up was the older brother, Ben,
better known as the hype guy.
- Hype me up.
- The five-time "Ninja" veteran knew he needed
to push the pace if he wanted to move on,
and he went all out.
- Just pure chaos.
He's just going skibiddy right now.
- He finished with one of the fastest times
of the night so far.
[buzzer blares]
- Let's go, baby!
- And he secured his place in the next round.
- Everybody needs a hype guy.
- Then Ben's little brother, Jason,
took his shot at the course.
- He's got a small stature, but that's not a problem,
especially here on "Ninja."
- Though one of the shorter competitors at 5'2",
he came up big.
- He is moving.
- The high schooler from Iowa wasn't just running
to reach round two; he wanted to be
faster than his big brother.
- He could get his brother's time,
and that's bragging rights.
[buzzer blares] - Let's go!
- You were 0.49 seconds slower than your brother.
- [groans] [laughter]
- Like his brother, he'll be racing in the next round.
Our next ninja had an impressive debut
back in qualifying, putting up the fastest run
of the night for a rookie.
This is Tennessee's Hezekiah Reynolds, a parkour athlete
who's got some moves.
- Whoo!
- And he gets his strength from his family.
- I was adopted around nine months from Guatemala.
I'm the oldest of my siblings.
My parents adopted me, and then they had
three kids shortly after that.
Back at qualifiers, it felt like
an out-of-body experience.
- Whoa!
- Having my family there was the best thing
that could have happened.
- You got this.
- They always pushed me hard and helped me
to hit that buzzer.
- And gets the Warped Wall.
- Let's go!
Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
If I had not been adopted, I would definitely
not be where I am today.
Never be afraid to say you're adopted.
Be proud of it.
It's a beautiful thing.
And it's also--it kind of makes you special.
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
- Go, Kiah.
- Hezekiah's parents are here on the sideline,
along with his siblings.
- You got this, buddy. Come on.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Hezekiah Reynolds, what a revelation in qualifying,
put up a fast time and did it
with a lot of flair on the course.
- He's just a rookie, but he runs with a lot
of confidence, Matt.
What?
- Flew through the course with style.
- Wow, wow, wow.
He didn't just fly--oh!
[air horn blares]
- Speed can lead to mistakes sometimes.
Fortunately, he's okay after that hard fall.
- Matt, let me put it like this.
He flipped in style and crashed in style.
He did a flip, took a trip, and did a dip.
- Well, our next athlete has been a fan favorite
since she started in this sport a decade ago.
It's the Sparkly Ninja, Barclay Stockett.
And in this loaded field of women,
if Barclay wants to move on,
she probably needs to do something
she's never done before.
The Sparkly Ninja, Barclay Stockett,
she's going to Las Vegas.
- It's really hard to sum up the last ten years.
Yes!
[upbeat music]
- And look at this, she's getting dogpiled.
- I've had so many amazing moments throughout my career.
- Anticipate the speed 'cause it does go fast now.
You see how it throws you up like that?
Nice. - Oh, no!
Only one hand, but somehow holds on.
- Oh, wow.
- What a save.
- I've fallen on almost every obstacle you can fall on.
- Oh!
- Come on, come on.
both: No!
- Ooh! - Oh, no!
- And I've also beaten ones that you'd never expect
someone so small to beat.
- Jumping Spider. She's gotta get in there deep.
- Oh! - Come on.
- What?
- And she's done it!
- All that's left is to hit that buzzer.
We are breaking the curse.
I'm hitting that buzzer.
This is it.
This is the time.
- Lots of folks watching Barclay, including her wife,
Tee, who's back in Texas.
- You got this.
Whoo.
- And many other "Ninja" greats
will be cheering from the sideline.
- You got this, Barclay.
- Including Meagan Martin, who runs in just a few minutes.
[countdown clock beeping]
Only six women will move on tonight,
so the pressure is on to hit buzzers.
- Oh!
Thank God she's 5 feet tall, because she came very close
to hitting the water.
- Stays dry, but now taking a ride on Greased Lightning.
- Whoa! Whoo!
- Hard impact. Ooh.
- Ooh, rewind that joint.
Boom, right there in the chest area.
That hurts.
- Barclay quickly shakes it off.
She knows she has to keep moving.
- Nice.
- Gets through.
[cheers and applause]
Seems to have her mojo back now,
and goes right into the Tilt-A-Whirl.
We've talked about it all night.
Speed is important, and you need to be
efficient on this obstacle.
Every extra move can eat up valuable seconds.
- Every move conditional. Come on, baby.
Yes.
- Barclay only 5 feet tall and 112 pounds.
She has to work a little harder on some of these obstacles.
- Barclay has a background in gymnastics.
She was a high-level competitor before she started
Ninja training.
Gets through.
And now faces the fifth obstacle, Kaleidoscope.
Barclay has history with this one.
It ended her season four years ago.
[air horn blares]
Now, the unfortunate reality, Akbar,
is that the clock is ticking.
And Barclay, at this point, if she
wants any chance of moving on, she almost
certainly needs a buzzer.
And she's gonna have to pick up the pace
because this is such a strong field of women.
- It really is.
And you know Barclay knows that,
but she's just running her own race.
Looking at the clock.
Tick, tick, tick, tick.
- Now, without the corners on this third pane,
these are gonna be bigger reaches
for the 5-foot-tall Stockett.
- Come on, Stockett. Wow.
- Good power, Akbar.
Well, Barclay took her time getting on it,
but she's been very efficient getting through it.
- Ooh, big swing.
Control that swing.
Ooh! - You got it.
- Yes!
- She is fighting through a lot of pain.
You can see the grimace on her face.
Ooh! - And a little dismount.
And she's smiling.
Happy to get her redemption on Kaleidoscope.
Now she's got a shot at the buzzer,
but remember, she missed on all three of her attempts
in qualifying.
Now in her ninth season, can she finally
get the elusive buzzer?
At just 5 feet tall, not a lot of margin for error
on the 14 1/2 foot tall Warped Wall.
- You can do this.
Yes, you can.
- You can hear her telling yourself, you've done this.
For this moment right here, all that work.
- Trust the process.
You've done it so many times before.
This is what we call muscle memory.
Muscle memory.
- Oh!
She knows she can do it.
Her fingertips were there.
- It's right there.
You're right there.
- You have this.
- Small adjustment and Barclay Stockett
will get her first-ever buzzer.
- Let's go.
Oh!
Sha-na-na.
- She is so close, Akbar.
- Stay locked in.
You got this.
- Your hands were over top.
You got this.
- You got it, Barclay.
And this is how it ends.
Barclay Stockett, final attempt.
This third one, it wouldn't be dramatic
if you don't do it for the--yes!
- Yes!
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Okay!
Okay!
- The only way it could have ended.
- Wow.
- The Hail Mary on the final attempt
delivers Barclay her first buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
Barclay, did you ever doubt?
- I just decided it was time.
But I'm really proud that I never gave up,
and I finally got it.
[buzzer blares] - Yes!
Go celebrate, Barclay.
You've earned it.
- This was a long time coming,
and you can see how much it meant to her.
And Barclay's got her first buzzer.
She is gonna enjoy this moment.
- Barclay's our third female finisher,
but she's got the slowest time,
so she's not guaranteed to move on
since only the top six advance.
Anna MacArthur is the only one locked in so far.
On the men's side, Weston Boswell is
the fastest finisher so far.
He's part of the top six that are now guaranteed
to move on to the Tripleheader.
The final spots will be decided
by our remaining athletes.
Looks like you'll need a buzzer
to keep your season alive.
Coming up,
she was a force in the finals last season.
[buzzer blares] - Let's go!
- But to get there again, Isabella Folsom
likely needs a buzzer tonight.
She's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- "Ninja" veterans took center stage here in Vegas
minutes ago.
Karsten Williams is the night's
most experienced competitor.
This is his 12th season.
And the Big Kat showed he can still get it done.
[buzzer blares]
- Ahh!
- As always, he was cheered on
by his biggest fan, his mom,
and he finished fast enough to secure
his spot in the next round.
- Yep.
- Iowa's Spencer Johnson first ran the course nine years ago.
And since returning to competition last year,
he's been on a roll.
Tonight, he picked up his second straight buzzer.
[buzzer blares] - Okay, Spence.
- But it's the slowest finish so far,
so he's not guaranteed to move on just yet.
Speed is rarely a problem for Minnesota's Jera Boyd.
And the two-time national finalist
didn't disappoint tonight.
- He's going sub one minute.
He's going sub one minute.
- He put up the fastest time of the night so far.
[buzzer blares]
He'll be one to watch on the Tripleheader.
Only six women will move on from round one,
so teenager Jaleesa Himka knew she needed a big performance
to keep her season alive.
- She understands the assignment.
The assignment is keep that pace in this race.
- The Colorado high schooler has made it
to the fifth obstacle five times
without getting through it.
- Get out of there. Go, go, go, go! Nice!
- That changed tonight when she made it through
and got her first buzzer with the fastest time
so far for the women.
- Okay, Jaleesa. [buzzer blares]
- She's now guaranteed to move on.
Professional wrestler Francisco Barajas
is known as the Cheetah.
- You gotta go fast if you wanna get to the next round.
Whoa.
- The five-time "Ninja" veteran had to wrestle his way
past Greased Lightning,
then he was down for the count on Diamond Dash.
- Oh, my goodness. [air horn blares]
He got thrown into the turnbuckle.
- We will be crowning a new women's champion this year,
and one of the favorites is our next athlete, Isabella Folsom.
The four women who complete the most obstacles over this season
will race in the finale,
and last year, Isabella was second overall.
- Needs the dismount!
Isabella Wakeham gonna go back-to-back!
- Wow.
- Last year, Isabella cemented herself as one
of the sport's elite, hitting three buzzers and becoming
only the fourth woman ever to complete
a ten-obstacle course.
- I am super proud of my season 17.
I made it into the top 32 and hit more buzzers than I think
my whole career combined.
All the women this season are phenomenal.
We've seen more buzzers than ever before,
and the competition field is stacked.
So it's gonna be tricky to be in that top four.
But I'm just counting up those obstacles,
hoping I'll get there.
- Isabella's mom will be leading
the cheers along with her husband, Sam,
who we'll see racing on the Tripleheader in just a bit.
- Let's go.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Isabella Folsom had a real good run in qualifying.
- She finished the course, and now she's fifth all-time
on the buzzer list for women.
- The pressure is on for this run.
If she doesn't get a buzzer tonight,
her season's probably over.
- She and her husband Sam run that barn in Illinois.
They're essentially running a gym,
training people, and training themselves virtually 24/7.
It seems like they never sleep.
- This is why Isabella had success in qualifying,
and looking to have the same type of success here
in the regional finals.
- During her qualifying night,
Isabella had the fastest women's time.
And her brother-in-law, Phil, had the fastest men's time.
A week later, her husband, Sam, had the fastest time
in his qualifying night.
We talk a lot about the Beckstrand ninja dynasty,
but this year, the Folsoms are a family to watch.
Still some strong women to come tonight,
but Isabella's been moving at a steady pace.
If she can keep this up and finish,
she should be in good position to move on.
- Nice lache. Ooh!
She threw in--that's a lot of power.
- But one thing she said with her ninja training at the barn,
she's really been working grip strength.
Ninjas say that's the one that
takes the longest to develop out of any muscle group.
- You could tell her grip strength has improved a lot.
- And now she can become the eighth woman this season
to collect two buzzers.
- Wow, the women are showing up and showing out this year.
Isabella Folsom.
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
Isabella, you keep racking up buzzers.
That was your sixth, which puts you in a tie
with Abby Clark all-time.
That's amazing.
- I didn't realize that. - Yeah.
- That's awesome.
- You now trail only Flex Labreck,
Taylor Greene, and Jessie Graff.
- Well, great job.
- Isabella, hit the buzzer one more time and go celebrate.
[buzzer blares]
Coming up,
Chad Riddle returned to "Ninja" after eight years away
to pay tribute to his wife.
- Yes!
One of the last conversations we had,
she told me that she wanted me to do this one last time.
- Come on!
- Can he keep his emotional season going?
- Let's go!
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- The Central region is filled with sibling
stories this season, and four of them
played out minutes ago.
Hayes Dyer is the little brother
of "Ninja" veteran Owen Dyer, who's out this season
with an injury.
The rookie from Arkansas, represented for the family,
hitting his second straight buzzer...
- Fly, fly!
- With one of the fastest times of the night.
[buzzer blares] - Let's go!
- Elijah Browning and younger brother Julian
both competed this season.
Only Elijah made it past qualifying,
and The Boss took care of business.
[buzzer blares] - Yes!
- Finishing in 1:14,
which secured him a spot in the next round.
Nathan Green always competes with his twin brother,
Marquez, who was eliminated in qualifying.
Tonight, Nathan battled his way to the buzzer, but...
- He's gotta sprint.
He's the slowest among the male finishers,
putting him on the bubble in 14th place.
Anabella Heinrich's little sister, Secorra,
was knocked out in qualifying, but she was on the sidelines
cheering on Anabella, who delivered
another impressive run and put up
the top time among the ladies.
- Yes!
- She became the sixth woman to hit a buzzer.
"Ninja" great Meagan Martin is back this year
after taking four seasons off to start a family.
- Ooh, ooh.
- Her run was not the smoothest.
- Whoa, whoa.
Okay, did you see that?
- But the former women's champion kept battling
and made it all the way to the Warped Wall.
- There she is.
- In qualifying last week, she came up short
on all three attempts.
Tonight, with the clock ticking away,
she once again failed on the first...
- Whoa.
- And second try.
- So close, so close.
- But on her final effort...
- She's got it, she's got it!
- She made it to the top. [buzzer blares]
And though she didn't have a fast time,
it was faster than Barclay Stockett,
who was knocked out of the top six.
So Meagan was on the bubble with one more woman to run.
The final female competitor was teenager KK Andrews,
who knew she would have to finish
and do it faster than Meagan's time of 3:08.
Like Meagan, Andrews is a pole vaulter.
And the Texas high schooler was able to vault
past the early obstacle.
She just needed to keep a steady pace
and avoid mistakes.
- Get out of there.
- Which she did,
and KK became the eighth female finisher.
- Got it!
- And she hit the buzzer fast enough to knock
Meagan Martin out of the top six.
So here are all the women moving on.
We had a record-tying eight ladies hit buzzers,
but these six went the fastest.
We'll see them racing in just a few minutes.
Well, there is a heartbreaking story behind our next ninja.
This is Chad Riddle, an elementary school principal
who decided to compete again this season
after eight years away.
He wanted to come back to honor the memory of his wife.
That's his son, Aaron, watching with other family members
from back in Pennsylvania.
- Let's go! - Let's go!
- Chad's got a stone in his hand,
a special reminder of his late wife.
[somber music]
- Hey, look at that leaf floating.
It's kind of like it's a boat.
A little over two years ago, my wife
started getting some test work done
for simple muscular discomfort,
and it ended up being Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Keep going.
One of the conversations that Caitlin and I had at the end
is, what do you want to have happen to your body?
And this is her.
- This is my mommy, and--
and she--she died and because she had cancer.
And then her ashes got turned into this.
- We talked about how great would it be if at night,
Aaron had a stone that he could hold on to
and was actually holding Mom when he would read a book?
- Why are you crying, Dad?
- Just, you amaze me.
Can I have a hug?
It's just a rock, right?
But for me, it's so much more.
♪ ♪
I can still feel her love,
and I know that if and when I get on top of that Warped Wall,
I'm gonna still feel her love around me there too.
♪ ♪
- And to make sure nothing happens to that stone
during his run, Chad's gonna hand it off
to good friend Jamie Rahn.
Jamie's gonna be down on the sideline
with some of Chad's other friends.
- I doubt anyone will be cheering
louder than his son, Aaron.
- Let's go!
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, he is the final runner of round one,
so the goal is clear.
He needs to hit his first buzzer in eight years
and do it faster than Nathan Green's 1:44.
- Whoa!
- And the reason he came back after eight years off,
he just wanted to show people there's light after the shadow.
And what he's dealt with, the courage to keep persevering
and reaching new heights.
And, Akbar, he's attacking the course.
- Well, Matt, he is putting on a class
right now about perseverance,
getting through this intense obstacle.
- Well, when we met him back in season 10,
he was a kindergarten teacher.
Now he's the principal.
- The kids in his school have gotta be thrilled watching him
tackle these obstacles.
- He's the cool principal, for sure.
- Let's go!
Let's go!
- Can your principal do this?
- Up on the Kaleidoscope, went out in the fifth obstacle
in qualifying.
Has to get through it tonight.
But no matter what happens,
it's been so special for his son to see him on the course.
Wasn't born the last time Chad competed.
- There we go.
- This pace, surprisingly fast.
- He's gonna be principal and PE teacher.
Big move.
- Are you kidding me?
- Oh, man.
- What a moment, Chad Riddle!
- [yells]
- Yeah!
[cheers and applause]
- And now Jamie's gonna give the stone back to Chad
so he can carry it up the Warped Wall.
But the clock is ticking.
Needs to get up on the first attempt.
- Big up, and look at this!
He got it! - The principal is in!
- Uh-oh.
[buzzer blares]
- Yeah!
- Wow.
- Whoo!
- And using that stone from his wife's ashes, what a moment.
- That's pretty cool. She's right there with him.
- Let's go, Chad!
- Can I just sit here for a second?
- Yeah, man. Enjoy it, brother.
- This has been a long time coming.
- Take it all in, Chad.
♪ ♪
- This is everything I wanted.
Like, this is why I came out.
To have a platform to talk about hardship.
People go through hard things.
This show is about obstacles.
I've faced harder things than anything out there,
and here I still am.
I'm just so thankful.
- And you have a lot to be thankful for.
And I tell you, your single message that is so strong
is perseverance.
- You know what my time was?
- Your time was a 1:37, brother,
which means you went fast enough to move on!
You're going racing!
- Whoo!
- Hit it one more time and go celebrate, Chad.
[buzzer blares] - Whoo!
- Oh, that's so cool.
I mean, you have to be touched by that.
- Absolutely beautiful.
- He showed up and showed out.
- So here's a look at all those who are
headed to the Tripleheader.
Jera Boyd put up the fastest time on this course,
just ahead of Texas teenager Weston Boswell.
Also moving on is Iowa tree trimmer Tyler Smith,
who ended with the 10th best time.
That run by Chad Riddle put him 12th
among the 14 men who are moving on.
They'll now join Daniel Gil and the other ninjas
who went so fast in qualifying, they earned a bye
and got to go directly to round two.
Now things are about to get really interesting.
We're moving over to our three-lane racecourse,
the Tripleheader.
- We were on it three weeks ago and had some epic battles.
[buzzer blares] How did he do that?
There's nothing like going head to head to head.
Oh, no! Oh!
- It's all next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to Las Vegas.
Now, this is when the night really kicks into another gear,
because we moved over to our three-lane
racecourse, the Tripleheader.
- It's three times the fun, Matt,
but it's serious business.
Somebody's season ends with every race.
- For a look at what to expect, let's go down to Zuri.
- Look at this start line, guys.
It is three lanes across, and the course
offers three unique obstacles for our ninjas.
First, they'll try to keep their balance
on the uneven steps of Island Hopper.
Then it's the iconic Cliffhanger
and its tiny ledges.
And that final move to the birdhouse
has ended many runs this season.
- Oh!
- Finally, its Bounce House, where ninjas
will have to propel themselves up
then work their way across a series of bungees
and ride to the buzzer.
Only the top two in each race will move on
to the national finals.
- Minutes ago, we determined the matchups
with a random draw.
- Elijah Browning.
- Ninjas who got a bye and skipped round one
pulled the names of their opponents.
- Karsten Williams.
[cheers and applause]
Let's get it, big guy.
- So we'll have some great matchups,
with friends racing friends,
veterans taking on rising stars,
and some of the fastest ninjas in the same group.
And we're gonna start things off with a Midwest showdown.
From Illinois, it's college student Andrew Pickert
Then it's Iowa's 5'2" dynamo, Jason Behrends.
And from Wisconsin, the ninja known for his love
of cheese, Evan White.
This could be a battle to the end,
and Evan White is no stranger to close races.
- They're right there.
Somebody's gotta make that transition.
Ay-yi-yi! Ay-yi-yi!
They looked at each other! They looked at each other!
- Evan White!
- Last year in the national finals,
I had a really, really hard group
of four round-robin stage.
- The closest finish of the finals so far.
- Oh, my word.
- Some of my races were less than a half second apart.
- Yes! Oh! - Oh, my goodness!
- Those photo finishes were definitely
a big confidence boost.
Like, a lot of those people were big role models
of mine growing up, and to even get
to race them was such an amazing opportunity.
To have that close of a race with them was even better.
- Thank you for one of the great races
in the history of this show.
- The Tripleheader is gonna be really scary
and really insane, but now I just have to beat
two ninjas at the same time.
- Racing against Evan White and Andrew Pickert,
both of those athletes are really good.
I'm definitely nervous to go against them.
- Started watching the show when he was six years old,
and here he is, Akbar.
- This is my first season, and this is
who I get put up against.
It's pretty tough.
But I know what I can do.
I think that my qualifying run proved that I can place
in those top times, so I know that
I'm able to compete with those guys, even if I am a rookie.
- Andrew's girlfriend, Emerson, is gonna be on his sideline
with his family.
Evan's got his mom, Salena, here.
And we know the Behrends family will be getting loud for Jason.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Three lanes, three obstacles, gotta go fast.
Uh-oh. And Jason pulling ahead.
- Oh, my, what a great start.
- But look at Andrew.
Andrew's not messing around.
He's 5'10", using his long wingspan to try to creep ahead.
- Oh, these athletes pushing each other.
Evan using those forearms.
- Andrew White said, you know what?
You might be long and fast, but I am quick.
- Jason Behrends keeping it close.
- Here they go. Here they go.
And here comes Evan White.
- Oh, what a race.
- Now Evan White's gotta try--
oh, he took a look.
Do not take a look.
It's hard to do what you do when you do peek-a-boo!
- A race to the buzzer!
- Whoa! I don't know! I don't know what happened!
- Oh, my goodness.
[cheers and applause]
Pickert still fighting.
- Oh!
But who won?
We have to go to the replay.
Evan White had a good lead on the Bounce House,
but Jason Behrends made some aggressive moves to catch up.
Their feet hit the pad almost in sync.
And then watch their hands.
Evan got there just a hair before Jason.
- Guys, the closest race we've had this season.
0.03 of a second separated you.
And the winner...
is Evan White.
But the good news is, you're both moving on
to the national finals.
Evan, you're getting used to this.
First Daniel Gil, now Jason Behrends.
- I gotta stop with these close races.
They're stressing me out.
I don't like it. - I'm stressed out.
- That won't be like that in finals, I promise.
- Guys, thanks for an awesome race.
Go celebrate.
Credit to Andrew Pickert.
He hung with them till the end.
[cheers and applause]
Our next group is led by one of our most experienced ninjas,
Donovan Metoyer, the Classy Ninja.
He's facing two high school students, Ohio's Dylan Yee
and Pennsylvania football player Nick Warren.
[upbeat music]
- It's a bit intimidating standing next to Donovan.
He's a suit guy.
I mean, he is, like, pretty snazzy.
- His flattop looking good. - Oh!
- Oh! He did a 360!
- Talk about looking good.
- I'm really excited to see what I can push my limits to,
push his limits to.
- Nick and Dylan, I know nothing about them,
but they're teenagers.
And any teenager on the course is an instant threat.
- Nick Warren, got it!
[buzzer blares]
- Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!
- I think the race is definitely about the two teens
taking the adult, or as we call them,
the unc off of his throne.
- One of the reasons I'm gonna move on
is 'cause I have more experience on the course.
Lifetime experience as well.
I'm gonna do what I need to do to get to the end
and hit that buzzer first or second.
♪ ♪
- Get it, Donovan.
- All three of these guys have been perfect this season.
Nothing but buzzers.
No one's touched the water.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Come on, Nick.
- Get out fast. Nice. Ooh!
- And Metoyer, great footwork.
Oh, my.
- Oh, oh! - Did Yee stay dry?
I think he did.
- He stumbled.
But now look at Warren.
The footballer tackling it.
- 180 pounds and he's crushing Cliffhanger.
Oh, what a race.
- Oh, Donovan Metoyer, this kid is different.
He different, Matt.
- Dylan Yee's falling behind, and he stumbles again.
Donovan slightly ahead.
Well, Dylan Yee, at 120 pounds,
he may be able to make up some ground.
Look at Nick Warren!
- Nick Warren, a rookie, going up against a veteran
who's been in this type of situation.
Somebody's gotta commit. And he did it.
- Metoyer does it!
And Nick Warren right behind him!
[cheers and applause]
Dylan Yee's gonna make it to the end as well,
but he's not fast enough.
The veteran, Donovan Metoyer, is moving on to the finals,
with Nick Warren, who keeps his perfect rookie season going.
Coming up, two "Ninja" legends,
Daniel Gil...
- He smiles under pressure.
- And Karsten Williams.
- Okay!
- They'll try to hold off impressive teenager
Nathanael Honvou.
- Let's go!
- That's next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- The races roll on here in Vegas.
And up next on our Tripleheader racecourse,
it's the first matchup featuring
our female competitors.
And leading the way is one of the best, Isabella Folsom.
She's among the career leaders in buzzers for women.
And next to her is a teenager Isabella used to coach,
Texas high schooler KK Andrews.
Then it's another teenager, Colorado's Jaleesa Himka,
who's been winning obstacle course races
all over the world.
Jaleesa first appeared on "Ninja Junior"
when she was just ten.
- Let's see those moves, ninjas.
- And debuted on the big show at 15.
Jaleesa Himka gets the win.
- That's how you do it!
- Isabella also competed on "Junior."
- Isabella!
- And she did it! [buzzer blares]
And has developed into one of the sport's elite.
- This is amazing.
- Isabella, only the fourth woman ever.
Reaching the final 32 last season.
- Yeah, nice and efficient. Come on.
- She's also become a highly sought-after coach
and counts KK as one of her prized pupils.
- I knew this day would come, where we
would get to compete together.
I was hoping it wouldn't be head-to-head,
but I've known it was coming for years.
She is a beast.
She's a legend.
And she is so strong.
- Isabella, you might be my coach,
but I'm gonna show you a few things tonight.
- Isabella is one of three Folsoms trying
to get to the finals tonight.
Her husband, Sam, and brother-in-law, Phil,
will race later.
- They mess around and do that,
they could match the Beckstrands,
who already have three in the finals.
- It's gonna come down to what happens
in the next 60 seconds.
Only two will move on.
Anything can happen on the Tripleheader.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Whatever you thought you knew about racing,
this is different.
This Tripleheader is so intense.
- And you see Folsom pushing the pace early.
This Cliffhanger, these women are so strong.
- Yeah, you gotta get going on the Cliffhanger.
Whoever's got that strong upper body,
that ability to make it through and traverse can separate.
- Isabella, the teacher, has a slight lead,
but her former student, KK, close behind.
And Isabella the first to get off.
- Now this is where Isabella can really separate here.
- The pole vaulter, KK Andrews, keeping up, though.
- Jaleesa Himka's got to make up some ground.
- Isabella just snuck a peek to see where the others are.
She's battling those bungees.
- Isabella launches.
- She's number one. [buzzer blares]
- And that's the fastest time by a woman this season.
- There's still a race for that second buzzer.
- And here comes Jaleesa Himka.
Who's gonna join Isabella?
Dead even.
- Uh-oh! Oh!
- And you just see they can't time the swing.
- You gotta commit to the swing.
- And Jaleesa does it! [buzzer blares]
- Okay, Jaleesa.
- KK just couldn't find her momentum.
What a race.
The women competitors continue to shine here in season 18.
- The "Ninja" veteran, Isabella, pulled ahead,
took a quick look over at the others,
and then sailed to the buzzer.
Meanwhile, KK looked like she had second locked up,
but she got hung up on the bungees,
allowing Jaleesa to catch up and pass her.
She and Isabella punch their ticket to the national finals.
- Up next, it's Ohio teenager Nathanael Honvou,
who's up against two "Ninja" legends,
Daniel Gil and the Big Kat, Karsten Williams.
Honvou is a former "Ninja Junior" champ
but doesn't have nearly the experience of Daniel Gil,
who's qualified for the national finals nine times,
or Karsten Williams, who's been there eight times.
As always, Karsten's mom, Linda, will be on his sideline.
Daniel Gil's wife, Abby, leading his cheering section.
And Nathanael Honvou's got his parents here for him.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Daniel Gil in the middle lane.
He's gotta stare at these ninjas
from his peripheral vision.
- Gil looked a little uneven but makes his way through.
Honvou, the teenager, staying with Gil.
- And Karsten Williams is gonna have to push
a little bit of gas here to put some pressure.
- Who's gonna be the first off birdhouse?
It's Honvou.
The high schooler pushing the "Ninja" legend.
- Wow, Karsten Williams has fallen further behind.
He's gotta find another gear.
- It's gonna come down to who can handle the bungees better.
- Oh, buddy.
But here comes Daniel Gil!
Now it's Honvou!
- Who's getting the dismount first?
- Oh, you gotta make the commitment.
It's the commitment. - Gil!
- Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
- Just ahead of Nathanael Honvou.
- Big Kat touches the water.
- But it was too late, anyway.
The veteran, Daniel Gil, and the teenager, Nathanael Honvou
come out on top.
- On the Cliffhanger,
Nathanael got the jump on Daniel.
That wasn't in the manual.
But on Bounce House, he missed his first grab
on the double bungee, and Gil stole the lead
and the win by less than a second.
And check out Karsten.
He caught the final bungee so low
that his long legs hit the water,
and his season is over.
- So Daniel Gil's earned his tenth trip
to the national finals,
while Nathanael Honvou will be going for the very first time.
Coming up,
they may not be three of the tallest competitors,
but they might be three of the fastest.
- Oh, my goodness!
- It's a short king showdown tonight.
- We'll see this trio race
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to Vegas.
If our ninjas wanna get to the national finals,
they first have to take on our three-lane racecourse,
the Tripleheader.
Our next group may not be the tallest,
but they may be the most fun to watch.
It's led by one of "Ninja's" best, Jay "Lache" Lewis.
He earned a bye in the first round,
so he got to pull the names of his opponents.
- When Jay pulled my name...
- Ryan Cooper.
- I was just going crazy.
- Hayes Dyer.
- Oh, yeah.
- Then I realized we're all about the same height,
so it should be a good race.
- I have never been the tallest person in a group.
I'm 5'5", and they're both 5'4", so got them by an inch.
- It's pretty awesome to race two other short guys.
But I've been doing this for a really long time now.
This is my sixth season.
- That's my boy right there.
Ha-ha!
- Jay and I have an advantage over Hayes.
We've had a lot of experience racing.
He's been racing on the show.
I've been on "Ninja Junior" racing,
so I'm excited to see how Hayes holds up.
- Jay has raced a bunch, and he's known for speed,
so definitely adds some nerves.
- It's a short king showdown tonight.
- Hayes Dyer will have big brother Owen,
the Flamingo Kid, on his sideline.
Ryan Cooper's got all his family here from Texas.
Jay's got his girlfriend, Maggie Owen,
who'll be racing later.
- None of these guys weigh more than 125 pounds.
I think they're gonna fly through this course.
[countdown clock beeping]
All right, stay focused. Stay locked in.
Here we go.
And you can see Jay Lache making his move.
But here comes Coop.
- Coop is pushing it.
- Coop ain't messing around.
- Oh, my, but Hayes Dyer.
Oh, come on.
- Oh, Hayes Dyer first one off.
Now Coop.
And then here comes Jay Lache.
Wait, what?
- Oh, my goodness.
- Oh, they're catching up.
- What a matchup.
- Uh-oh!
But it's Coop going for it.
He's staying in his lane.
- Who can get the dismount?
There goes Coop.
And there goes Jay.
And Hayes Dyer right behind him.
- Wow.
Wow.
[cheers and applause]
- What a matchup.
- I knew that was gonna be fast.
- Oh, Hayes Dyer, an awesome race.
- Well, let's check this out.
Hayes Dyer was first off Cliffhanger
and had the lead going into the final obstacle.
But the others made up ground--
first Coop and then Jay
linked their moves on the bungees
while Hayes took extra swings,
and that was the difference.
Jay, I gotta ask you, did you get a little nervous
when you saw Coop start to pull ahead?
- That was terrifying.
Oh, my gosh.
- Well, congratulations, and thank you for a legendary race,
you three.
Go celebrate.
They both had very fast times,
so Ryan Cooper and Jay Lewis are gonna have good seeds
for the national finals.
Our next race features three competitors
who had very interesting journeys to get here.
Chad Riddle's competing this year to honor his late wife.
He'll be running against the undersized but always hyped
Ben Behrends, and the small-town hero
from Tennessee, Hunter Ogden.
Born with a cleft palate, Hunter has undergone
13 surgeries, some of them life-saving.
And his success on "ANW" has been an inspiration for folks
in his small Tennessee hometown
and around the country.
- It means the world to me to have all those people
supporting me, whether that's my family, my friends,
people from around where I live.
I will keep going, and I will keep fighting
down to that last second, down to that last obstacle.
[buzzer blares] - Got it!
- Ben Behrends was under 5 feet tall until he was 15,
and he grew up shy.
- Yeah, baby! Let's go!
- Let's turn up the dial to 11.
It's time for The Hype Guy!
- I'm a little short.
I just didn't like to talk, and I was a quiet kid.
My love of Ninja and being in the Ninja community
has turned me from this shy kid in a turtle shell.
Now I'm on national television talking.
- Why are you so hype?
- I don't know, man. I'm just loud.
For this Tripleheader race, man, I'm just hyped about it.
- Chad Riddle's running to show people
there can be hope after loss.
- Losing Caitlin was devastating,
and there's no silver lining.
But if that helped me evolve into a person
that can maybe do a little bit of good,
that's the energy and the positivity
that I try to bring every day.
- Chad's son, Aaron, is staying up late
to watch Dad with other family back in Pennsylvania.
Ben Behrends will have his always hyped family
on the sideline, including his brother, Jason,
who punched his ticket to the finals earlier.
And Hunter Ogden's family is also over there
cheering for him.
- As a school principal, Chad Riddle
doesn't get a chance to train as much as these young guys,
but he's got a special reason for running this season.
Don't count him out.
[countdown clock beeping]
Ooh!
Oh, The Hype Man, he's hyped.
He's all the way hype.
He's--he's out in front.
- Good start.
Big Ben quick hands on Cliffhanger.
- But the principal ain't backing down.
- Look at Chad! - Look at Chad!
- The principal's pushing it.
- I don't know if this is a riddle anymore, Matt.
- But it's Ben Behrends who's off first,
and he heads right over to Bounce House.
- Oh, don't peek, don't peek.
Run your own race, Chad.
- And Big Ben up on Bounce House.
And Hunter Ogden closing in on Chad.
- I don't think either of them are
gonna catch Ben Behrends.
- They're still working their way up Bounce House.
And Ben Behrends gets a buzzer.
And now it's a race for second place.
Can Chad Riddle hold on?
- Oh, no!
His foot's wet. Aw.
- His run is done.
A disappointing ending.
- Oh!
- And Hunter Ogden's gonna finish it out.
He'll take second place in this group.
Well, you know what?
Credit to Chad Riddle.
He pushed these two young bucks.
- He really did.
And look at what happened.
On that double bungee, you need to grab
both sides at the same time.
Chad only grabbed one,
so the other side of the bungee went up,
and he went down.
- That fall opened the door for Hunter Ogden,
and he's now headed to the finals
for the second year in a row.
- Big Ben, you still hyped?
You think you got what it takes to win
over in the national finals?
- I guess we'll see, won't we?
- You and your brother are both moving on.
But I gotta tell you...
- Let's go!
- Little brother Jason was two seconds faster.
But not to stir anything up.
Go celebrate with him.
- He causing family drama.
Hey, why you causing all that drama, man?
- You know what?
Younger brothers everywhere, we gotta stick up for them.
- All of our ninjas hope to win it all,
and this year, viewers at home can be winners, too,
with our Win Like a Warrior Sweepstakes,
presented by the Active Cash credit card from Wells Fargo.
Enter for a chance to win at nbc.com/anwsweeps.
- Up next, two of "Ninja's" best in the same race,
The Flyboy, Isaiah Thomas,
and The Boss, Elijah Browning.
They're just ahead on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to the regional finals
on "American Ninja Warrior."
It's been a record-breaking year for women hitting buzzers,
and here are three competitors who've been a part of that.
College students Maggie Owen from Aurora, Illinois,
and Anna McArthur, who works at her RV park in Utah,
and hairstylist Anabella Heinrichs.
This group has hit a total of five buzzers this season.
All three have their families on the sidelines.
Maggie's gonna try to join her boyfriend
Jay "Lache" Lewis in the finals.
- Anabella's 5'5", but Maggie and Anna
are only 5 feet tall.
They are the smallest competitors tonight.
Here we go.
Sprint. Gotta get out there.
Island Hopper.
They're offset, so it slows you down just a little bit.
- Maggie Owen is down!
- Wow.
- So it's a two-person race.
Heinrichs and McArthur are moving on,
but Akbar, we know seeding is at stake,
so neither is going to take a foot off the pedal.
- And you can see Anabella right there.
Her and Anna are side by side.
- What a good race.
- Trying to get enough momentum to get off.
And then here comes Anabella.
And now Anna is right there behind her.
How fast can you climb?
- Half a move ahead,
but good power out of Heinrichs.
Oh, boy.
- Still an opportunity to catch up.
And Anna's coming. Anna's right there.
She's right there!
- Who can make the transfer first?
- You just gotta go.
Go for it.
Oh, do what you do.
Oh, my goodness! What?
- A come-from-behind win.
- I didn't see that one happening like that.
[cheers and applause]
- Anabella Heinrichs finishes and gets the second spot.
Well, this race lived up to the billing.
- Wow.
Maggie lost her balance on the last step
of Island Hopper,
so it became a duel between the other two.
Anabella was out in front most of the race,
but Anna made the first move to the double bungees,
and she got the come-from-behind win.
Where did you find that other gear?
Come on now, Anna.
I hadn't seen that gear out of you yet.
- Something about the racing, man.
It just gets you. - Yeah.
- You're both moving on.
Congratulations.
Go celebrate with your friends and family.
Our next race features lots of experience
but different kinds.
Iowa tree trimmer Tyler Smith hit his
first buzzer when the other two were in elementary school.
But he's never raced before.
While The Flyboy, Isaiah Thomas,
and The Boss, Elijah Browning,
have history on the racecourse.
- This format seems amazing,
three people, three buzzers, same time.
That sounds so much fun.
- Boss is right there.
- Me and Flyboy have actually raced before.
Season 16, Stage 2.
- They're side by side.
Oh! Oh, my goodness.
[buzzer blares]
- I'm willing to take more risks than most ninjas.
With racing, it just takes one slip up.
So he beat me.
I let it slide, but we could both possibly move on.
I think we just both gotta be smooth
and just hit the buzzer.
But don't count out Tyler Smith.
A few years ago, he made it to Stage 3.
- Wow, great progress out of Tyler Smith.
- Come on now.
- And I've never done that.
- I'm hoping that I might be able to just play
the long game and just be able to wait
and see if one of these guys makes a mistake
and just be able to capitalize on it.
These two guys are very tall, and so I'm hoping
to chop down these two trees.
[dramatic music]
- Tyler's family will be watching
from back home in Iowa.
Isaiah's mom, Jennie, always on the sidelines for his runs,
as is Elijah's mom, Renee, who will be cheering him on
alongside his girlfriend.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Great start by The Flyboy.
Did you see that?
He skipped two steps, and now he jumped
halfway across Cliffhanger.
- What a start for The Flyboy.
Bounding out.
Well, Isaiah gunning for that number one seed.
- Matt, he is way out ahead.
- But look at this.
Tyler Smith's ahead of The Boss, Akbar.
- I can't believe that.
That is surprising.
- Oh, my.
This would be a huge upset if he can hold off The Boss.
And Tyler Smith keeping a half move ahead.
- And look at Isaiah.
The Flyboy is flying.
Whoo.
- Oh, no!
- Tyler Smith is down!
- And The Boss survives.
What a race!
Elijah and Isaiah are hugging.
Their moms are hugging too.
- I love you guys so much.
- Credit to Tyler Smith.
He gave these guys all they could handle.
- Isaiah hurdled over the third and then the sixth step
to jump out to a big lead he never gave up.
Tyler Smith looked like he might get second,
but he missed with his left hand on the double bungee,
and Elijah survived.
- Isaiah Thomas gets his revenge on Elijah Browning,
but who knows, those two could face
each other again in the final.
- Good job, buddy. Good job.
- Hey, good stuff, buddy.
- Coming up,
his food allergies are so severe, he barely leaves home.
Yet Weston Boswell is on the verge
of making the national finals.
[buzzer blares] - Oh, wow!
- Can he keep his improbable season going?
We'll find out next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Next week, "Ninja" kicks into overdrive
as we start the national finals.
- Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!
- We'll be racing side by side until we crown a champion.
Best friends will battle.
Women will take on men.
And you never know what will happen.
- Complete shock.
- Whoever survives takes home $250,000.
You don't wanna miss it.
Well, we're down to the last two races on the Tripleheader.
We've got a top contender in Sam Folsom.
He made it to the final 8 last year.
Then it's Iowa's Spencer Johnson,
a "Ninja" veteran who's been to the finals twice before.
And finally, it's Nam Phan.
He's only a rookie, but don't worry, this kid can fly.
[upbeat music]
- I'm training to get my pilot's license right now.
[engine whirring]
I ran the course in qualifiers
just like I fly planes, methodically,
just focusing on the task at hand.
- Look how fast he's moving.
Oh, he's going for that time.
[buzzer blares] - Yeah! Let's go!
Ninja and aviation have a lot of things in common.
I have to train, like, every day,
and I've trained speed for many years,
so I know how fast I can go.
♪ ♪
- Well, Nam sounds confident, but Sam Folsom
has a lot of racing experience.
And his wife has already
punched her ticket to the finals.
And Spencer Johnson's having a great season,
already collected two buzzers.
[countdown clock beeping]
Only two will move on.
- And Sam Folsom off to a good start.
But here comes Nam.
- Look at Spencer Johnson keeping pace, Akbar.
- It's about keeping that consistency
on this course, the precision.
You don't have to be first, just don't be last.
- Well, Folsom is gonna be first to dismount.
- Whoo.
- He's looking strong.
- Nam Phan and Spencer Johnson are very close.
This may be a battle for second.
- Well, Spencer Johnson continuing to fight.
Sam Folsom closing in on the buzzer.
- No time to take a break.
You gotta go now, Spence.
He's--oh, missed it. [buzzer blares]
- Sam Folsom gets the buzzer.
Nam Phan is now also moving on.
And Spencer Johnson, an incredible season
comes to an end.
- But here comes Nam Phan.
Whoa.
- Oh, how did he save that, Akbar?
- Wow, literally by two strings on the left side.
- And remember, this does matter
for seeding in the next round.
- Whoa.
Oh!
- Well, the pilot had to bail out,
but not before punching his ticket
to his first national finals.
- Sam Folsom's win was never in doubt,
but it was a lot closer for second.
Spencer Johnson was in it
until he missed on the third peg going up Bounce House.
- So now Sam and his wife, Isabella,
are both going to the national finals.
And they could be joined by a third Folsom,
because Sam's little brother, Phil,
is part of our final group.
Phil had the fastest time in his night of qualifying,
but he is in a loaded trio facing Minnesota's Jera Boyd,
who had the fastest time in round one,
and Texas teenager Weston Boswell,
who was right behind Jera in second place.
- I said about ten minutes before I drew names,
the worst possible people I could pick are...
Jera Boyd.
And Weston Boswell.
Weston Boswell.
[cheers and applause]
- I think it's a very even matchup between us three.
We're all around the same age, we're around the same height,
and we're all super-fast.
- I love going fast. I like big moves.
I can definitely run out there with the best.
- Wow.
- And he's got it!
- But seeing Jeramiah Boyd and Phil Folsom,
it's a little nerve-racking.
- My name is known well in the Ninja community,
specifically on speed courses and side by side.
I'm known for going all out, so I do feel
some sort of a target on my back in a way.
It's gonna be a good race.
- Good luck. Don't blink.
- Everyone wants to see this one.
Three speed merchants, but only two will move on to the finals.
Who's it gonna be?
[countdown clock beeping]
- I don't know if they're ready for that
Jera Boyd smoke, though.
- Oh, Jera Boyd, a strong start.
- Jera Boyd ain't messing around.
- Wow, Phil launching through the Cliffhanger.
- Ooh, it looks like Phil Folsom wants that smoke.
- Already on the birdhouse.
Oh, my.
And Jera Boyd is down!
- Jera Boyd out?
- So Phil Folsom and Weston Boswell
are moving on from this group.
And Folsom is just annihilating this course.
This is gonna be the fastest finish of the season.
[buzzer blares] - There he is.
- Under 30 seconds.
[cheers and applause]
And what a year for Weston Boswell.
He's gonna finish too.
[buzzer blares] And he's going to the finals.
[cheers and applause]
Hey, boys.
Congratulations. You're both moving on.
Weston, you continue to impress us.
But, Phil, not only did you get a buzzer,
you had the fastest time of the night.
- Let's go.
- You are the number one seed in the national finals.
- That's awesome. - Wow.
- Boys, what a race to close it out.
Congratulations.
Go celebrate. - Thank you.
- Good job, man.
- The speed.
- Well, I'll tell you, Phil Folsom now,
with that fast time, he's got a target on his back.
- And you can understand why.
His time is the fastest among all the ninjas
in all three regions.
He'll be the number one seed in next week's finals.
His brother Sam will be joining him,
and they're not the only brothers.
The Behrends boys will be there too.
Among the others advancing is a third Folsom,
Sam's wife, Isabella.
She was the fastest among the women tonight.
All 20 of these athletes now move on,
where they'll join 20 ninjas from the West region
and 20 from the East.
Next week, the national finals begin.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪