[exciting music]
- Come on, go get it. Go get it.
- Come on! - He's doing the 25, yeah!
- Whoa! What?
[buzzer blaring]
- Tonight, the biggest stars
are gonna shine in St. Louis...
- Let's go! - ♪ Show me how it's done
- Including the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky.
- My goodness, look at him.
- He's competed eight seasons,
and this year he's giving
a couple of young ninjas their shot.
- I'm really excited to show 'em, you know,
hopefully how it's done,
and they can follow in my footsteps.
- ♪ Never gonna show me how it's done ♪
- And we've got Sweet T, stuntwoman Tiana Webberley.
- Nice! She's done it!
- She's invited a couple of ninjas
with incredible stories.
- My team is all connected by some medical miracles.
- ♪ Gonna show me
- And Chicago's Michael Torres is back...
- [screaming]
- With two veteran ninjas
who inspire him every day.
- This season means more to me
than any other season in the past.
- ♪ Never gonna show me how it's done ♪
♪
- Hello, everybody. Thanks for being with us.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila, and, Matt,
I am ready to rock the Dome.
- Well, there's definitely
a lot of excitement here tonight.
This is the fourth and final night of qualifying.
Next week, we move on to the semifinals.
- Yeah, and like most sporting events these days,
for safety, no fans in the stands,
but don't worry, we're still gonna make some noise.
- You know it, big man,
and keeping the excitement going
down on the sidelines,
the third member of our team, Zuri Hall.
- Matt, Akbar, our ninjas usually have to tackle
this course head-on, but tonight we've got
a brand-new obstacle coming at 'em sideways.
The course is six obstacles in all,
including one that created buzz last week,
the Beehive... - Oh!
- Followed by Spinning Bridge.
Then it's the new fifth obstacle, Sideways.
The ninjas will need quick hands
to work their way across those rotating boards.
The final obstacle is the Warped Wall,
which leads to the buzzer.
And the night ends here at the Power Tower,
where the two fastest will race head-to-head.
The winner gets to pull both of their teammates
into the semifinals.
[buzzer blares]
You don't wanna miss the latest showdown
at the end of the night.
Guys.
- Well, we're gonna kick it off with something crazy.
This is Brandon White,
a rookie out of San Jose, California,
and he has one of the most unique talents
we've ever seen.
This former football player was invited
by longtime ninja veteran Brian Kretsch,
who also invited another Northern California ninja,
Vance Harris, who's shooting a marshmallow gun,
and that's because Brandon White
has a very special talent.
Forget about eye-hand coordination.
This guy has eye-mouth coordination.
- I'm the greatest marshmallow catcher in the world.
Don't believe me?
- He's caught marshmallows from as far away as 90 feet.
- [yelling]
- All right, get ready!
Yeah! - And he's hoping to establish
a new Guinness world record for longest catch.
- Now do you believe me?
[bell dinging]
- Oh!
[cheers and applause]
- And we're gonna put him to the test here, Akbar.
- All right, let's put him to the test.
- Of course, because of COVID,
we have to throw them on the big screen.
Here we go, Akbar, getting ready to launch these.
- Best marshmallow catcher in the world.
- Oh. - Oh, I'm eating this one.
- Oh, nailed it!
- Hey, let's look at it again.
Boom, right in his mouth.
- And lots of love for this marshmallow catcher.
He's got his fiancée
and a big group of friends and family watching.
[countdown clock beeping]
Brandon was a four-year starter
as a wide receiver
for the University of San Diego,
but football players don't always have
great success on our course.
An extra swing, he's through.
Now the 6'3", 200-pound rookie
will try Off the Hook.
You gotta generate power with the hips
to make this transfer.
- Drive 'em forward.
Drive 'em back. - Come on.
This is like a power clean in the weight room.
Come on, I'ma talk football talk to you.
- And you see, just not getting much thrust.
You gotta get that lower body moving for the transfer.
- Nice! - He got it.
- Okay! - And dismounts.
- Hey, signs of a good wide receiver,
you gotta have strong hands, and he held on to that one.
- You wanna be efficient on these upper-body obstacles
because here comes another one, the Beehive.
You go sideways.
This middle one's gonna rotate 270 degrees.
- It's all about rotating and generating from the hip.
Get that side-to-side pendulum motion going.
Nice. - Excellent.
- Nice pendulum motion. - A lot of these skills ninjas
have to develop, a lot of it is moving,
generating power with the lower body,
but good use of those hips there, great shot.
You can see that momentum.
- Nice. - All right, now this is where
that wide receiver skill goes in.
You gotta see it--nice. - Oh.
- That's a big deal, 6'3", 200 pounds.
- And you see there's Plexiglas on the close side.
There it is, a great shot of the handles,
where you have to get your hands,
and that is not easy.
- Nice! - And he's through.
[cheers and applause]
Now facing the balance obstacle, Spinning Bridge.
- Absorb that second step.
- Kretsch giving him some advice.
- Suck it up, suck it up, suck it up!
- Oh, no!
- He was too slow and methodical on Spinning Bridge!
- Brandon White the marshmallow eater
bit off more than he could chew
on the Spinning Bridge.
- Well, he looked more like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man,
moving too slow,
and when he hit the third ball,
it just spun right under him, tripped him up,
and there was no way to recover.
[crowd groans]
- And now it's another member of Brian Kretsch's crew.
This is Vance Harris.
No marshmallows for him. He's bringing a paddle.
That's because he's a kayaker.
He spends his days on the river,
and he is one gnarly dude.
♪
- Kayaking is a dangerous activity.
- Get it, Vance!
- As I'm paddling down the river,
I gotta be looking out for rocks.
I gotta be looking out for sieves and for holes,
and I gotta look out for horizon lines,
'cause that means the water's going off something.
Could be a 50-foot waterfall,
or it could be a little 2-foot drop.
♪
- Whoo, Vance! Whoo!
- I have not trained for "American Ninja Warrior,"
but it'll be cool to show everyone around the world,
like, kind of what we do as paddlers
and that kayakers are awesome,
and we can be ninjas too.
♪
Whoa! I'm the Kayak Ninja,
but I'm gonna avoid the water on this course.
♪
- This guy's Spicoli from "Fast Times."
Clearly got personality, and you can see
got a lot of rowdy friends and family
ready to cheer him on. - They are going nuts already.
[all cheering]
Kayakers look like a crazy bunch.
- Well, he admits he's trained very little for this.
He's just a fun-loving dude who wanted to try ninja.
[countdown clock beeping]
Brian Kretsch saw this guy
the one time he came to a ninja gym
and thought he had incredible natural athletic ability
and boundless energy.
- He's built like a ninja, long and lean.
- And going right into Off the Hook.
A good effortless start here, really in control.
- Yes, awesome.
- We had this last year in Atlanta,
and we saw some of the challenges.
You see that hook?
You're going from a sideways hook
to then a front mount. - Got it!
Yeah, that can be challenging when you gotta take it
from the side to the front.
- Down, keep the hips down. Keep the hips down.
- What? It's hard.
- And, look, he's smiling back at Kretsch.
Vance has never been on a ninja course before,
and you're seeing it here.
- Get out of there! - But he gets through.
- Nice job! - We'll see what he has left
in the tank as he takes on the Beehive.
- Yeah! Ohh!
- Okay, look at this dude, flexing.
He's gonna have fun no matter how far he gets.
- Well, now he's gotta face a serious challenge
in the Beehive.
This knocked out some great competitors last week,
and with limited ninja skills,
this could be a real challenge for Harris.
- Nice. - As you see obstacles,
you learn different skill sets,
that 270-degree rotation a challenge.
- Turn the hips when you go, yes.
- Breathe. - Awesome.
You're gonna go up on this one.
- Hopefully he has the grip strength
to be able to carry his body weight.
Now he's starting to get that swing momentum.
Make that transition!
- Oh, my! - Okay, my bad, 19-year-old!
- You got this, Vance!
- And he gets through Beehive.
[cheering]
- His family can't believe he's doing this well.
And neither can I!
- Well, Brian Kretsch saw something in this kid,
and he is proving kayakers are good athletes.
- They definitely know how to have fun.
- Now the balance obstacle, Spinning Bridge.
- Let's go! - You got this, Vance.
- This is like a class five rapid,
but you wanna stay out of the water.
Nice, nice, nice. - Oh! Oh!
- Oh, Supermans over the final ball.
[cheering]
- Let's go, ninja! - You look shocked!
You look shocked! - Yeah!
- Well, his friends are definitely shocked.
This kid has made it to the fifth obstacle.
How is he doing this?
And now going right into the new obstacle, Sideways.
Every handle rotates completely,
so you have to grab it front and back.
Now has to change hand placement
and jump to this slider.
- Got it! My goodness!
This kid may get the buzzer!
This is unheard of! [cheering]
- Oh, yes!
- Vance is shocking the world right now, Matt.
- One more board to go...
and he's got it! Unreal!
But has to get over this spinning wall.
- Yeah, he's trying to get that swing to get over.
He's been hanging on for a while now.
- Oh, yeah!
- Nice!
[cheering]
- Yeah, he can't believe he's here.
And we can't either!
- 100%!
- The Kayak Ninja, his first time here,
his first shot at the Warped Wall,
and look at him!
He's blowing kisses!
You still got work to do!
- You got this.
- Can the rookie get a buzzer?
Yes! - Yes!
- He's got it!
- Oh, I can't believe this!
[buzzer blaring] - Ohh!
[cheering]
Let's go, baby! - Who would have guessed it?
The Kayak Ninja our first finisher tonight.
- Ninja, baby! Kayak Ninja!
- Vance, your first time out here,
you made it look easy.
How'd it feel being on the course?
- That felt pretty freaking awesome.
- Let me tell you something, man.
You off the hook, man.
[cheering]
- I love you guys!
- Tonight, it's the final night of qualifying,
and the stars are out. - Whoo!
- Karsten Williams crushed the course last year.
- Let's go!
- Now he's paying it forward with an auto worker...
[power tool whirrs]
And a World Series winner.
- Let's see what we can do out there,
make some heads turn.
- No one brings more joy to the course
than Jeri D'Aurelio. - Okay, D'Aurelio.
I see you.
- And the Army captain's recruited
two of her Army buddies.
- We're here to support each other, and we absolutely do.
- It's all ahead on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back, everyone.
We're inside the massive Dome at America's Center,
and it's our home for this season of
"American Ninja Warrior."
This is the last of our four qualifying nights.
The top 12 individuals and top three women
will move on to one of our two semifinals,
and only the best will advance to the finals,
where the winner takes home $100,000.
And headed to the start line now,
carrying a huge pair of scissors
45-year-old Kat Henschen from Lebanon, Indiana,
and she's a dog groomer.
- Hey, she better not be running with them scissors.
That's dangerous!
- Well, she was invited to compete this year
by none other than the Cowboy Ninja, Lance Pekus,
because these two share a powerful bond.
- Yeah!
[gentle upbeat music]
Kat--Kat's just inspiring all around.
She's very passionate about what she does.
She's very passionate about animals
and being around animals.
We embody that cowboy spirit,
but Kat and I have this special bond
because we both deal with our spouses dealing with MS.
[somber music]
- My husband was diagnosed in 2012 with MS.
♪
Probably a month later, we woke up,
and he couldn't walk.
My husband is the most inspirational person to me.
Before MS, we did scuba diving,
and jumped out of airplanes together,
a lot of horseback riding.
[sighs]
♪
It's hard for him to get on the horse now,
but he'll do it, so...
♪
A lot of times people will say,
"I'm so sorry you're going through
what you're going through. I hate to hear that,"
but Lance knows.
♪
- My wife's been battling multiple sclerosis,
so I definitely know
the strength it takes to be a caregiver,
and I know Kat has that strength.
She shows it every day.
♪
- I feel like being able to talk to Lance
even after the show is over
is going to be a blessing for sure.
[cheers and applause]
- And she's blowing kisses to her husband, B.C.,
who's watching back in Indiana along with some of the family.
They've got seven grandkids or step-grandkids.
- Kat out here showing grandmas can ninja too!
- MS warrior! Let's do this!
- Lance Pekus calling her an MS warrior.
He'll be on the sideline along with the other ninja
he invited, Luke Mickelson.
[countdown clock beeping]
She's the oldest competitor tonight at 45.
- Looking good. - Attagirl.
- Whoo! - No!
- Extra swing.
- Did not touch the water, though, Akbar. So close.
- She--I mean, came very close.
- She's still alive. - Keep your foot up.
Nice. - She survives!
[cheering]
Used up a lot of energy on that, but she stays alive.
- Don't let that get in your head!
- Good advice there. Now Off the Hook.
Only 5'2"--gonna take a big reach to get started.
- Yeah, she was a top-ranked gymnast
when she was a teenager.
- And you can see her generating that power
with that lower body. - Yeah.
- Big hip swing.
Just on the trapeze-- like on the trapeze.
Yeah, there you go.
- There you go. - Good form.
- Bring it out, bring it out. - Go for it!
- Oh, no!
- Aww! - The hook stuck.
It looked like the hook caught on her dismount,
and Kat Henschen's run ends early.
- That's a tough one. I'm proud of you.
- She showed that she's a fighter
on that first obstacle, and then on the second,
her ring got hung up coming off that first hook,
and she didn't have the distance,
but you know her husband is proud of that effort.
[organ playing "Charge"]
- Well, that music should tell you it's time to play ball!
Our next athlete
is World Series champion Gary Brown.
This former outfielder was recruited
by ninja great Karsten Williams,
who's got the speed gun going on the sidelines,
because he thinks this guy can bring the heat.
- Let's go. Let's go, nice.
Gary Brown, he's a unique athlete.
He's very quick.
He's very confident on the course.
Way to flow. Way to flow.
Yeah!
And he has a background in hitting baseballs.
- In high school my senior year,
I think I hit .612.
Pretty good year. [laughs]
- Safe! - I was selected 24th overall
in the first round by the San Francisco Giants.
After four seasons in the minor leagues,
I got called up to the big leagues
at the end of the year,
and we had an unbelievable run
that ended in San Francisco with a dog pile
and a World Series championship.
- And the Giants have won the World Series!
- To get into the big leagues is one thing.
Staying in the big leagues is another.
But I left it all on the field,
and I've got no regrets.
[crowd cheering]
I watched "American Ninja Warrior."
It was actually a fun thing for us to watch in the locker room,
and we'd all joke about how we think we could do it,
and here I am.
- Nice. Excellent job.
- Karsten's been unbelievable, and I'm very grateful.
- Let's go, let's go. Nice.
- I already got a ring. [bell dings]
Now it's time to get a buzzer.
[bat cracks]
[crowd cheering]
- He's calling his shot! - Oh, okay!
- He's calling his shot! - All right! Bai-yah!
- Oh, that's a good swing. Oh!
- It's going, going, gone! - Bat flip!
- Yeah, let's go, baby!
- Gary Brown is jacked up.
Now he's blowing kisses to his wife, his kids,
his mother-in-law back home in Texas.
And there, his former Giants teammate,
All-Star shortstop Brandon Crawford.
- Let's go, Gary. - And his buddy Karsten
will be on the sidelines, along with the third member
of their group, Kaleaha Rayner.
- Let's go, baby!
[countdown clock beeping]
- But, Matt, running the bases
is a lot different than running a ninja course.
- Nice. Good swing, there you go.
[cheering]
- But through the first obstacle.
Now he is on Off the Hook. - Up and down.
- Generate a little power with--that's how you hit.
- Yeah, he knows this. - Use your hips
to really generate power, gotta do it here.
- Yeah, he knows this very well from his baseball days.
- Oh, my!
Use your hips!
- He's going now.
- A bit outside, but still hanging on.
- Okay, you got it. Here you go.
Now you got plenty.
Pull that chest forward. Nice, there we go.
- Matt, he avoided a strikeout there.
[cheering] - He turned two.
Now he's looking to the third obstacle, the Beehive.
Could be a little chin music up here.
- Well, Matt, at the top of the third, so far,
so good for Gary Brown.
- Nice. - Nice grab.
- Are you sure he's a baseball player?
- Akbar, bite your tongue. Baseball players are athletes.
Watch it, a flying grab here. - Excellent work, Gary.
Make sure to breathe. - My goodness.
- It'll be a real challenge. - He looking real smooth.
- Gary Brown! - Nice.
- And this rookie is knocking it out of the park,
and he is through. - Come on, come on!
- Now facing Spinning Bridge.
- Well, he set a record for stolen bases
at Cal State Fullerton, so we know he has speed.
- And the Big Kat's gonna use that speed gun
to see just how fast
Brown runs across this obstacle.
- Nice, nice! - Yeah!
- Okay! - Through the Spinning Bridge!
- Nice, whoo! - Hey, Gary!
Gary!
Safe! Safe!
- Come on, buddy. [laughter]
Now gotta face Sideways.
His job as a baseball scout is to find talented athletes.
I think we've found a new one in Gary Brown.
- Matt, he's our first competitor ever
with a World Series ring,
but I bet he'd like a buzzer to go with it.
- This is so impressive.
Again, Akbar, this is not a--
- No!
Going, going, gone!
- The grip gives out!
Swinging Gary Brown strikes out there
on our fifth obstacle, Sideways.
- He was having a big night,
four for four heading into Sideways,
but he made an error, couldn't grab the slider cleanly,
and it was game over for Gary Brown.
[crowd groans]
- Oh, I whiffed.
Swing and a miss. Dang.
- Up next... - Oh!
- She's been close before. [crowd groans]
- No, again? Again? Again? No!
- Now Tiana Webberley's ready for her first buzzer.
- Ready to take one obstacle at a time.
Smooth is fast. Let's go.
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior"
inside the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis.
While we were away, seven-time ninja veteran Kevin Bull
charged onto the course
with the ninjas he brought this year.
- Come on! - First up was Isaiah Barney.
- [chanting in native language] - Who led his trio
in a traditional Maori haka dance
to honor his Polynesian roots.
- [chanting in native language]
- Whoo! All right!
- That just got me pumped up.
Let's go run the course. Come on, Matt.
- We didn't run the course, but Barney did,
and the 22-year-old came out strong.
- Nice! - Barney's a decathlete
like Kevin Bull,
but the 6'3" track athlete
surprisingly lost his footing
on the Spinning Bridge.
- Go, go! Oh, no! - Oh!
[groaning]
Next up was Stillwater, Minnesota's Abbey Steffl.
She got into ninja because of her daughter, Molly.
Molly has alopecia like Kevin Bull,
and the two met at a camp for alopecia kids
and became best friends.
- This is why Kevin Bull has her on his team.
It's great. - And with Molly and the rest
of her family watching from home,
this 39-year-old showed her mom strength...
- Nice! Just like that!
- And conquered the first two obstacles.
- We'll call that the Steffl Shuffle.
- She battled her way across the Beehive
before finally losing her grip.
- Grab it, grab--oh!
She had it and missed! Ohh!
- Good job, Abbey! - Good effort, good effort.
- Oh, my gosh, I love those people.
- Then it was the first of the California crew
led by six-time veteran Tiana Webberley,
and leading it off for them was an inspirational rookie
from Marina del Ray, Chinna Balachandran.
[cheering] - This school psychologist
suffered a life-threatening brain injury in 2019.
He had a huge piece of his skull removed
and had to go through a long rehab process
to learn to walk and talk again.
- Hi, Chinna. - Hey, Dad.
- You got this! - Miraculously,
just a year later he came out to take on our course.
- Nice! - Yes, get off, perfect.
- After surviving the Shrinking Steps,
the 31-year-old saw his inspiring run end
on Off the Hook.
- Oh, no! - Oh!
- Considering what he's been through, that's pretty good.
- Now heading up to the start line,
another member of Sweet T's inspiring trio,
32-year-old stay-at-home mom Katie Lanza.
- Go, Katie! - Whoo!
- Tiana helped her mom get through
a kidney transplant last year,
so she's totally bonded with Katie,
who's been dealing with the life-threatening illness
of her son Nolan,
or as she calls him, Nolan the Champ.
- You know, from the start,
Nolan had to come out fighting.
He was born premature.
He was very small. He was four pounds.
When we brought him home, he was fine,
but then all of a sudden
he started getting really, really sick.
[somber music]
He ended up being diagnosed
with a genetic condition known as HLH.
In order to survive, he had to have a bone marrow transplant.
It was the most devastating news
that I've ever heard in my life.
I thought I was going to lose my baby boy.
He was getting chemotherapy every week
and steroids every day.
We were in the hospital for over a month,
but at the same time, like, Nolan was just so joyful.
[laughter]
He'd have dance parties with the nurses.
They would play music, and he'd kick his arms and legs.
It gave me peace that he was going to fight
with everything inside of him
to be able to live and live joyfully.
- ♪ I am not afraid to take chances ♪
- You ready to go to the ninja gym?
- Yeah.
I started training for "American Ninja Warrior"
when we were in the hospital with Nolan,
and that's when I met Tiana Webberley.
- Hey! - Hi, there!
- I met Katie at a gym,
and just coming out of my mom's surgery,
we just really connected,
and Nolan is just-- he's adorable.
- ♪ 'Cause I
♪ I've got you
- His will to live... - Yay, Mama!
- Just with so much happiness
has really inspired me
to live my life to the fullest.
That's why he's the Champ.
No matter what obstacles are thrown at him,
he's gonna fight it.
- ♪ And I got you
♪
- Just makes you smile,
that connection between Katie and Tiana,
that's what this season is all about, rising together.
[cheering]
And there's Nolan cheering for his mom
along with Katie's husband and parents.
- Well, Matt, you can see Katie at the start line
getting a little emotional.
You know, Matt, her being here,
she's a champ too.
[countdown clock beeping] - Says she dreamed
of competing on "Ninja Warrior"
when she was in the hospital with Nolan,
so you know how much this means to her.
- Come on, come on. Oh, nope, no, no, no, no.
Come on. - Good save!
- Oh, no, no! - Oh, yes!
- My word! - Yes! Yes!
- Are you kidding me? - A great save.
[cheering]
- Whoo-hoo! - My goodness!
She was barely able to keep her left foot
out of the water, not once but twice.
She's a fighter. I see you, Katie Lanza!
- Well, she learned from watching her son Nolan.
Here she is on Off the Hook.
- Go, Mama! Say, "Go!" So excited!
- Nolan spent two months in the hospital
during his transplant.
Katie said she would watch "Ninja Warrior"
in the waiting room every day for comfort,
and she got hooked.
- Now she needs to get that ring
and put it on the hook.
- Generating a little bit of power,
may need a little more.
- Ooh. - That's all right.
- You know what? Some runs are
so much bigger than a buzzer.
- Awesome job, Katie! - Just by being out here,
Katie showed that same spirit her son
Nolan has, that champion spirit.
- We love you, Mom!
- It was just so amazing,
and I'm just so grateful to be here.
Thank you.
- Well, if you're like Katie and you've dreamed
of being an American Ninja Warrior,
why not apply for next year?
Just go to ANWcasting.com,
and we could see you on the course next season.
[cheers and applause]
Well, now it's time for Katie's mentor,
Tiana Webberley.
Sweet T has become
one of ninja's most popular women athletes,
and she always has a ton of family support.
And that's her mom, who we mentioned earlier.
She had the kidney transplant.
She's watching with Tiana's aunt,
plus Tiana's sister and dad,
and Nolan the Champ has changed shirts.
Now he's cheering for Tiana.
So far this season, four women have hit buzzers.
Can Tiana finally get her first
and add her name to that list?
[countdown clock beeping]
This is Sweet T's sixth season competing.
She qualified for the national finals the past two years.
- Whoo! - Just a good, confident
start here out of Sweet T,
now on to Off the Hook.
This hook can be tricky,
getting it off that side hook there.
Sometimes the hook sticks, but as a pole vaulter,
understands how to generate power.
- Yeah, spatial awareness,
get that ring, put it on that peg.
- Got it. - Nice.
- She got it! - This obstacle ended the runs
of the two ninjas she brought,
but doesn't look like it's gonna get Tiana.
and she is through.
- Yeah! Good job.
[cheers and applause]
- Now facing the Beehive.
Tiana now 28 years old,
says she's in the best shape she's been in in years.
5'4".
- Look at that! - Wow.
Goes just super-aggressive on that 270!
- Now, this is the hard transfer
'cause as you can see, you're moving parallel here
to the handles.
Gets it. - Okay.
- Great veteran move out of Sweet T,
and she sticks it, looking strong!
Now the former pole vaulter at Cal State Northridge
facing Spinning Bridge.
- Look at that. You see her doing
that little track thing,
like, that little bouncing back.
Nice. - Oh!
- Nice--oh, hold on!
You better fight for your life!
[cheering]
- Yes, come on! Yes!
- We may have to look at that one again.
- She stumbled and went airborne
over that last one, slammed into the pad,
and was just barely able to hang on.
- One more obstacle before the Warped Wall.
- Hey, go get that buzzer, girl!
- The fifth obstacle used to be a roadblock for her.
She fell on it three straight years
before breaking through in season ten
at the city finals,
but still has not hit her first buzzer.
- Matt, I think this is her year.
She looks so strong.
- Nice, simultaneously, and look at--
- Great grab. - And she's getting
a lot of air time as well, and that really helps.
- This is a pre-- it's a precise obstacle.
You have to grab front and back simultaneously.
- Look at that, showing off. - Otherwise, that handle
will spin. - Oh, look at that.
All right, she's getting ready.
Now look at the air time she gets.
The hang time allows her to grab it simultaneously.
Nice. - Great job.
And you can see, kipping those hips up
while pulling the arms down and around.
- Come on, Sweet T. Come on, Sweet T!
- Oh, that was great form.
- Yeah, she almost got in the way.
Nice. - Oh, watch that wall.
Yes! - Yes!
- 14 1/2 feet away from her first buzzer!
- Go get it!
- Her family's going crazy!
A moment six years in the making here in St. Louis.
all: [chanting] Beat that wall! - Sweet T...
The Warped Wall! - History in the room!
History in the room! - Got it!
- Yes!
- Her first buzzer! [buzzer blares]
- ♪ This is all we ever want
[cheering]
[triumphant music]
A long time coming.
- Yes! Yes!
- Enjoy that moment.
- I love you all!
- This is where you gotta
just let that sizzle in your spirit right there.
Let this sizzle in your spirit,
your first buzzer!
- Oh! - Congratulations!
- Thank you all. Thank you so much.
- She had been close before,
but after six years,
she finally pulled herself over the top
and got her first buzzer.
Her family knew what it meant.
She joins an elite group of women
who hit buzzers in qualifying.
- I gotta say, we get some special moments on this show.
This is one of them.
Let's go down to Zuri.
- Sweet T, what a run, competing for six years,
and to finally hit your first buzzer.
What does that mean to you?
- It means the world, and it just, I hope,
shows that, you know, no matter how many times you fall,
just keep working hard and never give up,
and you can definitely achieve your goals.
- I love it. I love it.
Well, congratulations. Hey, fam, hey, friends.
I know you guys are proud of this one right here.
Her first buzzer! - Love you guys.
- And we've got lots more action still ahead
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior."
While we were away,
it was the remaining members of the group
led by the Cowboy Ninja, Idaho rancher Lance Pekus.
First up was fellow Idahoan Luke Mickelson.
He wanted to raise awareness for his nonprofit
that builds bunk beds for underprivileged kids.
- No kid sleeps on the floor in our town.
- The father of three admits he's got a dad bod,
but even at 215 pounds,
he managed to dance across the Shrinking Steps.
- All right, come on, big fella.
- Nice and easy!
- But on Off the Hook, it was lights out.
No!
[all groaning]
- "Goodnight Irene" song from Luke Mickelson.
- Then it was time for the Cowboy Ninja to saddle up.
With his wife, Heather, and kids cheering him on,
Pekus put on a show.
The cattle rancher stampeded through
the first few obstacles. - Whoo!
- Oh! - The shirt comes off!
- Shirt comes off! - Yeah, Daddy!
- He's powered by beef.
Even though I'm vegan, I'm down with it.
[cheering]
- He even took a shot at the Mega Wall.
Oh! - It was the baggy jeans.
- You got this, right here. - This is it.
- But he came back to clear the regular wall
and became the third finisher of the night.
[buzzer blaring] [cheering]
- I wanted that one, but I'll take it.
- And now it's a new group starting on the course.
This is Amir Malik.
He's a 20-year-old rookie
from tiny Essex Junction, Vermont.
He was selected by one of last year's top rookies,
David Wright... - Let's go, Amir!
- Better known as Da Cake Ninja.
- You got this, playa! - With their other member,
Alex Carson, this trio has got something cooking.
- It's you, buddy!
- It's cake time.
I'm floured up. Let's go.
[exciting music]
- Amir is a baker,
and he's fantastic.
♪
- Cheesecakes, tarts, meringues.
- There's a lot of things that go into
making a good cake, you know.
A lot of love, gotta measure correctly.
- Baking's serious, man. You mess up, you done.
- [laughs]
♪
- ♪ Whoo!
- And then Alex makes cheesecakes, which is...
♪
Kinda like cake.
- ♪ Come on
- It takes time, but thankfully,
I have two gentlemen that really appreciate
the time it takes to make a cake.
- Oh. - Oh, yeah.
- Well done, Alex, well done. - Yes, sir.
- They like to bake the cakes,
and I like to devour the cakes.
- That's nice. That's nice.
- Being able to have two guys
who can make cakes for me is...
♪
Kinda awesome. [laughs]
- ♪ Ow!
[can splurting]
- The three of us are really bonding well.
[laughter]
We're all connecting, and it's definitely gonna show
on the "Ninja Warrior" course.
♪
- ♪ Whoo!
- David, he did good his rookie year,
but, you know, it's my rookie year,
so I have to show him what I got.
♪
- Our team's totally gonna be on a sugar high.
♪
- ♪ Ow!
- Go! - Amir and this group
have really bonded over their baking.
Amir's gonna have his family watching back in Vermont.
Got his parents, brother, and grandma cheering him on.
[countdown clock beeping]
- All right, let's go! - He's got one of
the nicest ninja nicknames, the Sonic Ninja.
- Yeah, Amir! - You can see the Sonic logo
on his shirt there.
- He started watching "American Ninja Warrior"
as a kid, now finally old enough to compete.
- Yeah, come on, Amir. Good, good!
- And he is quickly through. [cheering]
Real strong start, Akbar.
- Yeah, Amir Malik looking good.
- Twenty years old, 5'5", 115.
Not a big guy. He may bake cakes,
but it sure doesn't look like he's eating any.
- Well, he could use some cheesecake.
Extra calories won't hurt anybody.
- I'm impressed with his technique.
Look at him moving his hips, Akbar.
- Yeah, there you go!
Get it! Go!
There we go. Take a second.
Breathe, Amir! You got this!
- Already to the Spinning Bridge.
He is flying! - High feet, let's go!
- You gotta hit it hard and fast.
- Whoa!
Oh, my!
- He's so nimble. - Look at him,
right into Sideways,
his confidence growing with every obstacle.
- Well, he's gotta watch out not going too quick, Matt.
He's moving a little erratic.
- What I love, though, Akbar, he's kipping his hips up.
You're seeing--throws himself up to give himself a chance
to find the handholds.
- Amir Malik is balling. - A great approach.
- Yeah, come on! Let's go!
- This is a textbook performance on Sideways,
better than anyone we've seen.
- Where did this kid come from?
He's gonna get a buzzer!
- Come on.
First time on the course...
Flawless! Gets the buzzer!
[buzzer blaring]
[exciting music]
[all cheering]
- Let's go! - Don't break it.
♪
- He--he broke it.
- He broke the buzzer! - You broke the buzzer!
- You know what? - [screams]
- [laughs] - [screams]
- The fastest finish so far! - That's right!
- Let's go, baby!
- Wow. - That's how you do!
- That was big-time prime time.
- Hey, hey, hey, is this as sweet as your cheesecake?
- Oh, yes, it is. - That a boy, Amir Malik.
- ♪ Yeah
♪
- This kid likes to bake,
and he was cooking on the course,
sailed through every obstacle
and handled Sideways better than anyone all night.
Only problem is, he broke our buzzer.
- ♪ Whoo!
- Well, we better get it fixed,
because the Big Kat, Karsten Williams,
runs when we come back on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior"
and our final night of qualifying here in St. Louis.
While we were away, 12-time veteran Brian Kretsch
stepped up for his shot at the course.
- Let's go, Brian! [cheering]
- You know you're an OG when you're running
with a knee brace on.
- Whoo!
- Kretsch is one of only three athletes to compete
on every season,
but balance obstacles are his least favorite.
- You got it, Brian. You got this.
- Yeah, he totally freaks out
when it comes to balance obstacles.
Oh!
- But he survived the Spinning Bridge.
- Hey, you good? I like it.
- And he made it to the end.
- Mega? Mega?
No, no.
He said, "Pump the brakes, Akbar."
- Instead he scaled the regular wall
and joined his buddy, the Kayak Ninja, Vance Harris,
on our growing list of finishers.
- Thank you, guys, so much.
- Then it was another member of Karsten Williams' group.
- This is your moment. This is your moment.
- Kaleaha Rayner once weighed 230 pounds,
and she celebrated her new fit physique at the start line.
- She's just warming up. - Let's go, Kaleaha!
- This single mom gets her workouts by working
the night shift at the Ford Motors assembly plant
in Kansas City,
and, with her family watching,
the 32-year-old made it through the Shrinking Steps...
- Okay! - Nice, nice!
- Before running out of steam on Off the Hook.
- She's holding on too long.
- She didn't give up easily,
taking 15 swings before her arms finally gave out.
- Oh!
She looks exhausted.
- Up next, the man who invited Kaleaha to compete tonight.
It's the Big Kat, Karsten Williams.
The gym manager from Fairview, Texas,
is riding in with a lot of momentum.
Last year, the now-39-year-old had a phenomenal season.
He hit four buzzers: qualifying, city finals,
stage one, and stage two.
And fans of Karsten know his mom
never misses one of his runs. - Yeah!
- And she's watching from back in Texas
along with some of Karsten's friends and fellow ninjas.
Plus the two ninjas he brought will be down on the sidelines.
- Get that, Kars! - Get it!
- Now, if Karsten goes fast, he can get to the Power Tower
and pull them into the semifinals.
- And, Matt, he told us he's gonna go for it.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Here we go, Big Kat on the course.
- Whoo! - Yes!
- You can do it, son!
- Guy has just been a beast.
Last year, made it to stage three,
his best performance ever,
and, Akbar, he says he's in better shape.
- Karsten had the keys to his gym,
so he was able to go in by himself
and keep training these past few months.
- Let's go; get up out of there, get out of there.
- He's 6'1", 170 pounds,
and he is attacking this course right now.
- Nice.
- He is a big boy, but he just is so agile, like a cat.
- Well, float like a butterfly,
sting like a bee.
Karsten Williams is crushing the Beehive.
- You can see him having to correct those hips.
A little north-south gets him going real quick.
Now Spinning Bridge.
- Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo!
- Oh, just like a cat.
On now to Sideways. He is blazing,
and he could beat Amir Malik for the fastest time
if he keeps this pace up. - You the man.
Get it, get it. - On to the slider.
- Yeah! - You got it, almost there.
- He's swinging in circles a little bit.
He needs to straighten that out.
- Breathe and move.
Breathe and move. Breathe and move.
- Yup, I say forget the f--oh! - Oh, no!
- Forget the fast time, just complete the obstacle!
- The Big Kat is wet, tripped up by Sideways.
- Oh, no. - Shocking exit for Karsten.
- Matt, sometimes speed makes the obstacle a lot harder
than it's supposed to be.
From the get-go, you could tell
Karsten wanted a fast time.
He was sprinting through the first four obstacles,
but on Sideways, he was going in circles
and swinging to the sides instead of straight ahead,
and he didn't take the time to correct it and it cost him.
- That's how the game goes out here,
but we'll see what happens and how this plays out,
but I'm excited to be here.
Thank you for the opportunity.
I love everybody. Thank you so much.
- Well, we've had a lot of finishers already.
It may be tough for Karsten to stay in the top 12.
- Big Kat, Big Kat.
- Coming up, she's been a warrior in the battle
against the pandemic.
Now nurse Mady Howard's
bringing that fighting spirit to the course...
- The world needs a lot of inspiration right now.
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior,"
where we're midway through our final night of qualifying.
Akbar, we're in the Show Me State,
so what have these ninjas shown us so far tonight?
- Well, I'll tell you what these ninjas have shown us.
They ready.
- Whoa! - History in the room!
- Got it! - Yes!
We've already had a slew of ninjas hit the buzzer.
- First time on the course! - What?
- Flawless! - Including three
getting their first one ever.
[buzzer blaring] - Oh!
- And some fan favorites getting one, too.
- Missed the Mega Wall, lassoes the top time.
And while we were away,
another ninja veteran got his shot,
as Kevin Bull flashed the bull horns to his buddies
and then flew onto the course.
- Ooh!
This is Kevin Bull. This is where he lives.
That upper-body strength, phenomenal.
- With his number-one fan, Molly Steffl, cheering him on,
Bull made it up the Warped Wall
to become the night's sixth finisher.
[buzzer blaring] - Whoo!
- Oh, look at Molly going nuts.
- Hello, Molly!
- Then it was the start for last season's breakout star,
Utah nurse Mady Howard,
and the two rookies she invited.
Leading it off was New York City's Kemar Barcoo.
Like Mady, he works in a hospital
on the front lines of the pandemic,
and he gave a shout-out to his fellow healthcare workers.
- I know you guys are cheering me on
every step of the way.
I got this.
- At 6'6", 230 pounds,
Barcoo is the biggest athlete tonight.
- Ohh! - Whoo!
- And though he pulled off an impressive move
on Off the Hook,
he had no idea how to swing on Beehive.
- These aren't pull-ups. Come on now.
- And eventually that big body was too much to hold.
- Use your hips!
- Oh. - Oh.
- That was a lot to carry. - Then it was time to downsize
to Barcoo's much smaller teammate, Faith Fitzgerald.
This 5'2", 105-pound rookie
is from Mady's home state of Utah.
She's a nationally ranked rodeo cowgirl
and is good with a lasso...
- Faith has been riding
since she was, like, three years old.
- But couldn't handle the rope on Shrinking Steps.
Oh, no!
- What happened to the two-step?
- Now here comes the third member
of that group, 25-year-old Mady Howard.
She was a breakout star last year as a rookie,
but, the past few months,
she's been facing a much bigger battle,
fighting the pandemic as an intensive care unit nurse.
- I'll be over there soon.
Since the coronavirus pandemic,
most people have been quarantining
at home to stay safe,
but it's actually been the opposite for me.
I'm on the front lines,
and so I get to see what most people don't see.
Take a deep breath in.
And it's just really hard
feeling like we're doing everything we can,
yet they're still not getting better,
and eventually losing them.
It has really brought me and my coworkers closer together.
We've really had to have each other's backs
over these past few months,
and so there's really just been this unity on our unit.
- So, initially, when I got the call for season 12,
I debated doing it with the world
being so crazy right now,
but ultimately I decided
that the world needs a lot of inspiration right now.
- Go for it! Yeah!
- Ohh!
- The world needs some "American Ninja Warrior."
♪
[cheers and applause] - Let's go, Mady!
- Watching from back in Utah are Mady's husband, Tyler,
and some friends, plus Mady's parents
with the big green "Mady" letters.
- Tyler's gonna get out here someday soon.
Oh, and look who just jumped in!
- Those are some of the doctors and nurses from
the hospital where she works. - Oh!
- Dixie Regional Medical Center.
- Oh, wow, that's great.
- I hope they can hear us, Akbar,
as we say thank you to them. - Thank you.
Thank you.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Mady on the course, and you just saw her
get focused, get locked in.
- All right, come on, Mady. Nice.
[cheering]
Well, that's gotta feel good, to know that you've got
family support, work support,
and you've got the ninja support.
- Just incredible last year, just exploded in Tacoma,
was so impressive. - Nice.
- Was one of the top two women in city finals,
alongside ninja veteran Jessie Graff.
Mady was a gymnast at Southern Utah University.
After graduating, she took up rock climbing.
Tremendous upper-body strength,
which should help right here on Beehive.
- Come on, Mady. Let's go!
- Generating power with the hips.
Wow, great lache.
- Oh, look how easy that was. That's probably the best
we've seen anyone on the Beehive tonight.
- Come on! Come on, you got this!
- When you generate that power,
the transitions are so much easier.
- Well, she just kinda let it flow,
just so natural for her,
and she's only in her second year.
- The top 12 and the top three women
will move on to the semifinals.
If Mady gets through this next obstacle,
Spinning Bridge, she'll put herself
in great position to advance.
- Let's go! - Yeah, her time is excellent.
Nice--oh! My goodness!
- Hard fall.
- Yes, Mady! Let's go!
- Oh, another hard landing on the Spinning Bridge.
We saw Tiana Webberley do the exact same thing earlier.
- You could see it, Akbar.
She didn't want to use her hands.
You touch those balls, you're out.
Did a great job keeping her arms high and wide.
She made it through, but now
this new and very difficult fifth obstacle, Sideways.
Knocked out Karsten Williams just minutes ago.
Now, we saw it, use your hips. She's doing a great job.
You said go weightless.
Go weightless so you can get your hands on the handles.
- And then up and up, nice.
- Great power for Mady.
- I love the hang time. Nice.
- Well, despite her incredible success getting to Vegas,
hasn't hit a buzzer.
Can she get through this and get her shot
on the Warped Wall? - I'm feeling it, Matt.
This is gonna be a special night for Mady.
- Tiana Webberley got her first buzzer earlier.
We could have two women finishers,
and we're only halfway through the night.
- She deserves it, putting herself out there
on the front line during the coronavirus pandemic,
and now look at her. - Yes!
- Come on, come on, come on, get out of there!
Get out of there! Her family's about to go nuts.
The hospital is about to go nuts.
- Here we go! - Yes!
[cheers and applause]
Picking up where she left off last year,
and now has a chance to hit her first buzzer.
- Let's go, come on! Bring it home, bring it home!
- Do it for those healthcare workers!
Come on, Mady Howard!
- Right here, right here!
- Yes!
- Yeah! - Yes!
- Okay, Mady! - Mady Howard does it!
- That's what I'm talking about!
- ♪ I'm breakin' through
- Wow, wow. [cheering]
- ♪ I'm changing the rules
- You deserve it!
- Our hearts are racing. - Incredible.
- Mady, from the front line to the finish line.
That was amazing.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
- No, Mady, we wanna say thank you.
We know your coworkers were watching.
After all you've seen during this pandemic,
what's it like for them to see you
and to be out here and to hit that buzzer?
- It just shows that nurses are tough.
We're tough when we're working
at the hospital with our patients,
and we're tough on the course, so--
- You crushed it, Mady. Way to go.
- Yeah. - [laughs]
- There was no sophomore slump for Mady Howard.
She flew through Off the Hook with one continuous move,
then survived a hard landing
on Spinning Bridge, but this ICU nurse is tough.
She dusted herself off and made it up the Warped Wall
to become our second woman to hit the buzzer tonight.
- Some of our biggest stars are still to come,
including Kid Owhadi, Meagan Martin,
and Michael Torres.
Plus... both: Oh!
- Joe Moravsky's missed on the Mega Wall
two years in a row.
No! - What?
- Tonight he wants that money.
- Ten grand comes in handy big-time
when you have two kids with a third on the way.
- He's coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior."
While we were away, the rest of David Wright's Cake Crew
looked to match their baking buddy,
Amir Malik, who has the fastest finish so far tonight.
First up was Alex Carson,
who's not just a cheesecake maker.
He's also a music maker.
He plays the tuba.
- Oh, you a bad brass dude.
- The Bad Brass Ninja then did a number on the course.
- Come on, go through. Go through, go through.
Go through. Nice!
- Got it! - Yeah!
- And with his new wife watching
from back in Kansas City,
the 34-year-old scaled the Warped Wall
to get his very first buzzer.
- Let's go! [buzzer blares]
- The only one more excited than his wife,
Sarah, was his dog, Koda.
The one thing that's different this year, you're married.
Is that the reason for your success?
- She kinda gave me a little talking-to
before we left the house. "Hit that buzzer, or else
there's gonna be some problems when we get off that plane."
[laughter]
- Then it was his buddy David Wright's turn.
After gobbling up his traditional pre-run cupcake,
Da Cake Ninja picked up right where he left off
after his impressive rookie season.
- He's going right into Spinning Bridge,
not thinking about it, just going really fast.
Nice! [cheering]
- And after taking his shot at the Mega Wall...
- Oh, you were so close!
- He settled for the regular wall
and finished a qualifying course
for the second straight year.
[buzzer blares]
- I know you want cake, but we got cake.
- I like cake!
- And with that, the Cake Crew becomes the first trio
in qualifying to have all three athletes hit a buzzer.
How sweet it is.
Great success for that trio.
Up next, the start of another special group,
and leading it off for them is Kyle Schulze,
who calls himself the Deaf Ninja.
He's making the sign language symbol for "ninja."
- That's the sign for ninja.
It's ninja love. - Breathe the whole time.
- And making the sign for "breathe,"
that's the other members of this Chicago group,
Jimmy Choi and the guy who invited them both,
Michael Torres, because they've taught him so much.
♪
- With this season,
I'm bringing along two people
that not only inspire you guys but inspire me.
Jimmy is the epitome
of somebody who will not back down.
- You can see the tremors in those hands.
- To just see the way he tackles life
with Parkinson's disease,
it's really incredible to watch him do what he does.
- Jimmy Choi defying the odds!
- Michael Torres-- to watch him train
and to watch him operate...
Let's go, Torres. There you go, nice.
Has really given me a new perspective
on how I can move myself,
so this is really an honor.
- Kyle, too, I mean, he's--he's deaf.
- Beat that wall.
- But he makes it just seem like he's an everyday person.
- And he got some style points!
- You know, just the same as all of us,
and I love that attitude about him.
- Jimmy Choi, him and I has always been training together
since we first started.
- Nice, Kyle.
- So we have that same understanding for each other,
what it's like to struggle through that.
- And Kyle and I both share a passion
to fundraise for our causes.
I will keep pushing my limits
and raise awareness and funds for research.
- I will support his fundraiser for Parkinson research,
and he helped me with Deaf Day at my gym,
and Torres doesn't even hesitate to help us.
He gives us a little bit of advice,
how to improve our technique and strength.
Us three together, we're gonna be unstoppable
and be able to go all the way down.
♪
[cheers and applause]
- I love it. And there it is.
That's sign language for "ninja,"
and his friends giving it right back.
- Aw, look at that, he's getting a little emotional.
Seeing family up on those screens
really means a lot to our ninjas.
- Absolutely, but now has to focus on this run.
[countdown clock beeping]
Like so many of our ninjas,
he's a real leader in his community,
goes around speaking to other hard of hearing, deaf kids.
- That's right, he traveled to 38 schools
for the deaf around the country just in the last year.
- Good, good, good, good. - All right, Kyle, come on.
- And Schulze now ready for Off the Hook.
He's had some good runs over the years
but never had a buzzer,
and that's been the story of the night.
- Nice--oh, he almost missed that one, but got it.
- Well, you can see it hooks on, though,
good grip strength.
6'2", 165, lean and strong.
- Breathe. Breathe.
- Watch that right hand, Akbar.
Looks like he might have banged it on the ring.
- And that's not a good thing to injure
going into the Beehive.
Get that grip. Get that movement.
These are all fundamental ninja movements right here.
Like a lot of ninjas, hasn't had as much time
to train as he would like.
- Well, keep in mind, he injured his back
after last season in training.
- And he's fighting with this one.
- Really been recuperating, as you see how much core
there is involved in these obstacles,
particularly these ones.
You can see, using the hips.
- That's a tough one in the middle, Matt.
Those are three 90-degree turns.
- You need power.
- Oh! - Great transition.
- Yeah, that Plexiglas makes it very hard.
You gotta connect. - Gotta go on that backside,
get the handles, and he did it.
Now for the Spinning Bridge, and last season
Kyle had a nasty fall on this obstacle.
- Ooh, oh!
Yeah, that nearly folded him in half!
He looked like a scorpion.
And look at that face.
He says, "We meet again, Spinning Bridge."
- Go fast, go fast, go fast.
- Even more elevation change in the balls this year.
- Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
Boom! - Got it!
And that's gotta be a big boost.
You can see his reaction,
vanquishing your nemesis.
[cheers and applause] - Let's go, come on.
- And he's getting closer to that first buzzer,
but gotta get past Sideways.
You saw him, Akbar, he was checking
that right hand back on Off the Hook.
- Yeah. - If his grip is compromised,
it's gonna be real tough to survive this obstacle.
You can see you have to grab these handles simultaneously,
or they'll just spin out and drop you down.
- Three more handles to go. - This is real challenging,
facing forward, gotta go sideways.
- Ooh!
- No!
- Just missed it on Sideways,
Unforgiving obstacle.
An impressive run, but no buzzer for the Deaf Ninja.
- Look at it, I think he smacked his right hand
back on the second obstacle.
He managed to get revenge on the Spinning Bridge...
- Ahh!
- But then on Sideways, I think that injured hand
made it tough to grab, and his run was over.
- I was so close.
- Coming up, she missed out
on the national finals for the first time ever last year.
- No! No! - Oh!
Now Meagan Martin's ready for a comeback
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior,"
and don't forget, our night ends right over there
on the massive Power Tower.
- We've already had some epic battles over there.
I'm hyped for another one tonight.
- While we were away, Army captain Jeri D'Aurelio
led a squad of military ninjas onto the course.
D'Aurelio, the six-year veteran,
had an army of supporters rooting for her.
- Look at team Jeri.
- Including her drum-beating dad.
Once on the course, she attacked through the air...
- Okay, D'Aurelio! - And on the ground.
- Go, go, go, go, go, nice! - Perfect!
- Whoo!
- But then couldn't quite conquer Sideways.
Ohh! - No!
- But she's still got a chance
to be in the women's top three.
- Oh, my God, it felt so good.
- One of the ninjas Jeri brought
was National Guardsman Michael Bougher.
- I love this kid.
- The Indiana native missed last year
because he was at Army Ranger school,
but he came storming back tonight.
- He wants it. He wants it.
- Until he got careless
and was brought down by the Beehive.
- Ohh!
- Too aggressive! Too aggressive!
- The third member of this group,
California's Verdale Benson, was awarded a bronze star
by the Army for his service in Afghanistan.
- Army strong? He's Army swole!
- Whoo! Let's go! - Go, V!
- And the super-fit former Army medic
was a man on a mission.
- Not this year!
[cheering]
- In his third season, he was trying
to finish a course for the first time.
[cheering]
- Get that first buzzer! - Oh, and he's flying!
- Whoo! - And it was
an emotional moment when he finally got it.
- Yes! - I see you!
They see you!
How special is this?
- Up next, it's another ninja who's waited a long time
just to compete.
This is 22-year-old Will Schlageter,
a biochemist from Rochester, New York.
He's one of the two young ninjas
invited by the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky.
- Whoo-hoo!
- Will applied to be on the show back in 2012,
when he was way too young to be eligible,
but now his long-delayed ninja dream
is finally coming true.
- My name is William Johan Maximilian Schlageter V,
and I am the first American Ninja Warrior.
I was first seen on "American Ninja Warrior"
when I was 14 years old back in season four.
You know, "American Ninja Warrior," it's a lifestyle.
I sent in my first submission video that year.
I started it, you know, having fun,
but it keeps me physically fit.
And instead of me being able to run, since I was too young,
they let my dad run in my place.
- Out of Lancaster, PA, Bill Schlageter.
- And I love him to death, but...
[horn blares] - Oh, taps out,
a rookie mistake.
- That didn't go as well as planned.
♪
And ever since then, I just started training
really, really hard.
♪
[bell rings] Every day after school,
go train for two hours,
whether it's rain, whether it's snow,
'cause ever since I was 14,
this has been my dream,
and this year I'm here 'cause of the absolute legend,
Joe Moravsky.
- Will's got that fire in his eye.
He's the guy to look out for, I'm telling you now.
- The night my dad got to run in Miami, Matt Iseman said...
- Well, seven more years before the son gets out here.
- Well, Matt, here I am.
I've been training my butt off,
and I'm going to destroy that course.
♪
[cheers and applause]
Hey, guys! I love you!
- Calling out to the family,
including his dad, Bill, in the back.
- And the roles are reversed. Now he's watching his son.
- And they're all wearing Will Da Beast t-shirts.
That's his nickname.
- He doesn't look like a beast.
He looks like a biochemist, Matt.
- Whoo! - Well, Joe Moravsky believes
in this kid.
There's Joe with
their third member, Jeshuah Lewis.
- Whoo-hoo! [countdown clock beeping]
- Will Da Beast unleashing it on the course.
- Oh running in glasses like Clark Kent.
Let's see if he turns into Superman.
- Just amazing to think when he was 14, this was his dream.
Now here he is at 22, running the course.
Will has already bested his dad's performance.
Remember, his dad fell on the first obstacle.
- Nice! - Oh, look at that!
[cheering]
This guy's been busy during the quarantine.
He had a virtual graduation
from the University of Rochester
with three degrees-- biology, chemistry,
and environmental sciences.
Obviously a smart kid.
- Now he's trying to outsmart the Beehive.
His hands are getting a little low there.
- No! - Oh, no!
- Oh!
- Dang it! - He is livid, Matt.
And he lost his glasses too!
- Well, the dream becomes a nightmare.
His grip gives out on the Beehive.
- Will Da Beast waited years to get his shot
and was cruising along,
but as he swings over to that third honeycomb,
he couldn't keep his grip with his left hand,
and his night is over. - No!
- Will Schlageter an example of never giving up,
and so is our next ninja,
four-time veteran Jimmy Choi.
Zuri, get him started.
- I can't tell you how thrilled we are to see Jimmy Choi
back on that start line.
After battling Parkinson's disease for years,
he thought he had to quit ninja for good,
but now Jimmy just might have found a miracle.
His doctors introduced him to a cutting-edge new treatment
called vibrotactile stimulation or VTS.
For two hours every day, Jimmy wears special gloves
that send electrical currents
from his fingertips to his brain.
Those currents create new neural pathways
that help reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's.
- My training has gotten to the next level,
thanks to this treatment.
I'm able to do things now that
I was not able to do before.
It has given me a second life
at ninja warrior.
I think this season, for me,
is a season
that I am not gonna forget.
I have all the tools that I need
to complete any course.
- Yes!
♪
- And there he is, Jimmy Choi,
knocking out some burpees before his run, wow.
- He's showing off his fitness.
This is Jimmy Choi.
He has Parkinson, but he has not let it stop him.
- And he's got a lot of support,
especially from his family.
There's his wife and two kids watching back in Chicago.
- Let's go, Jimmy!
- And his buddies will have his back on the sidelines.
Kyle Schulze made it to the fifth obstacle earlier,
and Michael Torres will run next.
- And you can see it right there,
the tremors in his arms,
something he lives with every day.
[countdown clock beeps]
He wants so badly to hit the buzzer.
Tonight is the night that he gets past the third--
- Oh, no! - Ohh.
- Oh, no, he fumbled his hand.
- Just missed on the rope, and a hard fall.
♪
Got to be disappointing.
Thought he was strong enough
to go far on the course this year.
- Just missed the rope. That was it.
[sighs]
- He got a nice jump from that last step,
but when he went to grab the rope,
his right hand caught it clean,
but his left hand just missed it.
- Hey, we all know you can do this.
You--and you know you can do this.
- And look at this: his two friends
rushed over to console him.
This is what the ninja warrior community
is all about.
- I'm so proud of you, man, but listen, dude,
I'm telling you, I'm gonna do my very best to bring you
and Kyle back for a second chance, all right?
Come on, I got you guys. Let's do it.
- Torres talking about saving them
if he can win on the Power Tower,
but first he'll have to be among the two fastest.
We'll see his run when we come back.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior"
and the final night of qualifying here in St. Louis.
While we were away,
Erie, Pennsylvania's Jennifer Stefano
had a huge group of friends and family
watching her ninja debut.
- She's so excited, she's crying.
- The 20-year-old rookie was invited
by ninja veteran Lucas Reale...
- Up first, then over.
- Who coached her through the second obstacle.
- Nice! Just like that, okay!
- But the waitress couldn't work her way
across the Beehive.
- You can see it on her face. She's concerned.
Oh! [all groaning]
- Then it was her mentor, Lucas Reale's turn.
The two-time national finalist
made it to stage three last season,
and he picked up right where he left off.
- Yeah, that's the way you do it.
- The Massachusetts gym manager
was a man on a mission
as he cruised through the course...
- He's going for that fast time!
- And put up the fastest time of the night.
- Yes, whoo! Yeah, baby!
- So Reale's currently in line to go to the Power Tower,
but there's still some top competitors yet to run.
- That was blazing. - Yes!
- And here comes one of those
who could challenge Reale's time.
This is 25-year-old Michael Torres,
and he's a newlywed.
Just got married to his wife Sarah.
His big family watching from New Jersey, as well,
as are some of his Chicago training partners,
Cam Baumgartner, Ethan Swanson,
and Chris DiGangi.
- Let's go, Captain Torres! - Yeah, Torres!
- But it's his other Chicago buddies
who are on his mind right now.
Neither are in the top 12,
so, without his help, they're going home.
Torres has vowed to make it to the Power Tower and save them,
but he'll have to be one of the two fastest times
to get there.
[countdown clock beeping]
He knows what he needs to do-- beat Lucas Reale's time
of a minute, 17 seconds.
- Let's go, Torres, come on. You got this.
- Still a few other good ninjas to run,
including Joe Moravsky,
but if he beats Reale's blazing time,
he'll be in the driver's seat.
- You got it. Come on, you got it.
- Well, Torres always moves fast,
but, Akbar, with speed, there is risk.
Just stuck that dismount.
[cheering]
Now on to Beehive.
- This 25-year-old veteran, he's been here before.
Nice. - Well, Reale's time
was so fast, one extra swing
could be the difference. - Nice, nice!
- You got it here. You got it, right.
- He's gotta hustle. He's gotta add
a little bit more gas to his run.
[cheering]
- Now through the Spinning Bridge, no hesitation.
- Nice! - Perfect.
He's starting to gas it, Akbar.
He heard you. - Yes, he is.
He must be wearing them stretch jeans
'cause he flew through Spinning Bridge.
- Got about 30 seconds, but we've seen this one
is a brutal obstacle, and it is unforgiving.
One mistake, and you're wet.
- And you can see he's taking chances.
He's going all out.
He wants to save his buddies.
- Come on. Yes.
There we go. - Come on, Torres.
Yeah, you see him trying to adjust his--
- Oh, my. Oh, my!
- Oh, he's going wicked fast!
- Oh, my! - That was dangerous!
- He's got about 12 seconds to get the top time!
- Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh. - He's going for it!
- Oh, sha-na-na!
Do it for your boy! - And he's got it!
- That's what I'm talking about!
- [screaming] - Do it for your boy!
- Yeah! - Let's go!
[cheering]
- Torres is pumped!
- Let's go, baby!
- You are your brother's keeper, man.
You kept your promise, and you did it for your boys.
You got the fastest time.
- Let's go!
Come on! I got you guys!
- Wow. - I'm bringing you back!
- Captain Torres.
- Whoo!
- When Michael Torres makes a promise, he keeps it.
He absolutely flew through Spinning Bridge,
then made up even more time
with a little one, two, three on Sideways
before flying up the Warped Wall.
Michael Torres clutches up
and snags the top spot on our leaderboard.
- What a run, and now here comes another ninja superstar.
It's Meagan Martin.
The pro rock climber and model is now
in her seventh season on "American Ninja Warrior,"
and, like so many of our athletes,
she's wearing a Ninjas for Black Lives patch.
For Meagan, it's a movement that hits close to home.
- Go, go, go, go, go, go, go! Nice!
- Yes. - Yeah, I love it.
- I'm biracial.
My dad is black and Native American.
My mom is white.
I am proud of all of my heritage.
- Such an inspiration to so many young girls
and young boys out there.
- And it's nice to be in a position
where we can help spread more positivity
and acceptance and love,
because, like, that's what the world needs.
- No, she's not gonna let this obstacle take her down.
That's Meagan Martin, Matt.
[cheering]
- Our ninjas, like athletes in so many other sports,
are truly using their platform this year.
And there's Meagan's family that she talked about--
her mom, dad, and sister in Orlando--
plus lots of other family members
spread around the country.
- And Meagan's got some pressure here.
Women have done well tonight.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Absolutely, she'll need to
at least get to the fifth obstacle
to be in the top three among the women.
[cheering]
Tiana Webberley and Mady Howard
have already hit buzzers tonight.
- And if Meagan can do it,
we'd have three women finishers in one night.
It would be only the second time that's ever happened.
- Meagan's comfortable in the air.
She was a college pole vaulter at Vanderbilt,
and she's through.
- Get it, Meagan! - As a rock climber,
good grip strength;
as a pole vaulter, knows how to move her body in space.
- Yeah, she's got that rock climbing background,
all of it--I mean, she's such a dynamic athlete,
but more importantly, she's been doing ninja
for so long now.
She's a seven-time veteran,
and she continues to get better.
- Well, it was back in season six.
Kacy Catanzaro hit a buzzer. Michelle Warnky hit a buzzer.
Then this woman did it in Denver.
- Come on, Meagan. - Come on now.
- Good power out of Meagan Martin.
- Nice!
- She is looking strong and moving quickly.
- Here we go, here we go.
- And now she's through.
[cheering]
There's still one more woman to run,
but if Meagan Martin can get through Spinning Bridge
with this time, she'd move into third
among the women.
- Nice, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
- And she does it! - Yeah!
[cheering]
- Now for Sideways,
an obstacle she's never seen before.
- I expect Meagan Martin to get through Sideways, Matt.
- As a climber, this just--this is in her wheelhouse, Akbar.
- Absolutely.
She was built for this. She's trained for this.
- 5'4", 137. - Nice.
Well, she's got a little bit more hang time.
- Well, she is closing in on history.
If she can make it to the buzzer,
it would be just the second time
we've ever had three women finish in one night.
This descent, though, more challenging.
- Nice. - Ooh, ooh, that was close.
- Okay, now the descent here, another 6-inch drop.
- Down and around with those hands.
- Oh, no! - Ahh!
- Just missed it. - Sha-na-na!
- She missed it.
- She was living dangerously on this obstacle,
grabbing the board with her right hand before the left.
She made it work until that next-to-last one,
when it finally caught up to her,
and the board flipped,
just a few feet from making history.
- Oh, I was just rushing. I was stressed,
knowing the times.
Ugh, I rushed it.
- But the good news for Meagan,
she's in the top three
with only one woman still left to run.
So here's where we stand right now for the Power Tower.
Currently, the matchup is Michael Torres
versus Lucas Reale,
but Joe Moravsky may have something to say about that.
He runs next on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior."
It's the final night of qualifying here in St. Louis,
and, while we were away,
Houston college student Kid Owhadi
and the two ninjas he invited
got their shot at the course.
First up was 31-year-old rookie
Matt Carmona, aka Big Mona.
- Ahh! Let's go!
- Daddy! Daddy!
- Carmona is a beast. He's 6'2" and 220,
and trains with the Kid back in Houston.
- Whoo! - Let's go, Matt!
- I see you, big boy. - But his big dreams ended
with a big splash on Off the Hook.
- Oh, air ball.
- Then Kid's other ninja,
Sophia Oster, tried something different.
She wore a dress for her run...
[cheering]
And it sure seemed to work. - Oh, nice!
In that fall dress, I thought she was gonna fall.
- Yes! - You got it!
- This 21-year-old petting zoo owner
made one great move after another.
- Oh! - How did she hang on?
- Yes! Let's do it!
- And ran all the way to the fifth obstacle.
- Gimme the hot--yeah! - Yes!
Uh!
- If she could finish Sideways,
she'd earn a spot in the top three,
but it wasn't meant to be.
Oh! - Oh!
- And her fall guaranteed Meagan Martin a spot
in the next round.
- Then it was time for the Kid himself.
- Yeah! - Let's go!
- The 21-year-old University of Houston student
is one of ninja's brightest stars.
- He's got that cool factor, cap on backwards.
I love it.
- Let's go, Kid!
- And the Kid came out fast. - Warm it up, Kid.
- He's about to. - Yes, he is.
- Yes! Let's go, brother!
- He was flying through the first five obstacles
and had a shot at the fastest time,
but he decided to go for the money.
- Oh, he's going for the Mega Wall.
- Last season the Kid just missed the 18-foot wall.
- Wow!
- The Kid comes up just short.
And he wanted a second chance.
- That's a lot of money to pass up.
- Oh!
But history repeated itself.
- Look at his handprint. Look how close he was!
- He had to settle for the regular wall
and the third-fastest time.
- He tried it but didn't get it.
That's all right.
- So now, it's our final runner of the night,
and he is one of the best.
It's the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky,
back for his eighth year of competition.
Can see him looking over to his family,
including his two kids and wife, Stephanie,
who's due any day now with their third child.
With his family growing,
it makes Joe want that $10,000
from the Mega Wall even more.
Setting up a showdown with the Mega Wall!
- So the Mega Wall is maybe the most frustrating thing
that's happened over the last two seasons for me.
- One shot.
♪
Oh! - Oh!
- When I get there, I think I panic a little bit at times.
- Joe Moravsky's got one thing on his mind,
that Mega Wall.
- Oh!
- To know that I can beat it and not have beaten it yet,
it's--it's really, really annoying.
♪
This year, you know, I've trained it so much,
countless hours.
- ♪ Trying to reach another level ♪
♪ I'm not done yet
- Oh, I can't wait to be up there.
I'm gonna be up there.
- ♪ Be a master at my craft is my mindset ♪
- Just--you'll see.
I'll be up there.
Ten grand.
- Well, we know Joe wants the money,
but he's got a dilemma.
The other ninja he brought with him, Jeshuah Lewis,
fell just a few minutes ago on the fifth obstacle.
- Oh! - Oh, no!
- And he's not in the top 12,
so both the ninjas Joe brought are out...
- Let's go, Joe! - Unless Joe can save them
for the semifinals by going fast,
getting to the Power Tower, and winning,
but it would be tough to be among the fastest
if he takes the time to try the Mega Wall.
So what will Joe do?
He shared his thoughts just moments ago.
- I think my goal right now is to switch the game plan,
go fast, try to make top two, and try to get the Mega Wall.
[exhales] We'll see what happens.
Give me some energy. - That's a tall order,
get the Mega Wall and the Power Tower?
But he's going for it.
[countdown clock beeping] - Whoo!
- As the final runner,
he knows what he needs to do.
- Well, Michael Torres is guaranteed
to be in the top two.
Lucas Reale is currently second.
That's whose time Joe needs to beat.
- And he's gotta be feeling some pressure right now.
The fate of his two young ninjas is riding on this run.
- Come on, man. Breathe.
- Got through the first two obstacles quickly,
but be careful on the Beehive.
- Breathe, keep turning. Keep turning.
- Looking strong so far.
Joe's been the Last Ninja Standing twice,
has been so consistent
in the eight years of his ninja career.
- Yeah, let's go!
Perfect, dude.
- Now ready for Spinning Bridge.
- Oh, whoa!
- Stumble, but he's alive. - Wow.
- What a pace, fastest to this point.
- I thought that was about to be a cold front.
- Look at him flying through Sideways!
- Oh, look at him.
- Well, you know he's doing this for Jeshuah Lewis
and Will Schlageter.
- Breathe, there we go.
- Look at him, such quick moves.
- Nice. - This guy is so impressive.
That wall tipping, he's over it!
He's still got a shot to beat Reale's time,
but he's going for the Mega Wall, just like he promised.
Will the third time be the charm?
- You said you was gonna do it!
All right, get it done!
both: Oh! - Yes!
- He got it! - Yes!
[buzzer blaring]
Yes!
- He's going to the Power Tower!
- Ohh, yes!
- He said he wanted both, and he got both.
- Yeah! - Yeah!
- Oh, my goodness, let it out!
Get it out!
[cheering]
- Come over here, Joe. Get over here.
- Just ca--get over here, Joe. - Whoa.
- Oh, that was a lot of energy
and pain coming out right there.
- You had a choice.
You knew the Power Tower was at stake.
You went for the Mega Wall. You still got it.
You're the second-fastest, Joe. - Whoo-hoo-hoo!
- Yeah, Joe! - Whoo-hoo!
- Yes! I love you, Joe!
- Get over here!
- Well, how about it? Joe Moravsky.
What a moment, Akbar.
Goes up the Mega Wall, gets the 10K,
and he's got a showdown on the Power Tower.
His whole team could be moving on.
♪
- When his two ninja buddies needed him, Joe came through.
Not only did he get one of the two fastest times,
he finally got that Mega Wall and the 10 grand he wanted.
[buzzer blaring]
- Yes! - Let's go down to Zuri,
who's with the man of the hour.
- Joe, how did that feel? You looked emotional.
- You know, I've done this eight seasons now,
and there are very few buzzers
that meant more to me than that one.
That was a big moment.
- And why did it mean so much to you?
- Because it's a testament to all the hard work.
Like, look at that. - Look at that.
- One hand. - Look at that grip.
- Oh! Oh, you have no idea,
and the people that go through trials and tribulations
and pain and suffering and failure...
- Yeah. - Like me,
look at the emotion.
I mean, I'm gonna dream about this forever.
- Great job. Guys, take it away.
- So the Power Tower is set.
It's gonna be two of the best, Torres versus Moravsky,
with a chance to save their teammates
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to St. Louis
and the thrilling final minutes
of "American Ninja Warrior."
We've already seen some epic matchups
on the Power Tower this season,
and, Akbar, it looks like we're in for another one tonight
with the legend who moves like lightning,
the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky,
squaring off against the ninja with the baby face
and the grown-up skills, Michael Torres.
And there's a lot on the line for both these guys.
- Yeah, they're trying to save the two ninjas they brought.
For Moravsky, that's Will Schlageter and Jeshuah Lewis.
For Torres, it's Kyle Schulze and Jimmy Choi.
Win, and your buddies get to stick around.
- Joe's got his pregnant wife and the rest of his family
watching from Connecticut,
and Torres's new wife, Sarah, and their dog, Hershey,
are watching from Chicago.
Both these guys hoping to be a hero for their two ninjas.
Oh! He got it!
[buzzer blaring]
- I think it's really cool if I win the Power Tower,
I get to bring my team back.
I have Jeshuah and William,
and really excited to see it play out.
- No!
- Watching Kyle run, I mean, we've all done that,
but it's emotionally and physically hard on you.
- I was so close. I was--
- Jimmy shockingly fell on the very first obstacle.
- That he gets past the third ob--
- Oh, no!
- To miss a rope, it's a freak accident.
Sorry, man.
I knew right then and there
that I had to go the absolute fastest
that I could to bring those guys back.
- Do it for your boy! Do it for your boy!
- Let's go! - Let's go!
I really wanna win this Power Tower.
♪
- Yeah!
I'm not here to get second place.
♪
I'm here to win.
- Here we go.
So much riding on this race,
the fates of their two ninja buddies
hanging in the balance.
- That's a lot of pressure.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Here we go. - Here we go, they're off!
- Oh, my. - And Torres is really--
oh, Torres stumbles!
You can't let Joe Moravsky get ahead like that!
Oh, boy.
- And Moravsky, a sizeable lead.
- Come on, Michael!
- All right, anything can happen.
- Oh, look at him bounding out onto those poles,
pulling away but spinning around!
- Here comes Torres! - He's gotta go fast,
and look at Joe Moravsky.
- Go, let's go! Come on, Michael, come on.
- Moravsky first on the drop, Torres dead even!
- Uh-oh, now they're right there.
- Moravsky, Torres!
- Uh-oh! Uh-oh! - Moravsky, Torres!
- Uh-oh! Back and forth, back and forth!
- Joe Moravsky--oh! - Back and for--ahh!
[buzzer blares]
- Torres sold out,
but Moravsky gets the buzzer!
- Yeah!
- Oh, my word.
- The Weatherman pulled a storm
and blazed through it.
Jeshuah Lewis and the Will Da Beast,
William Schlageter, are moving on.
- Oh, man, Matt, that one was exhilarating.
Torres fell behind early.
Look, Joe's already down here,
but Torres made up ground and was quicker up the pole.
When they reached the dropping shelves,
it was very close as they swung across,
and Torres gambled,
trying to fly past that final shelf in one move,
but came up short, and Moravsky gets the win.
[buzzer blaring]
- Whoo! Yeah, baby!
- The Weatherman getting big air.
And he's got reason to celebrate,
and so do his two young ninjas.
They're moving on.
Behind Moravsky and Torres on the leaderboard
are Lucas Reale and Kid Owhadi.
Others advancing to the semifinals
are fan favorites Lance Pekus and Kevin Bull,
and we had several veterans
hit buzzers for the first time,
including Alex Carson and Verdale Benson.
The top three women featured two finishers,
Mady Howard and Tiana Webberley,
along with Meagan Martin.
That wraps up a spectacular night of performances.
Next week we head to the semifinals.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."