- All right, you ready?
- I think so.
- Just tell me your name and your age.
- My name is Isabella Wakeham. - Xavier Dantzler.
- My name's Enzo. - Isaiah Thomas.
I'm 15 years old. - I'm 16 years old.
- I'm 17. - 16 years old.
- 15 years old.
- "American Ninja Warrior" is tapping
into the Fountain of Youth.
- * This could be the moment we've been waiting for *
* The chance to feel alive *
- I can't vote, I can't get into an R rated movie,
but I am gonna be the next American Ninja Warrior.
- For the first time, the stars of "Ninja Junior"...
- Matt, these kids are absolutely flying
through this course.
- are graduating to the big show.
- * Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna top this *
* Nothing like we've ever seen *
- We've been hearing footsteps for years,
but now they're here.
- Isaiah Thomas.
- I'm just ready to show them what I got.
- Do you think you can take this all the way?
- I bet I can. - Oh!
- * This is where it all begins *
- These kids are gonna blow your mind.
- That's what it means to be sweet 16.
And for the first time in two years,
we're headed back to Las Vegas
with a million dollars on the line.
- * This is where it all begins *
* Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa *
* This is where it all begins *
- New competitors,
returning stars.
- Can't let a 15-year-old beat me, come on.
- And it all starts right now.
- "American Ninja Warrior" this year is gonna be...
- Oh!
- wild.
- * This is where it all begins *
[dramatic music]
* *
- Welcome to the Great Northwest.
We're inside the legendary Tacoma Dome
for the season premiere of "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Here we go, Matt.
How lucky are we that we get to do this again, huh?
And we're gonna really shake it up this season.
- Absolutely, big man.
We're gonna start here for five nights of qualifying,
then it's LA for the semifinals,
and then we're going back to Vegas for the national finals.
- And we've got some groundbreaking changes for you
this year including who you're gonna see on the course.
We've changed the rules,
and you're gonna meet competitors
as young as 15 years old.
- The future is now.
They got their start on "Ninja Junior."
Tonight they make their debut on the big course.
From Texas, 15-year-old Isaiah Thomas.
Tennessee's 16-year-old Elijah Browning.
And Houston's 17-year-old Isabella Wakeham.
But we've still got lots of fan favorites,
including the man who won it all last year, Daniel Gil.
The kingdom ninja reigns supreme!
- The course our Ninjas will face tonight is filled
with new twists and new obstacles.
For more on that, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, it is so great to be back,
but right now I'm at a crossroads.
That's because for the first time ever,
when our ninjas hit the course, they'll have to make a choice.
It's called Split Decision,
where our ninjas must decide between two balance obstacles:
Domino Effect on one side
and Spinning Log on the other.
- If you fall on the one you pick,
you're always gonna wonder,
what if you had picked the other one?
- Plus, we have three new obstacles:
Overpass in the number two position,
Tipping Point at the number four,
and the very tough V Formation at number five.
And it all ends with a run up the 14 1/2-foot Warped Wall,
or if you're feeling confident,
you can take a shot at the 18-foot Mega Wall
for 10,000 bucks.
Let's do this, guys.
- Well, you're gonna see a lot of teenagers this season,
but we're gonna start with the original kid.
We're talking Kid Owhadi.
The 22-year-old from the Houston area,
he's the one who blazed the trail
for this new generation of ninjas.
Three years ago, we lowered the age limit to 19,
and Owhadi made history...
- Look at him go!
- as the first teenager ever to finish a course
on "American Ninja Warrior."
The youngest ever to hit the buzzer,
what a debut by the Kid!
Now at 22, he's a seasoned veteran,
and he wants the new kids to know
he's not going anywhere.
- I may not be the youngest anymore,
but I'll still be the Kid forever.
- And the Kid will have lots of support
from his Houston area ninjas he trains with,
Daniel Gil and Jody Avila.
And that's one of the new kids we'll see tonight,
16-year-old Elijah Browning.
- All you, man. - Let's get it!
- Come on, Kid!
- Kid typically fast and aggressive on the course,
and just sprints through the Shrinking Steps.
Now brand-new obstacle Overpass.
The bar above him starts rolling,
gotta time his grab.
- Just like that.
- Now he has to swing over to the final bar.
He's making quick work of this one.
- There you go! - Yeah, boy.
- Now gonna be the first ever to face Split Decision,
a choice between two balance obstacles:
Domino Effect or Spinning Log.
- And he's going straight for Spinning Log.
- Oh, my--oh, my goodness!
- No! - No freaking way.
- What is going on here, man?
- What a way to start,
one of our top ninjas out on just the third obstacle.
- What?
- That's not supposed to happen to the Kid!
- Kid has never fallen on a qualifying course,
but when he jumped over that divider in the middle,
his foot lands off to the right side,
and he couldn't save it, and just like that,
his season is over.
- Whoa, I didn't see that one coming.
- So a top veteran goes down, but stepping up,
the first of our next generation
of ninja stars,
and she'll be the youngest athlete ever
to run the "American Ninja Warrior" course.
This is 16-year-old Sophie Shaft.
Sophie's a high school sophomore from Michigan,
and she calls herself "the Beast."
- Good boy. Come on, good boy.
- Sophie may seem like an ordinary tenth grader,
but the first 16-year-old to run the "Ninja Warrior" course
is both a powerhouse athlete
and a talented musician.
She can delicately tap out a concerto on the piano,
and she can deadlift 300 pounds.
- Nice.
- I just think that girls should really be able
to like, be proud of their muscles and strength.
People might underestimate me because I'm only 5 foot tall,
but I've got pretty big arms.
* *
- Only 5 foot tall, she is a powerhouse, Matt.
Waving to her mom and sister back in Michigan.
- Go sissy! - Go sissy!
- Do this, come on!
- And her dad, Jeremy, down on the sideline,
a proud papa.
She's the first of many impressive teens
we're gonna see this season.
- We saw her compete
on "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
She's a little dynamo!
- There we go, there we go!
- 5 feet, 125.
- Let's go! You got this!
- Now facing this brand-new obstacle Overpass.
- Timing is everything on this one.
She's gotta go for it.
Oh, she let the bar pass.
Now gotta make a long lache.
- Oh, good job.
- Former gymnast and a CrossFit athlete.
Her dad's a CrossFitter,
and he got her into powerlifting.
And at 16 years old, she's got a motor that won't quit.
- Yeah! Yeah, come on!
- And she's reached Split Decision.
It looks like she's taking a different route
than Kid Owhadi.
She's going left.
Okay, Sophie!
- Yes! Yeah!
- Well, the top five women from tonight will move on.
Sophie Shaft trying to be one of them,
now looking up at another new obstacle Tipping Point.
We know she's strong,
but she's gonna need technique for this one.
Has to climb up that first plank until it tilts,
really need a strong grip to grab the sides.
- All right, here we go.
This is where that board is gonna start to tilt,
so she's going to have to use a lot of her body
to try to get that thing
and maneuver to a parallel position.
- Come on, Soph!
- Oh, actually over-ratcheted it.
Now has to climb back to the right,
then transfer to the other plank.
She might have the wingspan, but it's gonna be tough.
- Well, this one might require her to fly.
- Come on. - You can do it!
- Oh, okay, she got it! She got it!
- Oh, my. - Oh, she good--
- Oh no!
Sophie Shaft just can't get over the Tipping Point,
but what a rookie run from the tenth grader.
- She almost missed that fourth domino entirely--
right there, but was able to save it.
And then made the reach across Tipping Point,
but look at her left hand, struggled to find her grip,
and slipped right off.
- A great start for our teenagers.
We'll see if that run gets Sophie Shaft
into the semifinals.
- Great job! - Good job!
- Tonight... - Oh, my goodness.
- we've got tears, joy, and everything in between.
- What was that?
- You'll see superheroes...
- Don't worry, he's got a cape, he can fly.
- super stars, and even "Star Wars" stars!
- We can't wait!
- History will be made.
- One small step for a man.
- And you never know what you might see...
- Get off of my lawn!
- on the season premiere...
- Right here, I'm open! Let's go!
- of "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to our season premiere.
While we were away, two more ninjas tried
to make some noise on our qualifying course.
The bagpipe ninja, Victor Huff,
showed amazing grace at the start line
as he paid tribute to his Scottish heritage.
Now, that's an entrance.
The 22-year-old teacher from Abilene, Texas,
looked like Mel Gibson in "Braveheart."
But he let the bar go past him on Overpass,
and he was left with a long lache
that he couldn't conquer.
- Oh, missed it!
- Victor just looked like he was out of breath.
- Engineering student Chynna Hart
had perfect technique on overpass.
- That's how you do it!
- But the Texas native took a tumble
when she reached Domino Effect.
And boom, splash!
- I committed!
- Well, it just might take a superhero
to get through this course tonight.
And luckily, we've got one.
This is Ernesto Perez, AKA Flybird,
who's got his own YouTube series
and a very special sidekick.
[cheers and applause]
- In a city where bullying has run rampant,
one hero delivers justice.
[dramatic music]
* *
- Flybird stands for those who can't defend themselves.
When I was a kid, I was bullied
for the way my nose was shaped,
as well as being overweight.
They used to call me Big Bird, peacock, flamingo.
When I put on the Flybird mask,
not only do I feel like I represent myself,
but I also carry the hopes and dreams
of everybody else who gets bullied around.
Dr. Cockatoo, I will find you.
I've always loved making videos to the point
that we shot and produced two full seasons
of Flybird TV series on YouTube.
And when I do, it's all over.
* *
- Good job, Flybird. - Thanks, man.
- I posted my submission video
for "Ninja Warrior" on Facebook.
What's up, y'all? It's your boy, Ernesto.
I told my story about how I was bullied
and overcame adversity.
And so Jude's mom apparently saw it,
and she reached out to me, and she told me the story
of how Jude was also bullied for his disabilities,
and so it allowed me to reach out to him.
Now Jude is my best buddy.
- It is a really good feeling to have someone
like Ernesto to have my back.
- Want to be my sidekick? - Yeah.
- Jude has always been a big supporter
of everything that I've done.
From this day forward,
you shall now be known as Skybird.
- Skybird.
Now Flybird and Skybird
is gonna fight bullying everywhere.
[bird screeches]
I know you can hit a buzzer this year.
I'm so confident that we're going to be eating
beignets up the Warped Wall.
- Me too, Jude.
[bird screeches]
[applause]
- And there's his sidekick, Jude.
- He'll be watching back in Louisiana,
along with Ernesto's family.
[countdown beeping]
- Now, we can all use a superhero
in our life to get our back.
- Absolutely. - And I love it.
- Captain NBC would be proud, he's running with a cape!
- I hope that cape can save him though.
- There you go, there you go!
[cheers and applause]
- Flybird should be right at home flying through Overpass.
- Oh boy, man he's letting that get away from him.
Don't worry, he's got a cape, he can fly!
- He's going to have to fly.
- With a name like Flybird, and that cape he better go!
- There it is, generating the power of the hips.
- Big. Big, nice.
- Great lache. - Play it safe, one more.
- He's got that cape, that's why he feels
good and confident. - Super powers, Akbar.
- Make sure you get that on nice and even.
Okay, Ernesto.
- First person in his family to graduate from high school,
he continues to do super things,
- Flybird! Flybird!
- But now he's got to make a split decision.
And he's asking his friends on the screen,
"Do I try Domino Effect or Spinning Log?"
[cheering]
- And he looks like he's going to try Spinning Log
even though Kid Owhadi fell here minutes ago!
- Flybird, Flybird! - Oh, boy.
- Ooh! - Oh, okay!
- Ain't no kryptonite for him!
- The Flybird continuing to fight through this course.
Now the fourth obstacle, Tipping Point.
- Nice, I like the way he flew into that, no pun intended.
Okay, it was intended,
but he did fly right into that honeycomb plank.
- He's got to climb his way up,
then it will tilt, and he's gotta transfer
over to the other plank.
- Well, this is where he's got to muscle up and muscle
that thing down till it's even.
- Trying to control it, Akbar - Too much time.
- Spending a lot of time, absolutely.
A lot of grip strength.
- You got it, you got it. - You got this!
- Come on! - As you can see,
he's trying to hold on to the back end of that honeycomb.
- Oh boy, that grip seems to be giving out.
- But then it's going to take away --
he's got to go make that transfer quick.
He has no real estate to purchase onto.
Come on, you're a superhero, fight for your life! Fight!
- Flap your wings! - Oh, boy.
- Flybird is fighting. - If he makes
this transition--he's holding up, he's doing the iron cross,
but that's the wrong technique here.
- Oh, no!
Flybird splashes down on Tipping Point.
The masked man, though, a valiant effort.
[cheering]
- I'm thankful for these people.
That's what's it all about, that's why I fight.
- Yeah!
[chanting] Flybird, Flybird, Flybird, Flybird!
- Banners of greats like Jessie Graff
hang from the rafters.
And here is another Ninja legend.
Out of Houston Texas, this is Sam Sann.
He's competed seven times,
but hasn't been here in three years,
so he's looking for a comeback.
Six years ago, he had one of the greatest runs
ever at the age of 47, when he finished
all 10 obstacles in the Houston City finals.
- Wow! Hit that buzzer! Hit that buzzer!
- Now at 53, Sam is going to try to recapture the magic.
- Come on, Sam!
- There's his girlfriend, Karen Madaras.
She's battling stage four breast cancer.
Sam has been with her every step of the way.
And watching from Texas are Karen's daughters.
- Oh, yeah, yeah!
- And Sam's daughter, Amber.
[countdown beeping]
- Sam Sann started the first real ninja super gym,
Iron Sports in Houston, where Daniel Gil, Kid Owhadi,
and so many others for their start.
- Now he's got a brand new gym,
Sam Sann's Ninja Warrior.
- There's that bar, got to go for it.
An extra swing he's going for that max distance.
- Well, he's got the talent, he's been doing this
for a long time, an OG on the course.
- And he got it, that's about a nine foot lache,
and he held on. - You got it, Sam!
- Good job by Sam Sann. - Try to grab! Try to grab!
- Eight-time ninja veteran, back at it.
- 53, this is equivalent to Tom Brady
getting on the course, Matt.
- He's pulling something out of his shoe!
- Matt, he's gonna try to flip coin here
as Split Decision,
let that decide which balance obstacle to choose.
Heads or tails, let me see.
- Yeah! - And he's going
with Spinning Log! - Got it, come on.
- Come on, come on, come on, come on!
- And running through the Spinning Log.
- Matt, hey, come on now,
he's about to hit the fourth obstacle.
He's still got it!
- That's Thomas Stillings he's gonna be running later,
showing support to Karen.
She's been in the fight of her life against cancer.
Sam Sann's helping her through it
with frequent doctor visits.
She is a survivor, and that's his nickname.
Well, this guy escaped Cambodia
when he was young with his family.
Still has siblings he hasn't seen
since he was five years old.
Part of the reason he comes on "Ninja Warrior"
is hoping that they will see this,
that he might reunite with them someday.
- And he is showing that Ninja knowledge
here on Tipping Point.
He's moving through this better than anyone so far.
- You got this, Sam! - And Matt, think about this--
he's 38 years older than some of the teenage competitors.
How many sports have an age range like that?
- And he has been dominant there on Tipping Point.
- Right there! - Yeah!
- Okay, old dude!
- But now he's gonna give us our first look tonight
at this very difficult fifth obstacle, V Formation.
Can the 53-year-old possibly get past this?
- I swear I'm going to run out of this booth.
- Could be impress us once again, Akbar?
- If he gets through this one, I'm gonna
run out this booth.
- He's got to jerk that triangle-shaped handle up
through the four stops.
- Nice.
[chatter]
- Now, Ninjas should be watching.
He's using that momentum going in the direction of the course
letting those hips carry him up
rather than having use the back,
and that may say something for this decent.
- But going down the backside is even harder.
He's gotta grab the upside down Vs with both hands.
- But he's trying it with one. And this is risky.
- Oh, oh! - He levitated there.
- He's got that soft touch. He put soft touch on it.
- And he's going to skip the second one!
Skips down to the third level.
You must go to the fourth handle,
you must use the fourth handle for the dismount.
[chatter] - It's right there, Sam.
- No! - Ooh!
- 53 years old,
and he was this close to finishing our course.
- Look at this, the second V is over here,
but Sam skips it entirely
and goes straight to the third one and lands it.
But on the fourth, just got the left hand
too far in front of the right and couldn't hold on.
- Well, there comes Karen. She's happy because that run
could likely get Sam Sann into the semifinals.
Coming up...
This brother and sister are best friends off the course,
but who's better on it?
- She's an absolute monster of an athlete.
- Plus, she just had a baby three months ago,
now she's taking on a ninja course?
Is she crazy or mama strong? - There you go.
Find out when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back!
This season, for the first time ever,
our athletes have to make
a difficult choice on the course
and Split Decision is already giving
our ninjas splitting headaches.
Musician Emmanuel Aouad danced his way through
the first two obstacles...
[cheers and applause]
But then had to choose between two tests of balance.
- New guy, new obstacle. Let's go.
- The ninja rookie went left
to try his luck on Domino Effect,
a decision he quickly regretted.
Oh, oh, oh!
[buzzer blares]
- Whew! - That's a tough one, Matt.
That's a tough one.
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana's Ken Singletary
made his way to the same spot.
- Whoo! Which one, guys?
- Rolling logs! - Logs!
- Rolling logs!
- He followed his family's advice
and went right and tried the other choice,
Spinning Log.
- Oh! - Oh!
My goodness. - No!
- I should have gone with dominoes I guess.
- So it's no wonder Oklahoma's Wade Lopp
was confused when he reached Split Decision,
first choosing the Spinning Log.
- The Spinning Log, Matt. This one can be very tricky.
Ah!
- Oh, he's switching to the dominoes.
- Log! - Go log!
- But after some thought, he left the dominoes
and went back to Spinning Log.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, nice!
The rookie made the right call and fought his way
to the fifth obstacle, V-Formation,
before his run finally ended. - No!
[buzzer blares]
[upbeat music]
- I just gassed out. I didn't have the juice.
* *
- Well, on the start pad ready for takeoff,
it's the space ninja Adam Naids.
[imitates radio crackle] Over.
Do you copy?
Looking to take one small step for a man,
one giant leap
for an aerospace engineer space ninja.
As a project manager at NASA, Adam is helping design
the tools that astronauts will use
to bring back moon rocks and the special American flag
that will be planted on the moon's surface.
Tonight, he wants to plant his flag atop the Warped Wall.
- I'm excited to be out here
representing space nerds everywhere.
I'm on a mission, a mission to hit that buzzer.
[triumphant music]
- All of his family watching back in Texas
including his wife, even cousins with some aliens.
- Houston, we are go for launch.
Three, two, one.
- Here he is on takeoff.
Good boost for the space ninja.
- Propelled himself forward. - And he's pumped.
He's due on Overpass.
- One down, let's go! Come on.
- This is like trying to dock in mid space.
Your timing has to be precise. - Nice.
- Good job there controlling his momentum.
- Ooh, catch that ride to the space station!
- Come on! - Whoo!
- Real smooth right there.
Well, in outer space, not as much gravity,
but here in Tacoma, lot of weight
pulling him down... - Good job!
- But the astronaut touches down!
- Whoo!
- Now he's got a choice-- Domino Effect on the left,
Spinning Log on the right.
- Adam Naids is a tall ninja, 6'2",
I think he's gonna go with the spinning log.
- Well, he's looking to do it in less than 12 parsecs.
Of course, that's the time the Millennium Falcon took
to get through the Kessel Run.
- Nice--oh! - Oh, no!
- Survives it! - He made it!
He made it! - Yes!
- We were ready, Houston. We thought we had a problem.
- No, no problem here, Houston.
- But he survives it, a hard landing.
- Hey, Elon Musk just called. He's impressed.
- Come on, baby! - Good job.
- He's 6'2", 185.
It's gonna be a challenge on the tipping point, Akbar.
- A'ight, you can get excited, but you do have
three more obstacles to go
starting with this one, Tipping Point.
- He's an engineer.
He understands the mechanics of how to control this.
- Yeah, see, he got the plank
cranked up to the right height.
- Come on, Adam, come on. - You got this, Adam.
- Nice, get over there.
Get over there, you, astronaut, you.
- This plank's gonna tilt too.
Smooth right now.
Buzz Aldrin I'm sure is watching and gotta be proud
of this space ninja.
- Yeah!
- Whoo! - Go, babe!
- Let's go! Let's go!
- He'll try to be the first to get past V-Formation.
He's gonna grab this triangular handle.
You can see--18 inches apart.
Has to slide this handle up four times.
- And skipped it. Did you see that?
- Ooh! - Two in one.
- Oh, he's ready! - Wow!
- He ready!
- Well, Adam Naids being very efficient.
It's like a Saturn V rocket
with the power to ascend right there,
but now the descent.
He'll have to jump back and forth
on these upside-down Vs.
- We're talking about interplanetary travel, okay!
No!
- Splash down for Adam Naids,
but we will see. - [screams]
- That run may be good enough
to get him into the semifinals.
- Look at him power up through the first half of V-Formation,
but on the back, you want to catch those Vs
with both hands at the same time.
Naids didn't, and his mission was over.
We need makeup to come out. - My head is stuck, mmm!
- All right, how am I working with you?
You are such a clown.
* *
Well, we've got some special guests tonight
including pilot Snap Wexley from "Star Wars,"
actor Greg Grunberg. - Yeah, baby!
- Olympic medalist figure skater Adam Rippon...
- Whoo!
- And some basketball legends!
- Oh, she's still got it. Yeah, she's still got it.
- They're all coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."
[upbeat music]
- Welcome back!
Some fun stuff on our course while you were away.
Oklahoma zookeeper Tom Mortimer
got some Hollywood help during his run.
Grundy, how you doing, buddy?
As his friend and mine,
"Star Wars" actor Greg Grunberg
was cheering him on.
- Go Tommy! - Tom!
- Both men have sons with epilepsy,
and they've teamed up to raise awareness
of this disorder that affects 3 million Americans.
- I created talkaboutit.org, and Tom and I work together,
and he's just our hero.
He's gonna kill it. We can't wait!
Tom, go get 'em, buddy!
- And Mortimer looked inspired
as the 41-year-old made an amazing save
on Domino Effect.
Oh! - Oh, oh!
Oh, my goodness! I think he's good!
- Yeah!
- And then fought hard on Tipping Point
before finally losing his grip.
- Oh, no! [buzzer blares]
He sent a great message.
- Dude, you're the best. - You're incredible.
- You're the best. - Thank you, guys.
[cheers and applause]
- Brownsville, Texas college student Gloria Orta
came out looking for redemption.
The 20-year-old was embarrassed when she fell
on the first obstacle last season...
Oh!
So she was overjoyed to get past it tonight.
- 19, she fell there. 20, she conquered it.
- But like so many others, she let the bar go past her
on Overpass, and she couldn't recover.
[buzzer blares]
- I'm happy.
- Air force officer Cody McCloud
is the grandson of one of my idols,
the legendary daredevil Evel Knievel,
and he wasn't the only one rocking
the red, white, and blue.
- What is this, leather? - It's legit.
Like his famous grandpa, McCloud provided some thrills.
- Here's that timing. Nice, hold it!
- And just like his grandfather,
an epic crash.
- Go, go, go, go, go! - Oh, no!
- Oh, goodness! - No!
- At least I got to wear this suit.
- Yes, you did, Matt.
- Do I just keep this on the rest of the show?
* *
Get ready 'cause here comes the future!
This is one of the talented teenagers
we've been talking about.
Meet Elijah Browning.
He's a 16-year-old high school student
from Tennessee whose nickname is the Boss
because he's in charge when he's running the course
or running his own business.
* *
- I am an entrepreneur. I love business.
I have a sports card business. It's called Boss Sports Cards.
* *
I buy and sell high-end sports cards--
football, basketball, baseball.
I buy 'em at a lower price
and then sell 'em when the market's hot.
* *
The LeBron draft card I have over there,
I bought for, like, $400,
and right now it's probably around 2 grand,
but I think it'll hit 5 grand before it's all said and done.
I also train kids in my backyard,
so a ninja business.
Ready Christian? Let's go.
Grab that bar. Grab that bar.
Easy, easy. Yes, sir!
* *
- * Let's go *
* Let's roll, let's ride *
- Elijah is very driven. He's very focused.
I never have to worry about him getting up
and getting his school done.
- I've had the nickname the Boss for a very long time.
When other kids were talking about the cartoons,
I was like, "Did y'all see the deal
on 'Shark Tank' that went down?"
And they're like, "What's that?"
And I was like, "Oh, y'all are missing out."
I've been dreaming about being
on the adult "American Ninja Warrior" course
since I was five years old.
I know I can go all the way
and take the million dollars home.
Hi, I'm Elijah the Boss...
* *
And buzzers are my business.
- This kid is so impressive, and at just 16,
he's about to be the youngest male ever
to hit our course, so lots of eyes on this run.
His dad and other family members
watching from back in Tennessee.
- This is mom on the sideline
along with many other ninjas who know Elijah.
- Everyone wants to see this kid's debut.
- Let's go! - Whoo!
- Let's go!
- When we saw him compete back on "Ninja Warrior Junior,"
he was a semifinalist,
and he's only gotten bigger and better since then.
- I'm sure the nerves are kicking in.
He's 16 years old.
He's on a big stage, a different platform
than "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
- Elijah and many of the teens we'll see this season
got their start on "Ninja Junior,"
and there's a new season coming up this September
streaming only on Peacock.
Well, he's not looking intimidated
by this course so far. Now at Split Decision.
- And he's gonna go right and try Spinning Log.
- And right through.
- [chuckles] He is feeling it now.
- Yeah! - Yeah, baby!
- These ninjas are excited for this debut.
They've seen Elijah grow up. Heck, we've seen him grow up.
Take a look at this picture from 2016.
He's a lot bigger now. 6'1", Akbar, only 155.
- Ooh, 6'1". - Got a motor that won't quit.
- He grew since the last time we saw him.
These ninjas just growing everywhere.
- Boss Browning looking in control.
This boss was born to run, Akbar.
- Yeah, Matt, he's definitely owning the course.
That's for sure.
That's how you get that nickname, "the Boss."
- Oh, Mom needs a hug she's so excited.
- Do what you need to do! Breathe!
- All right, think about your strategy.
- Taking a breath before V-Formation.
No one has gotten through it yet.
- Whoo!
- His mom can barely watch. So nervous.
- I would be nervous too.
All right, there we go.
- Let's watch the technique here, Akbar.
Not as much power as we were expecting.
Using the hips.
- Oh, that hat's about to come off.
Ah, that's what his hair looks like.
- That is incredible salad.
People say he looks
like the NFL's number one draft pick,
Trevor Lawrence, but he too
is an elite athlete.
The boss looking at home here on V-Formation.
- Nice! Hair flying around.
- No one saw this obstacle yet.
Can the teenager lead the way?
- Well, Matt, like Trevor Lawrence,
he's about to make a touchdown to hit that buzzer.
Nice. - One more move.
Trying to be our first finisher!
[cheers and applause]
- And he's through!
The 16-year-old heads to the Warped Wall!
He's gonna make history, and he's done it!
- Yeah! What's up?
- * Whoa *
- * This is where it all begins *
- The youngest ever to hit a buzzer
on "American Ninja Warrior"!
- * This is where it all begins *
- I feel so stoked! Oh, my gosh!
This is incredible! Yes!
- That's what I'm talking about!
- Look at that joy.
- * This is where it all begins *
* *
- Let's go!
- You just hit your first buzzer
on the big show. How's it feel, big man?
- This is so incredible. This is a dream come true.
I've been dreaming of this since I was five years old.
Oh, my goodness. This is so incredible.
Thank y'all.
- You truly are the boss because you owned this course!
- Yes!
* *
- Nobody had figured out V-Formation
until this teenager showed the way
and then ran up the wall
for our first buzzer of the night!
And it may be the first of many for Elijah Browning.
- Yeah!
- * To feel *
* Alive *
- Wow, unbelievable.
Everybody's happy to see the Boss right now.
Been dreaming of it since he was five years old.
We just watched the dream come true.
- Matt, he went off like he was in homeroom or something, Matt.
This is great.
- * This is where it all begins *
* *
- Guys, he's the best ninja to never make it to Vegas.
Do you know who it is?
His run is next on "American Ninja Warrior."
* *
[upbeat music]
- Welcome back!
We are inside the Tacoma Dome where some top athletes
just took on our qualifying course.
Evan Perperis is an Army Special Forces officer
and extreme OCR competitor who runs races
that last more than 24 hours.
Tonight...
- Oh, no! - His run was much shorter.
- Oh, that's gotta hurt.
* *
- [laughs]
- Mallory Simpson was a three sport athlete
in high school, and now he's one
of the top personal trainers in Washington, D.C.
- That's a big body right there, Matt.
- Let's go, bruh! Let's go!
- But when he reached Spinning Log,
he too suffered a shocking and painful exit.
- Ooh, oh, oh!
[buzzer blares]
- We've had several racecar drivers
compete over the years, but NASCAR's Jade Buford
was trying to outrun them all tonight.
- Let's go!
- Well, the course doesn't have
a speed limit, so you can just go.
Let it rip.
- The 33-year-old came out with his foot
firmly on the accelerator. - Yeah!
- And when he crossed Spinning Log...
- Don't spin out! Don't spin out!
- He joined Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
as the only drivers to reach the first obstacle,
and with NASCAR's Austin Cindric
cheering him on... - Go.
- Buford came within inches of making it to the fifth.
- Ooh, oh, hold on! - No!
- Hold on, no! No, no, no, no, is he good?
- Ah. - Oh, no!
- Ah, oh, my God.
- But a strong running Jade Buford
put himself in excellent position
to move on to the semifinals.
* *
Well, just a reminder-- the Summer Olympics
are coming to NBC starting July 23rd,
and we're gonna have Olympians
all over "American Ninja Warrior" this season,
and here is our first.
It's our old pal Jonathan Horton.
He won a silver medal in gymnastics
and he's also a very good Ninja.
He's competed six times on our course
but he's never made it to the National Finals.
Most people feel he's the best Ninja
never to make it to Vegas
but this year, he's got a good luck charm
cheering for him,
a fellow Olympian.
2018 bronze medalist figure skater, Adam Rippon.
Adam, you know what it's like
to come up big in big moments.
What advice would you have for Jonathan
on the start line right now?
- Uh, my biggest advice to Jonathan right now
would be to imagine what I would do in this situation
and just do the complete opposite.
[laughter]
- Okay, so Adam, are you then telling me
you think you could run this course
at a high level and then hit the buzzer?
- If I was at that course, the only thing
I'd be running towards is the door.
So I think that Jonathan,
he's got it.
I am behind him all the way.
- All right, well, fingers crossed
for Jonathan Horton on the course.
The Olympian supporting him.
- [cheers]
[countdown clock beeping]
- If Horton wants to keep his Vegas dreams alive,
he likely needs to get past the fourth obstacle.
- He's been close many times, Matt.
Maybe this is his year.
This dude is an Olympian. He needs to tap into that.
5'1, 135, can clearly generate power and look at that,
will he have the timing?
- Oh, boy, can't miss it.
- Just see a little bit off
and let that bar settle.
Shouldn't be a problem to fly.
- Nice, wow. That was easy for him, okay?
- He was a specialist on the rings.
Horton, what a stud he is.
But just feels he hasn't lived up
to his athletic potential here.
- [clapping]
- And he's taking a path to the right.
Gonna try the Spinning Log.
He is ready. Taking his breath.
Had a good pace to this point, Akbar.
He knows he can be far enough, fast enough.
- Nice. - And he is through.
He gets through this,
he'll be in great position to move on.
Season seven, he missed Vegas by one place.
Says that has haunted him. Had his stumbles.
Tremendous grip strength here, Akbar, but at 5'1,
gonna need to be precise with the rotation
on this honeycomb plank. - And it's the grip strength
that I'm really trying to see here.
How much has he mastered the Ninja technique
to be able to get that thing--oh, boy.
Over-rotated, but that's all right.
- But he's made it harder for himself.
He's high on the first plank,
gonna have to reach down to that second one.
Doesn't have the wingspan. He's gonna have to do
a two-hand transfer. This is high risk.
- I don't like that two-handed transfer.
- Reaching out. - Go now, go now, go now.
- Barely hanging on.
- All right, good, Matt.
- Adam Rippon can barely contain himself.
- Yeah, he's got it now.
He just needs to slide down for the dismount.
- Oh, no! - That was close!
- No, the struggles continue!
Jonathan Horton had it, couldn't stick the dismount.
- Oh, man!
- Here's where things started to go wrong.
He tipped the first plank too high,
which made it a long reach down to the second plank.
He couldn't get a good grip
and he peeled off just inches away
from the safe landing.
- I went too soon.
- We'll have to wait and see
if that's good enough for Jonathan Horton to move on
and keep his Vegas dreams alive.
- Right now, here comes another
of this season's talented teenagers,
out of Cyprus, Texas,
this is 17 year old
Isabella Wakeham.
She's been dreaming of this since she was ten.
And she's got a great training partner,
her brother Isaiah.
- Come on, girl.
[upbeat music]
- My brother is my best friend.
- Hold on.
- And we are competing together on this season
of "Ninja Warrior."
Isaiah is three years older than me
and I know a lot of older brothers
don't want to include their little sisters,
but he always included me.
He's pushed me to get into athletics
and that's a huge part of why I'm a Ninja.
- You ready? - As a mom,
it is a dream come true to see
both of my kids competing on "American Ninja Warrior."
I'm proud of their strength and their abilities
but mostly, I'm proud of how they treat each other.
- Bro. [both laugh]
We've been best friends ever since
we were little kids.
Training with Isabella has just been
one of the most fun things because
she's not just really fun to be around
and a cool person,
but she's an absolute monster of an athlete.
- I was ten when I first started training.
Growing up, I wasn't very athletic.
I was like, super skinny.
- * Glowed up *
* Like I'm rolling first class *
- When I found Ninja, I just loved it so much.
This is my only sport. Ninja is the only thing I do.
- She definitely keeps me on edge,
keeps me working hard.
- We have push-up competitions,
pull-up competitions,
even handstand competitions.
[all cheering]
Isaiah and I have been training for this
for the last seven years.
And we are ready to show everyone
that we're ready for the big leagues.
* *
- * I like it like that *
* *
[cheering]
- Isaiah will run a bit later.
He's gonna be on the sideline with their mom, J.
Some of the Ninjas she trains with,
Daniel Gil and Jody Avila also over there.
[countdown clock beeping]
The top five women from tonight
move on to the semi-finals.
Isabella hoping to be one of them.
- Mom's got to be proud.
She's got two kids
running the course tonight.
- Now on Overpass. This can be trouble
if your timing's not in sync with that moving bar.
And great job there with the timing.
- Nice, okay, great.
- That was just a textbook approach.
- For a second I thought she might've been
a little off but she made it.
- And Akbar, you could just see how calm she was.
Had that timing perfect.
Just needs the dismount here.
And she's got it. [crowd cheering]
- Come on, Bell.
- And went straight to the Dominoes.
She already had her mind made up
for a Split Decision.
- Weighs just 130 pounds,
she may not even move the Dominoes.
- Push, push, push, push!
- Oh, she's through.
[crowd cheering]
- Yeah, let's go, Bell! You got it!
- Now at Tipping Point.
No woman has made it past this fourth obstacle tonight.
Jonathan Horton, an experienced Ninja,
had trouble just minutes ago here.
- And Isabella is another one of those kids
we saw compete on "Ninja Junior."
And these kids are coming in with such confidence.
- And she's positioned this first plank perfectly,
something Horton didn't do.
- Oh, oh, oh! - Uh-oh!
Great save there, great presence!
That is such a challenge, Akbar.
- Mama is looking nervous.
She's holding onto Isaiah right now for this one.
- A missed hand placement so often ends a run
but not for Wakeham.
- We saw Horton go out here.
Gotta be very careful on that dismount.
Nice dismount.
Her dad and family back in Houston, going nuts!
Now V Formation stands between
this 17 year old and the Warped Wall.
- Come on. - Once you start, don't stop.
- Only another teenager, Elijah Browning,
has gotten past this obstacle tonight.
- The teen invasion is on, Matt.
- Look at the power, Akbar. - Nice.
And clean, too.
- Well, she's already gone farther
than any woman tonight.
Isabella Wakeham can start
thinking about a buzzer. - Squeeze, squeeze!
[crowd cheering]
- This decent, though. This has been so challenging.
- Oh, come on, you go, girl!
You go, girl! - The hands are sliding, Akbar.
This is gonna be tough.
She's going for that third handle.
Oh!
Just couldn't hang on!
But Isabella Wakeham
just put herself in first place
amongst the women.
- These teenagers are coming out ready for the big course.
Isabella handled Overpass
as well as anyone we've seen tonight.
And was powering through V Formation
but just couldn't handle that third V.
- [sighs] So much fun!
An amazing course.
- Well, we'll likely see her
in a few weeks in the semi-finals.
She's a beloved Ninja athlete and one of our favorites,
now Barclay Stockett is back.
Her emotional return is up next
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior's" season premiere
where we're about mid-way through
tonight's qualifying round.
- And Matt, the story so far
has been these teenagers.
They're not kidding around.
The only athlete to finish the course to this point,
Elijah Browning, is just 16-years-old.
- The boss is here!
- And the top woman thus far,
Isabella Wakeham, is only 17-years-old.
- First place amongst the women.
And minutes ago, Isabella's brother,
Isaiah Wakeham,
also had a strong run.
- Making it look easy.
- Before he fell
at the exact same spot as his sister.
- Oh, no!
- Another youngster, 16 year old Nate Pardo
looked like he was speeding towards our second finish.
- Just amazing.
- Before he also fell
on that fifth obstacle, V Formation.
- No!
- But his fast time
also assures him of moving on
to the semi-finals.
Then it was another speedy 16 year old,
Christian Youst, out of Dallas, Texas.
- These young kids,
they have come prepared to play,
- At only 5'4 and 115 pounds,
he's often underestimated,
so he calls himself "The Dark Horse Ninja."
Look at the Ninja fly.
- The high school sophomore
was absolutely sprinting through the course.
- This kid barely has his driver's license
and he's clearly exceeding the speed limit.
But the run of the Dark Horse
finally ended at V Formation.
- Oh!
- But his fast pace meant
he also earned a spot in the semi-finals.
- But I had fun.
[crowd cheering]
- Right now, we are so happy
to welcome back to the start line,
one of the most beloved Ninja athletes,
Barclay Stockett.
Barclay missed last season
to be with her mother
who died of cancer less than a year ago.
Her mom meant so much to her.
You can see the tears in Barclay's eyes.
You know this is gonna be an emotional run.
[emotional music]
- Last season, I wasn't able to be here.
I've had a hard past two years.
* *
- Whoo!
That's awesome.
* *
- My mom...
was the most magical person.
Yeah, she was my superhero.
- You were made for that thing.
You do so well. - That's my favorite obstacle.
I love the Salmon Ladder.
She taught me to live in service of others.
When your mama makes you buttermilk biscuits,
even if you're gluten-free,
you eat them. - Eat 'em.
- [whispers] You eat them.
She was still--
she was still hand making cards and crocheting baby blankets
when her hands weren't working anymore.
- She's not impressed.
Look at her, she's not impressed.
- [chuckling]
- Are you impressed, Mom?
- I'm posting it.
- Oh! [laughter]
* *
I think my mom would want
me to share that life is worth fighting for.
* *
I think she'd want me to tell those
who are struggling
to continue living right now.
That life is worth fighting for.
* *
I had the best mom.
[sniffles, sighs]
[crowd cheering]
- All of Barclay's family members
showing support for her as she returns.
And she really is fighting back the tears.
See her patting that sunflower patch
on her chest.
That was her mom's favorite flower.
- Come on, Barclay! We love you!
- And so much support on the sideline,
including good friends Jeri D'Aurelio
and Maggi Thorne. - Mom's smiling on you, babe!
We love you so much!
[countdown clock beeping]
- This is so hard for her, Matt,
but she's fighting through it.
This is a great way to be able to pay respect
and honor your mom. Nice.
- You totally got this.
You look great, looking strong.
- Barclay's been one of the top Ninja athletes
across five seasons
but has not been able to train as much
over the past year.
Only five feet tall.
Laches, no problem for Barclay.
She can fly. A level ten gymnast.
- Nice, look at that. She's showing it.
You can see now, she's starting to focus in.
You can see the face going from tears--
- Oh, no! - Hold on!
- Oh, no! - No!
- Left hand just couldn't hold on to the bar.
A disappointing result.
She's been dealing with so much,
but just awesome to have her back on the course.
- Matt, well said.
She's fighting through a lot of emotion
so it's hard to focus on the course.
She made the big leap to catch that bar
but when she grabbed it,
it popped out of the cradle
and her hand slipped off.
[airhorn blares]
Well, her Ninja friends there to lift her up.
They know all that she's been through.
And hopefully, we'll see Barclay back next season.
- I'm so proud of you.
You're incredible.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior."
This season, our Ninjas face a Split Decision,
a choice between two balance obstacles
and so far, it's creating lots of second guessing.
Take Nashville's Ben Wilson.
After getting through the first two obstacles,
the pharmacist had to pick his poison.
Go left to Domino Effect or right to Spinning Log?
- What you gonna do?
- With his wife, the former Mrs. Tennessee watching,
Wilson went left
and got a splitting headache.
- Oh, is he okay?
- That's okay, that's okay.
That's okay, baby.
- Air Force veteran Christie Brophy
was flying through the first part of the course.
- Yes, go!
- And when she got to Split Decision,
the mama of four also decided to go left
and try Domino Effect.
- She's close, she's close.
Ooh!
- No!
- Prairieville, Louisiana's Wes Meador
was another who made it to Split Decision.
[cheering]
And after going back and forth,
- Come on, make up your mind, man.
- He decided to go right to try the spinning log.
- Gotta keep that balance.
Nice--oh!
[both groan]
- Should have went with Dominoes, I guess.
- Still only one finisher tonight,
but up next, another one of our talented youngsters,
this is 16-year-old Jonathan Godbout.
And this high school junior is about to beat this course
like a drum.
[playing lively drum music]
* *
[cheers and applause]
- I've been playing drums
since I was about ten years old.
But I started out with the pots and pans
all over the basement.
And that didn't last too long
'cause we eventually got a drum set.
* *
- The music does get loud. I'll be honest.
* *
We definitely close the windows
and wear noise reduction headphones.
- I'm in a band
with my brother called PB&J.
This past year,
we wrote an album called "Freedom of the Unknown."
[band playing pop-rock music]
* *
- We wanted to focus on some of the issues
that were going on in the world.
It addresses social inequality
and social injustice.
It can really spread that positive message
of how teens can do these great things.
It gives me a lot of pride,
knowing the music we produce can spread a positive message.
- Get it!
Whoo! [cheers and applause]
- I spend just about as much time playing drums
as I do in ninja.
- Nice! - And I train six days a week.
Running tonight, what I'm trying to prove
is that I can do just what these adults can do,
and I can do better than the adults can do.
I'm ready to rock this course.
* *
- There's Team Godbout back in Massachusetts,
including his brother and bandmate, Ben,
and his dad, Stephen.
- Jonathan! - There's his mom, Barri,
on the sidelines, along with Barclay Stockett.
She fell earlier, but still out here
showing her support.
[countdown clock beeping] - Come on, Jon!
[clock dings] - Here we go.
Jonathan Godbout.
- Showing that good rhythm on the steps.
Competed on "Ninja Junior" twice.
Came in third place in his age group one year.
Now out here competing with the big kids.
And surprisingly, lets the bar go by.
So now gotta make a 9-foot lache.
- Wow. - Ooh!
- Oh, my goodness. Boy. - No wonder.
- Okay, Jonathan. - Did you see that?
That body went to parallel.
His back hit the bar behind him.
Now Split Decision.
And his mind's made up. He's going to the Dominoes.
- Whoo! - Come on, Jon!
- 5'7".
- Look how fast that is! - Good balance.
- Look how fast that is!
- He doesn't even stop to take a breath.
Goes right into Tipping Point.
- Matt, I like how high up he got too.
He threw his body up, and that makes it a lot easier
to turn this thing parallel.
- Well, Barclay got to mentor a lot of these athletes
on "Ninja Junior,"
and now they're out here running with her.
But these kids have grown up a lot since "Ninja Junior."
Godbout has gained a few inches since then.
Now 5'7".
And the musician is rocking this course.
Looking so efficient.
These young ninjas, they seem to just have
a different level of endurance.
Nice to be 16, Akbar.
- [laughing] Whoa. - Uh, is this real?
- And Matt, I think he's saying,
"Is this real?"
- This is so awesome.
- You think he's not having fun?
- I bet he is, Matt. - Dude, you're rocking.
- Ey! - You're rocking!
- Whoo! Let's do it.
- Whoo! Whoo-hoo!
- Think about it, Akbar.
This would be like you playing the NFL
when you were 16. - I couldn't even believe it.
Going pro at 16?
NBA players can't even go pro that young.
- And these athletes,
they're proving their-- - Ooh! Powerful!
- Up two!
- Ooh, that boy got his reverse candles on.
- Uh-oh.
But like many others,
having some trouble here on V Formation.
- Oh, boy. - Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
May be gassed. - Nice.
- Well, even youth has its limits, Akbar.
But now seems he's recovered.
But it's this descent.
Will those extra moves cost him?
What do those arms have left?
- You know, kids don't fatigue as quickly as we do.
- Well, look at that. - Whoa, Matt.
- You can see, just throwing those hips
so he has plenty of time to place his hands.
Great job visualizing these moves.
- Come on! - One more bar to go.
- You got it. Last one.
- Nice! - Perfect.
- Look at this.
Just needs that dismount.
Get those hips going north, south.
- Come on! Come on!
- Yes! - Okay!
Okay, you young'un.
- Oh, my goodness.
The young guns can-- - Hey, that's ten Gs, man.
That's ten Gs!
- Just joking about the Mega Wall.
Trying to be our second finisher today.
- Wow. - First time on the big course.
First buzzer by Jon!
[cheers and applause]
[inspirational music]
* *
- * I'm on fire *
* Burning up *
* I wanna be golden *
- Enjoy it, man.
Did you think it was gonna be like this?
Is this how you imagined it?
- No. This is even better. This is amazing.
I can't believe it.
- The drummer was a rock star on this course.
He sailed through every obstacle.
He's just our second finisher,
and both of them are just 16 years old.
- I could cry.
- Go ahead. Cry, man.
Let it out.
- What a moment.
- The invasion of the teenagers.
- But here come the superstar veterans,
as the Genie Ninja,
the Big Dog,
and the reigning champ,
Daniel Gil, hit the course.
Plus, this country strong ninja
is running with a purpose,
hoping to save the family farm.
And she was in labor three months ago.
- There it is.
- Now this new mama's going for a berth
in the semifinals
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- The Olympics are coming to NBC in July.
And we'll have Olympians on our course all summer,
including basketball great, Ruthie Bolton,
who hit the start line minutes ago.
Bolton helped Team USA win gold in '96 and 2000.
And she had two other hoops legends
cheering her on:
Teresa Weatherspoon and Tamika Catchings.
Tamika, you have run this course, okay,
so do you have any advice for Ruthie tonight?
- Just have fun, go out there,
and don't be afraid to fall.
- And Ruthie took that advice to heart,
as the 53-year-old had big enthusiasm
but bad hands.
- Ooh! She got dunked.
It's a little tougher than it looks.
- The Plumbing Ninja, Vinnie Castranova,
gets his workouts on the job.
And he came ready to go to work.
- Come on, Vinnie.
My daddy was a plumber.
- The 23-year-old from Lauderhill, Florida,
had it flowing on the course.
- Okay, Vinnie Castranova. [family cheering]
- And this plumber didn't get wet.
[all cheering]
Finishing the job
and becoming just our third finisher
of the night.
- [cheering]
* *
- Well, don't have a cow, man,
but our next ninja is coming to the start line
with an ax.
This is dairy farmer Caleb Dowden
showing off his daily workout:
chopping wood.
- He's not gonna do that on this course, is he?
[cheers and applause]
Oh! Matt, wait.
Wait, he just cut the big one.
- [laughing]
- Lookit again.
He missed the small one entirely,
but he split the big log.
- Well, you can forgive him for being a little distracted.
This man has some serious responsibilities at home.
He's got a farm and a family to support.
[cows mooing]
* *
- My family has been dairy farming
for four generations
from the small town of Mountain Grove, Missouri.
* *
Every day, I get up 4:00 a.m. and get the cows milked.
I love what I do because I love working with my hands
and stuff and working outdoors.
* *
I would love nothing more
for my baby boy to carry on the family tradition
of farming.
But financially,
I don't know that that'd be a good thing for him.
* *
Being a small dairy farm,
it's really hard to compete with the big dairy farms.
They're gonna get better deals when they sell their milk
than what the small farmer is.
In the last few years, the feed prices have came up;
the milk prices have gone down.
And the payments have been hard to make.
I'm competing on "American Ninja Warrior"
so I can pay off the family farm.
It'd just be great to not have that stress
and worrying about
how we're gonna pay off the next bills.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- He is definitely country strong.
Look at them arms.
- There's his wife, young son, and in-laws,
cheering him on.
And on the sideline, another country boy,
the Bama Ninja, Casey Suchocki.
[countdown clock beeping]
[clock dings]
May not be the most nimble ninja,
but man, check out those biceps.
- Hey, Matt, milk, it does a body good.
- Now up on Overpass.
Doesn't get to train on anything like this
back at the farm. - Wait on it! Wait on it!
- Oh, he's early. The bar wasn't even there yet.
- Farmers do everything early.
Competed back in season seven and eight,
but never able to get past the third obstacle.
- Well, Matt, you know he's got a strong grip.
To hold that ax and power through that wood like that
you gotta have that strength.
- Go with what you want. Go with what you want.
- Getting some advice from Suchocki,
but the woodchopper's gotta pick the Spinning Log, right?
- Think fast.
[cheers and applause] - Come on. Come on. Nice.
- And makes it past the third obstacle for the first time!
But if he wants to move onto the semifinals,
likely needs to get through this fourth obstacle,
Tipping Point.
- Okay, Woodchuck Ninja.
- This guy trains with a 60-pound vest.
You can just see, he's looking light out here, Akbar.
Looking like he's getting a little more comfortable, here.
Maybe the nerves are starting to calm.
- Well, Matt, he also has a little bit
of a sense of urgency to himself--
like, he wants to get it.
- Well, he's running with a purpose, Akbar.
Winning $1 million could make such a difference
to his family
in preserving that dairy farm.
- Atta boy.
- And he's through! - Ooh.
Puts himself in great position to move on.
- Yeah, man.
- The other ninjas coming out to watch Caleb Dowden.
That's 69-year-old John Loobey,
our oldest competitor.
- Come on, baby.
- Now V Formation,
the only thing between Caleb Dowden
and the Warped Wall.
- Out here representing all them hardworking farmers
across America,
getting up at 4:00 in the morning.
- He's gonna need all that country strength
Only three competitors have survived it so far.
And I like it, Akbar.
Full swings. - Nice.
- Really used his whole body to generate the power
trying to save those arms.
- He lost a little bit of momentum on that swing.
Ran into that bar, but he's back.
Gotta use those big woodchopping arms
to pull himself up now.
- Well, he is 170 pounds,
and this is a big reach.
- Nice.
He definitely has the strength and the grip.
- Yes, sir. Come on, baby.
- Now he needs a soft touch on the way down.
No! [audience shouts]
Dang!
- Oh, good try, Caleb.
- Well, he didn't get a buzzer,
but Caleb Dowden had the run of his life,
showing farmers are ninjas too.
- Well, his ax swinging was a little off,
but Caleb was on everywhere else.
He chopped up the course,
had his best run ever,
and I think we're gonna see him
in the semifinals.
- Whew.
Thank you, guys. I had a good time.
* *
- There are more unforgettable moments to come,
including one that made Akbar say...
- Oh, no! - What the what?
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
[cool rock music]
- Welcome back to the Tacoma Dome
for the first night of qualifying
on "American Ninja Warrior."
While we were away, our oldest competitor,
69-year-old John Loobey,
let us know what he thinks of these new teenagers.
- Hey! You kids!
Get off of my lawn! - Get off of my lawn!
- [laughing] - He's back!
- [laughing] They took off.
- Loobey holds the record as the oldest person
to reach the third obstacle.
Wow.
But tonight, he couldn't get past the first.
No! - Oh, boy, Matt.
That ended fast.
- Well, I had a good landing.
- Then, down from her base in Anchorage, Alaska,
it was army captain Jeri D'Aurelio,
who was cheered on by her drum-playing dad.
[family cheering]
[playing rapid drum beat]
- The seven-time "Ninja" veteran
looked strong on Overpass...
[cheers and applause]
But took a tumble on Domino Effect.
- Ah-ta-ta-ta...
- Oh, no! - Ooh. Domino game over.
[family groans]
- Her fall left her fifth among the women,
with one left to run.
And here comes that final woman.
This is Huntsville, Alabama's Lindsay Eskildsen.
You may remember Lindsay was one of our top competitors
a few years ago,
but she's been away for a while,
and for good reason.
[chill music]
* *
- It's been a wild ride since you saw me last.
I've been busy,
and I've been so blessed.
I met the love of my life, Joe Greene,
at a ninja competition.
We got married in 2018.
Ava Madison was born in 2019,
and Houston Eli was born 3 1/2 months ago
and now we're a family of four.
- Wanna pet the baby? - Yeah.
- The baby? - It's a baby horse.
- Yeah, he's only a month old.
- Whee!
I love being a mom.
I love watching them grow and learn
and it just gives me a whole new purpose in life.
But I literally am changing diapers,
feeding babies, cleaning up all day long.
I do not have much time at all to exercise.
So you have to get really creative
with your training.
- * Better, better for me *
* Getting better *
- Sometimes I'll strap on a baby or two
and use them as a little baby weight vest.
I'll do planks or push-ups, and sometimes,
you have to wait till they go to bed at night
and work out at 11:30.
* *
- After Lindsay had Houston, she trained every single day,
multiple times a day.
She's committed to be a mom and a ninja at the same time.
both: Yay!
- Good job, baby.
If I can be a mom of two babies,
I know I can take on this course.
- * Better for me *
- I'm gonna show the world that I'm "mama strong."
[cheers and applause]
- And sending love to her family.
Her husband Joe, working back in Alabama.
- Do this. Let's go, babe. Come on.
- While those two babies are with the grandparents...
- Mama strong!
- Mama!
[countdown clock beeping]
[countdown clock dings] - Think of it, Akbar.
Just 3 1/2 months ago, she was giving birth!
Now out here running our obstacle course.
- Today, she's looking for postpartum stardom.
- There's another ninja mom, Maggi Thorne,
showing her support.
- And she knows what it's like
to balance motherhood and ninja training.
During the day, she worries about diapers and feedings.
And now she has to deal with this mess.
Overpass.
Nice! - Got it!
- Okay, good catch.
- Oh, she's very athletic.
She was a competitive gymnast growing up.
Was a college cheerleader at Sacramento State,
but tough to come back this soon after childbirth.
- Looks like she's gonna get through Overpass.
- And she does.
- Yes! - Yes!
- Come on! Come on, Mama!
- And she's heading down the path towards Dominoes.
- Quick feet and commit to it! Quick feet and commit to it!
- And that's 16-year-old Elijah Browning,
offering advice to the 39-year-old mom.
- Come on!
- Elijah finished the course earlier.
He can probably babysit her kids.
- Here we go. Hot feet, here, on Dominoes.
- 105 pounds.
Those dominoes shouldn't move a ton,
but as we saw with D'Aurelio, anything can happen.
- Oh, here we go. Nice.
Go, go, go, go!
- Whoa, stay there.
- Nice! - She's alive!
- Whoo!
- This is what you call postpartum stardom.
[cheers and applause]
[both laughing]
- She goes tumbling through those last couple of Dominoes,
and her head and shoulders were hanging over the water.
She was mama strong.
- That hair bow almost touched the water, Akbar.
Sometimes you need a break,
and Lindsay caught it right there.
And she is still catching her breath.
- Yes! - Yes, Mama!
There you go!
- Now onto Tipping Point.
Only Sophie Shaft and Isabella Wakeham
made it this far for the women.
- Here we go.
Now, this is gonna be a real challenge.
Fighting to get up past that fulcrum.
Trying to get this hexagon board up.
- She's a beast, though.
And a really good job controlling it.
That was impressive.
- There you go. - Oh, my.
Well, Matt, for every woman,
postpartum's journey is different,
but for Lindsay, it's ninja,
all day, every day.
- Well, this is a cheerleader,
and she's giving everybody something to cheer about.
What a performance. - Man, this is nuts.
- 39-year-old mother of two. - This is nuts.
- We haven't seen her since season ten,
and she comes back in season 13 like this.
- Well, she has been pregnant for a significant portion
of that time, and now here she is,
doing what only a handful of women have done:
making it to this fifth obstacle.
- Good job, babe. Good job.
- She's done it in the past.
Can this be the year she breaks through
and gets through the fifth obstacle?
- Yeah, this is gonna go viral.
- You just had a baby.
This course got nothing on you.
- Let's go!
- That shirt says it all. Mama strong.
- It's gonna be a long time before they can watch this
and understand how impressive their mama is.
- Save this one on the DVR.
I see you. Okay!
Okay!
- Good job, Linds.
- And her babies are now gonna watch mama
tackle this beast of an obstacle.
V Formation.
This is so impressive.
- You got this. - Come on, sissy.
- Can she generate some power here?
- She's got all the power.
This is straight woman power right here.
- Wow. Full body! - Come on.
- Using those hips, the legs, everything.
- This is exciting. Get up.
Come on! - Mama strong.
- Almost!
- Good one! - Oh!
- That is mama strong all day, every day.
- You know those kids are saying,
"That's my mama."
- Yeah, they are. Mama!
both: Oh! [audience exclaims]
- Oh!
- She splashes down,
but not before one of the most impressive runs of the night.
- That was amazing!
- Mamma mia.
- Lindsay Eskildsen proved that moms can handle anything,
even a really difficult ninja course.
And you gotta love that smile of hers.
- Right now she's standing by with Zuri.
- Lindsay, showing the ladies and the gents
how it is done.
What a performance on the course tonight.
How are you feeling?
- I feel amazing. - [laughs]
- It's been a while since I've been back out here,
so I was just excited to be back at it.
- So impressive.
You've got your two babies
and you've bounced back stronger than ever.
What does it mean to have your family behind you,
cheering you on? - Oh, my gosh.
It's the best feeling in the world.
They've been so supportive, and I wouldn't be here
without them. They're...
they're everything to me.
- And how long ago, just for the people at home,
did you have the baby?
- 3 1/2 months ago. - 3 1/2 months ago! Okay.
On that note, con congratulations.
We will see you in the semifinals.
- Thank you, thank you. - Mama strong.
We love to see it. Good work.
- Thanks.
- That's a nice story. Wowzer.
- Coming up,
one of the new kids tries to make history.
The 15-year-old from Dallas,
Isaiah Thomas,
tries to become the youngest ever
to hit a buzzer.
- It's gonna be a wild finish.
- It's in the water too!
That's in the water!
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior."
While we were away, three more ninjas
tried their luck on the course.
Lane Saling's a former kicker at the University of Arkansas,
and he kicked off his season with a kick.
- That's about 40 yards. Let's see if he makes this.
- Game on the line. For three.
Oh, it is up. - Oh!
- It is good! - It's good! It's good!
Hit the water, too! Woo pig sooie!
- But after taking off the jersey and starting his run,
the 26-year-old rookie couldn't hit the crossbar
on Overpass.
- Ohh!
- Just didn't have the length, Akbar.
The Genie Ninja, Tomas Stillings
was wishing for a buzzer,
as he brought Aladdin's lamp to the start line
to bring him success. - I like it.
- And a few others got in on the act.
- I wish for "Ninja" to film in Maui.
- I wish, I wish Matt Iseman can run the course! [laughs]
- Well, Akbar, that wish is never gonna come true.
But Stillings looked like he could make some magic.
- The Genie can move.
- The six-time national finalist
had never failed to hit a buzzer
on a qualifying course until tonight.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
No! [air horn blares]
That wasn't his wish.
- 39-year-old Mississippi nurse
Jeremy Clark brought a different good luck charm--
a painting of his favorite TV hosts.
- Yeah, this is gonna go for a lot of money.
- And this 39-year-old father of four
had the run of his life... - Ooh, nice.
- With big saves on the Spinning Log...
- Ooh! He barely made that one, Matt.
- Let's go! Let's go!
- Oh, he's pumped. Okay, Clark.
- And on Tipping Point.
- Ah! - And--oh! Whoa!
Oh, my goodness, that was the save of the century.
- And though he fell at V Formation...
- [screams] - Ooh!
- It was still enough to earn him a spot
in the semifinals.
- All in all, it was beautiful. Let's go.
- This looks like me.
- Look, you've got a little friend over here,
we got another friend over here.
- I notice how they gave you two chins, here.
- Oh, you're killin' me.
Okay, back to the action.
We've got tonight's youngest competitor,
15-year-old Isaiah Thomas.
He's a 10th grader from the Dallas area.
Calls himself the Flyboy,
but he's also a mama's boy.
* *
Mom, can we make these enchiladas, like, really juicy?
- Yeah. You wanna make a lot of sauce?
- Yeah. - Okay.
- My mom is the most important person in my life.
Here you go.
Psych! I lie.
- [laughs] - This pot is mine.
What are you doing?
- I raise Isaiah by myself most of his life.
* *
Isaiah's very helpful around the house,
- I clean the kitchen, take the trash out
take care of my dogs.
- I've always taken care of Isaiah,
but he definitely takes care of me.
- I don't think I could've done this without you, Mom.
- Make the enchiladas?
- Yeah. - [laughs]
I'm so proud of the man that he's turned into.
- Man, these are the best enchiladas I've ever had.
- Thank you.
[cheers and applause]
I've seen Isaiah put in a lot of hard work to Ninja.
- You know you're gonna see a lot of passion out of him.
You know you're gonna see a lot of passion!
- Isaiah Thomas.
- I definitely think Isaiah has
the possibility to win it all.
- Do you think you could take this all the way?
- I bet I can. - Oh!
- My mom's been the biggest influence on my Ninja career.
- [screams] That's my baby!
- That's what I thought!
* *
She puts a lot of time and effort into what I do.
For instance, she drove me all the way to Houston
just so I could train Mega Walls.
* *
I thought I'd have to wait till I was 19-year-old
to compete on "American Ninja Warrior,"
and doing it at 15 is unbelievable.
* *
I'm not intimidated. I feel like
I've trained for this, and this is what I do.
So I'm just ready to show them what I got.
- I know you're gonna hit that buzzer, Isiah.
- Yeah.
I can see myself hitting it.
Tonight, I wanna be the first 15-year-old
to ever hit that buzzer.
- Well, he looks calm and confident,
but his mom already looks worried.
- Isiah's also got his dad and aunt watching
back in Texas, and his coach,
Ninja great Karsten Williams, he's in the back there,
but he's got a watch party going on.
Karsten's the one who gave him the nickname Flyboy.
Mom and some of the Texas Ninjas
have started the Flyboy chant.
[chanting] Flyboy! Flyboy! Flyboy!
[countdown beeping]
15 years old. Six feet tall.
- We remember him from
"American Ninja Warrior Junior,"
and this kid can go.
I'm telling you now,
I think today we might see the launching
of a human satellite.
He wants to fly.
- And look at that. - Whoa.
- Perfect and you saw him reaching back
so he could control his swing.
Every Ninja should watch what Isaiah just did
right there on Overpass.
That is how you time the bar and control your momentum.
- He's asking the people at home
which way he should go. [all cheering]
- Looks like he's going Spinning Log.
- The one thing I remember about him
is how passionate he is. - Wow!
He's got so much passion,
so much energy. - Oh, my!
- He ready. - I'm built different!
- He said he's built different.
I like the swag from the young gun.
- And he's on the fourth obstacle
in under 40 seconds, Akbar.
- Matt, this ain't the bad boy Isaiah Thomas,
this is the Flyboy, and he's a bad boy.
Look at him go. - So impressive.
Making short work of this course,
and looking so in control. - And the thing is,
I don't even think he's tired.
I don't think he's even pumped out.
I don't even think he's gonna shake his hand.
I don't-- look, he's done it, look.
Okay, just a little bit.
He's not even tired!
- Well, another teenager, Elijah Browning,
has the fastest finish so far,
but Isaiah Thomas on pace
to blow that time out of the water.
What a run!
[all cheering] - Let's go!
- But V Formation has been taking down Ninjas
all night long.
And look at him, Akbar.
You can see him swaying that full body
like a pendulum--two moves! - What? Two moves!
Two moves!
- But this is where it's really dangerous,
onto Descent.
- Nice, you see him-- all right, now let's see
if he pops through here. - Good correction.
- Or is he gonna go straight down?
Nice. - Oh, my, Akbar.
The future of "Ninja Warrior" is here
with these young athletes. - Matt, he's passionate,
he's a hard worker, and he's got natural talent.
That is dangerous for a ninja.
- And he just held on there.
- And his ponytail is still intact.
Oh, is he going for-- - Is he going for Mega Wall?
- No--what? What?
What?
- He's going for the big one!
- Mega Wall!
- Ten Gs for a 15-year-old?
Oh, my goodness.
[cheers and applause]
- No one has even tried the Mega Wall tonight.
The 15-year-old, for ten grand.
Oh!
- Ohh!
- But even with the miss,
he's still got a shot at the fastest time.
[cheers and applause]
[horn blares] And he's done it!
The youngest ever to hit a buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
- * Time to stand up *
* Show 'em what you're made of *
- Let's go, Flyboy!
[all cheering]
- * Every moment you can take it *
* But you burn so bright *
* *
- I'm built different!
- Oh, ho. Yeah!
He is built different.
And they call him Flyboy for a reason,
'cause he just flew through this course.
And let's face it, the kid is just fly.
- * Don't ever let go *
- Isaiah, you remember when you were even younger
watching this show,
did you ever imagine that at 15
you would be standing atop the Warped Wall
with the fastest time of the night.
- Every day.
- Oh! - * Don't ever let go *
- Go home. Go home.
School's over.
[bell rings] The bell just rang.
- Well if anybody can take these teenagers down a notch,
it's Daniel Gil.
Not only is he our defending champion,
he hasn't fallen on an obstacle in three years.
We'll see him next on "American Ninja Warrior."
[cheers and applause]
- We're nearing the end
of the first night of qualifying,
and minutes ago,
a trio of Texans took their shot.
Houston's Nate Burkhalter
always brings positive energy to the course.
- Boom! I like it.
- But No Limits Nate reached his limits tonight.
- You got it, you got it. Yeah!
- The seven-time Ninja veteran,
was shockingly sent home on just the second obstacle.
- No! Oh, my word. [air horn blares]
- Eight-time Ninja veteran Abel Gonzalez
had the kids from his gym in Edinburg, Texas
staying up late to watch his run.
The 37-year-old put together a gritty performance,
and battled his way to the fifth obstacle.
- [grunts] - Ooh, he is mustering
with everything he's got.
- No! - Oh, my goodness.
- And it was enough to guarantee him a spot
in the semifinals. [cheering]
Then it was the Big Dog,
Sugar Land, Texas' 6'6" Jody Avila.
- Okay, Big Dog. Okay, I see you.
- Papi! - Yay!
- The 35-year-old heating and air conditioning technician
tried to put some heat on the teenagers,
and came out gunning for the night's fastest time.
- Excellent. I see you, big boy.
- Akbar, he's gonna be close.
Oh, boy, he missed! - Oh, the 6'6" missed it?
- It's okay. - Come on!
- Even with the miss at the Warped Wall,
Avila still had the third fastest finish.
[horn blaring]
- Oh, there it is.
[all cheering]
- At 35, what do you gotta say to these young guys?
- Slow down, guys. Give me a chance.
- [laughs]
- Give me a chance.
- Guys, we've got some great Ninjas on the course tonight,
but only one of 'em is last year's champion.
It's none other than Daniel Gil.
The Houston worship leader is back,
trying to be the top Ninja leader two years in a row.
He's like money in the bank.
He's never fallen on a qualifying course,
and he hasn't fallen off any obstacle
in three seasons.
- They love Daniel Gil back in Houston.
He's gonna have lots of support,
including from his wife, Abby,
who's watching with other friends.
And on the sideline, buddy Jody Avila,
who nearly had the fastest finish minutes ago.
- You got this!
- Well, you know Daniel Gil
is gonna be gunning for the fastest time.
He always is.
[countdown clock beeping]
He's been one of the most consistent competitors
we've had on "American Ninja Warrior,"
and the fact that he's got a big target
on his back, especially with these young guys coming in--
his ability to perform in high-pressure situations
is what makes him so consistent.
- Well, believe me, he could be going
for the Mega Wall and the top time.
Certainly within his capabilities.
Placed number one in qualifying
four times in his career.
[cheers and applause]
- Yes, sir! Let's go!
- And he's going with the Spinning Log,
despite the fact many veterans have fallen here tonight.
- Get it, let's get it.
- Yeah! [cheers and applause]
- Wow! - Nice!
- That log didn't even look like it moved.
A good pace, but Akbar, as we often see with him,
he looks completely in control.
- Yeah, he is in control, and I bet you
the teenagers are missing this
because all of them, this is past their bedtime.
- 5'9", 165-- Daniel Gil, no flaws
in his game. - Are you seeing
how fast he's moving? - And effortless.
Well, he's gone fast enough.
He's definitely moving on to the semifinals.
- Look, he's yawning.
That means he's locked in.
- And he's got over a minute left
to catch Isaiah Thomas for the fastest time,
but needs to survive V Formation first.
- Yes, sir. - Nice.
- Oh, no! - What the--
- Ohh! - What the what?
- Oh, no way!
- That wasn't the plan.
- A shocking exit.
- What the heck happened?
- He's never fallen on a qualifying obstacle before.
But take a closer look.
He did get that handle all the way up.
It wedged against the rail, but it's not locked in.
And when he's shifting his hands, it came crashing down.
He's still moving on, but that is a shock.
- Daniel, what happened?
- I don't know. It felt good. - Yeah.
- Locked, heard the noise and everything.
And the next thing I know I'm falling.
- Oh, my goodness. Well, I have to say,
you were blazing through that course.
You were making it look like you've done this thing
a thousand times. - At this point I have.
[both laugh]
- No more water for you.
Promise? - No more water,
all right, Zuri, promise. - All right, there we go.
Good work. - Thank you, thank you.
[sighs] - A very off night
for our veterans, and just look at our leaderboard.
Three of the top five are teenagers.
They are the future of "Ninja Warrior,"
and the future is now.
And while we look at the others
moving on to the semifinals,
enjoy the return of Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments.
- Here we go. Number three. Juliana Wilson,
the former Mrs. Tennessee looked like a pageant winner
she had the sash, the tiara, and even the tears.
But unfortunately, she didn't have the footwork.
- Ohh! [air horn blares]
- Number two, Oklahoma's Dana Kielar
had her beloved horse, Gus, watching from the barn.
[neighs]
But Dana didn't have enough giddy-up.
Oh, my!
[neighs]
And number one, another horse,
Nikki Asirvadam is a moonwalking college mascot
who loves Michael Jackson.
- Oh, this run, it should be a thriller, Akbar.
- But after removing the suit,
he was off the wall.
Hee-hee!
- That was bad! - [laughs]
- For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next week on "American Ninja Warrior."