[quirky orchestral music]
- The invasion of the teenagers!
- The ninja world was downright freaky.
- Oh, no! - What the what?
- Oh, no!
- We've been hearing footsteps for years,
and now they're here.
- Teenagers ran rampant...
- What the heck is going on here, man?
- Swallowing up the course and devouring the competition.
- Let's go!
- And tonight, they're back.
Yeah, it's a little scary, what we've seen
so far here in Tacoma.
Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining us.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila. And, Matt, I can feel it.
It is gonna be another big night here at the dome.
- Well, in last week's premiere,
the teenagers ran absolutely wild,
taking the top two spots,
but tonight, there's a strong group of veterans
who may have something to say about that, big man.
- Yeah, that's right.
These are the ninjas who have done it
on the course before
like the Weatherman, Connecticut's Joe Moravsky.
- He got it! - Yeah!
[upbeat rock music]
- We've also got the Cowboy Ninja,
Idaho rancher Lance Pekus.
- Yes! - Whoo-hoo!
- And Washington's 44-year-old supermom
Sandy Zimmerman.
- First mom!
- Plus, we've got more impressive teenagers,
including lizard-loving 15-year-old Josiah Pippel
and the "Ninja Junior" runner-up Kaden Lebsack.
- Unreal performance!
Last week, we saw the debut of Split Decision,
a dangerous new twist for our ninjas.
For more on that, let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Yeah, that's right, guys.
We have never had anything like this on the course.
For the first time ever,
our ninjas have to choose their balance obstacle
at Split Decision.
Last week, lots of competitors
regretted their choice.
- Oh, no! - Oh!
- Ooh. - Ooh.
- I should have gone with Dominoes, I guess.
- This week, they'll face two
new and challenging balance obstacles:
Broken Bridge and Burn Rubber.
You choose or lose.
Matt, Akbar, take it away.
- So, here we go.
And you'll want to get a good look at this guy.
Putting his glasses on
is the Eye Ninja, Arizona optometrist Jon Bundy.
He's a lot of fun,
and he's got everybody seeing things.
- All right. Better one or two?
- Hey!
- And look at all the friends and family
who are also giving him the eye,
including his kids and wife Stacy.
- Come on, baby!
- She's his inspiration tonight.
[acoustic music]
- My wife Stacy and I have been super fortunate
to be able to take the gift of eyesight around the world.
Honduras, India, Cambodia.
On my most recent trip, I went to Papua New Guinea.
* *
We were working with the Hewa tribe.
The Hewa people are beautiful people.
They've been isolated for thousands of years.
A simple pair of glasses is not an option that's there.
One gentleman walked four hours each way
because he heard that somebody was there taking care of eyes.
But Stacy couldn't go on that trip with me.
[clears throat]
[soft dramatic music]
We found out about four years ago
that my wife has multiple sclerosis.
* *
It's hard to put in words when your wife says,
"I don't know what's gonna happen."
* *
And I say, "I don't know either, sweetie,
but I'll be right here beside you."
* *
Stacy's doing really well, and she is my biggest fan.
I'm taking strength from my family,
especially from my wife.
When I hit that buzzer,
it'll be us hitting that buzzer.
* *
[cheers and applause]
- And he's throwing one more kiss to Stacy
who's putting up such a brave front
while battling MS.
And no one knows that better than Lance Pekus
whose wife Heather also has MS.
- You got this, Jon!
- And he's on Jon Bundy's sideline tonight.
- Yeah, Bundy's got a score to settle
with this first obstacle. He fell here two years ago...
- Oh, no! - And he wants another shot.
[countdown clock beeping]
- The optometrist seems optimistic about his chances.
And through that first obstacle.
- Yeah! - [laughs]
- Getting his revenge on Shrinking Steps,
and he is letting us hear it.
- Whoo! - I love the enthusiasm.
- Two years I thought of that!
- He says two years he's been thinking
of that obstacle.
- We did it! - "We did it."
- Yeah!
- But he's still got five more obstacles to go,
including this second one, Wait For It.
You see that handle, that second handle--wait,
it will drop in mid-air.
No transition there.
- Ooh, nice. I don't need an eye chart
to know that the Eye Ninja's keeping his Ls.
- Now, you can go arm over arm from handles two to three,
but, here, you have to transition in mid-air,
and that second one's gonna drop again.
Doing a good job extending those arms.
Using the hips to get the power--
- Whoa! - Easy transition.
- Okay. I see you, okay.
- Now just needs to dismount.
- Dismount's there. You got it.
- Whew!
- Hey!
- And he's celebrating again. - Go, baby, yeah!
- But now, it's Split Decision.
Does he go left to Broken Bridge
or try Burn Rubber?
- Lance, which is better, one or two?
- Go two!
- Well, Pekus says try number two...
- Yeah, you got it.
- Which is Burn Rubber
even though he fell on it last season.
- Oh, okay, I think Bundy's gonna do the opposite.
He's gonna go Broken Bridge. - You do you.
- These are shorter steps, but you gotta move fast.
- Nice and easy. - Nice.
- Gotta love the enthusiasm.
- I see you! I got my 20/20 watching you!
I see you, baby! - I see you, Akbar!
- He is pumped.
[all cheering]
Now onto the fourth obstacle, Tipping Point.
Gotta climb up this honeycomb-shaped panel
until it tips over.
- And you got to have a lot of grip for this one.
- Get up on top if you can. - Let's go, baby!
- Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, he's losing grip.
Oh, no, no, no. Come on.
- Oh, he's going on the backside, Akbar.
Doesn't have much leverage. Oh, boy.
- Yeah, he's got to get that thing moving.
He's trying to get it parallel.
- And he is expending a lot of energy here, Akbar.
But he is up. Can he rotate it?
- Matt, he is struggling right now.
He can't seem to get a good grip,
and look at his fingers-- they are slipping.
- No! - Oh!
[buzzer blares]
- Good job!
- The doctor checks out on the fourth obstacle,
but what a great run to kick off the night.
- Good try, Jon.
- You gotta love the enthusiasm.
- Whoo!
- Dr. Bundy had a blast out there...
- Whoo!
- But he couldn't get a grip on Tipping Point,
and his fingers slipped right off.
- Hey! Love y'all!
[cheers and applause]
- Up next our long-time friend Zhanique Lovett,
and she's got a new burst of energy this year.
- Ah, she's got a basket of treats.
- Those are her own brand of energy bars.
Makes them in her kitchen-- called Z Fit Bars.
- We got some too. Look at this.
- Well-- - Now, hold on, hold on.
- Listen. - Wait for her.
We're gonna celebrate with her and eat with--
when she gets to the top of that Warped Wall.
- Okay, I wanted to bite, but...
she's a great spokesperson for the bars
because she looks as fit as ever.
Ton of supporters back in her hometown
of Visalia, California... - Hi, guys!
- Including her husband and three kids.
- And, Matt, I know she's got her eye
on that third obstacle, Split Decision.
She's got the length to be able to--no!
No, oh, my goodness! My back hurts!
- Oh, my gosh, I wanted the Wall.
Last year, I fell on Burn Rubber,
and it's just been haunting me, so tonight, I have to decide
between Burn Rubber or the Broken Bridge.
Do I face my demons or do I run away from them?
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeping]
- Zhanique's consistently done well here
but never made it up the Warped Wall.
Now, feeling so strong,
she wants to take on the Mega Wall.
- Bet it's because of them protein bars.
- Zhanique's moving on to Wait For It.
- Nice. - Whoo!
- Now, you could tell she came ready for season 13.
- And you can see the challenges here.
As that bar moves, trying to get that momentum.
- She ain't playing around, Matt.
She's going for it. Great athleticism.
- Zhanique's a personal trainer
back in Visalia.
She may pick up some new clients after this.
She looks super fit.
[cheers and applause]
- All right, here we are, Matt.
Split Decision. - Hi, guys!
- She's thinking about it.
- I'm gonna go for this one.
- Oh, she's gonna take the one
that got her last year, Burn Rubber.
- Let's go. - And she's going for revenge!
- Come on, yeah!
- Get your revenge.
Get your revenge! Get your revenge!
- And she is through.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, her family knows
how much that one meant to her.
Gotta have a lot of confidence now
as she takes on Tipping Point.
You got to get this bar rotating.
Good job there. Going for the second one.
Already a rapid climb.
- She ain't messing around, Matt.
I mean, it's been less than ten seconds.
- Do it, baby. - Great control.
Those Z Bars seem to be doing Zhanique a world of good.
This move over to the second panel takes a big reach.
But she's got it. - Yeah!
- Now, watch this.
This is going to slide over.
Real challenge to control this.
First one to do it.
- She ain't playing. She wants her first buzzer.
- Good, baby!
- And she's through!
[cheers and applause]
That buzzer atop the Mega Wall is in sight,
but now V Formation.
So you can see this handle--
has to slide this up four times.
- You got it, babe. Let's go.
- Only five athletes could get past this obstacle last week.
- Ooh, ooh. Okay, come on now.
You see that ponytail whipping back and forth.
- And now she's using her whole body.
- Come on! - Yep.
- You can see really rotating through.
- Dadgum, she's strong.
- And she's actually banging into that ascent ramp.
Gotta get up and over.
Now reaches the midpoint.
But looking out of breath,
and you can see her spinning in circles.
Needs to jump to that V beside her.
- Well, Matt, she's got to use her hip
to make that two-handed grab here.
- But, Akbar, that right hand, it just doesn't seem to be--
- Nice. - Oh, barely hanging on!
- Nice. - Great job out of Lovett!
- Yeah, I think she's eyeballing now.
She's looking over to her left.
- And you can see the challenge
controlling her momentum, and, Akbar,
the grip is getting-- - [screams]
[buzzer blares]
- A strong run for Zhanique,
but her grip just gave out on V Formation.
- That run may get her into the semifinals.
She got her redemption on Burn Rubber,
and made it to the fifth obstacle,
but couldn't muscle her way through.
No Mega Wall for her tonight.
- Oh, I wanted that Mega Wall! Ugh!
- Oh, these things are busting!
- Tonight, it's a story you won't forget.
When this Ninja was living under a bridge,
another Ninja had his back.
- That's my brother for life.
- And that's just the start of a spectacular night...
- That's an entrance. - Filled with celebrations...
- Yes! Let's go! - And salvation.
- Fight for your ever-loving life!
- Oh!
We've got some of "Ninja"'s biggest stars
from the present and the future
like teenager Kaden Lebsack.
- I think Kaden Lebsack
is the best ninja in the world.
- And of course... - Oh, is that real?
- More can't miss moments. What's in the box?
- Oh! - And it's all coming up...
- Is he really gonna shoot this off my head?
- On "American Ninja Warrior."
- Welcome back.
This season, our ninjas have to make a Split Decision,
a choice between two obstacles,
but two isn't always better than one.
Take LA's Derek Miyamoto.
He made it to the third obstacle
and chose to go left to Broken Bridge,
and it nearly broke him. - Whoa!
- Oh! - He tried going over...
- Oh, he's wrestling with it now.
- And under... - Uh-oh.
Uh-oh. He's in the upside-down world.
- And over again.
- Gotta keep that balance. And--oh, whoa!
Oh, my goodness!
- And after almost two full minutes,
the 40-year-old dad was all out of moves.
- Oh, he has nothing left. - Clear!
- Luckily, his friends got him going again.
- He's good. He's good.
- And then it was the Shoe Ninja,
Oregon's Chris Crary.
His family owns a shoe company,
and not only does he wear custom ninja kicks,
he brought us some. - Ooh!
- What? - You guys like the shoes?
- "Doc Iseman." What are yours?
- The "I see you! I see you!" Okay, Chris Crary.
- [laughs]
The shoemaker took his new kicks for a spin
and went right to Burn Rubber.
But, surprisingly, his shoes
didn't have the right traction.
- Oh!
I said, "Get the man the right shoes!"
- We get some sweet stuff.
- Yeah, we get some perks right here.
This is a nice perk right here.
- Well, the Ninja community is all about giving.
That's certainly true for our next athlete.
This is Julius Ferguson.
And you can see he immediately points
to his fellow ninja Dan Champagne.
These two are more than just training partners.
Their story is one of the best we've ever shared.
[soft dramatic music]
* *
- A lot of times,
people see someone that's homeless
and they think they're just, like, a lazy bum,
just gave up on life, you know?
And that's not always the case.
It wasn't the case for me.
* *
Shortly before Season 11 began,
I was living underneath a bridge.
* *
I was working full-time,
putting everything I had into work and training.
I didn't tell anyone
that I was living under the bridge.
I knew that, eventually,
no matter how long the night is,
and cold, the sun would come up again.
* *
[upbeat R&B music]
- [grunts] - Nice.
- I met Julius Ferguson going to our ninja gym
in Hamden, Connecticut.
Julius and I became close friends.
We would travel together, train together,
push each other to be better ninjas.
- The way I actually ended up telling Dan
was almost by mistake.
He had just kind of casually asked about my commute.
I ended up just telling him, like,
"Well, if you really want to know,
"I haven't been living anywhere.
For five months, I've been living under a bridge."
Get the rope.
Strap it around there, strap it around there,
and hook the hammock up here.
- Oh, man. - Yeah.
- I knew he was a great person
deserving of a helping hand.
- * Listen to your wild dreams *
* The ones that make you crazy *
- That same day, he took me into his own house
and began helping me find a place to live.
- * We can be bigger, bigger than this *
* Listen to that good song beating in your chest *
- We eventually found a van.
He straight up bought the van for me to live in.
We began working on it and converted it
into a livable home for me.
Now, I can live independently
in a way that's sustainable.
It's the perfect fit.
- * Bigger, yeah *
- How do I describe Dan Champagne?
Wow.
I think that's all I could say.
That's my brother for life.
- * Bigger * - * We gotta be *
* Bigger *
[cheers and applause]
- Wow, brothers for life.
Everybody could use a friend like Dan Champagne.
- Come on, Julius!
- And not only is Dan watching this run.
- Let's go!
- So is his wife and some friends
back in Connecticut.
Julius is like family.
He lived at the Champagne home for several months.
[countdown clock beeping]
- And Julius is all about the van life.
It allows him to go all over the country
and train and compete.
- Zips right through Shrinking Steps
and right into Wait For It.
Not only is he a talented ninja,
he's a very talented rap artist.
Goes by the name Black Jules.
- There it is. Big swing.
- Released an album in 2019
called "Strictly For My Ninjas."
Akbar, I bet you get name checked on the album.
What do you think? - Come on, Jules!
- Yes, "Strictly for my Ninjas," Matt.
I love this album, Matt. I took a listen to it.
I love it.
- I want a track called "All About the Hosts."
Let's watch the dismount here.
- That's it, Jules!
- And he goes straight to the right side.
- Let's go, Jules. - He's made his choice.
He's gonna try Burn Rubber. 5'8", 165.
Has had some trouble
on balance obstacles in the past.
- He's got to bound. Nice.
Okay, my ninja! - Gets through no problem.
- Let's go!
- And there's another ninja friend, Devin Harrelson,
Dougie Fresh, cheering him on.
And now the fourth obstacle, Tipping Point.
- Ooh! Did you see that?
He got up to that second honeycomb
on the honeycomb plank.
- Good job, good control.
Now has to go back to his right
and reach over to the second plank.
Jules being efficient here on Tipping Point.
- That's it, Jules! - I'm liking it.
- Yeah, he ain't messing around.
- He's conserving something for V Formation
if he can handle this descent.
Great job.
- Yeah, what do you say, Jules? Right there!
- Julius got a buzzer last season.
Getting close to another,
but has to get past V Formation.
- Brand new on "American Ninja Warrior."
This one is a devil.
- Knocked out 21 competitors last week.
What will Black Jules do here?
Once you're on, try to find a hand placement.
- He tried to go double. Double.
- He's so close on that, Akbar.
- Yeah, big move.
Gigantic move for Black Jules.
- But going down the descent
is where the obstacle gets really difficult.
You have to land softly on those inverted Vs.
- [grunts] - And did you hear that grunt?
Julius is leaving it all out there.
- There it is. Come on.
- Oh, but he hit the bottom one with his leg.
- That's it, that's it. Come on, Jules.
- And you can see him trying to calm it down with his foot.
Going for the third handle.
- [groaning] - He's going--success!
- That handle's still moving.
It's gonna complicate the transition.
- Almost through V Formation! Let's go, Black Jules.
- No! - Oh, no!
He kicked that handle with his foot.
It was moving.
That might have been the difference.
- As he jumps to the second V, watch his foot
kick the fourth one, turning it into a moving target
and making it almost impossible
to complete the grab.
- Still, a strong run,
and he may have gone far enough,
fast enough, to get into the semifinals.
- You left it out there.
- And we'll see his buddy Dan Champagne
run in just a few minutes.
Also coming up... - There it is.
- Some teenage daughters
don't want to hang out with their dads.
- Showoff. - Not this one.
When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back.
While we were away, Portland attorney John Kodachi
showed up looking like he was ready for court,
then he made a strong case for his right to bare arms.
- Now, that's a swole, ol' lawyer.
- The 55-year-old
sustained his run through the first obstacle.
- Yes! - Oh, 360?
- There you go!
[together] 360!
- But on Wait For It, he couldn't pass the bar.
- He's gotta lache. Oh!
That thing came down like a gavel.
- LA's Stevi Hall is a Navy veteran
turned fitness influencer
with nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok.
- Ooh! - And Stevi was a wonder...
- Whoa! Okay!
This is about to end up on the discovery page.
- As the 32-year-old rookie
fought all the way to the fourth obstacle.
[cheers and applause]
But eventually, it was #splashdown.
- This is hard. [chuckles]
But I'll be back next year.
- Stanford, California's Vincent Pane
had the most original look of the night.
- What is he wearing?
- Pane is a true renaissance man,
a PhD chemistry student with a master's in engineering
who also likes to dance and make his own clothes,
including the ones he wore tonight.
- A V-neck onesie type of-- what's going on?
- But looks can be deceiving,
and Pane also turned out to be a pretty good ninja,
making it all the way to the fifth obstacle.
- No Pane, no gain. - Oh!
- Bruh, I'm still trying to figure out
what he's wearing.
- Well, now it's time for Dan Champagne.
He's the financial planner who helped his buddy
Julius Ferguson get out of homelessness.
Unlike Julius, Dan has never competed before,
and he's pumped up. - Yeah!
- Showing some love to his wife and newborn son.
- Let's go!
- And here's the message he had for them just minutes ago.
- Julie and Tina, I love you so much.
Can't wait to see you guys again.
I'm gonna go hit that buzzer. Let's go!
- Well, we knew this guy had heart from helping Julius,
but he's got some passion too.
- Let's go, Dan. You got this.
It's all you, man.
[countdown clock beeping]
- When Dan's not doing ninja,
he's a certified financial planner,
and he's got a rowdy group
of his coworkers cheering him on.
- Nice. There you go.
- All right, here you go. You gotta soar like Bitcoin.
Nice. - Let's go, Dan!
- On the bigger side for a ninja, 6'2", 180,
though he's having to work
to generate swing here on Wait For It.
Now, you have to have a full release
between this third and this fourth bar.
- Oh, nice. - Good job.
- Really good body awareness.
And you get a feeling that he understands that.
- Dan Champagne looking pretty comfortable
for a rookie out here, Akbar. Ooh.
- He says, "Don't judge me because I'm a CFP."
The wife's so excited, she's handed the baby off.
She needs to concentrate.
"Somebody take this baby real quick."
- Financial planner trying to plan out his next move.
Does he attempt Burn Rubber or go over to Broken Bridge?
- Keep moving. Spot your step and keep moving.
- Looks like he's gonna settle for Burn Rubber.
- You got it.
- Making the same choice Julius did.
- Push, push, push, push. - Ooh!
- And the rookie clears it.
- That boy got some ninja in his portfolio.
- And he's giving the family and his coworkers
a show back in Connecticut. - Look at that.
Look at--look at Champagne over there, getting bubbly.
- Well, will he be popping bottles
at the end of this run, Akbar?
- This is no time to try to budget the strength.
You just got to go.
- And, Akbar, he went a little higher up,
using that height to his advantage.
- Yep. - Minimize the climb.
That was a shrewd move.
Using his size well here on Tipping Point.
Now has to reach over to the other plank.
- Be steady.
You don't need to swing. Come on.
- And he's got it. - Good move.
- Ooh! - Champagne finding it.
Not going flat yet.
Good descent. Good control.
- I like the way he controlled that slide.
Now, that is crucial.
[cheers and applause] - But now the very difficult
V Formation, which took out his buddy Julius
just a few minutes ago.
- Take a few deep breaths, then go.
- Taking a deep breath before this one.
- All right. Ooh!
- I like it.
Using that initial momentum... - Keep moving.
- To get that first kickstand.
- Nice. - Nice.
- That's a shrewd move. - Okay, here we go.
- Dan Champagne has been executing.
- I'm liking what I'm seeing, Matt.
- This descent's been a real challenge.
No one's gotten past this downhill section tonight.
- Here we go, Matt. Champagne's got that juice.
- And he's eying the fourth V.
I think he's gonna skip the third one.
- Oh, here we go. Here we go.
Champagne's got that juice.
- Well, leave it to the financial planner
to find a loophole. - Come on.
- Oh, my! - Oh, he makes it!
- What? Dan Champagne!
Can the man with the big heart
be the first to get through? - Almost--nice!
- Yes! - Yeah!
Let's go! Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go!
- Julius couldn't get this far,
but he's sharing this moment with his buddy.
Dan Champagne... - What?
- A rookie, the first to face the Warped Wall tonight.
- You got this, man. You got it.
Let's go. Let's go.
You got it, man. You got it.
- You know he planned this one out.
Here we go. Here we go!
- Oh, so close. - All right, that's one shot.
- Take a deep breath if you need it.
- Two more shots left for Dan Champagne.
- He is gassed.
- He didn't come this far to only come this far, Akbar.
- Deep breath, man. You got it.
Catch your breath.
- Well, you see it on Julius' and Dan's shirt--
"Hardcore Ninja Life."
- You got this, bro. You got this.
- A testament to all the training they've done.
Second chance at his first buzzer.
- Let's go. Push, push, push.
- Dan Champagne pulled himself up!
- Yes! Whoo!
[upbeat music]
* *
- That's what I'm talking about.
- Let's go! Number one!
- Let's go.
- Oh. - Oh, my--
- Hey, Dan, let me say something, man.
Good things happen to good people.
You're a good dude.
You got your boy down there, Black Jules, cheering you on.
Tell me what this feels like. - Oh!
So thirsty. It feels great, man.
- Hey, you want some champagne, man?
Let's celebrate!
- Let's go. Hardcore Ninja Life!
- Hardcore Ninja Life, all day. I knew you could do it, man.
- Yes! Yes!
- * Good song beating in your chest *
- Matt, this is a perfect ending.
With his brother for life Julius by his side,
the financial planner with the heart of gold
pulls off a dangerous move
on V Formation all the way to his first buzzer.
- * You gotta be *
- Hardcore Ninja Life. - Yes!
Hardcore Ninja Life!
- Hey. - Yeah!
Dan Champagne!
- I want him to manage my money.
That boy good. both: That boy is good.
- More surprises and special guests
are coming up, including Olympic greats
Allyson Felix, Kristi Yamaguchi,
and baseball's highest paid player, Trevor Bauer.
- He's just counting his money. - Yes.
- And speaking of money.
It's 18 feet for $10,000.
Can anyone conquer the Mega Wall?
When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior."
While we were away,
Harbor City, California's Ruben Arellano
showed off some moves for the huge group
of students he coaches. - Chivo!
- Wow. - Yo, let's go!
- Then the three-time ninja veteran known as Chivo,
or "goat" in Spanish,
hoofed his way to the fifth obstacle.
- Hold on. Hold on.
Fight for your ever-loving life!
This is it! Everything you got.
- But the Goat's grip finally gave out.
No!
- No! - No!
- Seattle track star Emmanuel "Ray Ray" Wells
hurdled his way to the start line.
The 23-year-old is a viral sensation.
The video of him hopping over extremely high hurdles
has more than a million views.
- This dude's got major boosties.
- And the All-American sprinter
from Washington State University
was able to walk through the first obstacle
but couldn't clear the bar on the second.
Ooh! - Oh!
- No!
- Matt, he was fast, but I didn't know
he was gonna go out that fast.
- Great experience though.
- Then it was high-powered sports agent Rachel Luba.
Luba brokered the biggest annual contract
in baseball history for her client,
Dodgers' pitcher Trevor Bauer.
- She's a better athlete than I am, so she's got this.
- But Luba, a former gymnast at UCLA...
- Come on, make it past that first obstacle.
- Couldn't negotiate the Shrinking Steps.
- Oh! - No!
- Trevor Bauer's saying,
"You know what, I'm glad she's not focused on Ninja
and she's negotiating deals." He's just counting his money.
- Yes.
- And a reminder, the Summer Olympics
start on NBC on July 23,
and one of the stars we'll be watching in Tokyo
is with us tonight.
A four-time Olympian with nine Olympic medals
to her name, Allyson Felix! Allyson, thanks for being here.
- You know, Allyson, the games are now only a few weeks away.
How's training been for you?
- I've been putting in all that work,
so I can't wait till it's time to finally compete.
- Allyson, we've got another Olympian,
someone you know well, about to try our course.
- Whoo! Let's go!
- This is the very enthusiastic
David "Clutch" Payne.
- Let's go, baby!
- He won a silver medal in the hurdles
at the 2008 games.
Now a track coach at Xavier University
in Cincinnati.
He and Allyson were on
that same U.S. Olympic track team in 2008.
Allyson, you got any last words for him?
- Go out there and get it done.
- Get it done. That's from Allyson Felix.
- When a four-time Olympian says, "Get it done,"
you get it done. - You get it done.
- Let's see what Clutch does.
[countdown clock beeping]
Payne outraced some of the best in the world
to win a silver medal,
but first time facing ninja obstacles.
Gets through the first one.
But this second one, Wait For It,
will require some ninja knowledge.
Allyson, how do you think he's gonna do?
- He's a competitor.
You know, any Olympian knows how to compete,
knows how to get up for it, so I think it's gonna be
a great--he's a hurdler, so he has all that agility.
- Nice.
- Now just needs to get the final bar.
He's 6 feet tall, so able to generate a lot of swing.
- Nice. Oh, no!
- Clutch can't hold on. - Oh, he hit the hurdle, Matt.
- Ah!
[applause]
And it just shows,
even Olympic athletes can fall on this course.
- And, Allyson Felix, thank you for being with us.
We'll see you in Tokyo in a few weeks.
Well, our next athlete
is guaranteed to make you smile.
This is future dentist Sarah Chang
aka Sarah Sparkles.
And she shared her message minutes ago.
- Hello, future Dr. Sparkles here.
I just wanted to remind you
that even ninjas must brush and floss their teeth.
Always remember to smile
and do more of what makes you sparkle.
I am ready to shine on the course.
[cheers and applause]
- She's doing "the Floss." - She's flossing.
- Oh, I see what she's doing.
- And her energy is infectious.
Just look at all the folks she's making smile,
including her parents and lots of friends back in California.
She can make anyone smile.
- How are my teeth? - They're good.
It's your breath that's really killing me.
Let's see how she does on the course!
- Really? My breath stinks, really?
[countdown clock beeping]
- She's only 4'10".
She could be the shortest ever to complete an obstacle.
And she's done it. - Yeah!
- And of course, look, she's smiling.
[cheers and applause]
- But this next obstacle may be a challenge for her--
Wait For It.
Connects with the first grab, no problem.
- Whoo!
- She's been training on obstacles for two years.
- Go for it!
- Come on! - Wow.
- Looking confident as she reaches that second bar.
- Okay, Matt, she's a little fireball.
- Yeah!
- In her third year of dental school.
Gonna be a dentist just like her dad.
And reaches the next bar!
- And look at her face.
She is working for every swing.
Only 110 pounds,
so it takes a lot to generate swing.
- [cheers]
- And listen to her squeal with delight.
She is enjoying every minute of this.
[chanting together] Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!
- Having to take a lot of swings,
but hanging in there.
I think she's gonna fight through this.
[people chanting] Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!
- Nice. - Ooh, and she is through.
[cheers and applause]
- Sarah, Sarah!
- She's asking her friends
which side to choose here at Split Decision.
At 4'10", got to decide which suits her better.
- Well, I would go Broken Bridge.
They look more like teeth.
[chanting together] Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!
- Watch this foot placement.
At 4'10", very low to the ground, Akbar.
[people chanting] Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!
- Okay!
- Yes! - Okay!
- The smiles continue. She is sparkling here.
- That's my dentist right there!
- The confidence is building.
Sarah Chang now on this fourth obstacle,
Tipping Point.
- You got to see it just like the X-ray
you guys are always asking for
when you go to the dental office.
You see it. Nice.
- At 4'10", this Tipping Point is looking big.
- Come on, Sarah!
Yank it like you're pulling a tooth.
- Oh! - Oh, no!
[buzzer blares]
Ran out of laughing gas. - [laughs]
- Sarah splashes down, but not before
putting a smile on everyone's face, Akbar.
4'10" coming up big.
- Thank you guys so much!
- Coming up,
it's the invasion of the teenagers part two.
- Is that real? - Yeah, it's real.
- Almost-- - [screams]
And this one's bringing his lizards
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior"
and the second night of qualifying.
While we were away,
a couple of fashionistas took on the course.
Vacaville, California clothing designer
Brittney Durant wore an outfit from her vintage 1990s line.
- Oh, she is stylin'.
- The 20-year-old looked like a fly girl,
on the obstacles and off.
- Hey-o, JLo would be proud of those moves.
[upbeat music]
- But the fly girl's impressive run
was finally swatted down on Tipping Point.
- She got to make that quick transition--ooh.
[buzzer blares]
- The Bowtie Ninja, Jose Gomez,
wears bowties at the office and on the ninja course,
and he had all of us looking good.
- This is a little big,
but I do like the lights though.
- The cybersecurity expert from Folsom, California
was definitely dressed for success.
- Light this thing up like your bowtie now.
- That's right. Yeah!
- As the 39-year-old rookie
made it all the way to the fifth obstacle,
but got tied up at V Formation.
- Oh! - Ooh!
- Look, at this Bowtie Ninja-- it's still lit.
- How silly do we look? How silly do we look?
- The teenage competitors came out strong last week,
and we've got a new group of them tonight.
Leading the way is 15-year-old Josiah Pippel,
coming to the start line with one of his pets.
He never goes anywhere without his good luck lizards.
He wanted them to watch.
So, Akbar, he sent a friend up here.
- Oh! - This is Little Pip.
- Oh!
- This is a frilled-neck lizard.
- Oh, is that real? - It's a real lizard, Akbar.
[screams]
Well, if you don't like reptiles,
then you definitely want to stay away from Josiah's room.
- Right now, I have five different reptiles
in my bedroom,
four lizards and a sulcata tortoise.
Yeah, they're-they're cool. [chuckles]
I think I was about seven or eight when I first started
seeing reptiles on the internet,
and I was like, "Oh, those are cool."
I liked reptiles because they're very misunderstood,
and I'm kind of the same way.
I think she just wants to go under the couch.
You know, a lot of people think they're just
these slimy kind of gross things,
but when you get to see them
and understand how they move and stuff,
they're very interesting creatures.
[soft dramatic music]
Ever since I was a child, I was always very quiet.
I didn't want to, like, talk to people in public
or whatever. I was just always at home.
And then I found Ninja, and I was like,
"Oh, these people are actually pretty cool."
all: Yeah!
- The ninja community has just really helped him
kind of open up.
[laughter]
It's been awesome to see him grow from a kid
who's hiding behind his parents' legs
to building his own obstacles,
and he's begging to go to the gym in all hours.
- Doing ninja has been a great opportunity for me
to leave my comfort zone and grow as a person.
I've been waiting for this nine years.
It's pretty big to finally get an opportunity
to show what I can do.
I'm cold-blooded just like my lizards.
- His room looks like a zoo.
- Obviously has a very understanding mom.
And there she is back in New Jersey
with his brothers and sisters.
Dad down on the sidelines...
- Let's go, bud.
- Along with Josiah's spiny-tailed lizard
being held by another teen, Xavier Dantzler.
[countdown clock beeping]
Josiah is currently in the ninth grade.
- Yeah, he's the youngest of tonight's competitors.
Ninja Josiah's graduated to the big leagues, Matt.
He's a pro.
- We first saw him
on "American Ninja Warrior Junior,"
and you can catch new episodes of the series
starting in September.
Josiah's making progress,
and Akbar's making friends up here.
- Here, lizard, lizard, lizard, lizard, lizard,
lizard, lizard, lizard.
[cheers and applause]
- I think he's starting to like you.
And he's gotta be liking
how Josiah is moving through Wait For It.
- And, Matt, he's grown a lot since "Ninja Junior."
He's now 6 feet tall
and he's able to use those long limbs.
- And he's through. Ready for Split Decision.
Oh, and it's a quick decision. Goes right across Burn Rubber.
[cheers and applause]
Jumps up on Tipping Point.
Needs to be lizard-like on this obstacle.
Six feet, 150. Phenomenal control.
I don't even know if he's supposed to be--
if he knows he's supposed to be nervous.
What's he doing? - I don't know.
- Little Pip getting excited.
- Those long arms are letting him
climb it like a gecko, Matt.
- And just phenomenal control, Akbar.
You have to remind yourself
he's only 15 years old.
- And now he's going backwards
trying to get-- he's a little stuck here.
- Because that-- that plank will move.
But he's through.
[cheers and applause]
And Little Pip's moving too.
But now V Formation.
Only Dan Champagne has made it past this tonight.
And look at him.
Just shows no signs of fatigue.
Just flying up the ascent here on V Formation.
- Wow. Impressive.
- But this is where the challenge is.
This descent, Akbar.
- Well, this--you got to have body control here coming down.
You got to see it. - Nice, so smooth.
And he's looking at the third handle.
May skip the second.
- Whoa! - Whoa!
- A dangerous-- skips the handle!
Has to touch the fourth handle.
Goes over. - Nice.
- That is the rule.
You have to touch that final handle.
- Matt, he's-- - And look at this.
This is a ninth-grader?
- And he's 14 1/2 feet away from...
- Going straight for ten Gs! - Going to the Mega Wall!
- He's going straight for the ten Gs!
- You got it, man! - You got this, bud!
- Little Pip is watching, Josiah!
No one got the Mega Wall last week.
Can a 15-year-old be the first this season?
- Beat that wall.
[people chanting] Beat that wall, beat that wall!
- Oh! - Ooh.
- You could just see, didn't have the traction.
- Okay, go right to the 14. You got it.
- Going now. Still can make history.
- Nice.
- Josiah Pippel hits the buzzer!
[upbeat pop music]
The youngest ever to hit a buzzer.
[cheers and applause]
- * No rest till I get what's mine *
- Wow. - Wow!
- * No rest till I get what's *
- Hey, check this guy out, huh?
He's pretty excited. He's pretty excited.
He's moving around. Tell me what this means.
From "Ninja Junior" to the big league.
- This feels amazing.
- Let's go! - Let's go!
- It's just--I've been waiting a long time for this.
- I'ma tell you, Matt, this dude right here
is cold-blooded, like his reptile friend.
He made a risky move on V Formation,
and it paid off. He makes it to the buzzer.
Just our second finisher tonight.
The teen invasion continues.
- Not sure what to do with my hand.
I'm kind of stuck.
- It looks like it's peeing on your hand.
That's a sign he likes you, Akbar.
A good start for the teens,
but here come the veterans,
including the Cowboy Ninja, Lance Pekus,
Sweet T, Tiana Webberly,
and the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky.
Plus, a lot more unforgettable moments to come.
- Oh! - Oh!
- This dude is a survivor!
- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to our second night
of qualifying here on "American Ninja Warrior."
And, Akbar, we're about halfway through the field.
- And, Matt, this so far has not gone according to plan.
Nice--oh, no! - Oh!
- With a strong field, we expected
a lot of success tonight.
- Get-- - No!
[buzzer blares]
- But we've only had two finishers so far,
32-year-old rookie Dan Champagne,
and 15-year-old Josiah Pippel.
- Yes!
- And moments ago, more teens took on the course.
17-year-old True Becker came out blazing.
- He is looking impressive.
- This straight-A student,
who's headed to Tufts University in the fall,
was looking very strong,
but the rookie couldn't handle V Formation.
- Oh, no!
[buzzer blares]
- But his fast pace almost guarantees
he'll be moving on to the semifinal.
Then it was another one
of this year's talented teenagers,
17-year-old Olivia Colasuonno.
- Good footwork.
- She's known as the Fur-ever Ninja
because she started
her own animal rescue organization.
- Nice. - Whoo!
- Breathe!
- And though she's saved many animals...
- No!
- Colasuonno couldn't save herself on the Broken Bridge.
- Oh, no!
- After putting up a fight for almost a minute,
her run finally ended.
- No, no, no, no, no! - No, no, no, no!
[buzzer blares]
[upbeat music]
- And our next competitor is only a couple of years older.
This is 19-year-old Rylie Johnston,
a college student out of Scottsdale, Arizona.
And she's doing something special tonight.
She'll be running on the same course as her dad.
- Rylie! - Go Rylie!
* *
- The first time I stepped on a "Ninja Warrior" set,
I was 12 years old
when my dad competed in San Pedro, season seven.
- The flags are flying
for a special all-military edition
of "American Ninja Warrior."
- I remember it was quite difficult
to stay awake that night.
* *
I just passed out on the sidelines.
- [chuckles]
- On the course right now,
anesthesiologist Cody Johnston.
- My season ended fairly quickly in season seven.
- Oh! A hard fall!
- So we made up a plan of training together.
* *
- There it is. Oh.
We knew that we wanted to compete together one day.
That was close.
Finally, season 13, here we are together.
- Time flies. - Time flies.
[laughter]
Kids grow.
Boom. Now bring it down.
- My dad is definitely the drill segreant.
* *
- Oh, that was it.
Get the one hand up there,
get that other one up there quick.
I try to make it fun.
Sometimes? - Sometimes.
* *
Showoff.
Not many 19-year-olds
get to have this with their dad.
- I'm loving every minute of it.
* *
- This has been six years in the making,
and tonight we're both gonna hit the buzzer.
* *
- Boom.
- Rylie will run first. - You got this, girl!
- And we'll see Dad in a few minutes.
Mom and the rest of the family watching back in Arizona.
[countdown clock beeping]
- She was asleep on the sidelines
six years ago. Now she's on the course.
That's a dream come true.
- Gets through the first obstacle.
And Zuri's down with a very nervous dad.
- Cody, okay, what's more nerve-racking,
running yourself or watching Rylie run?
- Oh, my God, I'd rather be on the course right now.
My heart is just about to pound out of its chest.
- You're nervous for your baby girl?
- Absolutely.
Yeah!
- Confidence gotta be building for this 19-year-old.
- There you go. - Yes!
- Cody told us earlier that if Rylie gets farther
than he does, she's gonna be insufferable to live with,
and he can't wait for it.
- Yeah! You got it, girl!
- All that training with dad paying off.
- There you go. Now, that's it.
- She's gonna get through Wait For It.
- Yeah!
- You see her shirt that says "Trip Hazard."
That's her nickname because she tends to be clumsy.
- Whoo!
- Well, she doesn't want to trip here on Split Decision.
- What feels good? Go for it.
- And the college student heading over
to Broken Bridge.
Doesn't require a huge stride like Burn Rubber.
- Quick feet. Quick feet.
- Shaking it out now. - Uh-oh!
- A little stumble! - Okay, hold on now.
There's your Trip Hazard right there.
That's how she got the name.
- Trip Hazard in the house.
- Well, can't trip here.
- Choppy feet, go. Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop.
Chop, chop, chop, chop. Chop, chop, chop.
- Oh, my. - Okay, okay!
[laughs]
- Yeah! Whoo!
Yeah!
- She's overwhelmed with happiness.
I love this.
[applause] - Yeah!
- But now on to Tipping Point,
an obstacle we've already seen end four runs tonight.
- There you go.
Ratchet up. Ratchet up.
- Got to get at least halfway up this panel to tip it over.
- Matt, you can see her, that right arm, she's really--
- Oh, no! - Oh, no!
- Rylie Johnston was having a great rookie run,
but it ends on Tipping Point.
- Good job, Rylie. Good job.
- She was having fun out there,
and Trip Hazard didn't trip on Broken Bridge,
but she didn't have the grip for that fourth obstacle.
- Well, really puts the pressure on Dad.
He'll run in a few minutes.
- Was it fun? - It was so fun.
- Was it super fun? Yeah, I know.
- We've seen lots of new faces tonight,
but now comes an old favorite.
From Salmon, Idaho,
it's the Cowboy Ninja, Lance Pekus.
This is his tenth season,
and like Cody Johnston, he's a dad too.
Those are his two kids and wife Heather
watching from back home.
- I love you.
- We've talked about Heather's battle
with multiple sclerosis,
how they continue to try to find new ways
to get her moving, get her back on the horse.
- I love you, Daddy. - I love you, guys.
- And he's got another famous Northwest Ninja
on his sideline,
supermom Sandy Zimmerman.
She'll run later.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Well, you know, once the hat comes off,
that's when we know Lance Pekus
is gonna go super pursuit mode.
He's in pursuit of that buzzer, Matt.
- 5'8", 165 pounds of pure beef.
Having to work to build up swing here.
- Good job!
Let's go, Lance! - Nice, big up.
- Ooh. - No!
- Lance just got his pilot's license.
Trying to generate some lift here on Wait For It.
- All right, here we go. - Now, he's going.
- Yeah, he's used to getting comfortable,
and sometimes it takes that. It's been a while.
But we're back.
And you know Lance wants to get back to Vegas.
He's been there five times in his career.
- Whoo! - And now it's Split Decision.
Remember, his season ended last year
on Burn Rubber, so I doubt
he wants to face that one again.
- Ah, nope, nah, he says, "I'ma go with Broken Bridge."
- Quick and light. Quick and light.
- Well, he's fallen a few times on balance obstacles,
so always a little nervous.
- Yep, yep, yep.
- He says, "I ain't messing around."
- Just makes it through!
Almost bucked off. The hat comes off!
- Now he's gonna go fast.
- You saw him fly over that last one?
- Matt, check this out.
He went straight horizontal
and had the Superman hand out and everything.
[cheers and applause]
- And he's keeping it moving,
going right up onto Tipping Point.
That upper body strength, so prodigious,
but you want to see some efficiency here.
Good control. - Nice.
And you can see he's got the upper body strength
and the grip strength.
That's a hard move.
- Come on, Lance. You got this.
- That's a slab of grade "A" beef, Lance Pekus.
This dude is shredded.
- Yeah, it's all those chores around the ranch.
Wrangling cows, baling hay. That's tough work.
Hold yourself. Hold yourself.
- And he's straining a little. Just needs the dismount.
- Come on, you got it. - There you go.
- And he is through.
- Yes! Daddy!
- Well, don't look now, kids,
but Daddy's taking his shirt off.
- Whoo!
- I'd say he's a ribeye,
but there ain't much fat on this guy.
This dude... - Not at all.
- Is shredded.
But V Formation has been shredding ninjas tonight.
Only two have made it through this fifth obstacle.
- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
- And he's struggling to get power, Akbar.
Surprising. Now he's going full reverse.
Pekus competed
in a high school wrestling championship
here in the Tacoma Dome back in the day.
But he's really wrestling with this fifth obstacle.
This descent's gonna be a challenge
if his arms have anything left.
- Matt, I want to see if this new pilot
can make the landing now.
He took off. Can he make the landing?
- Lance Pekus-- - Oh!
Not that landing!
- Oh! - Oh.
- Lance Pekus bucked on the V Formation!
And he took the plunge there square on his back.
- Ooh. - A hard fall, Akbar.
- Oh, mayday, mayday. Lance Pekus in trouble.
I think he got worn out
fighting his way up V Formation.
And when he started his way down,
he missed the grab.
And watch this splash.
His back is gonna be medium rare.
- Dang it.
- But with only two finishers so far tonight,
there's a good chance he'll be moving on to the semifinals.
Some think he's the best ninja in the world,
and he's only 15 years old.
- I expect big things from this kid.
- Get ready for the debut of Kaden Lebsack...
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to the Tacoma Dome.
While we were away, three more ninjas
got their shot at this qualifying course.
First up was Arizona dad Cody Johnston
who was trying to keep up with daughter Rylie...
- Come on, Dad.
- Who made it to the fourth obstacle
minutes ago.
- His biggest motivation is on the sideline.
- And the 5'4" anesthesiologist
came up big. - Yes!
- He did pass his daughter
by getting past the fourth obstacle.
- Nice.
- But he ran out of gas on the fifth.
- Oh, no!
- Oh! - Oh.
- He keeps the bragging rights.
- David Truong
from nearby Everett, Washington
saw his dream come true.
In 2010, he posted on social media
that one day he'd compete on "Ninja Warrior" and win.
- Some people got vision boards.
He's got a Twitter board.
- Eleven years later, he got his chance.
And though his dream started on Facebook,
it ended with a faceplant.
- Oh, no!
And boom, splash.
- And finally, Milton "The Mover" Nkunku
runs a moving company in Arizona.
And tonight, he wanted to move past the first obstacle
where he fell two years ago. - No!
- Nkunku looked ready at the start line,
but somehow the Shrinking Steps
sent him packing once again.
[buzzer blares]
- He was moving, but he just packed it up,
and he's done.
- I can't believe I fell again.
- Well, get ready,
'cause here comes another one
of these talented teenagers.
This is Kaden Lebsack,
a high school sophomore from Castle Rock, Colorado,
and, despite his age,
some think he may already be
the best Ninja on the planet.
- * My destiny is knocking *
- Nice.
- I'm 15 years old, but now I get my shot
way sooner than I thought, and it feels awesome.
- Lebsack, flawless again.
- I got second place
on "American Ninja Warrior Junior."
- Congratulations.
- * Here we go *
- I've been competing in a lot of local competitions
against big names like Jake Murray
and Ethan Swanson.
I think I've been doing pretty well.
[upbeat pop music]
Yeah!
- I train with Kaden semi-regularly,
and the kid is light years beyond me.
- * Run, run until we get to the top *
- I think Kaden Lebsack is the best ninja in the world.
I expect big things from this kid.
Usually, after our training sessions,
I go home and cry. - [laughs]
When I'm doing "Ninja Warrior,"
I don't feel like a 15-year-old.
I feel like I'm the same as all the big names.
- Yeah!
- I feel like I have a pretty good shot,
and I just want to give it my best.
- * All the way, yeah, here we go *
* *
- Looking a bit nervous, but his good buddy Jake Murray
holding up a sign reminding him to breathe.
Good advice from the veteran.
Kaden's also got his mom and grandparents
watching in Colorado,
and many of the other top teens
want to see this.
That's Elijah Browning, Isabella Wakeham,
and Max Feinberg.
- Let's go, Kaden!
[countdown clock beeping]
- This kid will have you on the edge of your seat.
- Well, he met Jake when he was just ten years old,
developed a friendship,
and just like Jake,
Kaden Lebsack likes to go fast.
- Yeah, Matt, he's explosive and fearless.
I love this kid. - Just so impressive.
What we saw these kids doing on "Ninja Junior,"
they forced us to lower the age.
We knew they were that good,
and they have been answering it
here early in season 13.
- And this kid's already been winning
local Ninja competitions
against veterans like Jake Murray.
He is not intimidated.
[cheers and applause]
- Yeah! Yes!
- Now, Split Decision.
Looks like his decision has been made.
He's going with Burn Rubber.
- Okay! I see you!
- Yeah!
- His friends love it, and all three of them
are business partners with Kaden in Bucket of Chalk,
a company that sells chalk to gyms.
- And, Matt, he is attacking Tipping Point.
- Wow, Akbar, a new standard here on Tipping Point.
The efficiency out of Kaden Lebsack
has been phenomenal!
- Can't lean back when you watch Kaden Lebsack.
- Only 145 pounds,
and he just seems to glide through the course.
- Yeah! There we go!
It's done! It's done!
- Well, Jake Murray may be right because Kaden Lebsack
is on pace to destroy the fastest finish
set by another teenager, Josiah Pippel.
Kaden Lebsack showing power, showing efficiency.
Looking like the total package.
Can he stick this descent?
- Look at this, Matt. This looks so easy.
His hair is flying through the air.
This is beautiful. - Oh, my!
He goes right to that third handle.
Has to touch this fourth handle.
Look at this! Annihilating this course!
And no hesitation, Akbar!
His first buzzer! - Wow!
[cheers and applause]
* *
- Yeah, Kaden!
- By far the fastest time of the night.
- Let's go!
- Kaden, come on, man.
You're 15, and you just crushed this pro course.
Tell me, what's harder, this or algebra?
- Algebra.
[laughter]
- Kaden Lebsack lived up to the hype.
He's only 15, and he just blew away this course
and got the fastest finish by over a minute.
Kaden Lebsack, you're going to the semifinals.
Hit that buzzer one more time.
[buzzer blares]
These young guns, Akbar, they came to play.
- He's on a whole another level.
- Well, don't go away.
You never know what's coming next
on "American Ninja Warrior."
- It's the second night of qualifying,
and we're having some fun here in the Tacoma Dome.
Rachel Garlin
is a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter
who gave us a mini concert before her run.
- * Will I try my best? Yes *
* That's what I do. - Move with it.
Move with it. You are so uncoordinated.
- Good choice of words. - [laughs]
- Her music was definitely better than my moves,
and though the 47-year-old danced her way
across the first obstacle,
the show was over on the second.
- Oh, no! - Ooh.
- Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm.
- Chino Hills, California's Anthony Porter
is an archery teacher who took his shot at the start line.
- Don't break that screen. - Oh, so close!
And the Archery Ninja was also on target on the course.
[cheers and applause]
- He came ready. He came ready, Matt.
- The 24-year-old shot his way through all six obstacles,
and finished with one
of the fastest times of the night.
- This is his up shot. This is it.
Go for it! - Anthony Porter, bull's-eye!
[cheers and applause]
- Whoo! - Whoo!
- Our next athlete
got her first buzzer last season.
She's one of our most popular ninjas.
This is Sweet T, Tiana Webberly,
the stuntwoman from Palmdale, California.
She's a seven-time veteran with two trips
to the national finals,
and she'll have a very special guest
rooting for her tonight. Zuri?
- Cheering on her fellow California girl
is Olympic skating legend Kristi Yamaguchi.
Hey, Kristi.
- Hey. How are you?
Yes, go Tiana.
- Well, if anyone knows how to win at a high level,
it's Kristi Yamaguchi.
[countdown clock beeping]
- Tiana's coming off her best season.
As we said, got her first buzzer in qualifying...
- Nice.
- And then made the final four in our women's championship.
- Nice.
- Tiana looking confident, Akbar.
Yamaguchi might have given her some good advice.
- Yeah, Matt, just to have an Olympic gold medalist
right there watching and cheering you on,
that's got to be inspirational.
- Tiana Webberly, a pole vaulter,
high-level in her own right, in college.
We'll see lots of track athletes
when the Olympic Trials start next week on NBC.
And then the Tokyo Games kick off on July 23.
You and I will be there, Akbar.
- Yeah, that's right. Our first Olympics!
It's gonna be great.
- And Tiana's almost through this second obstacle.
- Right here. There you go.
- And she is through. - Yes.
- But now, Tiana's facing Split Decision.
Needs to skate across one of these balance obstacles
like Kristi used to do.
She started looking at Burn Rubber,
but now heading over to Broken Bridge.
- Well, she's a veteran, Matt. She can handle this.
She's seen a lot of different obstacles in her career.
She's a seven-time veteran. Here we go.
- Yeah! - Yeah.
I know her nickname is Sweet T,
but that was sweet feet right there.
- Tiana's sister, mom, and dad also watching her tonight.
And if she can get through Tipping Point
right now, she'll be assured
of moving on to the semifinals,
which start in a few weeks.
Completing this obstacle would guarantee her a spot.
- Outstanding job tipping that first panel,
but here comes the hard part. - Trying to maintain her grip.
And now trying to raise herself up.
- She's been efficient with her moves,
but now struggling a little bit.
Ooh, hold on.
- Seems unsure where to grip.
And what looked like a sure thing now gets
a lot more difficult. This transition--
- She's gonna fly into it. - What a save!
No! - Oh!
[buzzer blares]
- Got hung up on the fourth obstacle.
We'll see if that gets her into the semifinals.
- Sweet T was sailing through the early obstacles,
but when she reached the middle of Tipping Point,
wasn't sure how to make that move to the second panel.
She got her fingers on it, but couldn't hang on.
- It happens. Dang.
- Running this course
means so much to our next competitor.
This is 43-year-old Brian Montagnese,
and he's smiling because he's been waiting for this moment.
He's taking a knee to remember his father,
who passed away three years ago,
but he's also competing for his mom
who's still fighting.
[soft dramatic music]
- My mom and dad,
they gave me everything growing up.
My mom is my best friend. She's my inspiration.
She's my hero.
And four and a half, five years ago,
she was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
* *
She shakes quite a bit.
Her leg taps quite a bit as well.
It's tough to watch sometimes.
- This is a guy who's ready to face any challenge.
- Jimmy Choi-- I was watching him run.
I saw what he was able to do
and was capable of with Parkinson's.
- It's whatever you're comfortable with.
but doing more--like, every day do a little more.
- Really gave me a cause,
something to want to get involved with.
* *
But this year, I'm running for my dad.
* *
After a year-long fight with brain cancer,
he passed away in October 2018.
They gave him three to six months,
so he fought.
* *
Can't move him. He's too old.
[laughter]
To see what my dad went through
was heartbreaking.
To see what my mom is still fighting is heartbreaking.
But to see the fight...
[upbeat music]
And that's the most important thing to me.
And that's what I'm taking with me
is the fight that they've put in my heart.
Dad, this is for you. This is for Mom.
* *
- A huge support system behind Brian tonight
including his mom, and you can see,
she's getting so emotional.
Also ninja Jimmy Choi,
who inspired Brian to try this.
- Let's go. Let's go, come on.
- He's got that "Team Fox" on his shirt.
That's what Jimmy wears
representing the Michael J. Fox Foundation
for Parkinson's Research. - Yeah!
[countdown clock beeping]
- At 43 years old,
one of the oldest competitors tonight.
- Confident start there on the Shrinking Steps.
Started ninja training three years ago.
Now trying to get through Wait For It.
- It's timing. It's upper body.
It's a little coordination,
but the timing is the key here.
Get it up high. Nice.
Make that grab. - Nice job.
- It's all about generating swing.
You have to find that rhythm with your hips.
Montagnese seems to be doing it thus far.
- Well, he's moving pretty well
for a 43-year-old insurance guy.
- Well, I like it.
Montagnese being real efficient, Akbar.
And he's through here.
[cheers and applause]
But now, it's Split Decision.
- Which way you gonna go?
That's like-- it's so trippy, right?
'Cause one of them could mess you up, and you don't know.
- Absolutely. Here we are on Burn Rubber.
- Come on, you got this. You got this.
- Get the momentum going. Carry it through.
- Oh! - And Montagnese did.
- Let's go! - Let's go.
- Okay!
- Yes, yes, yes, yes!
- Gonna try to keep that momentum going
on Tipping Point.
And a decent move there, Akbar.
- Uh-oh, watch.
That left hand is starting to slip.
- Is he coming over the top?
Oh boy, that bar's up high, Akbar.
- Yeah, that's all right.
I think he can make that transition.
He's 5'8".
- But as we just saw with Tiana Webberly,
this is a tough move.
Oh! - Oh.
- That was the difference. - It's okay.
- Missed that second plank.
The momentum pulled him right off.
Ninja B in the water.
- Couldn't quite get my hand on it,
but I know my dad is proud. I know my mom is proud.
I know they're proud. I love you guys.
Thank you so much!
I love you, Dad. I love you.
- Coming up...
How far would you go to make your dreams come true?
- I get on the train for two hours
just to go to school.
- One New York teenager's long journey to ninja,
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- We've had more great runs
on our second night of qualifying
here on "American Ninja Warrior."
Minutes ago, 16-year-old Sophia Lavallee
made her rookie debut.
- Sophie Lavallee on the course.
- The Lancaster, Massachusetts native
is known as the Wandering Ninja
for her love of travel.
[upbeat music]
[cheers and applause]
And she had a crash landing on Broken Bridge.
- Come on, go for it. Go for it!
- Yes!
- Oh, she stumbled right into it!
- Just incredible.
The high school sophomore's journey
finally ended on Tipping Point.
- Oh! [buzzer blares]
- Oh! - Oh!
- But it was enough to guarantee her
a spot in the semifinals.
Then, it was the comeback
of a competitor 30 years older,
46-year-old Keita Kashiwagi.
This beloved eighth grade science teacher
had a memorable appearance back in season six.
- Oh, oh!
- But Kashiwagi was hit by a car three years ago,
suffered brain damage,
and had to re-learn how to walk again.
And though he still has trouble seeing,
he wanted to return to the course.
With students and family cheering him on,
Kashiwagi remarkably got through
the first... - Yes, yes!
- And the second obstacles. - This is cool to watch.
- And almost the third.
- Aw. - Oh.
- But it was still a remarkable comeback.
- You get an "A" for effort.
[cheers and applause]
- And now it's a competitor almost young enough
to be one of Keita's students. The final teen of the night.
And throwing up the X with his arms,
this is 16-year-old Xavier Dantzler.
And talk about dedication.
This kid spends hours on the train
around New York City for school
and for his Ninja education... - Come on, one at a time!
- With his mentor, Joe Moravsky.
- Come on. Focus.
- I get up at 4:00 a.m.,
and I take my brother to school.
* *
And then I get on the train for two hours
just to go to school.
It's a much better school, so I don't mind it,
but it's a grind. It's a grind.
Growing up in New York City builds your confidence.
It teaches you how to be responsible
and to always be aware of your surroundings.
I know New York City in and out.
I know every single train,
exactly where it's going.
I take three different trains to get from Yonkers,
my house, to the Ninja gym.
* *
- Get up. Yeah.
- I mostly train with Joe Moravsky.
- I'm reaching out to the-- to the right.
- The first time I met him, I was like,
"Oh, my gosh, that's Joe Moravsky."
I was a fanboy. [chuckles]
- Nice. Finish it.
Oh, yeah, man.
- When I go to Stamford to train with Joe,
it's a long journey.
- I don't know anybody that travels two hours
to go to a gym.
Okay. Okay.
You know, it is really inspiring,
and it's really cool to see his drive,
his passion for the sport,
and it grows daily. You can see it.
- I never thought that this opportunity for me
would be coming so early.
I thought I would have to wait another five years.
All those hours spent on the train
is gonna be all worth it if I can hit a buzzer.
- And X will have a big cheering section
back in New York.
- Hey, look at that. Hi, Mama.
- That's his mom, little brother,
and another teen competitor, Devan Alexander.
We'll see him in a few weeks.
Dad's watching with an uncle.
[countdown clock beeping]
A junior at Bayside High in Queens,
he was on the state championship football team.
5'11", 155.
Akbar, we've seen, these young guns,
they don't seem to be intimidated,
and they have energy for days.
- Well, you know, Matt, at 16 years old,
you think you're invincible.
And perhaps Xavier is invincible on this course.
- Piece of cake.
- Well, he was born to ninja.
Check out this picture when X was just a baby.
Already hanging on the monkey bars.
- You know, Xavier's one of the few teenagers
who did not appear on "Ninja Junior."
- He has less experience... - Keep breathing.
Keep breathing, X. - Than some of these kids.
Almost everything he knows
comes from Joe Moravsky.
- Nice, buddy. Whoo!
- Now facing Split Decision.
Which way the rookie will go?
- No, no, no, no. He said--
- I like him going for Burn Rubber.
- He doesn't have his driving permit though,
but I'm sure he knows how to burn rubber.
Here we go. Nice.
Oh, watch yourself! Ooh!
- Hard fall. - Oh, my goodness.
- Even at 16, those falls will add up, Akbar.
Took that in the chest.
- Deep breath. Deep breath.
- He is showing that, at 16 years old,
he belongs in the big league. - And look at that.
The best start we've seen on Tipping Point.
- Okay. Here we go.
- A little--a little overclocked there.
But 5'11", the long wingspan,
this transfer shouldn't be too challenging.
- Come on, now.
He's got to make this transition.
He's got to see it. He's got to lean out to it.
He's 155 pounds. Nice.
- And he's handling the pressure
of being on the big stage.
This is his first real ninja competition ever.
Good control.
- Oh, 16 years old. Nice.
- They talking about him now.
They talking. They talking.
- Let's go. - They talking.
- Yeah, we are talking about him
because he's made it to the fifth obstacle.
- It's just like the gym except better built.
- Joe Moravsky on the sideline
coaching up the young Xavier Dantzler.
- Joe takes such pride in mentoring these young kids
and giving freely of himself. - Come on, let's go.
- Going with the switch grip here, Akbar.
- Come on.
- Barely got it up. There he goes.
- Ooh, watch yourself. - A little more power now.
- He almost lost his-- slip on that one.
- Wow. - Be careful.
That's a lot of power out of a 16-year-old.
- There we go. - My goodness.
He almost slipped on that one.
The Bayside High kid was saved by the bell.
- Now, it's even tougher on the way down.
- And he's looking down at that third one.
I think he's gonna skip the second.
I think he should go to his left, Matt.
- Oh! - Oh!
[buzzer blares]
- Oh! - Oh!
[cheers and applause]
- Hey, that was a good attempt.
That's what you gotta do, man. - Couldn't finish V Formation,
but a great debut from Xavier Dantzler.
* *
- X took a chance and decided
to skip that second V over here
and go for the third down there.
But his hands didn't land evenly,
and he just spun out.
- But that's gonna be good enough
to get him to the semifinals,
and we're gonna let Joe let him know.
- You're going to semifinals. - Let's go!
- You're going to semifinals.
- Let's go! - Yes.
- 16.
- I'm so proud of you. Let's go.
- Couldn't have done it without you.
- Let's go. Semifinals, all right?
Come on.
- Well, we'll see Joe in just a few,
but up next, it's Sandy Zimmerman
when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.
- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior" qualifying
where we just had a couple of emotional runs.
First up was San Jose's Victor Chan.
- Okay, Victor Chan.
- He's an engineer for Amazon,
and he definitely delivered on the course tonight.
- Victor Chan!
- Two years ago, he fell on just the second obstacle.
- Ooh!
- Tonight, he made it all the way to the buzzer...
[buzzer blares]
And celebrated in style.
- Oh, backflip! - Oh!
- Whoo! - [laughs]
[cheers and applause]
- That's the way you celebrate.
- Then it was our friend Alex Weber
with a run dedicated to his mom Dale
who's battling cancer.
- You know he wants to hit a buzzer.
How great would that be?
- Weber hosted our award-winning digital series
"Crashing the Course,"
before becoming a competitor himself.
- Oh man, he flipped a coin.
- He's putting us to shame, going from hosting
to straight ninja.
- Let's go! - Yes.
- The 34-year-old battled his way
to the fourth obstacle before falling.
- Oh, no! - Oh!
- But it put a smile on his mom's face.
- If she's cheering. Let's go.
That's a big win. Something to cheer about.
- Yay.
- What a lady! What a lady!
- And here comes another impressive lady.
Zuri, get her going.
- All right, let's make way for the Zimmermom.
I still get goosebumps when I think about Sandy Zimmerman
making history right here in Tacoma.
That's when she became the first mom
ever to hit a buzzer,
but she's been making history here
in the Tacoma Dome for years.
- When I was 12,
I won the National Judo Championship
right there in the Tacoma Dome.
And 30 years later...
[upbeat music]
I became the first mom to hit a buzzer.
- Yes! Yes! - Yes!
- The first mother ever to hit a buzzer!
- But I think the best part of the story, honestly,
was the years leading up to that.
When I failed epically on season eight.
- No! - No!
- * Take a look around *
- And failed epically again season nine.
- Oh! So close!
- * This is where it all began *
- And then season ten, having surgeries.
To come out season 11...
The first mom! The first mom!
I never gave up.
* *
That's actually the best part.
- * I'm not done yet *
- Oftentimes, the big, magical moments in our lives
are because we are just willing
to stick with things longer than what most people are.
* *
Being back in the Tacoma Dome, it's really magic.
Yes, I could fail miserably in front of millions again.
But I also could complete a course
and hit another buzzer.
- * Oh, oh, oh, I'm not done yet *
[cheers and applause]
- And she's ready for another big run in her home state.
Her husband Charlie, their three kids,
and new dog Coda will be watching.
And a big viewing party with some of her students
over in Spokane.
[countdown clock beeping]
But Sandy has been so impressive.
And a confident start out of the Zimmermom.
- Well, looking good.
This mother of three makes no excuses.
- Their backyard course, known as The Fortress,
it is a Spokane landmark.
Her husband Charlie competed on "Ninja Warrior"
a few years ago.
Two of her kids have already appeared on "Ninja Junior,"
and the third will be competing
on the new season this September.
- Nice.
- Just confident form. Great upper body strength.
- Well, Matt, there is a such thing
as home field advantage... - Whoo!
- And this is definitely home field advantage
for Sandy Zimmerman.
- Well, her dad nicknamed her "The Pitbull"
for her tenacity in judo. And making a choice here.
- You guys want to vote? - "Where should I go?"
She's gonna have the family decide.
- Yes, the Broken Bridge. - The Broken Bridge.
- The Broken Bridge.
- Oh, the family says, "Go Broken Bridge."
- She's had good luck on both of these.
Got past this one, Broken Bridge, two years ago,
and Burn Rubber, last season.
- Nice, nice, nice, nice. Go, go, go, go.
- Great footwork. - Okay.
Did she just hurdle over that last one?
- Great footwork.
- She hurdled over that last one.
- How many moms are sitting at home going,
"Yeah, maybe I can do it too."
- Come on. You got it.
- And if she can get past Tipping Point right now,
she'll be guaranteed to move on to the semifinals.
You can see this ascent,
and this is what saps so much grip strength.
Sandy, pretty efficient. Great control.
- She played college basketball.
Was a point guard for Gonzaga back in the day.
You know she's got hands. Watch this crossover.
- 5'6", so a pretty good reach.
And she'll need all of it here
to reach over to that second plank.
And she's got it.
[cheers and applause]
And watch this control here. This big plank.
- All right, traverse it. Watch the slide down.
- You got this, Sandy!
- And now just needs the dismount,
and she'll be moving on. And she's done it.
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
- Everyone's impressed except maybe her dog Coda.
- Coda's not even looking, you guys.
Coda, do you realize
this is a big moment in your mommy's life?
- She's chastising the dog... - Coda.
- For not paying attention. - Coda.
- The dog will see the replay, Sandy.
We got you.
Jumps up on to V Formation.
And she can start thinking about another buzzer.
No woman has finished the course this season.
Sandy could be the first.
- Nice. - First swing.
- Nice. - Good job with the hips.
Whipping it up.
- All right, now, make that transfer.
- Only five athletes have survived
this obstacle tonight.
Sandy looking for some Tacoma Dome magic once again.
- Come on. Come on.
- Yep, yep, yep. - You got it.
- Good transfer. Has to make her way down.
Does she have enough left in those hands?
- Yes! - Lands the first one.
- She's looking around.
I think she's thinking about skipping the second V
and going straight for the third.
Oh, boy, this is dangerous.
- She's going for it.
- Oh! - Oh!
- An aggressive move. - [sighs]
- Sandy Zimmerman.
Think she felt the grip was giving out.
Made a bold move. Just couldn't land it.
But the good news: she's moving on.
We'll see her in the semifinals.
- Whew, it was such a strange angle
to try to turn my body and go to the closer one,
and I thought my only chance would be to go
to the one down a bit lower,
and I just didn't hit it exactly.
I mean, a hair off.
Dang it.
- Check out the current leaderboard.
With only a few runners left,
it looks like we could have five women in the top 30,
the first time that's ever happened.
Well, another ninja legend's coming up,
and Joe Moravsky thinks he can keep up with the teenagers.
- I guess I'm not too old yet.
- Will he go for the Mega Wall?
He's next, on "American Ninja Warrior."
- We're winding down another night of qualifying,
and the entertaining runs keep on coming.
Kevin Brekke is an obstacle designer.
He won our obstacle design challenge
for creating Crank It Up.
And he also designed Lightning Bolts,
Spin Hopper, and Cane Lane.
But tonight, he threw away the blueprint
to focus on buzzers.
- Okay, Kev. - I can't believe I'm here!
- And minutes ago, he lived out his dream
and actually got to run the course.
- I did it, yes! - Yes, buddy!
- The 28-year-old rookie looked like a real ninja
as he made it through the first two obstacles....
- I see you, Kevin Brekke. - Yay, Kevin.
- But then he looked like a designer
when he reached the third.
- No, no, no. Oh, oh!
- This was so much fun. This was a dream come true.
- One of "Ninja"'s best, four-time veteran Lucas Reale,
just got engaged and had his fiancée Kyra watching.
- I love it!
- And almost married life seems to agree with him.
- He just burned right through Burn Rubber.
- Nice.
- The 22-year-old absolutely destroyed the course...
- Is he gonna do this in...
[together] Two moves?
- He did that in two moves? Really?
- And made his way up the wall
with the second-fastest time of the night.
- Yes! - Boy, you so fast.
You so fast.
- Yes!
- So there's only one athlete left tonight,
and Zuri's gonna get him going.
- Matt and Akbar, we may be inside the dome,
but "Ninja" always needs the Weatherman.
Joe Moravsky has been one of the most consistent athletes
for the past eight seasons,
and he thinks this will finally be
his year to win it all.
Whoa, and as you can see, he's still got some hops
in those 32-year-old legs.
He's qualified for the national finals
every season he's competed,
and he's been the last ninja standing twice in his career.
- And Joe will have his crew
watching from back in Connecticut
including his parents and sister
and, of course, his wife Stephanie,
who just put their three kids to bed.
- Got a good plan.
- [chuckles] Joe says, "I've got a plan."
And I have no doubt he's been watching the other runners,
and he's got a plan for how to attack this course.
- Whoo!
- And Joe told us he's going for the Mega Wall.
No one's conquered it this season.
- And looking like he also wants the fastest time.
Moravsky running with urgency.
- Well, Matt, we know that Kaden Lebsack,
he's gone pretty fast.
Lucas Reale, pretty fast as well.
- Joe wants to remind them who the Weatherman is,
and he's storming through this course, Akbar.
- He's been known for speed.
Does he have the speed to keep up with these young ninjas?
- Joe Moravsky looking effortless.
- Ooh. - Right through Burn Rubber.
- Very decisive.
- By far, the fastest
to the fourth obstacle tonight.
- Wow, Matt, 32 years old,
and he's showing that he can go
just as fast as these young guys.
- Wow! - What?
- Look at that! And Joe is being so efficient.
And, Akbar, I like that he regrouped there.
He knows no mistakes here.
Just get through this obstacle.
He'll have done what he had to do.
Then he can go about making history.
- I'm telling you, when Joe Moravsky's dialed in,
he is dialed in.
- Number one, baby! - Joe is flying.
And he's ahead of Kaden Lebsack's time.
He could beat the teenager for the fastest time.
- Hey, I don't even care. I want to get that wall, so...
- He wasn't even trying to go fast.
- You heard him.
He's laser focused on that Mega Wall
and those 10 Gs.
- Well, he was flying like a young man,
but what a challenge it is on the V Formation.
Oh! Joe Moravsky!
- Okay, with two moves, Joe Moravsky...
- Come on! - Get it, Joe!
- Just needs to avoid a mistake.
- Look at that!
- Oh, he loves a high-pressure front.
He's looking to skip a handle here.
Got it!
Still got shot at the fastest time if he wants it,
but only thinking about that Mega Wall.
Joe Moravsky's still got it. He's smiling!
Look at him! - He's smiling.
- Is he gonna go for that Mega Wall?
You know he's gonna go for that Mega Wall.
- That's 10 G's right there. Go get it, man.
- Well, no one has topped the Mega Wall
so far this season.
- Trained all year!
- Can joe do it again? - Beat that wall!
Beat that wall!
- That's a big wall, Matt.
- Come on! - To the top of it.
Joe Moravsky, go for it!
- The Weatherman. Uh-oh, oh!
- Yeah! - Yeah!
- Oh!
[upbeat pop music]
- Yes!
- The Weatherman delivers!
Oh!
- * The best is yet to come *
* *
- Joe, I got to ask you,
with these young athletes coming out,
is there still room for the Weatherman
in "Ninja Warrior"?
- The best is yet to come. - Oh!
- That is the answer.
Are we talking at the top of Mt. Midoriyama?
National finals? - I feel it.
- * The best is yet to come *
- Well, no one had done it yet this season,
but Joe Moravsky took down the 18-foot Mega Wall
and showed these kids,
"Hey, don't forget about us veterans."
- * The best is yet to come *
[cheers and applause]
- With two more in the top five,
tonight proved that the teen invasion
is here to stay.
While we look at the final leaderboard,
check out Akbar's Gbajabia-Moments.
- Okay, here we go, number three,
the Spartan Ninja, Emmanuel McConnell
came out looking like he was ready for war.
- This is "Ninja!"
- But then he surrendered on the very first obstacle.
- No! - Number two.
Eugene, Oregon nurse Melissa Jackson got warmed up
by taking a long ride on her unicycle.
- Wow! Look at this!
- But then had a short ride once she got on the course.
- No! - And number one.
Zach Polazzo lit it up
outside the Tacoma Dome before his run.
The Zach of all trades is a fire-breather
and a carpenter who brought his work belt,
but he didn't have the tools for Tipping Point.
- Oh, no! - Oh!
- Well, we're off next week
to make way for the U.S. Olympic Trials,
but we'll be back in two weeks
for more of our qualifying rounds
here in Tacoma.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall,
I'm Matt Iseman, and we'll see you
next time, on "American Ninja Warrior."