- Last week,
at the national finals,
half the field took Stage 1
for a spin.
- Whoo!
- Oh!
- Resulting
in some shocking falls...
- Whoa, did you see him
sky-walking in the air?
- And nail-biting finishes.
- You made it by 1/10
of a second!
- Tonight,
more ninja all-stars
take their shot.
- * Oh, my, my,
gonna make my move *
* I'm all in,
got nothing to lose *
- It feels so good
to be back in Las Vegas.
- Oh, no!
- I have some unfinished
business here.
- Does it again!
- On!
No!
- No!
- It is time for me
to hit a Stage 1 buzzer.
- * Here I go
- Get excited!
- * Are you ready?
Ready to go? *
* Are you ready,
ready for more? *
* Are you ready?
Ready for me? *
* Oh, my, my,
oh, my, my, you ready? *
- Later on,
we'll get our first look
at the redesigned Stage 2,
featuring six new obstacles.
- * Oh, my, my,
oh, my, my *
- There's a lot
of sketchy moves,
sketchy transfers,
so hopefully I can continue
this streak and keep it moving.
- * Oh, my, my,
gonna spin the wheel *
* Cash it in
and roll the dice *
* Are you ready
- Survive Stage 2,
and you're only two steps away
from the life-changing
grand prize.
- * Oh, my, my,
oh, my, my *
* Are you ready?
- If I don't make a mistake
for the next few stages,
I'm gonna be a millionaire.
- * Are you ready?
* Are you ready?
- We're about to light it up
here in Vegas.
It's night two
of the national finals
on "American Ninja Warrior."
Hello, everyone,
thanks for being with us.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, it's buzzer or bust.
You must hit a buzzer
to move on
and have a chance
at that million dollar prize.
Anything less,
and your season is over.
- Truth, big man.
- And what a lineup we've got.
We'll see the speedster
from Colorado, Jake Murray.
- Yeah!
- Along with the reigning
women's champ,
Meagan Martin.
- Whoo-hoo!
- Plus the cowboy ninja,
Idaho rancher, Lance Pekus.
- Whoo!
- And a competitor
who's been so dominant
this year,
the pride of Chicago,
Jesse "Flex" Labreck.
- Are you kidding me?
We saw the first group
of our national finalists
take on Stage 1 last week,
and it was a night
filled with surprises.
For more,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, Stage 1 has
eight extreme challenges.
And last week,
these ninjas learned
that on this Vegas course,
there are no safe bets.
On Night 1, we saw falls
on virtually every obstacle,
including the new ones,
Slide Surfer...
- Oh, my!
- The second obstacle,
Swinging Blades...
- Oh, no!
- And the seventh obstacle,
Dipping Birds.
- What?
- But the real drama
comes at Split Decision.
It's the final obstacle,
and the ninjas can choose
the safer but more
time-consuming Fly Hooks...
Or the riskier, but quicker,
High Road,
which gave us great moments
last week.
- Oh, yeah!
Okay!
- You only have
2 minutes and 45 seconds
to hit that buzzer,
so they better get moving.
Guys?
- Well, we've talked a lot
this season
about the teenagers,
but we're gonna start tonight
with an oldie but a goody.
This is 35-year-old
Brett Sims.
He was here in season one
when some of these kids were
just toddlers.
And while he's had
a long "Ninja" career,
one thing has eluded him.
- This is my tenth time
competing,
and there are
a ton of teens out here
that are half my age.
And most people, they kind
of peak when they're younger.
[buzzer blares]
But it seems like
I'm doing the opposite.
- He's telling
these young folks
respect your elders.
- I've really started
to excel as I've gotten older.
- Yeah!
- Take that!
- I've cleared every
qualifying and extended course
since season ten,
but I still have not hit
the buzzer
at the end of Stage 1
in the national finals.
One year,
I failed the second obstacle.
- No!
- One year,
I failed the third obstacle.
- Whoa!
- Whoa, whoa! No!
- And I even failed
the Warped Wall one year.
[buzzer blaring]
- Time runs out.
- I don't know what it is--
it might be nerves.
Vegas, you know,
it's a big stage.
This year, I've really focused
my training
on doing a lot trickier,
more intricate things.
I'm feeling
a lot more well-rounded.
I'm feeling good.
The drought is gonna
end tonight.
I'm hitting a buzzer.
[cheering and applause]
- He's overdue on Stage 1.
Maybe tonight's the night.
- He's got lots of supporters,
including his parents
back in South Carolina.
And on the sidelines,
Brett's wife, Grace,
who's also a Ninja competitor.
Along with Ninja legend,
Ryan Statis
and Brett's training partner,
Bob Reese.
The stripes on his arm,
one for every year
he's competed.
[countdown clock beeping]
- All right, only 2 minutes
and 45 seconds.
Stage 1 is a sprint.
- Gets through Slide Surfer,
and jumps out
onto the Swinging Blades.
Sims fell on the second
obstacle the last time
he was in Vegas, but gets
through it quickly tonight.
[cheering and applause]
- [howling]
- Bob Reese likes that.
- Brett and Bob run
a Ninja gym together
in South Carolina.
Sims bracing himself
for Double Dipper.
Fell on this
back in season ten, Akbar.
- Here we go.
- Whoa, nearly missed it!
What a great save.
Stratis holding his heart.
He knows how close
that was to disaster.
Let's take a look
at that again.
- So watch as he comes down.
His left hand missed
that bar completely,
and the left side is
way out in front.
Boy, he is lucky he saved it.
He gave Stratis a scare
right there.
- Up next,
the Jumping Spider
for the 5'6" Sims.
- Nice. Great stick.
- Great job.
- That was nice.
- Really locked it in.
- And he's having
a great season.
Hit buzzers in qualifying
and in semi-finals,
which is why
it's so surprising
he's never finished Stage 1.
- Yes, that's great.
You've got it.
- Little over a minute
and a half left.
Ready for the fifth obstacle,
Tire Run.
- You know, come on.
Nice.
Nice rotation.
- Those first four tires
are fixed.
It's this one that spins.
Really gotta control
your foot placement.
- It's that big spare
right there, nice.
- And Brett Sims,
an efficient run.
- Matt,
he wants to get to Stage 2.
He's like, come on, man.
- Never done it in his career.
- Go, Brett!
You got it!
- Now facing the Warped Wall
with the shortened run-up.
Down to a minute left.
- The one thing missing from--
- Oh!
- Ooh.
- Come on!
- All right, you got it!
- Come on, get that wall now.
- Now a little urgency.
- Here he goes, boost you up.
- But now he gets it.
And he'll face Split Decision.
And he hits the button
that activates the High Road,
the faster option,
but now looks like
he's changed his mind.
- He's going
with the Fly Hooks.
- Yeah, but he's only got
40 seconds, Matt.
- He's gotta hustle.
- Fast!
- First, gotta get
across Dipping Birds.
And he does it.
- Come on, Brett,
don't slow down.
- Fast!
- His sideline's starting
to get nervous.
He's cutting it very close
as he starts on Fly Hooks.
- You gotta land this one
right now.
- Oh, no!
- Oh, he had the snatch-back!
- And that was the nightmare,
that's the problem.
15 seconds, he needs
a high transfer onto this net.
- I don't know
if he can recover,
he's taking too many swings.
- That's too many swings.
- He's gotta go.
- What a nightmare.
This could be another swing.
- Oh, no! Why?
Swing up!
- Akbar--
- Three, two, one.
Sha-na-na!
[buzzer blares]
- So close
to his first Stage 1 buzzer.
- Brett Sims didn't have
the urgency in his pace,
and it cost him dearly.
- He coulda gone
on the second swing.
- He could've.
- Wow, he could've tried
the fast route with High Road,
but he let it go by
and took his time,
and then got caught up
on Fly Hooks.
He took too many swings,
and time ran out.
- And the Stage 1 buzzer
eludes Brett Sims
once again.
Tonight,
some will find glory.
- Oh, my goodness!
- And some will find
heartbreak.
- No!
- As our remaining
Ninja all-stars
take on Stage 1.
- Come on!
I am entertained.
- Then we're dropping
the hammer.
- No!
Oh, he got ejected.
- On the all-new Stage 2.
- Whoo!
- As we move a step
closer to a million dollars.
- Let's go!
.
- Welcome back to Night 2
of "American Ninja Warrior's"
national finals.
Moments ago, fashion designer
Brittney Durant, came to Vegas
wearing another one
of her original outfits.
- Okay, I see you.
I like that.
- You got this!
- The 20-year-old
from Vacaville, California
rumbled
through the first obstacle.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa!
- But the former cheerleader
came up short
on the Swinging Blade.
- Whoa!
Airball.
- Kinda disappointed in myself,
but, I mean, I made it here,
so hopefully
redemption next year.
- Connecticut's Dan Champagne
brought the bubbly
to celebrate
his first appearance
at the national finals.
- Whoo!
- Oh, got the bottle.
Got the bottle.
- The 32-year-old
financial planner
got off to a rocky start.
- Whoo-hoo! Okay.
He might be a little dizzy
after that hit.
- But the rookie rebounded
and with his family
and good friend
Julius Ferguson watching,
Champagne got it going,
and made a fingertip save
on Double Dipper.
- He is so lucky on that one.
- Then the 6'2" Champagne
took on Jumping Spider.
- Oh--oh, no!
- Oh, no!
And his impressive season
came to an end.
Champagne goes flat
on the Jumping Spider.
Our next athlete is
20 years younger
than some
of the other competitors.
It's Enzo DeFerrari Wilson.
He's just a few weeks
past his 15th birthday,
and he is the youngest
ever to take on Stage 1.
- 2 minutes and 45 seconds,
time is ticking.
- Stage 1 is all about speed.
- Gotta pick
up the pace there!
- But I'm a fast ninja.
- Go, go, go, go, go, go!
Yes!
- Since I competed in LA,
I got my driver's permit.
Sometimes, I'll be driving
where the speed limit's 25,
and I'll look
at my speedometer,
and it'll say almost 40.
And I'll be like, whoa, gotta
take that back a little bit.
I've had my boating license
for a while,
and I love going fast
on the water.
Whenever we do
go to the beach,
I'll always have
my fun and stuff,
but I'll also set aside
a time
to clean up trash.
If the plastics get
into the ocean,
sometimes the fish can feel
like they're full
if they eat the microplastics.
And they could die
because they have
no actual substance in them.
I've been doing
ocean conservation work
ever since I was six years old,
when I went
to my first beach cleanup.
But I started my organization,
O.N.E.,
or Ocean Needs Everyone,
when I was 12 years old.
One of the motivations for me
continuing in this competition
is that the longer I go,
the more stages
I'm able to complete,
the more I'm able
to spread my message
of ocean conservation
and saving the ocean,
the more we can make
a difference.
It's just a beautiful thing.
*
Yeah!
Love you guys!
Gonna hit that buzzer!
- Enzo's got a big group
of friends
and family cheering him on
from home in Florida.
- Go, Enzo!
- On the sidelines,
he's got his proud parents
and his sister Valentina,
as well as a couple
of his training partners,
R.J. Roman
and Elijah Browning.
[countdown clock beeping]
- He's pumped up.
He's ready to go.
- Well, we him saw on
"American
Ninja Warrior Junior."
- Whoa, okay!
- That was
a couple of years ago.
This season, he's moved up
to the big course
and has been impressive.
Got a buzzer
back in qualifying.
- He can feel the electricity
in the air.
We've got the fans
back out here,
cheering him on.
A lot of energy here tonight.
Nice!
[cheering and applause]
- 5'8", stepping up
to try Double Dipper.
This is intimidating
your first time down
this roller-coaster of a ride.
- He's 130 pounds,
so he might feel this one
coming in hot.
- Smooth.
- Nice!
[cheering and applause]
- But up next is
the Jumping Spider.
This took out seven ninjas
last week,
more than any other obstacle.
- Good power inside,
on top of that trampoline.
- Gotta go down
below that red bar.
- You got it!
- And you can see
just how tentative he is,
doesn't want to make
a mistake here.
I like it, slow down,
make sure you don't fall,
Jumping Spider.
- That's right,
he's getting up high.
Now big drop.
- Great job.
[cheering and applause]
Ready for Tire Run.
Has a little over
a minute and a half left.
- Oh, oh, oh!
Nice balance!
- Lost his balance
but saved himself.
That's totally legal
and a smart move
by the rookie.
Good save there,
but this tire spins.
Gotta be precise
with the foot placement,
and his heart's
gotta be racing.
- It won't be as forgiving,
Matt.
With the rotation on this one,
he's gotta hit it.
Nice.
- Got it! Good catch.
- Well, he's having
to work for it on Tire Run.
[cheering and applause]
That's gotta have
his heart going, Akbar.
- He needs to get going.
He's gotta get
a little electric charge now.
Oh, little slip,
but recovered.
- You can see that
the traction is a challenge.
Looks like he's just gonna
skip High Road.
- Well, 54 seconds left
on the clock, Matt,
he's gotta go now.
- Go, Enz!
- Right through Dipping Birds.
His only choice is Fly Hooks.
Watch the ring.
You gotta kip it up and out.
Gotta get it off the hook
before you try to advance it
to the next one.
- Oh, no!
He's gotta get up.
Charge up!
- A little bit different move
for some of
these younger ninjas--
- Nice!
- He saw the height
on that second one, made sure.
- Let's go!
- Oh, Matt, I think
he's starting to feel
a little bit of
that intensity, that fatigue.
- The cargo net
can eat up a lot of time.
He needs to swing up
and land high on the net.
- Don't doubt yourself now,
you're too close!
- Gotta get up high,
get up high!
- Go for it! Nice!
- Nice transfer.
- Way to stay calm
under duress.
- But it is not over--
that clock is ticking down.
- Uh-oh, he's starting
to see them red lights.
Them red light's the devil.
The red light
doesn't mean stop.
That red light means go.
- Four seconds!
- Three, two--yes!
- Oh, my!
[cheering and applause]
[screaming]
- At 15 years, 2 months,
and 5 days,
we have a new youngest ever
to hit a buzzer
on Stage 1.
- Let's go!
- [chuckles]
Oh, man.
[cheering]
- There it is!
- Yeah, baby!
- Pointing at Stage 4,
he's calling his shot.
[cheering and applause]
- The youngest ninja in Vegas
pulled off a veteran move
on Tire Run, then stayed
calm on Fly Hooks,
even with the clock
ticking down.
He's got a way to go
before Stage 4,
but Electric Enzo just lit
this course up.
- And he's down with Zuri.
- You did it! Yeah!
- You did it!
- Electric Enzo showing off
your power on the Vegas Strip,
man, come on in here.
You are officially
the youngest ninja ever...
- Yeah!
- To complete Stage 1.
How are you feeling right now?
- Oh, yeah!
- I am feeling amazing.
I know how much work
I put into this,
and this is just the beginning.
Stage 4 is coming.
- Oh, I love it.
Already going to Stage 4.
Well, we will see you
on Stage 2,
and if you have it your way,
Stage 4 also.
Congratulations.
Guys, back to you.
[cheering and applause]
- Yeah, baby, yeah!
Ninja Warrior!
- More ninja super-stars
are just ahead,
including Meagan Martin.
And the Weather Man,
Joe Moravsky,
gets a second chance
at Stage 1.
Plus, we're saddling up
with the Cowboy Ninja,
Lance Pekus.
But we're not riding a horse.
- I'm flying by myself.
Whoo!
.
- Welcome back
to the second night
of the national finals.
We have four stages
here in Vegas.
We'll be heading
to Stage 2 later,
but first, our remaining
ninjas get their shot
at Stage 1.
39-year-old
father of two, Ryan Meeks,
showed he still got
some moves.
- Yeah!
[cheering]
- The night's
oldest competitor
took a slow approach
on Slide Surfer.
- What kinda technique?
- And then took
a few bumps along the way.
- Boom, right on his tush.
- But Meeks is an architect
in Houston
and he had
a blueprint that worked
as he's moving on.
- First time on Stage 1.
Matt,
that was an impressive run.
- Captain NBC, Jamie Rahn,
has been to the national
finals seven times.
Rahn's last run on Stage 1
was a memorable one.
- His right shoe
just popped off.
- He lost his shoe
on the second obstacle
and had to run barefoot,
but still finished.
No shoes, no problem!
- Tonight,
shoes weren't the issue
as Rahn sprinted through
the first seven obstacles.
- I like it, he's putting
the pedal to the metal.
- But on the Fly Hooks,
it was his hands
that let him down.
- Ooh! No!
- The longtime veteran
got hung up
and then lost his grip
on the ring.
- The impact pulled him
right off.
- Her smile can light up
the Vegas Strip,
and Meagan Martin is
back in Las Vegas
for the sixth time.
The model, rock climber,
and Olympic commentator
has had a big year already.
She won the first ever
Women's Championship,
and then, this year,
was the first woman
to hit a buzzer in qualifying.
Now, Meagan's hoping
to join Jessie Graff
and Allyssa Beird
to become the third woman
to hit a Stage 1 buzzer.
- You got this!
- Meagan's mom and dad
watching from Florida.
She's got a group of Ninja
veterans cheering her on
from the sidelines.
- This'll be a great
opportunity for Meagan Martin
to get that elusive
Stage 1 buzzer.
[countdown clock beeps]
- Well, the key is gonna
be efficiency.
No extra swings--oh, no!
both: No!
- [groans]
- But what?
What?
- A stumble
on the first obstacle
takes out the legendary
Meagan Martin.
- Everyone course-side
is in shock.
On the Slide Surfer,
Meagan took the slow approach,
but she got too far forward
on that second one.
And that sent her tumbling
forward into the third slider,
and then right into the water.
Whoa.
- I just slipped.
Don't worry.
I'm--[scoffs]
I mean, whoops.
That happens.
Sorry, everybody.
That's so embarrassing.
- Tough way for her to go out.
But what a reminder, Akbar.
Any ninja, any obstacle,
any time, even Meagan Martin.
Crowd's
a little subdued after that,
but our next ninja will get
them going again.
- Las Vegas,
how we doing, guys?
[cheers and applause]
- This is the Law Ninja,
Fort Worth attorney,
Brian Burkhardt.
And he's got something
important in that briefcase.
- Yeah, it's very valuable.
It's his safety pass.
Now that gives him
a second chance
if he falls on Stage 1 or 2.
- Back in semis,
the Law Ninja earned
a ton of new fans
not only with his shocking
defeat of Daniel Gill
on the Power Tower, which
earned him that safety pass.
- Case dismissed!
- But with his tongue
in cheek 1-800 commercial.
If you want results,
call me, Brian Burkhardt
at 1-800-1LAW-NINJA.
I had a lot of fun filming
that commercial.
It came out amazing.
[coughs]
Cut! Cut!
Cut the smoke.
- Oh, yeah?
But at least once a week,
we're faced
with some unexpected accidents.
Paul, come on, man.
Have you ever tried--
[laughter]
I lost the card.
Carl lost the card.
It was a lot of fun,
being an actor for the day.
Who knows, some people tell me
I have a face for television.
[wink dings]
[laughter]
Oh, sh--
Pretty good.
Only took 20 takes, not bad.
- Who says lawyers
aren't any fun?
[countdown clock beeps]
This is
his fourth time on Stage 1.
- Oh, oh, oh, ooh!
- Oh, whoa!
- Boy,
he almost got hung up there.
- Almost needed that safety
pass on the first obstacle.
- That would have been
really bad.
- Well, he hasn't
finished Stage 1 in 3 years.
It's gotta be nice,
running with that cushion,
but you don't want to
have to rely on it.
- Going in a little bit
of a circle here.
It's at a weird angle.
- Yeah!
- Nice.
- That's right, come on!
- He's got some
of his fellow Texas ninjas
cheering him on.
Not the start
he was hoping for,
but Brian moves fast,
should be okay
to make that time up.
- All right, Double Dipper,
here we go.
Ooh, look at the air time.
- And there it is.
Back in form.
[cheering]
Easy to have a mistrial
here on Jumping Spider.
Gotta make sure those feet
are really locked in.
- Nice, he's like,
"I am not about to get
hung up on this one."
- But it is
another windy, dusty night,
and those walls
can get slippery.
- And that's why you see Brian
taking really short steps,
not big movements--
- Oh, boy.
- But he's starting
to get slippery!
He needs to get out of
that chute right now.
- Just continuing to move.
- Oh, boy, counter top!
Nice!
- And a smile for the camera.
[cheering and applause]
But, Akbar, he has expended
a lot of energy early on.
Will that catch up to him
on the back half?
- Can't be thinking
about that safety pass
because that can really
change the intensity.
- Oh, another misstep.
Brian Burkhardt looking
uncomfortable on Stage 1,
but he is surviving.
- He doesn't want
to be cautious;
he's just gotta be efficient.
Nice, get up there.
- Good job, there,
on that transfer.
And the clock ticking down.
- Get out of there.
- Really proud of you.
Hey, you're almost there!
- Come on, Brian.
Keep moving,
you gotta keep moving.
- His sideline telling him
to keep moving.
Still three more obstacles
to go.
- You better speed up.
- I think the Jumping Spider
really took something
out of him, Akbar.
He's under a minute.
And you can see he is winded.
- Oh, man.
- Now, he may want
to do the High Road
just to preserve energy.
- I think that's a great
strategy, you can see--
I think that's exactly
what he's going for.
- Flies across Dipping Birds,
and he's got a shot.
- Jump! And go for it!
Oh!
What the comes in!
- With the one-handed grab,
he's flexing on them.
He flexed on them!
- Oh, my, Brian Burkhardt!
It wasn't a pretty run,
but it was all he had to do.
- 1-800-Are you kidding me?
[buzzer blares]
- Oh, my word!
[cheering and applause]
[triumphant music]
- Crowd's going nuts.
- He got
the verdict he wanted,
keeps his safety pass,
moving on to Stage 2.
That whole run was filled
with highlights.
- Matt, he is guilty
of being awesome on that run.
I want to see that one again.
Whoa!
You talk about a hang time.
Check out the hang time
from Brian.
And the one-handed grab?
And then he's gonna flex
on the jury?
Whoa!
- That was an amazing catch.
Epic, epic.
- Look at that.
I didn't think he had it.
No matter how many
years we've been doing this,
we can still be amazed.
Oh, my word.
- So the Law Ninja
moves onto Stage 2
with one of the greatest grabs
we've ever seen.
And he's still got
his safety pass.
[cheering and applause]
Last week,
he gambled and lost.
- No!
- Oh!
- Come on!
- Now Joe Moravsky
gets a second shot
at Stage 1.
Plus,
only two women in history
have done it, Jessie Graff...
The first woman ever
to complete Stage 1!
And Allyssa Beird.
- That's my fifth-grade
teacher!
- Jessie "Flex"
Labreck has been close.
- No, no!
[buzzer blares]
- Will this be the year
she joins them?
.
- Welcome back
to the national finals,
coming to you
from just off the Strip
in Las Vegas.
Six-time "Ninja" veteran,
Tyler Yamauchi, is
having his best season ever
at age 36.
- I'm expecting big things
from Tyler Yamauchi.
- Though he's the shortest
competitor at 5'1"...
- Matt,
he powered in that one.
[cheering and applause]
- The former
all-American gymnast
at the University of Illinois
showed nothing's out of reach.
- Not--oh!
A one-handed grab! Okay!
- With his wife
and three kids watching,
the man known as
"The Muscle Ball"
rolled through the course.
[cheering and applause]
- Ooh, look at him just
throwing his body around
like it's nothing.
- And after hitting
buzzers in qualifying
and semi-finals, he got
another one here tonight.
- Yo, Yamauchi's being Gucci!
- Whoo!
- Then it was
another top veteran,
the heavy metal musician
from Orlando, R.J. Roman.
- All right,
let's rock 'n' roll now.
- Perfect, that's good.
- Roman's one of
the 21 elite ninjas
who made it to Stage 3,
two years ago.
- Nice.
- Yeah, let's go!
- And he's avoided
the so-called curse
that's eliminated all
but a handful of that group
this season.
- Oh, you see
that little herk and jerk?
- That is, until tonight.
Roman got hung up
on the Fly Hooks
and couldn't get
off the first hook.
- Oh, no!
- Oh, my word.
- With time ticking away,
and no chance to finish,
this four-time veteran
went out in style.
[buzzer blares]
- And R.J. Roman is out.
- Now it's the return
of the Weather Man,
Joe Moravsky.
And you can tell
he is not happy.
See that black circle
on this shorts?
That's where he had
the safety pass,
but shockingly had
to cash it in
on Night 1
of the national finals.
Last week, the nine-time
veteran was cruising
through Stage 1 until
he reached Split Decision.
- Go for that High Road.
- Oh, my!
No!
- Oh!
I'm--I'm in total shock
right now.
- On the High Road,
I just mis-timed the jump,
and I missed it by 6 inches.
Obviously,
I was visibly frustrated
Pathetic!
But I earned a safety pass,
and it was meant to be
that I was supposed to use it,
for whatever reason.
That doesn't change anything
except Split Decision.
This time, let's just take
the safe route
and not go
trampoline to ring.
I'm ready to go.
I'm just gonna go do what I do,
and just try to hit
that buzzer.
- And Joe taking a look
at that miss.
- Yeah, you can tell,
he's still thinking about it.
- So dumb.
- But luckily,
he's got lots of support,
especially from his wife,
Stephanie,
and three kids,
reminding Joe to breathe.
And his sister and parents
also cheering him on.
- Whoo-hoo!
- Let's go, Joe, let's go!
- Whoo!
[countdown clock beeps]
- And, Matt,
we just got word
that Joe is also suffering
from food poisoning.
- And that could
be disastrous.
Food poisoning can cause
dizziness and fatigue,
not what you want
to be dealing with on Stage 1.
The Weather Man used
to high pressure.
- Nice.
- He's been
the last ninja standing
twice in his career,
always one of the favorites
to win the million dollars.
- Here we go, not about
to bow out on this one.
Nice!
- Lots of other ninjas
watching this run.
5'10", needs a big jump
off the tramp
into Jumping Spider.
Getting locked in.
- Look how fast he's moving.
- Well, Joe looking smooth
and really, just so confident.
That's as good as we've seen
anyone get through
the Jumping Spider.
- And, Matt, that impact
shook it up in his stomach.
- You got it, babe.
- Bubble guts is a real thing,
and he does not look
like himself right now.
- This course is tough enough
when you're healthy.
- Joe Moravsky's having
his Michael Jordan flu game
right now.
- You have to worry about
strength after losing weight
like that too.
- Here he goes, Matt.
- Watch the transition.
- The tires will get turning
enough to turn your stomach.
- But he's got it!
- Nice!
- Good job.
And you can just see,
fighting through the pain,
the courage
out of Joe Moravsky
to battle through.
- Clear your head!
Clear your head!
- He wants this so bad.
A million dollars on the line.
A realistic shot
for Joe to win it all.
- Well, Matt,
the time is ticking.
He's gotta turn on the gas.
- Oh, my!
Well, he said he's not
taking the High Road again,
just hits the button
out of anger.
He gonna have to rely
on Fly Hooks.
You can see he is frustrated,
but the wise move
out of Joe Moravsky.
Still gotta get across
Dipping Birds.
- Joe Moravsky,
let it go, let it flow.
- Will he have anything left
to power his way through
the Fly Hooks?
He's looking weak right now.
That food poisoning has
really done a number on him.
If those arms are sapped,
this could be a problem
for Joe.
- Come on, Joe!
- Engage those arms!
- Come on, come on.
- Can he make the transfer--
- Nice!
Okay.
- The Weather Man fighting
his way through it.
Joe Moravsky!
Get high up!
And despite it all,
he's gonna be close to
Isaiah Thomas' fastest time.
- He's going for it.
- That's how good he is.
- He's gonna do it.
[buzzer blares]
- Despite the pain,
Joe Moravsky gets
the buzzer he wanted,
just missing out
on the fastest time.
- Let's go!
- Moravsky passing
the big test,
moving on to Stage 2,
and what a gutsy run
out of the Weather Man.
- This run was a gut check.
Joe Moravsky was hurting,
but he kept it going,
and wasn't gonna risk it
on High Road tonight.
He played it safe
on Fly Hooks,
and ended up with
one of the fastest finishes.
[triumphant music]
- And look, he's pointing
to Stage 4.
You know he wants it bad.
He really is a gamer.
Well, with uncertain weather,
we ran the first few ninjas
before the sun went down,
including Jersey girl,
Cara Mack,
who's had
her best season ever.
But the three-time veteran
came up just short
on Jumping Spider.
Oh!
Heart electrician
Heather Weissinger's
in her first national finals,
but she couldn't get a grip
on the Swinging Blade.
- No!
- South Carolina's
Bob Reese stalled out
on the Double Dipper.
- Oh!
- Come on!
- But after trying everything,
including taking off
his shoes.
- He doesn't want his shoes
to get wet!
- He decided
to go out in style.
And there's more
of Stage 1 coming up
.
- If you're a "Ninja" fan,
you'll want to check out
"American Ninja
Warrior Junior."
All seasons are now
airing exclusively
on Peacock streaming service.
"Ninja Junior" is
where many of the teenagers
tearing up our course
got their start.
That includes
a couple of teens
who hit the course
minutes ago.
15-year-old Kai Beckstrand
came to the start line
in his signature mohawk.
- He's gonna need
some strong moves
to keep that mohawk up.
- And the wind didn't
flatten the mohawk,
or slow down the high
school student from Utah.
With his parents, who are also
"Ninja" competitors, watching,
the teenager made a run
towards the High Road.
- You don't got boosters
like that.
- But changed his mind
and went with Fly Hooks.
This former "Ninja Junior"
champion hit buzzers
in qualifying and semifinals,
and notched another tonight.
- Getting that buzzer
as a 15-year-old!
- Then it was
another teenager.
The 16-year-old
from Massachusetts,
Jonathan Godbout.
- Let's go, Godbout!
- The high schooler
plays drums in a rock band,
and he had the rhythm
on the course tonight.
- He nails it.
- Godbout got
his third buzzer
of the season and became
the eighth teenager
who's moving on to Stage 2.
- Let's go!
- Okay, Mr. Sweet 16!
- Yes!
- Our next competitor
is a little older,
but still qualifies
as a young gun.
It's 20-year-old
Brett Hernandez Strong,
a college student
and mountain bike instructor
from North Carolina.
- Save that energy.
He's gonna be exhausted
before his run starts!
And now a backflip too?
- Whoo!
- He is pumped,
and why not?
He has had
a great rookie season,
was one of only four Ninjas
to get up the Mega Wall.
- Yes!
Whoo-hoo!
Hey, everyone!
I'm in Vegas!
- But just being here
is special.
This was a dream
between him and his grandma.
- Back when I was
nine years old,
my grandmother told me
that there was a show
that I was really gonna like,
and I would fall in love
with it instantly.
And when she showed me
"American Ninja Warrior,"
she was absolutely right.
- My grandma would always take
me to different parks
after school.
And she would always say,
"Hey, keep training.
You know you gotta push really
hard to get to Mt. Midoriyama."
- Having multiple sclerosis
for a little over 25 years,
my grandmother's probably
one of the strongest people
I've ever met.
She had the last name Strong,
and I'm very thankful
to be born under her side
of the family.
I was with my grandmother
when she passed,
and I was glad I got to spend
those moments with her.
I told her that I would
fulfill every dream
that she helped me find.
[somber music]
I'm gonna do everything
that I possibly can
to hit that buzzer for her.
[cheering and applause]
- That's some real
motivation right there.
- And he'll have other family
watching from home,
including his grandpa, Leroy,
and his aunt.
- Let's get it!
- Whoo!
- Plus, down on the sideline,
his mom and little sister,
along with some other ninjas.
[countdown clock beeping]
He is
a great all-around athlete,
plays baseball,
does mountain biking.
- Goodness, okay,
he is that strong.
Look at how fast--
Oh, no!
- What?
- He is gonna be
absolutely heartbroken.
Really wanted a good run
to honor his grandma.
- He just overshot
the trampoline,
landed way out here,
almost went
over it completely,
so he got no lift,
and his season is over
just like that.
- [sobs]
- Well, you see how much
it means to these Ninjas.
- That's okay, Brett!
- [whispering]
I'm sorry, Grandma.
I'm so sorry.
[sighs]
- Oh, I can feel that one.
- Well,
our next competitor knows
what that battle against
multiple sclerosis is like.
This is the cowboy ninja,
Lance Pekus,
the rancher from Idaho.
Lance's wife, Heather, has MS,
and they've shared their story
with so many fans.
Heather's on the sideline
tonight.
She's able to travel more
thanks to Lance's new hobby,
flying planes.
- I remember when I was young,
putting that I wanted
to be a pilot growing up.
So last year, I took classes,
I got an instructor...
I'm flying by myself!
Whoo!
And seven months later,
I became a private pilot.
Clear to take off.
Yeah, you guys, whoo!
With Heather and her MS,
it's kind of tough
finding activities that we can
do together as a family.
But flying is
one of those things
'cause once we're
in the plane,
once we're in there together,
the kids are sticking
their heads up
against the window
and looking outside
and laughing.
This is the Lost River Range,
the tallest range in Idaho.
Heather's right there with us,
enjoying the whole thing
and being able to see it all.
And it's something really cool
to be able to do
as a family.
My last buzzer here on Stage 1
was a very emotional run
for me.
- He's pointing to his wife,
Heather,
who's watching
from back in Idaho.
- We had just come out
with Heather and her MS story.
She hasn't been able
to be on the sidelines
in Vegas.
- Well, Heather Pekus has
to be so proud of her husband!
He's turning in the run
of his life!
- So we're just excited
that she's gonna be there.
I can look down
and hopefully have another
good, emotional run with her.
- Love to see Heather on
the sideline supporting Lance.
- The kids, Gracie
and Grayson, watching at home,
staying up late
to see daddy on the course.
- Yeah, Daddy!
[countdown clock beeps]
- Let's go, let's go!
- This is
his tenth season competing,
but he's only made it
past Stage 1 twice.
- Uh-oh, here we go!
When he takes
that cowboy hat off,
you know he's serious.
- On the Swinging Blades.
And you can see, I think,
Pekus has a healthy respect
for the clock, Akbar.
- Yes, he does.
And he's got a sense
of urgency,
and you need that.
- Ooh.
- It's a veteran move.
- An extra swing, moving
to the front of the blade,
and he's got it.
- Nice and easy,
let it do the work!
- Jody Avila
and Tiana Webberley
out here cheering for Lance.
He's got
his pilot's license now.
Is capable of flying,
gonna have to
counter-intuitively just go
for the ride here
on Double Dipper.
- All right,
don't get bucked off.
Nice.
- Real smooth out of Pekus.
- Nice!
[cheers and applause]
- The 5'8" Pekus
needs a big bounce
for Jumping Spider.
- Gotta get in there deep.
Nice!
- And for Pekus,
he's fallen here twice
but makes that mount.
- Yeah,
see how aggressive he was?
He was so aggressive
and powerful.
- That's a first.
- Inside a Jumping Spider.
- That is a boost
for Lance Pekus.
[cheering]
- Go, Daddy!
- And here we go, now we can
see the cowboy ninja ride.
- Yee-haw!
- Get on Tire Run.
- Yeah,
he is all about business.
- Watch the balance.
- Nice, nice.
Okay, big fella, nice.
- Got about
a minute and a half left.
- Come on!
- Nice, come on!
Get on top of it!
- Watching him stay
on top of this tire,
it's gonna spin.
- Nice, nice, nice--oh, no!
- Flipped out on Tire Run,
just couldn't keep
his balance.
- Good job, Lance.
- Well, he had trouble
lining up the swing,
so he landed off-center,
on the edge of the tire.
As he tried to correct it,
that big wheel
started spinning.
And he couldn't get
enough height
to reach that next handle.
- Got it on the wrong side
of the--the tire,
and, uh, missed the jump.
Dang it.
Yeah.
- From corndogs
to cannonballs...
- Ey!
- Come on.
Jake Murray
always turns it up on Stage 1,
.
- Welcome back
to the national finals
here in Las Vegas, where we're
about halfway through
our second night on Stage 1.
- And, Matt, these last few
runs have been exciting.
Minutes ago, 15-year-old
Josiah Pippel got his shot.
- Let's go, Josiah!
- With his mentor, "Ninja"
great, Najee Richardson,
watching,
Pippel wasn't intimidated
in his first appearance
on Stage 1.
- Good move by Josiah Pippel.
- The New Jersey teenager
has five lizards at home
as pets, and he had
sticky feet of his own
to get through
the Jumping Spider.
- Cold blooded on the course,
like one of his lizards.
- Pippel got buzzers in
qualifying and semifinals,
and he sailed
to another tonight.
- Nin-Josiah,
he remains perfect.
- Becoming the ninth teenager
to move on to Stage 2.
Then it was the pride
of Visalia, California,
three-time national finalist,
Zhanique Lovett.
- Looking fit as ever.
- The 34-year-old
mother of three
came out strong, blazing
through the early obstacles.
- Oh, wow!
- And was one of the few women
to get past Jumping Spider.
- That was impressive.
- But on Tire Run,
she stumbled at the start
and couldn't recover.
- No!
- It's still her best run
ever on Stage 1.
Then it was
another "Ninja" veteran,
26-year-old Kyle Soderman
- Oh, he is really
looking good, Akbar.
- Soderman, Hunter Guerard,
and Jake Murray call
themselves the Blonde Boys.
And Kyle's buddies were
watching as the stuntman
threw caution to the wind
and attacked the course.
- Now, he may be going
with High Road.
- He hit the button
and made a mad dash
to High Road.
- And you've gotta get up!
- Wow.
- Yeah!
- He's pedaling.
That is a full send
right there.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo!
- That gave Soderman a shot at
the fastest time of the night,
and he got it
by almost 10 seconds.
- That's what's up!
Whoo!
- And now it's Soderman's
buddy, Jake Murray.
And you know he's gonna do
something crazy,
or be crazy fast.
That's what he's done
all season.
And he likes to do wild things
off the course as well,
especially
with the Blonde Boys,
Kyle Soderman
and Hunter Guerard.
[upbeat music]
- The Blonde Boys,
we all like to get
into the same things, man.
It has to be a little scary
and fun.
We're probably a good, like,
10,000 feet underground.
Last year,
it was caving in San Antonio.
- We did it!
- This year,
we decided to take a trip
down to this watering hole.
A one, and a two,
and a scoobidy-doobidy-doo!
Whoop-oop-ooh!
There's jumps everywhere.
We set up high lines
across deep water.
- This is the legend
Hey, Jacob, No.
- His name is Jake!
- Ah!
- We were flinging
one direction,
and flinging another, covered
in bruises, scratches,
and full of smiles.
- It really prepared us to do
better in Vegas.
We got used to doing
a lot of high movements,
so something like Double
Dipper isn't gonna be
too scary anymore.
- Heck, I'm on a hang!
We all decided that
it would be a good idea--
in hindsight it wasn't--
to toss ourselves
off the top in the buff.
all: The Boys!
Hunter and Kyle and I,
we're so similar
that all that has to happen is
we have to get together,
and then
the good times are gonna roll.
We're gonna have fun tonight.
[laughter]
- Those three are trouble,
Matt.
- Well, Soderman just put up
the fastest time,
and Hunter Guerard runs next.
- Money!
[countdown clock beeps]
- Jake's a skateboarder,
Side Surfer should be
no problem.
And it isn't.
- Jake Murray can go so fast.
But in the past, he has been
prone to mistakes, Akbar.
And he doesn't have
a safety pass.
- No, Matt, and we saw that.
He came in flying
with no hands
into Swinging Blades
on that first one.
- Has had an incredible season
though, fastest finisher
in both his qualifying
and semifinal competition.
- He's reckless and fun
at the same time.
It's so cool to watch
Jake Murray.
- And right into
the Jumping Spider.
- He got to be careful now,
he likes to have fun,
go fast.
- Grew up a skateboarder
in South Dakota,
now a Ninja living
in Colorado,
and he is always fun to watch.
- Matt, he is through four
obstacles in under 40 seconds.
- Goes right into Tire Run.
He's running fast, Akbar,
but looks to be in control.
- And he's got his boardshorts
on too.
I don't think he's planning
on going swimming.
- He has really matured
as a competitor
in the past couple seasons.
Last time Jake was in Vegas,
he put up the top time
on Stage 1.
And he's well ahead of
his buddy Kyle Soderman's pace
for the fastest time tonight.
Getting himself
a huge cushion here.
- What you gonna do?
What you gonna do?
- Oh, and he hits the button?
Is he gonna try High Road?
- Oh, he's not messing
around--no!
- What a save!
- What?
- If he can still--
- Jake Murray!
- Oh!
My goodness, another save!
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, my!
His heart has to be racing.
- Whoa!
- Well, not only is he gonna
get a buzzer,
he's gonna be 30 seconds
faster than everyone else.
Well, he can breathe again.
We all can.
Two spectacular saves
out of Jake Murray.
[cheering and applause]
- Jake Murray,
I can't handle you.
- He stayed dry, hasn't hit
the water all season.
- Stage 1 never felt so good.
It's a dry season.
- It's a dry season
for Jake Murray, buddy!
- Oh, feels awesome!
Whoo!
- Never a dull moment
with that guy.
- He had two great saves
in about five seconds.
He almost lost it on
Dipping Birds, but recovered,
and then dashed over
to the High Road
and he went full extension,
barely got the ring.
Looked like he was trying out
for my Las Vegas Raiders
with that grab.
- And he's down with Zuri.
- Jake, congratulations,
that was amazing.
- Thank you!
- You had a wild save
on Dipping Birds.
What went down there?
- That was--that was
terrifying, um.
Oh, my gosh,
you got my heart racing.
Uh, like I said, my cardio's
feeling really good this year,
maybe the best it's ever felt
on Stage 1.
Uh, but it was close.
- Okay, got it, got it.
And you could have taken
the easy way.
But you still went for the High
Road at the end there.
What was that all about?
- Uh, if you ask me,
that is the easy route
if you stick the jump.
But, uh, yeah, you know.
Made it, here we are.
[laughter]
- Made it, here we are!
That's all there is to say.
You ready for Stage 2?
- I'm ready.
More ready than ever.
- All right, we can't wait
to watch you take it out.
Congratulations, Jake.
Guys, back to you.
- She's been close
so many times before.
- Time is ticking!
- Oh, no!
- No!
- Is this the year
"Flex" Labreck
finally gets a Stage 1 buzzer?
.
- Welcome back.
Moments ago,
Jake Murray blew away Stage 1,
setting the fastest time
by over 30 seconds.
And while we were away,
Jake's buddy
and the final Blonde Boy,
Hunter Guerard,
AKA the Lizard,
got his shot.
- Got the retro look going on.
Look at the headband.
- Guerard has never failed
in three previous attempts
on Stage 1.
But tonight, he had trouble
on Jumping Spider.
- Get out of there!
Get out of there, Hunter!
Whoa! I've never seen
a dismount like that.
- On Tire Run.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa! Ooh!
Watch out.
- And even the Warped Wall,
where he needed four attempts.
- Oh, my goodness.
He's gotta go.
He's gotta go now!
Go, go, go, go, go, go!
- And then stumbled again
on the Dipping Birds
as time finally ran out.
- Oh!
Oh, my goodness.
[buzzer blares]
That was a lot of drama
for "Ninja Warrior."
- Then it was 20-year-old
Isaiah Wakeham,
part of the only
brother-sister duo
at the national finals.
His sister, Isabella,
reached the Dipping Birds
last week.
And since both her kids
made it to Vegas,
Mom lost a bet and had
to get a tattoo of us.
Tonight, older brother
Isaiah got his time to shine.
- Here we go!
Go for it then!
- Running short on time,
he hit the button
and made the mad dash
to the High Road,
and timed it perfectly.
- Oh, okay!
Take that right there.
- As he sailed to the buzzer
with 15 seconds to spare.
- That's pretty dope
right there.
- Whoo!
crowd: [chanting] Jesse!
Jesse! Jesse!
- There's only one runner left
for Stage 1,
and this crowd knows
who it is.
- Zuri, get her going.
- Guys, it is time
to pump things up
because Jesse "Flex" Labreck
is ready to run.
Jesse's hit more buzzers than
any woman in "Ninja" history,
but there's one that's missing
from her resume.
- My rookie season, I fell on
the Jumping Spider.
- Oh! No!
[buzzer blares]
- My second year,
I made it to the cargo net,
and I spiraled down.
- Oh, no!
- No!
- So close,
but comes up short.
- My third try, I failed
on the second Twist and Fly.
- Oh, no!
An unbelievable run comes up
just short once again.
- My fourth time,
I got to the cargo net again,
and spiraled down
to the water.
- Time is ticking--
- Oh, no!
- No!
Couldn't hold on
and history repeats itself
for the third year in a row.
- That was probably
the most defeated I felt.
Happened again.
Brutal.
Ugh, I was there.
The other times,
I was able to kind of
pick myself back up.
But that time being
the third time in a row
getting to the last obstacle,
I was like,
I just can't believe
this just continues to happen.
I hate cargo nets.
[hopeful music]
I have been practicing them
so much.
I try to get as tired
as I can,
and then swing
into a cargo net.
And I've been practicing that
over and over.
*
I do not want to fall
on the cargo net again.
- Jesse's got a huge group
of supporters watching
from all over the country,
including her dad and stepmom,
and, on the sideline,
her biggest fan,
fianc?? and fellow ninja
Chris DiGangi, who was
eliminated back in qualifying.
- Let's go!
- You got this, baby!
Come on!
- Some other notable ninjas
coming out
to see this one too.
No one wants to miss this run.
[countdown clock beeping]
- I'm confident she's hitting
the buzzer tonight, Matt.
I'm confident in her ability.
- Well, only twice in history
has a woman hit
a Stage 1 buzzer,
Flex trying to be the third.
- She's in the zone, Matt;
this is her best year yet.
- Oh, had the hands
on the same side,
good correction there.
- The great ninjas,
they adapt on the go.
- She's a tremendous
all-around athlete,
was a track star
at the University of Maine,
still holds
school records there.
And we know Stage 1
is an all-out sprint.
- She's got an aggressive pace
because she wants
to give herself that time
so she doesn't repeat history
and run out of time
on the back end.
- 5'7", a former long jumper,
needs to explode
into the Jumping Spider.
- And you see how much power
she put into the trampoline,
ensuring that she's gonna get
inside that chute.
- She fell on this obstacle
her rookie season,
five years ago, but has gotten
past it every year since,
trying to join Jessie Graff
and Allyssa Beird,
becoming the third woman
to hit a Stage 1 buzzer.
- You got it!
Come on, Jessie!
- And, Akbar,
I love this pace out of Flex--
- Whoa, whoa!
- Oh, what a save!
- Don't you play with me
like that, girl.
- What a save.
- Don't you play
with me like that.
- That's gotta cause
the heartrate to spike.
- Well, mine did.
- Come on, Jesse!
- Come on, come on.
Got it!
She's in total control.
- And plenty of time.
- Let's go, girl, let's go!
Yes, come on!
- Chris knows what this means
to her.
Three obstacles to go.
- Come on, Jesse, let's go!
- No problem
up the Warped Wall,
that's how strong she is.
Doesn't hit
the High Road button,
so she'll have to go
Fly Hooks,
and that means facing
her nemesis, the cargo net.
Well, she's been here
before, Akbar.
Gotta get through
Dipping Birds.
- All right, she's gotta get
going now though
Long legs, don't goof this.
- Yes! Yes!
- Let's go!
- But this is it,
this spot right here.
And she's got a lot more time
left than in past years.
- Go for it.
Got it, yes! Come on.
You go, girl!
- Right here,
she's been here before,
falling into the net,
gotta get high on it.
- Don't you do that.
Don't you do that, Labreck
- An extra swing here
as she's got plenty of time.
- She's got to let go now!
- Yes!
[wild cheers and applause]
- Okay!
- That smile says it all.
Flex is gonna do it!
- Go get that buzzer!
- Her perfect season
continues!
[buzzer blares]
- [shrieking]
Whoo! Whoo!
- She is the Labreck house!
- The third woman ever to hit
a Stage 1 buzzer, Flex Labreck!
- Come on!
Come on!
[cheering]
- Absolutely one of
the strongest we've ever seen.
- Matt, it's the greatest show
on the Strip, look at this.
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, my God, finally.
- She made it interesting
on Tire Run
with that one-handed grab.
Then it was a showdown
with that cargo net.
After being so close,
she finally got it.
And that smile, she knew it.
All that hard work paid off.
- Jesse "Flex" Labreck,
congratulations.
Fourth time's the charm.
You now join the elite club
of three women
to officially complete Stage 1.
I mean, how are you feeling?
What was different this time?
- Um, I trained
really, really hard for this.
Not that I didn't train hard
for it before,
but I knew what it takes.
I trained
for getting really tired
and pushing through that and
telling myself that I want it.
And so that's
what I was telling myself
over here,
is that I wanted it so bad.
- How confident are you feeling
heading to Stage 2?
- Um, I'm just feeling really,
really thankful
and really excited to get
to play on Stage 2
for my first time.
- Well, good for you.
It was well-earned.
Congratulations, Jesse.
Guys, back to you.
[cheers and applause]
- So what a way
to wrap up Stage 1,
and now we're moving over
to the even tougher
Stage 2 course.
And here's the full list
of those moving on
from our two nights
on Stage 1.
Jake Murray had the fastest
time by more than 30 seconds.
There were also two teens
in the top 5,
Isaiah Thomas
and Kaden Lebsack.
But plenty of veterans
in the top ten,
including Tyler Gillett,
Tyler Yamauchi,
and the Papal Ninja,
Sean Bryan.
The next five includes
two veterans, two teenagers,
and the only woman to make it
to Stage 2,
Jesse "Flex" Labreck.
In all, 27 ninjas
hit the buzzer on Stage 1.
17 were veterans,
including the Classy Ninja,
Donovan Metoyer,
ten more rookies,
including teenagers
Max Feinberg, Elijah Browning,
and Jonathan Godbout.
And rounding out
our finishers,
concrete worker Adam Rayl,
who made it by
just 1/10 of a second.
Up next, we're heading to the
even tougher Stage 2 course.
It's been
completely redesigned
with six brutal obstacles.
- Oh!
- And one's guaranteed
to drop the hammer.
- No!
.
- Already some unforgettable
moments tonight on Stage 1,
but now the remaining
competitors move on
to the second of
our four stages here in Vegas.
- Matt, hundreds have run
our course this year,
but only 27 are left.
- And one of them could
win a million dollars,
but it will not be easy.
The next step for them,
the always challenging Stage 2.
For more on that,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, Stage 2 is always
over the top and awesome.
We've got fire,
a massive pool of water,
and six obstacles that will
drop the hammer on our ninjas.
It starts
with a new first obstacle,
the Striding Steps,
which leads directly
into a redesigned
Double Salmon Ladder.
Then it's the upper body test
of V Formation.
And at number four,
hold on for dear life
on the brand new Hammer Drop.
The final two obstacles are
a supersized Air Surfer,
followed by the blind grabs
of Falling Shelves.
You have to hit that buzzer
in less than 3 minutes
and 30 seconds
if you want to move on
to Stage 3, guys?
- Well, we're gonna start with
one of our youngest
competitors,
16-year-old Tennessean,
Elijah Browning.
Not only is he
an impressive ninja,
he's an entrepreneur with
his own sports car business.
But family comes first,
especially his grandma, Mimi.
But buzzers are.
I am a quarter Korean.
My grandma is
from Seoul, South Korea.
- That's gonna add
a lot of flavor.
- Just stir it all up?
- Look at that.
She's always kept
the Korean heritage
very eminent in our house.
She makes Korean dishes
all the time,
rice bowls, kimchi,
pot stickers.
Yeah, look at that.
Looks incredible.
I don't think I've ever had
one of Mimi's dishes
that I don't like.
So good.
She worked
from such a young age.
I think that's where I got
my drive and my work ethic.
I'll literally get inside
from training for three hours,
and she'll see me
on the couch,
and she'd be like,
"Are you gonna train today?"
And I'll be like, "Oh, I
just trained for three hours."
And she's like, "Well,
I want to watch you do stuff."
And so it gets me training
even more.
-I'm hitting that buzzer
for you tonight, Mimi.
- Elijah's got lots
of family watching tonight,
including Grandma Mimi,
who's on the right there,
watching back in Tennessee.
And on the sidelines are
Elijah's mom and brother.
Mom Renee so excited
to see him compete.
- Matt, to be this young
and to be first, that's tough.
- There's a time limit
on Stage 2.
Only 3 minutes, 30 seconds
to get to the buzzer.
[countdown clock beeps]
Starts with
the Striding Steps.
These get smaller,
and the final ones are
only eight inches wide.
He goes right
into the next obstacle.
- Here we go,
this is a redesign
of the Double Salmon Ladder.
It's a twist on it.
- You can see the top
of each ladder is open,
meaning that bar can
easily slide out.
Watch the transition.
- Oh, nice!
- Very efficient.
[cheering]
He's gonna get
through Salmon Ladder,
but no relief for those arms.
Has to work his way over
to the third obstacle,
a tough upper body challenge,
V Formation.
- We saw this in Tacoma.
We saw 70% of the athletes
fall out on this.
- 6'1", 155,
he's longer and leaner
than some of the other ninjas.
- Uh-oh, the hat's off, Matt.
- He did face this in Tacoma
and got through it.
His hat fell off
that time too.
Going reverse,
it looks like he's gonna skip
the first one
and go straight to the second.
Oh, my!
Look at the fingertip save!
- Uh-oh, his hair's
in his face.
He needs the cap to keep
the hair out of his face.
- And he skips another one.
He is taking chances.
But, so far, it's working.
And he is through.
[cheering and applause]
Now Elijah gets to be
the first ninja ever
to face Hammer Drop.
This thing will pound you.
Leap out on onto that Hammer,
22 inch circumference,
and then go for a ride.
- He's 6'1", so he should have
a bigger hug radius.
- Long arms wrap around--
- Nice!
- Get the legs up.
- Oh, hold on!
Wrap your feet around
that thing, come on now!
[cheers and applause]
Yeah, all right.
- Still has to climb up
on top of the cylinder.
- Yes, you can see him.
Oh, come on! Come on!
Look at him grip it around--
Look how calm his face is!
Look at his face!
He ain't scared,
he ain't never scared.
- He is relying on
his prodigious ability
and strength.
- I think the strength is
in his hair.
- And he's not home free,
now has to run
and leap out to that rope.
This hammer moves
when you leap away.
He's got it.
Real smooth there.
- You got this!
- You're crushing it!
- He's making that climb up.
- Oh, my.
- A minute,
30 seconds left, Matt.
- And this 16-year-old
showing such poise
under pressure.
- You're crushing it!
- You've got this!
- You are crushing it!
- Now on to Epic Air Surfer.
This is a supersized version
of what we saw in qualifying.
Got to make
long, precise jumps
with the upside down
snowboard.
- Way to go, way to go!
[cheering]
- This is where you just gotta
lean in on your preparation,
know that you got here
for a reason.
- No breaks at work
for the boss.
And you have
to be precise here,
just an 18-inch cradle
on this move.
He lands it.
Now a drop down to
another 18-inch landing pad.
- Nice!
- Now another foot drop down
to the next pad.
And he hangs on.
There is so much
downward force on his arms.
- All right,
one more big move.
- Yes!
[cheering and applause]
Now just needs to swing off.
Yes!
One obstacle left!
40 seconds!
[cheering and applause]
- Come on, yeah!
- It all comes down
to Falling Shelves.
Four big moves.
The final one, a reverse grip,
and that is gonna be
the big test for the boss.
- These first two lock
in place.
- Gets the second one.
- Throwing 155 pounds around
like it's nothing.
Oh, watch it now.
This one moves.
- One more move!
This is a reverse grab.
- Oh, boy.
- The buzzer just
a few feet away!
Oh!
- No!
- The boss fired
on the Falling Shelves,
the final move.
Just couldn't hang on.
- Matt, it's that last one.
That thing is something else.
- Elijah Browning so close
to finishing Stage 2;
instead, his season is over.
- He showed amazing composure
as the first to try
these new obstacles.
And then it came down
to that final move,
the reverse grab, and, look,
had both hands on it,
but just couldn't hang on.
- Elijah, you were
absolutely killing it
out here on Stage 2.
What went wrong on
Falling Shelves?
- Yeah, so, I just--
I was really tired, ha.
So I just gave it everything
I had into that last one.
Barely slipped off.
- Well, look,
you are 16 years old,
which is just so unbelievable.
And you're already on Stage 2.
It's safe to say we'll see you
back here next season, right?
- Thank you so much.
Absolutely, I'll be back.
For sure.
- All right, we can't wait
to see it happen.
Good work out there tonight,
of course.
- Thank y'all!
- Guys, back to you.
- So, a teenager is the first
to take on Stage 2,
and he almost beat it.
- You did so you.
You were right there.
You had 11.6 down.
That was so good, though.
You did amazing!
- He went 360 last week.
- Oh!
- Oh, okay!
What's the Classy Ninja
got planned for tonight?
Plus, he's finished
every ninja course
he's ever faced.
- Let's go!
- Will Vance Walker be
our first buzzer on Stage 2?
.
- Welcome back to Las Vegas.
Minutes ago,
the Archery Ninja,
Anthony Porter, showed he's
excited to be on Stage 2.
- Anthony Porter coming out
with the dance moves.
- The archery instructor
from Chino Hills, California,
has had an outstanding season,
getting two buzzers.
And he started strong tonight.
- He's zig-zagging
through V Formation,
doing a good job.
- But Hammer Drop
is brand new.
- You better hug this thing
like it's Valentine's Day.
- Ooh!
- Oh! Oh!
Who loves you, baby?
- The 25-year-old didn't wrap
his feet, and he got hammered.
- Bullseye!
- 20-year-old Tage Herrington
took his shot on Stage 2.
- He might have
an advantage, though,
at 130 pounds.
- The Arizona college student
survived a close call
on the rope as he finished up
Hammer Drop.
Oh!
- Ooh, rope burn!
- And then attacked
Epic Air Surfer.
Oh, and peels right off!
Which ended his impressive
sophomore season.
- This next guy is dressed
for success.
- You are right about that,
big man.
This is the Classy Ninja,
Donovan Metoyer.
The gym owner
from the Kansas City area is
always dressed to the nines.
And his run last week
on Stage 1 was a ten.
- To be able to do this
in a suit is
an obstacle in itself.
- I want to leave people
in awe whenever they watch me.
- What is he doing, Matt?
What is he doing?
- So I was like,
you know what?
The 360 hasn't been done
in Vegas yet,
and this is my time to do it.
- Oh! Wow!
- Oh! Okay!
Okay, man, he's back!
- He did a 360!
- I didn't want
to get this suit wet.
I knew I had to hit a buzzer
at all costs.
- And now he's going
for High Road, oh, my!
- Don't let your afro get
in the way!
- How classy would this be--
- Oh, yeah!
He did a one-handed save,
a 360!
- Just because
I have to go fast
doesn't mean
I can't look good doing it.
When I got to the buzzer,
I pulled out the handkerchief
because, you know,
that's what classy people do.
- Wipe it off, wipe it off.
There it is!
- But tonight,
people are gonna see something
they've never seen before:
the classiest Stage 2 buzzer
in "American Ninja Warrior"
history.
- Well, with performances
like that,
everyone wants to watch
the Classy Ninja's run.
He's got friends
and fellow ninjas tuning in
from all over the country.
- Let's go!
- Let's get classy!
You got this, bro!
- Yeah, buddy!
- He's got other ninjas
watching
from down on the sideline
as well.
- Look at that flat top too.
No mousse in that flat top.
It's just standing right up.
[countdown button beeps]
- A six-time veteran
making his first appearance
on Stage 2.
- Oh, no!
- No!
- He missed the rope.
Oh, my word.
- Flat top cut down,
the Classy Ninja.
- You know, these steps
get smaller and smaller,
and Donovan starts drifting
to the right.
He still got his left hand
on the rope,
but whiffed with his right,
and it slipped
right through his fingers.
- Simple mistakes happen.
Hopefully, I'll be back
next year.
Ugh.
Oh, man.
- Well, our next ninja
hasn't fallen on an obstacle
in his entire career.
This is 16-year-old
Vance Walker.
He's had a breakout season
already,
and he's hoping
to keep his streak alive.
He's been perfect
for two years!
- I won both seasons
of "American Ninja Warrior
Junior."
- What are you gonna do
on the big show?
- Hopefully win that too.
- * Paying my dues with
my blood, tears, and sweat *
- And so far this season,
I have hit every single buzzer.
I was the youngest and shortest
person up the Mega Wall.
- Oh!
- Teen wonder, teen wonder!
- Yeah!
And I'm one of
four safety pass holders.
- Oh, man!
- Let's go!
Last week on Stage 1,
I finished
and kept the safety pass.
- Vance Walker
remains perfect!
- * I've come a long way
- Getting into Stage 2,
I'm confident.
But there's a lot
of precise moves,
there's a lot
of sketchy transfers.
I'm really glad
that I have the safety pass,
but my goal is to not use it,
'cause I know,
the second I fall is gonna
make me really scared
for my next run.
- Oh, no!
- Whoa.
- Making it to Stage 3
will prove
that teens are capable of
just as much, if not
more than, the adults.
Hopefully I can continue
the streak
and keep it moving.
- * I've come a long way
*
[cheering and applause]
- Come on!
- Vance's parents and brother
are on the sideline.
- It's your time!
- Along with many of
the ninjas Vance has trained
with over the years.
And there's the safety pass
he won on the Power Tower
in semifinals.
If he falls,
he will get a second chance.
[countdown clock beeps]
- Just 5'5", and overcame
cerebral palsy as a kid,
which makes his ninja feet
even more impressive.
- Onto the Salmon Ladder.
This is one
of his favorite obstacles.
- Be careful when he gets
to the top of that cradle.
Make sure it's secure--no!
- No! Oh!
The streak is over!
After hitting a buzzer
on every run
for two seasons
of "Ninja Junior,"
and every run this season,
Vance Walker finally falls
on an obstacle.
- Okay,
he's got a safety pass.
- That's right,
he does have a safety pass.
He's pulling it
off his shorts.
- You earned it.
Let's go. Let's go!
- And he is stunned, Akbar.
- Dang.
- He's a Salmon Ladder expert,
does 27 rungs in 10 seconds.
But this new one
has no top on it.
And I think he was worried
about going too far over,
so he overcompensated
and came up short.
- Time to use it, I guess.
- He'll get some time to rest,
and then we'll see
Vance Walker try it again
a bit later.
"Ninja" fans, do we have
some great news for you!
Starting this Thursday,
a new competition series is
coming to Peacock
based off the classic
'80s video game, Frogger.
.
- Welcome back to Vegas.
It's Night 2 of the national
finals, which is made up of
four increasingly
more difficult stages.
Stage 1 is done,
and the surviving ninjas are
now taking on Stage 2.
Georgia's Tyler Gillett has
made it at least to Stage 2
every year he's been
in Vegas.
- He is a dark horse,
and he could win it all.
- Gillett even made it to
Stage 3 two years ago,
which is why what happened
tonight was such a shock.
- Oh, no!
- No!
- The five-time veteran
missed a rung on
the redesigned Salmon Ladder,
and his season was over.
- I don't know.
- Matt, this is heartbreaking.
- Ah!
- So Tyler Gillett becomes
the latest victim
of the dreaded Stage 3 curse.
What's the curse?
Well, two years ago, the
last time we were in Vegas,
a record-setting
21 elite ninjas
made it to Stage 3.
We expected many
of those top athletes
to get back there again,
but this season--
Oh, no!
- Oh!
- Most have been shockingly
eliminated.
- Oh, my word.
- And now, only three are
still in the competition.
Well, here's one of the three
who's still standing.
It's the Maker, Kevin Carbone,
the obstacle designer
now living in Colorado.
He busted out of a box
with a hard hat on Stage 1.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!
- And his supporters are
wearing the hats again.
There are his parents
watching back in Georgia,
along with his sister, Kat.
And he's got other ninjas,
including Vance Walker,
and Kevin's roommates,
Nate Hansen and Austin Gray,
down on the sideline.
- Let's go, man!
- Let's go, Kevin!
[countdown clock beeps]
- Carbone missed last season
with a broken wrist.
But he is recovered
and stronger than ever.
- But this is where his buddy,
Tyler Gillett, fell
minutes ago.
- Looking very strong.
- All right, here we go.
- Well, Carbone says
designing obstacles
gives him an understanding
of how to conquer them.
But this isn't about,
necessarily, figuring out
the obstacles,
it's just surviving them.
Six ninjas have tried
Stage 2 so far.
No one's made it
to the buzzer yet.
Carbone fighting his way
up V Formation.
Big move.
- All right, this one
right here, V Formation,
can wear you out for
the other obstacles to come.
- Well, we often talk about
the obstacles he's created,
most memorably, the Wing Nuts,
but this dude is legit.
- Matt, he looks so fluid.
- On the way down,
needs to jump from V to V.
And he skips,
goes right to the second one.
- That was a riskier move,
but it paid off.
- And looks like he's gonna
skip another one here.
- Ooh!
Yes, you know what he's doing?
He's taking less moves,
and I like it.
It's risky though.
- There it is.
On down to the Hammer Drop,
and a good pace to this point.
[cheers and applause]
5'8", gonna be a big reach.
- Nice, just like that.
- Great job!
- Nailed it.
- But now has to climb up
onto the top,
and that is exhausting.
Real key to preserve
some of that grip strength.
Carbone, I'm liking this run.
- Kevin Carbone's
just been efficient.
He hasn't wasted
a lot of moves.
It should give him
enough energy
on the next two obstacles.
Little low--ooh!
Extra swing there.
- Come on, you got this!
- See, you gotta hook on.
- Ooh, look at
that vice grip though.
- You can see him shaking out
the forearms
as he's climbing it.
He--he is feeling it.
Two obstacles to go, and
Carbone is looking exhausted.
- Yeah, you can see him--
Oh, look at that.
He just dropped on that.
- You got it!
Shake it out!
Shake it out, let's go.
Let's go!
- Well, he faced
Air Surfer in Tacoma,
but we have upped
the difficulty here.
Longer moves, more moves.
He's gonna have to make
a big effort to survive this.
- And, Matt, what really does
it on the Air Surfer is
the one foot drop,
and he's got four of them.
- And you can see,
gotta be precise,
control both sides
of that board.
Watch it.
- Look at this drop.
The 6 foot dude--
- Oh, he is grimacing.
What does he have left?
Carbone, fight it--No!
- No!
- The Maker ninja made
his best effort;
it's not enough on Stage 2.
- It's okay, it's okay, Kev.
- Go, Kev-Kev!
- He made the big move onto
that next-to-last pad,
but as he tries to adjust
to move up slightly,
he slid the right side
a little too far
and off the edge.
And the Stage 3 curse
strikes again.
- Well, sometimes you get it.
And sometimes you get got.
- And now only two are left
from the 21
that reached Stage 3
2 years ago.
Up next, another one of this
season's impressive teenagers;
this is McLean, Virginia's
16-year-old Max Feinberg.
Taking off the glasses
for a good look.
He can't believe
he's made it to Stage 2.
- One, two, three--
- Step!
- Max is a self-proclaimed
band geek,
a member of
his school's marching band.
[trombone riff]
But he's also got
a deeper message.
- That's for you, Mom!
For you!
- His mom is fighting
breast cancer,
and he wears "1 in 8"
on his shirt,
because that's the number
of women
diagnosed with breast cancer.
- Every run is for her.
And tonight,
I'm hitting another buzzer
on Stage 2 for Mom.
- Whoo!
- And there's his mom Debbie
with his dad Peter.
- This one's for you guys.
- Let's go!
Let's go!
- They have to be
so proud of their son.
- Let's go!
[countdown clock beeps]
- Didn't bring his trombone
tonight,
but he's representing
for the bank geeks this year.
Hit three buzzers so far.
- But this is
a brand new Stage 2.
- Brand new
Double Salmon Ladder.
- Oh!
Good rhythm.
- And, Matt,
he only weighs 130 pounds.
So light he can float
across the rungs.
It's all about putting
that game plan together
on how you're going
to preserve your energy
to make it through
the length of this course.
- And look at him,
just easy moves here.
This is his first time
on V Formation.
Did not face this
back in Tacoma qualifying.
The key is not to over-grip,
which is so hard not to do
when you're in the moment,
don't want to lose purchase.
- And you see the way
he's finessing it through,
not over-gripping,
very finessed.
You can see how light he is
with it.
- This descent,
a real challenge,
have to get those hands on
simultaneously.
- With the bigger bars,
it's kind of hard
not to over-grip
because you wanna make sure
you don't peel off.
- Absolutely.
Skip that first handle,
now hitting
second, third, and fourth.
- Nice, you can see him
kind of reaching over.
Nice, he's staying real calm,
looking good.
- Well, Akbar, this is
the fastest we've seen anyone
to this point.
- That's it, yes!
All right.
- 5'10", long arms here
on the Hammer Drop.
Gotta get the legs wrapped
around to preserve
that upper body
'cause this is a ride.
- You got this, Max.
- Get ready to go inverted,
Max.
- But before he goes inverted,
he's gotta hug.
Hug for dear life.
Hug it like you hug your--oh!
- No!
- Oh!
- The glasses come off,
and, unfortunately,
his season is over.
But he has made marching band
members proud this year,
and what a lift
he's given to his mom.
- So proud of you, buddy!
- Check out his hands
right here!
They didn't latch
onto the ledges,
never got a grip, and
wasn't able to wrap his legs,
so he slid right off.
- I love it
when I come out here
and do what I love
with the people I love.
And I feel amazing.
Whew!
Thank you, all.
Whoo!
[cheers and applause]
- Love you, Max.
So proud of you, Max!
- Whoo!
- Yes!
- He had his first fall ever,
minutes ago.
Now Vance Walker gets
a second shot at Stage 2.
.
- Next week, it's gonna be
one fantastic finish.
- Get your popcorn ready.
- Our remaining ninjas
tackle Stage 2,
and move on
to the brutal Stage 3.
- No!
If anyone survives,
they'll climb Stage 4
for a million dollars!
- It's about to go down!
- It's the season finale
of "American Ninja Warrior."
Can't wait for that.
And that brings us to
our final runner of the night.
It's gonna be 16-year-old
Vance Walker taking
his second run on Stage 2.
After never falling
on a "Ninja" course,
he shockingly fell
on the second obstacle.
Luckily,
he had the safety pass
he won on the Power Tower
back in semifinals.
- It's time to use it, I guess.
- He's changed
into some dry clothes,
got a little rest,
and he's ready
to try it again.
- Go! Let's go!
You got this!
- Family and training partners
back on the sideline.
[cheers and applause]
[countdown clock beeps]
- Well, no one's finished
Stage 2 so far.
Let's see if Vance Walker
can do it on his second try.
Back to where he fell,
the Double Salmon Ladder.
- All right, not gonna make
that mistake again.
- And look at him regrouping
before the cradler,
doesn't want to overshoot.
- Yeah!
- Go, go, go!
- Yeah, that one took him
by surprise
the last time he did it.
- Good adjustment.
- Nailed it.
- Almost jumped to the top
of the second ladder.
One more move.
Looking smooth.
And there's so many people
rooting for this kid.
After overcoming
cerebral palsy,
and having such success,
there are a lot
of new Vance Walker fans.
And in one move--
- Whoo!
- And a second.
- He was so powerful--one
of the most powerful ninjas.
- See if he skips V's
on the way down.
And, yeah, he jumps straight
to the second one.
And now lining up
the last one.
- He knows what he has to do.
- Whoa.
- Big-time.
- Well,
he is really executing.
And he is through.
- No fear!
Be a beast!
- But here comes Hammer Drop.
And we talked about
his cerebral palsy last week;
it still effects his legs.
And he really needs those
to lock onto the Hammer.
No!
How is he holding on?
You see it, that left hand
wasn't on the grip.
That was amazing.
- Nice, and, Matt,
he used his thighs,
his inner thighs,
and everything to hold on.
[cheers and applause]
- Well, he knew it was
gonna be a challenge.
Vance Walker had a plan.
Very steady here.
- I was a little concerned
for him, Matt,
but he did it.
- An excellent adjustment
there.
- Get up high on the rope.
Vance Walker, he's determined.
Let's look at that again.
He missed with
his left hand completely,
so he was holding on
with just his right hand
and squeezing with his legs.
He somehow managed to hang on.
And that's a great save
right there.
- Oh!
- You got it!
[cheers and applause]
- Now facing
the Epic Air Surfer,
Vance Walker making
the most of his second chance.
Faced the Air Surfer
in Tacoma;
of course, we've ratcheted up
the difficulty.
- How great is it to come
in here at 16 years old
with the mulligan,
with the safety pass?
- And after falling
for the first time ever
in "Ninja" competition,
he didn't let it
shake his confidence.
He's come back strong.
- And this is
where he excels.
- But might want to have
a little urgency here.
It's gonna be
a longer throw here.
- The man's come down.
And you know what?
He's controlling his speed
with a little bit
of that hangtime
so he has enough time,
and then boom!
- One more move.
How much does he have left?
[cheering and applause]
Got it!
- Gotta watch
where his arms are
so he absorbs
the pressure coming down.
[cheering and applause]
- Way to go, way to go!
- Vance Walker,
one obstacle away.
He's not gonna have
much time to rest up.
He's gotta go.
What does he have left
in those arms?
At 5'5", again,
a relatively longer throw.
Almost as tall as he is
in between these shelves,
and down to 30 seconds.
Well, once you're up,
you're gonna move fast.
- Well, Matt,
they say Vegas always wins.
I don't know.
It looks like Vance Walker's
about to win.
- What I like is
he's getting the hips up.
That gives his hands,
give his fingers,
a chance to find purchase.
Here's the money grab!
- All right, come on.
Find it, it's blind.
Come on, Vance!
- You can see it!
- If you can't see it--
- Nine seconds!
- Feel it, feel it! Yes!
- Yes!
- Get the dismount, Vance!
- That's the one.
- That's the way--
take it, Vance!
He ran off the course!
- 16 years old!
[cheers and applause]
Vance Walker takes advantage
of his safety pass
and going to Stage 3!
- Oh, my goodness.
[wild cheers and applause]
- And this high school student
is one step closer
to a million dollars.
- Oh, I can't wait to see him
on Stage 3.
Cancel the prom, Matt,
cancel the prom!
- And there it is.
You can see the family support
that makes it all possible.
- Awesome!
- You did it, buddy,
you did it!
- Yeah! Let's go!
- You did it!
- Akbar,
we knew he was special.
And all of America is
seeing it now.
- He landed the cradle
safely this time
on the Double Salmon Ladder.
On Hammer Drop, he couldn't
get his arms around
for a good grip at first,
but he was able
to use his legs to save it.
And look at the blind grab
on the final Falling Shelf.
It's so hard to bring
his hands around and hold on,
but Vance Walker did it.
- Let's go down to Zuri
who's standing by with Vance.
- Vance, congratulations, man.
First of all,
how are you feeling right now?
You were so clearly emotional.
- I've been waiting for this
moment for the longest time.
Stages 1 and 2,
those are my weak stages.
Once I get to Stage 3, I feel
a little bit more confident.
- All right, let's do it.
Congratulations, Vance.
Really great job.
Hit the buzzer for us
one more time.
There we go!
Guys, back to you.
- That's it for tonight.
Next week, our season finale,
where someone could be
climbing that rope
for a million dollars!
For Akbar Gbajabiamila
and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time
for the season finale
of "American Ninja Warrior."
[intense music]
*