- * It's been a long time
comin' *
- At first, it was
just a dream.
- * It's been a long time
comin' *
- A backyard fantasy.
- * Let's go
- I've been training
for this moment
since I was 11 years-old.
- I've been doing ninja
for over half my life.
- I have been dreaming
of competing
on "American Ninja Warrior" now
for six years.
- Nice, Vance!
[buzzer blaring]
- Let's go!
- Now, their time has arrived,
and they're ready.
- I have no doubt that
one of us
could be the next
American Ninja Warrior.
- He's on a whole other level.
- I think I have what it takes
to win it all.
- I'm built to break!
- Tonight, these teens and
the superstar veterans
take the sport's
grandest stage.
- * It's been a long time
comin' *
- I do not want to stop
just at Stage Two.
I wanna be the first woman
to make it to Stage Three.
- * Here we go
* I'm unstoppable
- And take aim at history.
- * Tell the world
I'm comin' *
- There's no excuses.
There's no reason
I can't do this.
This is the year
I break through.
- * I'm comin'
- And then it's gonna be me
versus stage four.
- I'm comin' for you!
- I'll make Stage Three,
I'll make stage four,
and I'm gonna climb that rope
and hit that buzzer.
- * Tell the world
I'm comin' *
[cheers and applause]
- It's the hottest ticket
on the Las Vegas strip.
Get ready for the season
finale
of "American Ninja Warrior."
[cheers and applause]
Hello, everyone,
thanks for being with us
on this special night.
I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, we started with hundreds
of competitors.
Now, only a few left,
and hopefully one of them
will be climbing that stage
four tower for a million bucks.
Last week, one athlete,
16-year-old Vance Walker,
was the only ninja
to finish Stage Two.
- He's going to Stage Three!
We'll start tonight
with our remaining competitors
on Stage Two.
Whoever hits a buzzer
moves on to Stage Three.
Survive that,
they'll make the final climb
on stage four.
For a look at where the action
begins,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.
- Guys, Stage Two has six
brutal obstacles,
and this brand new one,
Hammer Drop,
provided some big knockouts
last week.
- Oh!
In the ocean, baby.
- Get through it,
and you still face
the Epic Air Surfer.
- Oh, and peels right off.
- And the almost impossible
blind grab
on the Falling Shelves.
both: Ohh!
- You have to hit that buzzer
in less than 3:30,
if you want to move on
to Stage Three.
Guys.
- Well, the teenagers
have been the story
all season,
so we're gonna start
our final night
with one of this year's
breakout teens.
It's the Flyboy
out of Garland, Texas,
Isaiah Thomas.
This 16-year-old is one of
several impressive kids
still left in the competition.
We started this season with
almost 400 competitors.
35 of them were teenagers.
And now, 15 weeks later,
only 19 competitors remain.
And an incredible seven of
those are under 18.
Isaiah's gonna have his mom,
Jennie, on the sideline.
- Let's go, baby!
- Those two are very close.
- Come on, Isaiah!
- And he's throwing up the
Flyboy sign to his sidelines.
That's his mentor,
Karsten Williams,
along with other Texas ninjas,
getting the Flyboy chant
going.
[audience chanting]
First up, the Striding Steps.
Those platforms get smaller
as you go.
- Get up high!
Easy, here we go.
This is a redesign
of the Double Salmon Ladder.
It's open at the top.
So you gotta be a lot more
precise as you jump it up.
- Whoo! Let's go!
- Ooh, a little uneven.
- Yeah, you see what he did?
- Now the comeback...oh!
Just switched them.
- Oh, boys.
Hey, this Salmon Ladder
can be a little fishy.
But nice.
- That will get your heart
rate going.
Those near-misses.
On now to V Formation.
Gotta use your entire body
to jerk that triangle
all the way to the top.
- Big up, power up.
Nice.
- Great job.
- He did the pencil move.
That's great.
- This descent requires
precision.
The handles spin.
You have to get both hands on
simultaneously.
- All season long, Flyboy's
said he's built different.
This is a great opportunity
to show how differently
he's built.
- The second hand'll go into
that fourth--
- Nice move.
- It was great strategy, too,
Matt.
He just skipped
that third one.
It saved him some time,
- And he's quickly through the
first three obstacles.
He's got a viewing party
back in Texas.
They're liking what they're
seeing so far.
- Matt, this might be one of
my favorite new obstacles,
Hammer Drop.
- You've gotta jump
onto that big cylinder,
and hang on for dear life.
Ideally, you wanna get
your arms and legs around it.
But Isaiah only gets
the arms around.
Gets it up there,
but that's stressful.
- It does show off
his strength.
- His strength isn't
in question,
it's just preserving.
And he is fighting.
- Well, he is young.
And I'd say, he says,
"You know what?
I can recover a little
faster."
Take a look at this again.
He's hanging on
by just his fingertips
for that first swing.
I don't know how he stayed on.
- Big leap here.
- Up high, up high!
- He has swooped.
- Yeah, you know, Matt,
I've talked about him
throughout the season.
There's something about him.
He's got a certain swag we
haven't seen
in a lot of ninjas.
[cheering]
- Four obstacles down,
two to go.
And he's got about a minute
and a half left.
- Let's go!
- Now facing Epic Air Surfer.
Gotta fly across
on the upside down snow board.
That second cradle,
only 18 inches wide,
the board itself,
10 inches wide.
- You can see the wings on the
back of his T-shirt.
He is gonna need to fly.
- Oh!
- Oh no!
[buzzer blares]
- Just missed it.
[crowd groaning]
Isaiah Thomas,
plenty in the tank,
but a wipeout
on Epic Air Surfer.
- Whoo!
- Well, he didn't look tired,
he just made a miscue
here on the Air Surfer.
Instead of inching the board
up to the front,
he starts from way back here.
That made it
a much longer distance,
and he came up short.
- So proud of you.
- He'll be back,
and we're gonna see
some great things
out of that young man.
- From one of
our strongest rookies,
to one of
our strongest veterans.
It's the rock-solid,
concrete worker, Adam Rayl.
He's also one of the favorites
to win it all.
And this season,
he's had a new focus.
Thanks to his new roommate,
Sean Bryan.
- This year I moved up to
northern California.
And I've moved in
with Sean Bryan.
[yelling]
- It's hard to say
how others view us.
Um, I think they definitely see
the big biceps,
the, uh, the super-duper
handsomeness.
- [chuckles]
- It wasn't until this year,
that I realized
we really needed to train
with each other,
'cause the times that we are
with each other,
we push each other to our
limits and--
and we excel.
- [groans]
- What was that?
- Sean and I
were both gymnasts.
Um, him a little bit longer
than me.
So we learned how to work hard
from a young age.
And in that,
we speak the same language.
And then, there's our
parents.
- The crazy--
- The loving parents
and the very worried mothers.
[chuckles]
- I think mine takes the cake,
but yours does a pretty good
job as well.
- Pretty close, yeah.
- Having, like, a tight-knit
family unit and support group,
whether it's a friend
and training partner,
or a crazy mom, it's always
a nice thing to have.
- This candy cane's gonna be
sweet, come on!
- Yes!
- Oh!
- Adam Rayl got it!
- I think previously,
I almost had what it took,
but for some reason
I was just shy.
- He's sliding!
- No!
- I'm expecting more out of
myself this time.
I think that's largely because
Sean's shown me that
I can dig deeper than I
thought I could previously.
If you wanna go fast,
go alone.
If you wanna go far,
go together, and have a team.
- And there's Sean, along with
another good friend,
Jake Murray.
Both will be running later.
And of course, Adam's parents
are on his sideline.
Mom, Vicki, already looking
nervous for her boy.
[countdown beeping]
Here we go.
Rock-solid Adam Rayl,
taking on Stage Two.
Uh-oh.
- Whoa.
- He almost knocked
a ball off.
- That was almost a disaster.
But he's gotta put it
behind him
and concentrate
on this new Salmon Ladder.
- Adam Rayl, having a couple
close calls early on.
- And you can see that
transfer.
Nice transfer.
You see?
Now he's got it sitting
in that cradle.
- And he finishes off the
Salmon Ladder
but took a little more effort
than he wanted.
Working his way down
to V Formation.
Rayl is one of the heavier
athletes, at 175 pounds,
and he's got some tree trunks
for arms.
- Yeah!
- Whoo, okay!
- As you can see,
powering it up.
Now on the way down.
Has to land on those upside
down Vs.
- All right, you got it.
Come on, baby!
- And he skipped the first
one, lands on the second.
- Now he may go walk down
to that fourth handle, here,
Akbar.
He is making some
dramatic moves.
- Ooh.
Look at that!
- And you can see
that right hand
barely able to hold--hang on.
- Get out of there, Adam.
- Nice!
- Adam Rayl has had
some close calls already.
- Way to go!
- And up next is this new one,
Hammer Drop,
and this is a wild ride.
- Look at the way Adam is
looking at that.
What is this?
- Let's go, Adam!
- Definitely making Vikki
nervous.
- Come on!
- So you leap out
onto that handle,
22-inch circumference,
and then go for a ride.
- Bear hug it, bear hug it!
Oh, yeah, baby.
- Yeah, his rock-solid grip
is locked in.
- And now, this is where it
gets hard, Matt,
because he's upside down,
and he's gotta try
to make his way
over to the top.
- And no one's climbed up on
top that quickly.
He's got about 1:45 left.
- Move, Adam, move!
- Go! Come on, move it!
- Vikki's telling him
to keep moving.
Remember, he almost ran out of
time on Stage One.
Made it by just 1/10 of
a second.
- Ooh.
- And you can see why that
hammer pushes away.
- So you gotta be very careful
on that.
And he did a great job,
that time.
- Coming up over the top to
face the final two obstacles.
- 90 seconds! Gotta go!
- Sean Bryan giving him
updates on the time
as Rayl takes a look
at Epic Air Surfer.
He got to Stage Three two
years ago.
One of the few
from that year
to avoid the
Stage Three curse.
- Here we go
on Epic Air Surfer.
And unlike Isaiah Thomas,
he's moving the board forward
before he jumps.
Not a lot of room for error.
He landed!
- Perfect.
Watch that left side,
a little forward.
- Nice, okay!
- And left side forward,
again!
- And he's 5'11", 175 pounds,
so that's a lot of impact.
That's a foot drop down there,
and you can see
he's holding on.
- Rayl does it.
Got under a minute for his
final obstacle,
Falling Shelves.
This will test his grip.
Four moves.
- 50 seconds!
- You gotta go!
- Mama Vikki over
there screaming
for him to
start Flying Shelves.
- Gotta move!
Gotta move! Go!
- Sean Bryan, too.
And look at this, Akbar,
35 seconds.
Rayl needs to get going,
'cause it's easy
to take extra swings here.
- The first two lock into
place, the third one doesn't.
And then he's gotta come
into a reverse grab,
so it can mess
with your timing.
- Now this one will not lock
in place,
it will be free-moving
onto a reverse grab
on the final handle.
Under 20 seconds!
- Hold that body,
and see that reverse grab.
He sees it coming, Matt.
Whoa!
- Ohh!
- Oh, no!
- That was so close!
- The rocks--
The rock-solid grip fails him
on Falling Shelves.
- No, no.
- And Vikki is
in complete shock.
Mama Vikki is devastated,
Matt.
He was starting
to run out of time,
so he may have rushed it.
But watch his hands
on the final shelf.
It's a blind grab,
and he just misses
with his left hand.
So close.
- To be that close and come up
short, you know that hurts.
Tonight, our remaining
athletes take their shot
at Stage Two.
Including Chicago's
history-making,
Jesse "Flex" Labreck.
- Whoo!
- "The Weatherman,"
Connecticut's Joe Moravsky.
[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!
- And the speedster from
Colorado, Jake Murray.
By far the fastest time!
It's all coming up,
on the season finale
.
- Welcome back to our
season finale.
Minutes ago, top competitor
Adam Rayl saw his season end
on the final falling shelf.
[all exclaim]
And while we were away,
his roommate and training
partner, Sean Bryan,
the Papal Ninja
got his shot at Stage Two.
- Oh, big jump.
- The four-time national
finalist crushed
the first five obstacles.
- He is moving, Matt!
- And just like
with Adam Rayl,
it all came down to a showdown
with the final Falling Shelf.
Here we go!
Oh!
- No!
- Just missed it!
Ugh!
- We got it next time, man.
- And these two top
competitors
will have to wait
till next year.
So, two of our most
experienced
came up just short.
And now, our youngest
competitor ever
is gonna give Stage Two
a shot.
This is 15-year-old
Enzo DeFerrari Wilson.
Stepping into the spotlight,
might be intimidating
for most teenagers,
but Electric Enzo
is an overachiever.
- I was six years-old when I
started ocean conservation.
I was 11 years-old when I
started making YouTube videos.
Yeah! Let's go!
I was 12 years-old
when I started
my own ocean conservation
organization.
I was 13 years-old
when me and a friend of mine
made a sculpture for the NFL.
And now, at 15,
I'm the youngest ever
to complete Stage One.
- That red light doesn't mean
stop.
That red light means go!
- Four seconds!
- Four, three, two--
[buzzer blares]
- Yes!
- He has always been
ahead of his age.
He is so dedicated and
determined,
and extremely laser-focused
in everything he does.
- Tonight it's definitely
a little bit overwhelming
to be on Stage Two in the
national finals.
There's gonna be fire shooting
out of the obstacles
when I'm on it.
Everything's like 30 feet
in the air,
and it is scary to be here,
but I'm already used to proving
that age isn't gonna stop me.
- And Electric Enzo has his
mom, dad, and sister
cheering him on
from the sidelines.
And he's got lots of
supporters back in Florida,
including his grandparents
and uncles.
[countdown beeping]
Just started his sophomore
year in high school,
but he could be a millionaire
before the night's over.
- Well, so far, Matt,
he's lived up to the
expectation.
Finds himself here
on Stage Two,
and he has been electric
this season.
- The challenge is going to be
to try to keep those forearms
from getting pumped out.
Weighs only 130 pounds.
And he makes quick work
of the Double Salmon Ladder.
Remember, our only Stage Two
finisher so far,
is a teenager, Vance Walker,
who did it last week.
I'm liking this, though.
Looking calm, and looking like
a very efficient run thus far.
Oh, ho ho!
Great job using
that full body.
- The pressure doesn't seem to
get to these teenagers.
They just go out there
and have fun.
- Now has to work his way
down the Vs.
- You got this one,
don't worry.
You got this.
Yeah.
- Yeah!
- Electing--using the hips
to try to preserve
some of that grip strength.
- Nice.
But be careful, now.
This is a little tricky, too.
You see these bars
are quite wide.
- Now, you do have to touch
that fourth--
- Oh, no!
- All right, Enzo.
- That's all right, Enzo!
- Electric Enzo looked very
strong to that point,
but the hands got uneven,
and he was shocked
on V Formation.
- Going into that third V,
his hands landed very close
together.
And they just slipped right
off.
But such a great season
for this kid,
the youngest ever
on Stage Two.
- Youngest person ever out
here, Enzo,
You did it.
You did it, kid.
I love you.
- All right, love you.
- Great job, great job!
- We love you. Love you!
- All right.
- Love you, buddy.
- Coming up, only two women
have ever been here before.
Tonight, Jesse "Flex" Labreck
becomes the third.
- Here we go!
- Her run at Stage Two history
is just ahead.
[buzzer blares]
- Whoo!
- On the season finale
.
- Welcome back to Las Vegas
and the national finals
of "American Ninja Warrior."
Six-time veteran
Tyler Yamauchi,
is having his best season ever
at 36 years-old.
- I'm expecting big things
from Tyler Yamauchi.
- Though he's the shortest
competitor at 5'1",
the man nicknamed
"The Muscle Ball"
has been rolling all season,
hitting three buzzers.
- Great recovery
by Tyker Yamauchi.
- The father of three was
trying to make it
to Stage Three
for the first time ever...
- Nice cl---
Oh!
- But he couldn't wrap his
arms around Hammer Drop
and his season
came to an end.
Then it was the "Law Ninja,"
Texas attorney
Brian Burkhardt,
who was wearing
the safety pass he won
for beating Daniel Gil
on the Power Tower
in the semifinals.
Burkhardt's a five-time
veteran
trying to make it
to Stage Three
for the first time
in his career.
- Oh! No!
- But he fell early
on the Double Salmon Ladder.
Though, with his safety pass,
he'll get another run
at the course later tonight.
[Velcro tearing]
- Good thing I got this guy.
I'll need it.
- Well, our next athlete
also has a safety pass.
This is Colorado's
Austin Gray.
He was last year's runner-up.
He just lost to Daniel Gil,
but in other ways,
last season was a big win
for him.
- There you go.
Okay.
- Austin Gray gets
that buzzer!
- Last season, you know,
I was single,
kind of looking,
let's make something happen.
- You got a message for those
watching, Austin.
- You know, DMs are open.
- Oh, DMs are open.
Okay!
- That line definitely worked.
Jaelyn kind of came
into my life at that point,
and it's been great
since then.
We've got a lot in common.
We both love Ninja.
We both love gymnastics
and working out.
- Whoo!
- We train together,
we push each other,
and we actually live
together now.
- * So infatuated
- My confidence is coming from
having my girlfriend
on the sidelines.
- Come on, Austin!
- Whoo! That was good!
- Every time I step
on a start platform,
I get to wear my shirt that
says "Show Your Spare."
And that champions a cause
for organ donation
that transcends my performance
on the course.
I'm gonna take
Share Your Spare
all the way to the top
of Stage Four.
- Let's go, Austin!
- And Jaelyn's on the sideline
here in Vegas
along with one of Austin's
students, Taylor Greene,
who's competing on
"Ninja Junior" this season.
Austin's roommates,
Nate Hansen and Kevin Carbone,
are also over there.
And there's the friend
who he gave a kidney to,
Kaylee Adams, watching
along with her sister.
[countdown beeping]
- We've seen a laundry list
of good ninjas go out, Matt.
He's gotta put it
to the back of his mind.
- Well, he's the only athlete
left with a safety pass,
he can only use it on Stage
One or Two,
but not on Stage Three.
- Yes dude, yes dude.
- Great precision there.
You can see that top cradle,
that's new
on this Double Salmon Ladder,
and Austin Gray, real smooth.
- Come on, Austin!
You got it!
- Move over to V Formation.
Austin didn't face this
obstacle in qualifying,
it's brand new to him.
And you can see him trying to
make double moves,
but he's spinning in circles
and wasting a lot of energy.
- And Austin Gray struggling
a bit.
- Whoa. You can see how
laborious that was
and that's the kind of thing
that'll catch up to you
later in the run.
- So he's gonna skip that
first V on the way down.
Trying to be efficient
here, as few moves as possible
going to that fourth handle.
- He's breathing heavily,
but he's trying to take
the shortest route.
- And he's through.
Good job, good pace.
And the Hammer Drop,
the challenge here,
the key,
get those legs wrapped around.
- Yeah, Matt, once you get the
legs and arms wrapped,
it's very important
to make sure you get
to the top of it before it
stops moving.
The longer you hang on, the
more you waste that energy.
You see a lot of the ninjas
holding on,
waiting for it to settle.
You gotta start doing it now.
- Well he did.
He moved quickly.
- Nice.
- Austin Gray getting up.
150 pounds, gotta be cautious
on this push.
Again, that hammer's not
fixed, it will push away
equal to your momentum.
- Get up high on that rope
so you have--
- Nice!
Just like that.
[cheers and applause]
- Real smooth, there.
And plenty of time for these
final two obstacles.
- Keep going, Austin!
- Let's go Austin!
- Let's go!
- And you can see him just
calming himself down.
He faced the Air Surfer
in Tacoma,
but we have really upped
the difficulty.
And again, those four
obstacles before,
those have gassed
the forearms.
- To get a shot at that
$1,000,000,
you gotta get
through this beast.
- Good moves there.
- 150 pounds coming down.
It's a jolt to your arms
every time you land.
- Last time he was on Stage
Two was three years ago,
and he did not make it
through.
A big set of eyes here
on Epic Air Surfer,
lots to go.
- Nice!
He's got a little time
to catch his breath
and regroup for this final
obstacle, Falling Shelves.
[cheers and applause]
- 16-year-old Vance Walker's
the only one
to conquer this obstacle
so far.
He did it last week.
No one's done it yet tonight.
- Come on, Austin!
- You got it!
- And no one has fallen
on the first three shelves,
only on that fourth one.
- Yeah, this all comes down to
the blind grab at the end.
- Gets the second one.
Moving quickly,
lands the third.
But this is the move that's
been so difficult.
The reverse grab.
- Here we go.
Is he about to do it!
- Yes!
- Austin Gray's gonna have
a spare pass.
He didn't need it!
- Let's go!
[cheers and applause]
- The first to hit the buzzer
tonight.
- Whoo! Yeah!
- Good job, Austin!
- And he's moving on to Stage
Three with Vance Walker.
One step closer to $1,000,000.
- Look at him!
He is pumped.
Austin Gray was the
runner-up last season,
and he's got a chance
to win it all this year.
He made that difficult last
grab on Falling Shelves,
.
- Many of the teens
tearing it up
on the big course this year,
got their start on "American
Ninja Warrior Junior."
You can join Akbar and me
for the new season
of "Ninja Junior," which just
dropped on Peacock.
And moments ago,
another "Ninja Junior" grad,
16-year-old Jonathan Godbout,
tried to keep
his season alive.
- Good luck, Jonathan!
- He looks very confident,
Matt.
- The high school student from
Sterling, Massachusetts,
has been perfect this season,
hitting buzzers
on every course.
- Come on, Jonathan.
Come on.
- That million dollars,
he's getting really, really
close to it.
He can see it.
- Godbout plays drums
in a rock band,
and he was rockin' the course.
[cheering]
But then he reached
Hammer Drop.
- Oh!
[buzzer blares]
He got nailed.
[chuckles]
- And we've got some
excitement
on the course right now.
This is the lizard-loving,
New Jersey teenager
Josiah Pippel.
- He's getting very close.
- Under a minute.
He gets through.
- Yes!
- And a little smile there,
'cause he's only one obstacle
away from Stage Three.
- Whoo! Nice job!
- Hey, way to go, Josiah!
You got it! Come on!
- His coach, Najee Richardson,
offering encouragement,
and Josiah is staying calm.
- Lizards are cold-blooded,
but Josiah running hot
tonight.
- And here we go.
One obstacle between the
15-year-old and Stage Three.
Two more Falling Shelves
to go.
Down to 20 seconds.
Gets the third one.
- This is the big move.
- Let's go, you got this!
- Kick those hips.
Get up!
- Blind grab, blind grab!
both: Oh!
- Josiah Pippel, the latest
to be ripped off
on the final shelf.
- Look at how close he was!
He got both hands on,
but look at the left--
he only got a couple of
fingers on the shelf,
so when it dropped down,
he just couldn't hold on.
-Good job, Josiah!
Whoo!
- A great rookie season
for Josiah Pippel.
Only 15 years old, and he
comes up a fingertip short
from making it to Stage Three.
- Guys, no one tonight has
faced Stage Two
more than "The Weatherman,"
Joe Moravsky.
But, Joe paid a big price
to get here.
- No!
- Oh!
- He had an unexpected fall
on Stage One,
and had to use his safety pass
to run Stage One again.
He got through it
the second time,
but now he's got no insurance
on Stage Two.
- And he's looking at the
Stage One run on the screens.
It still haunts him.
But he's shown all season,
you can never count out
"The Weatherman."
That's why he has so many
fans.
Including a special young man
named Matthew
back in Joe's hometown.
- Come on, I'm gonna get by.
Oh!
Open net!
Hey!
Matthew's been a long-time fan
of the show.
- Yes!
- He was from my hometown.
I would see him in church.
And he was born with
a congenital heart defect.
- Matthew basically lives
with half a heart.
Right now he's had four
open-heart surgeries.
- All right, let me see your
pullup.
- Joe has always been there
for me.
- Yeah, that's pretty good.
- In the good times,
the bad times,
- Oh ho ho!
- In 2018, I got very sick.
- He was in a hospital
in New York
and it wasn't good.
Less than 50% chance that
he was gonna make it.
- Joe just reached out,
and he didn't just reach out,
he actually physically showed
up.
- I was on a ventilator,
and I gave a thumbs up
'cause I really couldn't talk.
- And he just gave us a hug.
And that meant the world.
- Thankfully, you know,
he pulled through.
He's a fighter.
Yeah, he's a fighter.
- Joe Moravsky--ah!
Moravsky gets the buzzer!
Last season when I won
the Power Tower,
You actually won $5,000
to donate to a charity
of your choice.
And so, I just felt really
moved to donate
to his foundation--
Matthew's Hearts of Hope.
- That meant we can help more
people to survive.
People like me.
- The ability to not give up.
You are my inspiration.
I'm just a--a ninja warrior.
He's a true warrior.
- What a great bond
those two have.
And Joe's gonna have Matthew
watching tonight,
along with his mom
back in Connecticut.
And of course, Joe's wife
Stephanie never misses
one of his runs.
[cheering]
- You got this, Joe!
- And other ninjas will be
watching down on the sideline.
Joe's one of the favorites
to win the $100,000,000
every year.
[countdown beeping]
- He's been the last ninja
standing twice.
- It was season five, the
first time Joe competed.
- Whoa, no!
- No!
- No.
- Oh, Joe.
- Another shock from
"The Weatherman."
Joe Moravsky, the man with
more experience than anyone
on Stage Two,
just went out
on the first obstacle.
- That's a shocker.
Oh, my word.
Look at it again.
He was fine the first few
steps
but then had that knee
lean to the right.
He's basically falling down.
He tried to grab the rope,
but couldn't save it,
and his season is over.
- And Joe's down with Zuri.
- Joe, my heart is breaking
for you.
I know you had to use that
safety pass
on Stage One.
Can I ask you how you're
feeling right now?
- Um, I mean...
frustrated.
It's one word.
You know, the first few
felt good.
I started to get wobbly,
as to be expected,
and uh,
I don't know.
- Well, I'm so sorry that this
is how your season is ending.
But it doesn't take away from
what you've accomplished
up until this point.
And I know we'll see you back
here next year, okay?
- Thanks.
- All right, of course, Joe.
Guys, back to you.
- Coming up,
we'll be moving on
to the even tougher
Stage Three.
And if anyone survives,
Stage Four,
to climb for $1,000,000.
.
- Moments ago, three ninjas
got their shot at Stage Two.
19-year-old, Matt Bradley,
came out blazing.
- Well, he did that with ease,
Matt.
[cheers and applause]
- The Pennsylvania college
student
has hit three buzzers
this year.
[buzzer blares]
- Oh!
- But he came up short tonight
on Hammer Drop.
- He wasn't able
to get the hug.
- 20-year-old Texan,
Isaiah Wakeham,
has also had a breakout year.
[cheering]
- All right, here we go.
M-O-V-E, move.
- But his run ended early
on Stage Two.
- Oh, no!
At 39, Ryan Meeks is
the night's oldest competitor.
[cheering]
- Hold on tight.
Hug it.
Nice!
- The Houston architect,
and father of two,
put together an impressive run
- Whoa!
You could just see it coming.
- Before falling on the next
to last obstacle.
- Yeah, Ryan!
- So still only two finishers
on Stage Two.
But up next is a ninja
with a lot of talent.
It's 26-year-old
Kyle Soderman.
Though he's now a stunt man
in California,
his ninja journey started
back in his home state
of Minnesota.
- I grew up in Lino Lakes,
Minnesota.
And my parents owned
a landscaping company
called Rock Gardens.
And it basically just gave me
a giant playground, growing up
We would run around
on all of the rock piles,
jump off the heavy machinery,
basically be a ninja,
before I even knew
what ninja was.
A few years ago,
I decided to move out
to Los Angeles
and become a stunt man.
Being a stunt man,
I never really know
what I'm gonna get into next.
I've done some flips,
taken some falls.
I've been a velociraptor
at Universal Studios.
[dinosaur roaring]
I'm always moving,
I'm super hyperactive,
and that's helped me so much
on the course.
- He's going for it.
See it, see it.
Nice!
- That is a full-send,
right there.
- At the end of the day,
I'm really just a kid
from Minnesota,
and being here on Stage Two
for "American Ninja Warrior"--
My whole life has really just
led me to this moment.
- And Kyle's got family
watching back in Minnesota.
There are his mom and brother.
- Come on, Kyle!
- Plus his girlfriend,
fellow ninja, Megan Johnson.
- Let's go, Kyle!
- And down on the sidelines,
good friends Hunter Guerard
and Kevin Carbone.
[countdown beeping]
- Here we go, Kyle!
- This guy can go fast.
6 feet, 175,
one of the heavier athletes
who will face Stage Two,
tonight.
Great on a Salmon Ladder.
- So what that means, Matt,
at a 175 pounds,
he wants to get through
these upper-body obstacles
as quick as he can,
and save his arms for the end.
- Good job.
You can see him
being very precise, there.
The full-send,
but being cautious too.
Wants to avoid any mistakes.
- Breathe as you go, Kyle.
Breathe!
- Soderman had the second
fastest time on Stage One.
He goes fast
and takes chances.
- He's got power,
look at that!
- He's trying to send himself
to Stage Three,
that's where he's sending it
in two moves.
- Second season competing,
his first time
in the national finals.
- Nice.
Looks like he's going
straight down, nice.
Okay.
Instead of four,
he's going three.
- Only two ninjas have made it
past Stage Two so far,
Vance Walker and Austin Gray.
Can Kyle Soderman
and join them?
Crowd getting behind him.
And he does it.
[cheers and applause]
Three obstacles down,
three to go.
- Everything you've got.
- Get those feet on!
- And his longer limbs may
help him here on Hammer Drop.
Really gotta get those
legs wrapped around.
- Yes!
- Start making your way
up top.
Now this is where you go WWE.
Start wrestling
with this thing.
Get on top.
- A good job.
You can see him really keeping
his head close, Akbar.
That was a smooth transition
up.
Still has to maintain
his balance
and jump out to the rope.
And he's got it.
- Ooh, okay.
- Still has about 1:45 left.
- Didn't spend a lot of time
on the first four obstacles.
Pretty good.
- Yeah, come on, Kyle!
Keep it going!
Come on!
- Well, he's done
everything he can
to give himself a chance
to survive these final two.
He has the time,
so now he can take
a few seconds,
shake out the arms before
Air Surfer.
- Breathe on every move, Kyle.
You hang on.
- You gotta have
the grip strength
to be able to endure
the impact.
You can see the cradles.
Every drop just adds that
extra tax on the forearms.
- And look at that,
in a single move.
I love it.
Being as efficient as possible
- The quicker he gets off
this obstacle,
the more he'll have left
for Falling Shelves.
- Watch that left hand!
Two!
Okay.
- And he's through!
Now, only one obstacle
between him and Stage Three.
[cheers and applause]
- Great job!
Come on, come on!
- And you can see "Send It"
on his shirt.
That's his full-throttle,
go-for-broke style.
And you know he's gonna give
it everything he's got
on this final obstacle.
- All right, Matt, it's all
gonna come down
to that final shelf.
Can he make that blind grab
that so many others have
missed.
- Oxygen. Breathe.
- Every move is good, Kyle.
You hang on.
- Now closing in
on 30 seconds.
He's given the arms a rest,
now he's gotta go.
- Yeah, forget the pain.
You know you're gonna feel it,
You just gotta endure it.
Endure it to get
to Stage Three.
- Hang on, man.
- The key is really generating
power with the hips.
Shift your body up--
- Gets the third one!
- So here we go,
one more shelf to go.
- Blind grab here.
Together: Yes!
- A full send,
as the clock is running down!
[buzzer blares]
[cheers and applause]
Kyle Soderman is sending it
to Stage Three.
[cheering]
What a run!
- Kyle Soderman showed up.
Big time players show up
in big time moments.
- You freakin' did it!
- He was able to use his size
and make some big moves
on Stage Two.
Look at these throws
on Air Surfer. Come on!
And then the biggest move
of all,
making that blind grab
on Falling Shelves.
His face said it all.
He is going to Stage Three.
Hey, Kyle!
Yeah, buddy!
- You just sent yourself
to Stage Three!
Well done.
- Wow, full send!
- Full send, indeed.
Well done, buddy.
Coming up, the normally crazy
Jake Murray is looking
more focused than we've ever
seen him.
He's never finished Stage Two,
.
- Welcome back to
the season finale
of "American Ninja Warrior."
The Chicago area's
Mike Silenzi,
AKA "The Stallion,"
had his supporters rounded up
for his run.
- Yeehaw! Okay!
- The eight-time veteran was
back on Stage Two
for the first time
in four years.
And he made the most of it.
- Giddyap, cowboy.
[cheering]
- The 34-year-old turned back
the clock
to have one of
his best runs ever.
- I just don't know
that he has
enough time to make it, Matt.
- Come on!
- Be aggressive!
- With seconds left,
he made a last ditch effort to
finish the final obstacle.
- This fourth one, Matt,
can Silenzi do it?
Reverse! Oh!
What the heck?
- But came up just short.
One of the night's
youngest competitors,
Utah's 15-year-old
Kai Beckstrand,
was sporting
his trademark mohawk
As was his very proud dad.
- I see you.
I see you.
- The former "Ninja Junior"
champion
has also hit three buzzers
this season.
- Oh!
- But he couldn't do it
tonight,
as he shockingly missed
the rope
on the very first obstacle.
- I didn't see that one
coming.
That is a shocker.
Kai Beckstrand?
- So still only three athletes
have completed Stage Two.
But here comes one of the
favorites to win it all.
It's the wild man from
Colorado, Jake Murray.
And Jake's been doing some
extra training for Vegas
with another finalist,
teenage sensation,
Kaden Lebsack.
- No-hand finish.
Oh! Ahh! Ahh!
- [laughs]
- When Kaden Lebsack and I get
together, we have our roles.
I'm the kid--
[yelling]
And he's more the adult.
Dude, I could not do the
no-hand finish.
- I think I'm good.
I'm gonna pass on that one.
- Here, here, here.
- I like Jake's personality,
no matter how he does at a
competition, he's always happy
- Nobody brings the fun
more than Jake Murray.
- He's taught me that
ninja isn't ninja
if you're not having
a good time.
- Kaden, don't do it.
You have so much to live for.
Yeah!
Kaden has a very shy
personality,
and, uh, I like to think
I'm comfortable in my own skin.
- Hair's wild.
His style is wild.
His personality's wild.
He's just a fun ninja.
- So, it's kind of nice
to try and pass that off
to Kaden, you know,
seeing him get out
of his shell a little bit.
Yah!
- Nice.
- Cannonball!
I've never really taken the
time to think of myself
as influential,
but I'm jazzed being
an inspiration
for the next generation
of ninjas.
- And Kaden will get his shot
at Stage Two
in just a few minutes.
But right now, he's gonna
cheer for Jake.
- Come on, Jakey!
- Come on, Jake!
- Jake's friends
Hunter and Kyle,
also on the sideline cheering
him on.
- And as great as Jake Murray
is,
he's never beaten Stage Two.
[countdown beeping]
- But he's been on fire
all season.
Fastest in qualifying,
fastest in semifinals,
and fastest on Stage One.
Needs to be perfect here
to keep the million-dollar
dream alive.
- And Matt, we know usually
Jake Murray is
full of games,
but he's all business.
He is not messing around.
He realizes he is way too
close to his dreams
of winning that million
dollars like you talked about.
- 34-years-old and this guy
gets better the older he gets.
And I think one of the things
we've seen with Jake
is the maturity.
- This is now his
seventh season,
and he knows when it's time
to have fun
and when it's time
to get down to business.
- Yo, man, you got it!
- And Jake has a plan.
You can see it
on every obstacle.
Knows exactly what
he wants to do,
Right to that second handle,
then to the fourth,
being as efficient as
possible,
and as fast as anyone
to this point.
Plenty of time left as he
sizes up Hammer Drop.
- I've never seen Jake Murray
so serious.
- Ooh!
Hard impact but locks in.
Great job holding on.
This hammer hits back.
- And Matt, this is really his
livelihood.
This is what he does.
He's put too much time and
effort into this,
and it's time
for it to pay off.
- He and Kaden Lebsack have
been training nights,
trying to get their bodies
ready for just this moment.
- Nice!
And sometimes they're in the
gym till 2:00 or 3:00
in the morning.
- Jake Murray just looking
spectacular.
- Jake Murray's got a little
attitude right now.
- Come on.
- Come on!
- Jake comes from a
skateboarding background.
Now he needs to grab
the snowboard
here on Epic Air Surfer.
Jake is doing everything to
give himself a chance
to get to Stage Three
for the first time
in his storied career.
- Nice!
And I love the way
he's coming down,
and he's really kind of taking
a bit off the load
on that 1-foot drop.
- And Jake is so beloved.
He has so many friends
in the Ninja community.
They all know what
this means to him.
- And he's through.
[cheers and applause]
[audience chanting]
It all comes down
to the Falling Shelves.
He has seen so many great
ninjas get to this point
only to come up short.
- The seven-time veteran
has never beat Stage Two.
0 for 3.
- This is the move right here.
- Try to get the number one.
Come on, find the blind grab.
Find it!
Find--ohh!
[buzzer blares]
- No! Jake.
- Whoa.
- Absolutely heartbreaking
for Jake Murray.
A perfect season,
a perfect run.
Just can't get through
Stage Two yet again.
- Wow.
- Good job, Jake.
- We've seen it all night.
That last shelf is such
a difficult move.
Jake got his hands around,
but look at his left hand.
Only got a few fingers on it,
and he slid right off.
- And a very disappointed Jake
Murray is down with Zuri.
- Jake, you had an absolutely
amazing run
up until this point.
What went wrong
on that last swing?
- Uh, I appreciate it.
Um, I don't know for sure,
it's always tough to tell,
you know.
It happened so quick.
Um, but I think just not quite
enough purchase on there so--
- And how are you feeling now?
'Cause I feel like you were
getting a little bit emotional,
obviously, coming out
of the water,
and understandably.
What's going through your mind?
- Yeah, I mean,
imagine putting so much time
into something, you know,
and coming up short, so--
Uh, season after season, too.
Um.
Yeah, definitely emotional.
You know, it's never easy,
but, uh, it's part of it
unfortunately.
- Will we see you out here next
season?
- Uh, possibly.
You know, I kind of said
if I didn't make it to the top
of the mountain this year,
I was gonna, um, kind of
reevaluate
and maybe step aside and,
you know, let someone else
in here who deserves a shot
that could definitely
take it down.
- Well I still think you could
definitely take it down,
so I'll be holding my breath
that we see you next season.
- I appreciate that, Zuri.
It's been a lot of fun
regardless,
so thanks for all the support
and love.
- It's been fun to watch you.
Thank you, Jake.
Guys, back to you.
[applause]
- Good work, Jake.
- Up next,
Jesse "Flex" Labreck
makes her run of history
,
- Welcome back to our
season finale,
where so far,
only three athletes
have survived Stage Two.
While we were away,
"The Law Ninja,"
Brian Burkhardt,
got his second shot
at the course.
- Stage Two, take two.
Let's do it.
- The Texas attorney
shockingly fell
on the second obstacle
earlier.
- Oh!
No!
- No!
- But because he had
a safety pass,
he got another chance.
- I'll need it.
- And this time, the Salmon
Ladder didn't get him.
- He used his safety pass.
He wants to make the most
of it.
- Whoo!
- The five-time Ninja veteran
held on to the Hammer Drop,
and was sailing through
Epic Air Surfer...
- Oh!
- Before sliding off just a
few feet from the finish.
And his impressive season
was over.
- Matt, you could taste
the landing.
- So only two more athletes
are left to run on Stage Two.
And Zuri's gonna get our
next one going.
- It's been four long years
since we could say this.
A woman is about to tackle
Stage Two.
And no one deserves it more
than Jesse "Flex" Labreck.
She's already hit more buzzers
than any woman
in "Ninja" history.
And this year, she finally
got her breakthrough in Vegas.
- No!
Oh, whoa!
- Oh, Labreck, no!
Nice, nice, no!
All right, come on.
Oh, no!
- No!
- History repeats itself for
the third year in a row.
- Last week on Stage One...
- She's been here before,
fallen into the net.
[all shouting]
- Yes!
Okay.
- I finally got my buzzer.
- The third woman to ever hit
a Stage One buzzer,
"Flex" Labreck!
[buzzer blares]
- Come, on. Come on!
- I definitely felt
so much relief.
That has been my goal
since season eight.
And so finally getting it,
the best I've ever felt,
hitting the buzzer.
Oh, my God, finally!
I've just put so many training
nights into it.
I know it's really, really
hard,
but I want to be
the first woman
to make it to Stage Three.
- And "Flex" is gonna have
lots of family and friends
watching from all
over the country.
And down on the sideline,
her fianc?? and fellow ninja,
Chris DiGangi, along with
other Midwest ninjas.
No one wants to miss this.
[cheering]
[countdown beeping]
And "Flex" becomes
just the third woman
to take on Stage Two.
Allyssa Beird made it to the
second obstacle,
and Jessie Graff made it
to the third.
- She just brings it
every single time.
No matter what--
No!
[audience groaning]
- No!
- And "Flex" Labreck out
on the Salmon Ladder.
We think of her as invincible,
but it happens,
even to the best.
And her season is over,
just like that.
- Whoa.
- She's never fallen on a
Salmon Ladder in competition.
But this one is open
at the top,
so you have to be precise.
"Flex" comes up short
on the right side.
Which causes her to overshoot
it on the left.
A rare mistake for "Flex."
- I know, I know.
- I just--
[groans]
wanted to play
on so much more.
- [chuckles]
I know.
- I could have done
so much more.
- It's okay, it's okay.
- An emotional Jesse Labreck.
She was ready to go
so much further
and make history here tonight.
So now we're down
to the final athlete
on Stage Two.
It's 15-year-old
Kaden Lebsack.
Coming into this season,
veteran ninjas said
this Colorado kid is
the next big thing.
And he has lived up
to the hype.
He hit buzzers in
Qualifying, Semifinals,
and on Stage One.
And looked dominant doing it.
- Go buddy, one at a time.
- His parents are beyond
the sideline,
along with his coach
and other ninjas.
Including training partner,
Jake Murray,
who fell minutes ago,
but still supporting
his friend.
[countdown beeping]
He was the fastest
in his qualifying round.
Time should not be a problem
for Kaden Lebsack.
Super K looking to fly up here
on our Double Salmon Ladder.
Gotta be precise
on these top cradles.
- Easy.
All right, watch it.
Big move coming.
You can see it!
He's got big bright eyes.
You can see him.
He's watching,
making sure he made no
mistake.
- And he is moving smoothly.
He and Jake Murray put in
extra hours of training
to get ready for Vegas.
Jake came up just short.
Kaden's trying to be the
fourth ninja
to conquer Stage Two.
And skips one of the Vs!
- He came here with a plan
for V Formation.
- Come on!
All right, get out of there.
Get on--
- And Kaden looking so smooth.
- Yes! Let's go!
- Come on, whoo!
- Come on, baby, come on.
- But this new obstacle,
Hammer Drop,
has ended the season
for five other ninjas
on Stage Two.
- Come on, babe, come on.
- 5'9", gotta be precise
with the hand placement.
- Just hock it and lug it.
Yes!
Do not let go.
Now start making your move.
- Great job wrapping
the legs around.
Lebsack now, really has been
training the fingertips
as a climber.
- Whoo, you talk about
digitory strength.
- You can do it.
- Get that rope. Come on.
- Get up high.
- Good leap.
Kaden Lebsack is looking
spectacular thus far.
- Come on, get up there.
- Get up.
- As he's completing
that fourth obstacle,
but this is where the
difficulty ratchets up.
- Yay!
- Whoo! Go, Kaden!
- Plenty of time for
these final two obstacles.
- But this is where you start
to feel the burnies
in those arms.
- But Kaden Lebsack, he's
gotta push that pain
to the back.
- On Epic Air Surfer,
these 1-foot drops
on each throw
will really test your grip.
- Gets the first one.
And goes right into the next.
[crowd cheering]
Being smart after every jump,
he's making sure
the board's not too far
to one side.
- He goes a little deeper
or he'll fall off.
Nice!
Good correction.
- Smooth power.
[cheers and applause]
- Yes! Yes, baby.
- So it's gonna come down
to the final obstacle
on Stage Two.
Only three have survived this.
- Come on, Kaden
- It is the final shelf.
The reverse grab,
where ninja after ninja
has fallen.
Can a 15-year-old
get through it?
- If he can get
to Stage Three,
that'd be iconic.
All right, come on, man.
- He's got plenty of time left
on the clock.
- He's got a great cadence.
All the ninjas on the circuit
talked about Kaden Lebsack.
- This is it!
Get those hips up and grab it.
- Feel it.
You don't have to see it.
Just feel it.
Feel it!
Yes!
- Yes, Kaden Lebsack,
15 years-old.
You've got the power!
[cheers and applause]
- He is partying in Vegas.
Moving on to Stage Three.
The youngest ever to do it.
- Stage Three, homey!
Stage Three!
- Oh, my God!
- He said
"You want some of me?
I'm going to Three."
- He's been great all season,
and he came through
when it counted.
He rarely shows emotion,
but look at his face
when he made that blind grab.
He knew he had it
at that point.
[laughter]
- Oh, my God, honey.
I love you.
Whoo!
- And with the fastest time,
Kaden gets to go last
on Stage Three.
He'll follow Austin Gray,
Kyle Soderman,
and the other teen to make it,
Vance Walker,
who will go first.
- Up next, they'll tackle
the brutal Stage Three.
- Nice.
Oh!
No!
- And if anyone survives,
they'll move on
to climb Stage Four
for $1,000,000
.
- So now our remaining ninjas
take on step closer
to the $1,000,000,
as we move on to
the legendary gauntlet
that is the Stage Three
course.
It's seven grueling
upper-body obstacles,
including two new ones
this year--
Stalactites and
Eyeglass Alley.
And there's no time limit.
You just gotta survive.
And Zuri's gonna
get us started.
- Vance Walker is already
a champion.
He's won "American Ninja
Warrior Junior" twice.
Now, at just 16,
he's got a chance to become
the "American Ninja Warrior"
champion.
He's hit four buzzers so far,
and had the fastest time
at Semifinals.
- Let's go!
- A Power Tower win,
and tonight he could climb
for $1,000,000.
But first, he's gotta get
through Stage Three.
[cheering]
- Vance's parents will be
screaming
over on the sideline.
And all the other ninjas
have gathered to see
if anyone can survive
Stage Three.
And watching very closely
will be the other remaining
ninjas.
They'll get their shot
after Vance Walker.
[countdown beeping]
- All right, let's do it!
- First up, Grip and Tip.
That cylinder is
free-spinning.
You have to keep equal
pressure on with both arms.
That makes this transfer
a challenge,
particularly at just 5'5"
- Yeah, he's the shortest
of these final four ninjas,
but has tremendous
upper-body strength.
Going for a little ride, here.
Just gotta get test, man.
You can see how
that cylinder spins.
- Yeah, you can see his hands
are starting to separate.
- Whoo!
- Just got through it.
- No time limit.
You got this.
- His mom's right.
There's no time limit
on Stage Three, however, if
none of these
final four ninjas
complete this stage,
then whoever goes the farthest
the fastest
becomes our Last Ninja
Standing and gets $100,000.
Now Walker on Stalactites.
- Come on, Vance, you got
this, this is all you.
- He should be very good
on Stalactites.
- Now, you can see they have
free-spinning
and free-moving.
- Yeah, and it moving makes it
extremely difficult,
so you have to be patient.
And being patient means
you have to hold
for a long time.
And that could wear you out.
- Oh! But he misses it.
Fully extended already,
and he's spinning.
- Uh-oh.
- And this is the problem.
At only 5'5",
not much wingspan.
But got it in.
- But you gotta stay calm,
no matter what.
If you panic on Stalactites,
it could cost you.
Nice!
- Two down, five to go.
- Come on, Vance.
- You got this, Vance.
- On now to Up for Grabs.
This is a new one,
You're gonna lache
in midair, grab the bar,
land it in the cradle,
and then repeat the process.
Climb up on the pole,
just to further pump
those arms.
- Yeah, you gotta see it,
land it, precision.
- Great job.
- Nice.
And you can see him,
he's got a great job
of the hips kicking up.
Here we go again!
- So good.
Look at that--nice.
- Nice.
Real smooth.
And he's through,
- Yeah!
Let's go!
- Yeah, Vance!
You got this.
- On now to an old standby,
The Ultimate Cliffhanger.
- And he's been waiting
for this one.
This is an oldie but a goodie.
- This is a series of ledges
along that wall
only one inch wide.
- Come on, Vance.
Well this kid's had some magic
all season long
And he wasn't kidding when he
said
this is his playground.
- Yes, it is.
- And he's flying through
this.
- This obstacle's taken out so
many ninjas over the years.
And look how calm
he's keeping his body.
But here he comes.
Now he's gotta turn around,
and fly six feet across
to another narrow ledge.
Big gap.
- And he got it.
- Nice!
My goodness, he's destroying
The Ultimate Cliffhanger.
- Is he even sweating?
Is he even sweating?
- You got it.
- And he's putting pressure
on the other ninjas.
They'll have to go further
or go faster
than what Vance Walker is
doing.
His pace, not that fast
so far.
But he's at the fifth
obstacle, Pipe Dream.
You can see,
this little cat grab, here.
That wall tilts.
That means when you lache up,
you've gotta get
your center of gravity--
get it up.
Otherwise,
they will peel back.
- This is not a pipe dream
for Vance Walker.
He's dominated on every level.
We saw what he did
in "Ninja Junior."
Now, he's bringing his talent
to Las Vegas.
- Look at that!
- He looked like Spider-Man
oh that, come on!
- Great balance, there.
Now has to work his way across
the hanging pipes,
which may be a bigger
challenge at just 5'5".
- That is a different type
of balance.
- Now again, that platform
rotates.
Be careful when you push.
It could spin away from you.
Great control out of
Vance Walker.
- Oh, my goodness.
I know I would have had
that thing spinning.
He's 145 pounds,
made it look easy.
And now he's working
the poles.
Look at how calm he seems.
How in control.
Now these final pipes,
they will drop down.
Bigger diameter,
different materials.
- And so he's gotta anticipate
the drop.
Nice!
Uh-oh, a little slide down.
- And look at him!
What a great job
on the lower body.
- Remember, he had Cerebral
palsy as a kid.
Still has to do special
stretching exercises
on his legs.
So this may be a real test
for him.
- Come on, Vance,
crush this!
- He's gonna do a 180 here,
Akbar,
to that final pipe that drops.
- All the adjustment on the
fly, it's all a part of it.
- And look him, just can't
get traction, Akbar.
- He's trying to get
that traction.
Now he's getting into it,
leaning into it.
- Smart move by Walker
with the straddle, here.
- Locking in with the lower
body.
- Well, Matt, you can see that
back leg is about to slip.
He's really gotta try
to control--oh!
He's saying,
oh, come on, hug it, hug it!
Nice!
- Just needs to reach
over to that bar,
and he'll complete Pipe Dream.
- Come on, get to the bar.
- Here we go.
- You got it, Vance.
- Nice!
- And he got it.
He's through five obstacles.
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go!
- Nice!
- But now facing a brand new
one in Eyeglass Alley.
You can see the bar
with rings on either side.
You have to walk it
to that third hook.
Only two more obstacles away
from Stage Four.
When he gets on one side,
now he will pop
the opposite one up.
A great job going to Vance.
- Nice.
He's feeling the burn,
but he's ignoring the burn.
- It's all you!
- Nice, Vance.
- Come on, bud.
- There he goes, switching
onto the front side.
- You see no panic in him.
- Now you can see there's
three prongs up.
This one spins.
And the longer he's hanging
up there,
the more those arms start
to burn.
- You got it.
- Nice!
- Look at this control.
- [chuckles]
- Just 16 years-old,
Vance Walker,
so impressive thus far.
- Okay, come on, now.
This is AP ninja-type stuff.
Advance Placement.
Place it right there.
Yes!
Nice!
Whoo!
- Now he can get
onto the final bar.
Oh, my goodness,
are you kidding me?
- This dude, come on!
- Ohh!
both: No!
- No!
- The magic runs out,
but what a run for Walker.
- It's always tough
to be the first,
but Vance Walker blazed a
trail on these new obstacles.
By the time the 16-year-old
got to Eyeglass Alley,
his arms were shot
and he just ran out of gas.
Still, what a rookie season
for him.
- And it's not over for Vance.
He's still got a shot to be
Last Ninja Standing
and win $100,000.
- So proud of you.
That was a great effort.
- Kyle Soderman
is up next.
The stuntman takes his shot
at Stage Three
when we come back
on the season finale
.
- Welcome back Las Vegas
and the last night
of the "American Ninja
Warrior" season.
We only have three competitors
left to run.
And the next to attempt
the Stage Three gauntlet
is 26-year-old stuntman
Kyle Soderman.
Kyle's girlfriend Megan
watching from the East Coast.
And his Blond boys buddies
are down on the sidelines.
[cheering]
[countdown beeping]
Gets it going on Grip and Tip.
This will wear you down
for other obstacles.
- Now you got it, Kyle!
- We can see this,
the challenge of
moving that cylinder.
Such an awkward start
on Grip and Tip.
- It really is.
Grip and Tip is one
of those ones that you really
can't get a solid grip,
so you gotta really engage
the bicep, the forearms,
the hands, everything.
- It just starts the pump
right away.
[cheering]
On now to Stalactites.
This obstacle came
from Christian Youst,
one of our teenage
competitors.
He submitted it in our
obstacle design challenge,
and if you have an obstacle
idea, go to ANWNation.com.
- Come on, Kyle, atta boy!
- He's gotta be patient
on Stalactites.
It's not a quick-moving
obstacle.
Great job.
- And you can see you create
any path you want.
And there it is, a long reach.
- Nice.
Very efficient.
And that's what Kyle's gonna
need to survive.
And now to Up for Grabs.
Climb up the pole.
More gripping.
Grip, grip, grip.
Now you got it.
It's up for grabs.
Grab it!
Nice!
- Lock it in.
Now on to the next bar.
- Nice!
[cheers and applause]
- Look at this.
Virtually no extra swings.
An incredibly efficient run
out of Kyle Soderman.
Great job!
[cheering]
- Now this is where
it gets real.
Ultimate Cliffhanger.
- And this may be a challenge
for Soderman.
He's not a rock climber,
and not really known
for his finger strength,
and he's got a big body
to carry across these ledges.
Long reaches.
- You can see those ledges are
getting smaller.
Not a lot of real estate
there.
Oh, my goodness.
- Making good progress.
I mean, look at the
fingertips.
- Oh, boy.
Another long reach.
No!
- Aw!
- Kyle Soderman reaches his
limits
on the Ultimate Cliffhanger.
A stellar run, though,
out of the stuntman.
Ultimate Cliffhanger
is always a test.
His left hand just slipped off
as he reached
for the next ledge.
But a great season for him.
He hit four buzzers.
- Whoo!
- And his Blonde Boys buddies
are gonna help him celebrate.
- Well, Matt, it's a cause
for celebration.
In his second season competing
on "Ninja Warrior,"
to make it to Stage Three--
outstanding.
- And now it's Austin Gray's
turn.
The 24-year-old
out of Colorado
was the runner-up in last
year's special season
in St. Louis.
He lost on the final Power
Tower race to Daniel Gil,
and missed out
on the $100,000 prize.
And he's got lots of
supporters
as he goes for a million
tonight.
Including his friend,
Kaylee Adams,
who he donated a kidney to,
and her twin sister Aubrey.
[countdown beeping]
- And he's still got that
safety pass on his shorts,
even though he can't use it
on Stage Three.
He's the only ninja
who didn't have to use it.
Amazingly, Austin Gray,
fell back in Qualifying.
But since then,
he has been outstanding.
And he is pushing his way
through Grip and Tip.
At 5'10" and 150 pounds,
he's 25 pounds lighter
than Kyle Soderman.
And that's one obstacle down.
- Come on, Austin.
- Next up, the Stalactites.
- You can see him right now
trying to figure out
the route that he's gonna
take.
- There's a lot of different
ways to go on this one.
If you generate some swing,
you can skip some stalactites.
But your risk sliding out of
the slots and falling.
- Knows exactly where
he's going.
Pretty smooth.
- It's hard to control.
You see these stalactites,
they are free-roaming.
- And then once they start
moving,
you don't have a good feeling.
Oh, see, they start spinning,
that could create
a lot of problems.
- Oh, my goodness.
That was so amazing!
That stalactite was spinning!
- Let's look at that again.
He misses on that grab,
and he says,
"You know what?
Stay calm, let it spin."
It makes two revolutions...
- 720.
- And then he goes "Got it."
- That is staying calm
under pressure.
And now to Up for Grabs.
This is another new obstacle
on Stage Three.
Gotta grab the bar
as you fly through.
Gets the first one.
Now has to slide over
and do it again.
And he gets that one too.
Just needs the dismount.
[cheers and applause]
Great job there,
but Ultimate Cliffhanger,
there is no hiding.
- Those ledges start
to get smaller
as he traverses across
the Ultimate Cliffhanger.
- Get a long reach up,
making as few moves as
possible.
- That's right, that's right.
Especially as they start
to get smaller,
you know you can't make
as big a move.
- But look at the rhythm
he's found,
using that lower body to get
that momentum going forward.
Makes it past the point
where Kyle Soderman fell.
But now, it's this big reach
down.
- Trying to hold on,
he's trying to figure it out.
Ooh, this is not the wall you
want to spend a lot of time on
- But now, here's
the big move.
Has to turn around and fly six
feet back to the other side.
Great job.
- There he is!
- Come on, Austin.
Come on!
- Austin Gray,
survives the Ultimate
Cliffhanger.
So he's reached Pipe Dream.
And at this point,
you can start to think about
the clock.
If no one finishes
Stage Three,
then whoever goes the farthest
the fastest,
wins $100,000 as the
Last Ninja Standing.
Right now, Vance Walker has
the time to beat.
But of course he wants
to finish,
and goes up to start
Pipe Dream.
- Oh!
No, no, no.
- Now you're gonna have to
rotate it forward
to make that leap.
- This is gonna be very
awkward to try
to get back to stand up.
- You got it, Austin.
Come on.
You got it!
- And just,
energy you didn't want
to have to expend.
- No.
- And that--that could be
such a costly move.
- Whoo!
- I know his heart has gotta
be beating a little bit.
- Looks like he's gonna get
through it.
But has to jump
onto the pipes.
Makes the grab,
and goes right into the next.
Now here's the advantage
over Vance Walker,
that long reach.
- And Matt, he's moving
up on the pipes
so he has enough space
to be able--
he's gotta slide down.
Hold on.
Nice.
- And you can see him really
trying to secure
with that lower body.
- Yeah, but he's sliding,
Matt.
You see he's trying to get
that real thing.
All right, now engage--
push that--into that back foot
Turn around.
Oh!
Oh, boy.
- Well, at this point,
if he reaches out
and touches that bar,
he'll move ahead
of Vance Walker.
He's faster to this point.
- Nice!
He's touched it, Matt.
- And he has done it.
Austin Gray has just passed
Vance Walker.
- Kaden Lebsack still to come,
but right now,
Austin Gray is in line
to win the $100,000
as Last Ninja Standing.
He looks exhausted,
but needs to get
through two more obstacles,
and he can be climbing
for $1,000,000.
- But first, gotta solve this
new one, Eyeglass Alley.
- And he is just looking
gassed, Akbar.
- DO you think back to that
calc grab he just had there,
on Pipe Dream,
that energy expended.
What will he do here,
trying to advance, Akbar.
Good, smooth move there.
- And this is very difficult
because you've gotta
kind of walk it
up to the hook.
- Real good control out of
Austin Gray.
- All right, and then move it
over to this one--
- Try and get it up front.
- To try and get it up.
He loses--
- The right spin--
- He's gotta use his bottom
leg to get it up
as he's starting to go down,
that becomes difficult.
- Now he's gonna
have to regroup.
- You can't use your legs.
- Bringing it back around
to the other side,
he's fighting for it, Matt.
- And Austin Gray
giving it all he's got.
- Get it up, get it up!
- And the energy to spare.
- Oh, my goodness!
- Just can't get it home.
- And fighting!
- He's coming up!
He's coming up swinging!
That's it!
- Yes!
[crowd groaning]
both: No!
- His grip gives out,
but not before going into
the top spot,
with one athlete left.
What a run.
- Dog, that is hard as heck,
man.
That is tough.
All these upper-body
obstacles on Stage Three
will wear you out.
And when he got
to Eyeglass Alley,
he just didn't have
anything left.
But a gutty effort
by Austin Gray.
- And right now,
he's with Zuri.
- Austen, how are you feeling
about what went down here?
- Pumped, tired, proud,
honored.
- Well, Austin, look, I've got
a little bit
of good news
for you right now.
So far you are
the Last Ninja Standing.
So you could be walking away
with 100K
by the end of the night.
We'll see soon enough, okay?
- We'll see in a minute.
- Yeah, we will.
Congratulations.
Great work out there tonight.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, we will see
in a minute,
because there's only one ninja
left.
It's 15-year-old
Kaden Lebsack.
Can he solve Stage Three
and climb for $1,000,000?
.
- It started in Tacoma three
and a half months ago.
Hundreds have stepped up
to the start line.
But now we're down to the
final ninja of the season.
Zuri's gonna get him going.
- Guys, you have to keep
reminding yourself,
Kaden Lebsack is
only 15 years-old,
but by the end of the night,
he might be a millionaire.
But the ninjas who train
with him
aren't surprised he's here.
And neither are his parents.
- Kaden found ninja
when he was
about eight or nine years-old.
And he kept telling us,
over and over,
"I can do this.
I can do this."
And Dad and I were
a little doubtful.
We had seen him play
basketball.
It wasn't pretty.
But, when he was ten,
our lightbulb went off
about Kaden just being
this amazing athlete.
- * Now I'm standing on the
edge of now or never *
* And the skies
are looking clear, oh *
- My passion for
"Ninja Warrior"
got my parents into it.
They opened a gym
for me to train.
- * I'm still learning
to fly *
- I mean, Kaden was here
three or four hours
during the middle
of the afternoon.
And then comes back
at nine o'clock
until one o'clock
in the morning.
So he probably does train
like an Olympic athlete.
- Kaden's definitely obsessed
with ninja.
We've been able to travel
across the United States,
take him to different comps.
- Yeah we don't do any real
vacations anymore.
They're all ninja vacations.
- Obviously it's paid off.
- You let this kid
get to Vegas,
and we've got problems.
*
- Kaden Lebsack.
He's one of the favorites
to go all the way.
- At 15, he can say he's
living out his dream.
And, as parents,
we get to watch our kid
live out their dream.
*
What more could we ask for?
- What a journey it's been
for Kaden and his parents.
Mom's already looking
a little nervous.
[cheering]
[countdown beeping]
- Hey Matt, you know,
he's lived up to the
expectation.
He's had four buzzers so far.
Trying to get his fifth.
- He's having to work here,
on Grip and Tip.
Staying calm.
- And that's what
he does best.
- Come on, baby.
- Ooh!
Oh, that left hand
narrowly on.
- He almost missed that one.
- And no matter what happens,
someone's gonna be guaranteed
$100,000 after this run.
Either Kaden Lebsack
or Austin Gray.
Austin Gray will get the money
as the Last Ninja Standing,
unless Kaden gets
to Eyeglass Alley faster.
Or he can go all the way
to Stage Four,
there in the background,
and climb it for $1,000,000.
But one obstacle at a time.
And right now,
it's the Stalactites.
You can see the challenge,
the precision required.
- How many 15-year-olds do you
see staying that still?
Nice.
- Just perfect.
So smooth.
[cheers and applause]
- Look at Mom.
Mom is praying.
She's a little nervous.
- But Kaden's stone cool
as he starts Up for Grabs.
5'9", 145 pounds.
Take that bar off
the magnetic cradle.
- Nice!
- Long reach.
- All right, here we go.
This one's up for grabs.
[cheering]
- There it is.
Nice, get out of there.
- And Austin Gray applauding
this run.
Even though Kaden's success
might cost him.
- One more, dude.
One more.
- And we've seen Kaden move
fast,
but Jake Murray tells us
he really has been training
his grip strength.
He'll get to put it
on display here
on Ultimate Cliffhanger.
- Come on, dude.
- For years, this was the
toughest obstacle
on Stage Three.
Those narrow ledges are only
about an inch wide.
- He's moving through these
faster than anyone so far.
- No wasted movement.
- Still amazing that
a 15-year-old
can handle the pressure
with a huge crowd,
and millions watching at home.
- Taking full advantage of
this opportunity.
We let him in, Matt,
and he's planning on staying.
And getting that $1,000,000
while he's here.
- Just needs the dismount
and he will be through
Ultimate Cliffhanger.
And he's done it.
[cheers and applause]
And he's reached this point
quicker than Austin Gray.
So if he can get through this
next obstacle, Pipe Dream,
faster than Austin,
he'll be guaranteed
at least
100 grand tonight.
- This obstacle's not like any
other.
Austin Gray spent a lot of
time on this one.
- All right, getting big
swing, that back swing
is giving him
the ability to leap.
- Wow!
- Nice!
Great balance,
great steadiness.
You can see him shaking.
Keep your core tight!
- And again, great efficiency
out of this 15-year-old.
You can see him trying to
reach out
with that lower body, Akbar.
Can't reach across
with his legs.
So he's going back to regroup.
Now he's going to swing
across.
- Nice!
- Look at the presence
of mind, Akbar.
Had a strategy, didn't work,
regrouped quickly,
and adapted.
- I like the way he regrouped
on that, Matt.
- Austin Gray can only watch
as Kaden Lebsack climbs
through this course.
Well, at this point,
his pace is good.
If he reaches out--
That's 100 grand
for Kaden Lebsack, at least.
- So he knows he's got that
in the bag.
Go get the other money bag!
Come on!
[cheers and applause]
- He is the
Last Ninja Standing.
The last hope for total
victory.
- And Matt, I don't think he's
thinking about that $100,000.
Go get that $1,000,000
and the title of
American Ninja Warrior.
- Has two more obstacles to
complete on Stage Three,
starting with Eyeglass Alley.
- Come on, buddy.
- Let's go, Kaden.
- Vance Walker, Austin Gray,
they couldn't get past
this new obstacle,
Eyeglass Alley.
Can Kaden Lebsack do it?
Look at the control.
- You can see him looking
ahead, planning his route.
Knowing exactly what he needs
to do to get it up.
Stay calm!
- Now these hooks spin
What would the approach be?
- The other two guys were
struggling when they got here.
Lebsack's in complete control.
- And he's never seen this
obstacle before tonight.
- Aw, come on, Captain Hook.
Get it up.
Nice!
- And he got it up!
All right!
- He's getting close, Matt.
- Oh! One move!
- Oh, my!
What's this?
Oh, come on!
Close down shop!
- And here it is,
our final obstacle.
- Here we go!
[cheers and applause]
- 15 years-old, here he is,
the Last Ninja Standing.
One obstacle away from being
the fifth ninja ever
to climb Stage Four.
One more obstacle to go,
the Flying Bar.
Only four ninjas in history
have survived this obstacle.
Four laches.
- Three left!
- Look, Matt, he's got it.
Up and out!
- Overall history
with every rung!
- You can feel it!
- Ignore the pain!
- One more!
- You've got it!
You've got it, come on!
- Oh, yeah!
[cheers and applause]
*
- A 15-year-old will be
climbing for $1,000,000!
- Matt, look at the fans!
Total pandemonium!
*
- Only a handful of athletes
have ever done it.
And Kaden Lebsack, at 15,
just made history.
- Hey, Kaden,
you did that dog!
You did that!
We talked about it.
This kid's ninja journey
started five years ago.
And his dream just came true.
He's the first to solve
Eyeglass Alley,
and then brought it home
on Flying Bar.
And he's gonna climb
for $1,000,000.
- Kaden, congratulations!
You are officially
the youngest ninja ever
to complete Stage Three.
You're headed to Stage Four.
How do you feel?
- I think I'm dreaming.
- Well, it's not a dream.
It's totally real.
Mom, how are you feeling?
'Cause I see a lot of
waterworks right now.
- I'm a mess.
I'm just so proud he's living
out his dream.
And he's worked so hard
for this.
So, I love you.
Congratulations, baby.
- Stage Four, look over there.
You see that tower, man?
You headed to the top of that?
Yeah?
Awesome work out here tonight.
Guys, back to you.
- Well, we've only said it
a couple times before
in our history, but we're
moving on to Stage Four!
15 year-old Kaden Lebsack's
gonna climb a 75-foot rope
for $1,000,000.
.
- Stage Four.
It's the epic final challenge.
An eight-story tower.
A 75-foot rope climb.
30 seconds on the clock.
And $1,000,000 on the line.
Tonight, we are at Stage Four
for only the third time
in history.
But this time,
it's a 15-year-old
looking to win it all.
- You know, Matt,
when I was 15 years-old
I was on
the junior varsity team.
Dreaming of making it
to the League.
Tonight, Kaden Lebsack's dream
could come true.
- Whoo-hoo!
[buzzer blares]
- To be 15 and be competing on
Mount Midoriyama is awesome.
When I finished Stage Three,
the only thing
that I thought of was
I have one stage left.
One big rope climb.
- Go.
- I've been training ropes
with my coach, John Maul,
almost every day.
- We actually have
a local place we go to
that has a 80 foot rope.
You got 30 seconds to
climb up it.
How do you feel about that?
You feel you can do it?
- Um, hopefully.
We'll see.
Going into Stage Four,
I'm nervous.
I had dreams of hitting
the buzzer
on Stage Four and winning
a million dollars.
- Great job, you got it.
Good job.
- I feel confident in
my abilities.
And I'm ready to give it
my best shot.
[cheers and applause]
- So it all comes down to this.
Kaden Lebsack, head to that
tower and make the climb.
75 feet stand between him
and history.
His destiny.
- Can you imagine
all the emotions this 15
year old is feeling right now?
What were you doing at
15 years old?
Regardless of what happens,
his parents
have gotta be so proud
of Kaden has done
in his rookie year.
- Mom's already
a nervous wreck.
- And every ninja on
the rails.
No one wants to miss this.
[cheers and applause]
- We met him on
"America Ninja Warrior Jr."
There he is at 15 competing
with a million dollars
on the line.
A chance to make history.
- 75 feet to glory.
In under 30 seconds,
here we go.
[countdown beeping]
And he's up.
And look at him,
just using the upper body.
And Matt, that's a good grip
on his forearms
but he's 15 years old.
Already up 30 feet,
starting to use the feet.
He's up to 40 feet, Matt.
Halfway.
- Oh, my goodness.
- But he's slowing down,
Akbar.
Oh, no!
Just running out of steam.
The 15 year old's motor
has found its limit.
And he has run out of time.
[buzzer blows]
- A supreme effort.
Kaden Lebsack's season
was perfect but
comes just short on Stage four.
- Oh.
- In his very first season,
he goes almost all the way.
- Matt, it's an amazing
accomplishment
for this young fella.
Sure he's down right now,
but remember he's just 15,
and he went further
than any other ninja
this season.
Kaden got off to a quick start
but I think his technique
relied too much on
just his arms.
Compare his style
to Isaac Caldiero,
our first million dollar
winner on Stage four.
Isaac's using his legs
as well as his arms
but Kaden didn't,
and he gassed out
a few feet below the buzzer.
- I'm sure he's disappointed,
but remember as the last
ninja standing,
he still gets $100,000.
Not bad for a 15 year old.
- And Matt, you know
Kaden will be back next year
to try again.
- Well that wraps up another
amazing season, big man.
For Akbar Gbajabiamila and
Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.
We'll see you next time on
"America Ninja Warrior."