Original subtitles

[dramatic music]

- Welcome to Las Vegas and the start of our semifinals.

It's already been a history-making season 17.

- This is her moment, her time.

- Celebrating ninjas past...

- Holy moly! Yeah! - Yes!

Present...

- Look at it. That's how you do it.

- And future.

- This is literally three times his height.

- Go!

- And tonight, we're taking it to the next level.

[buzzer blares]

[cheers and applause]

Hello, everyone. Thanks for being with us.

I'm Matt Iseman.

- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.

Matt, tonight the course is longer,

but these ninjas still need to go fast.

- Absolutely, big man, because your time

determines your seed for the finals,

which are all racing.

So the faster you go, the better your seed.

As we've done all season, the course will feature

favorite obstacles from the past,

but tonight, for the first time

in three years, we go beyond the Warped Wall,

jumping from six obstacles to ten.

For a preview, let's go down to Zuri Hall.

- That's right.

The course gets longer in the semifinals.

After they get past the wall, they'll face

four more of our iconic obstacles.

This back part of the course starts with a "Ninja" staple,

the Salmon Ladder.

Then it's legendary Cannonball Alley.

11 years ago,

14 ninjas tried and failed this obstacle...

- Oh! - Oh!

- Until rookie Kevin Bull...

- Oh, look at this, a new approach.

- Turned the competition upside down.

- Oh, wow!

- That's what I'm talking about.

- At number nine, it's Doorknob Arch.

We haven't seen this upper body test in ten years.

- No!

- To hit the buzzer, the ninjas

have to survive the brutal final obstacle,

The Invisible Ladder.

It's back for the first time in nine years.

- No!

- If they make it to the top, the buzzer is waiting.

Guys. - Thanks, Zuri.

Well, the course will not be easy,

but tonight we've got some of our best running,

including young speedsters

like the Boss, Elijah Browning,

and the Flyboy, Isaiah Thomas.

- Plus rock and roller RJ Roman

and some strong women,

including "Ninja" great stuntwoman Jessie Graff.

- This year, we've brought back memorable ninjas from the past,

and our first one is from way back.

It's the Spartan William Brown.

This 39-year-old from Florida was a fan favorite

when he competed a decade ago.

Now, the Spartan has returned.

- And he looks ready for battle.

Inspired by his favorite movie,

"300," the Florida power plant manager

ran the course seasons four through seven,

usually with his wife and three young kids

on his sideline.

The Spartan was a top competitor

and racked up buzzers.

His kids are all grown-up now,

but Brown looks like he hasn't aged a day.

- You're not supposed to look like that at 40.

- And he's ready to prove

he's still got the warrior spirit.

- I always hoped I would come back.

I still am in good shape,

and I think I still look as good as I did ten years ago.

[upbeat rock music]

- Ah! - Nice!

- The Spartan is back, and I'm battling for a buzzer.

* *

Let's go!

- His sons are gonna be watching back in Florida.

His wife's on the sideline with friend Flip Rodriguez.

- And the Spartan's got a legion of fellow ninjas

ready for battle. - They look like Spartans.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Almost 40 and still in amazing shape.

He impressed us in qualifying,

hit a buzzer after being away for 10 years.

And a climb up to hold on and survive

the big drops of Log Grip.

- Well, one thing we know in the semi-finals,

he is definitely going to have to fight on these obstacles.

Fight! Nice.

[cheers and applause]

- Block Run is our balance obstacle tonight

and it's dangerous no matter what age you are.

I gotta say, his abs.

He's looking like Gerard Butler here.

- Nice. - Good footwork.

[cheers and applause]

- I'm not only entertained, I'm impressed.

- Got to swing across the three baskets of Spin Cycle.

- Big moves. Nice.

- Good job connecting those first two.

- Right here, right here! - You got it.

- I see it. I see it.

- The Spartan's marching through this course

looking impressive so far.

[cheers and applause]

- Oh, yeah!

- Loves the support he's getting.

- I just have one question.

How come we didn't get invited to go down there

with our shirts off, huh?

I want to root for him.

- I don't think I would look like a Spartan.

I would look more like a sumo wrestler.

Right now, he's wrestling with these three cylinders

on Battering Ram.

Big transfer here. 175 pounds.

Decent amount of mass for a ninja.

- Nice. - Good job.

- Great technique.

You can see that backhand right there about to come off.

You better get off before you get off.

Whoo! - Did it.

And the Spartan 14 and 1/2 feet away

from getting to the back half of the course.

- Blows his wife a kiss and tries to catch his breath.

- Beat that wall! - 360.

I need a 360.

- Made it up the Warped Wall in qualifying.

Can he do it again?

39 years old.

No problem on the wall.

But he's not done.

Now faces four more obstacles.

- We saw his power

and his ability on the first six.

Let's see if he has the endurance

to finish the back four.

- I imagine on this back half, it's gonna start catching up.

- You got it. You got it.

- Whoo!

- All upper body obstacles,

and it starts here with the Salmon Ladder.

- OK, here we go.

- Ten years away from the game, it looks like

he hasn't skipped a day of training.

- But it's one thing to train in the weight room.

It's something else to train on "Ninja Warrior."

- And you can just see that muscle memory

ain't what it used to be.

Taking a little longer with every rep here.

- No, yeah. - But he's through it.

Now gets to try the legendary Cannonball Alley.

Got to swing across these three balls,

all different sizes.

- And it's so hard to get a grip after you've

already done seven obstacles. Nice.

- Gotta reach over.

It's just transfer to that third ball

where you can't go arm over arm.

- Make it quick, make it quick.

You got to get good purchase with that right hand.

- Do not give up! Do not give up!

- 175, throwing into it.

- This is where Kevin Bull went inverted.

- Oh. - Oh.

- You could just feel it coming.

Cannonball!

- The Spartan left it all on the course.

- It's all right!

- Only 20 ninjas from tonight will move on to the finals.

And with that run, the Spartan could be one of them.

- Hey, I'm so proud of you!

- It was an epic battle from the start.

39 years old, and he made it to the back half...

but just couldn't get a grip on that third ball.

A noble performance by the Spartan,

and he's being hailed like a hero.

Bringing back fan favorites

is just part of our season-long celebration

of "Ninja's" legacy.

Zuri, what are we gonna see tonight?

- Guys, they are sometimes more dramatic

than the runs themselves.

Tonight, we are looking at "Ninja" sidelines

that you cannot forget.

- [cheering]

- From the passionate parents and the crazy friends,

we're counting down the best sidelines

from the past 17 years.

- Whoo!

- Plus, we're kicking up our heels

and going dancing with Enzo DeFerrari Wilson.

- And stomp.

- It's gonna be a wild first night of semifinals...

- Yeah! "Ninja Warrior," baby!

- On "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to the semifinals,

where our ninjas had some fun

at the start line while we were away.

Teenager Joseph Rouse was flexing,

showing off his latest robotic invention.

- That is pretty cool right there.

- The Arkansas high schooler got his first buzzer

a few weeks ago in qualifying, so he was feeling confident.

- You don't have the extra arms here.

It's all you.

- But he didn't release on the Log Grip.

- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

We know this can be trouble.

Big trouble.

- Rouse fought hard to save it and tried

to invent a new exit strategy.

- No-- oh!

- But it didn't quite work.

College softball player Karen Potts

pumped up the crowd with a big swing.

- Back, back, back, back. Oh, that's out of here.

- Her teammates at Case Western Reserve University

cheered her on as she was safe on the first obstacle...

- OK.

- Made it close on the second...

- Whoa.

- And was called out on third.

- Still on the base here. Ooh, no, no, no, oh.

- Budding filmmaker Aidan Gonzalez

convinced Zuri to play camera operator on his run,

though she kind of lost focus.

- How are you feeling? How are you feeling? Good?

- Gonzalez, a film student at Texas State University,

kept everyone on the edge of their seat on the course.

- Ah-ah-ah, I like that. OK, OK.

- But Zuri did get the shot as Gonzalez

took on Battering Ram, which knocked him out in qualifying.

And this sequel had the same ending.

- No!

- But it was an impressive season for this rookie.

- Aidan, you crushed it, dude.

Awesome job tonight on the course.

- And already on the course, finishing obstacle three,

It's Caitlyn Bergstrom-Wright,

the first of three from that big ninja family.

- Breathe. - Her husband David

runs later, as does her brother Caleb.

She's got a rematch here with Battering Ram.

It took her out in qualifying.

In fact, she's never made it past the fifth obstacle.

- You can see, it kind of--

really kind of carrying that cylinder

right over the shoulder,

and then using your lower core

to kind of scoot it through.

All right, there you go. Scoot, scoot, scoot.

- She was also on the front part.

She's more in the middle on this cylinder,

which makes it the distance.

And you can see her sliding her hands forward, Akbar.

- Yeah.

- Trying to make this transfer even shorter.

- All right, come on. Get that overlap.

You see it? She's a little too long.

Study long, study wrong. - Got it.

- Nice. Come on.

Scoot, scoot, scoot.

You don't need an electrical scooter.

- And you could see the surprised look on her face,

that smile when she got it.

Can she get the dismount?

Yeah! - She's got it.

She's got it.

- Oh, what a moment for Caitlyn.

- That's what I'm talking about!

[cheers and applause]

Five seasons, Matt, she's been doing this.

The very first time she's faced the Warped Wall.

I see you, Caitlyn!

- Well, they have that Bergstrom jungle gym

in Florida.

She's done it countless times there.

- Go get it. - Can she do it in Vegas?

- Do it.

Fly, fly, fly, fly! - Yes!

- Yes!

Caitlyn Bergstrom-Wright...

- OK! OK! - Gets up that Warped Wall.

What a moment.

- Caitlyn, I see you.

- The top three women from tonight move on to the finals.

By getting to the back half, it gives her a good chance.

- I'm excited.

Man, she is doing it.

- Come on, Caitlyn.

- Here we go with the Salmon Ladder.

- Come on, baby. Just like ours.

You got it.

- It is so cool. Nice.

- Look at this. - Bop, bop.

- Got it. - Yes! OK!

- What does she have left here on Cannonball Alley?

Can she surprise herself once again?

- Come on, get it. - Come on, Caity.

Get your hands all the way in there.

- This is the first woman ever

to even attempt Cannonball Alley.

- Watch that grip here. - High!

Come on! Come on, Caitlyn!

- Come in tight. Oh!

[cheers and applause]

- Can't handle the final cannonball,

but still a career best for Caitlyn.

And it might earn her a spot in the national finals.

[cheers and applause]

There were some big moments for her.

Got past the fifth obstacle for the first time ever,

made it up the Warped Wall for the first time.

She became the first woman ever

to take on Cannonball Alley,

but her hands slipped off that third ball.

- It feels so good. Oh, my God.

- Tonight, we're counting down

our best sidelines over the years,

and we're kicking things off

with the biggest and loudest groups.

all: [chanting] Bootie!

- The biggest of them all is number five

in our countdown,

the crowd for Enzo DeFerrari Wilson.

He doesn't just bring a big neon yellow crowd.

His cheering section has foam fingers,

lightning bolts, beanies, and even his grandma's meatballs.

- Mama mia! I want some meatballs.

- For having the best of our big sideline groups,

Enzo is number five on our countdown.

Well, Enzo's back tonight, and he's got something new

for his electric army.

[honky-tonk music plays]

Enzo has taken up line dancing,

so he's got everyone here tonight busting some moves.

* *

- Gotta do a lasso. - Hey.

- It's not just for fun.

Enzo thinks the dancing makes him a better ninja.

- All right, guys, let's practice

some line dancing. - Yeah.

- Whoo! - All right.

- I'm always getting into new hobbies,

and this year I took up line dancing.

We've gone line dancing with the whole family,

my mom, dad, and my sister.

I'd say out of all of them, my sister is definitely

the biggest natural,

and my dad, you know, he could use some work.

Now, right and left and right and left and stomp.

And stomp.

And that's the dance. all: Hey!

- I brought some ninjas line dancing too.

Me and Vance started going together.

And whenever I learn to dance quicker than Vance,

I make sure to rub it into his face.

Learning line dancing for the first time

really brought me back to the start

of my "Ninja Warrior" career, where I just had

no idea what I was doing,

and learning a new dance was just like

learning my first obstacle.

But I promise you, when I get to the top of that tower,

I'll be line dancing.

* *

- Enzo has already started his run,

and he's boot scooting.

He's through the first five obstacles

in just about 40 seconds.

- Yeah, he's going in a straight line,

like line dancing.

Hammer that baby through.

Got it.

- His mom, Christine, is already out of breath.

She's leading his big sideline crew.

[cheers and applause]

Ready to make a run at the Warped Wall.

- He's not even breathing heavily.

- There you go.

- I like the hats. - You like it?

- Yeah, buddy! - All right.

- Well, get on and skedaddle.

You got a buzzer to hit.

- What'd you say?

- Skedaddle. - Skedaddle.

- Enzo's a top competitor.

He made it to the national finals

every year he's competed,

but he's never finished a ten-obstacle course.

- Well, this is the test.

He's been putting a lot of training into it,

and now this is the big payoff.

- He's been so good.

- Look at that.

- Enzo's never made it past the eighth obstacle,

and to do it tonight, he'll have to get past

the legendary Cannonball Alley.

- You don't want to go cannonball on this one.

- Good job.

Now can he be the first to conquer

this obstacle in ten years?

- All right, come on now.

Nice! Well, he's done it.

First time on the ninth obstacle,

and this time, it's Doorknob Arch.

- You got it! [cheers and applause]

- This is another obstacle we haven't seen in a decade.

27 doorknobs spanning 24 feet.

Six of the knobs spin.

You can see the ones with the blue ring around them.

Those are the ones that are not locked in.

They will spin.

- It will work your forearms.

In the two seasons we saw this,

only nine ninjas total were able to conquer it.

- Only the top 17 men from tonight

will advance to the finals.

This obstacle may be the dividing line.

If you get past it, you've got a very good shot at moving on.

- Here we go.

Oh, watch out for that one.

That one turns.

- Big dismount. - Ooh!

- Banged his leg.

[cheers and applause]

What a run by Enzo.

And now he'll be the first to try Invisible Ladder.

We haven't seen this obstacle in nine years.

Like Mom is doing there, you got to pump your arms

all the way up the 35-foot tower.

- It's brutal though, and it's all about technique.

If you don't have the right technique,

that burn will sizzle.

- Go, go, go! Yeah!

- Go, go!

- Well, the challenge on the Invisible Ladder,

there is no way to rest.

You can't prop your legs on the outside.

You can't get a rest for those forearms.

- Yeah, come on, dig deep.

- This is just a diabolical 10th obstacle.

- Yeah, this is where you got to dig deep.

You need intestinal fortitude

when you get on the Invisible Ladder.

- Oh, my. - He's feeling it.

He's thinking about quitting,

but don't. Keep going.

On the other side of this pain is something big.

No, don't shake your head side to side!

- Enzo!

- It's all in your mind. You got it.

- Shake it up and down. Yes, you can.

Yes, you can.

Oh! [air horn blares]

- Gave it his all.

- It's all right, buddy. - Let's go, Enzo!

- Still his best performance yet on this extended course.

Made it to the tenth obstacle,

and he's now very likely moving on

to the national finals.

Coming up, RJ Roman's one of the fastest ninjas

on the planet, but a cancer diagnosis

in the family has forced this son to slow down.

- He's had the warrior mentality

since the beginning.

- RJ and his dad are next on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to the semifinals.

Minutes ago, teenager Hunter Ogden

tried to keep his season alive.

- Yeah!

- The high schooler made it to the back half

and conquered the Salmon Ladder

and took on the iconic Cannonball Alley.

Oh!

- Cannonball Alley just dunked him.

- He'll have to wait and see if that keeps him

in the top 20 so he can move on to the finals.

Circus performer Cicilia Bogle had,

hands down, the best walk up of the night.

- Look at that grand entrance.

- The 19-year-old is a rookie, and she made it

to Battering Ram in qualifying.

- Watch that left hand. That left hand.

Oh!

- And she fell there again tonight.

Another Florida teen, 15-year-old Grace Gordon,

is the night's youngest female athlete.

Cheered on by coach RJ Roman,

Gordon was hoping to ride the momentum

from her qualifying run when she made it

to the fifth obstacle,

but instead, it was an early exit.

- Ooh! Oh!

[air horn blares]

- And now, it's RJ's turn.

The heavy metal musician is one of the top

Ninja coaches in the country,

and also one of the top competitors.

But his most important job lately has been

taking care of his dad.

- What's on the agenda today?

- Just want to get you out of the house for a little bit.

- Good. - My dad had cancer.

He had cancer in his kidney.

He had surgery, had his kidney removed.

Everything was successful, but his battle is not over.

The cancer had spread to his lungs.

[soft dramatic music]

- Hopefully you're free on Monday.

- I'm off on Monday.

- I got an eye doctor's appointment.

- Yeah, I can take you.

I've been back in Jacksonville for about five months now.

Mostly I've just been helping out

with some of the chores

that he might not have the strength for at the moment,

you know?

So if anything needs to be moved or carried.

- I think I'm gonna skip the little bucket.

I was pretty cool until he put that bucket on there.

[mellow music]

- All right, Pops.

- It's great having him here.

It's helpful. Gets me out of the house.

- Damn.

- Gets me motivated to--

to not just stay in bed.

I'm gonna call it where your hand is.

- Oh.

- I'm very grateful that he's back.

- Damn.

You just destroyed me.

I didn't make a single shot.

- You guys want to play?

[laughter]

- Having him on the screen tonight is really special.

- Thank God I got you here.

- I gotcha.

[tender music]

I have nothing but respect for that man.

* *

I love him.

* *

[cheers and applause]

- Dad's gonna be watching from back in Florida,

and RJ's got a ton of his Florida training partners

cheering for him, including Enzo's army of supporters.

They've got the RJ chant going. all: [chanting] RJ, RJ, RJ!

[countdown clock beeping]

- The new racing format in the finals is a good fit for RJ

because RJ likes to go fast. - Yeah, Matt.

You see, he's got a lot of support here in the crowd.

- RJ normally goes in an all-out sprint

when he's competing,

but on this longer ten-obstacle course,

he's likely gonna have to pace himself a little.

[cheers and applause]

RJ nearly won it all two years ago.

Made it all the way to Stage 4, but came up just short.

However, he's consistently among the top performers

and usually among the fastest.

- Come on, RJ! - You got this, Arj!

- Yeah, already 35 seconds, he's on Battering Ram.

- Watch these transfers, though.

- Nice. - Easy to make a mistake.

- Wow. - Just looking dialed-in.

- Well, he trusts the process. He trusts his training.

This is what he trains for. - And you see him, Akbar.

He's staying calm,

trying to keep that heart rate under control.

He knows he's just on the back half,

four more to go.

- Can catch his breath a little here,

but it's important to keep moving.

RJ knows the faster you go tonight,

the better your seed will be in the finals.

- Go, go!

- Got it.

- The dangerous final four obstacles

start with the Salmon Ladder.

- Oh, boy. - Wow.

- Oh, he went for the big one, two moves.

Well, there's that. [laughs]

- But watch this last cannonball.

It's the tough one.

- Nice move.

[cheers and applause]

- Well, you can just see, Akbar,

he's being very efficient when he gets on the obstacles.

[cheers and applause]

- He's got a lot of energy on the sideline.

Dude's like a chef.

Once he starts cooking, he's cooking.

All right, RJ, we'll let you cook then.

- And skipping over those rotating door knobs,

those ones with the blue circle around them.

Those are the ones that are free spinning--

whoa!

He's doing 720s, Akbar! What was that?

- Yeah, he's really kind of rotating the muscles,

making sure he doesn't overexert

the muscles in the forearms. - Whoa!

[cheers and applause]

Now 35 feet away from becoming our first finisher,

but the Invisible Ladder is intimidating,

and he's asking the crowd for support.

[cheers and applause]

As we saw with Enzo minutes ago,

this obstacle is tough

if you don't have the right technique.

- Here we go.

I expect him to go fast here.

- Well, he's been so efficient

once he starts on these obstacles,

swinging side to side.

[audience chanting] RJ, RJ, RJ, RJ, RJ, RJ!

- Well, you can just see.

- Yeah, he's kind of losing body control here.

- Got a side-to-side momentum, Akbar,

and nothing to correct it.

- Closing his eyes, staying real dialed-in.

But you know what?

He doesn't have a really good awareness

of where his body is going,

so he's actually wasting motion.

- Needs 10 more feet.

I think it's tough.

He's got this pendulum action going,

and you can't kick the walls to stop it.

You're not allowed to touch those walls.

That's to prevent you from trying to offload your weight,

so he's kind of stuck.

- Yeah, you can see what he's trying to do

is focus and stay in the moment.

He just took a couple glances up.

- Oh, my, Akbar, he sees the light.

Will he fall on the final obstacle?

- Come on, you're that close. You're that close.

Go for it. - A few feet away!

- Come on. Come on, RJ!

- RJ Roman, does he have anything left?

- I command you.

I command you to get up there.

- Trying to get those legs up!

- Uh-oh.

That--that right arm is gone. - Oh!

[air horn blares]

- A heartbreaking finish within inches.

- That's hard, man!

- RJ!

- You heard him. He said, "That's hard."

- Well, along with Enzo, that's now two top ninjas

stopped by the Invisible Ladder.

Will anyone conquer it tonight?

- You did great, RJ.

- RJ showed off some slick moves on Doorknob Arch,

but he didn't have the right moves on Invisible Ladder.

He was swinging side to side and never got a rhythm.

He dropped just a few feet short.

RJ is very likely to move on,

but by not finishing,

his seed may not be as high as he would like,

and he may face tougher competition in the finals.

More superstars ahead

when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.

- Minutes ago, a pair of doctors made a house call.

Steven Bachta is a pediatric physician

in the Chicago area, and he was pumped up

to take on the semis course.

[heart thumping]

Despite being one of the older competitors at 43,

the doctor was feeling confident after hitting

his very first buzzer back in qualifying.

- Matt, the doctor is in! [buzzer blares]

- But tonight on the very first obstacle,

his run was dead on arrival.

- Ooh! - Oh!

- Todd Bourgeois is a different kind of doctor.

He's a PhD and a professor of physical therapy,

but he's better known as the Cajun Cowboy

because he grew up on a Louisiana cattle farm.

- It's the semifinals. It's about to get spicy.

- The nine-time veteran had a posse of desperados

on his sideline as he went on

a wild ride through the course.

- Saddle up. Nice.

- But the fifth obstacle, Battering Ram,

is where he fell in qualifying...

- Oh!

- So he was out to settle the score

on the obstacle tonight.

- Oh, no!

[air horn blares] Oh!

- But the cowboy was shot down once again.

- I thought I was gonna redeem myself tonight.

You got me again.

- Like Bourgeois's cowboys, some of the best sidelines

are just plain fun.

Tristan Wyman from North Pole, Alaska,

brought Christmas cheer.

- Oh, hey, what's up, Santa?

- While Mike Galeski had a dancing pencil

cheering him on.

- There's more than lead in that pencil.

That dude is sharp.

[laughter]

- Science teacher Michael Snell

brought in a skeleton crew.

- This is scary.

- But for sheer horsepower,

you can't top the Stallion, Mike Silenzi.

[all imitating horses neighing]

- [laughs]

- Year after year...

- Oh, look at that, it's a stampede for the Stallion.

- Go, Silenzi! - Go, Mike!

- He brings a thundering herd to the sidelines.

[horses neighing]

- He needs a little bit of horsepower.

Nice gallop.

Yee-haw! OK.

- For having the craziest sideline crew,

Mike Silenzi's stallions ride to number four

on our countdown.

- They call Isaiah Thomas Flyboy,

and his season is off to a flying start.

He had the fastest finish among all ninjas in qualifying.

He completed the six-obstacle course in 42 seconds.

- So I started at this when I was 13 years old.

If there's anyone that doubts me here,

I'm gonna silence them real quick.

All I care about is being number one.

[cheers and applause]

- His mom Jennie leading the cheers

on the sideline, along with many of his friends

and training partners.

[countdown clock beeping]

A lot of people think the Flyboy could be

our champion this year.

- Just 19 years old already in his fifth season.

- I love Isaiah Thomas. Just so cool.

- Well, he is definitely built different, Akbar.

- Yeah, he is built different.

His new one this year is standing on business

with ten toes, and he's been standing on business.

Oh, nice.

- 6'2", 165, and he is just flying,

linking those moves on Spin Cycle,

looking so efficient.

Remember, how fast you go in these semi-finals will

determine your seeding when we go racing in the finals.

Flyboy's been racing in international OCR competitions,

really working on his speed.

Feels this season could be his.

- Ah, blows a little kiss to mama.

There you go, staying on business.

- He's got the confidence.

- There you go.

Ten toes, baby.

- Boy, he is moving, Akbar. - Yeah.

- And normally this is where fatigue sets in,

but he's skipping rungs on the Salmon Ladder.

Wow. Two moves.

What efficiency.

- It's coming back. It's coming back.

It's coming back. - Moving really fast.

All right, here we go.

Oh, his body's getting kind of turned sideways.

- Couple extra swings.

There he goes. - Nice.

[cheers and applause]

- Two more obstacles to go. - Let's go, baby!

- His speed to this point is unreal.

After a short pause, he's on the move again.

- Nice crossover. Wow.

We might just see a little bit of rotation here.

- He is moving.

- All right, now he's just gonna

truck all the way through.

- Well, at 6'2", using that wide wingspan,

Akbar, you can see it.

- Be careful, be careful.

- Oh, just made it. - Wow.

- And this crowd is starting to feel it.

We could have our first finisher.

Flyboy's looking unstoppable.

Not even pausing to catch his breath.

But remember, the Invisible Ladder is brutal.

We haven't had this on the course in nine years.

- OK, we got action, Matt. We've got action.

We've got action.

All right, come on.

- And now it may be catching up to him.

Fatigue may finally be setting in.

And technique is just so important on this obstacle.

- He's got the long arm.

The longer your arms are,

that becomes a little bit more challenging.

- Still a long way to go.

And you can just see him trying to figure out,

small movements now with the shoulders, with the hips.

Anything to keep going.

- He's getting a lot of instructions.

I think he's gonna have to just kind of cancel that out,

find his rhythm.

- With his athleticism, he made the first

nine obstacles look easy, but now having to dig deep.

This is just pure willpower.

- Flyboy, stand on business. You said it.

- Moving only inches at a time,

but still fighting, refusing to give up.

Oh, no.

- Come on.

He said he's built different.

Show me you're built differently.

- Come on! - Come on.

You're 6'2", now this is the time

where he probably wants to try to see

if he can extend his legs up there.

Oh, man, he's right there. Come on.

- Oh, yes!

- If you got it, use it.

- That's incredible! [buzzer blares]

Isaiah Thomas, our first finisher.

And he earned it.

Had to fight for every inch.

Isaiah Thomas, he's just built different.

What a gutty performance.

What grit.

- I love you, Isaiah!

I love you!

- The Flyboy breezed through the first nine obstacles,

then hit a roadblock on Invisible Ladder.

He looked wiped out.

I thought there was no way

he'd finish, but he found a way,

and he's our first finisher.

- And he is exhausted. What a run.

- That was the hardest thing I've ever done.

- The Flyboy is looking like he could win it all.

In this season, viewers at home can be winners, too,

in our Win Like A Warrior Sweepstakes

presented by the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card.

Go to nbc.com/ winlikeawarriorsweepstakes

to learn more.

Coming up... - Yeah!

- Oh, mama,

our countdown of unforgettable sidelines

has to include the moms.

[cheers and applause]

We'll look at the best... - Yeah!

- When "American Ninja Warrior" returns.

- Welcome back to the semifinals.

Our next ninja is ready to pounce on the course.

It's the big cat, Karsten Williams.

At 43, he's the oldest athlete running the course tonight.

The "Ninja" veteran from Fairview, Texas,

has competed ten previous seasons

and made it to the national finals seven of those years.

His mom, Linda, who never misses one of his runs,

is on the sideline along with a big group of friends and kids

he coaches back in Texas.

[countdown clock beeping]

The Big Cat.

Seventh time he's been on an extended course.

- I'ma tell you right now, at 43,

a ten-obstacle course feels a lot longer than it used to.

- Come on, buddy.

- The Big Cat is the old dog now.

- Come on, come on!

- Completed an extended course twice before, Akbar.

- Uh-oh.

[cheers and applause]

- 6'1", 170.

On the bigger side for the ninjas we'll see tonight.

- Nice veteran move. You see that?

He wanted skin contact there on Log Grip

to make sure there was no mistake in dropping off.

Sometimes those pants can be a little slick.

- And you can see his ankle.

He's looking a little uncomfortable, Akbar.

- Well, he is using his wingspan at 6'1".

[cheers and applause]

- Take it.

- And can we just appreciate what Karsten Williams

has meant to "American Ninja Warrior"?

Ooh! - Did he hit his head?

I think his face hit the bar on that leap.

The Battering Ram hits back.

- Battling it up on Battering Ram.

- Looking uncomfortable on these cylinders, Akbar.

Got her locked around, the Big Cat using those claws.

- Let's go! You got this!

- Come on, whoa there.

Uh-oh, uh-oh. He cut himself?

- You got this!

- If you need the towel, you can use the towel, brother.

- Oh, he's wiping his right eye with his shirt.

Let's look at this again.

As he makes the leap, right there,

he slams his face on the first bar--whoo--

but still managed to grab the second cylinder.

- Well, he's gonna fight through it.

Can he get up this Warped Wall?

- Oh, wow, that never happens to Karsten.

- And you can just see it.

He is feeling the pain.

But if he gets up, he's got a good chance

to get through the next three.

And he does it.

- Matt, do you know what?

You're not always gonna compete at 100%.

- Yeah.

- And the real test of an athlete

is how he competes when he's not 100%.

- You can already see that eye swelling up.

That is not looking good, but Big Cat just keeps moving.

- There is no quit in Karsten Williams!

- Mom's starting to get worried.

Well, Karsten won our Super Salmon Ladder

competition in the skills challenge

a few years ago,

so you know he just wants to power through it here.

- Nice, big move. - Wow.

- Two moves. OK, OK.

- Karsten Williams, he's not done with this, Akbar.

But even with just one good eye,

Big Cat's still a pretty good ninja.

- Matt, he's like a boxer who's gone 10 rounds.

His eye's swollen shut, but he keeps fighting.

Got a nice little knot on his eye,

and he's still not letting it stop him.

[cheers and applause]

His eyes are closing right now.

- Big Cat's starting to look like Rocky Balboa

after a left hook.

- I see. I see the eye.

- Oh, Mama Linda just now getting

a good look at that eye.

- We already got a souvenir.

We already got a souvenir.

Let's get the reward with it, baby.

- That's a concerned mama right there.

- Let's get-- there you go.

- On "Ninja Warrior," there is no cut man,

and you can see he's playing hurt right now.

This is what I like.

Hit the one in the middle.

- This is a gutty performance out of Karsten Williams.

It looks like he was in a fight with Apollo Creed.

- But he doesn't care.

He says, "You know what? I am so dialed-in.

I'm so focused on getting that job done."

He got busted in the right eye, and he's still going.

He's got his eye on the prize, Matt.

[cheers and applause]

- Well, this is a courageous, gutty run.

- Come on.

- And Mama Linda's losing her mind.

- Come on, watch out. That last one moves.

Watch out. - No!

- I saw it coming! Dang!

- Oh, my goodness, Karsten within inches

of completing the Doorknob Arch.

And that dismount's gonna haunt him, big man.

- He hit his head on the Battering Ram,

and it left a mark.

His eye started to swell profusely,

but he kept going and was so close

to finishing the ninth obstacle.

Had one foot on the pad. Ugh!

Hopefully, that's far enough to get him to the finals.

- First of all, how are you feeling right now?

Mama, wait. Hold on. It's OK.

- Yeah, I'm good. I'm good.

Yeah, we'll heal up.

Hey, the eyeball is still in there, so we're good.

Ooh. - OK. OK.

How are you doing, Karsten? - Not bad.

I've had better days, yeah. - Had better days.

- Yeah. - You powered through.

Was there ever a moment you thought about quitting?

Just being like, "I'm out"?

- No, no, there's no quitting me.

Hey, Mama didn't raise no quitter, y'all.

- Well, Karsten, you certainly powered through,

proved you are not a quitter.

We'll know soon if it was far enough, fast enough, OK?

- That sounds like a plan. - All right.

Great work out there. - Yes, thank you.

- Guys, back to you.

- No countdown of the best sidelines

would be complete without including

the passionate parents like Karsten's mom, Linda.

- Whoo!

- Mothers can't help but get emotional

watching their kids on the course.

They watch dreams come true and hopes get dashed.

- Oh!

- And you can see just how deeply they feel

for their pride and joy.

- Yeah! Go!

- All the moms on the sideline who ride

the "Ninja" roller coaster come in at number three

on our countdown.

Coming up, you're invited to the Ninja wedding of the year.

Isabella Wakeham and Sam Folsom tied the knot.

- You may kiss your bride.

- And they'll honeymoon on the course

when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.

- We're about halfway through our first night of

semifinals here on "American Ninja Warrior."

Everyone tonight is trying to go

far enough fast enough to move on to the finals,

which are all racing.

- But this longer course is proving to be too much

for some of these ninjas.

- Florida high school student

Emma Pereyra made it to the finals

in her rookie season two years ago,

and she had a strong run in qualifying,

making it to the fifth obstacle.

- Excellent form!

- Tonight, Block Run was a roadblock.

- Oh, can she save it? No!

[air horn blares]

Tiana Webberley is a nine-time "Ninja" veteran

with three trips to the national finals.

[cheers and applause]

The former college pole vaulter

used her athletic skills to scramble through

the first few obstacles.

- She's doing a good job using those hips,

controlling the momentum.

- Come on, girl!

- Then the stuntwoman had a rematch with Battering Ram.

This obstacle knocked her out in three previous runs.

- No! [air horn blares]

- And it got her once again.

Isaiah Wakeham has made two trips

to the national finals,

and he was full of enthusiasm at the start,

but it didn't last long

because the videographer failed to stick

the landing on Log Grip.

- Oh, goes all the way off the course.

- OK. - Fortunately, he was OK.

- What the heck?

- And now it's Isaiah's sister's turn.

And a lot has changed for her since qualifying.

For starters, she's no longer Isabella Wakeham.

She's got a new last name after tying the knot

with fellow ninja Sam Folsom.

- Strengthen each other and grow together

on this new adventure.

- I just married the love of my life, Sam Folsom.

- This is a new beginning for you both.

- The wedding was amazing.

It was on the Folsoms' property in Dorsey, Illinois,

and we had the reception just outside the barn

where we train.

[upbeat romantic music]

We had 150 of our closest friends

and family come out to celebrate with us.

We had Jesse and Chris DiGangi,

Jamie Rahn, the Bergstrom bunch.

Daniel Gil officiated.

- Sam, you may kiss your bride.

[cheers and applause]

- And we had the biggest ninja dance party you've ever seen.

- * The best day of my life *

[upbeat music]

- I could not have dreamed of a more magical day.

- * Best day of my life *

- And tonight, I vow to hit that buzzer.

- * The best day of my life *

- Congrats to those guys. Sam will run next.

He's on the sideline with Isabella's mom and brother.

[countdown clock beeping]

Isabella looked so impressive in qualifying.

Got a buzzer, her second on a six-obstacle course.

- Let's go, Bel!

- Matt, she thinks she's got a real shot

to finish this course tonight.

- Well, that would be something.

Only three women have ever hit a buzzer

on a ten-obstacle course.

- Nice. - So smooth.

- Yeah, you can see her brother Isaiah right there saying,

"So that's how you do it."

- Doesn't want to make a mistake on Block Run.

And you see just her-- a smile of relief

surviving the balance obstacle.

- She's been at this for five years,

and she's done a great job.

She's gotten better every single year.

- Well, this obstacle is so key to the back half.

You got to be efficient on Spin Cycle

to have a chance to survive those back half obstacles.

- That's it.

- Pretty smooth. Couple extra swings.

- Good try, good try.

- And she's through.

- Good job.

- 20 years old now, in her fifth season.

Think how many of these athletes competing now,

not just the women, but men grew up watching athletes,

like Jessie Graff, and now they're on the same course.

- Ooh, big move.

- And Isabella looking strong. This is the big transfer.

- She had a lot of power.

Watch your head. Nice.

- Look at those wrists. Arm over arm, hand over hand.

Really locked in.

- Good. - She just looks solid, Akbar.

I mean, flawless.

We know she has the skills and strength to go deep.

- Wow. - So easy on the Warped Wall.

- Nice.

You excited? - Oh, I'm so excited.

- You got that buzzer? - Got it in the sights.

- All right. That's in the sights.

I like it. - Come on, Bel.

- She's been on the back half before.

Her rookie year, she made it all the way

to the ninth obstacle before falling.

It was the best performance by a woman that night.

Starts the final four now with Salmon Ladder.

- OK, Salmon Ladder switch grip.

All right, all right. There it is.

She had to find the rhythm.

But once she found the rhythm, she was on it.

She owned it like she want it.

- But here's the tough move on Cannonball Alley.

- This next ball, you got to make that good grip.

- Got it!

- Nice.

- Isabella Folsom making all the right moves

and just needs a dismount to conquer Cannonball Alley.

- Nice!

- And she does it.

The first woman ever to get past that obstacle.

But she's not done, Akbar.

Only three women have completed a ten-obstacle

semifinals course.

Kacy Catanzaro, Michelle Warnky, Flex Labreck.

Can Isabella add her name to that list?

- Go!

- She'll be the first woman ever to attempt Doorknob Arch.

Isabella in some rarefied territory here.

OK, good progress.

- All right, she's trucking now.

- And you can see just looking real calm,

using the lower body, using those hips.

You can see them just swaying back and forth,

keeping that momentum.

- And not spending a lot of time.

Now she's starting to try to rotate.

You know, when you start rotating,

you're activating other muscles as well.

So you're not just sapping one group.

- And you can see going with the crossover.

- OK, she knows where to hold them.

- The dismount's coming into sight.

- All right, now get out of there.

Right over the mat. - Yes!

- [laughs]

Isabella making her own history.

[cheers and applause]

- I've never been this far before.

- "I've never been this far before,"

she just said.

Well, there's a lot of ninjas

who have never been this far, Isabella.

35 feet between her

and adding her name to an even more exclusive list.

It's not that far. You read her lips?

It's not that far. - It's not that far.

- Go, go.

- But we have seen, Akbar,

Invisible Ladder is no small feat.

- There we go.

- Good power. - There we go. Pump it.

- Oh, my, Akbar. - Nice.

- Her lighter weight may be helping her.

And she could be just the second finisher tonight.

- This is amazing. - And she's gonna do it.

- Come on, Isabella, get up there.

- Only the fourth woman ever!

History. Herstory.

That's her story.

- What a performance!

[cheers and applause]

- Wow.

I am so happy for her.

[cheers and applause]

Kacy Catanzaro did it first in season six,

then five years later,

Michelle Warnky and Flex Labreck

did it on the same night.

Tonight, Isabella joins that elite group of women

who have finished a ten-obstacle course.

Wow! What a performance!

- Congratulations!

[cheers and applause]

- You are in the record books.

- Oh, my goodness.

Only four women to ever do this?

You know, it seems like something

that's so unachievable,

and just seeing those women before me do it,

I remember being a really little kid

on the couch watching Jessie. - Yeah.

- Jessie Graff right down there.

- Yeah, right, right?

- And just thinking, "I want to do that someday."

- Amazing, Isabella! I'm so proud of you!

- Why don't you go celebrate with your family?

You did it! - Congratulations.

[buzzer blares]

Wow.

[cheers and applause]

- Coming up in our second hour,

we'll see more of our "Ninja" superstars hit the course.

And up next, it's WWE superstar Chad Gable.

The wrestling favorite is gonna go toe to toe with me

and Akbar when we come back on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Minutes ago, Isabella Folsom became

just the fourth woman ever to finish a 10-obstacle course.

- History. Herstory.

- And while we were away, her husband Sam tried

to follow in her footsteps. - He's in a rhythm.

He can't be stopped now. Let him flow.

- Folsom is a top competitor, and he was knocking down

obstacles one after the other, with only a minor stumble.

- Ooh, came close.

- But he battled on, and Sam and Isabella

became the first husband and wife to finish

an extended course together.

[cheers and applause]

Colorado College student Leo Heuring

brought his robotic pet Corn Dog out for a walk.

- Good doggie.

- The technology student at the University of Colorado

had a rough landing on Log Grip.

- Hold on. Whoa.

Did you see him starting to slip a little bit?

- Let's go!

- And another on Block Run. - Ooh, boy.

It's been a little rough so far.

- But he made it to the fifth obstacle,

Battering Ram, which took him out in qualifying.

- There's a little bit of a struggle there.

Oh!

[air horn blares]

- And it got him again tonight.

- Matt, you know how much I love wrestling,

and one of the biggest events of the year is coming up,

WWE SummerSlam.

- And this year, it's two nights,

streaming only on Peacock.

It's nonstop action,

and here to get us excited about it,

WWE superstar Chad Gable.

Chad, thanks for joining us in the booth, man.

- And thank you guys for having me.

It's a pleasure to be here.

- Listen, we always love having elite athletes up in the booth.

You guys know what it takes to operate at a high level,

and we got someone on the start line

who we think you might relate to.

Kyle Soderman now lives in Texas,

but he's originally from Minnesota like you.

Can you help us call his run? - I would love to.

My guy's from Minnesota. I'm excited. Let's do it.

- Wrestling fans know your catchphrase is "shoosh."

Well, Kyle's is right on his shirt, "Send It, Soderman,"

because even though he's one of the bigger ninjas,

he goes all out.

His wife, army doctor and fellow ninja Megan Johnson,

is on the sideline. - Let's go, Kyle!

- And his mom is cheering him on from your home state.

- Whoo!

Come on, Kyle, you got this!

- One of the things I love is we see

the size variance within WWE.

Now look at those highlights.

You're much shorter than some of the other top guys.

And it's the same on "Ninja Warrior."

We've got Soderman out here, 6 feet, 181.

We've had some athletes 5 feet tall, 80 pounds.

You all have different skill sets.

Where do you feel like your strength is as a wrestler?

- It's in my hips, baby. - Oh!

- I always say the bigger they are,

the harder they fall.

- Ah, and right on cue, you can see

he fell pretty hard on that one.

- He did. He hit hard.

I got faith in my guy Soderman here, though.

- A little agility test on Block Run.

Now, here we go. Nice.

Keep your feet high. Keep your feet high.

Whoo! - Yes.

- Come on, honey! Keep going. Let's go.

- The tenacity of Minnesotans

is gonna show through right here.

I'm very, very confident in my man right here.

- Well, we see you guys also do a lot of acrobatics here,

and you have to be with good body awareness.

So on the Spin Cycle, you can just see

the momentum controlling it,

launching through the air with the hips.

- The athleticism is just unbelievable to me.

[cheers and applause]

- If you could pick one of these obstacles,

which one of these obstacles here tonight in the semifinals

do you think you would be able to crush?

- Man, this one he's on right now

is the one I've wanted to try the most, actually,

because it looks the most challenging.

My background is in Greco-Roman wrestling,

so grip strength was a big part of what

I did in wrestling, obviously,

and I think I'd be pretty good at that one.

- Well, here we go. Soderman.

- Send it, Soderman! - [laughs]

- That's my guy right there. Get up there!

Yeah. All right.

- Minnesota nice, right?

- Do it for Minnesota. You betcha.

- Four more obstacles to go.

But then what we talk about, too,

with you guys is endurance.

You got to be able to survive that match

when you're getting tired.

What do you turn to to find that second gear?

- You know, it's a hard thing, but you kind of almost

have to block it out and convince yourself

you're not tired.

We're gonna find out right here if Soderman is able to do that.

- You say block it out, or in other words,

as you would say...

- Shoosh!

[laughter] Thank you.

- Shoosh it out, huh? - He's doing it.

- This is a test.

- That transition is insane right there.

- The hands, the grip, the transfer,

though, to throw 180 pounds like Kyle Soderman just did.

- He's got the hips too. Look at his hips.

He gets it. I have to recruit that guy.

- There we go. - There we go.

- One of our "Ninja" legends, Kacy Catanzaro,

made the move to professional wrestling

and has a big following.

- Yes, yes.

- What does a ninja warrior have to do

or a ninja have to do here to be able

to make that transfer into WWE?

- I want to see that character work.

I want to see them talk some trash

when they get to the top of that podium.

- OK. - You know?

No Minnesota nice when we get to the top there.

- Well, now we really want to see Kyle finish

these next two obstacles and deliver.

- 6 feet, 180, he's got to traverse

24 feet with the 27 doorknobs.

This is a big ask. - This is unbelievable.

- Yeah, and six of those knobs move and turn.

That can be tricky, especially as you're trying

to navigate through here.

- My training was always so straightforward,

and, like, we know what we do.

I don't know how you train for something like this.

This is ridiculous.

- And you can see him just finding his rhythm here.

Steady progress. This is amazing.

- And you know he's feeling it in his forearm.

He's trying to avoid that one that turns.

Uh-oh, he's trying to get out of there.

- Nice. - Oh, my gosh, he did it.

- Let's go!

- Yes! - Kyle Soderman.

Minnesota locked-in.

- Here we go, bring it home.

- Well, Chad, I think you have inspired this performance.

- I hope so. - Out of Minne-Soderman.

- Well, earlier you were talking about using your hips.

That's crucial here on Invisible Ladder.

Being able to use your hips,

the knee drive, to be able to kind of

just offset this on Invisible Ladder.

- And you can see he's struggling

to find some progress.

- This is where we find out, find out what he's made of.

- Yeah, you're the savant of suplexes.

- [laughs] Yeah.

- He's got to be the savant of the Invisible Ladder.

- Come on, brother. - Oh, he is fighting.

- Do it for Minnesota, brother. - Oh.

- That grip has just got to be dying.

- Whew! - Come on, come on, come on.

- And you know that feeling in that face.

- I know that feeling.

Block it out. Block it out.

No, no, no. - Block it out.

- Come on. - Ah!

- Shoosh! - Shoosh it up! Shoosh!

- Come on, Kyle! - Come on.

- Come on.

- Come on, Kyle, you can do it!

- There is no tomorrow. - Come on, come on, come on.

- Agh! - Uh-oh.

- Agh!

- Oh. [air horn blares]

So close.

- He just couldn't do it, but what an effort.

- Good job, Kyle! Come on!

- Chad, overall, what was your takeaway from Kyle's run?

- I'm proud of him. Minnesota's proud of him.

- He made it to the tenth obstacle.

- You betcha.

- And that should be good enough to get him

to the national finals.

- Remember, your favorite WWE superstars

will go head to head at WWE's biggest event

of the summer, SummerSlam!

- Let's do it, baby.

- And don't miss the action streaming live

this August on Peacock.

- And to anybody who says

anything bad about Chad Gable...

[together] Shoosh!

Like Chad, many celebrities are "Ninja" fans

and have given us some of our best sideline moments

over the years, from Olympic gold medalists

to Heisman Trophy winners and NFL quarterbacks.

We've also had TV stars and musicians in the crowd.

- Come on!

- And ninja Jimmy Choi, who has Parkinson's disease,

has an A-lister who regularly cheers for him,

Michael J. Fox.

- Hey, Jimmy, life is an obstacle course,

and Parkinson's adds its own hurdles along the way,

but you handle it all with grace and determination.

- Though he can't physically be on the sideline,

Michael sends in inspirational messages

for his friend Jimmy.

- You're a hero to me.

You're a hero to everybody with Parkinson's.

You're a hero to your family.

Go get 'em!

- He's tops among our celebrity sidelines

and number two on our countdown.

- Coming up, can your grandma do this?

- Come on. You can make it to the top.

- Ninja Kaden Forsha's can.

- My grandparents are early 70s,

and they shock me with what they're still doing.

- For this "Ninja" rookie,

rock climbing runs in the family.

We'll see him next on "American Ninja Warrior."

- It was a family affair as two top ninjas

from Florida hit the course minutes ago.

Caleb Bergstrom hasn't fallen on the course in two years.

- What? That's 84 straight obstacles.

- And he was looking to add more

as he blazed through the front half.

- Look at it. That's how you do it.

- And had no problem on Cannonball Alley.

- Oh, nailed it!

- The new dad had his wife and son on the sidelines

as he took on Doorknob Arch and almost ruined his streak.

- Ooh, watch yourself.

- But he kept going, fighting his way up

to the last few feet of the Invisible Ladder

until he couldn't fight anymore.

- No! [air horn blares]

That's got to be the worst.

You get that close, within 5 feet.

- His streak ended at 89 obstacles,

but it's good enough to secure a spot in the national finals.

- Yeah!

- Then it was Caleb's brother-in-law,

David Bergstrom-Wright, AKA Da Cake Ninja,

who cruised through the front half.

- He made that look easy.

- His wife, Caitlyn, fell earlier on Cannonball Alley,

but for David, it was a piece of cake.

- Nice!

- The six-time "Ninja" vet looked strong on Doorknob Arch

and took on Invisible Ladder,

which stopped Caleb and many other top ninjas tonight.

- Get up there. Get up there!

- But Cake conquered it and became the fourth finisher

of the night so far.

[cheers and applause]

Well, you may want to turn down the volume

for our next athlete.

It's the Chatterbox Ninja, Kaden Forsha.

- "Ninja Warrior," baby!

- He's our youngest athlete tonight,

but his training partners are in their 70s.

[upbeat rock music]

- I started rock climbing before I could walk.

We had a rock climbing gym in our basement,

but we also loved to go to the climbing gym,

and I love to climb with my grandparents.

* *

- I started climbing when I was Kaden's age,

and then seeing it pass down again to your grandson

and actually getting out and tying into a rope with them

together, it doesn't get any better than that.

- All right, Kaden.

- Did you find something to grab now?

- My grandparents are early 70s,

and they shock me with what they're still doing.

- Go, go. You got this.

Come on.

You can make it to the top.

- And they're super helpful in my climbing journey.

They've taught me a bunch of different types

of rock climbing, and they've ultimately

made me a lot better.

- So your right hand was good, and then just go--

go way over to the left and grab that guy.

I've never pursued anything as hard as Kaden does.

He's stronger than I'd ever imagined.

- I am so excited for my grandparents

to see me compete on "American Ninja Warrior" semifinals.

[cheers and applause]

- And the grandparents are here,

along with Kaden's parents and friends.

[countdown clock beeping]

Got the nickname Chatterbox Ninja

because he's a talker.

Did a TED Talk about his dyslexia

when he was just 11 years old.

And on "Ninja Junior," he showed us

he wants to take our jobs as hosts.

- And he was good at it.

Ooh, almost peeled off on that last drop off.

- Well, at 5'10", 145,

he's lean enough that he can hold that body up

with just those fingertips. - Let's go!

[cheers and applause]

- Let's see how he does here on Spin Cycle.

We've seen the good ninjas really link these moves

together just like that.

Tremendous efficiency and that saves

a lot of upper body strength for the back half.

- Well, I call that the washing machine.

Just go whoosh, whoosh, whoosh right through.

- Well, we saw it in qualifying, Akbar.

A lot of athletes would get hung up on Spin Cycle.

They would survive it only to go down on Battering Ram.

That effect is only multiplied

when you're looking at ten obstacles,

and Forsha very efficient through those first five.

And not slowing down. Going right up the Warped Wall.

[cheers and applause]

- All right. - See you later.

- He says he doesn't have a lot of time to talk.

No, you got to dial in.

- He is a chatterbox.

I love it, but he's showing

he's also got the skills on the course.

- Come on, Kaden!

- Now, remember, speed matters

because it will impact your seeding

when we head to the finals,

head-to-head racing, so you want to go fast.

- All right, he better watch that third ball.

This is the tricky one.

- But he's got it.

15 and making some veteran moves.

[cheers and applause]

And the rookie is through Cannonball Alley.

[cheers and applause]

Well, this is where rock climbing with the grandparents

can help, Doorknob Arch.

Just 15 years old, and he has shown

a precocious ability to rise to the moment.

Got that buzzer in his first ever qualifying run,

and making great time on this extended course.

All that rock climbing with Grandma and Grandpa

showing up to help him here. - Yeah, that's right, Matt.

He's literally been training his whole life for this.

And you can see. He says, "No problem!"

- Kaden Forsha.

- Matt, he looks like he has a lot of energy left in him

on this ninth obstacle.

- Well, he has a lot to say about this performance,

I imagine. Look at this.

- Nice!

[cheers and applause]

- 35 feet to get up this Invisible Ladder.

[cheers and applause]

What a moment for Kaden Forsha.

Started out in three seasons of "Ninja Junior,"

and he's showing he belongs on the big show, Akbar.

- He'll have to use the back muscle, the biceps.

You can start to see he's starting to feel it.

He's starting to get the straight arms.

That means he's starting to fatigue.

- But again, he's got that grip strength

from climbing all those years.

And at 145 pounds, he's not too heavy.

Just has to keep fighting.

You actually want to use your lower body, use your hips,

keep your hips up.

- And we're seeing a little bit of kick but not enough drive.

We need to see a little bit of that knee drive.

- He's found a rhythm, Akbar. He's almost there.

- His arms are through! Matt, he's gonna make it.

- He's getting his buzzer.

Kaden Forsha.

[buzzer blares]

- Let's go! Let's go!

[cheers and applause]

Yeah! Let's go!

Yeah!

- Coming up, Jessie Graff's

had a history-making ninja career...

[buzzer blares]

But one thing has eluded her.

- Oh!

- A buzzer on our ten-obstacle course.

She'll try to change her luck

next on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Avery Glantz and Luke Dillon were runners up

in our most recent couples championship.

Now, both are hoping to punch their ticket

to the national finals.

Avery hit the course first tonight.

The college student at the University of Central Florida

did her homework for the semifinals

and conquered the obstacle that took her out

in qualifying, the Battering Ram.

- Come on, come on, come on!

That's what I'm talking about!

- That set up a showdown with the Warped Wall.

- No!

- But on every attempt... - Oh!

- She came up short.

- Go get it! Go get it! Oh!

[air horn blares]

- She'll have to wait and see

if that's good enough to move on.

- Then it was Luke's turn.

He was looking for his third straight trip to the finals,

and he came out hot.

- Wow. Wow. Wow.

- The 22-year-old from Orlando, Florida

was able to scale the Warped Wall with ease

and head to the back half.

- Luke has the force for sure.

[cheers and applause]

- He powered through the final four obstacles

and put up the second fastest time so far.

- He never broke stride.

I love it.

[buzzer blares]

[cheers and applause] - Let's go!

- Guys, Jessie Graff truly is a wonder woman.

In qualifying, she powered her way to another buzzer

at 40 years old.

Yet despite her many accomplishments on the course,

there's one buzzer that has eluded her

in a magnificent career.

[dramatic music]

- This has been such a crazy whirlwind.

When I started...

- Yes, Jessie Graff has done it!

- I had no idea it would turn into this life-changing thing.

I completed Stage 1, first woman to ever do that.

- She's gonna make history.

- Herstory!

- The first woman ever to complete Stage 1.

- First woman invited onto Team USA

to compete against the world.

- Making history again!

- I am out of here.

- She hits the buzzer on Stage 2!

- But my one major unfinished business in "Ninja Warrior"

is hitting a semifinals buzzer.

I've been so close so many times.

- No más. I said yes.

- Oh! - Uh-oh.

- Usually, I fall in the ninth obstacle, almost every time.

- Oh, oh! - No!

Jessie Graff is out on the ninth obstacle.

- Come on, Jessie!

- No! - No!

[air horn blares]

- Oh! - Oh!

What? Oh, come on, Jessie.

- Come on, Jessie. - No!

- No!

- But I'm stronger than I've ever been.

- And Jessie Graff

in season 17 is gonna do it!

[buzzer blares] - [squeals]

And tonight, it's got to be a buzzer.

That's my unfinished business.

* *

[cheers and applause]

- Jessie's mom, Ginny, a record-setting ninja

in her own right, is leading the sideline group with friend

Flip Rodriguez and lots of fans in the stands

to cheer Jessie on.

[countdown clock beeping]

[cheers and applause]

Just continues to impress us.

40 years old and looks stronger than ever,

has battled through so many injuries and said actually

training with her mom has forced her to slow down a bit

and take better care of her body.

[cheers and applause]

- Well, Matt, you talk about those injuries,

and the thing is, she keeps coming back.

She doesn't quit.

She doesn't have any quit in her.

- Well, still a stuntwoman,

makes a living putting her body in harm's way.

Jessie Graff, though, always says be your own hero,

and she's been so impressive.

Let's see what she does here on Spin Cycle.

- She's worked very hard to come back from those injuries,

and it shows.

She's got the technique.

She's got the muscles. She's got the training.

- And such a ferocious competitor.

Was a pole vaulter at the University of Nebraska,

near Olympic caliber.

And here she is, back at Battering Ram.

Well, she did it in qualifying.

- We know she can do it.

- Trying to make her eighth trip to the national finals.

- Nice.

- Makes it to the second cylinder.

But the third one is the real challenge.

Big transfer here.

Good job locking on.

- Well, she is dialed-in, locked-in.

- Just needs the dismount here.

And there it is.

Jessie Graff back where she belongs.

[audience chanting] Beat that wall. Beat that wall.

- Come on, come on.

- And now onto the back half of the course.

- OK, Jessie. OK.

Take it in.

Take it in. - OK.

- Now go get that buzzer.

- Got a lot of work to do. - All right.

Got a lot of work to do.

- She so wants to get a buzzer on this ten-obstacle course.

Isabella Folsom did it earlier.

But at 40 years old, does she have enough left

for these final four obstacles?

Has done the Salmon Ladder many times before,

but it's not so easy after doing

the six previous obstacles.

- Watch the rhythm here on the Salmon Ladder.

That does give you a lot of information

as far as how much power and strength you have left.

- Gets through, but now it's Cannonball Alley.

Jessie was actually in Venice 11 years ago

when this obstacle knocked out the field

before Kevin Bull went upside down.

- Let's go! - Oh!

Just couldn't hold on.

And once again, Jessie is denied a buzzer

on the ten-obstacle course.

This time, it's the eighth obstacle that gets her.

- We know Cannonball Alley is tough.

First, look at how Isabella Folsom did it.

She got both hands on top of the last ball

around that bolt, and Isabella got through it.

But Jessie's left hand did not land on top.

It slipped off quickly, and so did she.

- And Zuri's down with Jessie.

- The one piece of unfinished business

you have with "Ninja" is completing a ten-obstacle

semifinals course.

Did you think tonight was the night?

- I 100% thought tonight was the night, yeah.

I'm so sad. I'm so disappointed.

But the thing I always have to remember

is that obstacle courses are just fun.

Like, hitting buzzers is amazing and so wonderful,

but the real reason we're all here

is to get stronger, faster, healthier, more coordinated,

make friends, and have a really happy, healthy life,

and I'm winning all of that right now, so...

- Amen, girl. I just adore you so much.

I love your perspective, and I'm so glad to tell you

you get to carry that on as you continue to power

your way through this season. You're moving on, girl.

You went far enough fast enough.

- Are you sure?

You're really sure? For real?

- You're doing it. - OK, more obstacles.

I get more obstacles. - More obstacles, guys.

More obstacles. - OK, that's a win.

- Up next, Nacssa Garemore lives life in the fast lane,

unless he's in a car.

- It can't be that hard.

[car horn blares]

- The teen sensation tries to avoid a crash

when we come back on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Houston housemates Grant Kiningham

and Daniel Gil got their shot at the course minutes ago.

Kiningham was up first.

And the three time "Ninja" veteran was having

a good time on the front half.

- Look at that smile, from ear to ear.

- The 22-year-old ice sculptor kept his cool

when he got hung up on the back half.

- Get out of there, Grant.

Oh, now the left hand is starting to slip.

Oh! Whew!

- Kiningham made it to the final obstacle

but started to run out of gas.

- He ain't smiling now.

He's flailing all over the place.

Oh, boy, Matt.

I think he's about to freeze out.

Oh!

- He couldn't finish,

but it's good enough to get him into the finals.

Then it was Gil's turn.

The 31-year-old is one of the most accomplished ninjas

in history, and he's never failed to qualify

for the national finals.

- That's as good as we've seen anyone.

- Whoo!

- The new dad paused to send some love

to his baby girl Ayla.

- And the ten-time "Ninja" veteran

powered through the next three obstacles.

- He's tapping into that dad strength.

- But even this ninja great struggled to climb

the Invisible Ladder. - Get up, get up.

- But he gutted it out for his 31st buzzer.

[buzzer blares]

Second most all time.

- Whoo! [laughs]

- Well, our next athlete has 11 buzzers already,

and he's only 17.

It's Nacssa Garemore.

And what a start he's had to his ninja career.

Reached Stage 4 twice

and has never hit the water in two seasons.

He likes to go fast, at least on the course.

[car honks]

- Are you ready? - Yeah.

- OK.

- I recently got my learner's permit.

- Buckle up. - Ah.

Let's give it a spin, boys.

It's a huge responsibility,

and I think I'll be a pretty good driver.

You know, it can't be that hard.

[car horn honks] New driver here.

Please don't hit me.

Once I have my license,

I'll be good to take my friends places

and just like, hop in the whip and go.

- Good.

- I'ma definitely probably buy myself a nice car,

but I'm not planning on driving fast

because I am saving my speed for the course.

[upbeat rock music]

- His mom will be leading the cheers

along with training partners RJ Roman and Flip Rodriguez.

And he's got a big group of family and friends

watching in Florida.

Nacssa Garemore in only his third season.

All he does is clear every obstacle

we put in front of him, 80 in a row.

Well, you think at some point,

the streak has to come to an end,

but it may not be tonight. - Not so fast.

- He has just looked so effortless,

Akbar, with every course we've thrown in front of him.

- There we go. - Looking sharp.

He doesn't even think about it, just running.

This is literally a playground for him.

- And look at him linking it. He's so efficient.

And, Akbar, he moves so fast

without even looking like he's trying.

- And, Matt, it's not even 30 seconds,

and he's on the fifth obstacle.

- Well, Nacssa works so hard,

but it is like he found the sport he was meant to do.

He is a virtuoso at "Ninja Warrior."

We met him at "Ninja Junior,"

and he just keeps getting bigger and stronger

and even more confident. - He's going for the top seed.

- Come on, let's go! - That's right.

The faster you go tonight, the better your seed will be

when we go racing in the finals.

- You know, the back half

is when most ninjas start to run out of gas,

but Nacssa is not your average ninja.

- Well, talk about running in your own world.

Nacssa has a plan on how to attack this course.

It's as though the crowd, nothing exists.

It's just him and the obstacle he's on,

and he just looks so flawless.

- Matt, you're right.

It's Nacssa's world, and we're just commentating in it.

And I'm happy to do it. [chuckles]

- Generating great power.

- All right, this is the first time we've seen him

just a little slow on the dismount.

- Wow. - Good.

- He's well ahead of Flyboy Isaiah Thomas's pace

with two obstacles to go.

Will the doorknobs slow him down though?

- I don't think he gets tired, to be quite honest with you.

- Well, this is just remarkable, Akbar.

Not even hesitating going into Doorknob Arch.

27 doorknobs, 24 feet across.

- I mean, if I could just be just--

I mean, just inside of his head and just listen to him,

I'm sure he's just going...

la la la la la.

La la la la la. [laughter]

- He's just a machine.

You can see why he's never fallen on an obstacle.

He just looks unstoppable.

- Ooh. - Well, here we go.

Still has over a minute left to climb Invisible Ladder

and grab the fastest finish,

but as we've seen, this obstacle is not easy.

And he's not even hesitating, Akbar.

But we've seen it all night.

You've got to have the technique for this.

- So it'll be interesting to see how he does.

And right now, he's handling himself.

- You can see him finding the rhythm,

bouncing the hips from side to side.

- Matt, he's not even grimacing.

Look at his face, not even grimacing.

Just straight faced. - Just finding his rhythm.

- The stoic look-- come on, grimace a little bit.

Show us you're human!

- Well, he's just not gonna get the top time.

He's gonna annihilate it.

- Look at this! - This is remarkable.

- I've never seen anything like it.

I've never seen anything like it.

- His 90th straight obstacle at "Ninja Warrior."

[cheers and applause]

- Ah!

- Nacssa Garemore, can anything stop him?

- That is the fastest finish on a ten-obstacle course

we've had in 12 years.

- Wow, it would take a miracle to best that.

And finally, he looks a little bit tired.

- [laughs] - Nacssa Garemore.

Well, Nacssa, since you started on the big show,

you've cleared 90 obstacles in a row.

You've never failed. You've only run out of time.

- And that was by far the fastest run of the night.

- Let's go! Let's go!

[cheers and applause]

- Can anyone top that run?

Our final athlete tonight, the Boss, Elijah Browning,

is gonna try.

He is next on "American Ninja Warrior."

[dramatic music]

- The final moments of tonight's semifinal

featured some talented teenagers.

Moments ago, it was Florida's Bray Weinacker,

who's a wakeboarder,

and showed his balance on Block Run.

- Boom, boom, boom-- oh, oh, oh, oh, wow!

That was so close.

- Bray is a 15-year-old rookie,

but he attacked the course like a veteran.

- What makes these ninjas so great,

especially the young ones, is that they just go.

- At 6'4", he was on track

to have one of the night's fastest times.

- Oh, nice!

- But on the ninth obstacle, his fast pace

seemed to catch up to him.

- Ooh!

- He's still moving on to the national finals.

Then it was college student Austin Baron,

a freshman at Notre Dame,

who had his college dorm cheering for him.

- He's got the entire Fighting Irish supporting him.

My goodness.

- In his second season of "Ninja,"

the 18-year-old had the run of his life,

knocking down obstacle after obstacle.

[cheers and applause]

- The way he just trucked through Doorknob Arch,

I'm gonna say he's gonna crush Invisible Ladder.

- And Baron did just that,

powering his way up the final obstacle

to become the ninth finisher of the night.

- Get it, get it. OK, Austin!

[cheers and applause]

- All night long, we've been counting down

the best sidelines from 17 years of "Ninja Warrior."

- Go get 'em!

- But our top choice is special.

In season ten, "Ninja" came to Miami

just weeks after the horrific shooting

at nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Teacher Gabe Stewart, with no ninja training,

stepped up to run the course,

and the school showed up to lend their support.

Students and staff filled the sidelines

and stands to cheer him on.

You could feel the emotion

as Stewart gave the crowd a run to remember.

- If the kids are struggling,

this gives them something to cheer about.

- He made it to the fourth obstacle,

further than anyone expected.

- How great is it to see Gabe Stewart

giving his community a moment of joy?

- For the sheer emotion on that sideline,

it's number one on our countdown.

And our final runner of the night

always has a great sideline.

It's the Boss, Elijah Browning.

The Tennessee teenager has another big group here tonight,

led by his mom, Renee.

You can always tell how Elijah's doing

from the look on Renee's face,

and things only got more emotional last year

as his runs became a welcome break

from her battle with breast cancer.

[audience chanting] Boss, Boss, Boss, Boss, Boss!

- Renee's already got the "Boss" chant going

with a lot of family and a huge group

of friends on the sideline.

The Boss had the fastest time on his night of qualifying.

- Oh, you know he's gonna push it.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Elijah, definitely one of the contenders to win it all.

Made it to Stage 3 the past two seasons

and has shown he's very good in races.

And just effortless speed, Akbar.

6'2", 180, one of the bigger ninjas we'll see tonight,

but he moves so efficiently, that mass rarely catches up.

And look at it.

Just links those moves together.

[cheers and applause]

- All right, here we go.

The location of your hand placement

is so critical here on Battering Ram.

- That was one move on that first cylinder.

- Nice.

[cheers and applause]

All right, here's another big one move here.

Nice.

- And he's quickly through.

And throws a peace sign to Mom. - Wow.

Matt, somebody is thinking about seeding.

And he's throwing us some love,

but he is not gonna stop.

Look how fast he's moving.

- He got his nickname, the Boss,

because he runs multiple businesses,

from card collecting to course building.

And he's all business tonight.

Preserves so much strength for these final four obstacles.

And you can see taking his time,

making sure that bar was set.

A very mature approach out of the 19-year-old.

- See it. See it.

To your chest, to your chest.

- He has got this thing under control.

Nice movement.

- Got those hands locked into place.

- A lot of the offseason training

has really prepared him for this.

[cheers and applause]

- Catching his breath for just a moment before Doorknob Arch.

- Will he use that wingspan to his advantage here?

You know he wants to get to the top of that tower.

- It'll be interesting to see once he gets

to the top of the arch if he maybe

skips a couple of door knobs.

Big moves here.

- And you can see he's keeping an eye out for the ones

that free spin with the blue circles around them.

- Now you start to see him coming down,

a little bit more controlled here on the way down.

- Oh. - Nice.

[cheers and applause]

- Well, with that,

he's guaranteed himself a spot in the finals.

Now it's about finishing and getting a high seed.

- You've got this, buddy! It's all you!

- Not gonna be able to catch Nacssa Garemore

for the fastest time, but has a good chance

for the second fastest.

- I mean, just how good is Elijah Browning?

I mean, in his five-year career at 19 years old,

he's the three-time national finalist.

He has been consistent throughout his career.

- But like some other top ninjas,

he's having to really work on Invisible Ladder.

- Now, this one doesn't necessarily

lend itself to a longer body.

He's long and lanky, but he's still doing it.

- And only 10 feet left to go. - The Boss owning it.

- Just has to get those long legs up to the platform.

[cheers and applause]

What a run from the Boss.

- The Boss just pulled up.

The Boss pulled up.

- Uh-oh. - Uh-oh.

- Oh, no! - No!

What the what?

- And it just gave out at the last second.

Elijah Browning inches away,

and the grip gives out.

You can see the frustration.

Still, he knows he will be moving on,

but he won't be one of the top seeds.

Well, take a look at the leaderboard.

Nacssa Garemore had by far the top time

of the night with the Flyboy Isaiah Thomas second fastest.

We had nine finishers in all, including Sam Folsom

and wife Isabella, just the fourth woman ever

to finish a ten-obstacle course.

And Elijah Browning, by not finishing,

falls all the way to tenth.

A similar fate for RJ Roman and all the other top ninjas

who did not finish.

They'll have a much lower seed for the races in the finals.

All 20 of these athletes, including Jessie Graff,

will now move on to racing in the national finals,

which start in a few weeks.

That's a wrap for our first night of semifinals.

For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.

We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."