Original subtitles

[dramatic music]

- It's high stakes and high drama

in Las Vegas on night two of the National Finals

on "American Ninja Warrior."

Hello, everyone,

and thanks for being with us.

I'm Matt Iseman.

- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.

This all-racing format in the finals is unbelievable.

We've already had huge upsets and blazing-fast finishes.

Our first week was filled with surprises.

- Nacssa is just going for it.

Oh my goodness.

Nacssa is down!

- We had come-from-behind wins.

- It's dead even.

Oh. Sean Bryan falls.

Enzo looked dead for a moment, but he gets the win!

At the wire.

That's why it's never over till you hit the buzzer.

- History-making performances...

- She's doing things no woman has done before.

Another buzzer for Taylor Greene.

- And unbelievable speed.

- Wow!

He just flew through that.

The Flyboy crushes the fastest time.

From the six groups who raced last week,

12 ninjas earned their spot in the next round.

Those athletes and the ones we'll see tonight have a shot

to win our $250,000 prize.

For a preview of tonight,

let's go down to Zuri Hall.

- Guys, it has been a blast watching these races.

Here's what we've got coming up tonight.

We'll see the man with more buzzers than anyone,

Joe Moravsky, racing a ninja

he coached, Jay Lache Lewis.

The Behrends brothers have more energy than anyone.

Imagine how hyped they'll be when they race each other.

And Jessie Graff, still going strong at 40,

will try to outrun one of the top young stars,

Isabella Folsom.

It is going to be another fast and furious night, guys.

- And just like last week, our finalists

have been seeded and placed into groups of four.

They'll race each other round robin style--

that's three races for each competitor.

The two with the most wins in each group will move on.

And we're going to kick things off with a loaded Group 2,

which includes the number 2 seed

in these finals, Jay Lewis.

But the biggest name is the number 29 seed, Joe Moravsky.

The "Ninja" legend has more buzzers than anyone.

The father of three from Connecticut is one of the best

to ever do it.

He'll be facing Massachusetts gym owner Lucas Reale.

His "Ninja" journey began after a family tragedy.

- The first day that I actually stepped into

a "Ninja" gym

was the day that my dad passed away.

I lost my dad to suicide about nine years ago.

Came as quite of a shock to me so I wanted to make sure

that I was doing everything that I could

to bring joy to my life.

And so I think, in some senses,

I lost a huge part of my family.

But at the same time, I was able to gain

this whole new big family that I have now.

- * Oh, we still got each other *

* That's all that matters *

- "Ninja" has helped me in so many ways

to deal with the loss in my life.

Yeah.

Out of there.

Let's go.

The support system around me has been the thing

that has kept me going.

- * Back to when time moved slow *

* We still got each other *

* Oh, oh, oh *

- And he's going to deliver for his dad.

- Yeah!

In my first seasons, I was really competing for my dad

and for me.

Let's go!

Come on!

Nowadays, I'm more competing for the students that I have,

and so many of them have come out to support me.

So I can't wait to go out there and show them what I can do.

- * We still got each other *

* *

[cheers and applause]

- Come on! - He's a beloved coach--

has dozens of his students watching back in Massachusetts.

And his sideline group includes his business partner,

Matt D'Amico, who'll race next week.

Joe's wife, Stephanie, is watching from back home.

And good friend Jay Lewis,

who's the highest seed in this foursome, is on Joe's sideline.

- This is a talented group,

Both Joe and Lucas know how important it is

to get a win in this first race.

[countdown clock beeping]

Joe Moravsky is a competitor,

and you know that he can go.

But Reale is no punk.

He's like, I am not backing down.

- Oh my.

- And there it is.

- And Reale links it.

Slight edge.

Oh, Joe just jumped right past the first pole.

- He's got a lot in the tank.

Now, Lucas Reale is nine years younger.

- It's about one pole separating.

Reale slightly ahead.

Moravsky, a Salmon Ladder expert.

- Oh, boy.

- But Reale reaches the top first.

Reale first to the obstacle.

That's big if they both fall.

- Matt, this is an easy place for a mistake to happen.

- Oh, both miss! - Oh my goodness.

- And Reale misses again.

- Oh, you've got to calm yourself down.

Look how calm Joe Moravsky looks.

I mean, he's not even grimacing.

- Reale stays a little bit ahead, Akbar.

- Matt, this is going to come down to the wire here.

- Well, Joe's going to have to sell out, Akbar.

- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

- Oh, what a race.

Doesn't get any closer than this.

- You don't want to plunge.

He wants to win, but he's got more racing left in him.

- And they're even.

- Oh boy. - Who can get up--oh.

Reale down but Moravsky must finish.

He's in trouble.

Does he have anything left?

- He has to finish, and he's locked in.

both: Oh!

- Ohh.

- Dude, let's go, Joe!

- The door was open, but Moravsky can't close it.

- That was enough pressure to shut down Las Vegas.

Look at this.

- Lucas set the pace early, but Joe was flying past poles

as he tried to keep up.

It all came down to Piston Plunge.

Lucas slipped off.

That opened the door for Joe,

but he couldn't make the final grab.

Lucas got there first, so he gets the win.

- So now we move over to another star-studded foursome,

Group 6, which includes one of

the favorites, Kai Beckstrand,

and "Ninja" great Jessie Graff.

It also features the highest-seeded woman

in the finals, Isabella Folsom.

She earned that honor by finishing the semis course

a few weeks ago--

the fourth woman ever to complete

a 10-obstacle course.

And she'll be racing another fan favorite in this group,

Donovan Metoyer,

the 10-year "Ninja" veteran

who always dresses for success.

- In the "Ninja" world, I'm known as the Classy Ninja.

- The only Ninja who runs in a three-piece suit.

- It was my very first season.

I was like, OK, there's a lot of guys that go out here

on the course, where they take their shirts off

and they grunt like Neanderthals.

- [grunts]

- [yells]

- I was like, I need to bring some style

and dignity to the course.

So that's where I came up with the Classy Ninja idea.

The suit idea just came from me growing up

watching James Bond.

I was like, if James Bond can save the world in a suit,

why can't I do it on a "Ninja" course?

- Oh, he did a 360.

- I'm, like, infiltrating a secret facility,

and my mission is to get to a buzzer.

[dramatic music]

- Yeah, Donovan!

- Lots of friends here to support Donovan.

- Whoo. I'm ready.

- And Isabella's group includes her husband, Sam,

who will run later, and her mom, J.

Isabella is having a monster year, but she has not done well

in races in the past--

lost to lower seeds in the semis the last two seasons.

[countdown clock beeping]

- When a ninja goes racing in a suit, they mean business.

- Metoyer with the early lead.

- He doesn't have a jacket on.

That's the biggest sign of respect I've seen for Isabella.

- Oh!

He's down.

- Oh my goodness.

- Folsom just needs to finish the obstacle.

- Oh.

Oh, wow.

- Well, keep in mind, this is not an upset.

She's the higher seed, Akbar.

And Donovan Metoyer, the Classy Ninja, felled by the speed.

- Wow. [cheers and applause]

- So Isabella Folsom gets the W.

- Let's go!

- And she's going to keep going,

get experience on these obstacles.

- Well, Matt, let's go take a look at this one.

You can see, Donovan was trying to push the pace.

And he tried to go from the back of the second frame

all the way to the third.

That's about 10 feet.

And he came up short.

- Isabella finishing up Pole Grasper.

And what a huge win for her.

- Just like the women did last week,

Isabella played it smart--

and she didn't rush at the start.

- Isabella's still got two more races to go,

but she just took a big step forward with this victory.

Struggling a little bit with the Salmon Ladder,

but she can take her time.

Now reaches the top.

- Getting some tips from her husband, Sam,

as she takes on Floating Monkey Bars.

- Oh!

- Folsom is down.

Doesn't make it to the buzzer,

but she does get an important win to go 1 and 0.

Donovan is now 0 and 1.

And he'll face Kai Beckstrand in his next race.

Tonight, it's more nonstop action

on our all-racing National Final.

- No! - Ah! Ah! No!

- We'll see some of "Ninja's" biggest stars,

battling to keep their season alive.

And all through the finals, we're counting down

"Ninja's" memorable moments.

- Whoa. What?

- We've got five more of them tonight.

Plus--

- You never know who's going to show up at the National Finals.

Kacy Catanzaro is in the house, and she is coming up

on "American Ninja Warrior."

[cheers and applause]

- Minutes ago, Group 2 finished up their first round

of races.

This matchup saw college student Jay Lache Lewis

taking on New Jersey science teacher Rachel Degutz.

Lewis showed why he's the number 2 seed in the finals,

jumping out to an early lead over Degutz, the 59 seed.

- That was a big lache for Jay Lache.

- The University of Central Florida student

is back healthy this year after injuries

and looks like a contender to win it all.

- His training looks like it's paying off.

- He breezed to a buzzer to go 1 and 0.

[buzzer blares]

Degutz battled to the Floating Monkey Bars.

- Oh!

- She falls to 0 and 1.

Now we're going to go back to Group 6

for their next round 1 race.

And this one features two of "Ninja's" best.

Utah firefighter Kai Beckstrand has been dominant this season,

and he's a top contender to be our new champion.

He'll be facing one of the all-time greats,

stuntwoman Jessie Graff, who, at 40 years old,

is still running with the best.

Remember, she got a buzzer in qualifying,

the second straight year she's done it.

[cheers and applause]

Jessie's mom, who's a history-making Ninja

in her own right, will be watching from North Carolina.

- Love you.

- Jessie's got a tough draw.

She's facing one of the fastest ninjas on the planet

in Kai Beckstrand.

He comes from that talented Utah ninja family

that's produced five competitors, including

his little brother Luke, who won his group last week.

- Yeah, Kai! Let's go!

- The odds are against Jessie.

But remember, last week, Zhanique Lovett

was the 60th seed, and she beat the top seed,

Max Agermor.

So you never know.

[countdown clock beeping]

Matt, both these ninjas are ripped up.

And I expect them to rip up this course.

- We know Kai can fly, but Jessie has done

so much in this sport.

And both these athletes clearly in peak physical shape.

- Hey, remember, she's the veteran here.

She's been doing this for 11 seasons.

This is only Kai's fourth year.

- And Kai... - Nice.

He is trucking.

- Lot of separation on Pole Grasper we've seen.

But here comes Jessie.

Just keep-- oh, look at that, Akbar.

- Wow.

- Go, Jessie.

- Well, she's two obstacles behind,

but anything can happen.

- And, Matt, I think Kai might be going for the fastest time

as well.

- Remember, your finish time determines

your seeding in the next round, so it pays to go fast.

And it's good to get experience on these obstacles

for the next two races.

- Kai Beckstrand out here looking like Ivan Drago

from "Rocky."

- And he's gonna finish it

and get his first buzzer of the finals.

And gets it in just under a minute.

Jessie knew she probably couldn't outrun Kai,

so she's using this run to get some practice

on these obstacles too.

- Let's look at Kai's run.

It was almost flawless.

He looked as strong as anyone we've seen.

And the scary thing is, he's only going to get faster.

Jessie Graff's 21 years older than Kai

but still battling through this course.

- She's just showing everyone here,

like, don't you sleep on me.

I might not have beat Kai Beckstrand,

but I got something in me.

- Long fall-- and she's got it.

- A risky maneuver there.

[laughs]

- Whoo!

- Let's go, Jessie.

- Well, Jessie said she's just going to have fun

and run her own race,

but I don't mind that strategy.

- Jessie looks at every obstacle as a challenge,

so it's going to be important for her

to complete this course.

- She's the oldest woman in this year's finals,

still a trailblazer.

Got a buzzer in qualifying earlier this season.

- Oh no.

- Jessie makes it to the final obstacle but runs out of steam.

She's now 0 and 1.

And Kai Beckstrand is 1 and 0.

During the National Finals, we're counting down

memorable moments.

And one of them comes from season 14

in our Women's Championship.

That night, rookie Katie Bone, a type 1 diabetic

who wears an insulin pump while she competes,

pulled off what seemed impossible

on the challenging stage two course.

Katie Bone fighting through it.

- Oh my goodness.

- And she's done it.

- The rookie was the only competitor that night

to reach the final obstacle, Falling Shelves,

which only one other woman had ever conquered.

This last one is the toughest.

It's a blind grab.

We've seen so many ninjas fall right here.

- Oh. - Yes.

16-year-old Katie Bone makes history.

[buzzer blares]

That's incredible.

And the crowd-- look at this.

- They're going nuts.

Everybody's rushing her.

- Katie went on to win the Women's Championship that year

at just 16 years old.

Katie Bone's teen dream is number 15

on our memorable moments countdown.

Katie Bone and many others were inspired to try

"Ninja" by Kacy Catanzaro.

- Oh! - She's done it!

Kacy's history-making runs a decade ago changed the sport.

History has been made!

And now, Kacy is back.

She joins us in the booth coming up

on "American Ninja Warrior."

* *

- Minutes ago, we kicked off the first round

of races for Group 8, which features a superhero,

a Jersey girl, and two brothers.

The first race from this group pitted

15-time veteran Jamie Rahn against

15-year-old Jason Behrends.

With his rowdy Iowa ninja family cheering him on,

Jason, the night's smallest competitor, at 4'11",

kept it close against Captain NBC.

- Wow. Look at that.

He is not afraid.

- Both had trouble on Floating Monkey Bars.

- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

- Rahn made it through, but Behrends did not.

- Jason is struggling right now.

Matt, he's in trouble.

- So Rahn could cruise to a buzzer,

the 21st of his career.

[buzzer blares]

Then it was Jason's older brother,

18-year-old Ben, facing off against

New Jersey gym owner Abby Clark.

- This is "Ninja" chaos at its best.

- Behrends is the highest seed in this group,

but Clark, the former college track athlete,

kept it close early.

- Abby already putting on the pressure.

- Over the final obstacles, the Iowa high schooler

was able to pull ahead.

- Ben is locked in.

- And The Hype Guy got the win.

[buzzer blares]

[cheers and applause]

- Though she lost, Clark looked strong

and finished the course.

[buzzer blares]

So after the first races, Ben and Jamie Rahn

are 1 and 0, sitting at the top of this group.

And now it's time for those round 2 races

for this foursome, and those winners will face each other.

Ben Behrends will have his energetic family

screaming for him.

And Jamie Rahn will be cheered on by his Captain NBC crew.

His wife and son are watching from home.

- Say, hi, Daddy.

- And on the sideline, it's Daniel Gil's daughter

Isla in her superhero onesie.

- Aw.

Look at that.

- It's showtime now.

Ben is the highest seed in this group,

and he's 18 years younger than Jamie.

[countdown clock beeping]

- The winner of this group will go to 2 and 0

and be in great position to move on.

The loser will have more work to do.

Jamie Rahn once considered one of the fastest out here.

And look at him.

- Oh, a nice little lead switch.

And another lead switch.

- Behrends first on the dismount,

first onto the Pole Grasper.

- Matt, I anticipate this to be a back-and-forth situation,

but now Ben Behrends pulling away.

- Well, Jamie Rahn-- 7-inch height advantage

but also carrying an extra 35 pounds.

- Matt, he got caught up in the Pole Grasper.

He's trying to grasp the technique to get through.

- Well, Ben Behrends defeated Abby Clark.

He's now a full obstacle ahead of Jamie Rahn.

- And, Matt, this is the perfect obstacle

that you want to be able to get ahead on

so you don't rush through.

Rushing through Floating Monkey Bars can put you in trouble.

- Well, those are some long reaches for Ben Behrends,

but no problem.

And he's already on to Piston Plunge.

- Oh, yeah.

Jamie Rahn has to hope for a fall,

but it doesn't look like it's about to happen.

[buzzer blares]

- Ben Behrends,

he goes to 2 and 0.

[cheers and applause]

- Well, he gives him a thumbs-up, like, you got me.

You got me, young fella.

- Jamie's going to try and finish.

- The race was decided back on Pole Grasper.

Ben, despite being just 5'3", was super-efficient.

Jamie got hung up and fell behind,

and he could never recover after that.

- Jamie is going to finish.

He makes it through.

So Ben Behrends takes control of this group.

And Jamie Rahn's got a critical third race coming up.

It was another buzzer from Jamie

that lands in our memorable moments countdown.

In season 10, Jamie was running on stage 1

when he had a footwear malfunction.

- Oh, he lost a shoe.

Oh, boy.

I don't know how he's going to survive this one.

- But it didn't stop Captain NBC.

He took off one sock and conquered

the next two obstacles.

- Ooh.

How is he able to do this?

God gave you feet. Use them.

- Then went completely barefoot.

- Yeah, take it off then.

That's what I'm talking about.

- With the clock ticking, Rahn ran through

the final obstacles, including the Warped Wall,

with no shoes.

- Jamie Rahn can do it.

He doesn't need shoes.

He's a superhero.

- Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go.

- He somehow reached the buzzer

with just seconds to spare.

No shoes, no shirt, no problem.

Even he couldn't believe it.

- I didn't know it was possible.

- Jamie Rahn's improbable run is number 14 on our countdown.

Well, any mention of memorable moments

has to include the woman who's joining us now.

Kacy Catanzaro.

Season 17, but it was season 6, Kacy,

your run that, really, I think, changed

everything for this show.

As you look back, what are your thoughts on being

such a big part of it?

- It's an honor to, you know, have

been such a big part of this growing to what it is now.

They are so fast.

The obstacles are even bigger than I remember.

It's incredible.

- Now, let's go back to that special night in Dallas.

What do you remember most about that night?

- Honestly, I remember standing

at the top of the Warped Wall,

pointing at you guys, looking back at the course,

looking at you guys, and, like, jumping up and down,

and then being like, OK, don't tumble off of the wall

now that I've done this.

How excited you guys were for me was such a big part

of my memory.

- And then a few weeks later,

you went even further, became the first woman

to finish a semifinals course.

Those runs went viral and really helped "Ninja"

become a global phenomenon.

- It's crazy.

I still have people being like, I remember your run,

or like, my daughter remembers your run

when she was a little girl.

And it's cool because it's nice to know

that people still remember it.

- People still remember it, but so many athletes

are out here because of you.

And that includes some of the women who are about to race.

Isabella Folsom, who was only nine years old

back then but is now 20 and one of our top competitors,

she'll be racing a "Ninja" legend,

Jessie Graff, who, like you, Kacy,

has inspired so many young women.

Isabella's the top-seeded woman in the finals.

And she won her first race over Donovan Metoyer.

Jessie Graff lost her first race

to the speedy Kai Beckstrand.

- Two amazing women.

I'm, like, getting all giddy and excited.

I cannot wait to see this.

- And you went through two of these obstacles, I believe.

Swinging Frames and Pole Grasper.

- I remember it well.

I remember those two obstacles from my run in Dallas.

But I'm telling you, as I'm looking at them now,

they are bigger than I remember.

I feel like in the moment, they were huge.

But as I'm staring at them right now,

it is even more wild than I remember.

- Let's get this race started.

Jessie Graff versus Isabella Folsom.

[countdown clock beeping]

- I know we're in Vegas.

Any early prediction on who you think

is going to win this race?

- Oh, it's so hard to say. - Come on.

Don't put that on Kacy.

- It's so hard to say.

- You're going to make her do a heel turn here.

- This is so scary to me because they're

right next to you.

Like, you see them gaining on you, or they're ahead of you.

It's so strategically different now.

- Now we've got a lead switch.

- You could be ahead one second,

and the next, it's gone.

- Before last week, you were the only woman

ever to conquer Swinging Frames and Pole Grasper.

And now these talented women are just crushing it.

- It is crazy to see. - And Kacy, I gotta ask,

I mean, when you're racing, do you look at the other person?

- It's hard not to keep an eye on them.

You have to.

It's part of the strategy, too, you know?

Know when you need a second to recover,

but it can't be too long, because they're

right on your tail. - Yeah, right.

- It's scary.

- And Folsom off first.

She's got the edge.

- Wow.

- But here comes Jessie.

- Let's see. She's right there.

- Now, into this combo of Salmon Ladder

and Floating Monkey Bars.

Folsom up first.

Graff waiting a moment.

- Right from the Pole Grasper, I mean,

your grip has got to be already on fire.

And now you have these, technically,

two obstacles right in a row that are all grip.

- And, Kacy, that's a great point.

When you start to get pumpy, how do you even block that out

when you're competing? - Well, that's the thing.

It's part of the strategy, too.

It's so hard to decide--

- Oh no.

- --when you're waiting too long

and you have to get ahead or when

your body's just not ready.

And we test that limit all the time.

Oof.

- And here comes Jessie.

- There's no stopping her.

She's coming.

- And Isabella is spending a long time up there,

trying to be precise.

- This is a tough one.

She's got two hands on that one.

- Yeah, she's-- - Can she get it?

Oh my gosh.

- And she's trying to stop the peel back

because with one hand, if she reaches out,

it puts a lot of pressure on that back hand.

- And that'll slip right out.

- She fell here on her last race but still got the win.

And here comes Jessie.

- And Jessie is methodic-- she took the right break.

- She's coming.

- But Isabella Folsom off first again.

That's big.

Puts the pressure back on Graff.

- She's right there.

Come on.

- Oh, here comes Jessie.

- She's going to skip the last one.

- Oh. - Nice.

- Wow.

- What a race, these two!

[cheers and applause]

- In this moment, I think you have

to just focus on yourself and just the very

next obstacle in front of you.

- All right, Piston Plunge.

Just don't do the last part of that and plunge.

- Jessie Graff.

She has never stopped.

- She's still out here.

- And she's still incredible.

- Jessie's got to pass Isabella here or hope for her to fall.

- Oh my gosh.

This is it. This is it.

- Got it.

- Oh, she's on the back end of that.

- Can Isabella get the dismount?

- Oh my gosh. They're so close.

- Yes.

- Oh. [buzzer blares]

- Wow.

- As Jessie goes down.

- Wow.

- She made it close, but it's Isabella

who comes away with the win.

These two women conquered Swinging Frames

and Pole Grasper, just like Kacy did 11 years ago.

And they battled to the final obstacle.

Isabella made the grab to go 2 and 0.

Jessie didn't. She's now 0 and 2.

- Isabella, it was amazing to see you race

for the first time in person.

Jessie, as always, a huge inspiration to me

and everybody else.

You guys were absolutely amazing.

You should both be so proud.

And, Isabella, congratulations.

- Thank you.

- We love you, Kacy.

- I love you guys.

- This is so cool right here.

- Absolutely crushing it.

[cheers and applause]

- Kacy, it's been so great having you.

You are a "Ninja" superstar but also a wrestling superstar.

For those who don't know, Kacy wrestles professionally now.

You can catch her and all your WWE favorites on Peacock.

Enjoy exclusive live access to every pay per view,

plus, stream epic WWE moments,

original series, groundbreaking documentaries, and more.

Coming up, they're two of "Ninja's"

smallest competitors.

[cheers and applause]

But they've got two of the biggest voices.

- Let's go!

- Let's go!

- Now the Behrends brothers, Ben and Jason,

have to race each other

when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.

- Moments ago, it was another race from Group 6 with

the Classy Ninja, vest and tie-wearing Donovan Metoyer,

facing a shirtless Kai Beckstrand.

- Well, Matt, this is racing.

There is no dress code.

Business, casual, it doesn't matter.

- Beckstrand, the Utah firefighter,

came out hot as usual and set a pace Metoyer,

who's almost 20 years older, couldn't match.

- Oh, just like that.

- Even with a slight bobble on the Floating Monkey Bars,

Beckstrand still put up his second straight finish

under a minute. - Wow.

- Though he finished the course,

Metoyer falls to 0 and 2.

Then it was a race from Group 8,

with Abby Clark taking on the younger

Behrends brother, Jason.

Both lost their first matchups and desperately needed a win.

- There's the separation there by Jason.

- Despite being only 4'11," Behrends was able to handle

Pole Grasper with ease.

But Floating Monkey Bars was a challenge.

- This is when he's got to extend himself,

just like that.

- Abby closed the gap,

and both were on the final obstacle,

but Behrends dismounted first.

- He's got the shot to get that first W.

- Let's go!

- Clark finished the course for the second time

but falls to 0 and 2.

Jason's now 1 and 1.

So as we head into round 3 for this group,

there's a lot riding on these final races,

especially this first one.

For more, let's go down to Zuri.

- Talk about family drama.

15-year-old Jason Behrends is about to race his big brother,

Ben Behrends.

And he'll have to do it with his season on the line.

If Jason wins, he's likely to move on,

a loss and he's likely to go home.

But no matter what happens, the Behrends brothers

are going to be hyped. - Let's go!

- No quit in this young man.

And Ben delivers.

- Let's go!

Yeah!

You know, it's super cool to be the youngest

Behrends competing.

- Move over, bro.

There's a new Behrends in town.

- Oh, come on, J. Come on, J.

- Ah.

- Me and Ben are pretty competitive.

Basically, everything we do in our lives

are competition against each other,

whether that's wrestling in the living room

or sports in the backyard.

Just everything's a competition for us.

- Bang!

Catch that.

- You know, I got to be honest.

I've still got to beat my brother--

show him what's up.

That's a win.

- Time to show Ben that little bro isn't little anymore.

- Oh, that was close.

- Get smoked.

- I don't know.

- It's Behrends--

- --versus Behrends.

- Nice!

- Boom!

- May the best bro win.

- It's going to be me.

- Go, boys.

Go, boys.

- The Behrends family always so supportive of their boys.

And with two of them racing,

they're going to be loud and proud.

Ben's 2 and 0 and already in good position to move on.

But you know he wants to beat his little brother.

Jason, on the other hand, needs a win badly.

[countdown clock beeping]

- You're small, but you play big.

And you're about to play big against your big brother.

- Biggie Smalls against The Hype Guy.

Little early edge for Ben.

- And, Matt, the truth is his biggest competition

isn't his big brother.

It's going to be any limits he has for himself.

- Well, Ben can sell out a little more.

He's 2 and 0.

He's got a cushion.

Jason cannot fall, particularly when he's behind.

Only 4'11" so he's got to work a little harder.

And Ben has got about a full obstacle lead.

- But don't count Jason out yet.

95 pounds, he can fly up the Salmon Ladder.

- Jason closing it.

- Nice.

- At this point, he may need Ben to blink.

He may need a fall.

But here comes Jason, Akbar.

- Jason's right there.

He's on the front end of the Floating Monkey Bars.

And Ben is on the back end.

And now he's off.

- Well, when you're behind, you can sell out.

And Jason needs to sell out.

He cannot lose.

And Ben--

- Ben is moving.

Ben is saying, I'm the big bro.

- Oh, good transfer.

- Nice.

- And he's going to finish in just over a minute.

Ben Behrends gets his third win,

but this one's got to be special.

If he'd lost to his little brother,

he'd never live it down.

- Let's go, buddy.

- Jason still put up a good fight against his brother.

He's going to finish the course.

Nothing to be ashamed of with that one.

[cheers and applause]

Well, boys, a great race.

- Yeah, that's got to be an iconic moment

for the both of you guys.

But what a great example you are as a big brother.

- Thank you, man. - Well, you crushed it.

You went 3 and 0.

And, Jason, credit to you, 50 seconds faster

than your last time - Oh my goodness, dude.

Dude, what?

- Ben, you're moving on.

Jason, you have to wait and see if your time holds up.

Congratulations, guys.

[buzzer blares]

- And Jason does still have a chance to move on,

but he'll need some help in this next race.

This one pits Captain NBC, Jamie Rahn,

against New Jersey's Abby Clark.

If Jamie can defeat Abby Clark, he moves on.

If he loses, we'll have a three-way tie

between Jamie, Abby, and Jason Behrends at 1 and 2,

and it would come down to who had the fastest finish.

Right now, that's Jason Behrends at 1:19.

Abby would need to beat that to move on.

That's a tall order, but she's finished the course

in her first two races.

[countdown clock beeping]

She was a track athlete in college.

She likes racing.

- And a good start for Abby Clark.

- And can you imagine?

She's got an opportunity.

Boy, if there's one mistake by Jamie Rahn--

- Jamie links a couple moves.

The Captain just needs to get a win.

Doesn't matter how fast he goes, so he can pace himself.

- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

- And Jamie's sliding.

He's in trouble.

- Uh-oh.

- He's known for his grip strength--

can tear a deck of cards in half.

But here comes Abby Clark.

- Hey, Abby's not messing around, Matt.

And now they're side by side.

- As we've said, she's finished the course

in both her earlier races,

so don't underestimate her.

She is pushing Jamie Rahn to the limit.

- She really is, and he's feeling it.

- Jamie barely off first.

Jamie Rahn's looking gassed.

And, Akbar, this is the third race of the night.

It adds up.

- And Jamie the first to start Salmon Ladder.

- You start to really feel it.

- 16th obstacle of the evening.

It adds up.

Abby's not going to be able to beat the finish

time of Jason Behrends.

She can now only play spoiler, but if she gets a win,

it does allows Jason Behrends to move on.

- Jason Behrends is sitting back going,

oh, boy, there might be a chance.

- Abby's going to need to make up some ground.

Jamie's got a comfortable lead, but he looks tired.

[cheers and applause]

- Uh-oh.

- Oh.

- Nice placement.

- Still alive.

Wow.

Well, Jason Behrends, he's going to be putting Abby Clark

on a Christmas card list. - [laughs]

- Because she is making Jamie Rahn work for that final spot

from this group.

- This is what we talked about-- his grip strength.

He is known for that grip strength.

But doesn't mean he's immune to feeling that pump.

- I think that's why he was waiting, Akbar.

He wanted to give those arms a chance to recuperate.

Here it is, this big throw to that steering wheel

is what we're calling it.

- He's got to get to the middle of the steering wheel.

He's got to get up and over. - Oh.

- No.

No.

- The door is open.

- Oh, wait a minute.

- If Abby Clark finishes, she'll defeat Jamie Rahn,

and Jason Behrends will advance.

- Wow.

Stop the presses.

- Can she get that steering wheel?

Oh.

Abby does it.

[buzzer blares] - Wow.

[cheers and applause]

What a major turn of events.

- Abby Clark won't move on,

but she finished all three of her races in the finals.

The only other woman to do that was Taylor Greene.

So three ninjas from this group end up 1 and 2,

but because Jason had the fastest finish, he moves on.

He'll join big brother Ben in the next round.

What a night it's been for the Behrends.

And we've got a treat for you, presented by the Wells Fargo

Active Cash Credit Card, bringing you unlimited access

with a special look at the Behrends

family's emotional sidelines.

- Let's go, Ben and Jason.

- It's been quite a roller coaster for this group--

nerves, disappointment,

excitement,

and elation.

All the feels for the Behrends clan tonight.

- I love watching that family.

- Coming up, Joe Moravsky taught Jay Lewis

when he was just a little kid.

Now Jay's a top contender,

and Joe's going to have to outrace him.

- Now I'm racing him for my legacy.

- Their matchup is coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to Las Vegas and our new

all-racing National Finals.

Minutes ago, it was the second round

of races for Group 2 with Jay "Lache" Lewis

taking on Lucas Reale.

Both won their first matchups.

And this contest was tight from the very start.

- These two are going to really push it.

Oh boy.

- Lewis, the college student from Florida,

is the number 2 overall seed in the Finals.

But Reale, the Massachusetts gym owner,

kept it close until Floating Monkey Bars,

when Lewis surged ahead and Reale had a miss.

- Oh.

- And Jay Lache could coast to another win.

He's now 2 and 0.

[cheers and applause]

Reale 1 and 1.

Then it was the other two in this group,

Joe Moravsky and Rachel Degutz.

Both of these two lost their first races

and desperately needed a win.

- Joe Moravsky wants to feel that buzzer.

- Moravsky, who has more buzzers than any ninja

in history, got out to a comfortable lead

and then played it safe to avoid a mistake.

Degutz fell on Floating Monkey Bars.

- Oh.

- And Moravsky could coast to his first win in these finals.

It's the 36th buzzer in his legendary "Ninja" career.

So Jay Lewis is in control of this group,

with Joe and Lucas Reale fighting for second place.

A lot to be decided as we head to round 3 races.

Zuri, get them started.

- Guys, it's another marquee matchup.

Joe Moravsky coached Jay "Lache" Lewis.

These two have a lot of history together.

And this run has huge implications.

If Joe doesn't win, his season is likely over.

[upbeat music]

- I first met Joe Moravsky back in 2016.

- Ohh.

- I was 12 years old, probably like 70 pounds.

He was one of my heroes that I'd seen on the show.

* *

- I started coaching Jay when he was down here somewhere.

* *

He has grown into one heck of a ninja.

- Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go.

Nice. Yes.

- And now I'm racing him for my legacy.

- I definitely still consider Joe a "Ninja" hero to me.

I've been able to see firsthand how hard he trains

and, you know, the sacrifices that he has

to make in order to do that.

- I would say I have the upper hand here,

just because of my experience, because I

beat him on the course before.

- Moravsky just relying on that veteran experience.

Oh my goodness.

- Let's go!

- And the teacher holds off the student.

- Joe has almost three times as many buzzers as me,

and I know he's hungry for more.

- Joe Moravsky, the Weatherman delivers.

- That's how we do it!

It's just going to come down to who

does it best in the moment.

So we'll see what happens, but I'm excited.

- Going to be bittersweet for Jay,

could be ending the season of his mentor.

- Let's go, Jay.

- And as always, Joe's family will be watching

from back in Connecticut.

- The Weatherman beat Jay in a Power Tower race,

but that was four years ago.

And he's had another kid since then.

It's been tougher for him to train these days.

[countdown clock beeping]

Joe Moravsky has been the poster child for consistency,

but now let's see if he can turn it up at 35 years old

and show that he still has a lot of speed in him.

- 6-inch height advantage, carrying an extra 45 pounds.

It is dead even, Akbar.

- But look at Jay Lewis on the poles.

- The lighter athletes have a big advantage on Pole Grasper.

Lache pulls away.

- My goodness.

- And that's got to be frustrating for Moravsky.

- Yeah, he's struggling on Pole Grasper.

- Well, he can sell out now, Akbar.

- He's fighting to keep his season alive.

- And Lache is just lacheing through.

- And Joe Moravsky is down. - Oh, no.

- He needed a miracle run, and he didn't get it.

Jay "Lache" Lewis gets the win.

And he's going to make it to the buzzer

in a sizzling 46 seconds.

Jay is moving on.

And with that speed, he's going to have a very

high seed in the next round.

He could win it all.

- These two were side by side until Pole Grasper.

Jay went flying through it,

and Joe got hung up, lost time,

then tried to rush to catch up and slipped off the cradle,

likely ending his season.

- I hate meeting you here--

- Yeah, it's not fun.

- --on this side of it.

I'm so sorry.

Was the plan just to go all out,

leave nothing on the table?

- I mean, yeah.

It's tough.

This is tough stuff.

And I think the hardest part is, you know, letting out

the secret I've kept in all season,

in that this is my last season.

- Wait.

Joe, are you serious? - Yeah.

I'm not going to call it retirement,

because I think I'm too much of a competitor to just say that.

- OK. Wait.

OK, so this is a definite plot twist.

I did not see this coming.

- It's just hard.

You know, I want to be with my family, you know?

I want to bring--

I want to be the one to bring my daughter

to gymnastics at night.

You know, I want to be there for my son.

I want to see him get on the "Ninja" course.

- Yeah.

You know we love you.

You've always got a place here with the family

at "Ninja Warrior," but you've also got

that beautiful family at home.

So I'm excited that that's the reason why.

OK. - Thank you.

- We love you, man.

Great job this season, always an honor talking to you.

- Love you guys. Thank you so much.

- Guys, back to you.

- A momentous moment as Joe Moravsky,

the most successful ninja of all time, calls it quits.

- That one's going to hurt for sure.

I still have to process that.

12-time national finalist, incredible.

- Our Last Ninja Standing, twice more buzzers

than anyone else.

And I shouldn't say he calls it quits.

He's not coming back next year.

But there is a slight chance he could continue

if Lucas Reale loses his final race.

- We'll have to wait and see what the forecast

holds for the Weatherman.

And more ninja stars are coming up

on "American Ninja Warrior's" National Finals.

- Welcome back to the Finals.

We're in round 3 of our races.

And the fate of Group 6 was decided minutes ago.

"Ninja" legend Jessie Graff at 40

and the Classy Ninja Donovan Metoyer at 37

are two of the oldest to reach the finals this year.

- All right, here we go.

- Their only chance to move on was to become the fastest

third-place finisher by beating RJ Roman's time

from last week of 54 seconds.

- Classy Ninja is not messing around.

- Metoyer gave it everything he had,

scrambling to the finish,

but coming up a few seconds short.

And though she didn't win, Jessie could still celebrate

finishing the course.

Both she and Donovan are now eliminated

from the competition.

The other two from that group, Kai Beckstrand

and Isabella Folsom, were both 2 and 0

and guaranteed to move on.

So they could go all out to get fast times

and improve their seeds for the next round.

- Whoa. She missed it.

- But Isabella went down early.

So Kai had the course to himself.

He already had the fastest time of the night.

- Two moves.

He's got to go.

- So he could aim for Isaiah Thomas's top time

on this course from last week.

- He's got it.

[cheers and applause]

- He gets the fastest time by less than a tenth of a second

and goes to 3 and 0.

He and Isabella move on from their group,

and Kai will be a top seed in the next round.

Well, we've got one more round 3 race,

and it will decide who moves forward from Group 2.

Lucas Reale is looking to punch his ticket to the next round.

But he'll need to beat New Jersey

science teacher Rachel Degutz, the 59 seed

who is winless so far.

Watching closely will be Joe Moravsky,

who just announced his retirement.

But if Degutz can pull off an upset,

Joe would still be alive in the competition.

- Oh, in Joe's mind, he's already riding off

into the sunset.

You've still got a chance, Joe.

- Jay Lache has secured his spot in the next round.

And if Lucas wins, he'll get the second spot for this group.

But if he loses, we'd have three Ninjas tied at 1 and 2,

and the fastest finisher would move on.

- Let's go.

- Lucas has his students watching back in Massachusetts

and a big group on the sideline

ready to cheer him on to victory.

And Rachel's got her boyfriend and friends cheering for her.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Degutz is the second lowest seed in the Finals,

but she's a gamer.

- Reale starting to get a little edge.

Big lache there.

Extra swing.

- Look at Degutz. She on him, though.

She's on his tail.

- Well, Lucas Reale, it's not about speed.

It's just about a win.

Survive the obstacles, stay ahead of Degutz,

and your season continues.

Wow.

Great job on Pole Grasper.

[cheers and applause]

We see it, Akbar.

Sometimes when you get a big lead, you overthink things.

Mistakes happen.

- Degutz starts Pole Grasper.

- This is his third race.

And of course, fatigue is also a factor.

- He beat Moravsky.

They both fell on Piston Plunge, lost to Jay Lache.

- He's struggling here on Floating Monkey Bars.

- Well, he fell here before.

- Yeah, that was in that first race.

You don't want to be a repeat offender.

- Oh!

- And Lucas Reale is down,

which means Joe Moravsky is still alive.

But it's now up to Rachel Degutz.

If she gets past Floating Monkey Bars, she wins the race,

and Joe would move on.

- Joe knows his season, nay, his entire future

at "Ninja Warrior" in the hands of Rachel Degutz.

- What a turn of events.

She can't move on, but she can play spoiler.

And it would be huge.

Lucas Reale has got to be sick.

Looked for sure like he was moving on.

- He just couldn't land the bar cleanly in the cradle

on Floating Monkey Bars.

He fell twice on this obstacle.

- Well, Degutz has to get up the Salmon Ladder,

get through the Floating Monkey Bars.

And if she does that,

Joe Moravsky moves on by the skin

of his teeth, backdooring in.

But sometimes, Akbar, you need a little luck.

- Hold up, Matt, she hasn't made it past Floating Monkey

Bars so far tonight.

- Now, if she falls, Lucas Reale gets the win,

and he moves on.

Joe Moravsky's future in the hands

of this 26-year-old teacher from East Brunswick,

New Jersey.

- It's going to be interesting to see

if she gets through this.

- She's got to get to the landing platform.

One more move.

A big throw here.

This is a long dismount.

- Oh.

- She did it.

She did it.

Joe Moravsky is out of retirement.

But it's a heartbreaking end for Lucas Reale.

- Wow. - What?

- Wow.

- What?

- Unbelievable.

- Yeah, baby.

- This is why you run the races.

You never know what's going to happen.

- And credit to the Jersey girls.

Abby Clark and Rachel Degutz both pulled off

upsets against higher seeds,

knocking out Jamie and Lucas.

We love this new format.

- It ain't over until it's over.

- Well, how about this?

This would be insane.

What a run by Rachel Degutz.

- Come on.

- Her season comes to an end, but what a high note.

- [screams]

I did it!

Whoo!

[uplifting music]

I did it!

- Congratulations.

Rachel, I don't even know if you knew everything

that happened on that run.

You just had an incredible run, and Joe Moravsky

gave a retirement speech.

You just made him take it back

because your performance means

Joe Moravsky is still alive.

- What just happened?

* *

- Yeah.

- An improbable win for Rachel Degutz.

- Whoo!

- And so she vaults her friend Joe Moravsky

into the second place spot in Group 2

after Jay Lewis.

Those two are moving on to the next round.

We'll see them in a couple weeks.

Joe Moravsky has certainly given us

many memorable moments over the years.

In his 13 seasons, the Weatherman has collected more

buzzers than any other ninja.

Twice he was the Last Ninja Standing.

[cheers and applause]

But despite his success, he'd never fulfilled

his dream of climbing stage 4.

- Got it! No.

- Oh my gosh.

- No.

- In season 16, it looked like that would finally change.

Joe just needed to complete the final obstacle on stage 3,

and he'd climb for $1 million.

- One more sign, Akbar.

- Oh, here we go.

- He's grimacing.

- Come on.

Oh.

- Son of a motherless goat!

He couldn't get any closer.

- Oh, man.

- Joe Moravsky one grab away

from getting that stage 4 climb.

- Oh my goodness.

I hurt for Joe Moravsky right now.

- Joe Moravsky's heartbreaking fall

is a moment none of us will forget.

And it lands at number 13 in our countdown.

When we come back, we're heading over to course 2,

where new obstacles await.

- Oh.

- And we've got three new groups of ninjas,

including fan favorites and favorites

to win it all,

when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.

- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior's"

National Finals.

We've now switched over to our other race course.

- On this one, the iconic Devil Steps

are the second obstacle.

- Boom. Just like that.

- That's followed by the Ring Jump at number 3.

- Oh, he airballed.

- The rest of the obstacles are the same

as our first course.

We'll see three new groups, each racing round-robin style.

So each ninja races three times.

The two competitors with the most wins in each group

move on.

Leading it off is one of our top contenders

and one of our top rookies.

Sam Folsom, the oldest in this group,

will be facing the cheddar cheese-eating 17-year-old

from Wisconsin, Evan White.

These two know each other very well.

And this race could be a nail-biter.

- I train at The Barn, Sam's gym, all the time.

He's basically been my mentor since I started

competing competitively.

- Yeah.

- He has been coming down for the past four years.

- And we're off.

Yes, sir.

- He is a consistent training partner with me and my family.

- I mean, when you race your friend,

it's always very nerve-racking,

but I think it's an advantage that I know Sam so well.

We train together so much.

We know each other's strengths and weaknesses.

- Evan and I have actually done side-by-side training.

And there's times when I beat him, or he beats me.

So I know that this race is going to be close.

- Evan's known for those huge forearms.

He's had a strong first season, got a buzzer in qualifying.

His mom's leading his sideline.

Evan's the 45 seed.

He'll be an underdog to Sam, who's the 16 seed.

His wife, Isabella, punched her ticket to the next round

earlier tonight.

Sam nearly won it all last season,

definitely has the edge in experience.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Well, these two are really going to push each other,

these young ninjas.

This is what they do.

- They'll give us our first look

tonight at these Devil Steps.

- The Devil Steps, we've seen some big moves

on the transition up top.

- Devil Steps, it will really drain your upper-body strength

as you're moving through.

- Wow.

- But look at Folsom crushing it.

- But Evan White not far behind.

- As they take on Ring Jump.

- Well, these two really pushing each other.

- And this is where Evan might be able to catch up.

He's got that amazing grip strength.

- Well, you see Folsom doing the big moves,

but there, now Evan emulating him, and Evan pulls ahead.

Evan the first off.

And that's big heading into the Salmon Ladder.

- Evan getting right into it.

- Skipping rungs.

- And look at this.

Evan White has the lead.

And he's the first on the Floating Monkey Bars.

And you don't want to rush it on this obstacle.

- This one requires so much precision.

- And here comes Sam.

- You don't want to rush, because if you miss,

that could pull your backswing off.

Nice.

- Evan White slightly ahead.

And that's big in the event of a dual fall.

Evan White has the deciding factor.

- And Evan's right onto Piston Plunge.

- Oh my.

Folsom can't see him, Akbar.

He's facing away from Evan.

They're right-- neck-and-neck right now.

- Can Evan make the grab?

- Got it.

- Big move off.

Oh.

- Evan White does it.

- Pulls off a big upset in round 1.

These two good friends pushed each other.

- Just a few seconds separating them, back and forth.

- But the rookie gets the win.

These friends traded the lead early,

but Evan was up first on the final obstacle,

and Sam couldn't catch him.

The 45 seed upsets the 16 seed as Evan White gets the win.

And this is a very competitive group.

Sam Folsom has put himself in a hole with that loss.

The next memorable moment in our countdown

comes from season 6.

That's when Utah's Jon Stewart, a 52-year-old father

of five who worked in construction,

gave us a run for the ages.

He conquered the Warped Wall and just kept

going, powering through the seventh obstacle

and surviving the eighth.

- Yes.

Yes.

Unbelievable.

- No one that night had gotten past the ninth obstacle,

Doorknob Arch, until Stewart did.

- He's done it.

Wow.

- And he pulled off the improbable, making

it all the way to the buzzer.

- Jon Stewart, are you kidding me?

- At 52, he became the oldest ninja

to finish a 10-obstacle course,

a record that still stands.

- Thank you, "American Ninja Warrior."

- His history-making run is number 12 on our countdown.

Up next, for 10 years, Daniel Gil's been racking up buzzers.

But he's also been racking up books.

- I am so grateful to be an author.

It's been received so well all across the world.

- That story's coming up

when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.

- Moments ago, the two other ninjas from group 15

hit the course for their first race.

It was 17-year-old Hans Hertz from Colorado going

against the 15-year-old wakeboarder from Florida,

Bray Weinacker.

Weinacker is the tallest athlete

in the finals at 6'4".

And it looked like that would give him an edge early.

- Bray could have an advantage here.

Nice.

- But Hans Hertz came back.

- Boy, that was a megahertz move right there.

- Hertz built up a lead, while Weinacker struggled

on Floating Monkey Bars.

- Oh, he's having a hard time.

Oh.

- So Hertz got the win and closed it out with a buzzer.

[buzzer blares]

Then it was the start of action for group 13

over on course 1.

First up was the Cake Ninja, Florida's David

Bergstrom-Wright, facing 33-year-old

photographer Alex Nye.

Bergstrom-Wright is the top seed in this group,

but he got a bad start and fell behind early

to Nye-- but not for long.

- Oh. Oh!

- Nye completely whiffed on Swinging Frames.

So the Cake Ninja got the win, and he ran unopposed

all the way to the buzzer.

[cheers and applause]

Then the other two ninjas in this group

faced off, with Virginia chicken

farmer Colt Elder facing Houston

ice sculptor Grant Kiningham.

Colt the Bolt, the 16-year-old rookie,

jumped out to an early lead on the first

two obstacles but started losing his grip on the third.

- Oh, no.

Got too low.

- Kiningham still had to finish the obstacle

to get the win, which he did.

And the three-time "Ninja" vet kept

going, in search of a buzzer.

And though he fell on Floating Monkey Bars--

- Boom. Splash.

- --he goes to 1 and 0.

Elder drops to 0 and 1.

And now it's the start of round 1 races for Group 12,

which features legendary Daniel Gil,

who will run in a moment.

But we'll start with another fan favorite,

Karsten Williams.

The Big Cat is the oldest competitor

in the Finals at 43.

And he'll be squaring off in our first

race against impressive 18-year-old

rookie Evan Lavallee.

Age isn't the only big difference for these two.

Karsten is 7 inches taller and about 20 pounds heavier

than the teenager.

But Lavallee is the group's highest seed

after a fast finish in the semifinals.

- Let's go, Evan.

- Lavallee has dedicated this season to his mom, who's

been battling health issues.

But she's on the sideline with Evan's family and friends.

Karsten first competed 12 years ago.

He's back in the National Finals for the eighth time.

His cheering section, as always,

is led by his mom, Linda.

Evan Lavallee has had a perfect season with two buzzers.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Here we go.

- And Karsten, a good start.

- And, Matt, Karsten has coached some of the best

ninjas coming out of Texas.

And he wants to show he's still got it.

43 years old, he's going to push him.

- Well, they're dead even here on the--

- Oh.

- The Big Cat can't make the transition,

and he ends up in the water.

- Oh.

- And Lavallee gets the easy win.

- That was just a big mistake by Karsten on the Devil Steps.

Lavallee has the W, but he's going to keep going

and get experience on these obstacles.

- Why not see what you can do?

- Karsten knew he had to push it

to keep up with the teenager.

He got to the top and tried to reach across that

5-foot gap and just missed.

Lavallee is 1 and 0, but he wants

to keep that perfect season alive by getting

another buzzer, just has to get through Piston Plunge.

- Make it.

Oh.

- I think we jinxed him.

It's his first time in the water all season,

but it's still a win for Evan Lavallee.

Karsten's got two more races to get into the win column.

Now it's the other veteran in this group, one

of the all-time greats, nine-time national finalist

Daniel Gil.

He's facing one of the big surprises in the Finals,

23-year-old Carter Ray, a tree trimmer from

Cottonwood, California.

Ray's got a tough first race against Gil, who literally

wrote the book on "Ninja."

- "The obstacles are tough and high up in the air.

Even though you're a little nervous, you are not scared."

I've got three books under my belt now.

My wife and I, Abby, we wrote a kids book together.

I forgot how good of a job we did with this book.

- [laughs]

- I decided to write a second one

and make it a graphic novel.

This will be tomorrow's bedtime story.

To turn the dial and write something

in a comic book style is so,

so stinking cool because I grew up reading comic books.

Recently, I decided to write an autobiography.

To be able to have something written about myself

is truly an honor, and I'm so proud to be able to create

content that encourages, that inspires,

and that uplifts anyone who picks up

and reads these books.

* *

- Daniel's got his wife, Abby, and daughter, Isla,

here to cheer him on.

Carter Ray's got 17 siblings, and many of them

are on his sideline.

17?

Wow.

[countdown clock beeping]

First time in the National Finals

and you're facing Daniel Gil?

That's tough.

- Well, he was sleeping a little bit on the buzzer there.

He saw Gil get a quick start.

But look at Ray. - See the steps.

See the steps.

- Ray pulling away.

- Nice.

- Well, Akbar, I think he's running free.

He can sell out a little bit.

- Well, Matt, he's a tree trimmer.

He knows.

He said, I'm going to cut the big superstar down.

- And Daniel Gil has to be a little surprised.

- Well, you can't underestimate him, even though it's

his first time in this format.

- Long transition.

Good work by Gil.

- Matt, I think it's the back half

of this course where Daniel can start to really explode.

- And Gil a little struggle, and Ray a little hung up.

But credit to Carter Ray, he is keeping this close.

Onto the Salmon Ladder.

And Gil a little uneven.

- But Daniel Gil never panics.

He's been in many pressure situations

before in his 10 years of "Ninja" competition.

- Oh, man.

- Ray's got to capitalize on that.

Gil rarely misses.

- Carter Ray is keeping this close, Akbar.

He is not flinching.

And Gil a slight edge.

- But it's all going to come down

to the final obstacle, Akbar.

And Gil is up first.

- At this point, the only way Carter Ray wins is if Gil falls

or if he somehow passes him.

- Carter Ray is a competitor.

- He grew up with eight sisters, nine brothers.

He knows how to compete.

- Well, Gil getting to that steering wheel handle.

Oh, goodness.

Daniel Gil is down, and Carter Ray can steal this race.

Can he make this transfer?

He looks gassed.

- He does look gassed.

- Oh.

You saw it.

His grip just gave out.

- But credit to Carter Ray.

He gave Daniel Gil all he could handle and almost

pulled off the upset.

So after round 1, Daniel Gil and Evan Lavallee

are at the top of this group.

Carter Ray and Karsten Williams have work to do.

Coming up, this rookie's made quite a splash this season,

but can wakeboarder Bray Weinacker stay

afloat in the National Finals?

The Florida teen runs next on "American Ninja Warrior."

- The round 2 races got underway minutes

ago, starting with group 13.

Grant Kiningham and David Bergstrom-Wright

are good friends.

And they stayed close from the start.

- Somebody's got to separate, though.

- Both won their race in round 1,

and whoever took this contest would

be in control of the group.

- It's going to come down to who wants it badly enough.

- As they reached Piston Plunge,

it was still anyone's race.

- Grant's got to go.

He's got to be like a piston.

- Bergstrom-Wright was able to make the final move,

but Kiningham couldn't.

- Oh.

- He falls to 1 and 1.

And Bergstrom-Wright is now 2 and 0.

Then it was 16-year-old Colt "the Bolt"

Elder, taking on 33-year-old photographer Alex Nye.

- But Nye is not backing down to the young one.

- Nye had a slight lead early but got hung

up on Floating Monkey Bars.

- Matt, and just like that, there's a lead switch.

- Nye went down, and Elder took advantage

and finished to get his first buzzer in the Finals.

[cheers and applause]

- Now, that right there is just youthful joy.

- Elder improves to 1 and 1, while Nye drops to 0 and 2.

They'll each have one more race.

Up now, it's the second round for group 15.

We've got Evan White going up against Hans Hertz

to start it off.

Both these guys are high schoolers.

Hertz is from Colorado, while White is from Wisconsin.

Yet despite the miles between them,

they are good friends and friendly rivals.

- Let's go.

- Oh.

Dang.

- All right, run it back.

- I thought we had that.

- My name's Hans.

- Oh, crap.

- I'm Evan.

- And we are best friends.

[laughs]

- Hans and I first met at a "Ninja Warrior" competition

roughly six years ago.

- I live in Colorado.

He lives in Wisconsin.

Even though we do see each other very rarely,

we're always hitting each other up, saying, hey,

when are you going to come train down?

Because we have that friendly rivalry to push each other.

You want to race? All right, well, let's race.

- Ready?

- Boop, boop, beep.

- I'd say I'm pretty competitive with everything

we do.

[laughter]

Like, if Hans had a sandwich right now,

I'd, like, try to probably eat it faster than he would.

- If he had a block of cheese, I wouldn't try

to eat that quicker than him.

But anything besides the cheese,

I'm pretty competitive in. - You're going down, bro.

- Are you thinking Horse? - I'm thinking Horse, yeah.

- Hey, what if we call it "Ninja"?

- I'm in. Oh my gosh.

- Maybe it's a good thing we do "Ninja," huh?

- Yeah.

- I think you'd have to tell me I'm dreaming if you told me

that Hans and I were competing against each other

on "American Ninja Warrior."

It's just incredible.

- Both these guys have big groups on the sideline.

Both won their first race.

Evan took down one higher seed, Sam Folsom, earlier.

Now he's going to try to pull off

another upset against a higher seed, his friend Hans.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Let's see what a little bit of pressure can do.

- Oh, this is a good start, Akbar.

Just linked to each other.

- And already, you can see that Hans is pushing Evan White.

Evan White's pace is already faster

than it was in his first race.

- Well, Evan's got those monster forearms

and just barely ahead.

He's going to need that grip strength.

Let's see what happens here on Ring Jump.

- This is going to be interesting because--

- Oh my goodness.

- Nice, big, explosive jump by Hans Hertz.

- Did you see that lache?

That was insane.

- I think we've had four or five lead changes

already in this race.

Hans Hertz first on Salmon Ladder,

but Evan's right behind him, showing no panic.

Big move by Evan-- skips two rungs.

- Hans knows Evan's strong.

And this is where Evan hopes to close the gap.

- Uh-oh.

Precision is key on Floating Monkey Bars.

- And now Evan edging ahead.

- Wow.

- First to get there to Piston Plunge

and goes right into it, Akbar.

- He is not messing around.

Hans Hertz has got to go megahertz right now.

- And Hertz closing the gap.

- Hertz is there. - Those Pistons.

- They're right there.

They're right there.

Somebody's gotta make that transition.

Ay-yi-yi.

Ay-yi-yi. Ay-yi-yi.

They looked at each other. They looked at each other.

- Evan White.

- Oh.

- Oh my goodness.

- The closest finish of the Finals so far.

- Oh my word.

What a race.

- That was a nail-biter for sure.

- They traded the lead back and forth.

Evan went ahead, then Hans went ahead.

And as they reached the final obstacle,

they both looked over at each other,

then went for the dismount, and Evan got to the buzzer

0.02 ahead.

- OK.

I got to ask this.

When you were on the steering wheel,

you guys both looked at each other.

What were you thinking?

- I just knew I had to dive for the buzzer.

There was no other option. - Yeah.

What were you thinking, Hans?

- I took a backswing.

I was like, oh, man, I should have gone.

[laughter]

- Great race out of both of you.

Can't wait to see more.

Hit that buzzer one more time, guys.

Wow.

That was a great matchup.

- Man, that was good.

- Now, it's the other two from this foursome, rookie Bray

Weinacker facing veteran Sam Folsom, who's the higher

seed and one of "Ninja's" elite.

Weinacker's only 15, one of the youngest

still in the competition, but he comes

from a family of athletes.

Both of Bray's parents are world-class wakeboarders,

and he grew up on the water.

[upbeat music]

Now Bray is making waves on the "Ninja" course.

In his debut, he hit the first buzzer of season 17.

- He's riding this wave.

- Look out.

- They call him Surfing Tarzan for a reason.

- And the 15-year-old feels prepared to go head-to-head

with the sport's elite.

- I grew up wakeboarding.

I love to feel the wind in my hair.

I love speed, but I think the biggest adrenaline rush is

hitting a buzzer because when you're wakeboarding,

you can always get back up.

But for "Ninja," it's all on the line.

[cheers and applause]

- Lots of people are going to be

watching this one, including their families,

who are on the sideline.

They both lost their first race.

And if they drop another and fall to 0 and 2,

their chances of moving on are slim.

[countdown clock beeping]

Sam, the veteran at only 21 years old, and he can move.

At 6'4", Bray needs to use his size to keep up.

- Wow. Nice.

Big move.

- Weinacker hopping his way up. - Nice.

Use them long arms. You got it.

- They're pushing each other.

- Watch your legs.

You're 6'4".

- Extra swing for Weinacker.

- All right, keep your Ls here.

Nice.

Strong moves on the backswing.

This is where you want to get up there right now.

Oh, he said, forget it.

- Nice throw.

- We saw Hans Hertz do that minutes ago.

- Weinacker taking an extra swing.

He's thinking about the dismount.

Well, you can see Folsom just a little smoother, one fewer

move on each obstacle.

And it's adding up.

Already on the Floating Monkey Bars as Weinacker

on the Salmon Ladder.

- Weinacker's got to push it now.

- And Folsom finding a nice rhythm

on the Floating Monkey Bars.

That was about as well as we've seen anyone do it.

And he's well ahead of his pace in the first race, Akbar.

And keep in mind, it can come down to your fastest time.

So Folsom keeping his foot on the accelerator.

- He's not messing around. Here it is.

- Ooh.

- Nice.

- Sam Folsom with his first win and a very good time.

- 1:09.4.

- Bray Weinacker really struggling

with the Floating Monkey Bars.

This is where he fell in his first race.

- Matt, he's going to try to skip that last rung.

That's a long dismount.

Oh.

- And Weinacker, once again, done on Floating Monkey Bars.

- He falls to 0 and 2.

Sam Folsom is now 1 and 1, tied with Hans Hertz.

And those two are going to go head-to-head

in just a few minutes.

And when he runs, Hans will have

his biggest fan on the sideline, his brother Harper.

- Harper is my biggest inspiration.

And we're running these courses together.

- Their story is coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Minutes ago, we started round 3 and the decisive races

for the ninjas of Group 13.

First up was Houston's Grant Kiningham

and San Diego's Alex Nye.

Kiningham needed a win to keep his hopes of moving forward

alive, but Nye matched him move for move

on the early part of the course.

- It's all about the will.

Who wants it the most?

- They were still battling on the final obstacle.

That's where Kiningham was able to pull

ahead and get to the buzzer just ahead of Nye.

So Kiningham finished 2 and 1.

- It was a heck of a race.

- So it came down to chicken farmer Colt Elder.

With a win, he'd be 2 and 1.

And with a faster finish time than Kiningham,

he'd be moving on.

But to do it, he'd have to beat the Cake

Ninja, David Bergstrom-Wright, who was undefeated so far.

So Elder came out ready to take chances.

And it cost him.

- Oh.

- The early exit ended the rookie season for Elder.

- The speed got him.

He just short circuited that.

- Bergstrom-Wright could cruise to his

third buzzer of the Finals.

[buzzer blares]

So it's Bergstrom-Wright and Grant Kiningham who are

moving on from this foursome.

And now let's shift over to Group 12,

where the round 3 races are about to begin.

Up first is a matchup between two guys with hair

that makes me very jealous.

18-year-old Evan Lavallee ties his tresses up in a bun,

while 31-year-old Daniel Gil lets his locks flow free.

Both these athletes are coming off of hair-raising round

two races moments ago.

Evan took on 23-year-old California

tree trimmer Carter Ray.

They were neck-and-neck

through the first five obstacles.

At Piston Plunge, Ray stopped to catch his breath

while Lavallee powered through to the buzzer,

moving to 2 and 0.

Then in a battle between two Texas veterans,

Daniel took on the Big Cat, Karsten Williams.

The two legends kept it close through the first

three obstacles.

And this one also came down to Piston Plunge,

with Daniel pulling away at the end,

winning his second straight race.

[cheers and applause]

Daniel's got his wife and baby girl cheering for him.

And Evan's got his mom and family on his sideline.

Evan Lavallee is actually the top seed in this group,

based on his finish in semifinals.

He can make a real statement with a win over Gil,

who's a "Ninja" legend.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Well, both these ninjas are moving on,

but this still matters, Akbar, because of seeding.

- The next round is single elimination,

so a good seed is critical.

- And, boy, Lavallee, strong climber.

- Evan Lavallee is making a case for Rookie of the Year.

He's got three buzzers already, and he's putting up

some impressive times.

- Uh-oh.

- Lavallee progressing nicely.

Well, let's not forget Gil's 31,

Lavallee's 18, that young motor.

This is their third race, Akbar.

- But Daniel Gil's got the experience.

And you know he's got a couple of tricks up his sleeves.

- And Gil short work of the Salmon Ladder,

and he's evened it back up.

- Well, actually, he doesn't have any sleeves on but maybe

underneath his hair.

- [laughs]

- Nice.

Look at that.

Just linking them together. Oh.

- Both miss.

- Oh.

- Boy, is this an even race.

- Nice.

- Lavallee first off.

And that's big because they both have

a fall on Piston Plunge.

- Don't give in here.

- Oh, what a race.

- Oh.

Daniel's still struggling a little bit.

It's a little laborious.

- Evan looks over at Daniel.

- Who's going to make the transfer?

- Nice.

- Oh, Lavallee.

- By just over a second.

[cheers and applause]

- Another great race.

- Let's look at this one again.

This was neck-and-neck throughout.

It came down to the final obstacle.

They both took a glance over at each other

before the dismount,

and the rookie edged out the veteran.

- Boys, an incredible race.

Evan, you're out here racing against one of the best

who's ever done it.

What was it like, racing out here against somebody you've

watched for so many years?

- I mean, he's such a legend.

He's been doing this for so long, doing so well.

He's got the greatest hair.

I mean--

[laughter]

- Daniel, what's it like, this next generation,

these teenage ninjas, buddy?

- Oh, man.

It's awesome.

A little bit intimidating but another day, another buzzer.

Moving on.

I'm grateful to be here.

- Well, great race out of both you, fellas.

Get some rest.

- Thank you so much.

- So Evan ends up 3 and 0.

Daniel falls to 2 and 1.

We'll see both in the next round.

The next memorable moment in our countdown

features the Deaf Ninja Kyle Schulze.

On the course, he's beloved.

Off the course, he's a role model for other deaf athletes.

But in eight seasons, Schulze had never finished a course.

And six times, he fell at the fifth obstacle.

- Oh no.

- Oh my.

It happened again.

- In season 16, Schulze came back

more determined than ever.

- Everybody knows what this would mean

to him if he gets past this.

- He once again faced the fifth obstacle.

- Come on, Kyle. - Come on.

Come on. Come on.

Get there, Kyle.

- Yes. - Nice.

- Look at that.

- He just needs a dismount.

And we are going to see his first ever buzzer.

The crowd on their feet.

- Wow.

- Kyle Schulze has done it.

[cheers and applause]

Eight seasons in the making.

And you can see the emotions.

- Yes, baby.

[cheers and applause]

Everybody's celebrating.

- Kyle Schulze's long-awaited buzzer

lifted all of us and lands at number 11 on our countdown.

- When we come back, it's down to the wire

for Sam Folsom and Hans Hertz.

They're going to need the run of their life

to keep their season alive.

That matchup is next on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Minutes ago, it was the final round 3 race

for Group 12.

This featured two ninjas running with nothing to lose.

Karsten Williams and Carter Ray were

both 0 and 2 in their races.

Their only hope to stay alive was to be the fastest

third-place finisher.

To do that, they'd have to beat James

McGrath's time of 1:37 set last week.

But Karsten fell on Devil Steps.

- Oh.

- And Ray fell one obstacle later on Ring Jump.

- Oh.

- Both of their seasons are now over.

Then it was the critical final races for Group 15.

15-year-old rookie Bray Weinacker

also needed to beat McGrath's time

to have a chance at moving on.

- Oh, they're not playing.

They're not playing.

- He was running against fellow rookie Evan White, who

was already 2 and 0 and was just hoping to improve

his time for a better seed.

They were both on pace for a fast finish.

But White was cut down by the Salmon Ladder.

- Oh.

Evan White has gone down.

- And seconds later, Weinacker went down as well.

- Oh.

- Weinacker's season is over, but

Evan White will be moving on.

So now it's a race for the second spot in this group.

Whoever wins this moves on.

It'll be a battle between 21-year-old

Sam Folsom from Illinois and Colorado teenager Hans Hertz.

Everyone will be watching this one, especially Hans's biggest

fan, his brother Harper.

- All right, Harper.

Let's get some ice cream, huh?

My brother Harper was diagnosed with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome.

I guess we're ready to order.

I guess I'm ready to order.

That means he has a little deletion in his genetic code.

Are you excited to come watch me on "Ninja," Harper?

Yeah?

Yeah, you are. I like it.

He signed yes.

He's also nonverbal.

So ever since I've been a young kid,

I've always felt like it was my responsibility

to be that leader for him.

Every buzzer we hit is going to be an extra scoop of ice

cream for both of us, right?

[cheers and applause]

- 15 years old, first time on the course.

- Love you.

- Making it to stage 4 in my rookie season

was such an amazing experience to share with my whole family.

It's something we watched together

since I was seven years old.

- Oh, Matt, he's got a great pace.

He's already at 40 feet.

- Harper always loved to watch it,

so he would always turn it on for us whenever it came on TV.

He still watches every video of my runs to this day.

Push it.

[laughs]

You're the first ninja to not want to hit a buzzer.

Harper is my biggest inspiration,

knowing that I can be strong and capable through what

I'm facing.

We're running these courses together.

Ugh.

[laughs]

- Harper is on the sideline with mom and dad.

If Sam wins, he'll be joining his wife, Isabella.

She won two races earlier tonight and is

moving on to the next round.

Sam's a 16 seed, and Hans is a 15--

so very evenly matched.

And they're going to be going all out.

[countdown clock beeping]

- This is going to be good.

- It's win, and you're in.

- Push it.

Push it real good.

- And you can see them putting a little salt and pepper on it

here, Akbar. Wow.

What an even matchup.

- OK.

- Great descent by both.

Folsom a step ahead.

- You know Sam wants to join his wife in the next round.

- We've seen Hans do the long mount transfer.

Oh.

And a long dismount, Akbar.

Hans Hertz, it was that descent that gave him the edge.

Can he keep it?

- Well, a little sloppy on the Salmon Ladder-- corrected it.

Nice.

- And Folsom has closed the gap.

It's dead even.

- Oh, man, this is good.

This is real good.

- Folsom with a miss.

Hertz has the edge heading to Piston Plunge.

- These guys are not taking a breath.

- But here comes Folsom.

Hans Hertz. - Whoa.

[cheers and applause]

- Sub 1 minute.

- And here comes Folsom.

He's going to have a good time as well.

In fact, that's the best time for a third-place finisher

on this course so far.

So he's still alive in the competition.

But what a race by Hans Hertz.

Hans made some big moves on the Ring Jump to pull ahead.

Sam came back but had a miss on Floating Monkey Bars,

and the Colorado teenager scrambled to the first finish

under a minute on this course.

So Hertz joins Evan White as the two ninjas

moving on from Group 15.

And Folsom is not dead yet.

He could get a wild card, which goes

to the fastest third-place finisher on this course.

His time in that run moved him ahead of James McGrath,

but there are more groups racing next week.

That's when the National Finals shift into overdrive.

Our final three groups face off.

Then the competition really heats up.

Our remaining 32 competitors enter

a single-elimination bracket.

Lose, and your season is over.

- Oh, no.

- The pressure is real on week 3 of the Finals.

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

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