All language subtitles for American.Ninja.Warrior.S17E11.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

[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."