All language subtitles for American.Ninja.Warrior.S17E12 Finals 3 1080p PCOK WEB-DL DDP5 1 H 264-STC

- We've got long shots
and heavy favorites

tonight in Vegas.

It's the National Finals
of "American Ninja Warrior."

Hello, everyone,
and thanks for joining us.

I'm Matt Iseman.
- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.

Matt, we've gone to an
all-racing format

in the finals, and it has
been a thrill ride.

Last week,
we had more dramatic falls...

- No!

- And fast finishes.

- Kai with the fastest time
of the night.

- We saw our second woman
reach the final 32.

- Isabella Folsom
with a buzzer.

- And a shocking upset.

- Rachel Degutz has done it.

- That saved
Joe Moravsky's season.

- Joe Moravsky is
out of retirement!

Tonight, we'll take
another step closer

to crowning
this year's champion.

For the details,
let's go down to Zuri Hall.

- Guys, these ninjas
will be running

to keep their season alive.

Here's what they can expect.

First, our final three groups

will compete
round-robin style.

Like the last two weeks, each
ninja will race three times.

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

Then the competition
kicks into another gear.

Our remaining 32 ninjas

are seeded and placed
in a bracket

and the races
become sudden death.

Win and you move on.
[buzzer blares]

Lose and your season is over.
[air horn blares]

Let's go racing.
Guys?

- And we'll start our round
robin races with group 10.

Our first match-up features

a couple of fun-loving
teenagers.

15-year-old high school
student Kaden Forsha,

the youngest ninja
in the finals,

but he's the 10th seed,
the highest in this group.

And he'll be facing 19-year-old
college student Colton Skuster,

who's the 51 seed.

Both these guys
can make some noise.

[upbeat music]

- Hey!

- "Ninja Warrior," baby!

- There's the boys!

- What's up?
Let's go!

- Let's go, baby!

It's the Battle
of the Bigmouths.

- Colton Skuster is fired up.

- Yeah!

With me and Kaden
on the course,

this could be the loudest
race of the night.

- Kaden Forsha.

This dude is
a bundle of energy.

- [screams]
Let's go!

I'm the Chatterbox Ninja.

I run my mouth a lot, but I
like running the course more.

* *

Let's go!

Yeah, baby!

I'm nervous about
racing Colton.

[buzzer blares]

- Yeah!
Let's go!

[screaming]

- He's got that
frat boy confidence.

- I got this whole crew
of guys on my back.

Let's go!
Let's go!

[cheers and applause]

Everyone's bringing
the energy.

I'm going to be having the
crowd chanting "Skuster!"

[all chanting]

[all cheering]

* *

- I may talk a lot,
but I back it up.

[buzzer blares]
Let's go! Let's go!

Let's go racing, Skust.

- Yeah, let's go, boys!

- Colton's got his
frat brothers watching

back at the University of Utah.

And Kaden's got a big
sideline group as well,

including his grandparents,
in their 70s,

but they still
rock climb with him.

- We know these two
can talk the talk,

but can they walk the walk--
or, heck, run the run?

We're going to find out.

[countdown clock beeping]

Matt, I expect these ninjas
to make some noise.

- Oh, look at this.
Good start.

- Big up.
Nice.

- Real even.

Who can link their poise?
- Oh, boy.

Look at Skuster.

And you could see Forsha
was looking at the dismount,

but wanted to stay safe.

What a match-up.
- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

- Skuster down low.
- Skuster's 6'2".

He's got to get up high, Matt.

He's losing purchase.

- That's when you think about
40 extra pounds, Akbar.

Forsha pulled away.

- Yikes.

Oh, yikes.

- Skuster barely stays alive.

Forsha through
the Salmon Ladder.

Here comes Skuster.
He's selling out.

- Skuster can come from behind.

He's not messing around.

Uh-oh, Forsha fumbled
a little bit there.

- Oh, it's close, Akbar.

Well, this is what happens.

He knows he's got to sell out
to keep up with Kaden Forsha.

[cheers and applause]

Forsha, first up
on Piston Plunge.

That's huge.
- And watch out.

Because those pistons,
they do move,

and they can be a little slick.

- Great obstacle here.

- Uh-oh,
but here comes Skuster.

Kaden Forsha--
gonna get that dismount.

[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!

Let's go! Yeah!

[cheers and applause]

- Oh!
- Skuster goes down.

- Let's go!

- Kaden Forsha delivers.

- Hey, good stuff, brother.

You crushed it, my guy.

- This was close
until Pole Grasper,

but Skuster started
sliding down

and struggled to stay
out of the water.

Forsha jumped out to a lead
and Skuster never caught up.

Now the pressure will be on
in his next two races.

- Kaden Forsha goes to 1-0.
He continues to impress.

He's got a perfect
rookie season so far.

Now we move on to the
other two in this group,

college student Max Feinberg
and stuntman Kyle Soderman.

It's the fifth time
in the National Finals

for both these guys.

And as always,
Max Feinberg is dedicating

his run to his mom, Debbie,
who's a breast cancer survivor.

* *

- My mom was diagnosed
with breast cancer

in October of 2020.

- That's for you, Mom.
That's for you.

- "That's for you, Mom."
What a beautiful moment.

- I now raise awareness and
draw attention to this issue.

I'm now a junior at the
University of Denver learning

marketing and advertising
skills and applying that

into multiple fundraisers
for breast cancer.

Now we've just raised
more and more money.

- Amaxing once again.
[buzzer blares]

- Hitting another
buzzer tonight

would mean the world to me

because we're trying
to save lives.

- Max is a proud mama's boy.

And mom will be
on the sideline

along with his dad
and good friend, Kaden Lebsack.

They're wearing
Max's trademark glasses.

Kyle's got his wife, Megan,

cheering him on from
their home in Austin.

And mom, Laurie, who's
watching from Minnesota.

Soderman's ten years older
and 35 pounds heavier,

but he can move.

He is a World Chase Tag
champion,

an underdog in this race,
though.

He's the 40 seed
and Max is the 21.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Ooh, explosive start
for Soderman.

- Soderman trying to get it in.

- And watch who finishes
the obstacle first.

Because in the event
of a fall,

it comes down to who finished
the previous one first.

- Here they are.
- Oh, it's close.

- Side by side.
Look at that.

Looks like they're
going synchro-ninja.

- Onto the Pole Grasper.

- And you can see Soderman
going up higher.

- Max is staying low
and going hand over hand.

Feinberg flying!

- Yeah, you could say that.

It's easy when you're 145 to
navigate through Pole Grasper.

- Max is first
to Salmon Ladder.

Four rungs up and then straight
into the Floating Monkey Bars.

And Feinberg about
a half obstacle ahead,

but here comes Soderman.

- And you can see
Max Feinberg being

very methodical
with the placement.

- You can see, though, how easy
it is for that bar to slip out.

But Feinberg through.

- Especially on the back swing,
just like that with Soderman.

- And that extra weight
seems to be

taking its toll on Soderman.

As Feinberg getting
through Piston Plunge.

But it's not over.
Here comes Soderman.

- And Soderman is right there.
Now he's on to Piston Plunge.

- And he's selling out.

- Uh-oh.
He can come back.

- Here he comes.

- Oh, my goodness!

- Feinberg,
got to get that dismount

because here comes Soderman.

- Oh!
[buzzer blares]

- Feinberg gets it.

- Oh, man.

- Soderman sells out.

What a race!

- Feinberg was amaxing.

A tough loss for Soderman,
though, who falls to 0 and 1.

- The separation came
on Pole Grasper.

Soderman went high,
and Feinberg went low.

And he was able
to jump out to a lead.

Soderman closed the gap
at the end,

but missed the final grab,
while Max gets the buzzer.

[buzzer blares]

- Max moves to 1 and 0
and gets to celebrate

another win with his mom.

Tonight, more of our
top competitors race

to survive the group stage.

Then we shift
into another gear

and our races
become sudden death.

The remaining 32 ninjas,
including two women,

will be seeded and square off
in do-or-die matches.

- Oh!
[air horn blares]

- Only the best will survive

and move on with a chance
to be our new champion.

Plus, we're down
to the top 10

in our memorable moments
countdown.

We'll reveal
five more tonight.

It's all coming up
on the National Finals

of "American Ninja Warrior."

- Minutes ago,
we started round one races

for group 14
over on course two.

Leading it off was the
highest seed in this group,

New Jersey teenager
Josiah Pippel,

taking on Massachusetts
college student Tate Becker.

- It's the battle of
the northeast ninjas.

- Pippel is a top contender
to win it all.

And he used his speed
to jump out to an early lead.

- Oh, my goodness!
That was a big flight.

- The five-time veteran was
more than an obstacle ahead

when he hit the buzzer.
[buzzer blares]

Becker made it to
the Floating Monkey Bars,

but slipped off.

He falls to 0 and 1.

Then the other two
in this group faced off

with gym owner Matt D'Amico

racing New York's
Luke Lowell-Liszanckie,

known as Triple L.

- Here goes D'Amico
going for speed.

- D'Amico is a three-time
Ninja veteran

and he jumped out to
a comfortable lead

over the rookie,
Lowell-Liszanckie.

- Triple L might end up
getting his first L.

Oh!

- The dockworker hit the water
on Floating Monkey Bars

and D'Amico could
coast to the buzzer.

He's now 1 and 0.
[buzzer blares]

So it's Pippel and D'Amico

at the top of the leaderboard
for this group.

Then it was the round one
races for group 11.

One of the older finalists,
40-year-old Deren Perez,

a Coast Guard officer
from Guam,

had to start off against
the group's highest seed,

teenager Noah Meunier.

Meunier has a current streak
of 90 obstacles

without falling.

- There's another one.

- Perez stayed with
his younger opponent through

the second obstacle and was
close behind on the third.

- Oh!

- But his foot hit the water
and he was done.

So Meunier had the win.

And he just kept
knocking down obstacles.

He made it to the buzzer
to keep his streak alive.

[buzzer blares]

The other match-up
in this group

also had a significant
age difference,

as 37-year-old Iowa gym owner
Spencer Johnson

faced 24-year-old
Vermont baker Amir Malik.

Both of them got
hung up on Ring Jump,

where they spent
a lot of time and effort

before getting through.

- That will sap
your energy there.

- Malik got off first
and jumped out to a lead,

while Johnson never
seemed to recover.

- He's feeling it
right now, Matt.

- He went out on
Floating Monkey Bars.

- Oh!

- And Malik could
take his time

and make his way
to the buzzer.

- OK, Amir.
[buzzer blares]

- Yeah!

- Well, don't break it.

- So it's the younger ninjas
in control

of this group after
the first round of races.

Now it's time to
begin round two races.

And we'll start with
group 10 and a clash

of college students.

On one side from
the University of Utah,

it's Colton Skuster.

He'll be facing Max Feinberg,

who attends
the University of Denver.

Max'll have his parents and
Colorado training partners

on his sideline.

- Hey!

- And Colton will once again
have his frat brothers

from Beta Theta Pi
cheering for him.

[all cheering]

- [shouts]

- Colton lost his first race,
so he desperately needs a win.

Doesn't want to go to 0 and 2.

Max won his first race.

If he gets a win here, he'll be
in great position to move on.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Go from chug, chug, chug
it up to run, run, run it up.

Nice.

- Oh, it's got to
be so hard when

they're right in your
peripheral vision.

- Here we go.
- Wow!

- Big move.
- Feinberg.

Oh, Max Feinberg is maxing out.

- But Skuster matching him.

And he sells out on
the Pole Grasper.

- Uh-oh, but he's
struggling there, Matt.

He's starting to slide.

Watch his feet.
- Look at that!

Arm over arm!

- Oh, come on, inches away
from the water for Skuster.

- Skuster shockingly
pulled ahead.

- Matt, I thought he was
going to take the water.

- Well, he made an
aggressive move there, Akbar.

Will it catch up to him on
these Floating Monkey Bars?

- Matt, this back-and-forth
is enough to make

you want to take Dramamine.

- Oh, my.

And Skuster remains ahead.

- Nice.

- He's riding
the Piston Plunge.

- And then here comes Feinberg.

He's got to max out.

- And the Amaxing Feinberg
selling out.

Skuster.
- Nice.

both: No!

- Feinberg's got
to close it out.

- He knows it.

- Oh, and he does it!

Max Feinberg gets the win.

[cheers and applause]

Oh, my.
Heartbreak for Skuster.

- He was just one move away
from the buzzer,

but couldn't make
the final grab.

- Skuster was going for
broke on Pole Grasper.

Came flying in and just barely

kept his feet
out of the water.

He took the lead there and
it looked like he had the win,

but his hands peeled
off on the final grab.

Max did make the grab
and he gets the win.

- So Feinberg goes to 2 and 0
and almost guaranteed

to move on,
but Skuster's now 0 and 2.

He'll need a very fast
finish in his final race

to have any chance of
keeping his season alive.

Our memorable moments
countdown takes us

to season 6
and the Venice Semifinals.

That night, a new obstacle

called Cannonball Alley
was wreaking havoc.

- Oh!
[air horn blares]

- It was the eighth obstacle
on the extended course.

And of the first 14
to reach it,

none could figure it out.

[air horn blaring]
A 100% knockout rate.

- I don't know
if anyone's going

to get through it tonight.

[air horn blares]

- The 15th athlete
to try it was Kevin Bull,

a walk-on rookie from
Scotts Valley, California.

And he turned the
Ninja world upside down.

Oh, look at this.
Is he going to go inverted?

Look at this!

- Oh.
- He's hanging upside down.

I love it.

- Oh!

- He's going to go for
the dismount upside down.

He did it!

Wow!

- That's what
I'm talking about!

- The first man to complete the
Cannonball Alley, Kevin Bull.

- Oh, man.
Are you kidding me?

- Wow! The crowd erupts.
- Are you kidding me?

[cheers and applause]
[buzzer blares]

- Bull went on to finish
the course that night.

And his creativity
on Cannonball Alley

is still talked about today.

And it's number 10 on our
memorable moments countdown.

Coming up, it's going to be
a duel between the dads.

From Guam, it's 40-year-old
father of two, Deren Perez.

And from Iowa,
37-year-old father of three,

Spencer Johnson.

Their race is next on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- Minutes ago,
it was our second

round two races from group 10.

This one pitted
rookie Kaden Forsha

against Ninja veteran
Kyle Soderman.

Forsha was impressive
in winning his first race,

while Soderman lost
his round one match-up.

And for the second
straight race,

he got hung up
on Pole Grasper.

- Kyle is going to
have to make a big move

if he's going to catch up.

- After that, he could never
close the gap on Forsha.

The Colorado teen
looked impressive

in capturing his
fourth straight buzzer.

Soderman also finished,
but he falls to 0 and 2.

So Forsha and Max Feinberg
are assured

of moving on from this group.

While Soderman and
Colton Skuster's only hope

is to earn the third place
wildcard in their next race.

We also had the round two
races for group 11.

And the first contest
featured top competitor

Noah Meunier chasing history.

The Massachusetts electrician

was trying to outrun Iowa
gym owner Spencer Johnson,

but he was also trying
to keep his streak going.

Meunier hasn't
fallen on an obstacle

since he started his
Ninja career in season 15.

He was closing in
on the all-time record

for consecutive obstacles
without falling of 99,

set by Kaden Lebsack.

Meunier tied that
record after Ring Jump

and then broke it when he
completed the Salmon Ladder.

- 100 straight obstacles.

A pretty cool feat
for him to get

at such a young age,
19 years old.

- He finished it off
with a buzzer,

his 102nd
consecutive obstacle.

And it secures his spot
in the next round.

Spencer Johnson made it
to Floating Monkey Bars.

- Oh!

- He drops to 0 and 2.

The other two from group 11
then hit the course,

with Coast Guard officer
Deren Perez

facing Vermont baker
Amir Malik.

Perez once again got caught up
on Ring Jump and fell behind.

Then fell for good
on Salmon Ladder.

- Oh!

- So Malik got the win
and could cruise

to his fourth buzzer
this season.

An impressive return after

he took three years away
from competition.

The young guys in this group,
Noah Meunier and Amir Malik,

have now secured their spot
in the next round.

The other two are winless.

But now those two wily veterans
are going to face each other,

so one of them will earn a win.

They're the two oldest
remaining competitors.

And it looks like
Spencer Johnson has

already thrown his back out.

- But Deren Perez is
going to help him out.

There you go, old fella.
All better.

- The senior citizens of
"Ninja Warrior" getting loose.

Both these guys are dads

who had impressive seasons,

especially for their age.

No one has traveled further

to compete than Deren Perez.

He's stationed at

a Coast Guard base in Guam.

He's 25 years older than

our youngest competitor.

Back in qualifying,

he got his first buzzer

in his fifth season competing.

Spencer Johnson competed

way back in season nine,

but had been away

for seven years.

And now he's racing

in the finals.

Not a bad comeback for

a 37-year-old father of three.

Spencer Johnson's family
is watching from back in Iowa.

And he's got his fellow
Iowa ninjas,

the Behrends family, cheering
him on from the sideline.

Deren's family is watching
from 6,000 miles away in Guam.

[cheering]

This is the first time
all season we've had dads

race each other.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Go, daddy, go!

Spencer Johnson opening up
there on the Shrinking Steps.

- Spencer is 22 pounds heavier.

We've seen that
weight catches up.

- Yeah, it catches up for real,

especially as you're going up
and then down Devil Steps.

Deren Perez ain't no punk too.

He'll go at you.

He's 40 years old.

And he knows--
- Wow!

It's neck and neck.

- Oh, but now it's
neck and back problems.

This time it's Deren
who needs his back cracked.

A little returning
of the favor.

For those of you who need
closed captions or big glasses

like some of us,
I'm sure you're probably

in need of a back cracking
as well.

And it can be hard to hold
that ring to manipulate it.

You can see Johnson struggling.

- But Matt,
Spencer Johnson is used

to competing at a high level.

He was an elite gymnast
for 17 years.

It wasn't that long ago that he
stepped away from gymnastics.

He was ranked top 30
in the country.

- But it's Perez
who's off first.

Spencer Johnson not far behind.

And now everyone's
cracking their back.

And, Akbar,
you know my lower back has

been a little tight lately.

[groans]
All right. OK.

[cracking noise]
[laughs]

You can barely get me up.

And, oh, by the way,
there's still a race going on.

These guys are
working their way

through Floating Monkey Bars.

- Hold up, what the--
what is Spencer doing?

- Spencer,
he's going to launch it.

Oh!
Oh, my goodness.

Spencer Johnson goes down hard.

So Deren Perez wins
the Battle of the Dads.

Now he's going to
try and get a buzzer.

- Matt, going back to Spencer,

I think he was
running out of gas.

So he tried to go
for a long dismount.

Then he just smacked his arm
on the last cradle

and came up well short
of the landing.

- But Deren Perez, at
40 years old, is still going.

His third time running
this course tonight.

And he's about to get
his second career buzzer.

[buzzer blares]

He's not moving on, but a good
way for the Coast Guard officer

to end his season.

Deren Perez!

You get your back cracked,

and then you get
your second-ever buzzer.

Congratulations, buddy.
- I appreciate it.

- How's it feel being
a relative senior citizen

out here amongst
these teenage ninjas?

- My goal today
was basically

to show that with dedication
and determination,

you can do anything.

So all the younger ones out
here, you guys can do it.

- Well, I got to say, Deren,

the Coast Guard's
got to be proud to have you.

Man, that was great.

Hit that buzzer
one more time, pal.

[buzzer blares]
- Well done.

Staying safe on the high seas.

[cheers and applause]

- And now it's time
for the final race

for the young guys
in this group.

Zuri is going to
get them started.

- Guys, Noah Meunier
has a perfect record

on "Ninja Warrior."

He's never hit the water, but
he will be pushed in this race.

He's facing another competitor
who's 2 and 0 tonight,

Amir Malik,
whose nickname is Sonic.

Both of these guys
will be trying

to go fast to improve their
seeding in the next round.

And Noah wants to keep
that streak of his alive.

- I like it.
A little bow between the two.

Mutual respect
between these guys.

- Amir's girlfriend and mom
are here on the sidelines.

And Noah's girlfriend,
Addy Herman,

is leading the cheers for him.

- Matt, the question is,

how long can Noah
keep his streak going?

102 obstacles without falling.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Every obstacle he completes
just adds to his record.

- Boom, that's 103.

- Well, these guys
both starting off,

shot out of a cannon.

Watch the descent.

Malik real efficient here
in the previous races.

- Yeah, Malik is on the pull.

And this is the first time
we've seen Meunier fall behind.

- And Meunier, a misfire.

Wow! Big moves, though.

Oh, my goodness.

- I think Malik wants to prove
he's going to the next stage.

And he's got that speed.

- But look at that.

Meunier closed it
on Ring Jump

and launching up
the Salmon Ladder.

- But Amir's hung up.
Starting to fall behind.

And Meunier
steadily progressing.

Not getting tripped up on
the Floating Monkey Bars.

- What a come from behind.

- And right into it, Akbar.
- Oh, he's not messing around.

- His best race was 1:12
set in his last race.

He can beat that if he
gets through Piston Plunge.

Just needs the dismount--
and keeps his streak alive.

[buzzer blares]

He did just what he wanted to
do, finish with a faster time.

So he improved his seeding
in the next round.

Amir Malik is going to
improve his time as well.

That'll make his seeding
in the next round better too.

Well, both of them
get their best times.

- Wow!

- They're the two moving on
from this group.

And Noah Meunier will
try to keep his streak

going in the next round.

- Now, I don't think anyone
wants to race Noah Meunier.

- Coming up.

They know how to put
the pedal to the metal.

Speedsters Josiah Pippel
and Matt D'Amico race

head to head when "American
Ninja Warrior" returns.

- Welcome back
to the National Finals.

Moments ago, it was the
round two races for group 14.

New Jersey's Josiah Pippel
won his first race

in impressive fashion.

And trying to keep up
with him was Triple L,

New York's
Luke Lowell-Liszanckie.

- All right,
here we go on Devil Steps.

Triple L better have
a hell of a run here.

- Pippel pulled away early
and never let up.

The teenager is the
highest seed in this group.

And he showed why.

- And here goes Josiah.

Nice and smooth.

- He made his way
to another buzzer

with the second fastest time
on this course.

He's now 2 and 0.
[buzzer blares]

Lowell-Liszanckie made it
to Floating Monkey Bars.

- Oh!
[air horn blares]

- He falls to 0 and 2.

Then it was the
Battle of Boston

as Tate Becker faced off
against his teammate

on the NBA's Boston Celtics
dunk team, Matt D'Amico.

- High-flying acts here.

- D'Amico,
the three-time ninja veteran,

jumped out to an early lead
over Becker, who's a rookie.

- Oh, killing it.
Crushing it on the Devil Steps.

- D'Amico kept his foot
on the accelerator.

Becker, rushing to keep up,

went off the rails
on the Salmon Ladder.

- Oh!

- His bar fell off the rungs,
ending his run.

But he wasn't going
to catch D'Amico,

who sailed into
his second straight win.

- Let's go!

- So Pippel and D'Amico
are 2 and 0

and sit atop this group.

Now they'll face each other
as we start round three.

And Zuri is going
to get them going.

- We're in Vegas, and this next
race is an odds-on favorite

to be one of the fastest.

It's speed demons Josiah Pippel
and Matt D'Amico.

A fast time in this race
could improve their seeding,

which would put them
against a slower

opponent in the next round.

And these guys love to go fast.

Josiah is a Formula One fan

that's been racing since
"Ninja Junior,"

where he won all but one race
in his age group.

He's had the fastest time

in his qualifier
each of the last two seasons.

- I live for speed.
And tonight is no different.

- D'Amico burst onto
the scene his rookie year

with the fastest time
on Stage 2.

His motto is "every course
is a speed course."

And he's never
lost a race on "ANW."

- Josiah is a great barometer
to see if I can win it all.

- We're going for
bragging rights.

One of us is going
to be 3-0,

and one of us is
going to be 2 and 1.

- Don't blink or you're
going to miss it.

Hey, we got one more.

- D'Amico's a Ninja coach
back in Massachusetts.

And he's got many of
his students watching.

Josiah's dad and girlfriend,
JoJo Grubesic,

are leading the group
on his sideline.

- You know both of these guys
want to stay undefeated,

so they're going to
be going all out.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Throw caution to the wind
and hit the afterburners.

- I expect these guys to
go into ludicrous mode--

heck, plaid mode.

- Well, both these guys
love to go fast.

And, boy, are they moving.
- Oh, my goodness.

They're both flying
through Devil Steps.

- A 5-inch height advantage
for Pippel.

And it's dead even.

- Oh, big move by D'Amico
to get ahead.

- Well, you see Pippel,
a couple of misfires

there on Ring Jump.

D'Amico landed half up
the pad, now ahead.

- This is nuts.

This is nuts.

This course isn't even built
for this type of speed.

- Oh!

- Oh, D'Amico is down.

all: Oh!

- So Josiah Pippel
gets the win.

He goes to 3 and 0.

And D'Amico loses the chance

to improve his seeding
in the next round.

They came flying
out of the gate

and they were neck-and-neck
through the first three.

But when you go fast,
you make mistakes.

D'Amico tried to skip rungs
on the Salmon Ladder

and just missed.

- Well, Josiah's already
got the second fastest

finish on this course.

His time was 1:05:31.

He'll be just behind it.
[buzzer blares]

- But he has three buzzers
tonight, all with fast times.

- Whew, he is going to be
one tough dude to beat.

- D'Amico ends up 2-1,

but he'll also be a threat
in the next round.

Our next Memorable Moment

comes from season 7
in Kansas City,

when 31-year-old
Michael Stanger

came to the start line after
spending eight days and nights

living in a tent
on the walk-on line.

Stanger's wife, Enedina,
was confined to a wheelchair

with a painful illness known
as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Her prognosis
was heartbreaking.

- I never expected to talk
about my wife's death so much.

It's always pretty much
a constant fear.

- Stanger had to get in shape

so he could physically
support her.

And when he did, he decided
to try "Ninja Warrior"

in hopes of giving his family
a moment of joy.

- This is a physical
love letter to his wife.

- You got this.

- [yells]
Yeah!

- I love you!

- Come on.
Let her see you go through.

[cheers and applause]
- Yeah!

- Despite little training
and in his first time

on the course,
Stanger miraculously

made it to the Warped Wall.

- This is out of a movie.
What a tremendous moment.

[buzzer blares]

[cheers and applause]

- This has been one of
the most emotional nights

in the history of
"American Ninja Warrior."

I'm tearing up.

- I love you guys!
- Oh, my gosh.

- Michael Stanger's remarkable
demonstration of the power

of love comes in at number 9.

Coming up, RJ Roman's
been waiting weeks

to find out his fate.

Will his time hold up
and get him a wildcard

into the next round?

We'll find out next on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- Minutes ago, it was a
round three race for group 10.

And this one was a track meet
from the very start.

Both college student
Max Feinberg

and high school student
Kaden Forsha were 2 and 0.

- Max is only a couple
of rungs ahead of Forsha.

- So they were going fast
to improve their seeding

in the next round.

- It's tied up now, Matt.
It's tied up.

- They traded the lead
throughout, but it was Forsha,

the 15-year-old rookie,
who made it to the buzzer

first in 54 seconds.

[buzzer blares]
- Forsha fo-sho.

- Feinberg was right
behind in 57 seconds.

Neither of them have
hit the water this year.

Then it was the final
round three race for group 14.

Tate Becker and
Luke Lowell-Liszanckie

were both 0 and 2.

Their only chance
to move on was

to win the wildcard

as the fastest third place
finisher on course 2.

Sam Folsom set the mark
to beat last week

of one minute, five seconds.

Both Becker and
Lowell-Liszanckie started off

fast, but after getting
hung up on Ring Jump,

it was clear they weren't
going to beat Folsom's time.

- They needed a perfect run,
and this ain't it.

- But they did have
their best runs yet.

Lowell-Liszanckie made it
to Piston Plunge.

- Oh!
[air horn blares]

- And Becker got all
the way to the buzzer,

but it was too slow
to move on.

That means Sam Folsom gets
one of the two wildcards.

He was fastest among the third
place finishers on course 2.

So he's moving on.

The other wildcard
for the fastest

third place
finisher on course 1

will be decided
by this next race.

Two weeks ago, RJ Roman
put up a time of 54 seconds

and has been
waiting ever since.

Right now he's in line to
get the course 1 wildcard,

but it's going to come down
to our next two competitors.

Stuntman Kyle Soderman--

- What up, Soderman?

- And college student
Colton Skuster.

They are both 0 and 2.

Their only chance to move on
is to beat RJ's time.

- We know they're both
capable of doing it.

- Let's go!

- Oh, look at the frat boys
from Beta Theta Pi.

- Colton's also got his mom
and friends on the sideline.

Kyle will be cheered on
once again by his wife, Megan.

- You got it, Kyle.

- 54.46, the time to beat.

Do or die!

[countdown clock beeping]

- Colton Skuster
better run this course

like he's running from
the frat house to his class.

Big-time players come up
in big-time moments.

And this is a big-time moment.

- An extra swing for Soderman.

And Skuster with
the early edge.

- Oh, boy!

- Skuster's 6'2",
and he nearly hit

the water his first two races.

But he's climbed up
higher this time.

- Ooh, man, he's got to go.

And they know it too.

Big moves here
on Salmon Ladder.

- Oh, Soderman kicked
the monkey bar off the cradle.

- Oh.

- Swung his feet too high

and knocked one
of the two bars out.

Now he'll have to lache
from cradle to cradle.

And that's going to
slow him down.

- Oh, the frat house
is going crazy.

They're doing keg stands.

- Soderman trying to
finish with one bar.

No!

He's out, but Skuster's
still got a chance.

- Go! Go! Go! Go!

- 54.46?

- Ah!

- Oh, my goodness!

- Oh!

- Misses out by
just over a second.

That means RJ
gets the wildcard.

His time from
two weeks ago held up.

He's going to the next round.

Unfortunately,
the season is over

for Kyle Soderman
and Colton Skuster,

who came up just short.

- Great job.

- In his first two races,
Colton Skuster

went low on Pole Grasper
and almost hit the water.

In this one, he took
the time to climb up

and that extra second or two

may have been
the difference,

as he hits the buzzer
a little too late.

- Skuster, 55.89 seconds.

The time you needed to beat,
54.46, my friend.

But what an impressive season.

- I appreciate it.

It means the world to be back
talking to you guys.

It never gets old.
So, you know.

- Hey, give the Beta Theta Pi
shout out right now.

Say something to
the fraternity.

- What up,
Betas across the USA?

- Look at them.
They're going nuts.

Hit that buzzer
one more time, Skuster.

We will see him again.

- So with that, the group
stage comes to a close.

16 ninjas, 90 races,
and so much excitement.

Only 32 ninjas remain.

But from here on out,
every race is sudden death.

- You know March Madness?
Well, this is Ninja madness.

- The ninjas who
are moving on have

been seeded based on their
times in the group stage.

And take a look at some
of the matchups we'll see.

Record-breaking Colorado
teenager Taylor Greene

will go up against
top contender,

The Flyboy, Isaiah Thomas.

Our other female competitor in
the final 32, Isabella Folsom,

will face top seed,
Utah's Kai Beckstrand.

We'll have a little brother
battle as Luke Beckstrand

tries to outrun the
4'11" dynamo from Iowa,

Jason Behrends.

And our first race
features Ninja legend,

Houston's Daniel Gil,
taking on

the impressive rookie
from Wisconsin, Evan White,

as the National Finals
roll on.

- Welcome back to
the National Finals.

Only 32 ninjas are left,
and we now move on

to a new stage
of the competition.

- We put our ninjas in
a tournament-style bracket.

And now it's win or go home.

- The bracket looks like this.

On the left side,
we've got the 16 ninjas

who raced on course 1,
and on the right side,

14 from course 2,
along with our two wildcards.

We'll start off with
a 6 seed versus an 11,

upstart rookie Evan White

versus Ninja legend
Daniel Gil.

The 31-year-old from
Houston is in his

ninth match in the finals.

And he's facing 17-year-old
Evan White,

who's made it here
in his first season.

The cheddar cheese-eating
Wisconsin teenager

has been impressive, and now he
gets to race one of his idols.

- I definitely did not expect
to be where I am right now.

I mean, racing Daniel
is just incredible.

- Evan White recently
showed me a photo of myself

and him, him as a child,
like 4 feet tall,

years ago at a Ninja event.

And now here we are racing
each other side-by-side

at the National Finals.

It is going to be
a fierce, fierce race.

Evan White may be
powered by cheese,

but he's standing between me
and getting that cheddar.

So, Evan,
I'm coming for you, man.

- Daniel may have the hair,
but I got the forearms.

- Daniel's got his wife
and baby girl,

Isla, here cheering for him.

And Evan's mom is leading a big
group of friends and family.

- Let's go, Evan!

- Evan White pulled off two
big wins in the last round,

outracing top competitors
Sam Folsom and Hans Hertz.

So he's got to be
feeling confident.

- Look at Daniel Gil.
He looks serious.

I think he knows this race
is going to be a real test.

[countdown clock beeping]

Here we go.

- No second chances
in this round.

You lose,
and your season's over.

And Gil, a slight edge.

- Whoo! Nice!
- Launched through!

Gil needs to keep an edge.
- That's being strategic.

Daniel is the second oldest
still left in this competition,

keeping up with a teenager.

So he's got to be
super-smooth with his moves.

- Oh, my!

Evan White just machine guns
that on the Ring Jump.

- Oh!

- And now he's got the edge.

And he's putting the pressure
on the Kingdom Ninja.

- Matt, this back-and-forth
is giving me motion sickness.

- First up on
the Salmon Ladder.

This is where those
pumping forearms

should help him--but a miss.

- Nice.
- And Gil's evened it up.

- And this is where
you can come back

and make up some time.

- Evan White finds his rhythm.

- And he'll give us
our first look

at this new final obstacle,
The Clacker.

- Ooh, boy.

- You have to move those
handles up and over to advance.

- It's not only
about grip strength.

It's also about
shoulder flexibility,

especially with this
move right here.

- Do or die.

Evan White about
half a move ahead.

- Uh-oh.
And then look at Daniel Gil.

He's coming back into it.

Oh, my goodness!
Sha-na-na!

- Who will get the dismount?
- Uh-oh.

Uh-oh.
Uh-oh.

- Who will take it?
- Oh, my goodness!

Oh, my goodness!
Yes!

[buzzer blares]

- Oh!
- Oh, my goodness!

- Holy moly!

- Evan White wins by just
over a tenth of a second.

- Wow!

- The rookie takes out

one of the best ninjas ever,
Daniel Gil.

- What a race!

One of the closest
we've ever had.

- It came down to this new
final obstacle, The Clacker.

They were neck-and-neck,

and as they reached
the final wheel,

they both looked over
at each other.

Evan dove and outstretched
it to the buzzer.

He's been preparing
for a moment like this.

We saw him training for
that move, and it paid off.

- First of all, gentlemen,
thank you

for one of the great races
in the history of this show.

Evan, you're going up
against a legend.

- Oh, my God.

- What's going through
your mind

going up against
the great Kingdom Ninja?

- Daniel's been such
a mentor to me recently.

To get to share this course
with him is just incredible.

- 13 hundredths of a second.

Daniel, what are your thoughts
as we say goodbye?

- Oh, man.
I'm not done.

There's still a lot more ahead
for me in this sport of Ninja.

This is exactly
the outcome that we wanted.

Both buzzers, right there,
neck and neck.

- It's what we asked for.
- I couldn't be more proud

of Evan moving forward,
be watching.

He's got several more buzzers
left this season.

- OK.
All right.

That's a prediction.

- Up next from our bracket
is a 7 seed versus a 10.

Don't blink, 'cause this
race could be that fast.

Caleb Bergstrom picked by many
to be the favorite

coming into this season,
going up against

Matt D'Amico, whose motto is

"every course
is a speed course."

- Caleb climbed stage 4

the past two seasons

and just missed out

on winning it all.

But he's actually the lower

seed in this because

Matt D'Amico, who's been

on a roll this year,

was faster in our last round.

The Massachusetts gym owner
has been supported all season

by the kids at the gym.

And they'll be cheering
for him again tonight.

Caleb comes from the big
Bergstrom ninja family.

And like Daniel Gil,
he'll have his wife

and newborn baby
on the sideline for him.

- Both these guys
can go fast, Matt.

We know on this course,
you have to have no regard

for self-preservation.

You just have to go.

[countdown clock beeping]
- Get ready.

- We got some of
the fastest ninjas going at it.

- And a good start by both.

Slight edge for Bergy.

He's got a 2-inch
height advantage.

- Both these guys--

- And he's using
that advantage,

which is exactly what
you're supposed to do.

- Oh, my goodness.
- God gave it to you.

Use it.
- D'Amico--

- Uh-oh, he's hung up.

- He's looking for
a big transfer.

Wow!

- Matt, I like the way
he propped himself.

He got stuck a little bit.

He said, forget it.
I'm just going to go for broke.

- I can't tell whose feet
were down first.

It's so close.

Watch who gets to the top
of the Salmon Ladder.

- Nice.
- Bergy in two moves!

- It's Bergy.
He's got those long arms, Matt.

At 5'10", 175 pounds.

He's trucking.
- And you saw him misstep.

And now, a couple of missteps.

And D'Amico's back in it.

- Oh, boy!
They both missed.

Oh, my goodness.
Come on.

- It's so hard to go fast
on these obstacles.

Bergy, first off.

- Right to it.

No regards for
self-preservation.

Here we go.

- The Clacker.

- Click-clack.
Clack-clack.

- Dead even.

Who's going for the dismount?

D'Amico's there.

- Uh-oh, D'Amico's there.

Uh-oh, he missed.
They missed.

They're both going
to go for it.

There's D'Amico, Bergy's
going to have to leap in.

[buzzer blares]
He does, but still not enough.

- Wow, less than
a second difference.

- What a race!

That final obstacle,

a swing here, a swing there.

- Another race comes
down to the wire.

- It came down to
the last set of Clackers.

Caleb failed to push it over
in his first attempt.

Matt got it,
but then he had to make

a one-handed save
to stay alive.

That slight edge
allowed him

to reach the buzzer first
and get the win.

And Matt, I gotta say, I know
you're having a good time,

but for those kids
back in Ascend gym,

you want to give them
a message?

- Shout out to Ascend.

Those guys mean
everything to us.

The kids are our motivation.

So yeah,
I'm just glad that I can

put on a good show for them.

- Well, it was awesome.

Caleb, I know just like
last season, one second.

It's tough to swallow,
but I just want to say,

we're so honored
to have you out here.

You got the real prize.

That's your baby boy.
Congratulations.

- Thank you, Matt.
Thank you, Akbar.

- Congratulations.

- Well, what a race.

It's so tough to see anyone
go home after that one.

And, Akbar, we've only
had a couple of races.

And already we've had guys
who conquered stage 4,

two of the best ever,

Daniel Gil and Caleb Bergstrom
eliminated.

These races are
so unpredictable.

Coming up.

The last time Sam Folsom
and Hans Hertz raced,

it was a back-and-forth
battle.

- Whoa!
Wow!

- But this time,
someone's going home.

Their rematch is next on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- We've had many memorable
moments over the years

provided by athletes
who are amputees

who've inspired us
with their strength,

including former football
player Artis Thompson III.

- He is determined.

- And firefighter
Gary Weiland.

- [screaming]

Oh, my God! Oh, my gosh!

- All of them competed
with prosthetic legs.

But in season 8, Zach Gowen
took it one step further.

This professional wrestler who
lost his leg due to cancer

took his prosthetic off
and hopped on one leg.

- What?
- Look at that.

- Whoa.

- Unreal!

- Well, cancer took
his leg, but--

- It can't take his heart,
though!

- He made it through
the first obstacle.

- You're inspiring everybody!

- Then rolled through
the second.

- Bear hug, Zach.
Bear hug, Zach.

- Come on. Hold on.
- Come on. Bear hug.

Bear hug. Come on.

- Yes!

And the most
unbelievable run continues.

- I've never seen
anything like this.

- The wrestler gamely took on
the third obstacle.

- Oh, my goodness.

- And though his run ended--

- Oh!
[air horn blares]

- He left the audience in awe.

- That was so amazing.

- A standing ovation
right there for Zach Gowen,

and that is well deserved.

- Zach Gowen's
courageous run proved

that nothing is impossible.

And he lands at number 8

in our memorable moments
countdown.

We're making great moments
with these races tonight.

And up next, we're going
to see the number 1 seed

on the right side of
the bracket, Hans Hertz,

take on the 16,
one of the two wildcards,

Sam Folsom.

And this is going to be a
repeat from one of the closest

races from the previous round
when these two friends

battled to the very end.

- This is going to be good.
It's win and you're in.

- I am so lucky to be here.

Group stage didn't go exactly
how I wanted it to.

- Folsom with the miss.

- It actually helped me racing
one of the fastest ninjas.

- Hans Hertz.

- Whoa!
Whoa!

- Because I ended up putting
down the second fastest time

of the night,
giving me that wildcard spot

in the round of 32.

But it just so happens
it's going to be a rematch.

- Me and Sam, we know
how to push each other.

We did it once before
when we raced.

Ended up with
the top two times.

I know he's hungry to move on
and get redemption

from that first match,
but I'm the 1 seed.

I'm not playing around.
And I went fast before.

I can go fast again.

- Sam's wife, Isabella,
leading his sideline group.

She'll race later.

She's one of the two women
still in the competition.

This may be a 1 versus a 16
seed, but don't be fooled.

Both these guys are elite.

Unfortunately,
one of them will be going home

at the end of this race.

[countdown clock beeping]

These two are good friends,
but they've got to put that

to the side for this race.

- Just win, baby.

You got to go for it.
- Oh.

- Look out.
- What a save.

Hertz almost ended right there,
but now he's behind.

And he's got to set out
because Folsom pulling away.

Oh, that one move may end it.

- Wow.

But Matt,
there's always an opportunity,

especially
if there's a hang up.

But he has got to be flawless.
- Oh!

- And look at that move.

- No sooner do I say it.

- Hertz is leaving
nothing on this course.

- Will he run out of fuel?

- Sometimes
adrenaline gives you

that extra strength,
that extra power that you need.

- Folsom, and a miss.

And Folsom's cracking the door.
And here comes Hertz.

- What'd I tell you?
That adrenaline is kicking in.

The adrenaline is kicking in.

- Who will be
the first to dismount?

- Folsom has the edge.

- Oh, my goodness!

Come on.

- Hertz must get a buzzer.

- Oh, man.

And Hertz is going to
come from behind, Matt.

- Well, Folsom closing in.

- This might be the
greatest comeback ever.

And now Hertz is the first
on the Steering Wheel.

And now he's onto--

- Folsom gets the dismount!
[buzzer blares]

- Come on!

- He wins the rematch.

Hans Hertz looked
out of it,

then made a huge comeback
to pull even.

It came down to a swing.

One swing.

- Remember last week,
Hans was racing Evan White.

And on the final move,
he took an extra swing

and it cost him.

Tonight,
it was the same situation.

He made that extra swing again
and Sam didn't.

That was the difference
in this one.

- And it's another race
decided by less than a second.

And Hans Hertz's season
is over.

Sam Folsom knocks out
the top seed

on this side of the bracket.

And he'll face the winner
of our next race.

This features breakout
rookie Evan Lavallee.

He's collected
four buzzers already,

inspired by his mom, who's been
battling two types of cancer.

Evan's the eighth seed and will
be facing the 9, Amir Malik,

a three-time "Ninja" veteran
who's back among the elites

after taking a few years
away from Ninja.

- Traffic jam.

Oh, don't get peed on.
- [chuckles]

- I've been fostering dogs
for, I think, 10 years now.

Yeah, well, you don't
need to pull so hard.

Come on, guys.

You know, it started
with just me and my mom

when I was younger.

And we fostered over 50 dogs.

And we love it.

A lot of these
high kill shelters

are, you know,
putting dogs down

because they just
don't have the space.

And if we have the space,
it can help one dog,

then we're going to do it.

Let's go, Sesame.

Let's go.

I've adopted a dog.
Her name is Sesame.

She's a beagle terrier mix.

[chuckles]
Sesame beagle.

Get it?
[chuckles]

Belly rubs.
You're the best.

Aren't you the best?

To help a dog find its forever
home, it's very rewarding.

Come on.

Every time I'm on the course,
the longer I make it,

the more I bring awareness
to fostering dogs

and just showing
how important it is.

- [barks]

- Amir's mom and girlfriend
are here from Vermont

to cheer him on in the finals.

- Let's go!

- And Evan's got a big group
here from Massachusetts

who are on the sidelines,
along with his mom.

- Evan Lavallee is
a heavy metal guitarist.

He's a banger,
and Amir is a baker.

Baker, banger, let's go.

- Their season on the line.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Shrinking Steps.
They get smaller and smaller.

Throws your balance off
a little bit,

but not a problem for them.

- Oh, big moves
and these guys are linked.

Lavallee, real smooth
on the Swinging Frames.

- Not a good start
for Amir Malik.

Oh, he's catching back up.

- He linked that dismount.

- Nice, whoo!
- And he's caught up.

- It's almost like he's mad.

- Oh, this is a good match-up.

Who can be smooth
on the descent?

- All right, here we go.

- And Lavallee, first off.

- Matt, we got
ourselves a race.

- Oh, these guys really
pushing each other.

Who will blink?

- And you see,
Amir was thinking about

going with a big move
and decided to change it.

- And Lavallee has the edge.

He was first to complete
Salmon Ladder.

Malik is flying.

- Ooh, look at that.
Malik has got a rhythm.

- But so does Lavallee.

He keeps the edge as Malik
keeps the pressure on him.

He's looking smooth here,
Akbar.

- Shoulder flexibility.
- It's even.

- Both 5'6".
- Lavallee, 30 extra pounds.

- Oh, boy!

- And Malik has pulled ahead.

- Uh-oh, he's looking.
Don't look at him.

Go!

- Lavallee links the dismount.
[buzzer blares]

- Oh!

- Another spectacular race.

- Amir went peek-a-boo
and lost the race.

- Oh, my goodness.

- Amir was ahead and in
position for the dismount,

but he glanced over
at Lavallee

and took an extra swing

while Evan was able
to link the last move

and he gets the win
in another nail-biting race.

- Unfortunately,
Amir Malik is now eliminated,

but Evan Lavallee's
inspirational rookie season

will continue.

He now moves on and will face
Sam Folsom in the round of 16

in our season finale
next week.

Coming up.

Three years ago, they were
among Ninja's Fab Five

that climbed stage 4
to be our champion.

- You get one moment like this.

You have to seize
the opportunity.

- Now RJ Roman and Josiah
Pippel will race each other.

And one of them's going home.

That's next on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- What a night it's been
here in Vegas already.

These sudden death races
have been electric.

And for our next race,
we've got our number 2 seed

on the right of the bracket,
Josiah Pippel,

taking on the 15, RJ Roman.

Josiah has been perfect this
season with five buzzers

and is among the favorites
to be our new champion.

RJ is also a top competitor,

but his road has been
a lot rockier.

He only learned minutes ago
that he earned one

of the wildcards after waiting
weeks to find out his fate.

- Speed demon is not even
a word that describes RJ.

- Oh, no!
- Oh, oh!

- RJ's staying ahead.

Wow! Did he pull away there?

Made the final climb twice.

- Oh!
RJ fell!

- Man, I had my back up
against the wall,

as I have many times before.

- Matt, he is dialed in.
Look at that.

Wow!
[buzzer blares]

- RJ Roman might have just
kept his season alive.

- I knew with that last race,
it was do-or-die for me.

Put up a good time and had
to watch about 15 people

try to knock it out.

- And after the longest wait
of his Ninja career,

RJ Roman survives
to the next round.

[buzzer blares]

- Luckily for me,
no one was able to.

And now here I am.

- Such effortless speed
and power for Josiah Pippel.

- In the round of 32,
I'm matched up against

another one of the fastest
ninjas in the world.

- Oh, my!
- What the heck?

- In one move!

- Definitely put myself
in this position,

but we're both no strangers
to having the fastest times.

- Fastest time of the night.
[buzzer blares]

- No offense to him.

[cheers and applause]
Let's go! Yeah!

But tonight,
Josiah is getting shredded.

- Well, RJ has support from
family and friends in Florida,

including Flip Rodriguez.

- You know I'm not missing
this, baby, let's go!

- And tough luck for Josiah.

He's the number 2 seed, but has
to face RJ in his first race.

He's got his dad and friends
on the sideline supporting him.

- These guys were two
of the five ninjas

who climbed stage 4
three years ago.

They share a special bond,

but got to be ruthless
right now.

[countdown clock beeping]

Now, RJ Roman did
have a clean start

after losing those first
two races in group 1.

- But Akbar, he had the lead
in all three of his races

at one point or another.

- Oh!
- And Josiah is down.

- What? Oh.

- RJ Roman has done it.

And Josiah Pippel,

an unbelievable perfect season

comes to an end.

- And RJ Roman's season takes
another unpredictable turn.

He's got the win,
but he's going to keep going

to get experience on these
obstacles for future races.

- Let's go, baby!

Let's go, baby!
Let's go! Let's go!

- Let's look at
what happened to Josiah.

We've seen other
top ninjas do this.

They're trying to
go fast and make

that long throw from the
back of the second frame,

but come up short.

- Single elimination.
That's it for Josiah Pippel.

And RJ Roman gets going.

- Love you, Josiah.
Great job.

Hey, still stage 4 bros.

- Oh, yeah.
- Well, Matt,

it's not just about speed
on this racing course.

It's about execution.

- And how quickly
things can change.

Half an hour ago,
RJ wasn't even sure

if he was still alive
in the competition.

But he held on
to get the wildcard,

and now he's in the final 16.

- Wow, what a roller coaster
it's been for him.

- Just needs these final moves.

And he finishes it
with a buzzer.

RJ is rocking out
because he's moving on.

[cheers and applause]

- Let's go, little bro!

Atta boy!

- Buddy, you get here by
the skin of your teeth,

the fastest third place time.

But what's it like
going all or nothing,

do or die,
in a race course like this

against someone like Josiah?

- For sure.
Yeah, Josiah is amazing.

I knew I had to go all out.

I feel like I perform best
under pressure.

That's going to be my advantage
in this competition.

So we're just going to see
how it goes from here.

- Survive and advance.
You took care of business, RJ.

- Yes, sir. Thank you.
[buzzer blares]

- And with Josiah
and Hans Hertz out,

the top two seeds on this side
of the bracket are gone.

Meanwhile,
RJ is picking up momentum.

He'll face Matt D'Amico
in the round of 16 next week.

- Oh, boy, that should be
a good one right there.

- And we'll stay on the
right side of the bracket

for our next match-up.

It's a 5 versus a 12 seed

as Kaden Lebsack takes on
Luke Dillon.

And the 22-year-old
from Florida

is having a great season.

He's already got four buzzers,

but he's facing one of the best
in Kaden,

who's a two-time
Last Ninja Standing.

And he always goes hard
no matter the competition.

- All right, guys,
the first five laps,

that's how we decide
the winner.

You guys are going down.

Me and my friends can make
a competition out of anything.

Oh, yeah!
I'm coming for you.

That was a good fight.
Good drive, good drive.

We are always trying
to one-up each other.

Can you do
the one-arm challenge?

- 20-pound dumbbell.

[upbeat music]

- We do a lot of
one-arm pull-up training.

All right, let's hit
some one-arm pull-ups.

- All right, let's do it.
- Cool.

- You guys got that.

- Oh, nice.

- Oh!

- Yes, Matt.
- Come on.

- Yeah!
- Yeah.

- Good stuff.

- With social media, not a lot
of people see one-arm pull-ups.

So it's fun to post them
and see different reactions.

- What?

- Come on. Go. Go.
[groaning and laughter]

- I love posting
challenges and watching

my followers repost them
and trying it their own way.

[laughter]

* *

I definitely hope that,
you know,

posting challenges online
will help inspire people

and help them get stronger

and more passionate
about something.

- Go.
Go, Max.

- Go.
- Go.

- My friends
definitely push me.

I've gotten so much better
because of them.

Yes!
[laughter]

- Sorry.
- I win.

- Big move by Kaden.
Nice.

- Oh, my, Lebsack gets the win.

[buzzer blares]

- It feels great
to be in the finals.

This is my year to win it all.

- Kaden will have his family

and Colorado training partners
on the sideline.

And Luke will have his
girlfriend, Avery Glantz,

leading his cheering section.

Those two are runners up
in our Couples Championship.

- Kaden is the favorite
in this,

but most of the favorites
have lost so far tonight.

- We know both of them can go.

[countdown clock beeping]

- So much pressure in these
single elimination races.

One mistake could
end your season.

They are matching each other
step for step early.

- Oh!
- Oh!

- Oh, and it was the pressure.

- That's two early falls
in a row.

- The intensity of these races
may be getting in their heads.

- And Kaden gets the win.

- Luke Dillon is in shock.
He can't believe it.

His impressive season is over.

Kaden Lebsack is moving on.

But like RJ, he's going
to get some practice

on these obstacles
for future races.

- But let's look
at what happened to Luke.

Like Josiah minutes ago,

he knew he had
to take chances,

and on Swinging Frames
tried a long swing

to that third frame,

but had to lean his head
and turn sideways.

That made it difficult
to make the grab.

High risk, high rewards.

But sometimes it can
be a big-time failure.

- Yeah! Yeah!

- And Kaden not letting
the pedal off the metal, Akbar.

- Well, I think he wants
to have the fastest time.

He wants to make sure he lets
all the other ninjas know,

like, I'm the one.

He's putting everybody
on notice.

- And he's going to have it.

- Oh, yeah.
It's his.

[buzzer blares]
- Under a minute.

- Just to be clear,
at this point,

there's no advantage
to being the fastest,

other than maybe intimidating
future opponents.

- Whoo!

That's my boy.
That's my boy.

- Those one-arm pull-ups
paid off on The Clacker.

It looked like
one fluid motion.

He already had the win,
but you can see him

looking at the clock
before he even lands.

Kaden Lebsack just
made a statement.

- So he's looking dangerous as
he moves into the round of 16.

And we'll find out who
his opponent will be next,

as Jackson Erdos
faces Christian Hart.

Plus, for Taylor Greene,
it's already been

a history-making season
with big upsets.

- She did it.

- Can she create
another magic moment

against top contender
Isaiah Thomas?

It's just ahead on
"Ninja's" National Finals.

- Moments ago,
two more finalists

went head-to-head
with their season on the line.

In a battle of the
3 versus the 14 seed,

teen electrician Noah Meunier

took on Notre Dame
college student Austin Baron.

Meunier started with
a streak of 108 obstacles

completed without falling.

And he added to that
during the race.

He's completed every course

since he started Ninja
in season 15.

Though he wasn't perfect...

- Oh, a little herky-jerk there
on the Swinging Frames.

- He was still very efficient,

completing obstacle

after obstacle

after obstacle.

He kept the streak alive
with a buzzer.

That's now
114 consecutive obstacles.

Baron also made it to the end,
but his season is over.

- Good job.

- Meunier moves on
to the round of 16.

Next week, he'll face
the impressive rookie

from Wisconsin, Evan White.

And now it's a showdown
between the 4 and 13 seeds,

two teenagers
from the northeast.

This is a rematch from
a race in the group stage,

with Jackson Erdos,
who won that first race,

facing Christian Hart,
the rookie from Connecticut.

- Oh, they're going
for an early knockout.

- Erdos will be
the favorite in this.

The former "Ninja Junior"
champ took

a few years off
from competition,

but he has come back strong.

- Season 14, my season ended

on the Piston Plunge
on stage 2.

both: No!

- The next years after that,

I had a lot of changes
in my life.

I couldn't really
get away from the fact

that no matter what I did,
I just felt sad.

I just couldn't get better.
I didn't have any hope.

I didn't--I didn't think
there was a way out.

- * How can you know
what the end is *

* If you give up *

- Reaching out for help
and actually getting the help

is what made me grow so much.

- * How can you know
what the end is? *

* Just don't give up *

- I kind of developed into,
like, Jackson 2.0.

- Well, Erdos is
crushing this course.

- Man, he ain't lost a step.

- After being gone for so many
years, the amount of gratitude

I had that I was able
to get called back

and then get another buzzer
to start my season off...

- Go, baby, go!
[buzzer blares]

- I feel like it was kind of
a redemption arc for me.

- Jackson Erdos.

- I could not be more grateful
to be where I am today.

I'm ready to go.

- Jackson Erdos has
re-established himself

as a threat to win it all.

But he's still a teenager,
so of course,

his mom still gets nervous.

For his opponent,
Christian Hart,

it's already been
a dream season.

He's a super-fan who grew up
going to competitions.

He's been on the sidelines
for many of his Ninja heroes.

- Now he's in the final 32
in his rookie season.

He's an underdog
in this matchup.

- But anything can happen on
this six-obstacle race course.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Here we go.

- Nice start for Erdos.
What great footwork.

- Applying instant and constant
pressure on Jackson Erdos.

That's the only opportunity

that Christian Hart
is going to have.

- Erdos, a 5-inch
height advantage.

Hart keeping with him.
- Ooh!

- Who can be more efficient
here on Ring Jump?

- And like Jackson Erdos
got his back

towards Christian so he
can't see what he's doing.

Oh, but here comes Christian!
You better pay attention.

- And look at Erdos.
The long jump to keep the edge.

Who will be first up
the Salmon Ladder?

- Oh, come on.

- Erdos in two moves.

- Nice.
- Wow!

He's got a little
breathing room here, Akbar.

- He does.

- Easy to miss a placement
on the Floating Monkey Bars.

But not this time.

* *

And Erdos, no break.

Right into The Clacker.

- Christian Hart still hung up
on the Floating Monkey Bars.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
- A little stumble from Erdos.

And you have to advance
all the handles.

They must go 180 degrees.

- Good flexibility
in the shoulder.

You feel a little bit
of that in the labrum.

- Just needs to avoid
a fall on the final move.

And he's got it.

Jackson Erdos closes it out.

Credit to Christian Hart.

But it's Erdos
with another win.

He's been perfect
this season,

and is undefeated
on the race course.

- Yes!

- Christian Hart's going
to finish the course.

His great rookie season
comes to an end.

So Erdos moves on
to the round of 16.

And next week,
he'll face Kaden Lebsack.

- A "Ninja Junior" champion

facing a "Ninja Junior"
runner-up?

Ooh, I want to see that one.

- But now we'll slide over to
the other side of the bracket.

These are the ninjas
who competed on course 1

in the group stage.

And we'll start with
a race between

two of Ninja's
brightest young stars.

- Guys, Taylor Greene has
already hit two buzzers

in these finals and defeated
some of our top men.

Now she'll have to face a
strong favorite to win it all,

The Flyboy, Isaiah Thomas.

They met back on
"Ninja Junior."

And these two teenagers
are still friends.

- OK, a little patty-cake
before they battle it out.

[dramatic music]

Come on!

- It's already been

a history-making season
for Taylor.

She got a buzzer
in qualifying,

then became
just the fifth woman ever

to finish a ten-obstacle
semifinals course.

- That's her!

- In the finals,
she earned two victories

and hit two more buzzers.

- She's getting that buzzer.

Nice!

- She's the first woman ever
to get four in one year.

She's one of only two women
in the final 32.

But she's a 15 seed
taking on the number 2

on this side of the bracket,
Isaiah Thomas.

- They both had great seasons,

but only one will continue
after this race.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Isaiah Thomas,
8-inch height advantage,

but carrying 20 extra pounds.

- Oh, oh, Taylor hesitated.

Took a little pause there
before she went up.

- Smooth start.
Extra swing.

- Taylor is going to
run her race.

She's not going to try
to outrun The Flyboy.

That strategy worked
for her before.

- Isaiah,
no big moves, Akbar.

Maybe a little more
cautious pace from Isaiah.

Wow.
[chuckles]

What a dismount that was.

- Isaiah Thomas just
flying through the course.

- Love seeing
Taylor Greene's fight.

Progressing on Ring Jump.
- Taylor!

- One more buzzer,
honey, come on.

- I got a lot of respect
for Taylor Greene.

- Well, he is really moving.

This guy's so good, Akbar.

Just doing it and making it
look effortless.

Here comes Taylor Greene.

- She's not going
to catch Flyboy,

who gets
his fourth straight win.

[buzzer blares]

He's looking dominant
in these races.

Well, Taylor Greene
won't be moving on,

but still has so much
to be proud of.

- She hasn't fallen
on a course all season,

finished every one
that she's faced.

- Struggling here.
- She's feeling it.

You got to give it
everything you got--aww.

* *

- Couldn't finish
the course this time,

but what an amazing season.

And she's still
only 17 years old.

[cheers and applause]

Taylor Greene's a trailblazer,
and so are the women

in our next
memorable moments countdown.

Kacy Catanzaro was
the first woman to finish

a ten-obstacle course.
[buzzer blares]

But after she did it
in season 6, years passed.

- Oh!
[air horn blares]

- And no other woman
could join her.

- No!

- But at the Cincinnati City
finals in season 11,

Ohio native Michelle Warnky

put together
the run of her life.

Her best performance ever!

- OK!

- She reached the ninth
obstacle for the first time.

- And she's going
for the dismount.

Got it!
- Sha-na-na!

Sha-na-na!
Oh, my gosh!

- She then took on the tenth,
hoping to become

just the second woman ever
to finish an extended course.

Final door!

- Woman power!
Woman power!

- Oh, my, in her home state!
- That's what I'm talking about!

The queen! The queen!

[buzzer blares]

[cheers and applause]

[cheers and applause]
- This crowd is erupting.

- Matt, her-story.
Her-story.

- That by itself
would have been huge.

But a half hour later,
Jesse "Flex" Labreck

followed her onto the course.

The former track athlete
powered her way

to the back half and
took on the final obstacles.

- It's about to happen.

It's about to go down
in the Queen City.

- Yes!
Got it!

[cheers and applause]

And she started the climb,
hoping to become

the third member
of this elite group.

Nothing can stop "Flex."

- All the girls at home,
I hope you're watching.

- Jesse "Flex" Labreck,

the third woman ever to hit
a buzzer in City Finals.

After five years
with no women finishers

on a ten-obstacle course,
we had two in the same night.

There are tears of joy

as the women do what's
never been done before.

For inspiring the next
generation of female stars

who now inspire us
week after week,

"Flex" Labreck
and Michelle Warnky

are number 7 on our countdown.

Coming up,
the Behrends brothers

have been making some noise
this year.

- Let's go!
- Let's go!

- Let's go!

- Now Ben will try to keep
his season alive

against Enzo DeFerrari Wilson,

while Jason will try
to outrun Luke Beckstrand

on "ANW's" National Finals.

- Welcome back to
"Ninja's" National Finals.

Tonight's do-or-die races
have been exciting to watch.

And here's a special treat,
presented by

the Wells Fargo Active Cash
Credit Card,

bringing you unlimited access
with this

behind-the-scenes look
from our specialty drone,

which gives us
angles and perspectives

the other 36 cameras
can't get on our course,

which is longer than
a football field.

This is the
Taylor Greene-Isaiah Thomas

race from minutes ago,

as The Flyboy
jumped out in front.

- Whoa!

- Later, Isaiah had
a comfortable lead as

he worked his way across the
final obstacle, The Clacker.

- Ooh, this is a great angle
to see this dismount.

Wow!
[buzzer blares]

- Here's a really
close-up look at Taylor

as she battled through
the Floating Monkey Bars.

- You go, girl!

- No!

Her first fall of the season,

but we can't wait to see her
again next year.

Our next race may be
the loudest of the night.

It's a showdown between
the 6 and the 11 seeds.

These are two of
the most energetic

athletes in the sport.

We've got The Hype Guy,

17-year-old Iowa high schooler
Ben Behrends.

And he'll be facing
Electric Enzo,

the 18-year-old from Florida,
who got here with

one of the biggest comebacks
of these finals.

Enzo closes the gap.
He was the first off.

Oh, but he kicked the bar
off the cradle.

What's he going to do now?

- At first, when the bar
dropped, I thought I was done.

I was considering just
dropping in the water.

- What?
- This is almost impossible.

- Enzo is going to go for
the long dismount.

He makes it.
- If I can get through

the Floating Monkey Bars
like that, I can do anything.

- At the wire!
[buzzer blares]

- That Floating Monkey Bars save
was just bananas.

And now I have to race him.

Enzo is electric
on the course.

That means I'm going to have
to move like lightning, too.

And probably faster.

- This kid trains so hard.

- Smallest male competitor
here in Vegas.

Wow! What a save!

- I'm sure because
of Ben's size,

people have underestimated him
in "Ninja Warrior."

- Nice! Now go, Ben, go!

- But he's one
of the most powerful

and strongest ninjas I know.

Ben, you better look out

because I am hyped
for this race.

- Both these guys have
big cheering sections.

Enzo's family and girlfriend,
Emily Gardiner,

will be screaming for him.

- Love you guys.

- And Ben Behrends
has his fanatic family

from Iowa on the sideline,

including little brother Jason,
who races next.

- These are two
high-energy ninjas.

They're salivating
at the mouth.

[countdown clock beeping]

- And both these guys have
motors that run hot.

- Oh, these ninjas are good.
- Oh, my!

- Oh!

- Enzo, a 7-inch
height advantage,

but he's carrying
25 more pounds.

- Wow.

He's got to use his height
advantage on the back end.

- Ben Behrends, such a fighter.

- Nice!
Ooh, now look at that.

Enzo showing a little bit
of quickness.

- Who can get the dismount?

Oh, Behrends
touches down first.

- Enzo better watch
his feet here.

- Oh, and Behrends pulls
ahead on the Salmon Ladder.

- This is where Enzo
ran into trouble before.

Both of them need
to avoid a mistake here.

When you think of
that 25 pounds, Akbar,

what he loses in reach, he's
making up for an efficiency.

My goodness!

- Oh, the Hype Guy's
all the way hyped.

He's turnt up, Matt.
- But here comes Enzo.

- Oh, nice. Oh, Behrends.
- Behrends!

- Being 5'3",
he doesn't have the reach.

- What a save!
- He could get Enzo back in it.

- Can he get to the handle?
- Oh!

And he's looking over.

[buzzer blares]
- Yes!

- Let's go!

- Ben Behrends delivers!

[cheers and applause]

Enzo flips out.

- Wow!

He flipped out.
I'm flipping out.

This whole place
is flipping out.

- Let's go!

- [shouts]
Let's go!

- They were even after
the Salmon Ladder,

but after his previous trouble
on Floating Monkey Bars,

Enzo took it slow,

and Ben Behrends
just flew through it.

He got the lead
and he got the win.

But at least Enzo
ended his season in style.

- Ben Behrends,
you know what we say.

Let's go!
- Let's go, baby!

Yes, sir!

- Hit that buzzer
one more time.

[buzzer blares]
- Let's go!

Yeah!

- So Ben moves on
to the round of 16.

And now it's his little
brother Jason's turn.

He'll be facing
Luke Beckstrand.

And these two have
a lot in common.

[upbeat music]

- It's a battle of
the younger brothers.

People underestimate
Jason for his size,

but no way I'm doing that.

- Luke and I both have
brothers who've been

crushing it over the years.

- Yeah!

- Now it's our turns.

It's the battle of
the little brothers.

We're going to find out
who comes up big.

- Well, Jason has amazed us
all season long.

At 4'11",
he became the shortest ever

to get up The Warped Wall.

And has two more buzzers
since then.

He'll be trying to join his
brother Ben in the round of 16.

On the other side,
Luke Beckstrand

has been one of
the fastest all season.

And he's the higher seed
in this one.

He'll have his big Ninja family
on the sidelines,

including brother, Kai,
who runs next.

Plus his girlfriend,
Payton Myler.

- You can never
count out Jason Behrends.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Had a lot of people sleep
on him because of his height.

But this kid plays big.

- Good start by Luke.
Jason working to keep pace.

- Ooh, Luke is flying.
It's like he's got wings.

- Can Behrends link it?
Nope. All right.

Well, both these guys
going fast,

but not selling out just yet.

- But look at the
one-handed grab there

by Jason Behrends on the ring.

I see you.

- That's where Luke seems
to use that height advantage.

A little easier on Ring Jump.

- Yeah, Matt.

Luke is looking like he is on
another whole level right now.

- Well, both these guys
have an advantage.

When they train,
they train with

some of the fastest ninjas
in the world in their brothers.

- And if either of these guys
win two more races

and their brothers
keep winning,

we'll have a sibling showdown
in the quarterfinals.

- And look at this.

Luke Beckstrand
right into The Clacker.

Akbar, he's crushing this.

He's smashing this course,
I should say.

- Clack on.

- Jason Behrends is hung up.

- Oh!
[air horn blares]

- So Luke's got the win.

Just needs a couple more moves
to reach the buzzer.

- Nice!
- Got it.

- Oh, boy.
Look at that.

[buzzer blares]

- Let's go!

- He wins the battle
of the little brothers.

But a history-making season
for 4'11", Jason Behrends.

Luke Beckstrand moves on
to the round of 16.

And his brother, Kai,
will try to join him.

His runs next.

He'll be facing
the last woman left

in the competition,
Isabella Folsom,

when "American Ninja Warrior"
returns.

- Our memorable moments
countdown takes us

to Tacoma qualifying
in season 11.

On that night, Sandy Zimmerman,

a 42-year-old
mother of three from Spokane,

shocked the Ninja world.

In two previous seasons,

Zimmerman had never made it
past the second obstacle.

But that night, the PE teacher
found her groove.

- Whoo!
all: Sandy! Sandy!

- This is the best run
of her life.

- Look at this.

- Oh, my goodness.
- Sandy Zimmerman has done it!

- I am in complete shock
right now.

- With her family watching,
Zimmerman had a chance

to make history
as the oldest woman

and the first mom
to get a buzzer.

all: Sandy! Sandy!

- Got the crowd here
on their feet.

She's in her backyard,
her home state.

Let's go!
all: Sandy! Sandy! Sandy!

- Yes!
[cheers and applause]

* *

- Yes! Yes!
- Yes!

The first mother ever
to hit a buzzer!

[buzzer blares]

Sandy Zimmerman
has made history!

* *

- Mom!

The first mom!
[buzzer blares]

The first mom!

- Sandy Zimmerman sent
a powerful message that night,

and it's number 6
on our countdown.

Female competitors
amaze us every season.

And our next race features
one of the two women

who made it into the final 32,
Isabella Folsom.

But she's racing the top seed
on this side of the bracket,

Kai Beckstrand.

- Ooh, OK, flex on him.

- Well, Isabella has
certainly flexed this year.

She became just
the fourth woman to finish

a ten-obstacle course and got
two wins in the group stage.

She's hoping to join her
husband Sam in the round of 16.

- He knocked off
a number one seed earlier.

Maybe Isabella can do it too.

- Well, Kai is going
to be tough to beat.

He's been among
the fastest all season.

And he's hoping to join
his brother, Luke,

who just punched his ticket
to the next round.

- And remember, these two
faced each other in the group.

Isabella fell on
the second obstacle,

so she's going to be
looking for revenge.

[countdown clock beeping]

- The only thing for sure
is someone's

going home after this race.

Boy, aggressive starts
by both.

And I love it.
- Well, look at that.

She's not backing down.
OK, Isabella.

- She's been good since
she debuted on "Ninja Warrior"

four years ago,
but this has been

an outstanding season for her.

She and Taylor Greene,

the two women to make it
to the final 32.

- Look at Kai go.
I mean, this is--

I don't even know what to say.

- Well, Kai goes so fast.
And, Akbar, he's so efficient.

And you can see, though,

we were talking
to his dad, Brian,

about just how strong Kai is.

- He's put so much work
and time into it.

I asked him, I said,

man, has he thought about
even playing football?

Look at him.
I mean, he looks like a safety.

He's like,
no, he's just doing Ninja.

- And he's got
a higher purpose too.

Being a firefighter.
That's why he loves Ninja.

It gets him fit to save lives.

- Well, Matt,
you know he can climb through

any burning building--
like, look at him.

- And he's got a shot at
the fastest finish of the night.

[cheers and applause]
And he gets it.

Another strong performance
by Kai Beckstrand.

My goodness.

- I think that's what
he was going for.

- Isabella Folsom
still fighting

her way through the course.

She knows her season is over,
but she wants to finish.

[cheering]

- Go, baby, go!

- Nice.

There you go.

Isabella.
Bell's about to ring the bell.

Nice!
- Oh, my.

- Go ahead, Bells.
Ring that bell.

- Ending her season
on a high note.

- And what a year
it's been for Isabella.

After her buzzer
in qualifying,

she became
the fourth woman ever

to finish a ten-obstacle
semifinals course,

then won two races
in the finals.

Wow, a lot to be proud of.

- Incredible performances.
Kai, congratulations.

- Thank you.

- But Isabella,
we're saying goodbye.

But what are you taking away
from your amazing season?

- Oh, I'm just grateful
for the buzzers.

And honestly, just racing Kai,
blows me away every time, so...

- And never giving up.
Never giving up.

And you are a fighter.
I love it. Love it.

Kai, I saw you
glance at the clock.

That was the goal, wasn't it?
- Yeah.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Got to start off
with a strong run.

I can improve from there.

- He's going to
improve from there.

- All right.
- Oh, my God.

Listen,
I keep talking to you,

but I have a feeling we're
going to be talking more, Kai.

- Oh, yeah.
- Congratulations.

[buzzer blares]
Awesome job, both of you.

- Good job.

- So Kai moves on.

And if he and his brother Luke
win their next race,

they will face each other

with the winner
advancing to the Final Four.

Next week
in our season finale,

we finish up the round of 32

and end the night
with a new champion.

- Oh!
- No!

Someone's going
to be crowned

the new king of Ninja
and take home 250 grand.

- They're rushing the stage.

- It's a season finale like
we've never seen before.

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

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