Original subtitles

Tonight, another 40 of Australia's fittest athletes

will step up to the starting gate...

Hoping to make it all the way here, to the Double-Warped Wall.

BEN: Last night, history was made as not one, not two,

but three ninjas conquered the Mega Warped Wall.

REBECCA: Oh. BEN: How good was that?

Olivia Vivian wowed us again,

becoming the first woman to complete the course.

The first woman up the Warped Wall this series.

Tonight, exciting newcomers look to make their mark.

Among them, Olympic champion Lydia Lassila...

I thrive under pressure, and I can't wait to beat that wall.

..the inspirational Max Closter.

I never used to talk at all.

That was a... that was a struggle.

..and Ninja's two biggest super fans,

Nathan Burley and Todd Smith.

We've been living, dreaming, and devouring,

and it's finally true.

Oh!

Plus, previous finalists return,

determined to go all the way.

The big goal is to get to the Grand Final this year,

go that step further than I have the last two years.

With Mount Midoriyama in their sights,

but only 18 spots up for grabs,

who will be Australia's first Ninja Warrior?

(THEME MUSIC)

Hello, I'm Rebecca Maddern.

I'm Ben Fordham.

And I'm Freddie Flintoff.

So far, this series, we've seen some fearless attacks

on our new and exciting obstacles.

Absolutely, Freddie.

The Mega Warped Wall and its $5,000 prize

has offered a very interesting test for our competitors.

Not only because it's a metre higher than the regular Warped Wall,

but it's also a strategic challenge too.

Chase the cash

and you risk not finishing the course.

The course changes up again tonight.

You're gonna love the new obstacle, Whisked Away.

Check it out. (DRAMATIC CELLO MEDLEY)

Like the previous heats,

ninjas kick off on the dangerous Floating Steps.

The terrifying Butterfly Wall is back.

In heat two, it wreaked absolute carnage,

taking out the likes of India Henry.

The Tuning Forks are this season's big balance test,

spinning underfoot, if you miss your step.

The Rolling Steel,

it gets ninjas' upper bodies working.

Then Whisked Away,

it looks like a simple lache between bars,

but the first bar is blocked,

it doesn't swing through the full range,

so the unwary Ninja will fall short.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

Finally, decision time, do they choose the safer route

on the Warped Wall or risk not finishing the course

by chasing 5 grand on the 5.2m Mega Warped Wall?

Tonight is the fourth of five heats.

Only the top 18 competitors at the end of this heat

will make it through to one of our three Semi Finals.

Warming up out there are some big name returnees like

the 'Barefoot Ninja' Daniel Mason, and 'Onesie Ninja' Laura Edwards,

and a bunch of talented newcomers

destined to be big names after tonight.

Let's get the first of them underway.

(DRUM MUSIC)

Now, we know Lydia Lassila is an amazing athlete,

attempting ski jumps that no woman had ever performed before.

She has competed at five Winter Olympic Games.

She is a gold medallist and a true elite athlete.

We're very lucky to have her here.

Give her a big round of applause, Lydia Lassila.

Ninja Warrior is really the ultimate test for an athlete.

I started off in gymnastics at the age of eight.

And I don't shy away from challenges.

I was approached by the Olympic Winter Institute

who asked me to become an aerial skier.

What was important to me was doing a groundbreaking move

that women hadn't done before, the quad-twisting triple somersault.

Whoo!

I really like that feeling of being under pressure,

I like feeling afraid.

So, what I'm relying on are my skill sets obtained

through years of being an elite athlete.

I'm gonna try and dissect this course one move,

one step at a time.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

The most decorated Australian female skier, Lydia Lassila.

Husband Lauri and the kids, Alek and Kai,

they can't wait to see their mum become a Ninja.

CROWD: Lydia! Lydia! Lydia! Lydia!

Look at her.

She is so used to performing in front of an Olympic size crowd.

Yeah, and with an international audience,

this is her first obstacle.

(BELL SOUNDS) The bell has now sounded.

She's taking her time to get started on the Floating Steps.

And this obstacle requires good leg

strength to push from each of the steps.

Faltered a little bit there, but have a look at her face.

She is extremely focussed, Ben,

exactly like she's standing at the top of the mountain.

And these steps get higher and higher.

And she's up to number four at the moment,

making sure of every single one.

(CROWD CHEERS) So far, so good.

Whoa, a little nervous.

WOMAN: Go, Lydia!

Yes, she's got it. She's through.

The confronting Butterfly Wall is next.

She'll be confident on the tramp, no doubt,

but can she stick the landing?

She's very humble when I spoke to her before,

but I reckon, in her head, she's thinking that

she's gonna destroy this course.

The gold medallist from Vancouver now takes on the Butterfly Wall.

Come on, Lydia.

Oh, no. Oh.

I was not expecting that.

We have an Olympic champion bombing out.

It just goes to show you how tough this course is.

Lydia will be so disappointed with that

because she's such a competitive woman.

She's out.

Lydia, you're smiling, but I know you was worried about

the Butterfly Wall before you got to it.

It's all pretty scary.

Look, I just couldn't get a hold of it.

And it's tough out here.

These guys are really amazing.

So, keep going with that noise, and give them a lift.

Talk us through what was going through your mind.

LYDIA: Oh, I wanted to get a feel for that trampoline

and then just hold, latch on,

but I just kind of couldn't get my fingers

over the top of it and fell straight off.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

One thing for sure,

this Melbourne Ninja course can catch up

even the most supreme athletes.

Next on course, a guy who really knows

the meaning of the words full house, Khalid Flint.

So, in my family, we have our two beautiful parents,

and there are nine siblings.

I'm 20 years old and the youngest would be 1.5 now.

Yay! Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

An average day and night in the house would be pretty crazy.

I definitely help out heaps.

Yeah?

It was almost four years ago when my youngest sister was born

with Down syndrome.

And my relationship with Aliya is indescribable.

Yo! Are you ready to beatbox?

(KHALID AND ALIYA BEATBOX)

Yeah!

I started to get into my fitness because I needed a stress relief.

The best type of training would have to be at Bondi.

I'm from South West Sydney, I get to Bondi,

I spend almost three hours freestyling,

catch a bus, catch a train, catch a bus, and walk back home.

I'm the oldest of nine children,

and I'm here to make these guys proud.

A big kiss for young Aliya, Khalid's biggest fan.

That's mum Sonia,

and eight brothers and sisters there.

That's a busy household, isn't it?

Wouldn't they be so proud to see their big brother

get his way through this course.

Come on, Khalid.

Look at that, strong lad, big leaps onto the Floating Steps,

leaving nothing to chance.

And he's just about through.

He is through the Floating Steps, now on to the Butterfly Wall.

Khalid's not tall, 167cm,

and he's 67 kilos of pure muscle.

Short run up. Here he goes.

Oh! BEN: Oh!

No, couldn't hold on.

Ninjas have to watch this one.

They underestimate the importance of the mini tramp.

Khalid barely had any run up,

and his left foot was almost off the mat at the bounce.

He's falling short, as a result,

he doesn't get enough grip on the wall.

So disappointing.

He looked like he could go a long, long way.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

All smiles from young Aliya.

Good effort, Khalid.

That's two big misses on the Butterfly Wall so far.

How's our next Ninja gonna go?

Well, he doesn't believe in going to the gym.

He's an 18 year old medical student from WA

who loves plants and owns a Venus flytrap.

Rhys Landwehr.

Hi, Ninja Warrior.

My name's Rhys Landwehr, and this is my video audition.

This is my small little room up here at college.

Let me show you my plants.

It's so soothing, growing them.

So, this is my favourite plant, it's a carnivorous plant,

and here we have my fish tank.

MAN: Oh, yeah.

Studying medicine, so I know how the body moves, how it works.

When I see all these Ninjas working out

with their big muscles and stuff,

I think of myself as having an advantage.

I'm lighter, I'm quicker, I'm faster.

I don't have that excess weight. My body is what it is.

I don't need it to be pretty and attract girls.

It's not my thing.

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

I like to say I'll do the best I can rather than,

"I'm gonna beat the course,

I'm going to get up Mount Midoriyama."

I'm just gonna do the best I can,

and hopefully, that's enough to get up it.

Whoo!

Come one, Rhys.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

He's got a Venus flytrap.

He collects stamps.

And also got two catfish, one named Fish, one named Chips.

OK, Rhys Landwehr, and his two most important ladies,

Mum and grandma, Michelle and Erica.

The medical student.

He's just 68 kilos, slim and lean,

which is a good start.

Come on, mate.

Come on. Good.

Come on!

The great thing about Ninja Warrior is the different characters,

the different backgrounds of people we get on this show.

Hey, great leap off. Onto the Butterfly Wall.

It's a 1.9m leap.

Come on, Rhys, you to bounce. Come on.

If you aim for the edge,

it helps spin it towards the rope, the experts tell me.

There's the jump, a bit of a heavy landing,

but it's a good one, he's on.

Next bit is the tricky bit,

a big transfer from the Butterfly, to the rope, and then the mat.

Come on. Do it, do it, do it, do it.

Yes, he's doing it, Mum.

Rhys Landwehr, the medical student,

he's done very well.

Yes! He's through the Butterfly.

Grandma's loving this.

Now, does he have the delicacy required

to tippy-toe his way across this obstacle?

Yes! That was beautiful.

Wasn't it?

What about the footwork, Freddie?

FREDDIE: That is the best I've ever seen

anyone get through the Tuning Forks, speed, confidence.

Now, he's struggling a little bit on this one,

not as big up top as some of our contestants.

But this lad, he's got a bit of attitude, he's got spirit.

He's done that...

Whoa!

..with a degree of professionalism

that you'd expect from someone double his age.

Go!

Oh, everyone's getting carried away,

but this obstacle's called Whisked Away.

This is a tough obstacle, Ben.

No-one has come near this yet tonight.

Come on, Rhys.

(CROWD CHEERS) OK, here we go.

Now, look at those arms, they're at a 90-degree angle.

That's gonna be putting a lot of pressure on the biceps.

He needs to straighten the arms to get a better swing.

And also see the jolt on the limiter there,

he's got to get his hips up higher

to get the momentum to get a better swing.

Come on, come on, come on.

Lift those legs up, Rhys.

The hips, that's it, that's it.

There he goes, Rhys. Lift them up again, Rhys.

And then you'll have enough momentum.

This might be it. Lift your hips.

He might need one more. Yeah, Rhys!

Come on, Rhys! I believe in you, Rhys.

Go for it. You can do it.

FREDDIE: Yes, Rhys.

Look at this, this lad's digging deep now.

He's not giving in. He wants this so much.

He's got this. Oh, so close.

Oh, grandma's so disappointed.

So close, but so far.

Rhys was brilliant on the Tuning Forks.

But the Whisked Away was a different proposition.

He had a good swing going, but because the bar stopped short,

he couldn't transfer that momentum in his leap

and he ended up in the swimming pool.

Same goes for his glasses.

Rhys, who are you?

You've come out of nowhere, you've attacked the course.

How do you train? What is it you do?

Um, I exercise in my free time.

So, whenever I have time,

I'll get on the rings and do what I can.

Amazing. Well done, mate.

Thank you. Great to watch.

We have more outstanding Ninja newcomers next.

(GRUNTS)

With the inspiring Max Closter,

who spent his young life overcoming learning difficulties.

I never used to talk at all.

Dual-code footy star Jenna McCormick.

Ninjas' two biggest super fans.

Hi, I'm Ninja Nathan.

And I'm Ninja Toddles.

I'm the biggest Ninja Warrior fan.

I'm the biggest Ninja Warrior fan, mate.

And some crowd favourites are back.

Barefoot Ninja Daniel Mason.

I've been training harder than ever,

and I'm back to take on the course again.

Onesie Ninja is on course to claim victory.

In Season Two, I was two people away from the Grand Final.

Season Three, nothing's gonna stop me.

And this year, there's not one,

but two Warped Walls to choose from.

When I'm standing at the bottom of those two Warped Walls,

I think I'm gonna have to pick the big one.

My technique's there.

I've just got to rip it up the Mega Wall.

Will there be a Ninja brave enough

to take on the Mega Warped Wall with its $5,000 reward?

I'd kick myself if I didn't give it a crack.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Do I put them back on?

Welcome back to Ninja Warrior.

The night's off to a surprising start

with medical students Rhys Landwehr

surpassing five time Olympic champion Lydia Lassila,

who dropped out on the Butterfly Wall.

Oh, she's fallen short.

An obstacle that's already proving tough.

(AUDIENCE CHEERS)

Melbournians love their footy,

and they'll get behind our next Ninja.

She's a 24-year-old dual-code superstar.

Professional footballer for the Brisbane Roar

and plays AFL for the Adelaide Crows.

But tonight, she completes the trifecta as a Ninja.

It is Jenna McCormick.

I do live and breathe sport.

Yeah. I grew up in Mount Gambier.

I sort of got my love from my dad and watching him play,

and yeah, the rest is history, really.

I play soccer for the Brisbane Roar and footy for the Adelaide Crows.

We won the first Grand Final in 2017,

first year of the AFLW.

That's what I'm talking about!

I never imagined myself playing AFL at that level,

let alone winning the first premiership.

I think if you get too focussed on the outcome,

in any aspect of life,

you might get a little bit side-tracked.

So, me, I'm all about being present in the moment,

trying to attack things as they're happening,

one step at a time.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Whoo! Whoo!

FREDDIE: If anyone's got a chance, it's gonna be this girl, isn't it?

Looking mean, looking focussed.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Come on, Jenna!

And this is great. (BELL SOUNDS)

We haven't had an AFLW player on Ninja Warrior course.

So, this is a first.

Hopefully will be the first of many girls.

You really got to use your leg muscles

to push off on these steps.

And it can be hard because those steps

are on a 45-degree angle.

She only just made onto the step number three.

You got this, girl!

Now, onto number four.

And she likes to get up nice and high,

but you're only adding distance.

Here we go. Ooh.

Yes, Jenna!

And early nerves starting to settle.

Jenna McCormick, she's through.

Whoo.

That's Jenna's former soccer teammate

Alex on the sideline.

It's the Butterfly Wall next.

Don't imagine she's had too much experience on a mini tramp,

needs to jump.

It looks like she's taking her here.

And here we go. Oh. Oh.

Oh, oh.

Whoops, big contact with the wall.

And that was a nasty fall.

Come on, Jenna!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Jenna, it was a pretty spectacular landing.

You came off on the Butterfly Wall, and I don't know if you want to see,

but we've got a replay of...

I would love to see it. You'd love to see it.

Well, if you'd love to see it, you can talk us through it.

It was an interesting dismount. You've just not quite reached it.

And did you bang your nose?

Look at my face. Yeah. Oh, that's funny. That's OK.

You got a little bit of a graze on your nose.

You put your body on the line. It's great to have you on, Jenna.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's give Jenna McCormick

a big round of applause.

Well done, Jenna. So nice to meet you.

Thank you. God bless.

And that's another top athlete beaten

by the Butterfly Wall.

Well, our next Ninja is a young man

who spent a lifetime facing up to challenges

and coming out smiling.

It's Max Closter.

Hey, I'm Max Closter, I'm 18 years old.

I'm gonna talk a little bit about myself.

Ever since I saw the first season of Australian Ninja Warrior,

I set a goal in my head, saying,

"One day, I'm gonna be on this show."

Ah!

I never used to talk at all.

That was a... that was a struggle, like...

He did nine years of speech therapy.

When he was 12, we had him diagnosed

with autism spectrum disorder and OCD.

I was struggling at school and all that.

So, I left school at Year 9.

I'm a third-year landscaping apprentice.

The guys at work have just brought Max out of his shell,

something shocking.

Hey, hey. Whoo-hoo.

We used to worry 'cause Max would never talk.

Now, we have to tell Max to shut up 'cause all he does is talk.

Give me a chance,

and I hope I'll see you at that course.

You've got this. Go for it!

Go, big. FREDDIE: Whoa, whoa.

Easy, easy.

Almost a false start there for Max.

(BELL SOUNDS)

What an impressive young man.

He's got a lot of support here tonight.

Mum Melissa and his dad Leslie.

The nerves, oh, so nervous for them, the parents really feel this.

He's making sure of every step on the Floating Steps.

And now, this next obstacle

which has been a headache for our Ninjas.

Launch it, mate! Launch!

Big jump.

Good advice, you need to launch towards the Butterfly Wall.

Whoo!

Getting up high on the Butterfly Wall.

Don't force it, son, it'll come around.

There we go. Good luck, Max.

CROWD: Yes!

This kid's got confidence. Come on, Max.

That's a huge relief. He is off that Butterfly Wall.

Only problem though,

he's now going to deal with this, the Tuning Forks.

So, look down, tread softly, and hope for the best.

Friend Katy and sister Beth.

They're very excited as we all are.

Come on, mate! It's yours.

Now onto the Rolling Steel. How is his upper-body strength?

Let's have a look at that now, Ben.

Oh, he's fighting the bar a bit,

really wrestling his way up, but he's getting there.

Oh, easy, Max. Easy, son.

Had a bit of an ugly landing, but it didn't involve water.

Stand up, mate.

OK, now, tonight's other troublemaker,

Whisked Away.

We're yet to see any of our Ninjas

get past this obstacle so far tonight.

Whisked Away, here we come.

Yeah, let's see how young Max handles

this really tricky obstacle.

That's it.

Just needs to get swinging, you can he's starting to tire.

He's starting to hurt, taking some big deep breaths.

Swing harder! Come on, go!

See the jolt, he's getting really frustrated at the jolt,

he's stopping his swinging.

Yeah, there you go, mate.

Come on, a bit more, here we go.

Oh. Down you go.

Good job, Max.

A massive splash for young Max.

Well done, Max. Well done, mate.

And he gave it his all. Come on, Max, come on.

Here we go, we've got him, we've got him.

We fished him out. Come down here, Max.

I'll tell you what, Max, from the start,

you was eager to get on this course, weren't you?

Yeah, I was really nervous,

and like, I knew I could do everything here but this one.

This one, I was struggling with the jump.

And when you was up there, did you run out of a bit of steam?

It looked just like you got a bit tired in the shoulders,

around there.

I wasn't getting tired, I was just trying

to just take my time and just try and find that jump.

So, yeah. You're a landscaper.

I take it you go to work in a vest. Look at these tan lines.

Yeah, in a singlet.

Put a singlet tank on, so, yeah.

Well, mate, we'll see how the other Ninjas go tonight.

You've still got a chance at making the Semi Finals.

Fantastic run. Well done, mate.

Lovely to meet you. Go and join your family.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Great effort by a really remarkable young man.

He's hoping he's done enough to go further in this competition.

Still to come...

Yeah, baby!

..Ninja favourites Ryan and Amy Solomon, they're back.

And this time, they're mister And missus.

Yeah, running the course this year,

I'm really gonna dedicate my efforts to my amazing,

beautiful wife.

But up next,

self-proclaimed Ninja Nerd, Todd Smith.

Hey, Australian Ninja Warrior, I'm Ninja Toddles.

And I'm ready to conquer Mount Midoriyama, Season Three.

Welcome back to a very tough night of Australian Ninja Warrior, Bec.

I know you're gonna be excited about this

because Ryan Solomon is back.

That's right, the grand finalist from Season One,

semi-finalist from Season Two.

His biggest supporter and soulmate is with him, that's Amy.

Give it up for Ryan Solomon. Give it up for Ryan Solomon.

This is my third season.

Ryan Solomon does it again.

Last year, I gave it everything and it still wasn't enough.

We've had some massive ups and downs in the last 12 months.

We've started with our wedding,

almost right after Ninja finished last year

and was the best days of our lives.

We went on an amazing honeymoon after that.

We found out Amy was pregnant, which was just amazing.

And sadly, we, uh, we lost our little baby at 18 weeks

and, um, yeah, that was some of the lowest lows.

The sad news of losing our bub and, you know...

Amy's still recovering physically, mentally.

The toughest of tough things just brings us together,

so, it's...

Yeah. That's nice.

Don't you make me cry.

She will be there, supporting me.

She's my number one supporter

and, yeah, my biggest inspiration to go hard, really.

Well, we have loved Ryan and Amy since Season One.

And it really has been the toughest of times for them.

But we are so glad to have them back for Season Three

and see Ryan back on the course again.

(BELL SOUNDS)

He's a lovely bloke as well.

And just get this, his Semi Final run in Season One

has been viewed more than 43 million times online.

He has a chance of going all the way in Season Three.

Although he was here for Season One and Season Two,

now faced with an obstacle he would never have seen before,

the Butterfly Wall.

Well, but he makes easy work of it, landed on the wall,

taking a spin around.

Yeah, babe!

Moving his body, moving his feet,

get his arms into position to take on the rope.

Oh, easily done, Ryan Solomon.

He's about ten seconds faster than Rhys Landwehr at this point.

He means business this season.

AMY: Come on, Ryan, focus.

He's got his eye on Mount Midoriyama.

Look at that face. MAN: Come on, Ryan!

The Tuning Forks await.

And Ryan Solomon makes mince meat of the Tuning Forks.

Whoo.

Come on, guys.

Whoo!

Right at this moment, you got to be thinking to yourself,

"All my training is paying off."

AMY: Yeah, babe!

Look at him go on the Rolling Steel.

That is perfection, absolute perfection.

He makes a difficult obstacle look like a walk in the park,

but it is far from that.

And this next one, Whisked Away.

It's a difficult obstacle.

We've already had two Ninjas come off this one tonight.

Will Ryan Solomon be the first to crack it?

Makes the leap onto the first handlebar.

Oh, this is not good, he's a heavy guy.

He's got to straighten up, straighten up quick.

Yeah, he's lining himself up a little bit

so he can make that lache.

Oh, no! Rushed it.

Oh, that is devastating for Ryan.

Veteran Ryan Solomon out on Whisked Away.

He's now at risk of missing the Semis.

Ryan, at the start, I think everyone thought

we were gonna see you at the top of the Warped Wall.

Was that your plan?

That was the plan the whole time.

I think it's the only plan you can have,

when you're attempting the Ninja course.

The Whisked Away is a tough obstacle.

What went wrong?

Just...

It just rattled me a little bit,

and I just tried to get off it too quick.

Well, cheers, Ryan.

Ninjas, beware, Whisked Away is a tough exercise.

Go to your wife there. She's waiting on the sidelines.

Cheers, Ryan.

I wasn't expecting to go for a swim.

Looks simple, plays hard.

That's the Whisked Away.

There's Amy, still smiling.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

I love you.

Our next Ninja is absolutely obsessed,

so much so that he asked his wife

if he could put lache bars down the aisle on the wedding day.

Wonder what the answer was?

She said no. Ladies and gentlemen, Todd Smith.

Hey, Australian Ninja Warrior, I'm Ninja Toddles.

I'm ready to conquer Mount Midoriyama, Season Three.

Yeah, this was definitely one of my life-defining moments.

I was so happy when they told me.

You're on the course.

What! Yeah!

I'm a mega fan. I am a total Ninja nerd.

I dream every night about Ninja.

Recently got married to my high school sweetheart, Mikkayla.

Today is the day that I finally get to marry you.

All my groomsmen were Ninjas that I trained with.

Go, Ninja Toddles.

ALL: Go, Ninja Toddles!

I put a proposal towards her, saying,

"You know, we should get some monkey bars down the aisle

so everyone swings down."

Yeah, it didn't go down too good.

No, she didn't like it.

My wife's asked me sometimes whether I love Ninja more than her.

He's always training, always trying his best to succeed.

She has to deal with the Ninja chat every day.

My wife would love me to win the show

simply just so I could never talk about it again.

(SCREAMS)

Todd Smith, one happy lad, 22-year-old,

voted the happiest in his school.

He's brought along with him all his groomsmen

from his wedding who are also Ninjas.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Ninja Toddles, he calls himself.

170cm tall, 65kg,

classic Ninja, lean and mean.

This lad, I tell you, is Ninja obsessed.

He bloody loves it, I tell you.

Come on.

Here he goes, going through it.

I spoke to him backstage.

He was a bundle of energy, this lad.

He couldn't wait to get cracking.

He's made a good fist of it so far.

Come on. You've got this.

Come on, Todd.

1.9m leap, and he does it.

Yes, he just does it.

(CROWD CHEERS)

It means so much to this man.

Wanted to build some of the obstacles at home,

but his missus said, "Not a chance, kid.

Not a chance."

She won't be saying that if he goes on

and wins a grand or possibly 300 grand.

She'll be his best mate. Yeah!

Come on, Todd. Yeah, and he's happy, that lad.

So, Floating Steps, tick. Butterfly Wall, tick.

Tuning Forks.

Right in the middle.

He sizes them up.

Easy.

Oh, look at that, light footwork, fast.

He is a contender. Whoo!

Love it.

And here he goes now straight away on the Rolling Steel.

He doesn't have the biggest chest or the biggest arm muscles

we've seen in this competition but he made light work of that.

Oh, look at the groomsmen.

I think they're celebrating more

than they were celebrating on his wedding day.

(INDISTINCT CHANT)

We need someone to beat Whisked Away.

Yes, we do. Is Todd gonna be the man?

Yes. He's nice and light.

Is he gonna go soon?

He's got some good flexibility. Look at him kick them feet up.

Oh, that's what we needed to see.

There he goes, yes! Oh, yes.

(CROWD CHEERS) He's landed it.

Whoo-hoo!

One more swing and then get on the platform, son.

Yes, Todd Smith.

Finally someone's beaten Whisked Away.

The groomsmen, look at them, they're going nuts.

But now, Todd has a big decision to make.

Will it be the Warped Wall

or the Mega Warped Wall with the $5,000 prize.

Todd Smith doesn't even look at the Mega Warped Wall.

He goes... Todd Smith...

BEN: straight for the Warped Wall.

..the first Ninja of the night to face the walls,

and he's decided to try for a fast time

instead of taking the cash.

And he makes it, Todd Smith!

(BUZZER BLARES) (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Yes, yes.

Whoo!

(WHISTLES)

Todd Smith, we have been waiting for you.

You are the first Ninja up the wall tonight.

Todd, how you feeling after that?

That was great, great course.

Yeah, I was actually very surprised

how well I did in the second and third obstacle,

but I knew that once I got through, I was home.

Todd, one last question.

You weren't tempted for the Mega Warped Wall?

No, my goal is to go far in this competition

and beat Mount Midoriyama.

Oh, take a look at it, Todd.

Yeah, I'm coming for it.

Good job, Toddles!

Good on you, mate.

Go and celebrate with the rest of the team.

Looking at the leaderboard for the first time tonight,

Ninja Toddles right at the top, first up the wall,

completing the course in 1:49.

He's ahead of Ryan Solomon, who came off on Whisked Away.

Then landscaper Max Closter and med student Rhys Landwehr.

Ironically, our two elite athletes are sitting sixth and seventh.

GROOMSMEN: Ole, ole, ole! Ole, ole.

Todd Smith's dreams have just come true.

Let's see who can do the same right after the break.

More newcomers next, with devoted dad Frankie Pieters,

who believes in never giving up.

FRANKIE: It's my number one purpose in life for my kids.

Sugarcane farmer Justin Flegler.

Coming from the farm, got to hit that course hard.

Comeback kid Matthew Marazita

who got over his depression with the help of Ninja.

I pretty much sucked at life.

And Olympic gymnast

and returning Ninja Georgia Bonora, she's back.

Australia might remember me...

Australia...

(EXHALES)

For my, um, incoherent interviews.

The KFC Youth Foundation is a proud supporter

of Australia's Youth and Ninja Warrior.

For every Ninja who dares to take on the Mega Warped Wall, tonight,

the KFC Youth Foundation will donate $1,000

to their charity partners.

(THEME MUSIC)

Welcome back to Ninja Warrior,

where we've taken over Australia's sporting capital Melbourne,

with a challenging new course and not only one

but two Warped Walls,

including the Mega Warped Wall with a $5,000 prize.

And over the break, two high-profile returnees

didn't get near either of them.

One of them, drift racer, Loki Kuroi.

She grips and she falls.

Crashing out on the Butterfly Wall.

Another, 'BMX Ninja' Daniel Walker,

back with daughter Izzy, but like so many, tonight...

Oh, no.

..missed his grip on Whisked Away.

Little Izzy is absolutely devastated.

In the crowd, tonight, is Ashlin Herbert.

You can see him standing there on the left.

He beat the Mega Warped Wall on night one.

He's watching training partner Georgia Bonora,

who is on course right now.

Last year, Georgia made it up the Warped Wall

and into the Semis.

This year, she's aiming for the Grand Final.

And she has the credentials to do it.

You've got this one. Let's go.

Georgia Bonora taking on the Butterfly Wall,

the nemesis of so many of our Ninjas tonight.

Let's make sure she gets that distance.

Yes, she just hangs on. Thank goodness.

She is a gymnast, she's a gymnastics coach.

So, you think if anyone feels at home on the mini tramp,

it's gonna be her.

And look how she's using her feet there

on the curve to push herself up.

That's smart.

Yes.

Nicely done, Georgia Bonora,

the first female to make it past the Butterfly Wall.

Whoo!

And now, she just wants to keep up

that momentum with the Tuning Forks.

She's well built for this, just 55 kilos,

got the gymnast's balance, Ben.

Here she goes, Georgia.

She's across the first, across the second...

And no! Can't get past the third.

(WHISTLES)

(CROWD CHEERS)

What a shame.

And it's the same mistake we've been seeing since night one.

She misses that fourth step where the Ninjas

have to twist across themselves, and then it is game over.

It's official, it's a tough course tonight, Ben.

Even seasoned Ninjas like Georgia are tripping up.

There's Ashlin Herbert, her mate, offering some support.

Ben, there is a really big Ninja community

down here in Melbourne.

Great to see so many of them out tonight watching the action.

Frankie Pieters is a Ninja who likes to keep it in the family,

training with his ten-year-old son.

Tailyn is here tonight, cheering on his dad.

From the Gold Coast, it is Frankie Pieters.

I'm a dad of two beautiful kids.

My daughter, Cierra, she is seven years old.

And my son is Tailyn, he's ten years old.

I'm super passionate about being a great dad.

It's my number one purpose in life for my kids.

Two years ago, Tailyn and I started getting into calisthenics.

We also do sync routines together.

Now, we go around to any event we can

'cause I want to show my son

you can do anything you put your mind to.

A lot of time, now, I'm finding that

I'm actually having to train a little bit harder

to keep at his level.

He's definitely putting me through my paces.

When I'm about to run that Ninja Warrior course,

I want my kids to look up and see me as their superhero,

that dad that can achieve anything.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Frankie Pieters wants to be a role model for his young family.

They're here, wife Prue... Hey, babe.

REBECCA: ..with son Tailyn, and Cierra.

(BELL SOUNDS)

And with that, Frankie Pieters...

(CHUCKLES) It's a long time.

..explodes onto the Ninja Warrior course.

But now taking it a bit slow.

And he's grimacing already.

Ooh. Oh, that was a smack down landing.

Oh, gosh.

Did his feet touch the water.

Uh, I don't think so.

He somehow saved himself.

I think he crunched his ankle on the second step,

and he's feeling it.

He's shying away from landing on his feet,

using an unorthodox method to get across.

You've got this.

Oh, ouch. He made hard work of that one.

He's struggling, Ben.

CROWD: Frankie! Frankie! Frankie! Frankie!

Is he going to be OK? Oh, no.

Yeah, Frankie Pieters has got an injury.

It looks like he's in a lot of pain.

I think it's his right ankle.

Freddie. You alright?

We got medics down here if you need one quickly.

Go, Frankie, you got this.

I don't think Frankie can continue at this point

with such a sore ankle.

We've offered him the medic,

he says, "No, I want to carry on."

Frankie. Come on, Frankie. You can do it.

(CROWD CHEERS)

I don't know how he's going to get on

and use the tramp with one leg, essentially.

He's not going to be able to hit the tramp...

Yeah.

..with the kind of force that's gonna be required

to get onto the Butterfly Wall.

He's digging deep.

He's trained so hard for this moment,

and he is not going to give up.

It's gonna be in a lot of pain though.

It's gonna be really hard.

Your instinct would tell you to pull back on the injured foot.

But look, let's get behind Frankie Pieters,

the 40-year-old from Queensland.

Go, Frankie. Yes.

He's on.

Oh, what an effort. What an effort.

Go, Frankie.

Fighting the pain, putting his body on the line.

Oh, oh.

But he's got another problem now.

And that is the Butterfly is stationary.

It's completely stopped.

I think because he hit it dead centre.

Oh, Frankie.

The Butterfly Wall ain't moving.

Here he goes.

He's getting to the edge,

where he's got a bit more leverage to move it.

Come on, Frankie.

CROWD: Frankie! Frankie! Frankie! Frankie!

Just look at the grit

and determination on this bloke's face.

Come on, move, Butterfly, move.

OK, so, he's wriggling his 72kg frame

around the wall to try and create some sort of movement.

He's just trying to jerk the thing into motion.

Frankie Pieters is one tenacious Ninja.

He is not letting go of this Butterfly.

We're gonna have to take a commercial break

and see what happens after this.

We can't go taking a break now.

We're just gonna have to...

Alright, you're watching Australian Ninja Warrior.

Will Frankie Pieters save himself? You'll find out right after this.

The Ninja Warrior

who powers their way furthest and fastest,

outlasting the others,

will be declared the season's winner

and take home $100,000.

Thanks to Energizer.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Well, welcome back to Australian Ninja Warrior,

where we are witnessing something incredible.

Frankie Pieters remains on the Butterfly Wall

with no sign of escape.

I just... I can't believe he is still there.

Talk about courage.

Daddy, get to the other side!

Look at this. He's trying everything.

He is a champion, this bloke, an absolute champion.

He rolled his ankle on the second Floating Step.

So, just getting this far is absolutely incredible.

Daddy, time is going. Time is going!

Everything this guy does is to set an example for his kids.

Bec, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

Do not continue that sentence, Ben Fordham.

There's no way out of this.

We want to hold hope for Frankie.

Look at him. He's already hurt his knee.

He's already hurt his ankle.

The Butterfly Wall is not going to move.

Come on, Frankie.

Come on, Daddy, go.

How long has his run been going?

CROWD: Let go, Frankie, let go. Let go, Frankie, let go.

4.5 minutes.

We're going to rename the wall to Frankie Wall.

FREDDIE: Here we go.

Let's go, Frankie.

CROWD: Let go, Frankie, let go.

No, he can't, he can't have done.

Hang on a minute.

He's getting there. Oh, I can't believe this.

He's done it.

Lift yourself up, Frankie!

He saved himself. I can't believe it.

I can't believe it. Hallelujah.

This lad's a genius.

Frankie Pieters!

The greatest save in history.

It's the great escape.

And my apologies to Frankie Pieters for doubting him.

Yes, you apologise right now.

I'm sorry, Frankie.

Come on, you can do it. No matter what.

CROWD: Let's go, Frankie. Let's go, Frankie.

This guy is my new favourite.

You know why?

'Cause Frankie never gives up, ever, ever.

Here he goes, the Tuning Forks.

Oh!

He goes down, Frankie.

Frankie Pieters from the Gold Coast

has starred on Ninja Warrior Season Three.

No doubt about it.

He's got a lot to be proud of.

And no-one's gonna forget that run.

I know he didn't go far,

but that's my performance of the night right there.

Frankie, in all the Ninja Warriors,

I've never seen anyone who wanted to get

through the course quite as much as you.

How are you feeling, firstly?

(BREATHES) Mate, I'm good, I'm good.

I'd love to show you the replay, but I don't think we've got time.

What was going on up there?

Just got caught, mate, eh. Just couldn't move it.

But there was always a way, just had to figure it out.

And it just took me a bit longer than it should have, so...

Yeah, man.

And the kids are on the sideline.

I suppose, you've just shown them you never give up.

Is that one of the things you live by?

Yes, definitely number one,

never give up, give everything you got, mate.

It's our motto.

They're waiting over there, Piet.

I'm sure they're desperate to see you.

It was an unbelievable effort. Well done, Frankie.

Well done, mate.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Frankie Pieters, you are a hero.

That is what this show is all about,

determination and never giving up.

Talk about a hard act to follow.

But I reckon our next Ninja might come close,

Matthew Marazita.

How it all begun?

Where do we start?

Um, this is how I looked last year, before July.

I pretty much sucked at life.

Being home 24/7, not seeing anyone, getting fired from three jobs.

After Christmas, was in a car crash.

I did sustain an injury to my leg.

So, I felt extremely depressed,

and there was just nothing keeping me going anymore.

FREDDIE: It's Daniel Mason aka the Barefoot Ninja.

One day, I was watching TV.

And Ninja Warrior came up.

He's got the pedigree to finish this course.

When I heard about Dan Mason's story about

how going Barefoot helped his leg

and feet injuries, I thought, "Yeah, why not?

I wanna try that and see if it helps at my leg problem."

Not only did he introduce me to going barefoot,

he also introduced me to Ninja Warrior training.

That's the turning point where I shaved my dreadlocks off...

Whoo!

..met new people,

and to compare this to how I was before,

I'm so happy of how life has turned out in the past year

because it's been great.

And that's why I love Ninja Warrior.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Matthew Marazita, he is a local boy,

and he's got plenty of his hometown training mates

on the sideline there, including Daniel Mason,

the Barefoot Ninja.

And we wish him the best of luck right now.

(BELL SOUNDS)

The buzzer sounds, here he goes on the Floating Steps.

No sign of that badly injured leg as he makes his way through,

very confident on the Floating Steps.

Butterfly Wall now.

Frankie Pieters has just shown us how tough this one can be.

It's knocked out plenty of others.

Go, Matty. Needs to hit the tramp.

Big leap, confident, he's got it spinning,

and, hopefully, he will get off much quicker

than our mate, Frankie.

Good position. Go, Matty.

He's got a great position on the wall, on the rope, done.

And he's done that very, very well indeed.

Tuning Forks now.

This involves some light footwork and some accuracy.

If you don't hit the pads on the top of these forks,

they may start spinning.

And once they start spinning,

there's a very good chance that you're gonna end up wet.

Matthew Marazita.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Yes! And he's through.

Going great guns now, moving onto the Rolling Steel,

which, as we know, is all about upper-body strength.

And Matthew has plenty of it.

Go, Matty! Go, Matty!

Matthew Marazita now fires his way through...

Oh, so great to see.

..the Rolling Steel at a really good pace.

Great to see somebody who's had an awful time

in the last 12 months really come out

of their shell and be here.

And guess what, he's on the second last obstacle

of Australian Ninja Warrior and loving it.

And so are his Melbourne mates.

Jump, leap for your life.

(CROWD CHEERS)

He's got a big chest underneath that singlet.

And look at the momentum now.

Yes, he lands it. Yes, he hangs on.

Sticks it.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Matthew Marazita is now lining up at the Warped Wall.

Just think, a year ago, he was depressed, on the couch,

and he stumbled across this television show.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

He doesn't know what to do.

And tossing up between the Warped Wall

and the brand-new Mega Warped Wall.

Oh, he's gonna do it.

Oh, for a newbie Ninja, this is a gutsy decision.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

Go, Matthew Marazita. Getting to the top...

It's a 5.2m ramp, and the first attempt of the night.

Go for it, Matthew Marazita, pump those up with arms and...

Oh, my gosh! Yes, he's done it!

We didn't expect it, but he did it.

Oh, my goodness. Wow.

When you put your mind to it,

it is amazing what you can achieve.

And we have witnessed that tonight.

How good's that?

Go, Matty.

He's my son, my son. Way to go, Matt.

He is in shock. Are you in shock?

With $5,000 bucks in the back pocket.

You like that? We loved it.

Matt, we loved that. Do it again for us.

It was brilliant.

You have booked a place in the Semi Finals.

How do you feel?

Oh, it was the best experience of my life.

I don't know, so...

(CROWD CHEERS)

Take us back to sitting on the couch

and stumbling upon this show.

How the hell you get from couch warrior

to Ninja Warrior up here, Mega Wall...

Oh.

Hey, let's give him a massive round of applause,

Matthew Marazita.

Into the Semi Finals, $5,000 richer,

and an inspiration to so many people

sitting on the couch watching this TV show right now.

Oh, go down and see your mates, Matthew.

Matthew Marazita, from depression and an injured leg

to a top performer on Ninja Warrior.

He never looked like missing on any obstacle

and claimed $5, 000 for his trouble.

Matthew has thrown down the gauntlet

to his mentor, the Barefoot Ninja.

He sits second on the leaderboard

but $5,000 richer behind Ninja Toddles.

Ryan Solomon and Max Closter still in the mix.

We've got more blockbuster Ninja action coming up.

With stuntman Mike Snow,

fresh from the set of the latest Pokemon movie.

Sick.

And the second of our Ninja nerds...

Give it a Burl!

Can high school teacher Nathan Burley

match the performance of his mate Todd Smith?

I can't wait. Hey, this is everything to me.

This is what I've been working for.

Give it a Burl!

(THEME MUSIC)

Welcome back.

We're in the fourth of five qualifying heats.

Comeback kid Matthew Marazita

became the first Ninja up the Mega Warped Wall tonight.

But Ninja superfan Todd Smith aka Ninja Toddles

still sits on top of the leaderboard with the fastest time.

And he makes it, Todd Smith. Yes, yes, yes.

But coming up now is a man who could challenge him

both on the course and in the superfan department.

It's Ninja Toddles' best mate, high school teacher Nathan Burley.

NATHAN: I'm from Brisbane. I'm a school teacher there.

My motto is "Give it a Burl!"

In life, you got to get out there and do things.

You got to do change, "What I want to be"

into "I decide to be".

I'm gonna show all my students that you take on obstacles,

you give it all you've got, and no matter what,

as long as you've done your best, you're a winner.

I'm the biggest Ninja Warrior fan there ever was.

Exhibit A. Yep.

Maps out what I need to do.

I've been ticking off boxes as I go along.

I absolutely can visualise what it's gonna look like.

I've had all my current students sign my shirt

so they can be a part of the run as well.

That's a "Hit Buzzer", and that's the fireworks.

I'm ready for Mount Midoriyama. Bring it on.

So, what have we learned today?

Give it a Burl!

Give it a Burl!

He's got some energy.

FREDDIE: Who said dreams don't come true?

It's coming true for this lad tonight, Nathan Burley.

Give it a Burl!

Best mate Ninja Toddles is in the mob there, watching on.

So is Nathan's wife Sarah, and their little Ninja-to-be.

(BELL SOUNDS)

That's the buzzer.

Go, Nathan.

Very balanced, good form on the Floating Steps,

landing both feet, resetting before going again.

That's perfect.

Safely through the first obstacle,

the Floating Steps.

Yeah, shimmying his way to the next obstacle.

(CROWD CHEERS)

And now, just lining up the centre of the tramp.

Now, can his Ninja Warrior dream keep alive?

There we go, look at that, that's a lad who wants it.

Oh, yes, big Burley.

That's a 1.9m leap he made.

And he could have probably gone about 3m.

Uh-oh, uh-oh. What's happening?

This Butterfly Wall is stuck in the wrong position.

Oh, no, it's deja vu. Not another Frankie.

He's using his hips to try and tug that wall around.

It seems to be working, seems to be.

We know that Frankie pulled it off.

Come on. Yeah.

Oh, hang on a minute.

He's decided to get on the other wing of the Butterfly.

I know, but I don't know if it's much closer.

No, this will work. This will work.

See?

Oh!

The dream is over so soon.

Oh, Toddles, he is gutted for his mate.

The Burley is in the water.

Heartbreak for Nathan.

Having worked his way into position,

he just misses the grab with his right hand.

And once you start sliding, there is no stopping.

(APPLAUSE)

Nathan, I know that this is your dream

to be on Australian Ninja Warrior.

I'm not sure how you'd be feeling right now.

You pleased to be a part of it

or just desperately unhappy it's all over?

The experience is amazing.

To be out here in this amazing night

and to be a part of this show that I love so much.

Um, I got to run the course, it was...

I got to run the course, Ninja Warrior course,

you can't beat that, so, yeah.

I think...

I've got a feeling we might not have seen the last of you.

I'm back, baby. You watch Season Four.

Well, we'll see you, Nathan, I look forward to it.

Unlucky tonight but so pleased that you got to live your dream.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Our next Ninja has been with us since Season One.

Yeah, he's taking time out

from filming blockbuster movies to fly back

and compete in Season Three.

Direct from London, straight to the course,

give it up for Mike Snow.

Hello.

I'm at Heathrow, and I'm heading back to Melbourne,

going to compete the day that I land.

Yeah, life's going real good over in London.

My stunt work this year has included

TV commercials in Melbourne,

feature films in London,

including 'Wonder Woman 2' as a stunt rigger,

'Detective Pikachu' as a stunt performer,

so, falling over and getting beaten up a lot.

But you can't keep me away from Australia all the time.

Mum and Dad have always been super supportive

with my work and with everything Ninja Warrior.

Definitely miss being here and miss being around them,

but they're always eager to see what's next.

It's gonna be someone pretty happy at the end of this round

with a big cheque in their hand either for smashing Mount Midoriyama

or for just going Furthest Fastest.

If it's me, SICK.

(CROWD CHEERS)

Welcome back, Mike Snow, glad to have you here.

That's Mike's mum and dad, Angela and Richard, on the sideline.

Angela suffered with septicaemia,

but there is no way she's gonna miss this.

(CROWD CHEERS)

For the statisticians at home,

he was a grand finalist in Season One,

a semi-finalist in Season Two.

And I'm predicting in Season Three,

he's going to go up the Mega Warped Wall.

This is the Floating Steps.

You can see, the real contenders

don't have any problem with the Floating Steps.

And just have a look at his size, 85kg, 180cm.

Onto the Butterfly Wall.

And Mike's size gets that thing spinning.

No problems getting around to the rope this time.

Go, Mike. Whoo-hoo.

Well done.

Now, the exit comes up. Ooh.

Oh, second-guesses himself.

Had a little think about it, and then chose his moment to exit.

(CROWD CHEERS) Hey, well done.

There's team Run Smo.

That was his nickname as a little kid.

His size might just hurt him on this one,

he needs really light feet.

Go, Smo.

Oh, he doesn't have any difficulty at all.

OK, onto the Rolling Steel.

Just look at the clock here. This bloke is very strong.

He's ten seconds ahead of Ninja Toddles.

(WHISTLES)

Here he goes.

Now, unlike movies, Mike Snow,

you don't get a second take at Australian Ninja Warrior.

You're in the middle of the heat now,

and you're edging yourself closer

to the Warped Wall or the Mega Warped Wall.

Whisked Away has played

with the heads of our Ninjas tonight.

Only a handful have managed to beat it.

Come on, Mike.

Up, we want you up the Warped Wall.

Mike Snow, look at him move the hips, see,

look at those hips going up nice and high.

And also, look at the jolt that that gives you.

Oops. Oh.

Whoa, he nails it.

His stunt-training helping him improvise there.

Can actually get momentum,

even if you swing in the wrong direction.

Yeah, he might even get off this sideways.

And he's just got to choose the moment...

There he goes. ..to get off.

Mega Warped Wall time.

Is it Mega Warped Wall time or Warped Wall, Ben?

What do you reckon?

MIKE: The Mega Wall.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

Posed for the camera, he knows where the cameras are,

these days, Mike Snow.

Well, I called it from the start

that he'd be going up the Mega Warped Wall, Mike Snow.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

5.25m up the Mega Warped Wall.

Come on, Mike Snow. For one, two...

Come on, Mike. ..three, four...

Launch yourself. Oh. $5,000.

Almost there. He was about 2cm off.

His foot was just a little too low on the wall I reckon.

FREDDIE: This is the thing about the Mega Warped Wall.

No matter how good you are, it will catch you out.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

And now Mike sizes up his second attempt.

Go, Mike, you can do it.

He's gonna need big powerful steps.

One, two, three, four, five.

Yes. Yes!

He's done it.

Mike Snow hits the buzzer, and he's $5,000 richer.

A movie moment in the making.

Whoo.

That was magnificent, Mike Snow.

Wow.

How are you feeling right now, mate?

Oh, I'm pretty knackered.

I probably slept about 4 hours in the last 30.

How's the jetlag?

Delicious. (LAUGHS)

It's the best. No, I'm super stoked.

And thanks for yelling at me real good.

Well done.

Thank you, Dad.

An explosive run from Mike Snow,

our second Ninja to make it

to the top of the Mega Warped Wall tonight.

And that a $1,000 to KFC's Youth Foundation Charity Partners.

And what about the spinning lache on Whisked Away,

without a doubt, a star move of the night.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

FREDDIE: In you come, Mike, come on.

Proud of you, son. How are you?

Man, firstly, last year, you got to the Semi Finals,

didn't reach the Grand Final.

MIKE: No.

Are you feeling you got something to prove this time around?

Yeah, definitely, I want to get back

into Grand Final territory.

And it's a strong field this year.

We've got some really strong Ninjas.

Is there anybody you're looking at thinking,

"They're my real competition?"

Yeah, for sure, particularly guys like

Dan Mason, you know.

I've probably got like 15 kilos on the dude,

but at the end of the day,

it's kind of how you play the game, not just how good you are.

Mate, great to see you. Movie career's going well as well.

Really good stuff. Well done, Mike.

Go and see your mum, she's waiting down there for you.

Well done, son.

But after that miss on the Mega Warped Wall,

Mike finished 33 seconds behind Ninja Toddles.

That's the chance you take.

However, Mike reckons Barefoot Ninja Daniel Mason

is the man to beat.

We'll find out a little later on if he's right.

But before then, crowd favourite,

Onesie Ninja makes her Series Three return

with one thing on her mind.

LAURA: I'm gonna go in hard, I'm gonna go in strong,

and I'm gonna go in powerful.

I'm gonna take it as far as I can, all the way to the top.

Then this sugarcane farmer has travelled

from far north Queensland,

with the whole town of Tully behind him.

Good mates, good family, cold beer always,

and it's just top place to be.

Can Justin Flegler do his hometown proud?

Yeah, here we go. Doing it for Tully.

Up the river!

Welcome back to Australian Ninja Warrior,

where some fresh faces have surprised us

with their success tonight.

That was beautiful.

But will our next experienced Ninja

be able to land a top 18 spot amongst the newcomers?

She just missed out last season.

You'll all remember this Ninja for her famous Onesie.

That's right, she's back,

and after a year of intense training,

she's ready to go even further than last year.

Make some noise for Laura Edwards.

Let's do this.

Everybody everywhere calls me Coach Onesie these days.

It's gone with me to all of my jobs,

especially after Ninja, and I love it.

Drop them down to our toes.

I work with individuals living in the community

with homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction,

and long-term mental health issues.

And I run a range of different programs

that help engage them in healthy lifestyles.

Nice, team, yeah. Fantastic. Great job, team.

You know you can do it, girlfriend.

Oh!

Season One, I was one person away from the Semi Finals.

This is such a big ask here for Laura Edwards.

Season Two, I was two people away from the Grand Final.

Oh, it was a spectacular fall.

Season Three, nothing's gonna stop me.

No surprises, I'll be in a Onesie this year.

But this one is going to take me

all the way up to those red buzzers and up Mount Midoriyama.

Good luck, Laura.

Laura volunteers at the Wayside Chapel in Sydney,

where the homeless can grab a warm meal and some support.

She's got a big heart, Laura Edwards.

(BELL SOUNDS)

It's a big jump between the steps for Laura.

The gap is 170cm, she's only 165cm.

She's focussed though. She is accurate.

(CROWD CHEERS)

And she's through.

Come on, Laura!

Pressure's on here.

Laura, if she wants to make the top 18,

needs to go hard and fast.

She'll have no problem with the trampoline.

Get it.

She'll get the distance here. But can she hold onto that wall?

Flies through the air. Yup.

Grabs on.

Whoa, she was tempted to have a go.

She was really tempted, but did you see

how quickly she bought her knees up to her chest

to get great position on the Butterfly

so she wouldn't slip off.

Too good.

She's looking even better than last year.

I know that's a big call at this early stage,

but she really is.

Come on, Laura. Fantastic.

There's Dad, Jim. Super proud.

You've got it.

And at 58 kilograms, Bec, she's light.

So, hopefully, that will be an advantage here,

across the Tuning Forks.

Oh, the Onesie Ninja...

One of our top female Ninjas falls off on obstacle three.

Gee, tonight is really tough.

(CHEER)

Laura, everyone here is gutted.

Though I have to ask how you're feeling?

Yeah. Pretty devastated.

Just talk us through what happened.

Look, I really thought I had it,

and I thought even if I got to that spot,

I would be able to bail myself out of that.

Uh, but there's just wasn't anything to hang on to,

so, there it is.

Well, don't be too disheartened.

It's been a tough night for the Ninjas so far.

Plenty falling off at the early stages,

there's still a chance of making the Semi Finals.

So, get back around there, go see your family and friends.

Give us a big smile. That's so much better.

Well done, Laura.

Thank you.

Good stuff, Freddie.

And it's a nervous time, though, for Laura.

I can tell you, she's in the lucky last qualifying spot for the Semis.

That's number 18,

and we've got two more Ninjas to come.

Well, you did really well, don't worry.

You did alright.

One of those two hails

from the wettest place in the country.

Here's, all the way from Tully, in Far North Queensland,

this 28-year-old sparkie,

he grew up on the family sugarcane farm.

Justin Flegler.

Here we are in Tully, best place in the world,

on top of the Great Golden Gumboot.

(MUSIC)

I want to put Tully on the map.

It's just a small town.

Hello, hello. Hello.

I've grown up on my parents' cane farm.

Put it here, mate. There you go.

My dad I owns it, his dad owned it.

We had Cyclone Larry, Cyclone Yasi.

It's the wettest town in Australia, apparently.

Hopefully, no more come our way.

Coming down to Melbourne, crossing the borders,

going to put Tully on the map and show youse

how the Far North Queenslanders do it.

FREDDIE: Justin Flegler from the Far North of Queensland.

I think he's a bit shell-shocked,

he's from the country, I don't think

he's seen this many people in years, look at him.

Come on, take your time, buddy.

Yeah, he's surrounded by the people that count,

Mum and Dad, partner Rachel, they've flown down from Tully.

Go, Jus.

(BELL SOUND) Come on, champion.

Here we go, Justin Flegler, look at this.

Wow, this is a nippy start.

Wow, look at that, Justin.

Very nippy indeed.

We'll be watching the clock on this one.

OK.

(CROWD CHEERS)

And on the Butterfly. Well, that's a first, on and off.

He didn't even blink. Look at him go.

I feel like I'm watching this in fast forward at the moment.

Look at him go, he might be giving

Flashlin Ashlin a run for his money tonight.

33 seconds to this point, Ninja Toddles was 1:10.

Straight onto the Whisked Away.

Bounces on, oh, wow, Justin Flegler, look at this lad.

Tough obstacle, this, got to keep it straight.

He's blitzed through the course so far.

He's got a long drive home,

he wants to beat the traffic I think.

Wow, Justin Flegler, now, he's looking at the Warped Walls.

What a time this is.

I want some of that energy. He has not stopped.

He's gonna go the Mega Warped Wall.

He's indicated he is going the Mega Warped Wall.

He is pumped for the 5 grand cash. He wants it.

Pump those arms.

He's a good metre short.

If Justin had made it up,

he would have beaten Ninja Toddles' time.

This one's a Jack-in-a-box.

He's blitzed through the course.

You've got to hit this wall right on the sweet spot.

Go, Justin.

He's scrambling his way up the wall.

Now, he is a fair way off.

He's gonna have to reassess his whole technique here.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

He's not taking any time to do that though.

He wants it.

Not enough reach.

But what an effort, Justin Flegler.

Well, it was an incredible run in terms of time.

He was tracking at about

40 seconds faster at that point than Ninja Toddles.

I'm thinking that if he chose the Warped Wall,

he would have been at the top.

Yeah, it was a massive gamble to take,

but I think he's up there with Flashlin Ashlin Herbert...

Oh.

..as far as speed through the course.

Yeah, that was hyper speed.

How's it feeling, Freddie?

Justin, you was in a rush tonight.

Oh, that was awesome.

So good to get out there finally.

We don't get any of this back up home, so, yeah.

How far do you reckon you can go in this competition?

We've never seen you before, you're something different.

Yeah, I don't know. A bit of a ring-in I suppose.

Who knows?

But yeah, I'm keen to keep going if that time was good enough.

I'm pumped.

Mate, great to see you.

Ladies and gentlemen, Justin, go and see your family, mate,

they're waiting on the side.

Justin Flagler, clearly one to watch

on Season Three of Australian Ninja Warrior.

Good on you.

Let's check out the leaderboard.

By the time he came off Whisked Away,

Justin was 45 seconds faster than anyone else tonight.

But three misses at the wall sets him back in fourth place

with Ninja Toddles still on top.

That also means Onesie Ninja, Laura Edwards,

has lost her spot in the Semis.

(CROWD CHEERS) Good going, Daddy.

Oh, Daddy, I love you.

How was that?

Next, on Australian Ninja Warrior,

after bombing out in last season Semis...

Oh, no. Oh, what?

He's off.

..Daniel Mason, the Barefoot Ninja, is back.

And he's stepped up his training to the next level.

If I can get to that wall,

I might have to have a go at getting that 5 grand.

Will all his hard work pay off?

That's next.

Welcome back.

It is Season Three of Australian Ninja Warrior,

where the final run of the night could be the most anticipated.

It's Daniel Mason, the Barefoot Ninja.

(CROWD CHEERS)

DANIEL: For the last two seasons,

I've been known as the Barefoot Ninja.

All my training is Barefoot.

It's a part of my body, I train them like

I train everything else.

I feel like if we can be strong and dexterous through our feet,

it may give me an advantage on some obstacles.

My son Fletcher is 14 months old, now.

And he starting to get a little bit more active

and start climbing on things, and of course,

tackling it all barefoot.

We do have shoes for him,

but he's worn them about once I think.

Hopefully, he'll be more than ready when he's old enough to compete.

Now, the Frame Slider.

DANIEL: The big goal is to get to the Grand Final,

go that step further than I have the last two years.

Oh, no!

DANIEL: In my training, this year,

I've been trying a lot of new things,

trying to get them first shot

because that's what we have to do on the course.

I have the capability,

but I just got to put it all together on the night.

Now, this is the one I have been waiting for all night,

Daniel Mason aka the Barefoot Ninja, from Victoria.

Wife Maddi cheering him on.

And there's Ashlin Herbert in the stands tonight,

very curious to see how his mate goes.

It's called friendly rivalry between these two frontrunners.

Look at his feet.

He's got the closest thing on to having bare feet.

This is gonna be epic.

Yep, Freddie, he needs those shoes for safety reasons.

But those are more like...

I think they're gloves for your feet.

(BELL SOUNDS)

They do look a little strange. He's off now.

Quick little balanced steps, dancing.

Now, this will surprise you

because everyone knows the Barefoot Ninja,

but he has never made it into the Grand Final.

Despite his obvious talents.

Grabs a hold of the Butterfly Wall.

Yes, landing his feet and hands at the same time.

Keep it spinning.

He's decided to go for one more spin,

get himself in the best position as possible.

And there he goes, he's off.

The Tuning Forks are next.

Should be right up his alley, this one.

It's all about quick footwork.

Now, the Barefoot Ninja, no mistakes on this one.

Oh, geez, unbelievable. Daniel Mason.

And now, he powers his way through the Rolling Steel,

all 6.6m of it.

And he's about 18 seconds faster the Ninja Toddles

was at this point.

(CROWD CHEERS)

He's only light, that should help on Whisked Away.

Wow, the Barefoot Ninja,

getting through the course, keeping straight,

not even moving sideways.

So many Ninjas, tonight, get on that obstacle,

twisting and turning, but he's so strong, look at that.

Here he goes.

He comes up to the Warped Walls. What's it gonna be, Daniel Mason?

We've had two up the Mega Warped Wall, tonight,

Matthew Marazita and Mike Snow.

Are we gonna have a third?

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

He's going for it.

Of course, he is, course, he is.

Wiping them feet.

Daniel's not the tallest man out there, 166cm.

The Mega Warped Wall is more than three times his height.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

The crowd are getting right behind him, chanting,

"Beat the wall."

Beat the Mega Wall, Daniel Mason.

Off he goes, he goes, he's going, he's going.

Oh!

That was about 2cm or 3cm from the top.

Close, very close. Really close.

He knows the sweet spot now.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

Ashlin's looking on, seeing if a fellow competitor

can get up the Mega Warped Wall.

Wiping the feet, making sure he's doing

everything he can to get the 5 grand.

Daniel Mason is about to be one, two, three, four,

$5,000 richer.

Yes! Oh, no.

He got one hand on 5 grand.

Imagine having 5 grand in your hand, and then letting go of it.

If he just committed with the other hand,

he just might have got up there right now.

He seems a bit frustrated with the shoes.

It's got to be a different feel for him.

CROWD: Beat that wall! Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

Come on, Dan. Don't miss this.

Oh! Hasn't...

Oh. He was so close, Bec.

Roll of the dice.

He had one hand on the money.

Bad luck, Dan. But guess what.

He's into the Semi Final

of Australian Ninja Warrior without a doubt.

That was tough to watch,

the Mega Warped Wall is a beast,

and it's beaten one of our best tonight.

Look how close he got with that second attempt.

Fingers over the top but just not able to hold on.

Oh, Daniel, Daniel.

Competition this year is fierce.

How far can you go this time?

Grand Final's the goal.

But after I get there, yeah, who knows?

We'll just have to see. Hopefully, the training pays off.

And are you looking at any of the Ninjas, thinking,

"They're my competition."

Ashlin, definitely.

He's pretty good, he's gonna be hard to beat.

But hopefully, I can pull something good out on the day.

Daniel, great effort, mate.

Go and join your family, they're over there, waiting for you.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Great run from Daniel Mason.

But, it's round one to Ashlin Herbert.

The action tonight was hot.

It was smoking hot, Ben.

Let's check out the final leaderboard.

So unlucky for Ninja Onesie Laura Edwards,

missing out in 20th position.

Med student Rhys Landwehr, 15th.

Landscaper Max Closter, 12th.

Ryan Solomon is sitting in 7th place.

The Barefoot Ninja Daniel Mason is 5th.

But the night goes to newcomer

Todd Smith aka Ninja Toddles, our Furthest Fastest.

Bec, Ben, what a night.

These are the 18 who have made it through to the Semi Final.

We've seen seasoned Ninja Mike Snow and Matthew Marazita

get to the top of the Mega Warped Wall,

take the cash,

and stamp their place in this competition.

But tonight's show was stolen by new Ninja Todd Smith aka Toddles.

He pressed the buzzer at the top of the Warped Wall,

fulfilled a lifelong dream, and I'm so pleased to say,

Toddles, you are tonight's Furthest Fastest.

Great job, Freddie.

The Semi Finals are filling up.

Stakes are raised and the pressure mounts

as a place in our Grand Final beckons.

Someone is guaranteed to be a winner

and pocket a minimum of $100,000.

We'll see you tomorrow night

for more Ninja action here on Australian Ninja Warrior.

Goodnight, everyone. Goodnight.

Tomorrow night, the fifth and final heat,

with only 18 Semi Final places remaining.

Listen to the crowd, everyone's stunned.

That was not supposed to happen.

Fighting for a spot, unconventional new Ninjas

like fashion model Winson Lam.

People are gonna take me seriously as an athlete

and not just like a set of abs.

Scratch golfer Charlie Robbins.

There's not many people my age that play golf.

So, the inside joke is that I'm 80 years old.

And our first ever professional jockey Stephen Baster.

People would think that a jockey can't take on this course.

I'm here to prove that a little guy can.

Plus, returning powerhouses...

Oh! Oh. What was that?

..and Ninja Warrior heroes.

This is a moment Betsy Burnett will not forget.

It all comes down to this, the final qualifying heat

to become Australia's first Ninja Warrior.