All language subtitles for Spartan.Ultimate.Team.Challenge.S01E07.Spartan.Season.One.Championship.WEBRip.NF.en[cc]

[woman] We got it, y'all.
Keep moving this on.

-I gotcha.
-Don't let me down!

[narrator] Over the past six weeks,
we've seen friends become families.

[Dani] Finding my team
meant filling this void

that was sort of missing in my life.

And they understood it finally.

All right, let's go, let's go.

[narrator] And we've learned that even
the best of us become stronger...

[narrator] ...when we put our faith
in those we love.

I love you guys, man.

-Whoo!
-Let's go!

[Isiah] Take a deep breath, Carmen,
you got this, baby!

I believe in you. I believe in you, okay?

We got to pull each other's weight

-together.
-[Cox] Ow!

I think we're gonna win.
I think my team is unstoppable.

Yeah!

[all cheering]

[shouting]

I knew you could do it! I told you!

[woman] Everybody thinks they're
facing that obstacle alone in life,

and it's a pretty powerful thing
to see what's possible

when you can unite with others.

[crowd chanting] Spartan! Spartan!

[Dhani Jones] The wait is over.

What began with 36 teams from all across
the U.S. is now down to six.

And after tonight, there will only be one.

Welcome to
Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge.

I'm Dhani Jones alongside former
professional soccer player, Kyle Martino.

And, Kyle, over the last six weeks,

we have seen friends,
we have seen families

work together and push each other
in extraordinary ways.

And, Dhani, the six teams
we'll see compete tonight

have shown tremendous heart

and have sacrificed their bodies

for this opportunity...

The chance to be our first ever
Spartan champions

and go home with $250,000.

It's the best of the best tonight.

And just like the earlier rounds,

we start with two heats
of three teams each.

The winner of each heat
and the fastest runner-up

will advance to the championship heat
where winner takes all.

[chanting] Spartan! Spartan!

[Jones] Let's take a look
at the three teams

competing in semifinal Heat 1.

In blue, it's the Muddy Minglers,
a Spartan Cinderella story defied the odds

to gain a spot in tonight's championship.

-[all] One, two, three...
-Mingle!

[Jones] They all met on
an online dating sight

for Spartan racers that are over 40.

We really didn't find love,
but we found each other.

-Here's to...
-Cheers!

Cheers!

[screaming]

Finding those people
that are like-minded...

[all exclaiming excitedly]

There's a special feeling to that.

[Jones] This group of over 40s
were heavy underdogs in week three.

But they were led by
the top ranked Spartan racer

in the world, 26-year-old Hunter McIntyre

Hold him!

[Ryan Gulino] With his inspiration,
with his leadership,

I've done things that I've never thought
that I would be able to get done.

Come on, Ryan! Come here!

[Jones] Hold on that!

[Ken Martin] One of the biggest pieces
of advice

that he has given me
is to... to believe in myself.

Never give up! Never surrender!

I am not gonna let Hunter down.

We are here to win this thing.

-Yep.
-And people doubted us.

And we have proven them wrong.

-We have each other's backs.
-That's right.

-Absolutely.
-And that's a team I want to be a part of.

[Kyle Martino]
You hear Ken Martin there, Dhani.

They've come this far,
but with an average age of 44,

can their team captain Hunter McIntyre

-push them even further?
-[all cheering]

[Jones] And, Kyle,
another strong captain right there,

Isaiah Vidal, leader of the American
Dream Team in green.

The international team
refused to quit in qualifying

pulling off two inspiring
come-from-behind victories to get here.

These guys originally come from
five different countries.

They've bonded over their common pursuit
of the American dream.

[all] Hello!

Hi, Gill.

-You ready for Atlanta?
-Oh, yes.

[Ronald Quintero] We all come from
similar backgrounds.

So, automatically, we connected,
and we've been unstoppable ever since.

Come on, Carmen, pick it up!

The course was brutal, but also,
we had one powerful boy. [laughs]

Keep it straight! Keep it straight!

[Jones] Isaiah... That's the guy!

Of course Isaiah is a beast.
He can do it all.

Vamanos, animal! Vamanos!

[all shouting]

And that, America, is the American dream!

[Isaiah Vidal] My grandfather had it
pretty rough down in Mexico.

And he was the reason my family
even came to America.

When I talked to my grandfather and asked,

"Is there anything that you wanted
to accomplish?"

He's like, "Yeah, I wish I had a house.
I wish I had a boat.

I wish I had a good car.
I wish I had something to leave behind."

I'm like, "Okay, well, why didn't you
accomplish those things?"

He's like, "I didn't have enough time."

I left that for you.

I'm here to accomplish those dreams
that my grandfather couldn't accomplish.

-What do you want me to do?
-Stack 'em six tall.

[Vidal] To live that dream for him.

-[straining]
-[man] There we go, up.

-[grunts]
-[sighs heavily]

This it the American Dream Team.

We're gonna show the true story
of opportunity here in America.

-What time it is? What time it is?
-[all] Go time! Go time!

All right!

[Martino] While everyone
in American Dream Team

originally from different countries,

all five members of the purple team,
Bounce Squad,

are from one place,
Wilmington, North Carolina.

-Let's do it.
-We can do it.

They all work and train together at
a trampoline park...

[man] Go!
Get as high as you can! Stay controlled.

[Martino] ...and overcame
some serious setbacks

on their way to the championship.

[man] Okay, look out! Look out! Look out!

-Slow down!
-I couldn't stop it.

I've actually been having nightmares
about that Slip Wall.

[straining]

I just had to grit my teeth,

dig my heels in,

and hold my team.

-Help me up!
-Go!

-[Jones] And he's got it!
-Hold on!

[Amber Johnson]
We don't have a weak link in this team.

They are a second family to me,
and I wouldn't trade any member.

[all cheering]

[all] Bounce Squad!

[cheering]

[chanting] Bounce Squad! Bounce Squad!

[Martino] There you see the team
and their fans sporting pink bandanas.

That's to honor
the fight against breast cancer.

Tee Jackson lost her Mom to the disease,

and they're running this race
in her honor.

To get a closer look at what Bounce Squad
and the other two teams are about to face,

let's go down to Evan Dollard.

Thanks, guys.
For the last six weeks, I've seen

up close and personal
what a monster this course is.

Never thought I'd say this, but,
this championship track is even scarier.

[air horn blowing]

After the eight and ten-foot walls,

-there's now a 16-foot wall.
-[woman] You can do it!

[Dollard] And that's just
the first obstacle.

Go, go, go.

-[shouts]
-[man] Hold on! Hold on!

[Dollard] All the rest of the obstacles
in qualifying

that left our competitors
bloody and battered...

-Help!
-[Dollard] ...are back.

And we've added a new monster.

-Run!
-Go! Go!

[Dollard] The Giant Tire Swing.

[man] Now!

[Dollard] We've been saying it all season,
and it's never more true than tonight.

You don't run this race. You hunger it.
Or go home empty-handed. Guys.

[Jones] Thanks, Evan.

The teams competing for the first spot
in tonight's championship final

are on the starting line.

Hunters Muddy Minglers in blue,
Isaiah's American Dream Team in green,

and Bounce Squad in purple.

Blow... that... horn!

[air horn blowing]

And they're off! A flying start by
Trampoline Park coworkers, Bounce Squad.

[Martino] Muddy Minglers captain
Hunter McIntyre pounds up that hill.

He's the number one ranked Spartan racer
in the world,

and right on his shoulder
is Dream Team captain,

Isaiah Vidal ranked at number seven
and rising.

These guys regularly finish
first and second in Spartan races,

and neither one of them
wants to come in second here today.

Let's go!

[Jones] They take different approaches
here at the eight-foot wall.

Isaiah lifts his teammates with his hands
while Hunter puts 'em on his back.

-Oh, you're last.
-You're last! You're last!

-You guys can make this one.
-Yeah, yeah, we can make this.

-Come on.
-Come on.

[Martino] Meanwhile,
Bounce Squad are the first team

to head to the ten foot wall.

[Jones] And Dream Team falls behind.

That's Ronald "The Ram" Quintero
getting a hand up from Isaiah.

Grab my side...

-[woman] Push our feet. Give me your hand.
-[man] Get on me.

-Go, go, go!
-[Jones] Bounce Squad's

team captain Amber Johnson

-gets a lift up.
-There's some slick, guys.

[Jones] Amber gives her team a warning
as she climbs over that ten-foot wall.

Bounce Squad's leader is drawn to danger.

[Amber Johnson] I live in Pilot Mountain,
North Carolina,

the hometown
of Andy Griffith and Mayberry.

Amber Johnson is our small-town badass.

[motor revving]

She likes motorcycles, getting muddy,

-shooting guns.
-[rapid machine gun fire]

I love to live life on the edge.

-[engine revving]
-[tires squealing]

[Martino] Amber and the Bounce Squad
are approaching the new 16-foot wall,

but it's so smooth over these last walls,

but they'll have to change
their strategy here, Dhani.

This wall is over three times taller than
5'1" Aimee Flint who's headed up first.

[Jones] And Muddy Minglers captain
Hunter McIntyre

takes matters into his own hands.

bounding up that 16-foot wall
without any help.

[Martino] And now it's up to
Aimee and Hunter

to pull their team up from the top.

[woman] Up, up! Go!

[Martino] There's 43-year-old
mother of two, Dani.

She weighed 230 pounds
before getting into Spartan.

[bleep]

[Jones] And she's down.

[Martino] You need to lean back
and trust that rope,

walk up the wall
while you're climbing it at the same time.

And here's American Dream Team in green.

[Jones] Isaiah goes up first

taking the same approach
as his rival Hunter.

[chattering]

-[woman] You can do it.
-[man] Come on, step on...

-[Martino] Dani's still struggling.
-[Jones] She's hurting.

[Martino] Nah, she needs to grab
Hunter's hand,

but it's scary to let go of that rope
for even just a second

-when you're that high up.
-Use the rope!

[Martino] Bounce Squad left
their strongest, Solomon, at the bottom.

[Jones] And look at 46-year-old,
Ken Martin, pulling himself up alone.

[straining, grunts]

Luke Reynolds, the last one up
for Bounce Squad.

And they're moving on.

-[straining]
-[Martino] Former marine, Ryan Gulino,

scrambles to the top of the wall next to
Dream Team's Ronald "The Ram" Quintero.

Both men are the last ones up
for their team.

And you can see both team captains
not willing to move on without them.

Let's go, push it.

[Martino] Bounce Squad with a nice
early lead as they head to the Lake Swing.

-Don't walk! Don't walk!
-[woman] Come on, Aimee, come on.

[Jones] And remember, Bounce Squad

saw this obstacle in qualifying
and crushed it.

But they'll be looking to extend
their lead here.

[Martino] But Minglers are keeping pace,
and Hunter's leading the way.

-Let go! Ready?
-Go for it.

One, two, three. Let go of the rope!

-That's it!
-[Martino] Got it!

-[man] First one!
-[woman] Go!

[Martino] And Tee Jackson of Bounce Squad
sticks it right behind 'em.

[Jones] American Dream Team
have been playing catch-up

-this entire race.
-Ron, hold the pole for me!

You're taller. No, you're taller!

[Jones] And Dream Team, Kyle,
having trouble getting on, the same page

and they're wasting precious time.

Oh, and the Minglers coming up short.

Dani and Stephanie
slam into the 55-degree water.

[Martino] Bounce Squad's small town
badass Amber Johnson goes for a swim.

[Jones] Dream Team finally make a move...

their feet hitting that freezing water.

-That is a momentum killer.
-Pull the rope!

[Martino] They have to get these
communication problems

figured out, Dhani,
if they want to stay in the race.

[Jones] Right, because Hunter's over-40
Minglers have communication nailed.

[woman] Come on, go, yeah.

[Jones] And they're onto
the Lake Crossing.

Come on.

[Martino] Tee and her Bounce Squad
are left scrambling to keep up.

Let's go. Guys, big paddle! Big paddle!

Go!

[Martino] Look at that speed.
Hunter just hit hyper drive.

-[Jones] Warp speed!
-[Martino] [laughs]

[Jones] The over-40 underdogs
are at it again.

[Martino] Welcome back to Spartan.

While we were away, Hunter McIntyre
kept his over-40 Minglers out front...

Let's go!

-[Martino] ...with Bounce Squad...
-Dig deep, guys, dig deep.

[Martino] and American Dream Team
in hot pursuit.

You need to pull!
You need to frickin' move faster!

[Martino] The Minglers cruised
through the Log Lift.

[man] Two, one...

[Martino] While Dream Team captain
Isaiah Vidal

mercilessly pushed his struggling troops.

-My legs are dying.
-All of our legs are dying.

Now push through that pain.

[Jones] We rejoin the action
at the Army Crawl

where the Minglers
are the first to arrive.

Stay far right! Stay far right!

[Jones] And Dream Team has caught up
to Bounce Squad

-at the Log Lift.
-[woman] Three, two, one...

-Wait, wait!
-[Jones] Oh!

Amber Johnson is down.

[Martino] That's 128-pound
marine biologist

stuck under that 200-pound log.

[Jones] And of course, American Dream Team
takes advantage.

Isaiah's relentless pressure
pushes his team into second place.

Remember, fastest runner-up
will be one of three teams

in the championship final.

[Martino] Up ahead,
Muddy Minglers moving slowly

through the 110 feet
of jagged rocks and barb wire.

And now American Dream Team
and Bounce Squad

have them locked in their sights.

Dig deep! Come on, Ken!

[Jones] And, Kyle, you can hear
Hunter encouraging 46-year-old Ken Martin.

We outrun 'em! We outgun 'em!

On five... Let's go!

Looks good. Looks good.

[Martino] He's amazing, Dhani.

And it wasn't that long ago that Hunter
was the one in need of motivation.

[Hunter McIntyre] Not too long ago,
I was a party animal.

I loved drugs. I loved alcohol.
I love fast cars.

But, one day, I just hit that switch.

I realized that what I was putting
in my body was toxic.

What I was putting in my mind was toxic.

I wanted to change myself.

I signed up for a Spartan Race,
and it just clicked.

All this passion for strength and guts
and glory and speed

came together in one event.

My parents are doctors, lawyers,
you know, hedge fund people.

But, me, I wanted to be
that guy who was the mud run champ.

Then I started getting more dedicated
to get stronger and faster.

And it came true.

Right now, I have to say

that I am the happiest Spartan
you could ever meet.

[Martino] He's got to be
one happy Spartan right now.

His team's in 1st place.

-Ugh!
-[Jones] Oh!

Ryan pops back up really quick.

-Nice recovery.
-Let's go, let's go!

[Jones] And Bounce Squad moved back
ahead of American Dream Team

-in the Army Crawl.
-Come on.

We got it, y'all. Keep moving, Papa.

-I gotcha.
-Don't let me down.

[Martino] 27-year-old Tee Jackson
out front.

Tee lost her mother
to breast cancer last year,

and said she'd use the prize money
to start a foundation in her name.

Come on, team.

Come on, guys, we gotta catch up.
We're losing time.

[Jones] Dream Team back in 3rd again.

And you can feel
a sense of urgency creeping in.

They are literally right behind us.

[Martino] It's a back and forth battle

for the 2nd place Wildcard.

The energy electric
in this first semifinal.

Both Bounce Squad and Dream Team
pushing to the catch The Muddy Minglers

who are headed to the arena.

[Jones] First, they'll take on
the Spear Throw,

where we've seen
plenty of leads thrown away.

Three in a row. Three in a row.

[Martino] Hunter up first
for the Minglers.

[Jones] Of course he is.

He hasn't missed a spear all season.

-[man] Nice.
-[Jones] Nails it.

Hye, team, this is where we catch up.

[Jones] 45-year-old Stephanie Buech.

-Ah! A little too low.
-[Buech] That was terrible.

[Martino] Terrible for her. But it's good
for Bounce Squad and American Dream Team

who are entering the arena.

Remember, Ken...

[Jones] Now Ken, at 46, he says
he's in the best shape of his life.

And that's two for the Minglers.

We know that we're not the youngest team,
we're not the strongest team,

but we're gonna have to throw down
as hard as we can.

And I honestly think

that if we can bring it all together,
we will be champions.

[Jones] Every miss opens
the door a little wider.

-[man 1] Amber, you're up.
-[man 2] Go.

[Martino] Former marine,
Ryan, eyes his target.

You got this, Ryan.

-Yeah! Yeah!
-[Martino] Muddy Minglers

hit three spears in just five throws.
They are onto the Timber Drop.

-[Jones] Isaiah goes first.
-Come on, pull.

-[smack]
-[Jones] That's one.

[Martino] Bounce Squad's captain Amber.

[Jones] Horatio no hesitation. That's two.

Spears are flying here.

[Martino] Three spears in 12 seconds.

The American Dream Team just woke up.
They're back in 2nd place.

Pull! Pull!

-[grunts]
-[Jones] Look at Hunter

lifting that 650-pound telephone pole
all by himself.

[Martino chuckles] No kidding.

[Jones] Even his teammates
can't believe it.

Good going. Ladies on first.

Come on. Green's right behind us.

[Jones] Hunter lifted the log by himself.

Looks like Isaiah
is gonna try to pull it up by himself.

What are you doing? Get over here, Sweeny.

[Martino] And that's how hard it should be

-to lift 650 pounds.
-[Jones] Absolutely.

All right, go hoist it, get down here.

Pull!

Pull, come on! Vamanos!

[man] Push, push, push, push!

[Martino] And American Dream Team
are making a move.

Six weeks ago, they went from last to 1st.

-[man] Let's go, team! Let's go!
-[Martino] Can they do it again

with a spot in the championship final
on the line?

[Martino] Welcome back to Spartan.
Brought to you by TomTom,

official partner of
Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge.

As we rejoin the action...

[woman] Come on, blue!

[Martino] ...the Muddy Minglers
hold a slight lead

over American Dream Team
at the Timber Drop.

Scoot up, squeeze. Scoot up, squeeze.

[Martino] And Bounce Squad just arrived.

[all] One... two... three... Up!

[Jones] Bounce Squad getting right to it.

-I need help!
-Walk. I gotcha.

[Jones] Big time teamwork
from Luke and Solomon.

Girls, go! Girls, go! Girls, go!

[Martino] And all three teams
are on the logs.

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!

[Martino] Team captain Amber Johnson
is headed up first.

[woman] Come on, baby. Rock star!
Come on, Ken!

[Jones] The Minglers are over.

And they'll be the first team to take on
the all new Giant Tire Swing.

[Martino] Hunter's out front.
We're all anxious to see how they do it.

Ken, you push. Ladies, get on.

[Jones] All right, you need
to use the rope

to get that 400-pound tire
swinging towards the landing pad.

[Martino] These teams have never seen
this obstacle, Dhani.

You and I have only seen it
once in testing.

-Safe to say, it's challenging.
-[Jones] Absolutely.

You gotta generate maximum momentum
to make that 20 foot jump.

If you land in the water,
you don't just stay there.

You have to go
back to the beginning and try again.

Dani and Stephanie are trying to keep
things moving.

And it looks like Ken Martin is
going to be the first to attempt the jump.

Get your ass up there! Let's go!

[Jones] And the Dream Team
is in the house.

Hold on! We're supposed
to create momentum. Let it go!

[Martino] And now two teams try to
make sense of this daunting new obstacle.

[Jones] Ken's off! Ugh! Too short.

He'll need to go back and try again.

[woman] Come on, honey, lean in! Lean in!

[Jones] And Ryan... He takes a bath, too.

They gotta go back.

[Martino] Timing, technique, momentum.
All critical here, Dhani.

[woman] Help me swing it back and forth.

[Martino] And that tire weighs 400 pounds.

And these teams
are exhausted at this moment.

They'll need to summon the energy to get
that thing moving and generate momentum.

[man] Pull the rope! Pull the rope!

[Jones] Horatio and Ronald up on the tire
now for American Dream Team.

[woman] Horatio, get on the other side.

[Jones] And there goes Dani.

The third straight Mingler
to splash down short.

-[man] Go wide! Wide, wide!
-[woman] Right away.

[Martino] And here comes the Bounce Squad.

The Minglers worked so hard
to get that lead,

and now it's anybody's race.

[Jones] The Tire Swing
is a game changer, Kyle.

Firefighter, Gillian Gallego,
first to leap for American Dream Team.

[Gillian] Whoo!

[Jones] So close.

[Martino] Closest we've seen.

[Isaiah] Build some momentum!
Guys, talk to each other!

Talk to each other! Let's go! Come on!

[Martino] Isaiah livid right now,
really getting after his teammates.

-There you go! Let's go!
-[Jones] Yeah, you know what?

Some athletes respond to that and,
you know, some don't.

[Martino] Amber and Aimee climb aboard
for Bounce Squad.

There goes former marine Ryan
for the Minglers.

[Jones] He takes a nasty shot to the face.

And that didn't count.
He'll have to go back.

Jump while it's going forward, not up.

[Martino] You hear Hunter there.

You need to let the tire do the work
and throw you towards the back.

-Go!
-All right, I will on the next one.

All right, ready?

-This one you got it.
-Yep.

-[bleep]
-[Jones] And Stephanie doesn't jump.

And Minglers lose their momentum
as she can't pull the trigger.

-Forward!
-Lean forward!

[Martino] Same problem here for Tee
of the Bounce Squad.

You gotta get it. You gotta get back.

-Forward!
-Forward!

[Martino] Multiple Minglers pushing
now have that tire swinging.

-Get on it!
-Go! Yeah, yeah!

[Jones] And Stephanie's over.
And Tee's landing hard right behind her.

They both took a beating on that landing.

Stephanie looks a little awkward
rolling up that pad.

[Martino] And she doesn't
sound good, Dhani.

Hopefully it's nothing serious.

Come on, Luke. Get on, get on, get on!

[Isaiah] Now! Now!

[Jones and Martino exclaim]

[Jones] Ryan Gulino
and Carmen Crum fall short.

[Martino] That's a monster
truck tire, Dhani.

It's proving to be quite a monster
to these three teams.

[woman] Aimee,
get on that tip and launch it!

-[man] There it is!
-[woman] There it is!

[Jones] Aimee's over for Bounce Squad.
That's two for them.

[Jones] They were last to this obstacle,
but unbelievably, they're in the lead.

Come on! Stand up!

[Dani grunts]

-[Martino] Dani just took a big hit.
-[Jones] This Tire Swing is physical.

[Martino] I mean, that's 400 pounds.
That's like being tackled by two Dhanis.

-[woman] Get back.
-[Martino] Uh oh! She's down.

She better stay down.

[Jones] Ah, that's a little too close.
[Martino] Almost took her head off.

Here we go. No... [bleep].

[Jones] Communication breakdown
for Bounce Squad. And Luke goes down.

Ryan, up here. Push! Let's go.

[indistinct shouting]

[Jones] Former youth pastor Ken Martin.

-Come on, good!
-[Jones] Kyle, he's frozen.

-[Martino] He's hesitating.
-You can do it, honey!

You're over thinking.
You're over thinking it.

-Come on, babe, come one!
-[Jones] You gotta jump!

[man] There you go! Good job.

[Jones] That's two over for
Muddy Minglers.

So they'll pull even with Bounce Squad
and Isaiah Vidal's Dream Team,

who still hasn't
figured out the Tire Swing.

-[woman] Come on, Daniela!
-[man] Lean forward.

-Yeah!
-[Jones] Dani's over!

-The over 40s are back in the lead.
-[man] That a girl!

[Jones] Ryan will go next and Hunter last.

[woman 1] Come on!

-[woman 2] Amber, come on.
-[Martino] Team captain, Amber.

[woman 2] Get on the front.
Get on the front.

[Jones] Can she get Bounce to three?

[woman 2] Go.

-[woman 2] Is she on?
-[Jones] Not quite.

This Tire Swing is unforgiving.

Everything you got on this next one!

[Martino] Hunter,
the engine behind his team

is always a massive push for Ryan.

-Go!
-Yeah!

-[Martino] And he makes it!
-[Jones] Oh, my goodness.

[Martino] The Muddy Minglers
are on a roll,

and the only one left is their captain.

[man] Everything you've got now,
Hunter, on this one

or you're gonna lose momentum.

Go! Go!

-[Jones] Are you serious?
-[Martino] Wow.

[Jones] Hunter looked like
he was catapulted over that water.

Let's take a look at that again.
Hunter almost flew the landing pad.

[Martino] He almost landed
at the Slip Wall.

[Jones] That was like 15 feet.

[Martino] The Muddy Minglers
are the first team

to conquer the giant tire swing.

This is where we win!

[Jones] All American Dream Team
finally send one across

as Gillian lands safe.

[Martino] The Minglers have the lead now,

but they know that Spartan
is always unpredictable.

Go, go!

[Martino] That's two across
for Dream Team.

-Get me out! Get me out!
-[woman] Go, get in the front.

Yes.

[Martino] And that three for Bounce Squad.

Heart. Heart. Everything.

-Heart, yes.
-Everything, heart. Come on.

[Martino] While the Minglers
struggle up that hill,

Evan Dollard is back at the Tire Swing

where we have a serious battle
for 2nd place.

Now even though the Muddy Minglers
are ahead, 2nd place team

can still earn a spot
in the championship race.

Ron, listen to me!
I know where you're supposed to go!

Quit being scared!

[Dollard] Isaiah losing patience
with Ronald.

[Dollard] But he's over!

And just one more to go and they can
continue on with this course.

And that one more
is team captain Isaiah Vidal.

He'll be looking to close it out
for his team.

And the great ones make it look easy.

-[man] Come on, Amber.
-[woman] You got it, girl.

[Dollard] Bounce Squad team captain Amber
looking to keep pace.

[man] Oh!

[woman] You're in! You're on, you're on!

[man] This isn't over, guys. Keep pushing.

[man] Amber, are you okay?

[Amber] No!

[Dollard] And Amber's in pain.

-[woman] Which one, right or left?
-[man] We got a medic or somebody?

[Dollard] Let's take a look at the replay.

Amber lands with all of her body weight
on her right ankle

and tumbles into the water.

Immediately her teammates
have come to her aide.

-[woman] Breathe, breathe, breathe.
-[man] Hey, hey, it's all right.

-[woman] Breathe, breathe, breathe.
-[man] Someone's coming, okay?

[Martino] Now the medics have arrived.

They'll start treating
that ankle right away.

-I almost made it!
-Hey, hey.

I'm so sorry.

[woman] No, no, no. Don't you apologize.

[man] Hey, hey, you don't apologize for...

[woman] We're here with you, girl.

[Martino] Remember this is
a team competition,

and everyone on the team must finish.

So Bounce Squad's race
and their season may be over.

It's been a blessing
sharing this with you guys.

-[Amber] Love you guys.
-[man] Yeah, absolutely.

[Martino] We'll find out more
about Amber's condition when we return.

[Martino] Welcome back
to the Spartan Championship.

Muddy Minglers still in the lead

and closing in on a spot
in the championship final.

[Hunter] Come on in, come on in.

-[grunts]
-[Martino] Ooh!

[Hunter] You got it, sweetheart.
Go, go, go.

[Martino] 43-year-old Dani Stratman
crashes into the bank

and team captain Hunter
helping her through these last obstacles.

[Jones] Isaiah Vidal
trying to keep his team

and the dream alive.

[Isaiah] Keep pushing.
They can throw anytime. Let's go.

[Martino] And Bounce Squad
stalled out back

at the Tire Swing
where Evan Dollard is standing by.

Thanks, guys. I'm here with Amber.
Amber, tell me what happened.

Uh, yeah, I was just, uh,

that jump felt good,
the momentum felt good.

I would've made it, but all of my weight
went on that right ankle,

and it just... it... it gave way.

Well, you got a strong team around you.

You just... the spirit of this team
is absolutely incredible.

We're a family, you know.

We've built family
when it was time for us to come together,

we dedicated everything to this.

-Ah-ooo!
-[all] Ah-ooo!

This team is what Spartan is all about.
Amber, we wish you well.

-Thank you.
-Yes, thank you. I'll be back.

[Jones] Thanks, Evan.

So now it's a two-team race
with the Muddy Minglers out front

and headed uphill
to the final two obstacles.

-First up, the Dunk Walls.
-[crowd cheering]

[Martino] 26-year-old Hunter McIntyre

has taken this group of over-40 singles
and turned them into a true family.

[Martino] And he's helped them
believe in themselves.

Hunter has taught me that being strong
is not just something that's physical.

That being strong
is also something that's mental.

That if you break your mind,
you've lost all your physical strength.

Stay strong.

[Hunter]

[Jones] Minglers looking strong
as they lift that second Dunk Wall.

If they reach the finish line first,
they're headed to the championship final.

Let's go! Come on!

[Martino] And look at this,
Dhani, all four teammates

are carrying 45-year-old Carmen Crum.

[Jones] Dream Team's still pushing
because the fastest runner-up

between the two semifinal heats

advances to the final
and a shot at $250,000.

[crowd cheering]

[Martino] The Muddy Minglers are dragging
themselves out from the Dunk Walls.

[screaming]

[Jones] And, Kyle, look at Stephanie.
She's limping to the Slip Wall.

That bad landing on the Tire Swing
looks like it's having an effect.

-[man] Help him up!
-[Stephanie] Jump, jump!

-[straining]
-Help push him up!

[Martino] And the classic Hunter
human dead lift.

-[Jones] So strong.
-[Martino] Massive leg and core strength.

[Jones] Former marine Ryan Gulino up next.

[Hunter] Help each other up.

Come on.

-[man 1] Hold on!
-[man 2] That's it.

[crowd cheering]

I'm right here.

Can you make it to the top?

[all shouting]

[Martino] What do the marine's say, Dhani?

[Jones and Martino] Oo-rah!

I'm up!

[crowd cheering]

[Jones] And that's Stephanie
on that bad ankle.

[Martino] She's gotta block that pain out
because American Dream Team is on the way.

Get up there! Get up there! Go!

[Martino] Isaiah, like he's herding cattle

shoving his exhausted
teammates up the hill.

The time still matters.

[Jones] He's reminding them that 2nd place
still has a shot at the Wildcard.

The fastest runner-up
will join the two winners

in the championship race.

-Get up there!
-[Martino] Look at that.

-That's Horatio's wife.
-[Jones] Where'd she come from?

[Martino] Running alongside the team.
Telling them they're still in it.

[Martino] Minglers still fighting
their way up the Slip Wall.

[crowd chanting] Climb that wall!

[Jones] One slip now
could change everything.

[screaming]

[Hunter shouting]

[Jones] Everything you've got, Minglers,
for a spot in the championship.

[Martino] Dream Team blasting through
the Dunk Walls.

[Jones] Hunter takes a look back.

[crowd chanting] Go! Go! Go!

[man] And hold on for dear life.

As hard as you've never held onto
anything in your life.

[crowd chanting] Go! Go! Go!

[Martino] Look at this guy.

Just walked up that wall.

[Jones] And he's up.
Now they just need to get Dani up.

Just pull.

[Martino] She's like a rag doll.

Total trust in her teammates
not to let her go.

We're going to the finals, guys.
We're going to the freakin' finals!

Come on!

[Martino] Incredible teamwork
right to the end.

[yelling]

You guys are awesome.

[Martino] You can't call them
underdogs anymore.

Yeah!

[Martino] They are the first team
to qualify for the final.

[all cheering]

[chanting] Muddy Minglers! Muddy Minglers!

-Come on.
-Come on.

Yeah!

[Martino] What a story, Dhani.

Hunter McIntyre and his Muddy Minglers
are headed to the championship final

for a chance to win $250,000.

-[Jones] Don't call them underdogs.
-[Martino] I won't.

[Jones] We have our first finalists.

Bring it in!

[all cheering]

Whoo!

I'm sorry I screamed
at you guys at that tire.

No, we needed it. We all needed it.

Exactly what we needed.

[all cheering]

Winners!

[Jones] Back at the Slip Wall,
American Dream Team

trying to put up the best time possible

and give themselves
a shot at the Wildcard.

[man speaking]

-Grab him!
-Grab him!

Grab him!

[Martino] Ugh! Ooh!

-Talk about taking one for the team.
-[Jones] Tight!

[Martino] Horatio just got
an atomic wedgie.

Now it's onto the finish line
for American Dream Team.

And that's where MJ is standing by
with the winners of our first semifinal.

Muddy Minglers! What a race!
You guys made it first to that Tire Swing.

Definitely the trouble spot for you guys.
Talk to me about getting through it.

Everybody has a plan
until it all falls apart.

You know, and that tire
is where it fell apart.

It's heavy, it's mean, and it's dangerous.
She got slammed by the tire.

I mean, everybody was
in pain at some point.

But we brought it together
at that pinnacle moment.

And that's what these guys are all about.

They've been together through tough times
and that's what we're facing here today.

-[Acosta] You guys made it through!
-Let's hear that... whoo!

[all cheering]

[Jones] American Dream Team crossing
the finish line with the time of 27:06.

We saw faster times in qualifying,
but this is a longer course.

We'll have to wait and see if their time
holds up and earns them the Wildcard.

Coming up on Spartan...

It's Ninjas versus Ninjas.

I want to see everyone do well,
and I just hope that we do better.

And we're gonna see which Ninja team
comes out on top.

[Jones] They'll be battling for the chance
to be crowned the Spartan champions,

when we return.

[Jones] Welcome back to Spartan.

We just was an unbelievable win
by the Muddy Minglers

-in semifinal Heat 1.
-And semifinal Heat 2

promises to be just an intense.

In week four,
Team Grit set the course record

of 20 minutes and 34 seconds.

[Jones] A week later, the Comeback Kids
beat that time by 15 seconds.

And a week after that,
Free Spirits bested Comeback Kids,

becoming the first team
to finish in under 20 minutes.

Now they'll all go head-to-head on
this bigger, badder championship course.

[Martino] There you see Team Grit in black
led by American Ninja Warrior superstars,

Kevin Bull and Lance Pekus,

paired with the two baddest
34-year-old moms in America,

Maggi Thorne and Monica Gilmore.

These guys made the transition
from Ninja to Spartan, but it wasn't easy.

The biggest difference between
America Ninja Warrior and Spartan

is battling the elements.

The wetness.

[Jones] Oh!

-The dirt.
-[man] Let's get some hay over there.

And the grime.

You don't have to run very much
in America Ninja Warrior.

I didn't realize quite how much oxygen

I use while running.

We want to win, so we're gonna have
to run faster, push harder,

and we can't worry
about the other team at all.

[Monica Gilmore]
We're not going to give up.

We're not going to shy away
from a challenge.

And I think we're gonna dominate.

Whoo!

One... two... three...

[all] Grit!

[Jones] Team Grit is fired up,
and of course, I'm fired up

to see the two Ninja teams
go head-to-head.

[Martino] And there's
the other Ninja team, the Free Spirits.

American Ninja Warrior, Grant McCartney
and his girlfriend Brittany Uhl

are here from Hawaii.

And in qualifying, they teamed up with
Grant's fellow Ninja, Neil "Crazy" Craver

and his friend Joy Cox
from North Carolina.

But, as you can see,
Joy paid a heavy price

to reach the championship.

Go, Joy! Go, Joy!

We won. We pulled it off.
The team finished in 1st place.

But it did come at a cost.

Ow! Ow!

[Joy Cox] It felt like something
just broke inside of my ankle.

I figured out that if I'd ran
in a certain way,

I could just barely tolerate it.

You're going strong, Joy.
I'm proud of you.

She sacrificed her ankle to get 1st.

She was so determined it was amazing.
It was pure guts.

I'm sad not to be there with them,
but they are strong enough to pull through

and to also incorporate Tiffany

into their team,
make her like one of their own.

What they lose with the grip strength

from Joy's rock-climbing background,

the team gains with my experience
with obstacle course racing.

I'm gonna give it my all
to make sure that team Free Spirits wins,

not only for myself, but also for Joy.

[Jones] Now Tiffany went from cheering
her friends on from the sidelines,

to taking a spot on the team.

So she has some big shoes to fill.
But we saw the athleticism of the Ninjas,

Grant and Neil in qualifying,

but, Kyle, I expect them
to carry the load here tonight

as they take on
Kevin Bull and Lance Pekus.

There may be a little bit of
bragging rights on the line for this one.

They're my good buddies
from American Ninja.

I want to see everyone do well.
And I just hope that we do better.

[Jones] But swimming in a sea of Ninjas
is the Comeback Kids.

And in no way are they intimidated.

I had several of the elites
from other teams

talk about how no one's gonna beat
the Ninjas.

This is a Spartan Race.
This isn't Ninja Warrior.

-You know, show 'em we're tough.
-Right.

[Martino] Comeback Kids are made up
of close friends

forever bonded by the struggles
and obstacles they've overcome in life.

[Laura Messner] We came up with
the Comeback Kids

because we all came back
from this dark place

that we thought we were stuck in forever.

Spartan racing has helped us
move away from the things in our life

that brought us down.

[Martino] Covered in war paint,
Comeback Kids crushed the competition

in both of their qualifying heats.

-[woman] Yeah!
-[crowd chanting] Go! Go! Go!

[Martino] But now,
the competition gets stiffer.

Just 'cause I won one race,
doesn't mean I'm gonna win the next one.

I can't let off the gas.

[all cheering]

It doesn't matter who's
in our way or what's in our way,

we're gonna come out on top.
This race is our comeback.

[Jones] Comeback Kids led today
by team captain Ian Deyerle,

who's won five Spartan races
in the last two years.

And there's Ian's Dad
showing his support now.

He came all the way
from Monterey, California

to cheer his son on.

There's only one thing left to do...

Blow that horn!

[air horn blowing]

And they're off.

Comeback Kids sprint up
the middle of the hill

surrounded by Ninjas on all sides.

[Martino] They've got something
to prove, Dhani.

I expect them to come out firing.

[Jones] So many great athletes
on these three teams.

This is really the cream of the crop.

This eight foot wall isn't slowing
any team down for a second.

-They're flying over it.
-[Martino] Yeah.

And Comeback Kids in the middle in red
use Ian's muscle at the top

and Beni's height at the bottom.

[Jones] But Grit is the first time
to the ten-foot wall.

They're looking strong.

[Martino] Free Spirits lift their new
teammate Tiffany up and over

as Joy Cox can only stand on the sidelines
and watch her replacement.

In this final race,
I'm definitely dedicating

a lot of my efforts to Joy.

I wanna make sure that when we run,
we're running at the same intensity.

Go, go, go. You got it. Keep it moving.

Go, Matt.

[Jones] And here's where they
could've used Joy's

-rock climbing ability.
-[Martino] That's right, Dhani.

They're getting their
first look at the 16-foot wall.

The teams need to climb that rope,
lean back and fight gravity

to walk up that monster.

It take tremendous upper body strength

and a lot of trust in your teammates
as you approach the top.

Free Spirits off to a good start.

[Jones] Three women on the wall.

Monica Gilmore in black.
Lynnae Kettler in red.

Tiffany Nguyen in yellow.
This is the tricky part.

[Martino] Yeah, the trust and commitment

that when you reach with one hand
still on the rope,

your teammate will grab you
and help you over.

Get the rope down. Get the rope down.

[Jones] Wow! Look at "Crazy" Craver
flying up that rope.

No help needed there. Ninja powers.

[Martino] All three teams flying down
the backside of that wall now,

headed for the Lake Swing.

[Jones] These three teams
are all so talented

and with $250,000 on the line,

-they've stepped up their game.
-[man] Come on, let's go.

[Jones] And Grit is here first.

[Martino] But Free Spirits
are right on their heels.

And just steps behind
are the Comeback Kids in red.

In qualifying, they'd led
both their heats from start to finish.

-[man] Come on, girls.
-[woman] All right, hold on, baby.

[Jones] Looks like Grit is going
to send two at a time.

Ready, set, go.

Ready? Back, forward!

[Jones] And the women are across
for black and yellow.

[Martino] Nice.

-Jump.
-[Martino] Three for three.

[Jones] All three teams double down
and send the women in pairs.

[Martino] Grit ups the ante,
sending three at a time.

[woman] Yeah, yellow. Come on, come on.

-[Jones] It works.
-[Martino] But just barely.

Lance has to go back
for his fellow Ninja Kevin.

It's a mad scramble to get on
those 5X5 rafts.

Can't afford to lose your balance.

[Jones] And Grit quickly separates
himself from the pack.

Frantically pulling on that rope
to get a lead.

Stay calm, stay calm on the balance.

[Martino] Manny reminding his team
it's still early in the race.

-[woman] One, two...
-[man] We're going to the left.

[Martino] Team Grit pulled too hard,
and they're drifting off course.

[Jones] And right into
the Free Spirits' lane,

Grit is literally on their rope.

[Martino] Traffic jam on the lake.

And Comeback Kids
make their move into 2nd place.

You're pulling on my rope!

[Jones] Free Spirits team captain
Ryan Woods yelling at Grit

-to get off the rope.
-[Ryan] You gotta move your foot!

-You're in our lane, man!
-Go.

I love you, Ninjas,
but get out of the way!

[Jones] Grant McCartney yelling
at team grit.

-Out of my way!
-[Martino] This is -complete chaos.

Catch your breath, everybody, slow down.
There you go.

[Jones] And look at this...

The Comeback Kids capitalize going from
3rd to 1st on the Lake Crossing.

[man] Keep it going straight!

[Jones] It's the race of the year.

The fight for a spot in the championship
and $250,000

-rages on...
-[woman] Go!

[Jones] ...when we return.

[Martino] Welcome back to Spartan.

Good job, boys.

[man] Good grips on the log
when we get up there.

[Jones] All three teams are carrying
those 200-pounds logs

Ninja Lance Pekus
out in front for Team Grit,

and fellow Ninja Neil Craver
riding shotgun for Free Spirits.

[Martino] Comeback Kids
slightly ahead of Team Grit

and just behind Free Spirits.

-[woman] Right behind you.
-[man] Ready? Push! Push!

[man] Okay?

[crowd cheering]

-[man 1] I'm in.
-[man 2] Good grip.

[Jones] But Free Spirits
zip back into the lead.

[Martino] This is where Joy
broke her ankle two weeks ago.

Safe landing for Tiffany.

[Jones] And they're headed
to the Army Crawl.

Army Crawl. Army Crawl.

[Jones] 110 feet of misery
for most people.

For Neil Craver, it's a playground.

[Martino] Back in the qualifying,
he turned the Army Crawl

into a slip-and-slide
and completed the obstacle

in a record 21 seconds.

Dive!

[Jones] And there he goes.

Running through the mud,
jumping through creeks,

swimming across rivers.

It's really everything I love.

[Jones] Comeback Kids in red
doing the more traditional Army Crawl.

Now Laura and Lynnae roll to stay low.

[Martino] There's 6'1" Beni Gifford.

Height works against you here
at the Army Crawl,

but he's plowing forward.

[Jones] And here comes Team Grit.

remember, a fast 2nd place time
can earn one of these teams the Wildcard.

[Martino] Tiffany, Joy Cox' fill-in,
is really struggling.

She needs to get up to speed fast.
Her team is relying on her.

[man] Go, Tiff! Dive on the up hills!

Gotta want it!

[Martino] Free Spirits
are waiting for Tiffany.

It's a lot of pressure
on the 5'3" replacement.

[Jones] Especially when you've got
Comeback Kids breathing down your neck.

[Martino] Captain Ian Deyerle
leading the charge for Comeback Kids.

He struggled for years
with alcohol problems,

but is now one of the top Spartan racers
in the world.

[Ian Deyerle] Growing up,
I remember taking trips,

parents taking me diving.

It was very nice.

[David Deyerle]
But when Ian was a teenager,

the alcohol came into the picture.

[Ian] I started drinking a lot.

And eventually
that spiraled out of control.

I've been through rehab

six times, maybe seven.

The saddest part was
family members wouldn't trust him.

It got to a point where

I had to check myself
into a homeless shelter

and I looked around and thought...
Oh, God. I hate doing this.

I don't want to do this anymore.

[all yelling]

He found Spartan races
and I could see a change in him.

He loved getting muddy, dirty,
and it was like, wow. Okay.

He's doing stuff
I could never ever think of doing.

[Ian] Spartan kept me so focused,

and I think everybody saw it in me.

Okay, he's really changed.

Now, I got a family at home.

I work as a general manager
in a restaurant.

-For you, sir? Sure.
-Fish and chips, please.

But going through that
shaped the person who I am today.

There's nothing I can't accomplish.

[David] My love for him
has never wavered one bit.

You never give up on family.

[cheering]

[Martino] A powerful reminder
that nothing is impossible

and they'll need to battle
Free Spirits right in front.

You're doing great, Tiffany.

[Jones] And Team Grit is only
seconds behind the pack.

Stay focused. Run our race.

Let's go. Let's go.

[Jones] That's Maggi Thorne keeping
her team focused

-on the big picture.
-[Martino] And we've seen

lots of lead changes at the Spear Throw
where Evan Dollard is standing by.

Thanks, guys. The Spear Throw has been
critical throughout this competition

with plenty of lead changes
taking place here.

The Free Spirits and Comeback Kids
are in a virtual tie.

To complete this obstacle,
you must hit three spears.

In the regular season,
it took Free Spirits an average

of only four attempts.

The Comeback Kids recorded
an average of six attempts.

Let's see if the Free Spirits
can extend their lead.

And not too far behind,
we have Team Grit arriving.

Captain Ryan Woods steps up,
and Free Spirits get the first one.

And now Beni...

He's got it.

But Neil Craver hits at the same time,
and Free Spirits are two for two.

And Grant takes his throw...

And three! Three for three
from the Free Spirits.

And they're moving onto the next obstacle.

Go yellow!

[Martino] Thanks, Evan.

Laura Messner hit two spears
three weeks ago.

But misses with her first today.

[Jones] Maggi steps up for Team Grit
and drills it! That's one.

[Martino] Furniture mover, Matt Campione.
That's two for Comeback Kids.

[Jones] Now Kevin Bull keeps pace
for Team Grit.

[Martino] Grit's average in qualifying
was seven spears,

but need to be better here tonight, Dhani.

Team captain, Ian Deyerle.

Go, go, this way. This way.

[Martino] Comeback Kids
get through in four spears,

and they're off to join Free Spirits
at the Timber Drop.

-Walk it up, guys.
-Pull.

[Martino] Flight attendant Grant McCartney

is pushing up that 650 pound
telephone pole

-all by himself.
-[Jones] So strong.

Back at the Spear Throw,
Grit's still trying to hit their third.

That's two misses in a row.

-Kevin Bull takes a stab at it.
-[Martino] There it is.

[Jones] Boom! The former decathlete
nails their third spear,

and we're gonna have
three teams on the Timber Drop.

[man] Pull!

[Martino] Ian and Beni team up
to lift the pole.

[Jones] And now the Comeback Kids
can start their climb.

But Grits, raising that log quickly,
Lance Pekus, the cowboy,

looks like he's raising a barn.

[Martino] Look at the determination
on his face, these athletes.

-[Jones] From everybody.
-[Martino] What a race we're seeing.

Unfortunate that at least
one of these teams

is going home after this effort.

[Jones] Free Spirits in yellow
seem to be slowing down.

Tiffany relying on Ryan Woods
to pull her to the top.

[Martino] But see if these
two teams can capitalize.

Jump, jump, Lynnae.

[Jones] Ooh, and Matt Campione slips.

And he's down.

This is the first mistake
we've seen from Comeback Kids.

[Martino] And Free Spirits
aren't looking back.

[Jones] But carnage awaits, because
they're headed to the Tire Swing...

[Jones] Welcome back to Spartan.

Free Spirits arrive at the obstacle
that determined the outcome

of our first semifinal, the Tire Swing.

With a very slight lead
over Comeback Kids and Team Grit.

Ready to dive on, okay?
Just like the plan.

[Jones] You have to pull back
the 400-pound tire

and create momentum.

-You ready? Go!
-Go!

[indistinct shouting]

[Jones] Once the tire is swinging,
you have to mount it, ride it,

and time your leap to the landing pad.

And the Comeback Kids have just arrived.

[indistinct shouting]

[Martino] And if you miss the landing pad,
you have to go back and try again.

Teams cannot move on until each person

has successfully made
the treacherous leap.

Laura and Matt,
first to mount the Tire Swing

for Comeback Kids,
but now we've got a full house.

Grit coming in hot.

Release, too long.

[Jones] Brittany, the first to go.

And she falls short.

She'll have to try again.

[man] All right, get over there.

[Martino] And now her teammate Tiffany,
Joy Cox's replacement.

Gotta go.

-Too late.
-[Jones] Oh!

[Martino] Belly flop.
[Jones] Man, that's gotta hurt.

[man] Lynnae, other side.

[Jones] Ryan Woods just fell in.

Free Spirits trying to go one at a time,
and it's clearly not working.

Keep the momentum.
Don't get on yet. Push it.

[Martino] He ends up next.

His TomTom fitness watch tells us
his heart rate is hovering around 190.

That's his max,
and the highest we've seen all year.

-I'm jumping. I'm going, okay?
-Okay.

[Jones] This Tire Swing is physically
and mentally challenging.

Flooding your body with adrenaline
and driving up your heart rate.

-The captains has made it.
-[Martino] And seeing Lynnae there.

She sure did have to swim to the pad.

She'll have to go back and try again.

Mother of three,
Maggi Thorne, up for Grit.

[Jones] She's been a superstar
in this competition.

Come on, guys, keep some momentum.

Lynnae, next swing. Help Lynnae up.

[Jones] Lynnae getting ready for attempt
number two on the middle tire.

That's good. Do it just the same.

[Martino] Brittany calling for
her team to push.

[indistinct shouting]

[Jones] Oh! Flight Attendant, Brittany Uhl
with a crash landing between the pads.

She'll have to go back and try again.

-[man] Go, Lynnae.
-[woman] Come on, you're on.

[Martino] Oh, a little hesitation
from Lynnae.

and she gets a whole lot of mat
in the face.

[Jones] But to her right,
Monica stays dry for Grit.

[man] You freakin' had it.

[Martino] Tiffany holding on
for dear life.

-[man 1] You okay?
-[woman] Come on, baby.

[man 2] Get on it. There you go.

[Jones] Here goes Spencer. He makes it.

Grit is three for three,
and takes the lead.

[Martino] Ryan and Grant trying to help
Tiffany time the leap.

Get ready. This time.

More momentum.

[Martino] Free Spirits still trying
to get their first across.

-Go!
-Go!

[Jones] Ooh!

[Martino] Tiffany's gotta go back
and give it another shot.

[Jones] Grit in black going two at a time.
This could be it.

[Jones and Martino] Oh!

[Martino] Lance stays dry
but Kevin Bull in the drink.

He has to go back and try again.

[indistinct shouting]

[Martino] Ryan Woods just made the pad.

First for Free Spirits, but Tiffany
is still struggling in the water.

[Jones] Help her, Ryan!

[all] Yeah!

[Jones] And Lynnae finally makes it.

-Good job.
-That was so scary.

[Jones] And Ryan just yanks Tiffany
out of the water.

Comeback Kids send two across.

And Matt Campione up next.

-[Martino] Matt...Matt!
-[Jones] Down he goes.

[Martino] Rare mistake by Comeback Kids.

[Jones] Kevin Bull struggling
with the tire.

Brittany ready for another takeoff.

-[Britney grunts]
-[Martino] Oh!

[Jones] Brittany just landed on Matt.

[Martino] What happened there?

[Jones] Brittany had plenty of distance,

but the flight attendant
missed the runway and crashed

-right onto Matt Campione.
-[Martino] Look out below.

On a count of three,
let's pull this thing back.

[Martino] Lance has come back around
to help Kevin,

but that means he has to jump again.

[Jones] Pop singer, Laura Messner...

-[man] Yeah!
-[Jones] ...tops the charts.

That makes three for Comeback Kids.

[woman] Come on, Grits! Come on, Grits!

-[man 1] Go, go.
-[man 2] Okay.

[Jones] Ouch! That had to hurt.

[Martino] Man, Neil takes a kick
to the chest from Tiffany.

The casualties are mounting again
at the Tire Swing.

[man] Go, go, go!

[Jones] Kevin and Lance
are preparing to jump.

[Martino] It's Tiffany for Free Spirits,
Matt for Comeback Kids,

and the Ninjas for Team Grit.

-[Jones] Kevin makes it! Four for Grit.
-[Martino] Oh!

[Jones] Tiffany and Matt
fly to the landing pad.

[Martino] They're all in the air!

[Jones] Lance Pekus makes it across.

He's the last of Team Grit,
and they're off.

[grunts]

[Jones] "Crazy" Craver!

-Look at that jump.
-[Martino] And Beni clears the water.

-Comeback Kids are all across.
-Great job, guys.

-I'll lead.
-[Martino] Free Spirits Grant McCartney

is the last man standing
for this brutal obstacle.

[Jones] And he's over.

[Martino] Free Spirits,
first to reach the Tire Swing

are now in last place,

while Team Grit in black
has swapped places

from 3rd to 1st.

We're right there, guys,
we're right there.

Put your head down, dig through here.

[Jones] It's the race of the year.
Who's moving onto the finals?

Who's going home? We'll be right back.

[Martino] Welcome back to Spartan.

-While we were away...
-Clear the Steeple.

[Martino] ...the tightest race
of the season

got even tighter
as Comeback Kids and Team Grit

jostled for position at the Steeple Run.

Nice and calm.

[Martino] And Free Spirits
scramble to keep pace.

-It's downhill.
-[Jones] As we rejoin the action,

Free Spirits are 54 seconds
behind the leaders.

[man] Keep going. I got her.

You got this.
Grant's gonna catch you, okay?

-Big jump.
-And plant and go.

-[Jones and Martino] Oh!
-You're okay.

[Jones] Ryan Woods just throws
Tiffany across the creek.

[Martino] What a tough position
for Tiffany Nguyen.

[Jones] And it's a sea
of red and black up ahead.

Comeback Kids captain Ian Deyerle

out in front followed closely
by Team Grit's Monica Gilmore.

[Martino] There's Ninja Lance Pekus.
And look at Grits captain Spencer Mahoney.

This course brings elite athletes
to their knees.

Oh, my.

Look at Kevin Bull. Exhausted.

He'll need to catch his breath
before the Dunk Walls.

-[Jones] What a race.
-Remember,

the only way to guarantee
a spot in the championship

is to win this Heat.

If you don't, you got to beat
American Dream Team's time

from semifinal Heat 1
to capture the Wildcard.

Come on, guys.

[Jones] Kevin Bull is still at
the first Dunk Wall, Kyle.

[Martino] He's struggling.

[Jones] With Bull slowed up, Comeback Kids
need to carpe diem and jump into the lead.

[Martino] Kevin has been a powerhouse,
but he's not moving.

[Ryan] Keep pushing. Keep pushing.

[Jones] And here come the Free Spirits.

They're gaining on us!

[Jones] Ryan Woods won't let Tiffany quit.

-What a leader.
-Give him a shove.

-[Martino] Crazy Craver dives head first.
-[Jones] I love it.

[Martino] And finally, Kevin Bull dives
under that narrow, 18-inch gap.

We'll see if that delay cost Team Grit.

You okay?

[Jones] You could hear Kevin
apologize to Spencer.

Meanwhile, Ian Deyerle
goes under the second wall.

Comeback Kids in the lead.

[Martino] And Kevin Bull,
the last to go again for Team Grit.

[Jones] And here come Free Spirits
at wall number two.

Incredible.

All three teams are just seconds apart,

and Evan Dollard has the best seat
in the house.

This is it.

The Comeback Kids
are coming out of the Dunk Wall

and onto the final obstacle
of the Slip Wall.

It is slick. It is wet.

This is gonna be an incredible challenge
at the end of our extended course.

And neck-and-neck with them is Team Grit.

They're building
their human ladder right now.

This is an incredible finals.

This is what the Spartan Race
is all about.

And here comes Grant McCartney

of the Free Spirits.

All three of our teams
are on the Slip Wall

at the same time.

[Martino] Comeback Kids place 6'1" Beni
and 5'7" Lynnae

in the middle of their ladder,
and Matt climbs right up to the top.

[Martino] Dhani, Grant McCartney
needs reinforcements. He's slipping.

[Jones] And just in the nick of time.

-Oh!
-[Martino] Watch out.

[Dollard] Neil Craver comes tumbling down

all the way from the top,
and he's quickly back up.

That is a Ninja response right there.

[Martino] Let's see that again.

Ouch! Right there Neil just spring boarded
right off Tiffany's back to get up.

[Jones] Apologize later.

[Martino] Up top Comeback Kids
Laura Messner,

trading spots with Matt Campione
as they hold on to a very slim lead.

[Jones] And Kevin Bull
got his second wind.

He summits for Team Grit.

[Martino] But 6'1" Beni Gifford's
about to make his move.

[Dollard] He leaps. he grabs. He's got it.

Step on my foot!

[Martino] It looks like Tiffany
and the Free Spirits

may have hit a wall here.

You really have to wonder
how they would've faired

with a healthy Joy Cox.

[Jones] Beni's ready for their
captain Ian Deyerle to grab his legs.

Come on. Get up here!

-[Jones] Boom!
-[Martino] That's big.

[Jones] Got both of Beni's feet
and he's on his way up.

[crowd chanting] Climb that wall!

[Martino] Using the arms of his
teammate like monkey bars.

This takes complete trust,
and Comeback Kids clearly have it.

No one is letting go.

Grab my shirt. Go!

[Jones] Comeback Kids have done it again.

They just beat out
two of the most formidable opponents

we've seen all season long.

[Martino] I didn't see that coming.

[Jones] Spartans take down the Ninjas

[Martino] Comeback Kids living up
to their name.

They were in 3rd place
at the Lake Crossing

and trailed Free Spirits most of the race.

[chanting] Comeback Kids!

What an amazing victory.

[crowd cheering]

Yeah!

Yes!

[Martino] This group of friends
helped each other

overcome hard times
and now they get to celebrate

all they've accomplished.

[Jones] And there's team captain Ian's Dad
enjoying the moment.

[woman] We stashed 'em!

[Martino] Let's get back to the Slip Wall

where the last remaining spot
in the finals is still up for grabs.

Both teams are well ahead of the pace
set by Heat 1 runners-up

American Dream Team,
so, barring a disaster,

whoever crosses the line next,

will earn the Wildcard
and still has a shot at $250,000.

[Jones] Free Spirits and Team Grit
each have three at the top.

[Martino] Lance Pekus sizing up
the jump for Grit.

[Jones] And on the left, Grant McCartney
fighting to lift up Ryan Woods.

[woman] Come on, Grant!

[Martino] Lance is up.

Look at him climb up Spencer Mahoney.

[crowd chanting] Go! Go! Go!

[Jones] Grit is in the home stretch.
They have to pull Spencer over.

-This could be it.
-Give me your other foot.

Relax it, relax!

Give me your other foot. Relax!

[Jones] Desperation setting in
for Free Spirits.

-[crowd cheering]
-Move down!

[Jones] So Team Grit finishes ahead
of fellow Ninjas, Free Spirits,

and faster than the runners-up

from our first semifinal,
American Dream Team.

[Martino] So Kevin Bull and Lance Pekus
earn bragging rights

over Grant McCartney and Neil Craver.

But more importantly,
they still got a shot

at the $250,000 grand prize.

[Jones] They crossed the finish line
only 43 seconds after the winners.

And don't forget,
they've been here before.

[Martino] And just a few weeks ago.

[Jones] Grit didn't win
their first heat in qualifying either,

but came back to win the final.

[Martino] These two teams battled

with Team Grit
jumping out to an early lead.

But when they stepped on their
fellow Ninjas at the Lake Crossing...

I love you, Ninjas,
but get out of the way.

...they'd open the door for Comeback Kids
to do just that.

And at the Slip Wall, Comeback Kids

were just a little faster
and reached the finish line first.

[Jones] Let's check in with MJ Acosta
who's standing by

with the winners of the second semifinal.

Comeback Kids living up to your name.

You beat both
American Ninja Warrior teams.

-I mean...
-[all cheering]

...how are you feeling about that?

I'm... I'm just gonna say,
this is a Spartan Race.

This is obstacle course racing.
This isn't Ninja Warrior.

I wouldn't come out cocky into
a Ninja Warrior tournament.

That's for sure.
This is Spartan Race, and we are Spartans.

[Acosta] Keep that up,
'cause you got to do this again.

In the final you got Team Grit there,
so got get 'em, guys.

-We're bound to.
-See you guys!

[Jones] Welcome back to Spartan.

This is it. The big dog. The main event.

A quarter of a million dollar mile,
and it's about to go down.

All the cuts, the sprains
and the bruises, they'll fade,

but the memories these teams are making,
those, they'll last forever.

And, Dhani, there are 15 athletes
remaining in the chase for the title,

but what I see are three
very strong united teams.

In Spartan, no one triumphs alone.

And I'm glad we're up here
and not down there,

-because this course...
-It's a lot safer up here.

It's a beast.

[Martino] In tonight's championship final,

each team will have to hit
five spears at the Spear Throw.

Plus tackle the vicious Log Traverse
requiring immense arm and leg strength

to walk a 200-pound log
down 60 feet of wall.

There you see the Muddy Minglers
getting ready for the championship final.

Earlier today in semifinal Heat 1,
Stephanie Buech of the Minglers

had some problems on the giant Tire Swing.

-[man] Yeah, yeah! Okay!
-[Jones] She cleared the water,

but crash landed hard on that pad.

[Stephanie gasping]

[Jones] And badly twisted her left ankle.

Now the Minglers did have an opportunity

to replace Stephanie like
the Free Spirits replaced Joy Cox,

but even with $250,000 on the line,
they've decided to stick together.

You gotta win together or lose together.

MJ Acosta is standing by
with the Minglers now.

-MJ?
-Muddy Minglers.

What a tremendous journey
to get you guys here

to the championship Heat.
But now without its hardships.

Stephanie, your ankle bothering you a lot
almost made you doubt whether or not

you were gonna run this with your team.
But, they stood behind you.

They did. They did. I didn't want to be
the reason that we lose,

because I know that we can take this
entire competition.

But they said we stand behind you 100%.

Uh, they said it would not be
the same without you,

and they cared more about running for me.

[Acosta] How quick were you guys
to tell her,

um, that's not an option.

If I have to choose
between splitting $250,000

between people and running with her,

-I'm running with her.
-Win together. Lose together.

That's what it's all about.
All right, good luck, you guys.

We'll see you out there. Back to you guys.

-Thanks, MJ.
-Thank you.

[Jones] Thanks, MJ.
True Spartan spirit showing there.

You dance with the one who brought you.

[Martino] We'll have to see how much
Stephanie's ankle slows 'em down.

[Martino] I don't know if anything
can slow down Comeback Kids.

But, honestly, I couldn't be more proud
of the team that I have right here.

I've been looking around
at the other competition,

and Ian truly does have the best hair.

-[crowd laughs]
-[inaudible]

We'll get us through.

-[woman] All right
-Ready?

-[all] One, two, three,
-Comeback Kids!

Whoo!

[Jones] Kyle, these guys just need to do
what they've done every race.

Win.

[Martino] The team in black, Team Grit,
failed to win their qualifying Heat.

You don't get a second chance on Ninja.

You know they're going to make the most
of this opportunity.

[Pekus] We lost by 45 seconds,

We know where we can pick up some time.

Let's go out and do it.

Guys, thank you so much
for joining me on this.

-I...
-For real.

I couldn't be happier with the team
that I've got here.

And I'm really excited
to do this last race with you.

-So...
-It's been an honor.

-For real.
-Amen.

Let's do it for the team.

On three.

[all] One, two, three... Grit!

[Jones] This crowd's fired up.

And our racers are almost ready to go.

[Martino] In these final minutes
you can see

Team Grit captain, Spencer Mahoney,

better known on Instagram
as Spartan Spencer,

setting his TomTom fitness watch

to track his heart rate
and calories burned throughout the race.

[Jones] So here we go.

These three teams are
as ready as they'll ever be

and they're hungry
for that $250,000 prize.

Three teams left
and only one will win the championship.

There's really nothing else left to say.

[Martino] Actually, there is.

[together] Blow that horn!

-[air horn blowing]
-[Jones] And they're off.

Team Grit in black,
Muddy Minglers in blue,

and the Comeback Kids in red
sprint up the hill

towards The Walls.

[yelling]

-[Hunter] No surrender, team.
-[Martino] No surprise.

Hunter is pushing his team
as Grits' Lance Pekus

is quickly up and over.

Help her up.

[Jones] Wow, Stephanie Buech
already limping here.

It's gonna take a real team effort
to get her to the finish line.

My feet, my feet. Hold me up.

[Jones] All season long we've heard
their rallying cry...

"Everything you've got!"

No way Stephanie's going down
without a fight.

[Martino] Meanwhile,
the Ninjas of Team Grit

are sailing through this obstacle.

Cattle rancher Lance Pekus single-handedly

boosting his entire team
up the ten-foot wall.

-You got it. Come on.
-Way to go, Vinnie.

[Jones] They have a slight lead here
over Comeback Kids.

[Martino] Finally, Hunter getting his team
over the first wall.

The Minglers fall behind early.

Good.

[Jones] Grit and Comeback already
moving on to that imposing 16-foot wall.

Let's go! Let's go!

[Martino] Let's watch the strategies here.
Who goes first

-and who goes last for each team.
-Lock, lock.

[Jones] Both teams send their
team captains up first.

Spencer Mahoney for Grit,
and Ian Deyerle for Comeback Kids.

[Martino] Wow. Dhani,
both teams making it look easy.

Matt Campione and Kevin Bull
fly up the wall,

followed by Monica for Grit
and Lynnae for Comeback Kids.

Keep going. Keep going.

[Martino] Lynnae is a software analyst
and credits Spartan racing

with turning her life around.

[Lynnae Kettler] I got married young
and things weren't healthy.

When I decided to to get a divorce,
I was going through a really rough time

and I needed an outlet
other than drinking,

and Spartan helped me with that.

As I started getting more into
Spartan races,

I started running with a coworker of mine,
and we really got along well.

Our relationship progressed.
He asked me to marry him...

[crowd cheering]

And we're now married.

[giggles]

So, that's how we met.

[laughs]

I just want people to realize
that even if you're down or...

or something's going wrong in your life,
that you can come back from it.

[Martino] Lynnae, looking strong
as her team keeps pace with Team Grit.

-[Dani] Good job.
-Come on, up, up, up, up, up.

[Jones] Back at the 16-foot wall,
Ken Martin is last up for the Minglers

as Stephanie makes her way down.

-Oh, my God. [groaning]
-Okay.

[Martino] You can hear
the agony she's in, Dhani.

Hold me. Hold me.

[Martino] Ian and Spencer
are first to the Lake Swing

for Comeback Kids and Grit.

Hold on.

[Jones] And they'll go
with the same strategy, women first.

-One, two, three, go!
-[man] Go! Go!

[Jones] Oh! And Lynnae lands in the water.

She'll have to stay there
until her whole team is across.

[Martino] Ian and Matt glide together.

Good job.

[Jones] And the Ninja men
fly three across.

Oh! And Lance gets soaked
in that freezing water.

Now he's already out and onto that pad.

[Martino] This is so tense, Dhani.

These two are very evenly matched.

Grit and Comeback Kids battling for 1st.

Nice steady pace. Good job.

[Martino] The rematch is just as tight
as the original.

And finally, the Muddy Minglers
are at the lake.

Stephanie's ankle becoming a major factor.

-Great job, crew.
-Keep it up, guys. You're doing great.

Jump, go! Swing just let go! Just let go!

[Martino] You can hear Hunter.
"Just let go!"

But they should be going two at a time.

Nice swing. And you both, let's go.

[Jones] Oh! And Dani Stratman's short.

[together] Three, two, one, go!

-[Martino] There they go.
-[Jones] Now they've got it.

Ryan and Ken make it across together

-[Hunter] Oh... watch out!
-[Martino] There goes Hunter.

Not even waiting for Ken to clear the pad.

[Jones] He's a beast!

[Martino] Almost all the Muddy Minglers
are soaked.

-Go! Go! Go! Go!
-Keep going.

[Jones] Comeback has a slight lead
over Grit as they approach the shore.

[Hunter] Pull! Pull! Pull! Pull!

[Jones] Muddy Minglers
getting on their raft.

Let's see if they can make up
some time, Kyle.

-[grunting]
-Row! Row!

Come on!

[Martino] Listen to Hunter barking orders
and willing them across the lake.

Row like you mean it, Ryan.

Give it some [bleep] muscle! Let's row!

[Matt] We're okay. Almost.

[Jones] Matt Campione out front
for Comeback

as they hoist that 200 pound log.

You're front. You're front.

[Jones] $250,000 to the winner, Kyle.

[Martino] And I'd carry you
on my shoulders for that kind of money.

-[man] How're you guys doing?
-[all] Good.

Good.

[Jones] Look at this.
Hunter's already pulled the Minglers

-300 feet across the lake.
-[Martino] That guy's a machine.

[Jones] They've just made up
about 15 seconds.

[Beni] Yeah. Guide us.

[Martino] Comeback Kids putting
the shorter teammate, Matt, up front

and taller Beni Gifford in the back.
to get them up those steps.

Even the smaller strategies
make a difference in a race this close.

[man] All right.

[Jones] Comeback locked into
the brackets first.

Okay, up.

[Jones] Now Grit's locked in.

One, two, three.

[Jones] Comeback Kids
with a clean dismount.

Drop.

[Jones] And they're both across quickly.

-[groaning]
-[Martino] Here come the Muddy Minglers.

Man, they really made up some time on
the Lake Crossing, Dhani.

[Jones] And now the Log Traverse.

You need to work together to walk that log
down 60 feet of walls.

[Martino] Ian Deyerle out front,
and Beni Gifford in the back.

They're like the engine and the caboose.

[woman] Push it, push it.

[Jones] And Monica Gilmore
just hanging there for Grit.

-And that's dead weight.
-[woman] Come on, guys.

[Beni] Push! Push, you guys.

[Jones] Wow. Look at Beni.

[Martino] The caboose
is doing pretty good.

[Jones] Using his long legs
to get them across.

[Martino] Grit's still fighting
their way down The Walls.

[man] Okay, we got this. Hang on.

One more. Good!

-[grunts]
-[Jones] And they're done.

And moving on to the Army Crawl.

Don't surrender, team!

[Jones] But the Muddy Minglers
aren't tapping out

-just yet.
-[Hunter] Up, up, up!

[Jones] There are only
15 seconds behind Grit.

We're almost there. Okay.

[Martino] And Grit completes the Traverse.

And look at the Minglers still in it.

Legs up! Legs up!

[Jones] Hunter is pushing his entire team
through the Traverse.

-Beast mode!
-[Hunter yelling]

[Martino] Welcome back to Spartan.

While we were away,
Comeback Kids' red uniforms turned brown

as they slithered through the muddy waters

-of the Army Crawl.
-[woman] We got this, guys.

There's a whole lot
of race left, you guys.

[Martino] 34-year-old former beauty
pageant winner Maggi Thorne

pushed the Ninjas to keep pace
with the leaders.

[Maggi] We gotta move.

[Martino] While the over-40
Muddy Minglers stalled out

-on the Log Traverse.
-[Hunter groaning]

You aren't. Oh, God.

[Jones] As we pick up the action,

Comeback Kids have a 45 second lead
over Team Grit.

They're closing in on that $250,000 prize,

and for Beni Gifford,
the big guy in the middle,

the money would go
right to his best friend,

his dad.

[Beni Gifford] My dad and I have always
been really close.

We would bike all the time,
eight, nine hours a day just him and I.

-All right, keep up, Beni.
-Yeah, right.

[laughing]

Last year, my dad came across
some health issues,

and he lost his job
that he's had his entire life

as head of IT for a major
International company.

It was hard.

So my Dad took a job bagging groceries
and stocking shelves at a grocery store.

You could tell there was pain there,

because, you know, he doesn't want his son
to see his Superman like that.

Ever since then, I've always wanted to
surprise him with a huge check

and just saying, "Dad, you're done."

So, if we were to win the prize money,

that's not enough to retire somebody,
but it could say,

"Dad, if you want to spend your time
looking for a job that you like,

that's great.

You're taken care of.

I got you, Dad.

[Jones] Beni's dad couldn't
make it here today,

but Comeback Kids are making
all of their families proud right now.

They fought so hard for this opportunity.

[Martino] They're first
to the Spear Throw.

And don't forget in the final,

teams must hit five spears to move on
instead of the usual three.

[Jones] Beni will go first.

-[woman] Nice.
-[Jones] And that's one. Four to go.

[Martino] Ninjas... Team Grit, really need

-to pick up the pace here.
-Stay positive.

-Yep.
-Yeah.

Still a lot of race left, you guys.

[Martino] Up next for Comeback Kids,
33-year-old team captain Ian Deyerle

over two years
of Spartan competition, Dhani,

Ian hasn't missed a single Spear Throw.

And he keeps the streak going.

[Jones] Up next, singer and dancer,
Laura Messner.

She wanted to be the next Britney Spears.

I think she's got more
of a Pat Benatar thing going.

[Martino] You're totally dating
yourself right there, Dhani.

Take your time.

[Jones] Furniture mover Matt Campione.

[Jones] That's two misses in a row.

We got this, guys.

Get on the other side. Other side.

[Martino] Lynnae Kettler up next.

Go, Lynnae, you got it.

[Martino] That's three straight misses,

and Comeback Kids' lead is evaporating.

Grit can see Comeback Kids
have only made two spears.

Remember, they need to hit
five to move on.

[Jones] And Beni gets the leaders
back on track.

Restaurant manager, Ian Deyerle...

-Order up!
-[Martino] Got it!

[Jones] They've got that fire again,
and they're just one away.

[Martino] First up for Grit,
mother of three, Maggi Thorne.

[Martino] They needed that one.

[Jones] And Laura Messner closes it out
for Comeback Kids.

[Martino] Kevin Bull gets Grit
on the board.

Nice, Kevin.

[Martino] But they need to be perfect
the rest of the way.

-[woman] Nice, Lance.
-[Jones] Oh, wow.

[Martino] The cowboy connects
as Comeback Kids start the Totem Climb.

[Jones] Matt, the moving man,
Campione headed up first.

-Look at that.
-[Martino] He's flying.

-[Jones] He's moving fast.
-[man] Matt, to the top.

[Martino] Back at he Spear Throw,
team captain Spencer Mahoney...

Grit's heating up.

[woman] Go, Monica.

[Jones] Former college track star,
Monica Gilmore's turn next.

[Martino] Should keep this momentum going.

[Jones] Oh! Those javelin skills
are a little rusty, Kyle.

[Beni] Solid grip, no slip.

[Martino] Beni Gifford's gonna be
the third Comeback Kid

to mount the rope.

-And Kevin Bull comes through again!
-[Jones] I love it!

[Martino] Pekus lines it up.

-He's got it!
-[Jones] He's a beast!

-[Martino] Here they come.
-[Jones] And the Ninjas

are heading to the Totem Climb.

They closed the gap by 11 seconds
at the Spear Throw.

Every team pushing themselves
to the limit.

-Go, go, go, go, go!
-[Martino] And look at this.

The Muddy Minglers are still in it, Dhani.

Can the over-40 underdogs make
one last push for the title?

Pull, pull, pull, pull!

Come on!

[Jones] Laura Messner is the last
Comeback Kid

out of the water
and she sends up their flag

just as Team Grit arrives.

[Martino] Ninja Kevin Bull
headed up first.

No surprise there.

[Jones] Matt Campione of Comeback Kids
is having trouble with that clip.

[Martino] Clip in it, Matt.

[Jones] Every second counts,
and he's gotta hook that flag on.

[Martino] He's got it.

But the Ninjas are flying up that rope

-making up time.
-[man] Go, go, go

[woman] Good job, Lance. Great job, Lance.

[Martino] As Comeback Kids move on,
let's check in

with Evan Dollard down at the Timber Drop.

[Dollard] Thanks, guys.

Now in the semifinals,
they didn't have to tackle this thing wet.

Now this obstacle
is hard enough when you're dry.

When you're soaking wet,
it can be a beast.

-Ready?
-[all] One, two, three, pull!

Ian Deyerle and Beni Gifford
taking the base.

The lock their shoulders out
and they are walking that thing up.

-Strong legs.
-One, two, three. One, two, three.

One, two, three.

[Dollard] One more final push,
it reaches the tipping point...

and it is down.

-[clicks]
-[crowd cheering]

[Dollard] Team Grit,
meanwhile, has finished

the Totem Climb
and they're trying to make up

some ground here on the Timber Drop.

Jump, Kev. Come on, come on.

[cheering]

You're doing a good job.

[Dollard] Lance Pekus
and Spencer Mahoney of Team Grit

hoisting that giant log
skyward with all they've got.

[crowd chanting] Go! Go! Go!

[crowd] Whoa!

[Dollard] But right next to them
Comeback Kids

have all five teammates
moving up 25 feet of timber

holding onto that slim lead.

Guys, back to you.

-Go!
-[Jones] Thanks, Evan.

Look at Lance Pekus fly up that log

right past the Comeback Kids.

-Ride 'em, cowboy.
-Do it nice and easy. Don't slip.

[Martino] Spencer being a little
more cautious.

And that allows
the leaders to get up and over

with Team Grit still on the log.

But this is anybody's race, Dhani.

-Go, Beni.
-[Jones] And both teams know

that anything can happen
on our next obstacle,

the Giant Tire Swing.

[Martino] This is only the second time
these teams have had to grapple

with this physical and mental challenge.

-Sorry, Matt.
-You ready?

Go!

-[grunts]
-Let go.

[Martino] Team Grit arriving 23 seconds
after the leaders,

but in Heat 2,
they completed this obstacle

22 seconds faster than the Comeback Kids.

So this could decide the championship.

[Jones] Well, they better get moving.

Okay, here we go.

[Jones] Comeback Kids look
very well organized.

They'll be sending
Lynnae Kettler airborne first

as Team Grit arrives on the scene.

[Martino] Remember, if you don't
make it on the pad,

you have to go back and try again.

[Jones] There goes Lynnae.

-And she makes it on the first try.
-[Martino] Good start.

Team captain Ian Deyerle up next
for Comeback Kids as Grit works hard

trying to get that massive
400-pound tire moving.

-Big push by Beni Gifford!
-Yes!

-[Jones] Nice.
-[Martino] That's two for Comeback Kids.

[Jones] Team Grit sends Maggi Thorne.
And she sticks it! Two to one!

Grit is closing the gap.

-And now Monica to tie...
-[Martino] This is crucial.

-Oh, no!
-[Jones] Oh, my gosh! Way short!

[Martino] And more from Comeback Kids.
Sticks her landing. Now it's three to one.

And let's take a look at those two jumps
one more time.

The key is to jump when the tire is still
moving forward.

Monica just hesitates
for that little moment,

and it steals all of her momentum,
and comes up short.

Then Laura lets the tire fling her forward

and gets a strong push-off.
Textbook technique.

-Matt! You got it!
-[Jones] Comeback Kids

looking to stretch their lead here

[Martino] Now, Matt Campione

-hesitates as well.
-[woman] Keep going. Keep going.

[Jones] If Spencer Mahoney
can nail this landing,

Grit will only be one team member behind.

[Martino] He's got it! He doesn't!

[Jones] Oh, so close!

Who has what it takes

to capture the grand prize?

$250,000 is up for grabs

on Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge.

[Martino] Welcome back to Spartan.

-Come on, Beni.
-[Martino] While we were away,

-Beni Gifford...
-[all cheering]

-[Martino] ...completed the treacherous
-Giant Tire Swing

and Comeback Kids held onto 1st place...

[man] Let's go, Lance.

[Martino] ...with Team Grit
following close behind.

No, we're still good. Keep on pushing.

[Martino] And the Tire Swing ended
yet another team's season.

Oh, [bleep] [screams]

[Martino] Unwilling to let Stephanie Buech
risk a long-term injury...

[Hunter speaking]

[Martino] ...the Muddy Minglers
threw in the towel.

[Hunter] We are all champions out here.

-We are all champions.
-[sobbing]

[Martino] This group has been
so inspiring.

Look how close they've become during
this incredible journey.

Walk on strong.
You can do this. Let's do it.

[Jones] That means either
Comeback Kids or Team Grit

are going home with $250,000.

[Martino] Comeback Kids
team captain Ian Deyerle

leading the charge towards the creek jump
with a 30-second lead.

Every stride putting them one step closer
to victory and $250,000.

Let's get it, guys!

[Martino] Less than 100 yards behind them,

Ninja, Kevin Bull,
trying to motivate his team.

Great, job, Grit. Come on.

[Martino] Team Grit desperately
trying to stay in this race.

[Jones] It all comes down

-to the final two obstacles.
-[Martino] This is it.

[Jones] Beni Gifford
looking a little winded.

Matt and Laura, quick to go under
as Beni lags behind.

[Matt] Wait for Beni. Wait for Beni. Go.

Okay, one, two, three. Go, girls.

[Martino] Working together
as a team right till the end.

All three men lift the wall
for Lynnae and Laura.

You guys, don't give up.
Anything can happen.

[Martino] Team captain Spencer Mahoney
keeping Grit motivated.

We're doing good.

[Martino] They're only
28 seconds behind now.

[Jones] Grit's closing the gap.

But Comeback Kids,
they've emerged from the Dunk Walls.

[crowd chanting]
Comeback Kids! Comeback Kids!

-[Martino] This is it, Dhani!
-[Jones] Sensational!

[Martino] To the final Slip Wall
of the season!

A place in history, and $250,000
wait on the other side of that wall.

[Jones] There's Ian's Dad, David,
cheering him on.

You heard him, "No mistakes,"

and they're the first ever Spartan champs.

[Martino] And here comes Grit
led by Ninja Kevin Bull.

They'll need fast time in the Dunk Walls
if they want to beat Comeback Kids.

There you go, guys.

[Martino] Laura holding Ian's ankles
for extra support

as Beni gets into place.

-Lynnae.
-[Martino] And again, Dhani,

they'll put their height
in the middle 6'1" Beni,

followed by 5'7" Lynnae.

Go easy on me.

[Jones] Look at Matt.
Already climbing into position.

As soon as Lynnae gets set,

Matt will already be there.

[Martino] Remarkable teamwork and trust

as Team Grit working their way
under the second 250-pound Dunk Wall.

[Jones] Matt to the top of Comeback,

and he immediately spins around
to pull up Lynnae.

-Oh, in the eye.
-[crowd chanting]

[Jones] Wow!
And Laura's already getting a lift

-[Martino] Execution.
-[Jones] ...by Beni, and Matt has her up.

[Martino] Ian's slipping,

and he has to see Team Grit
coming under that third wall.

[Jones] Ian recovers
and prepares for his jump.

Go, Ian, go!

[Martino] Grit's really got
to hold it here

as Ian's about to make his leap.

-And he's got it!
-[Jones] He got it!

[Jones] I don't think they need
any luck, Kyle.

[Martino] No.

-Come on, guys.
-[Jones] Look how fast Grit

-is building their ladder
-[Martino] Yeah, they have to.

-Yeah, climb, Spencer.
-[Jones] It's not over yet.

[Jones] It's not over yet.

-I got you.
-Got it.

-Go, Beni!
-[Martino] And Ian's made it to the top.

[Jones] Ian's at the top.

I got it, Beni.

-[crowd] Climb that wall!
-[Jones] Sensational!

And Beni turns and grabs Matt's shirt.

[Martino] Grab his shirt, grab his hair,
grab his face...

-Anything to get to the top.
-[Jones] Get up there.

The entire team.

[Martino] Oh! And as the Comeback Kids
go up and over,

down goes Grit.

[Jones] And that'll do it.

Comeback Kids are about
to be the first champions

of Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge.

[all cheering]

[screaming]

[all cheering]

[woman] Love you guys!

[all] We did it!

[Martino] Dhani, there isn't
a more deserving group.

[Jones] No question.

[Martino] With all that they've
been through, just incredible.

Number one!

I'm so proud of you! You did it, man.

[Martino] And a great father-son moment
as Ian's dad said,

"You never give up on family."

[indistinct conversation]

[Jones] Throughout the season,
Comeback Kids attacked every course

with cold-blooded efficiency.

What started off
as five individual journeys

to overcome life's obstacles,
resulted in a collective victory

that will bond these five
together forever.

MJ speaks with the first ever
Spartan champions.

Comeback Kids, you guys
have been solid this entire season.

What a championship heat.
My goodness. Ian, what about you?

I mean, this journey has just been
tremendous for you.

Oh, I can't believe we're actually here,
let alone, standing right here.

Believe it, bud, believe it.

Beni, if you could talk to your dad
who we understand

is going through some tough times,
he's watching you right now.

What do you have to say to him?

Ever since I was a little kid,
I always wanted to

to walk into my dad's office
'cause he's worked so hard

and just walk in with a... I don't know...

a big fat check and say,
"Dad, you're done."

This may be a first step towards...

-towards getting him there.
-[Acosta] Money is nice,

but you got these, too.

You guys have made history.

Our first ever Spartan champions.

[all cheering]

[Jones] What a truly inspiring victory.

For Kyle Martino, Evan Dollard,
and MJ Acosta, I'm Dhani Jones.

Congratulations to the Comeback Kids.

Our first ever champions
headed home with $250,000,

and memories that will last a lifetime.

We'll see you all next year
for another season

of Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge.

Good night.