American Ninja Warrior (2009–…): Season 12, Episode 4 - Qualifier 4 - full transcript

[exciting music]

- Come on, go get it. Go get it.

- Come on!
- He's doing the 25, yeah!

- Whoa! What?

What? [buzzer blaring]

- Tonight, the biggest stars

are gonna shine in St. Louis...

- Let's go!
- ♪ Show me how it's done

- Including the Weatherman,
Joe Moravsky.

- My goodness, look at him.

- He's competed eight seasons,



and this year he's giving

a couple
of young ninjas their shot.

- I'm really excited to show
'em, you know,

hopefully how it's done,

and they can follow
in my footsteps.

- ♪ Never gonna show me
how it's done ♪

- And we've got Sweet T,
stuntwoman Tiana Webberley.

- Nice! She's done it!

- She's invited a couple
of ninjas

with incredible stories.

- My team is all connected
by some medical miracles.

- ♪ Gonna show me

- And Chicago's Michael Torres
is back...

- [screaming]



- With two veteran ninjas

who inspire him every day.

- This season means more to me

than any other season
in the past.

- ♪ Never gonna show me
how it's done ♪

♪

- Hello, everybody.
Thanks for being with us.

I'm Matt Iseman.

- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila,
and, Matt,

I am ready to rock the Dome.

- Well, there's definitely

a lot of excitement
here tonight.

This is the fourth
and final night of qualifying.

Next week, we move on
to the semifinals.

- Yeah, and like most
sporting events these days,

for safety,
no fans in the stands,

but don't worry, we're still
gonna make some noise.

- You know it, big man,

and keeping the excitement going

down on the sidelines,

the third member of our team,
Zuri Hall.

- Matt, Akbar, our ninjas
usually have to tackle

this course head-on,
but tonight we've got

a brand-new obstacle
coming at 'em sideways.

The course is
six obstacles in all,

including one that
created buzz last week,

the Beehive... - Oh!

- Followed by Spinning Bridge.

Then it's the new
fifth obstacle, Sideways.

The ninjas will need quick hands

to work their way
across those rotating boards.

The final obstacle
is the Warped Wall,

which leads to the buzzer.

And the night ends here
at the Power Tower,

where the two fastest
will race head-to-head.

The winner gets to pull
both of their teammates

into the semifinals.

[buzzer blares]

You don't wanna miss
the latest showdown

at the end of the night.

Guys.

- Well, we're gonna kick it
off with something crazy.

This is Brandon White,

a rookie out of
San Jose, California,

and he has one of
the most unique talents

we've ever seen.

This former football player
was invited

by longtime ninja
veteran Brian Kretsch,

who also invited another
Northern California ninja,

Vance Harris, who's shooting
a marshmallow gun,

and that's because Brandon White

has a very special talent.

Forget about
eye-hand coordination.

This guy has eye-mouth
coordination.

- I'm the greatest marshmallow
catcher in the world.

Don't believe me?

- He's caught marshmallows
from as far away as 90 feet.

- [yelling]

- All right, get ready!

Yeah!
- And he's hoping to establish

a new Guinness world record
for longest catch.

- Now do you believe me?

[bell dinging]

- Oh!

[cheers and applause]

- And we're gonna put him
to the test here, Akbar.

- All right, let's put him
to the test.

- Of course, because of COVID,

we have to throw them
on the big screen.

Here we go, Akbar,
getting ready to launch these.

- Best marshmallow
catcher in the world.

- Oh.
- Oh, I'm eating this one.

- Oh, nailed it!

- Hey, let's look at it again.

Boom, right in his mouth.

- And lots of love
for this marshmallow catcher.

He's got his fiancée

and a big group of friends
and family watching.

[countdown clock beeping]

Brandon was a four-year starter

as a wide receiver

for the University of San Diego,

but football players
don't always have

great success on our course.

An extra swing, he's through.

Now the 6'3", 200-pound rookie

will try Off the Hook.

You gotta generate power
with the hips

to make this transfer.

- Drive 'em forward.

Drive 'em back. - Come on.

This is like a power clean
in the weight room.

Come on, I'ma talk
football talk to you.

- And you see, just not
getting much thrust.

You gotta get that lower body
moving for the transfer.

- Nice!
- He got it.

- Okay!
- And dismounts.

- Hey, signs of
a good wide receiver,

you gotta have strong hands,
and he held on to that one.

- You wanna be efficient on
these upper-body obstacles

because here comes
another one, the Beehive.

You go sideways.

This middle one's
gonna rotate 270 degrees.

- It's all about rotating
and generating from the hip.

Get that side-to-side
pendulum motion going.

Nice. - Excellent.

- Nice pendulum motion.
- A lot of these skills ninjas

have to develop,
a lot of it is moving,

generating power
with the lower body,

but good use of those hips
there, great shot.

You can see that momentum.

- Nice.
- All right, now this is where

that wide receiver skill
goes in.

You gotta see it... nice. - Oh.

- That's a big deal, 6'3",
200 pounds.

- And you see there's
Plexiglas on the close side.

There it is,
a great shot of the handles,

where you have to
get your hands,

and that is not easy.

- Nice!
- And he's through.

[cheers and applause]

Now facing the balance
obstacle, Spinning Bridge.

- Absorb that second step.

- Kretsch giving him
some advice.

- Suck it up, suck it up,
suck it up!

- Oh, no!

- He was too slow and
methodical on Spinning Bridge!

- Brandon White
the marshmallow eater

bit off more than he could chew

on the Spinning Bridge.

- Well, he looked more like
the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man,

moving too slow,

and when he hit the third ball,

it just spun right under him,
tripped him up,

and there was no way to recover.

[crowd groans]

- And now it's another member
of Brian Kretsch's crew.

This is Vance Harris.

No marshmallows for him.
He's bringing a paddle.

That's because he's a kayaker.

He spends his days on the river,

and he is one gnarly dude.

♪

- Kayaking is
a dangerous activity.

- Get it, Vance!

- As I'm paddling down
the river,

I gotta be looking out
for rocks.

I gotta be looking out
for sieves and for holes,

and I gotta look out
for horizon lines,

'cause that means the water's
going off something.

Could be a 50-foot waterfall,

or it could be
a little 2-foot drop.

♪

- Whoo, Vance! Whoo!

- I have not trained for
"American Ninja Warrior,"

but it'll be cool to show
everyone around the world,

like, kind of what we do
as paddlers

and that kayakers are awesome,

and we can be ninjas too.

♪

Whoa! I'm the Kayak Ninja,

but I'm gonna avoid the water
on this course.

♪

- This guy's Spicoli
from "Fast Times."

Clearly got personality,
and you can see

got a lot of rowdy
friends and family

ready to cheer him on.
- They are going nuts already.

[all cheering]

Kayakers look like
a crazy bunch.

- Well, he admits he's trained
very little for this.

He's just a fun-loving dude
who wanted to try ninja.

[countdown clock beeping]

Brian Kretsch saw this guy

the one time he came
to a ninja gym

and thought he had incredible
natural athletic ability

and boundless energy.

- He's built like a ninja,
long and lean.

- And going right into
Off the Hook.

A good effortless start here,
really in control.

- Yes, awesome.

- We had this last year
in Atlanta,

and we saw
some of the challenges.

You see that hook?

You're going
from a sideways hook

to then a front mount. - Got it!

Yeah, that can be challenging
when you gotta take it

from the side to the front.

- Down, keep the hips down.
Keep the hips down.

- What? It's hard.

- And, look, he's smiling
back at Kretsch.

Vance has never been
on a ninja course before,

and you're seeing it here.

- Get out of there!
- But he gets through.

- Nice job!
- We'll see what he has left

in the tank
as he takes on the Beehive.

- Yeah! Ohh!

- Okay, look at this dude,
flexing.

He's gonna have fun no matter
how far he gets.

- Well, now he's gotta face
a serious challenge

in the Beehive.

This knocked out some
great competitors last week,

and with limited ninja skills,

this could be
a real challenge for Harris.

- Nice.
- As you see obstacles,

you learn different skill sets,

that 270-degree rotation
a challenge.

- Turn the hips
when you go, yes.

- Breathe.
- Awesome.

You're gonna go up on this one.

- Hopefully he has
the grip strength

to be able to carry
his body weight.

Now he's starting to get
that swing momentum.

Make that transition!

- Oh, my!
- Okay, my bad, 19-year-old!

- You got this, Vance!

- And he gets through Beehive.

[cheering]

- His family can't believe
he's doing this well.

And neither can I!

- Well, Brian Kretsch
saw something in this kid,

and he is proving kayakers
are good athletes.

- They definitely know
how to have fun.

- Now the balance obstacle,
Spinning Bridge.

- Let's go!
- You got this, Vance.

- This is like
a class five rapid,

but you wanna stay
out of the water.

Nice, nice, nice. - Oh! Oh!

- Oh, Supermans
over the final ball.

[cheering]

- Let's go, ninja!
- You look shocked!

You look shocked! - Yeah!

- Well, his friends
are definitely shocked.

This kid has made it
to the fifth obstacle.

How is he doing this?

And now going right into
the new obstacle, Sideways.

Every handle rotates completely,

so you have to grab it
front and back.

Now has to change hand placement

and jump to this slider.

- Got it! My goodness!

This kid may get the buzzer!

This is unheard of! [cheering]

- Oh, yes!

- Vance is shocking the world
right now, Matt.

- One more board to go...

and he's got it! Unreal!

But has to get over
this spinning wall.

- Yeah, he's trying to get
that swing to get over.

He's been hanging on
for a while now.

- Oh, yeah!

- Nice!

[cheering]

- Yeah, he can't believe
he's here.

And we can't either!

- 100%!

- The Kayak Ninja,
his first time here,

his first shot
at the Warped Wall,

and look at him!

He's blowing kisses!

You still got work to do!

- You got this.

- Can the rookie get a buzzer?

Yes! - Yes!

- He's got it!

- Oh, I can't believe this!

[buzzer blaring] - Ohh!

[cheering]

Let's go, baby!
- Who would have guessed it?

The Kayak Ninja
our first finisher tonight.

- Ninja, baby! Kayak Ninja!

- Vance, your first time
out here,

you made it look easy.

How'd it feel being
on the course?

- That felt
pretty freaking awesome.

- Let me tell you
something, man.

You off the hook, man.

[cheering]

- I love you guys!

- Tonight, it's the final
night of qualifying,

and the stars are out. - Whoo!

- Karsten Williams crushed
the course last year.

- Let's go!

- Now he's paying it forward
with an auto worker...

[power tool whirrs]

And a World Series winner.

- Let's see what
we can do out there,

make some heads turn.

- No one brings
more joy to the course

than Jeri D'Aurelio.
- Okay, D'Aurelio.

I see you.

- And the Army captain's
recruited

two of her Army buddies.

- We're here to support each
other, and we absolutely do.

- It's all ahead on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back, everyone.

We're inside the massive
Dome at America's Center,

and it's our home
for this season of

"American Ninja Warrior."

This is the last
of our four qualifying nights.

The top 12 individuals
and top three women

will move on
to one of our two semifinals,

and only the best
will advance to the finals,

where the winner
takes home $100,000.

And headed to
the start line now,

carrying a huge pair of scissors

45-year-old Kat Henschen
from Lebanon, Indiana,

and she's a dog groomer.

- Hey, she better not be
running with them scissors.

That's dangerous!

- Well, she was invited
to compete this year

by none other than
the Cowboy Ninja, Lance Pekus,

because these two share
a powerful bond.

- Yeah!

[gentle upbeat music]

Kat... Kat's just
inspiring all around.

She's very passionate
about what she does.

She's very passionate
about animals

and being around animals.

We embody that cowboy spirit,

but Kat and I
have this special bond

because we both deal with
our spouses dealing with MS.

[somber music]

- My husband was diagnosed
in 2012 with MS.

♪

Probably a month later,
we woke up,

and he couldn't walk.

My husband is the most
inspirational person to me.

Before MS, we did scuba diving,

and jumped out
of airplanes together,

a lot of horseback riding.

[sighs]

♪

It's hard for him
to get on the horse now,

but he'll do it, so...

♪

A lot of times people will say,

"I'm so sorry
you're going through

what you're going through.
I hate to hear that,"

but Lance knows.

♪

- My wife's been battling
multiple sclerosis,

so I definitely know

the strength it takes
to be a caregiver,

and I know Kat
has that strength.

She shows it every day.

♪

- I feel like being able
to talk to Lance

even after the show is over

is going to be
a blessing for sure.

[cheers and applause]

- And she's blowing kisses
to her husband, B.C.,

who's watching back in Indiana
along with some of the family.

They've got seven grandkids
or step-grandkids.

- Kat out here showing
grandmas can ninja too!

- MS warrior! Let's do this!

- Lance Pekus calling her
an MS warrior.

He'll be on the sideline
along with the other ninja

he invited, Luke Mickelson.

[countdown clock beeping]

She's the oldest competitor
tonight at 45.

- Looking good.
- Attagirl.

- Whoo!
- No!

- No!
- Extra swing.

- Did not touch the water,
though, Akbar. So close.

- She... I mean, came very close.

- She's still alive.
- Keep your foot up.

Nice. - She survives!

[cheering]

Used up a lot of energy
on that, but she stays alive.

- Don't let that get
in your head!

- Good advice there.
Now Off the Hook.

Only 5'2"... gonna take
a big reach to get started.

- Yeah, she was
a top-ranked gymnast

when she was a teenager.

- And you can see her
generating that power

with that lower body. - Yeah.

- Big hip swing.

Just on the trapeze...
Like on the trapeze.

Yeah, there you go.

- There you go.
- Good form.

- Bring it out, bring it out.
- Go for it!

- Oh, no!

- Aww!
- The hook stuck.

It looked like the hook
caught on her dismount,

and Kat Henschen's
run ends early.

- That's a tough one.
I'm proud of you.

- She showed
that she's a fighter

on that first obstacle,
and then on the second,

her ring got hung up
coming off that first hook,

and she didn't have
the distance,

but you know her husband
is proud of that effort.

[organ playing "Charge"]

- Well, that music should tell
you it's time to play ball!

Our next athlete

is World Series champion
Gary Brown.

This former outfielder
was recruited

by ninja great Karsten Williams,

who's got the speed gun
going on the sidelines,

because he thinks this guy
can bring the heat.

- Let's go. Let's go, nice.

Gary Brown,
he's a unique athlete.

He's very quick.

He's very confident
on the course.

Way to flow. Way to flow.

Yeah!

And he has a background
in hitting baseballs.

- In high school my senior year,

I think I hit .612.

Pretty good year. [laughs]

- Safe!
- I was selected 24th overall

in the first round
by the San Francisco Giants.

After four seasons
in the minor leagues,

I got called up
to the big leagues

at the end of the year,

and we had an unbelievable run

that ended in San Francisco
with a dog pile

and a World Series championship.

- And the Giants have won
the World Series!

- To get into the big leagues
is one thing.

Staying in the big leagues
is another.

But I left it all on the field,

and I've got no regrets.

[crowd cheering]

I watched
"American Ninja Warrior."

It was actually a fun thing for
us to watch in the locker room,

and we'd all joke about
how we think we could do it,

and here I am.

- Nice. Excellent job.

- Karsten's been unbelievable,
and I'm very grateful.

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

- I already got a ring.
[bell dings]

Now it's time to get a buzzer.

[bat cracks]

[crowd cheering]

- He's calling his shot!
- Oh, okay!

- He's calling his shot!
- All right! Bai-yah!

- Oh, that's a good swing. Oh!

- It's going, going, gone!
- Bat flip!

- Yeah, let's go, baby!

- Gary Brown is jacked up.

Now he's blowing kisses
to his wife, his kids,

his mother-in-law
back home in Texas.

And there, his former
Giants teammate,

All-Star shortstop
Brandon Crawford.

- Let's go, Gary.
- And his buddy Karsten

will be on the sidelines,
along with the third member

of their group, Kaleaha Rayner.

- Let's go, baby!

[countdown clock beeping]

- But, Matt, running the bases

is a lot different
than running a ninja course.

- Nice.
Good swing, there you go.

[cheering]

- But through
the first obstacle.

Now he is on Off the Hook.
- Up and down.

- Generate a little power
with... that's how you hit.

- Yeah, he knows this.
- Use your hips

to really generate power,
gotta do it here.

- Yeah, he knows this very
well from his baseball days.

- Oh, my!

Use your hips!

- He's going now.

- A bit outside,
but still hanging on.

- Okay, you got it. Here you go.

Now you got plenty.

Pull that chest forward.
Nice, there we go.

- Matt, he avoided
a strikeout there.

[cheering] - He turned two.

Now he's looking to the third
obstacle, the Beehive.

Could be a little
chin music up here.

- Well, Matt, at the top
of the third, so far,

so good for Gary Brown.

- Nice.
- Nice grab.

- Are you sure
he's a baseball player?

- Akbar, bite your tongue.
Baseball players are athletes.

Watch it, a flying grab here.
- Excellent work, Gary.

Make sure to breathe.
- My goodness.

- It'll be a real challenge.
- He looking real smooth.

- Gary Brown!
- Nice.

- And this rookie is
knocking it out of the park,

and he is through.
- Come on, come on!

- Now facing Spinning Bridge.

- Well, he set a record
for stolen bases

at Cal State Fullerton,
so we know he has speed.

- And the Big Kat's
gonna use that speed gun

to see just how fast

Brown runs across this obstacle.

- Nice, nice!
- Yeah!

- Okay!
- Through the Spinning Bridge!

- Nice, whoo!
- Hey, Gary!

Gary!

Safe! Safe!

- Come on, buddy. [laughter]

Now gotta face Sideways.

His job as a baseball scout
is to find talented athletes.

I think we've found a new one
in Gary Brown.

- Matt, he's
our first competitor ever

with a World Series ring,

but I bet he'd like a buzzer
to go with it.

- This is so impressive.

Again, Akbar, this is not a...

- No!

Going, going, gone!

- The grip gives out!

Swinging Gary Brown
strikes out there

on our fifth obstacle, Sideways.

- He was having a big night,

four for four heading
into Sideways,

but he made an error, couldn't
grab the slider cleanly,

and it was game over
for Gary Brown.

[crowd groans]

- Oh, I whiffed.

Swing and a miss. Dang.

- Up next...
- Oh!

- She's been close before.
[crowd groans]

- No, again? Again? Again? No!

- Now Tiana Webberley's
ready for her first buzzer.

- Ready to take one obstacle
at a time.

Smooth is fast. Let's go.

- When "American Ninja
Warrior" returns.

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior"

inside the Dome at
America's Center in St. Louis.

While we were away, seven-time
ninja veteran Kevin Bull

charged onto the course

with the ninjas
he brought this year.

- Come on!
- First up was Isaiah Barney.

- [chanting in native language]
- Who led his trio

in a traditional
Maori haka dance

to honor his Polynesian roots.

- [chanting in native language]

- Whoo! All right!

- That just got me pumped up.

Let's go run the course.
Come on, Matt.

- We didn't run the course,
but Barney did,

and the 22-year-old
came out strong.

- Nice!
- Barney's a decathlete

like Kevin Bull,

but the 6'3" track athlete

surprisingly lost his footing

on the Spinning Bridge.

- Go, go! Oh, no!
- Oh!

[groaning]

Next up was Stillwater,
Minnesota's Abbey Steffl.

She got into ninja because
of her daughter, Molly.

Molly has alopecia
like Kevin Bull,

and the two met at a camp
for alopecia kids

and became best friends.

- This is why Kevin Bull
has her on his team.

It's great.
- And with Molly and the rest

of her family
watching from home,

this 39-year-old
showed her mom strength...

- Nice! Just like that!

- And conquered
the first two obstacles.

- We'll call that
the Steffl Shuffle.

- She battled her way
across the Beehive

before finally losing her grip.

- Grab it, grab... oh!

She had it and missed! Ohh!

- Good job, Abbey!
- Good effort, good effort.

- Oh, my gosh,
I love those people.

- Then it was the first
of the California crew

led by six-time veteran
Tiana Webberley,

and leading it off for them
was an inspirational rookie

from Marina del Ray,
Chinna Balachandran.

[cheering]
- This school psychologist

suffered a life-threatening
brain injury in 2019.

He had a huge piece
of his skull removed

and had to go through
a long rehab process

to learn to walk and talk again.

- Hi, Chinna.
- Hey, Dad.

- You got this!
- Miraculously,

just a year later he came out
to take on our course.

- Nice!
- Yes, get off, perfect.

- After surviving
the Shrinking Steps,

the 31-year-old
saw his inspiring run end

on Off the Hook.

- Oh, no!
- Oh!

- Considering what he's been
through, that's pretty good.

- Now heading up
to the start line,

another member of Sweet T's
inspiring trio,

32-year-old
stay-at-home mom Katie Lanza.

- Go, Katie!
- Whoo!

- Tiana helped her mom
get through

a kidney transplant last year,

so she's totally bonded
with Katie,

who's been dealing with
the life-threatening illness

of her son Nolan,

or as she calls him,
Nolan the Champ.

- You know, from the start,

Nolan had to come out fighting.

He was born premature.

He was very small.
He was four pounds.

When we brought him home,
he was fine,

but then all of a sudden

he started getting
really, really sick.

[somber music]

He ended up being diagnosed

with a genetic condition
known as HLH.

In order to survive, he had to
have a bone marrow transplant.

It was the most devastating news

that I've ever heard in my life.

I thought I was going
to lose my baby boy.

He was getting chemotherapy
every week

and steroids every day.

We were in the hospital
for over a month,

but at the same time, like,
Nolan was just so joyful.

[laughter]

He'd have dance parties
with the nurses.

They would play music, and
he'd kick his arms and legs.

It gave me peace
that he was going to fight

with everything inside of him

to be able to live
and live joyfully.

- ♪ I am not afraid
to take chances ♪

- You ready to go
to the ninja gym?

- Yeah.

I started training
for "American Ninja Warrior"

when we were in the hospital
with Nolan,

and that's when I met
Tiana Webberley.

- Hey!
- Hi, there!

- I met Katie at a gym,

and just coming out
of my mom's surgery,

we just really connected,

and Nolan is just...
He's adorable.

- ♪ 'Cause I

♪ I've got you

- His will to live...
- Yay, Mama!

- Just with so much happiness

has really inspired me

to live my life to the fullest.

That's why he's the Champ.

No matter what obstacles
are thrown at him,

he's gonna fight it.

- ♪ And I got you

♪

- Just makes you smile,

that connection
between Katie and Tiana,

that's what this season
is all about, rising together.

[cheering]

And there's Nolan cheering
for his mom

along with Katie's husband
and parents.

- Well, Matt, you can see
Katie at the start line

getting a little emotional.

You know, Matt, her being here,

she's a champ too.

[countdown clock beeping]
- Says she dreamed

of competing on "Ninja Warrior"

when she was in the hospital
with Nolan,

so you know how much
this means to her.

- Come on, come on.
Oh, nope, no, no, no, no.

Come on. - Good save!

- Oh, no, no!
- Oh, yes!

- My word!
- Yes! Yes!

- Are you kidding me?
- A great save.

[cheering]

- Whoo-hoo!
- My goodness!

She was barely able
to keep her left foot

out of the water,
not once but twice.

She's a fighter.
I see you, Katie Lanza!

- Well, she learned from
watching her son Nolan.

Here she is on Off the Hook.

- Go, Mama! Say, "Go!"
So excited!

- Nolan spent
two months in the hospital

during his transplant.

Katie said she would watch
"Ninja Warrior"

in the waiting room
every day for comfort,

and she got hooked.

- Now she needs to get that ring

and put it on the hook.

- Generating a little bit
of power,

may need a little more.

- Ooh.
- That's all right.

- You know what? Some runs are

so much bigger than a buzzer.

- Awesome job, Katie!
- Just by being out here,

Katie showed
that same spirit her son

Nolan has, that champion spirit.

- We love you, Mom!

- It was just so amazing,

and I'm just so grateful
to be here.

Thank you.

- Well, if you're like Katie
and you've dreamed

of being
an American Ninja Warrior,

why not apply for next year?

and we could see you
on the course next season.

[cheers and applause]

Well, now it's time
for Katie's mentor,

Tiana Webberley.

Sweet T has become

one of ninja's
most popular women athletes,

and she always has
a ton of family support.

And that's her mom,
who we mentioned earlier.

She had the kidney transplant.

She's watching
with Tiana's aunt,

plus Tiana's sister and dad,

and Nolan the Champ
has changed shirts.

Now he's cheering for Tiana.

So far this season,
four women have hit buzzers.

Can Tiana finally get her first

and add her name to that list?

[countdown clock beeping]

This is Sweet T's
sixth season competing.

She qualified for the national
finals the past two years.

- Whoo!
- Just a good, confident

start here out of Sweet T,

now on to Off the Hook.

This hook can be tricky,

getting it off
that side hook there.

Sometimes the hook sticks,
but as a pole vaulter,

understands
how to generate power.

- Yeah, spatial awareness,

get that ring,
put it on that peg.

- Got it.
- Nice.

- She got it!
- This obstacle ended the runs

of the two ninjas she brought,

but doesn't look like
it's gonna get Tiana.

And she is through.

- Yeah! Good job.

[cheers and applause]

- Now facing the Beehive.

Tiana now 28 years old,

says she's in the best shape
she's been in in years.

5'4".

- Look at that!
- Wow.

Goes just super-aggressive
on that 270!

- Now, this is the hard transfer

'cause as you can see,
you're moving parallel here

to the handles.

Gets it. - Okay.

- Great veteran move
out of Sweet T,

and she sticks it,
looking strong!

Now the former pole vaulter
at Cal State Northridge

facing Spinning Bridge.

- Look at that.
You see her doing

that little track thing,

like, that little bouncing back.

Nice. - Oh!

- Nice... oh, hold on!

You better fight for your life!

You better fight for your life!

[cheering]

- Yes, come on! Yes!

- We may have to look
at that one again.

- She stumbled and went airborne

over that last one,
slammed into the pad,

and was just barely able
to hang on.

- One more obstacle
before the Warped Wall.

- Hey, go get that buzzer, girl!

- The fifth obstacle used to
be a roadblock for her.

She fell on it
three straight years

before breaking through
in season ten

at the city finals,

but still has not hit
her first buzzer.

- Matt, I think this
is her year.

She looks so strong.

- Nice, simultaneously,
and look at...

- Great grab.
- And she's getting

a lot of air time as well,
and that really helps.

- This is a pre...
It's a precise obstacle.

You have to grab front
and back simultaneously.

- Look at that, showing off.
- Otherwise, that handle

will spin. - Oh, look at that.

All right, she's getting ready.

Now look at the air time
she gets.

The hang time allows her
to grab it simultaneously.

Nice. - Great job.

And you can see,
kipping those hips up

while pulling the arms
down and around.

- Come on, Sweet T.
Come on, Sweet T!

- Oh, that was great form.

- Yeah, she almost got
in the way.

Nice. - Oh, watch that wall.

Yes! - Yes!

- 14 1/2 feet away
from her first buzzer!

- Go get it!

- Her family's going crazy!

A moment six years in
the making here in St. Louis.

All: [chanting] Beat that wall!
- Sweet T...

The Warped Wall!
- History in the room!

History in the room! - Got it!

- Yes!

- Her first buzzer!
[buzzer blares]

- ♪ This is all we ever want

[cheering]

[triumphant music]

A long time coming.

- Yes! Yes!

- Enjoy that moment.

- I love you all!

- This is where you gotta

just let that sizzle
in your spirit right there.

Let this sizzle in your spirit,

your first buzzer!

- Oh!
- Congratulations!

- Thank you all.
Thank you so much.

- She had been close before,

but after six years,

she finally pulled herself
over the top

and got her first buzzer.

Her family knew what it meant.

She joins
an elite group of women

who hit buzzers in qualifying.

- I gotta say, we get some
special moments on this show.

This is one of them.

Let's go down to Zuri.

- Sweet T, what a run,
competing for six years,

and to finally hit
your first buzzer.

What does that mean to you?

- It means the world,
and it just, I hope,

shows that, you know, no matter
how many times you fall,

just keep working hard
and never give up,

and you can definitely
achieve your goals.

- I love it. I love it.

Well, congratulations.
Hey, fam, hey, friends.

I know you guys are proud
of this one right here.

Her first buzzer!
- Love you guys.

- And we've got lots
more action still ahead

on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior."

While we were away,

it was the remaining members
of the group

led by the Cowboy Ninja,
Idaho rancher Lance Pekus.

First up was fellow Idahoan
Luke Mickelson.

He wanted to raise awareness
for his nonprofit

that builds bunk beds
for underprivileged kids.

- No kid sleeps on the floor
in our town.

- The father of three admits
he's got a dad bod,

but even at 215 pounds,

he managed to dance
across the Shrinking Steps.

- All right, come on, big fella.

- Nice and easy!

- But on Off the Hook,
it was lights out.

No!

[all groaning]

- "Goodnight Irene" song
from Luke Mickelson.

- Then it was time for
the Cowboy Ninja to saddle up.

With his wife, Heather,
and kids cheering him on,

Pekus put on a show.

The cattle rancher
stampeded through

the first few obstacles. - Whoo!

- Oh!
- The shirt comes off!

- Shirt comes off!
- Yeah, Daddy!

- He's powered by beef.

Even though I'm vegan,
I'm down with it.

[cheering]

- He even took a shot
at the Mega Wall.

Oh! - It was the baggy jeans.

- You got this, right here.
- This is it.

- But he came back to clear
the regular wall

and became the third finisher
of the night.

[buzzer blaring] [cheering]

- I wanted that one,
but I'll take it.

- And now it's a new group
starting on the course.

This is Amir Malik.

He's a 20-year-old rookie

from tiny Essex Junction,
Vermont.

He was selected by one of
last year's top rookies,

David Wright...
- Let's go, Amir!

- Better known as Da Cake Ninja.

- You got this, playa!
- With their other member,

Alex Carson, this trio
has got something cooking.

- It's you, buddy!

- It's cake time.

I'm floured up. Let's go.

[exciting music]

- Amir is a baker,

and he's fantastic.

♪

- Cheesecakes, tarts, meringues.

- There's a lot of things
that go into

making a good cake, you know.

A lot of love,
gotta measure correctly.

- Baking's serious, man.
You mess up, you done.

- [laughs]

♪

- ♪ Whoo!

- And then Alex makes
cheesecakes, which is...

♪

Kinda like cake.

- ♪ Come on

- It takes time, but thankfully,

I have two gentlemen
that really appreciate

the time it takes
to make a cake.

- Oh.
- Oh, yeah.

- Well done, Alex, well done.
- Yes, sir.

- They like to bake the cakes,

and I like to devour the cakes.

- That's nice. That's nice.

- Being able to have two guys

who can make cakes for me is...

♪

Kinda awesome. [laughs]

- ♪ Ow!

[can splurting]

- The three of us
are really bonding well.

[laughter]

We're all connecting,
and it's definitely gonna show

on the "Ninja Warrior" course.

♪

- ♪ Whoo!

- David, he did good
his rookie year,

but, you know,
it's my rookie year,

so I have to show him
what I got.

♪

- Our team's totally gonna be
on a sugar high.

♪

- ♪ Ow!

- Go!
- Amir and this group

have really bonded
over their baking.

Amir's gonna have his family
watching back in Vermont.

Got his parents, brother,
and grandma cheering him on.

[countdown clock beeping]

- All right, let's go!
- He's got one of

the nicest ninja nicknames,
the Sonic Ninja.

- Yeah, Amir!
- You can see the Sonic logo

on his shirt there.

- He started watching
"American Ninja Warrior"

as a kid, now finally
old enough to compete.

- Yeah, come on, Amir.
Good, good!

- And he is quickly through.
[cheering]

Real strong start, Akbar.

- Yeah, Amir Malik looking good.

- Twenty years old, 5'5", 115.

Not a big guy.
He may bake cakes,

but it sure doesn't look like
he's eating any.

- Well, he could use
some cheesecake.

Extra calories
won't hurt anybody.

- I'm impressed
with his technique.

Look at him
moving his hips, Akbar.

- Yeah, there you go!

Get it! Go!

There we go. Take a second.

Breathe, Amir! You got this!

- Already to
the Spinning Bridge.

He is flying!
- High feet, let's go!

- You gotta hit it
hard and fast.

- Whoa!

Oh, my!

- He's so nimble.
- Look at him,

right into Sideways,

his confidence growing
with every obstacle.

- Well, he's gotta watch out
not going too quick, Matt.

He's moving a little erratic.

- What I love, though, Akbar,
he's kipping his hips up.

You're seeing... throws himself
up to give himself a chance

to find the handholds.

- Amir Malik is balling.
- A great approach.

- Yeah, come on! Let's go!

- This is a textbook
performance on Sideways,

better than anyone we've seen.

- Where did this kid come from?

He's gonna get a buzzer!

- Come on.

First time on the course...

Flawless! Gets the buzzer!

[buzzer blaring]

[exciting music]

[all cheering]

- Let's go!
- Don't break it.

♪

- He... he broke it.

- He broke the buzzer!
- You broke the buzzer!

- You know what?
- [screams]

- [laughs]
- [screams]

- The fastest finish so far!
- That's right!

- Let's go, baby!

- Wow.
- That's how you do!

- That was big-time prime time.

- Hey, hey, hey, is this
as sweet as your cheesecake?

- Oh, yes, it is.
- That a boy, Amir Malik.

- ♪ Yeah

♪

- This kid likes to bake,

and he was cooking
on the course,

sailed through every obstacle

and handled Sideways
better than anyone all night.

Only problem is,
he broke our buzzer.

- ♪ Whoo!

- Well, we better get it fixed,

because the Big Kat,
Karsten Williams,

runs when we come back
on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior"

and our final night of
qualifying here in St. Louis.

While we were away,
12-time veteran Brian Kretsch

stepped up for his shot
at the course.

- Let's go, Brian! [cheering]

- You know you're an OG
when you're running

with a knee brace on.

- Whoo!

- Kretsch is one of only
three athletes to compete

on every season,

but balance obstacles
are his least favorite.

- You got it, Brian.
You got this.

- Yeah, he totally freaks out

when it comes
to balance obstacles.

Oh!

- But he survived
the Spinning Bridge.

- Hey, you good? I like it.

- And he made it to the end.

- Mega? Mega?

No, no.

He said,
"Pump the brakes, Akbar."

- Instead he scaled
the regular wall

and joined his buddy,
the Kayak Ninja, Vance Harris,

on our growing list
of finishers.

- Thank you, guys, so much.

- Then it was another member
of Karsten Williams' group.

- This is your moment.
This is your moment.

- Kaleaha Rayner
once weighed 230 pounds,

and she celebrated her new fit
physique at the start line.

- She's just warming up.
- Let's go, Kaleaha!

- This single mom gets
her workouts by working

the night shift at
the Ford Motors assembly plant

in Kansas City,

and, with her family watching,

the 32-year-old made it
through the Shrinking Steps...

- Okay!
- Nice, nice!

- Before running out of steam
on Off the Hook.

- She's holding on too long.

- She didn't give up easily,

taking 15 swings before
her arms finally gave out.

- Oh!

She looks exhausted.

- Up next, the man who invited
Kaleaha to compete tonight.

It's the Big Kat,
Karsten Williams.

The gym manager
from Fairview, Texas,

is riding in
with a lot of momentum.

Last year, the now-39-year-old
had a phenomenal season.

He hit four buzzers:
qualifying, city finals,

stage one, and stage two.

And fans of Karsten know his mom

never misses one of his runs.
- Yeah!

- And she's watching
from back in Texas

along with some of Karsten's
friends and fellow ninjas.

Plus the two ninjas he brought
will be down on the sidelines.

- Get that, Kars!
- Get it!

- Now, if Karsten goes fast,
he can get to the Power Tower

and pull them
into the semifinals.

- And, Matt, he told us
he's gonna go for it.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Here we go,
Big Kat on the course.

- Whoo!
- Yes!

- You can do it, son!

- Guy has just been a beast.

Last year, made it
to stage three,

his best performance ever,

and, Akbar, he says
he's in better shape.

- Karsten had the keys
to his gym,

so he was able to go in
by himself

and keep training
these past few months.

- Let's go; get up out
of there, get out of there.

- He's 6'1", 170 pounds,

and he is attacking
this course right now.

- Nice.

- He is a big boy, but he just
is so agile, like a cat.

- Well, float like a butterfly,

sting like a bee.

Karsten Williams
is crushing the Beehive.

- You can see him having
to correct those hips.

A little north-south
gets him going real quick.

Now Spinning Bridge.

- Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo,
whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo!

- Oh, just like a cat.

On now to Sideways.
He is blazing,

and he could beat Amir Malik
for the fastest time

if he keeps this pace up.
- You the man.

Get it, get it.
- On to the slider.

- Yeah!
- You got it, almost there.

- He's swinging in circles
a little bit.

He needs to straighten that out.

- Breathe and move.

Breathe and move.
Breathe and move.

- Yup, I say forget the f... oh!
- Oh, no!

- Forget the fast time,
just complete the obstacle!

- The Big Kat is wet,
tripped up by Sideways.

- Oh, no.
- Shocking exit for Karsten.

- Matt, sometimes speed makes
the obstacle a lot harder

than it's supposed to be.

From the get-go, you could tell

Karsten wanted a fast time.

He was sprinting through
the first four obstacles,

but on Sideways,
he was going in circles

and swinging to the sides
instead of straight ahead,

and he didn't take the time
to correct it and it cost him.

- That's how the game
goes out here,

but we'll see what happens
and how this plays out,

but I'm excited to be here.

Thank you for the opportunity.

I love everybody.
Thank you so much.

- Well, we've had a lot
of finishers already.

It may be tough for Karsten
to stay in the top 12.

- Big Kat, Big Kat.

- Coming up, she's been
a warrior in the battle

against the pandemic.

Now nurse Mady Howard's

bringing that fighting spirit
to the course...

- The world needs a lot
of inspiration right now.

- When "American Ninja
Warrior" returns.

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior,"

where we're midway through
our final night of qualifying.

Akbar, we're in
the Show Me State,

so what have these ninjas
shown us so far tonight?

- Well, I'll tell you what
these ninjas have shown us.

They ready.

- Whoa!
- History in the room!

- Got it!
- Yes!

We've already had a slew
of ninjas hit the buzzer.

- First time on the course!
- What?

- Flawless!
- Including three

getting their first one ever.

[buzzer blaring] - Oh!

- And some fan favorites
getting one, too.

- Missed the Mega Wall,
lassoes the top time.

And while we were away,

another ninja veteran
got his shot,

as Kevin Bull flashed
the bull horns to his buddies

and then flew onto the course.

- Ooh!

This is Kevin Bull.
This is where he lives.

That upper-body strength,
phenomenal.

- With his number-one fan,
Molly Steffl, cheering him on,

Bull made it up the Warped Wall

to become the night's
sixth finisher.

[buzzer blaring] - Whoo!

- Oh, look at Molly going nuts.

- Hello, Molly!

- Then it was the start for
last season's breakout star,

Utah nurse Mady Howard,

and the two rookies she invited.

Leading it off was
New York City's Kemar Barcoo.

Like Mady,
he works in a hospital

on the front lines
of the pandemic,

and he gave a shout-out to
his fellow healthcare workers.

- I know you guys
are cheering me on

every step of the way.

I got this.

- At 6'6", 230 pounds,

Barcoo is
the biggest athlete tonight.

- Ohh!
- Whoo!

- And though he pulled off
an impressive move

on Off the Hook,

he had no idea
how to swing on Beehive.

- These aren't pull-ups.
Come on now.

- And eventually that big body
was too much to hold.

- Use your hips!

- Oh.
- Oh.

- That was a lot to carry.
- Then it was time to downsize

to Barcoo's much smaller
teammate, Faith Fitzgerald.

This 5'2", 105-pound rookie

is from Mady's home state
of Utah.

She's a nationally
ranked rodeo cowgirl

and is good with a lasso...

- Faith has been riding

since she was,
like, three years old.

- But couldn't handle the rope
on Shrinking Steps.

Oh, no!

- What happened to the two-step?

- Now here comes
the third member

of that group,
25-year-old Mady Howard.

She was a breakout star
last year as a rookie,

but, the past few months,

she's been facing
a much bigger battle,

fighting the pandemic as
an intensive care unit nurse.

- I'll be over there soon.

Since the coronavirus pandemic,

most people
have been quarantining

at home to stay safe,

but it's actually been
the opposite for me.

I'm on the front lines,

and so I get to see
what most people don't see.

Take a deep breath in.

And it's just really hard

feeling like
we're doing everything we can,

yet they're still
not getting better,

and eventually losing them.

It has really brought me and
my coworkers closer together.

We've really had to have
each other's backs

over these past few months,

and so there's really just
been this unity on our unit.

- So, initially, when I got
the call for season 12,

I debated doing it
with the world

being so crazy right now,

but ultimately I decided

that the world needs
a lot of inspiration right now.

- Go for it! Yeah!

- Ohh!

- The world needs
some "American Ninja Warrior."

♪

[cheers and applause]
- Let's go, Mady!

- Watching from back in Utah
are Mady's husband, Tyler,

and some friends,
plus Mady's parents

with the big green
"Mady" letters.

- Tyler's gonna get out here
someday soon.

Oh, and look who just jumped in!

- Those are some of
the doctors and nurses from

the hospital where she works.
- Oh!

- Dixie Regional Medical Center.

- Oh, wow, that's great.

- I hope they can hear us,
Akbar,

as we say thank you to them.
- Thank you.

Thank you.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Mady on the course,
and you just saw her

get focused, get locked in.

- All right, come on, Mady.
Nice.

[cheering]

Well, that's gotta feel good,
to know that you've got

family support, work support,

and you've got
the ninja support.

- Just incredible last year,
just exploded in Tacoma,

was so impressive. - Nice.

- Was one of the top two women
in city finals,

alongside ninja veteran
Jessie Graff.

Mady was a gymnast
at Southern Utah University.

After graduating,
she took up rock climbing.

Tremendous upper-body strength,

which should help
right here on Beehive.

- Come on, Mady. Let's go!

- Generating power
with the hips.

Wow, great lache.

- Oh, look how easy that was.
That's probably the best

we've seen anyone
on the Beehive tonight.

- Come on!
Come on, you got this!

- When you generate that power,

the transitions
are so much easier.

- Well, she just kinda
let it flow,

just so natural for her,

and she's only
in her second year.

- The top 12 and
the top three women

will move on to the semifinals.

If Mady gets through
this next obstacle,

Spinning Bridge,
she'll put herself

in great position to advance.

- Let's go!
- Yeah, her time is excellent.

Nice... oh! My goodness!

- Hard fall.

- Yes, Mady! Let's go!

- Oh, another hard landing
on the Spinning Bridge.

We saw Tiana Webberley do
the exact same thing earlier.

- You could see it, Akbar.

She didn't want
to use her hands.

You touch those balls,
you're out.

Did a great job keeping
her arms high and wide.

She made it through, but now

this new and very difficult
fifth obstacle, Sideways.

Knocked out Karsten Williams
just minutes ago.

Now, we saw it, use your hips.
She's doing a great job.

You said go weightless.

Go weightless so you can get
your hands on the handles.

- And then up and up, nice.

- Great power for Mady.

- I love the hang time. Nice.

- Well, despite her incredible
success getting to Vegas,

hasn't hit a buzzer.

Can she get through this
and get her shot

on the Warped Wall?
- I'm feeling it, Matt.

This is gonna be
a special night for Mady.

- Tiana Webberley got
her first buzzer earlier.

We could have
two women finishers,

and we're only halfway
through the night.

- She deserves it,
putting herself out there

on the front line during
the coronavirus pandemic,

and now look at her. - Yes!

- Come on, come on, come on,
get out of there!

Get out of there!
Her family's about to go nuts.

The hospital is about
to go nuts.

- Here we go!
- Yes!

[cheers and applause]

Picking up where
she left off last year,

and now has a chance
to hit her first buzzer.

- Let's go, come on!
Bring it home, bring it home!

- Do it for
those healthcare workers!

Come on, Mady Howard!

- Right here, right here!

- Yes!

- Yeah!
- Yes!

- Okay, Mady!
- Mady Howard does it!

- That's what I'm talking about!

- ♪ I'm breakin' through

- Wow, wow. [cheering]

- ♪ I'm changing the rules

- You deserve it!

- Our hearts are racing.
- Incredible.

- Mady, from the front line
to the finish line.

That was amazing.

- Thank you. Thank you so much.

- No, Mady,
we wanna say thank you.

We know your coworkers
were watching.

After all you've seen
during this pandemic,

what's it like for them
to see you

and to be out here
and to hit that buzzer?

- It just shows
that nurses are tough.

We're tough when we're working

at the hospital
with our patients,

and we're tough
on the course, so...

- You crushed it, Mady.
Way to go.

- Yeah.
- [laughs]

- There was no sophomore slump
for Mady Howard.

She flew through Off the Hook
with one continuous move,

then survived a hard landing

on Spinning Bridge,
but this ICU nurse is tough.

She dusted herself off
and made it up the Warped Wall

to become our second woman
to hit the buzzer tonight.

- Some of our biggest stars
are still to come,

including Kid Owhadi,
Meagan Martin,

and Michael Torres.

Plus... both: Oh!

- Joe Moravsky's missed
on the Mega Wall

two years in a row.

No! - What?

- Tonight he wants that money.

- Ten grand comes in handy
big-time

when you have two kids
with a third on the way.

- He's coming up on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior."

While we were away, the rest
of David Wright's Cake Crew

looked to match
their baking buddy,

Amir Malik, who has the
fastest finish so far tonight.

First up was Alex Carson,

who's not just
a cheesecake maker.

He's also a music maker.

He plays the tuba.

- Oh, you a bad brass dude.

- The Bad Brass Ninja then
did a number on the course.

- Come on, go through.
Go through, go through.

Go through. Nice!

- Got it!
- Yeah!

- And with his new wife watching

from back in Kansas City,

the 34-year-old
scaled the Warped Wall

to get his very first buzzer.

- Let's go! [buzzer blares]

- The only one more excited
than his wife,

Sarah, was his dog, Koda.

The one thing that's different
this year, you're married.

Is that the reason
for your success?

- She kinda gave me
a little talking-to

before we left the house.
"Hit that buzzer, or else

there's gonna be some problems
when we get off that plane."

[laughter]

- Then it was his buddy
David Wright's turn.

After gobbling up his
traditional pre-run cupcake,

Da Cake Ninja picked up
right where he left off

after his impressive
rookie season.

- He's going right into
Spinning Bridge,

not thinking about it,
just going really fast.

Nice! [cheering]

- And after taking his shot
at the Mega Wall...

- Oh, you were so close!

- He settled for
the regular wall

and finished a qualifying course

for the second straight year.

[buzzer blares]

- I know you want cake,
but we got cake.

- I like cake!

- And with that, the Cake Crew
becomes the first trio

in qualifying to have all
three athletes hit a buzzer.

How sweet it is.

Great success for that trio.

Up next, the start
of another special group,

and leading it off for them
is Kyle Schulze,

who calls himself
the Deaf Ninja.

He's making the sign
language symbol for "ninja."

- That's the sign for ninja.

It's ninja love.
- Breathe the whole time.

- And making the sign
for "breathe,"

that's the other members
of this Chicago group,

Jimmy Choi and the guy
who invited them both,

Michael Torres, because
they've taught him so much.

♪

- With this season,

I'm bringing along two people

that not only inspire you guys
but inspire me.

Jimmy is the epitome

of somebody
who will not back down.

- You can see the tremors
in those hands.

- To just see the way
he tackles life

with Parkinson's disease,

it's really incredible
to watch him do what he does.

- Jimmy Choi defying the odds!

- Michael Torres...
To watch him train

and to watch him operate...

Let's go, Torres.
There you go, nice.

Has really given me
a new perspective

on how I can move myself,

so this is really an honor.

- Kyle, too, I mean,
he's... he's deaf.

- Beat that wall.

- But he makes it just seem
like he's an everyday person.

- And he got some style points!

- You know, just the same
as all of us,

and I love
that attitude about him.

- Jimmy Choi, him and I has
always been training together

since we first started.

- Nice, Kyle.

- So we have that same
understanding for each other,

what it's like
to struggle through that.

- And Kyle and I both share
a passion

to fundraise for our causes.

I will keep pushing my limits

and raise awareness
and funds for research.

- I will support his fundraiser
for Parkinson research,

and he helped me
with Deaf Day at my gym,

and Torres doesn't
even hesitate to help us.

He gives us
a little bit of advice,

how to improve our technique
and strength.

Us three together,
we're gonna be unstoppable

and be able to go
all the way down.

♪

[cheers and applause]

- I love it. And there it is.

That's sign language
for "ninja,"

and his friends
giving it right back.

- Aw, look at that, he's
getting a little emotional.

Seeing family up
on those screens

really means
a lot to our ninjas.

- Absolutely, but now
has to focus on this run.

[countdown clock beeping]

Like so many of our ninjas,

he's a real leader
in his community,

goes around speaking to other
hard of hearing, deaf kids.

- That's right,
he traveled to 38 schools

for the deaf around the
country just in the last year.

- Good, good, good, good.
- All right, Kyle, come on.

- And Schulze now ready
for Off the Hook.

He's had some good runs
over the years

but never had a buzzer,

and that's been the story
of the night.

- Nice... oh, he almost missed
that one, but got it.

- Well, you can see it hooks
on, though,

good grip strength.

6'2", 165, lean and strong.

- Breathe. Breathe.

- Watch that right hand, Akbar.

Looks like he might have
banged it on the ring.

- And that's not a good thing
to injure

going into the Beehive.

Get that grip.
Get that movement.

These are all fundamental
ninja movements right here.

Like a lot of ninjas,
hasn't had as much time

to train as he would like.

- Well, keep in mind,
he injured his back

after last season in training.

- And he's fighting
with this one.

- Really been recuperating,
as you see how much core

there is involved
in these obstacles,

particularly these ones.

You can see, using the hips.

- That's a tough one
in the middle, Matt.

Those are three 90-degree turns.

- You need power.

- Oh!
- Great transition.

- Yeah, that Plexiglas
makes it very hard.

You gotta connect.
- Gotta go on that backside,

get the handles, and he did it.

Now for the Spinning Bridge,
and last season

Kyle had a nasty fall
on this obstacle.

- Ooh, oh!

Yeah, that nearly
folded him in half!

He looked like a scorpion.

And look at that face.

He says, "We meet again,
Spinning Bridge."

- Go fast, go fast, go fast.

- Even more elevation change
in the balls this year.

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

Boom! - Got it!

And that's gotta be a big boost.

You can see his reaction,

vanquishing your nemesis.

[cheers and applause]
- Let's go, come on.

- And he's getting closer
to that first buzzer,

but gotta get past Sideways.

You saw him, Akbar,
he was checking

that right hand back on
Off the Hook.

- Yeah.
- If his grip is compromised,

it's gonna be real tough
to survive this obstacle.

You can see you have to grab
these handles simultaneously,

or they'll just spin out
and drop you down.

- Three more handles to go.
- This is real challenging,

facing forward,
gotta go sideways.

- Ooh!

- No!

- Just missed it on Sideways,

Unforgiving obstacle.

An impressive run, but no
buzzer for the Deaf Ninja.

- Look at it, I think
he smacked his right hand

back on the second obstacle.

He managed to get revenge
on the Spinning Bridge...

- Ahh!

- But then on Sideways,
I think that injured hand

made it tough to grab,
and his run was over.

- I was so close.

- Coming up, she missed out

on the national finals for
the first time ever last year.

- No! No!
- Oh!

Now Meagan Martin's ready
for a comeback

on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior,"

and don't forget,
our night ends right over there

on the massive Power Tower.

- We've already had
some epic battles over there.

I'm hyped
for another one tonight.

- While we were away,
Army captain Jeri D'Aurelio

led a squad of military ninjas
onto the course.

D'Aurelio, the six-year veteran,

had an army of supporters
rooting for her.

- Look at team Jeri.

- Including
her drum-beating dad.

Once on the course, she
attacked through the air...

- Okay, D'Aurelio!
- And on the ground.

- Go, go, go, go, go, nice!
- Perfect!

- Whoo!

- But then couldn't quite
conquer Sideways.

Ohh! - No!

- But she's still got a chance

to be in the women's top three.

- Oh, my God, it felt so good.

- One of the ninjas Jeri brought

was National Guardsman
Michael Bougher.

- I love this kid.

- The Indiana native
missed last year

because he was
at Army Ranger school,

but he came storming
back tonight.

- He wants it. He wants it.

- Until he got careless

and was brought down
by the Beehive.

- Ohh!

- Too aggressive!
Too aggressive!

- The third member
of this group,

California's Verdale Benson,
was awarded a bronze star

by the Army for his service
in Afghanistan.

- Army strong? He's Army swole!

- Whoo! Let's go!
- Go, V!

- And the super-fit
former Army medic

was a man on a mission.

- Not this year!

[cheering]

- In his third season,
he was trying

to finish a course
for the first time.

[cheering]

- Get that first buzzer!
- Oh, and he's flying!

- Whoo!
- And it was

an emotional moment
when he finally got it.

- Yes!
- I see you!

They see you!

How special is this?

- Up next, it's another ninja
who's waited a long time

just to compete.

This is 22-year-old
Will Schlageter,

a biochemist
from Rochester, New York.

He's one of the two young ninjas

invited by the Weatherman,
Joe Moravsky.

- Whoo-hoo!

- Will applied to be
on the show back in 2012,

when he was way too young
to be eligible,

but now
his long-delayed ninja dream

is finally coming true.

- My name is William Johan
Maximilian Schlageter V,

and I am the first
American Ninja Warrior.

I was first seen on
"American Ninja Warrior"

when I was 14 years old back
in season four.

You know, "American Ninja
Warrior," it's a lifestyle.

I sent in my first
submission video that year.

I started it,
you know, having fun,

but it keeps me physically fit.

And instead of me being able
to run, since I was too young,

they let my dad run in my place.

- Out of Lancaster, PA,
Bill Schlageter.

- And I love him
to death, but...

[horn blares] - Oh, taps out,

a rookie mistake.

- That didn't go as well
as planned.

♪

And ever since then,
I just started training

really, really hard.

♪

[bell rings]
Every day after school,

go train for two hours,

whether it's rain,
whether it's snow,

'cause ever since I was 14,

this has been my dream,

and this year I'm here
'cause of the absolute legend,

Joe Moravsky.

- Will's got that fire
in his eye.

He's the guy to look out for,
I'm telling you now.

- The night my dad got to run
in Miami, Matt Iseman said...

- Well, seven more years
before the son gets out here.

- Well, Matt, here I am.

I've been training my butt off,

and I'm going
to destroy that course.

♪

[cheers and applause]

Hey, guys! I love you!

- Calling out to the family,

including his dad,
Bill, in the back.

- And the roles are reversed.
Now he's watching his son.

- And they're all wearing
Will Da Beast t-shirts.

That's his nickname.

- He doesn't look like a beast.

He looks like
a biochemist, Matt.

- Whoo!
- Well, Joe Moravsky believes

in this kid.

There's Joe with

their third member,
Jeshuah Lewis.

- Whoo-hoo!
[countdown clock beeping]

- Will Da Beast
unleashing it on the course.

- Oh running in glasses
like Clark Kent.

Let's see if he turns
into Superman.

- Just amazing to think when
he was 14, this was his dream.

Now here he is at 22,
running the course.

Will has already bested
his dad's performance.

Remember, his dad fell
on the first obstacle.

- Nice!
- Oh, look at that!

[cheering]

This guy's been busy
during the quarantine.

He had a virtual graduation

from the University of Rochester

with three degrees...
Biology, chemistry,

and environmental sciences.

Obviously a smart kid.

- Now he's trying
to outsmart the Beehive.

His hands are getting
a little low there.

- No!
- Oh, no!

- Oh!

- Dang it!
- He is livid, Matt.

And he lost his glasses too!

- Well, the dream
becomes a nightmare.

His grip gives out
on the Beehive.

- Will Da Beast waited years
to get his shot

and was cruising along,

but as he swings over
to that third honeycomb,

he couldn't keep his grip
with his left hand,

and his night is over. - No!

- Will Schlageter an example
of never giving up,

and so is our next ninja,

four-time veteran Jimmy Choi.

Zuri, get him started.

- I can't tell you how thrilled
we are to see Jimmy Choi

back on that start line.

After battling
Parkinson's disease for years,

he thought he had
to quit ninja for good,

but now Jimmy just might
have found a miracle.

His doctors introduced him
to a cutting-edge new treatment

called vibrotactile stimulation
or VTS.

For two hours every day,
Jimmy wears special gloves

that send electrical currents

from his fingertips
to his brain.

Those currents create
new neural pathways

that help reduce
the symptoms of Parkinson's.

- My training has gotten
to the next level,

thanks to this treatment.

I'm able to do things now that

I was not able to do before.

It has given me a second life

at ninja warrior.

I think this season, for me,

is a season

that I am not gonna forget.

I have all the tools that I need

to complete any course.

- Yes!

♪

- And there he is, Jimmy Choi,

knocking out some burpees
before his run, wow.

- He's showing off his fitness.

This is Jimmy Choi.

He has Parkinson, but he has
not let it stop him.

- And he's got a lot of support,

especially from his family.

There's his wife and two kids
watching back in Chicago.

- Let's go, Jimmy!

- And his buddies will have
his back on the sidelines.

Kyle Schulze made it
to the fifth obstacle earlier,

and Michael Torres
will run next.

- And you can see it
right there,

the tremors in his arms,

something he lives
with every day.

[countdown clock beeps]

He wants so badly
to hit the buzzer.

Tonight is the night that he
gets past the third...

- Oh, no!
- Ohh.

- Oh, no, he fumbled his hand.

- Just missed on the rope,
and a hard fall.

♪

Got to be disappointing.

Thought he was strong enough

to go far
on the course this year.

- Just missed the rope.
That was it.

[sighs]

- He got a nice jump
from that last step,

but when he went to grab
the rope,

his right hand caught it clean,

but his left hand
just missed it.

- Hey, we all know
you can do this.

You... and you know
you can do this.

- And look at this:
his two friends

rushed over to console him.

This is what the ninja
warrior community

is all about.

- I'm so proud of you, man,
but listen, dude,

I'm telling you, I'm gonna do
my very best to bring you

and Kyle back
for a second chance, all right?

Come on, I got you guys.
Let's do it.

- Torres talking about
saving them

if he can win
on the Power Tower,

but first he'll have to be
among the two fastest.

We'll see his run
when we come back.

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior"

and the final night of
qualifying here in St. Louis.

While we were away,

Erie, Pennsylvania's
Jennifer Stefano

had a huge group of friends
and family

watching her ninja debut.

- She's so excited,
she's crying.

- The 20-year-old rookie
was invited

by ninja veteran Lucas Reale...

- Up first, then over.

- Who coached her
through the second obstacle.

- Nice! Just like that, okay!

- But the waitress
couldn't work her way

across the Beehive.

- You can see it on her face.
She's concerned.

Oh! [all groaning]

- Then it was her mentor,
Lucas Reale's turn.

The two-time national finalist

made it to stage three
last season,

and he picked up
right where he left off.

- Yeah, that's the way
you do it.

- The Massachusetts gym manager

was a man on a mission

as he cruised
through the course...

- He's going for that fast time!

- And put up the fastest time
of the night.

- Yes, whoo! Yeah, baby!

- So Reale's currently in line
to go to the Power Tower,

but there's still some top
competitors yet to run.

- That was blazing.
- Yes!

- And here comes one of those

who could challenge
Reale's time.

This is 25-year-old
Michael Torres,

and he's a newlywed.

Just got married
to his wife Sarah.

His big family watching
from New Jersey, as well,

as are some of his Chicago
training partners,

Cam Baumgartner, Ethan Swanson,

and Chris DiGangi.

- Let's go, Captain Torres!
- Yeah, Torres!

- But it's his other
Chicago buddies

who are on his mind right now.

Neither are in the top 12,

so, without his help,
they're going home.

Torres has vowed to make it to
the Power Tower and save them,

but he'll have to be
one of the two fastest times

to get there.

[countdown clock beeping]

He knows what he needs to do...
Beat Lucas Reale's time

of a minute, 17 seconds.

- Let's go, Torres, come on.
You got this.

- Still a few other
good ninjas to run,

including Joe Moravsky,

but if he beats Reale's
blazing time,

he'll be in the driver's seat.

- You got it.
Come on, you got it.

- Well, Torres
always moves fast,

but, Akbar, with speed,
there is risk.

Just stuck that dismount.

[cheering]

Now on to Beehive.

- This 25-year-old veteran,
he's been here before.

Nice. - Well, Reale's time

was so fast, one extra swing

could be the difference.
- Nice, nice!

- You got it here.
You got it, right.

- He's gotta hustle.
He's gotta add

a little bit more gas
to his run.

[cheering]

- Now through the Spinning
Bridge, no hesitation.

- Nice!
- Perfect.

He's starting to gas it, Akbar.

He heard you. - Yes, he is.

He must be
wearing them stretch jeans

'cause he flew through
Spinning Bridge.

- Got about 30 seconds,
but we've seen this one

is a brutal obstacle,
and it is unforgiving.

One mistake, and you're wet.

- And you can see
he's taking chances.

He's going all out.

He wants to save his buddies.

- Come on. Yes.

There we go. - Come on, Torres.

Yeah, you see him
trying to adjust his...

- Oh, my. Oh, my!

- Oh, he's going wicked fast!

- Oh, my!
- That was dangerous!

- He's got about 12 seconds
to get the top time!

- Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh.
- He's going for it!

- Oh, sha-na-na!

Do it for your boy!
- And he's got it!

- That's what I'm talking about!

- [screaming]
- Do it for your boy!

- Yeah!
- Let's go!

[cheering]

- Torres is pumped!

- Let's go, baby!

- You are your brother's
keeper, man.

You kept your promise,
and you did it for your boys.

You got the fastest time.

- Let's go!

Come on! I got you guys!

- Wow.
- I'm bringing you back!

- Captain Torres.

- Whoo!

- When Michael Torres
makes a promise, he keeps it.

He absolutely flew
through Spinning Bridge,

then made up even more time

with a little one,
two, three on Sideways

before flying up
the Warped Wall.

Michael Torres clutches up

and snags the top spot
on our leaderboard.

- What a run, and now here
comes another ninja superstar.

It's Meagan Martin.

The pro rock climber
and model is now

in her seventh season
on "American Ninja Warrior,"

and, like so many
of our athletes,

she's wearing a Ninjas
for Black Lives patch.

For Meagan, it's a movement
that hits close to home.

- Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
Nice!

- Yes.
- Yeah, I love it.

- I'm biracial.

My dad is black
and Native American.

My mom is white.

I am proud
of all of my heritage.

- Such an inspiration
to so many young girls

and young boys out there.

- And it's nice to be in
a position

where we can help
spread more positivity

and acceptance and love,

because, like,
that's what the world needs.

- No, she's not gonna let
this obstacle take her down.

That's Meagan Martin, Matt.

[cheering]

- Our ninjas, like athletes
in so many other sports,

are truly using
their platform this year.

And there's Meagan's family
that she talked about...

Her mom, dad,
and sister in Orlando...

Plus lots
of other family members

spread around the country.

- And Meagan's got
some pressure here.

Women have done well tonight.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Absolutely, she'll need to

at least get
to the fifth obstacle

to be in the top three
among the women.

[cheering]

Tiana Webberley and Mady Howard

have already
hit buzzers tonight.

- And if Meagan can do it,

we'd have three women
finishers in one night.

It would be only the second
time that's ever happened.

- Meagan's comfortable
in the air.

She was a college pole vaulter
at Vanderbilt,

and she's through.

- Get it, Meagan!
- As a rock climber,

good grip strength;

as a pole vaulter, knows how
to move her body in space.

- Yeah, she's got that rock
climbing background,

all of it... I mean,
she's such a dynamic athlete,

but more importantly,
she's been doing ninja

for so long now.

She's a seven-time veteran,

and she continues to get better.

- Well, it was back
in season six.

Kacy Catanzaro hit a buzzer.
Michelle Warnky hit a buzzer.

Then this woman
did it in Denver.

- Come on, Meagan.
- Come on now.

- Good power out
of Meagan Martin.

- Nice!

- She is looking strong
and moving quickly.

- Here we go, here we go.

- And now she's through.

[cheering]

There's still
one more woman to run,

but if Meagan Martin can get
through Spinning Bridge

with this time,
she'd move into third

among the women.

- Nice, go, go, go, go,
go, go, go, go!

- And she does it!
- Yeah!

[cheering]

- Now for Sideways,

an obstacle
she's never seen before.

- I expect Meagan Martin
to get through Sideways, Matt.

- As a climber, this just... this
is in her wheelhouse, Akbar.

- Absolutely.

She was built for this.
She's trained for this.

- 5'4", 137.
- Nice.

Well, she's got a little bit
more hang time.

- Well, she is closing in
on history.

If she can make it
to the buzzer,

it would be just the second time

we've ever had three women
finish in one night.

This descent, though,
more challenging.

- Nice.
- Ooh, ooh, that was close.

- Okay, now the descent here,
another 6-inch drop.

- Down and around
with those hands.

- Oh, no!
- Ahh!

- Just missed it.
- Sha-na-na!

- She missed it.

- She was living dangerously
on this obstacle,

grabbing the board with her
right hand before the left.

She made it work
until that next-to-last one,

when it finally
caught up to her,

and the board flipped,

just a few feet
from making history.

- Oh, I was just rushing.
I was stressed,

knowing the times.

Ugh, I rushed it.

- But the good news for Meagan,

she's in the top three

with only one woman
still left to run.

So here's where we stand
right now for the Power Tower.

Currently, the matchup
is Michael Torres

versus Lucas Reale,

but Joe Moravsky may have
something to say about that.

He runs next on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior."

It's the final night of
qualifying here in St. Louis,

and, while we were away,

Houston college student
Kid Owhadi

and the two ninjas he invited

got their shot at the course.

First up was 31-year-old rookie

Matt Carmona, aka Big Mona.

- Ahh! Let's go!

- Daddy! Daddy!

- Carmona is a beast.
He's 6'2" and 220,

and trains
with the Kid back in Houston.

- Whoo!
- Let's go, Matt!

- I see you, big boy.
- But his big dreams ended

with a big splash
on Off the Hook.

- Oh, air ball.

- Then Kid's other ninja,

Sophia Oster,
tried something different.

She wore a dress for her run...

[cheering]

And it sure seemed to work.
- Oh, nice!

In that fall dress,
I thought she was gonna fall.

- Yes!
- You got it!

- This 21-year-old
petting zoo owner

made one great move
after another.

- Oh!
- How did she hang on?

- Yes! Let's do it!

- And ran all the way
to the fifth obstacle.

- Gimme the hot... yeah!
- Yes!

- Yes!

- Yes! Uh!

- If she could finish Sideways,

she'd earn a spot
in the top three,

but it wasn't meant to be.

Oh! - Oh!

- And her fall guaranteed
Meagan Martin a spot

in the next round.

- Then it was time
for the Kid himself.

- Yeah!
- Let's go!

- The 21-year-old University
of Houston student

is one of ninja's
brightest stars.

- He's got that cool factor,
cap on backwards.

I love it.

- Let's go, Kid!

- And the Kid came out fast.
- Warm it up, Kid.

- He's about to.
- Yes, he is.

- Yes! Let's go, brother!

- He was flying through
the first five obstacles

and had a shot
at the fastest time,

but he decided to go
for the money.

- Oh, he's going
for the Mega Wall.

- Last season the Kid
just missed the 18-foot wall.

- Wow!

- The Kid comes up just short.

And he wanted a second chance.

- That's a lot of money
to pass up.

- Oh!

But history repeated itself.

- Look at his handprint.
Look how close he was!

- He had to settle
for the regular wall

and the third-fastest time.

- He tried it but didn't get it.

That's all right.

- So now, it's our final
runner of the night,

and he is one of the best.

It's the Weatherman,
Joe Moravsky,

back for his eighth year
of competition.

Can see him looking over
to his family,

including his two kids
and wife, Stephanie,

who's due any day now
with their third child.

With his family growing,

it makes Joe want that $10,000

from the Mega Wall even more.

Setting up a showdown
with the Mega Wall!

- So the Mega Wall is maybe
the most frustrating thing

that's happened over
the last two seasons for me.

- One shot.

♪

Oh! - Oh!

- When I get there, I think
I panic a little bit at times.

- Joe Moravsky's got one thing
on his mind,

that Mega Wall.

- Oh!

- To know that I can beat it
and not have beaten it yet,

it's... it's really,
really annoying.

♪

This year, you know,
I've trained it so much,

countless hours.

- ♪ Trying to reach
another level ♪

♪ I'm not done yet

- Oh, I can't wait
to be up there.

I'm gonna be up there.

- ♪ Be a master at my craft
is my mindset ♪

- Just... you'll see.

I'll be up there.

Ten grand.

- Well, we know Joe
wants the money,

but he's got a dilemma.

The other ninja he brought
with him, Jeshuah Lewis,

fell just a few minutes ago
on the fifth obstacle.

- Oh!
- Oh, no!

- And he's not in the top 12,

so both the ninjas Joe brought
are out...

- Let's go, Joe!
- Unless Joe can save them

for the semifinals
by going fast,

getting to the Power Tower,
and winning,

but it would be tough
to be among the fastest

if he takes the time
to try the Mega Wall.

So what will Joe do?

He shared his thoughts
just moments ago.

- I think my goal right now
is to switch the game plan,

go fast, try to make top two,
and try to get the Mega Wall.

[exhales]
We'll see what happens.

Give me some energy.
- That's a tall order,

get the Mega Wall
and the Power Tower?

But he's going for it.

[countdown clock beeping]
- Whoo!

- As the final runner,

he knows what he needs to do.

- Well, Michael Torres
is guaranteed

to be in the top two.

Lucas Reale is currently second.

That's whose time
Joe needs to beat.

- And he's gotta be feeling
some pressure right now.

The fate of his two young
ninjas is riding on this run.

- Come on, man. Breathe.

- Got through the first
two obstacles quickly,

but be careful on the Beehive.

- Breathe, keep turning.
Keep turning.

- Looking strong so far.

Joe's been the Last Ninja
Standing twice,

has been so consistent

in the eight years
of his ninja career.

- Yeah, let's go!

Perfect, dude.

- Now ready for Spinning Bridge.

- Oh, whoa!

- Stumble, but he's alive.
- Wow.

- What a pace,
fastest to this point.

- I thought that was about
to be a cold front.

- Look at him flying
through Sideways!

- Oh, look at him.

- Well, you know he's doing
this for Jeshuah Lewis

and Will Schlageter.

- Breathe, there we go.

- Look at him, such quick moves.

- Nice.
- This guy is so impressive.

That wall tipping, he's over it!

He's still got a shot
to beat Reale's time,

but he's going for the Mega
Wall, just like he promised.

Will the third time
be the charm?

- You said you was gonna do it!

All right, get it done!

Both: Oh! - Yes!

- He got it!
- Yes!

[buzzer blaring]

Yes!

- He's going to the Power Tower!

- Ohh, yes!

- He said he wanted both,
and he got both.

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

- Oh, my goodness, let it out!

Get it out!

[cheering]

- Come over here, Joe.
Get over here.

- Just ca... get over here, Joe.
- Whoa.

- Oh, that was a lot of energy

and pain coming out right there.

- You had a choice.

You knew the Power Tower
was at stake.

You went for the Mega Wall.
You still got it.

You're the second-fastest, Joe.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo!

- Yeah, Joe!
- Whoo-hoo!

- Yes! I love you, Joe!

- Get over here!

- Well, how about it?
Joe Moravsky.

What a moment, Akbar.

Goes up the Mega Wall,
gets the 10K,

and he's got a showdown
on the Power Tower.

His whole team
could be moving on.

♪

- When his two ninja buddies
needed him, Joe came through.

Not only did he get one
of the two fastest times,

he finally got that Mega Wall
and the 10 grand he wanted.

[buzzer blaring]

- Yes!
- Let's go down to Zuri,

who's with the man of the hour.

- Joe, how did that feel?
You looked emotional.

- You know, I've done
this eight seasons now,

and there are very few buzzers

that meant more to me
than that one.

That was a big moment.

- And why did it mean
so much to you?

- Because it's a testament
to all the hard work.

Like, look at that.
- Look at that.

- One hand.
- Look at that grip.

- Oh! Oh, you have no idea,

and the people that go through
trials and tribulations

and pain
and suffering and failure...

- Yeah.
- Like me,

look at the emotion.

I mean, I'm gonna dream
about this forever.

- Great job. Guys, take it away.

- So the Power Tower is set.

It's gonna be two of the best,
Torres versus Moravsky,

with a chance
to save their teammates

when "American Ninja Warrior"
returns.

- Welcome back to St. Louis

and the thrilling final minutes

of "American Ninja Warrior."

We've already seen
some epic matchups

on the Power Tower this season,

and, Akbar, it looks like we're
in for another one tonight

with the legend
who moves like lightning,

the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky,

squaring off against the ninja
with the baby face

and the grown-up skills,
Michael Torres.

And there's a lot on the line
for both these guys.

- Yeah, they're trying to save
the two ninjas they brought.

For Moravsky, that's Will
Schlageter and Jeshuah Lewis.

For Torres, it's Kyle Schulze
and Jimmy Choi.

Win, and your buddies
get to stick around.

- Joe's got his pregnant wife
and the rest of his family

watching from Connecticut,

and Torres's new wife, Sarah,
and their dog, Hershey,

are watching from Chicago.

Both these guys hoping to be
a hero for their two ninjas.

Oh! He got it!

[buzzer blaring]

- I think it's really cool
if I win the Power Tower,

I get to bring my team back.

I have Jeshuah and William,

and really excited
to see it play out.

- No!

- Watching Kyle run, I mean,
we've all done that,

but it's emotionally
and physically hard on you.

- I was so close. I was...

- Jimmy shockingly fell
on the very first obstacle.

- That he gets past
the third ob...

- Oh, no!

- To miss a rope,
it's a freak accident.

Sorry, man.

I knew right then and there

that I had to go
the absolute fastest

that I could to bring
those guys back.

- Do it for your boy!
Do it for your boy!

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

I really wanna win
this Power Tower.

♪

- Yeah!

I'm not here
to get second place.

♪

I'm here to win.

- Here we go.

So much riding on this race,

the fates
of their two ninja buddies

hanging in the balance.

- That's a lot of pressure.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Here we go.
- Here we go, they're off!

- Oh, my.
- And Torres is really...

Oh, Torres stumbles!

You can't let Joe Moravsky
get ahead like that!

Oh, boy.

- And Moravsky, a sizeable lead.

- Come on, Michael!

- All right,
anything can happen.

- Oh, look at him bounding out
onto those poles,

pulling away
but spinning around!

- Here comes Torres!
- He's gotta go fast,

and look at Joe Moravsky.

- Go, let's go!
Come on, Michael, come on.

- Moravsky first on the drop,
Torres dead even!

- Uh-oh, now
they're right there.

- Moravsky, Torres!

- Uh-oh! Uh-oh!
- Moravsky, Torres!

- Uh-oh!
Back and forth, back and forth!

- Joe Moravsky... oh!
- Back and for... ahh!

[buzzer blares]

- Torres sold out,

but Moravsky gets the buzzer!

- Yeah!

- Oh, my word.

- The Weatherman pulled a storm

and blazed through it.

Jeshuah Lewis
and the Will Da Beast,

William Schlageter,
are moving on.

- Oh, man, Matt,
that one was exhilarating.

Torres fell behind early.

Look, Joe's already down here,

but Torres made up ground
and was quicker up the pole.

When they reached
the dropping shelves,

it was very close
as they swung across,

and Torres gambled,

trying to fly past
that final shelf in one move,

but came up short,
and Moravsky gets the win.

[buzzer blaring]

- Whoo! Yeah, baby!

- The Weatherman
getting big air.

And he's got reason
to celebrate,

and so do his two young ninjas.

They're moving on.

Behind Moravsky and Torres
on the leaderboard

are Lucas Reale and Kid Owhadi.

Others advancing
to the semifinals

are fan favorites Lance Pekus
and Kevin Bull,

and we had several veterans

hit buzzers for the first time,

including Alex Carson
and Verdale Benson.

The top three women
featured two finishers,

Mady Howard and Tiana Webberley,

along with Meagan Martin.

That wraps up a spectacular
night of performances.

Next week we head
to the semifinals.

For Akbar Gbajabiamila
and Zuri Hall,

I'm Matt Iseman.

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