American Ninja Warrior (2009–…): Season 12, Episode 5 - Semifinals 1 - full transcript

- Over the past four weeks...

- Hi, Mommy!

- You can see the emotion
being out here.

It's overwhelming.

- We've seen some of
the most emotional runs

in "American Ninja Warrior"
history.

- I hope we get through this,
America.

- A run we will not soon forget.

- I love you so much.

- Tonight we take things
to the next level.

Another buzzer!
Flex is moving on.



- Yes!

- I'm really excited
for semifinals.

- The competition
gets more intense.

- This is such
an elite group of ninjas.

- And the course
gets more insane.

He's about to go for a ride.

- Whoo!
- Holds on!

It's gonna be a night
to remember.

Tyler Gillett, his cousin
in the fight for his life.

- I've been doing this for
four years, but tonight...

- This is gonna be different.

I'm doing this for Bill.

- We will fight,
and we will win.

- My wife is the hero,



and I really want to hit
a buzzer for her tonight.

- You know Pauline liked that!

- Let's go!

- Come on, babe!

- Stepping on that
starting line feels like home.

- And I'm just not ready
to leave home.

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.

- We're back inside the Dome

at America's Center
in St. Louis.

It's our home
for this special season

of "American Ninja Warrior."

Hello, everyone.
I'm Matt Iseman.

- And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.
Matt, qualifying is over.

It's time to step it up
for the semifinals.

- That's right,
and here's how it works.

Tonight is the first of
two nights of our semifinals.

Only the top 12 competitors

and top two women
from each night

will move on and have a chance
to be this year's champion.

- Yeah,
and that's not gonna be easy.

The course will be longer,
and speed will be critical.

- Absolutely, big man.

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

- All right, guys,
tonight our ninjas

will face ten brutal obstacles,

including a brand-new one
that'll make their heads spin.

The front half of the course
includes two new obstacles,

Clockwork, which will require
perfect timing

to swing across the three
interconnected sprockets,

and Burn Rubber,

a balance obstacle featuring
three spinning tires.

Once competitors
pass the Warped Wall,

things really get interesting.

After the iconic Salmon Ladder,

the ninjas will face an obstacle

unlike any they've seen
before, Corkscrew.

They'll have to hold on
for dear life

as the wheel sends them
into a tailspin.

Survive that, they'll face
another new obstacle,

The Dungeon,
a torturous climb up

and across that tilting panel.

Finally, it's a 35-foot climb

up the Spider Trap
to the buzzer.

Take it away, guys.

- Well, we're gonna
kick things off

with one of our biggest stars.

It's the 21-year-old
college student, Kid Owhadi.

- Got the long hair
and the backwards hat.

Who doesn't love the Kid?

- And what a start to his
ninja career he's had.

He's hit six buzzers in
his first two ninja seasons,

second only to Joe Moravsky.

- Kid, Kid, Kid, Kid, Kid.

- He's got his friend
James Wyatt

watching back in Houston.

- Get it, bro. Get it.

- On the sidelines,
a pair of ninja superstars,

Kid's mentor, Daniel Gil,
and the Island Ninja,

Grant McCartney.
We'll see them run later.

- Have some fun out there, bro!

- All right, here we go.
You're in the semifinals.

This is when you gotta
step your game up.

- Breezes through
the Shrinking Steps.

Next up, Off the Hook.

- Has to swing over
and jump that ring

onto that second hook.

- Nice!
- Oh!

- Just like that, bam!

- The Kid is flying
through this course.

- All right,
this is a brand-new obstacle,

Matt, Clockwork.

- This is about timing.

Move one wheel,
move all three of them.

- That makes it tricky.

The rhythm has gotta be
like clockwork...

- Look at him!

- Because Clockwork
is challenging.

- Just needs the dismount,
and he's through.

- Nice, nicely done.

- Back-to-back
upper body obstacles,

now this new one, Burn Rubber.

- Come on, go. Go through.
Go through. Watch out, oh!

- Bounding through,

and already at
the fifth obstacle, Sideways.

Every handle rotates completely,

so you have to grab it
front and back.

- All right, nice.
- Look at this.

But what I love is
he's not even pushing it.

He's just being so efficient.

- That's him. It's just him.
He's a Bugatti.

- Wow. One more!

- All right, come on,
you gotta coordinate.

- Got it! Already at the wall.

- I mean, my...
- Under a minute! Oh, my!

- Is he... is he trying to break
the world record?

- He is still averaging under
ten seconds an obstacle.

- Yeah, and makes it
look like a game.

It was like, "Peace, I'm out."

- Qualifying was only
six obstacles.

Tonight it's ten, and up first

in the back section,
the Salmon Ladder.

- Catch your breath,
deep breaths,

in, out, in, out, in, out.

- Matt, I can't believe how fast

he's going through this course.

It might be catching up to him.

- Well, he knows
how important speed is

because only the top 12
competitors will move on.

- Couple more obstacles,
all the way.

You can go all the way.

- Gotta jump that bar up
four rungs.

Looks like he's got
his second wind.

- Don't ever doubt me.

Nice.

- Now this new obstacle,
Corkscrew, and it is wild.

Great job
locking all the way down.

- Nice!

- Now he's gotta swing up
and do that two more times.

Almost a 4-foot lache upwards.

- Use those long arms, Kid.

You gotta get up
and down with it... oh, no!

- Oh!

- Oh, my gosh.

- This Corkscrew is wicked.

Kid Owhadi got twisted
right out of his hat,

and his promising run ends
on the eighth obstacle.

- He was able to throw himself
up to that second wheel,

but look at his arms
get twisted as he came down.

He had no chance to hang on.

Watch out
for this obstacle tonight.

- Augh.

I'm wet.

- We'll have to wait and see

if that keeps him in the top 12.

Now from one kid to another,

here comes another young ninja.

This is 20-year-old Nate Hansen,

better known as
Gnarly Ninja Nate.

- You got it, man.

- He was invited to compete
this year

by ninja veteran Tyler Gillett,

who also brought the other
athlete you see there,

Ryan Lashoff,

and both of his young ninjas
qualified for semifinals.

5'2" rookie, Nate Hansen,

truly made a big impression
in his ninja debut.

Only 5'2", can he make it up
the 14 1/2 foot wall?

And he's got it, a perfect run!

- Let's go!

Whoo!

- Whoo!

- Back in qualifying,
I broke loose.

The gnarly came out.
Hit my first buzzer.

Let's go, baby!

I've been waiting over
ten years to do that.

Is that gnarly enough
for you, Akbar?

- I'm speechless!

- All my life I've been told

I couldn't do things.

At 12 years old, I was diagnosed

with growth hormone deficiency,

which caused my growth
to just stunt,

but when I started ninja,

I realized that the way
my body is built,

it actually isn't a disadvantage

and that I was built
for the sport.

Oh, let's go!

Whoo!

I grew up watching so many
legends walk up on that stage,

so it was pretty surreal for me,

knowing that not only
that I belong there

but that I can keep up
with those guys.

Whoo!

- I love the confidence
out of Gnarly Nate.

- Gnarly Nate's
here to be Gnarly Nate

and make sure that
that course gets finished,

so no matter
what obstacles show up,

we're gonna make sure we hit
that buzzer at the top.

- He's got his parents
and brothers cheering him on.

- Well, one thing's clear
about Nate Hansen.

There is no deficiency
in his ninja game.

Coming in as a rookie,
he came in hot, Matt.

He was off the chart
with his confidence.

Now he's on Off the Hook.

- Some people are defined
by the adversity,

and some people
are motivated by it.

- Nice, just like that.
- Got it.

And he's through,
going right into Clockwork.

He's a college student
at the University of Colorado,

right now trying to solve
this new obstacle.

All those bars move
at the same time.

You have to time your swings.

Makes it up
to the middle sprocket,

now has to fly up
to the third one.

- He's all about
being efficient. Nice.

- And look at that,

right into the dismount.

- That gnarly enough for you?
Is that gnarly enough?

- Well, now he's got a challenge

in front of him... this next one,

Burn Rubber,
three offset spinning tires.

- There's gotta be
a little bit of pause

on this one, 5'2", 115 pounds.

He needs monster bounce
through here.

Oh, no! - Oh!

- Couldn't get his steps right,

and Gnarly Nate
goes down on Burn Rubber.

- It's 6 feet between the tops

of those tires,
so you need big strides.

Nate hit the back
of the second wheel,

and it started to spin
backwards, and after that,

Gnarly Nate could never recover.

- It's so fun.

Whoo!

- Tonight ninja's biggest names

are ready to rock the Dome,
including Daniel Gil...

- He's heating up, Matt.
- Flex Labreck...

- She's a straight-up superstar.

- And Zuri Hall?

- Zuri's about to run
the course? Are you serious?

- But up next...

- Oh!

- Her dreams
were realized last season.

- The first mom!

- Now Sandy Zimmerman's
paying it forward

and making one young
ninja fan's wish come true.

- Are you ready?

- When "American
Ninja Warrior" returns.

- Our next competitor
is in the history books.

- No mother has ever
hit a buzzer

on "American Ninja Warrior,"

and it's about to go down
for Zimmerman.

- Last season, at 43,
PE teacher Sandy Zimmerman

became the first mom
up the Warped Wall.

- Yes, yes!
- Yes!

- The first mom!

- She's ready to write
a new chapter tonight.

- This 44-year-old mother
of three is gonna hopefully

go out there,
make some magic happen,

because these abs need
to be in the finals.

- Well, hey, she should
be proud of those abs.

She worked hard for them.

- Well, Sandy's run last year
made her a hero

to moms around the country.

Since then she's become a hero
to one little girl

in her home state of Washington.

- Back in March I got a call
from a nonprofit,

and they told me about
a special little girl

named Oaklee,

who was a huge
"American Ninja Warrior" fan.

What's some of
your favorite obstacles?

- Yeah.
You must like challenges.

Oaklee has liver
and lung disease,

and she wasn't able to go
to a gym

like most kids and train,
so her wish

was to have "American
Ninja Warrior" obstacles

built in her backyard.

We have been working and working

and working in tons of meetings,

piecing this together remotely.

This is actually even cooler
than what we had imagined.

She's gonna just be thrilled
when she gets to see all this.

Hi, Oaklee.
I have something to show you.

You ready?

Let's go see what you think.

To see the joy
on this little girl's face,

I'm just overwhelmed, I think,
with gratitude,

gratitude for the sport,
gratitude for this little girl.

Beat that wall!

Beat that wall!

Whoo!

- I'm so grateful for Sandy,

for Oaklee's wish to come true.

They have a bond now
that will last forever.

- It always, always comes down

to the relationships,

the people that I've met
along the way,

and now I get to throw sweet
little Oaklee in that mix.

We made her first wish
come true,

and now I want to go make
her second wish come true,

which is me hitting a buzzer.

Whoo!

- You know, Sandy's gonna have
a lot of support tonight.

- Go, Sandy, go!

- Of course Oaklee's
gonna be watching

along with Sandy's husband
and her three kids.

- Come on, Sandy.
- And on the sidelines,

some of the other women
competing tonight...

- You got this, Sandy!

- Zhanique Lovett,
Allyssa Beird,

and Ashley McConville.

- Let's go, Sandy.
- Come on, Sandy, you got this.

- Special bond
amongst our female ninjas.

- Yeah, they really do have
each other's back.

- Smooth, girl.

- At 5'6",
Sandy's got to reach a little

to get started on Off the Hook.

She discovered ninja
back in season seven,

and each season just seems
to be getting stronger, Akbar.

Using that lower body
generating some power here

on Off the Hook.

Get that dismount.

- She's making some noise
out there.

She's gonna enjoy this run.

- So good.

- Now facing this tough
new obstacle, Clockwork.

She's gonna really need
to generate power here

to get all
three sprockets moving.

- But don't spend too much time

on that first handle, Matt.
- Whoa, okay.

Oh. - Good transition.

- Yeah, very good transition.

- Now needs to swing up
to the last sprocket.

- Yes!

- They may hear her
back in Spokane.

And now she's through.

- Nice.
- Nice.

- And facing another
new obstacle, Burn Rubber.

- Oh, boy.

- Those three oversized tires
will spin on you.

- Light feet!

- Yeah, Oaklee says
"light feet," and she's right.

Athleticism on full display.

That's my PE teacher!
- Left foot, right.

- Oh, my gosh!

- And she did it,
and she is pumped.

- Nice.

- Look at this.

She goes one foot
on the first one,

then two feet on the second one,

and just bunny hops
her way across.

Look at her reaction!

- Come on, Zimmerman. Let's go.

- Now trying to pump herself up

for this fifth obstacle,
Sideways.

- Come on, Sandy.
Spot the backhand.

You got it.

- Well, she failed
on the fifth obstacle

back in qualifying.

This requires such precision
with the hand placement,

and she works tirelessly
on her pull-ups to have

the upper-body strength here.

- Matt, she's gotta watch
that right hand.

That right hand looks
to be a little weak.

She's gotta have those
vise grips on this one.

- Whoo!
- Yeah!

- Generating some good power.

This can be
a difficult transfer,

going from front,
back, sideways.

- Here we go.

Core strength and timing
is crucial.

- Great job using her hips

to kip her center of gravity up

to allow time
to get that hand placement.

- Nice! Come on!
- One more!

- This last one, Matt,
this is critical!

- Got it!
- Nice!

Get out of there.
- And the dismount.

There it is.

Back to the Warped Wall.

Gives a look to the other women.

Who could forget when she got
on that Warped Wall?

She got her hand up.

- And then she flexed a little.
- And she flexed.

- She flexed on us.
- Flex is coming.

- And flex is coming!
We can't wait.

- She said it's coming, yeah.

- Flex is coming.

- She's calling her shot, Akbar.

- I want to see
your best flex, Matt.

- No, you don't...
- I want to see your best flex.

- 'Cause it ain't looking half
as good as Sandy Zimmerman's.

- You got this.
- Come on.

- I love it.

Mothers everywhere
have to be so inspired.

- I'm inspired.

- 44-year-old mother of three
facing the Warped Wall.

Beat that wall!

- Nice. Okay, get 'em.
- There it is!

- Flexing them.
Flexing them, all right.

- Come on, what a grab.

Sandy Zimmerman atop
the Warped Wall once again.

- Okay! I see you!
- Yes.

- Now heads to
the final four obstacles,

starting with the Salmon Ladder.

- You're incredible, Sandy.
- I'm shaking.

- Remember, the top two women
will advance to the finals.

- Matt, her husband gave her
a salmon ladder

as an anniversary gift.

She should have this.
- Come on, girl.

- But that leads
right into Corkscrew,

a deadly one-two punch.

- You got this, mama.

- Gotta jump the bar up
four rungs.

- Yes.
- She's up.

- Okay, she's got this one.

- Going with that
front grip, Akbar.

- Nice.
- Nice.

- And no problem.

But now this nasty
new obstacle called Corkscrew.

It's already taken out
one of our best, Kid Owhadi.

- Ahh!

- And you can see her yelling,

and she hangs on,
but this is a...

- I'm dizzy.

- This is such a big ask...
A 4-foot lache up.

- Yeah, Matt, that's a... you
gotta generate a lot of power

to go up, Matt, a lot of power.

This thing will have you
discombobulated.

- Oh!

- Oh.
- Comes up short on Corkscrew.

Still a strong run

on an incredibly challenging
semifinals course,

making it
to the eighth obstacle.

- Good job, Sandy!

- Sandy showed us
that super mom flex

on the Warped Wall once again,

and then watch her survive
the first spin on Corkscrew.

- Ahh!

- Couldn't quite reach
the second wheel.

We'll see if that keeps her
among the women's top two.

- Up next, he's the only ninja

who runs in a three-piece suit.

- I'm gonna make this look good.

- Classy.

- The Classy Ninja's
dressed for success

when "American Ninja Warrior"
returns.

- It's the semifinals here
on "American Ninja Warrior,"

and minutes ago
we saw an inspiring run

from 44-year-old mom
Sandy Zimmerman,

and while we were away,
another super mom,

Zhanique Lovett, took her shot.

- This is the best shape
we've seen Zhanique Lovett.

- The mother of three
from Visalia, California,

came out looking strong as ever.

- Nice!

- Let's go!

- But after cruising
through Clockwork...

- Spring forward,
right through Clockwork.

- She had a wipeout
on Burn Rubber.

- No! Oh, my goodness,
my back hurts.

- Oh, my gosh,
I wanted the wall.

- Then it was the two athletes
invited to compete

by ninja veteran Jake Murray.

Jake's victory
on the Power Tower

got these two
into the semifinals.

Yeah!

- First to take advantage
of this second chance

was Glenn Albright,
a meat cutter

at a barbecue restaurant
near Denver.

- Come on, man.

- The 27-year-old made
short work of Clockwork.

- But you're in the semifinals.

This is when you gotta
step your game up.

- Whoo!

- But he also had a head-on
collision on Burn Rubber.

Whoa!

- A hard blow to the dome, oof.

- Oh!
- Oh!

- Oh, jeez. Ohh.

- The other athlete
saved by Murray

was former pro hockey player
Barry Goers,

who was cheered on by Tux,
the mascot for his old team,

the Wilkes-Barre/
Scranton Penguins.

- A mascot, that's nice.

- And Goers showed
hockey players

can be pretty good ninjas...

As he made his way up the wall

to the back half of the course.

- This hockey player's fit.
He's ready to go.

- The 34-year-old survived
his first spin on Corkscrew

but couldn't connect
on the second.

- Oh, he just missed it.

Tux does not look happy.

- Up next is someone who's
always happy to be in a tux.

It's 33-year-old
Donovan Metoyer.

And he's one of
the most stylish ninjas

on and off the course.

- I am known
as the Classy Ninja.

- Classy.

- I'm into classy shirts,
classy suits.

Gotta have the classy shoes.

And my hair?

It's in a class of its own.

- So classy.

- Hey.

On the course,
I try to bring a little style,

a little elegance,

and a whole lot of skill.

- He wants that buzzer.
Matt, he wants that buzzer.

- Got it!
- Wow.

Did I mention he's classy?

- And I got a little something
up my sleeve...

For tonight.

Without a doubt, the Classy
Ninja's gonna keep it fresh.

- Classy.

- Donovan was invited this
year by another guy

who dresses
for the ninja course,

Captain NBC, Jamie Rahn.

He's on the sidelines
along with Jake Murray.

- Always classy.

- My God, he looks good.

- Matt, look at that flat top.

That flat top is clean.
Nice, sharp edge, sharp suit.

He's just sharp!

- Well, plenty of Classy Ninja
fans back in Kansas City.

- I still can't believe
he competes in a suit.

- Yeah, Donovan!

- Go, Don!
- You got it.

- Metoyer hit his first buzzer

just a few weeks ago
in qualifying,

so he's got some momentum.

- Hey!
- Good job, brother!

- Well, his look
is off the hook,

and that's what he's facing now.

- Oh, he just
sailed across that.

- And not wasting any time.

Jumps right onto Clockwork.

Whoa!

- Well, speed can be important.

If we don't get 12 finishers,
it'll come down to

who gets to that eighth
or ninth obstacle the fastest.

- Get off there.

- Booyah.
- Beautiful.

- Let's see him
bound through Burn Rubber.

- To be able to do this
in a suit

is an obstacle in itself.
Nice, nice!

- Oh, my!
- Look at that!

- Nimble footwork.

- He's got some stretch
in them things.

- And the glasses too, Akbar.

- 33 years old.

Looks like he just
left the prom.

I mean, he's got
his dress belt on.

The only thing he's not
running in is dress shoes.

- I don't think those would
work on the Warped Wall,

but Akbar, right now,

everything seems to be working
for the Classy Ninja.

- Well, I was always told
if you look good,

you play good. - Come on.

- Hey.

And no problem.

- Ooh, smooth!

- He's saying something
to the sideline.

- Do it, yeah!

- Not quite sure
what this is all about.

- Well, he did say
he had something up his sleeve.

Beat that wall!

- His flat top looking good...

Oh!

- Oh, he did a 360!
Hey, hold up!

- What was that?
- Hold up! Hold up!

You can't just do a 360
on the Warped Wall like that!

- Come on!

- Wow. Check this out again.

- Talk about looking good.

- He looked like Michael Jordan!

I still can't believe
he did that,

and neither could Jake.

- Heroic stuff
out of the Classy Ninja,

but now
gotta get back to business

and get up the Salmon Ladder.

And you can see him
just looking at the left side,

trying to get... oh,
there he goes,

good efficiency.

Now gotta brace himself
for this new one, Corkscrew.

No one's survived it so far.

Now he's really about
to go for a ride.

- Hold on, hold on.
- Wow.

- Oh, look at that.
He cradled into it.

- Now gotta swing up
to the next one.

What a job by the Classy Ninja!

- Hips up.

- Oh, hold on, hold on!

- Well, a great job using
his lower body to absorb it.

Akbar, what a performance!

- Trying to control the force.

- Uh-oh.
- Hold on, I don't know.

I don't know.
- Oh, how did he hold on?

Just needs the dismount.

And he's the first
to get through it,

and just collapses!

- Wow, Matt.

- What a great run
out of Donovan Metoyer,

taking care of business,
and he'll be the first

to face this new obstacle,
The Dungeon.

- Let's go, Don.
- Strong all the way.

- Now, here's how this works.

There's a 9-foot panel
in front of him.

He'll climb to the top,

pull it down, lock it in place.

That board weighs 100 pounds.

- Matt, this is so hard.
- And looks like

he's struggling
to figure out his grips.

- Yeah, 5'7",
he doesn't have the arm reach.

He's trying to figure it out.

He's just gotta get
to that top bar.

- Every second you hang,

your grip is getting exhausted.

- That's exactly why you want
to hustle through.

- Trying to get up.
- Get it!

- All the energy that
he's expending right here

could come back and haunt him.

- Oh, my.
- No, don't get the suit...

You're not ready
to go to the dry cleaner!

No! - Oh, no!

- Aww.
- Wow.

- Donovan Metoyer
with the best run

of the night so far,

making it all the way
to the ninth obstacle

and putting himself
in good position

to advance to the finals.

- Well, the Classy Ninja

had our heads spinning
from the start.

He pulled off a crazy 360
on the Warped Wall

that even turned me around,

and then had his own style
as he took a spin on Corkscrew

and finally just spun off
The Dungeon,

and it's the top performance
we've seen tonight.

- We are back at the Dome

in America's Center
in St. Louis.

Tonight it's the first
of our two semifinal rounds.

While we were away,

two more ninjas
got their chance to shine.

Florida's Caitlyn Bergstrom
had her huge ninja family,

the Bergstrom Bunch,

watching along
with brother Caleb

and her boyfriend,
Da Cake Ninja, David Wright.

- What an amazing year
she had last year,

Matt, trying to keep it up.

- Yeah!

- Last season the 22-year old

made it to the national finals,

but tonight she got hung up
on just the second obstacle.

- A little struggle, Matt,
here on Off the Hook.

Oh!

I didn't see that one coming
out of Caitlyn Bergstrom.

- Whew.
- Then it was rookie

Ryan Lashoff
out of Park City, Utah.

- All right, Ryan.
You got this, Ryan.

- The college student solved

the balance obstacle,
Burn Rubber.

- Oh! I like that.
- Nice!

- Nice!

- Then the red-haired rookie

raced to the back half
of the course.

- This is a guy
that's in the zone.

- But the impressive
20 year old's night

finally came to an end

when he was twisted
around on Corkscrew.

- Whoa! He reached up,

and it was just spinning
out of control.

- Up next is the guy
who invited Ryan Lashoff.

This is the original
Dream Chaser,

four-time ninja veteran
Tyler Gillett,

and you can see his shirt says
"Team Bill."

That's because he's running
for his cousin,

who's in the fight of his life.

- Family is one of the most
important things in my life.

What's up?

- How are you?

- My cousin Bill was diagnosed

with stage four pancreatic
cancer about a year ago.

- I'm glad you're here
on a day that I feel good.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- He actually beat it,
and then a few months ago

it came back.

- The doctor said, "You have...
You have four weeks.

Go home with your family
and... and...

Enjoy what time you have left."

And if that's God's plan,
then so be it,

but I don't think
it's his plan right now.

And I think... I think
there's something more.

- All the energy that goes into
really fighting this,

it's hard on someone's body,
but he refuses to give up.

- There's nothing
to give up for.

I at least have a...
Have a family to live for.

I don't have anything
to die for.

Tyler, we got a little
something for you

that we would like for you
to have as part of Team Bill.

- I definitely am super grateful

that Bill's gonna be able
to watch my run.

These shirts
are so freaking cool.

- I'm gonna push my body
to its limits.

I can promise you that,

because if he can fight this,
I can fight a course.

Tyler's going all the way.
There's no doubt.

There's no doubt in my mind
he's going all the way.

- And of course Bill
is gonna be watching

along with Tyler's mom
and friends

and other family members,
all of them

wearing those Team Bill shirts
with the message on the back,

"We will fight,
and we will win."

I love that sentiment.

Well, Akbar, this season
of "Ninja Warrior"

has been so much bigger
for Tyler Gillett.

His cousin in the fight
for his life,

wants to raise awareness
about the devastating disease

that is pancreatic cancer.

- And so many of our ninjas
out here doing good work.

This is going to be
an emotional run

for Tyler Gillett.

- This guy loves
"Ninja Warrior,"

was dreaming about it
since he was 14,

and now he's out here
as one of the best.

- Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Let's do it, man.

- And now to
this new obstacle, Clockwork.

- This one,
he's gonna have to learn

this new obstacle on the go.

- All three sprockets
moving in unison.

Good transition there.

Such a challenge
catching that bar midair

as it's moving.

- Nice, even, nice control.

Throw your body into it.

Nice! Looking good so far.

- Let's go, Tyler!

- Burn Rubber very unforgiving.

- Plan it out. You got it.

- There, Nate Hansen
and Ryan Lashoff,

the two young ninjas
Tyler brought this season.

This is where Hansen
fell earlier.

- Go through. Go through.
On top! Oh!

- Bounding through.
- He got that hard bound

to make sure
he didn't spin the wheels.

- And now on to Sideways.

Easy to make a mistake
on this obstacle,

and no recovering if you do.

Bill watching intently,
father of four,

12-year army vet,

43 years old
in the fight of his life.

His cousin Tyler dedicating
tonight's run to him.

- Nice.
- Gotta be special for Bill

to see his cousin Tyler
out here.

This descent is hard,
going down and around

with that lead hand,

but he is through.

- There we go.

- 14 1/2 feet away

from the back half
of this semifinals course.

No problem.

And throwing up hearts.

- Let's go!
- It's just a great moment,

allows himself a moment
to look at cousin Bill there.

But now the upper-body test
truly begins.

- Come on, Tyler! Come on!
- Go!

- First up, the Salmon Ladder,

and then the vicious one,
Corkscrew.

- Here we go,
up the Salmon Ladder.

- Gotta jump that bar up
four rungs.

- Nice!
- Right up it.

- 5'10", 160.

He's about to go for a spin.

Hold on.

Nice, hold on. Get in tight.

Get in tight, good. - Great job.

- It's like a merry-go-round.

- Well, Tyler did a great job
conserving energy,

and it's serving him well
here on Corkscrew.

Looks completely
in control thus far.

- Nice. You see him
with the wide grip, come in.

- Wow. Did you see how well
he locked it in?

Stopped that rotation,

great technique out of Gillett.

- Looks like he's got
a little bit

of extra stretch
in his back muscles.

- Ooh.
- Oh, narrow grip!

- Oh!
- Watch out!

It almost twisted his wrists!

- And you could see,
that's the challenge.

You can't adjust your hands

once you get on it,
but Gillett survives!

- Matt, I'm surprised he didn't
sprain his wrist on that one.

I mean, look at this.

Is the body supposed
to twist that way?

- Only the second
to make it here tonight

to take on The Dungeon.

- He's gotta scale up
this wall quickly.

- Well, once you reach the top,

the panel will tilt back.

- Great.

- Now he's gotta go back
across those pegs.

Vertical grips now.

- Yeah, it's... especially as
he's traversing through here,

you really have to have
true grip strength.

- I like it, and you can
see it, arms fully extended,

using the hips
to generate the movement.

Great efficiency,
but now he's gotta swing over

to the next panel
and grab the bars.

- Hold it, hold it, hold it!
- Nice job!

- Oh, my goodness!
- Barely hanging on.

- He threw his face
right into the Plexiglas!

- Oh, my!

Tyler Gillett, the first
to get through The Dungeon.

- Wow.
- Oh, tapping that shirt.

- "We will fight."
- "We will win."

- Tyler Gillett doing his best
for cousin Bill tonight.

Now one last obstacle,

gotta climb up
the Spider Trap to the buzzer.

Can Gillett survive?

- Here we go, hustle.
- Gotta keep your traction

while you push through
those heavy doors.

- The Spider Trap
will wear you out.

- Oh, my goodness,

this man is living
his dream, Akbar.

- He's gotta take
those 100-pound doors

and jam them up.

- And he's going
right through it!

- Show 'em your muscles!

- Well, it is a special run
for Tyler Gillett

with his cousin Bill watching.

- Well, Matt,
this is the fight...

- What a fight, Akbar!

- This is the fight
that he's talking about.

- The dream is becoming
a reality!

- Go, go, go!
- Team Bill.

- One step closer!

- Team Bill... no!

You better not slip!

- What a save!
- Oh, my goodness.

- Almost a nightmare,
but instead...

- Get it!

- What a run with Bill watching.

Just an incredible moment here
at "American Ninja Warrior,"

holding up that shirt.

- Oh, that's pretty cool.

- Just incredible,
just incredible,

and overcome with emotion,
understandably.

An incredible run
by the Dream Chaser.

- Look at his right hand
on The Dungeon.

He missed the bar but somehow
powered his way through,

and at the top
of the Spider Trap,

nearly slipped, but nothing
was gonna stop Tyler Gillett,

and he's our first
finisher tonight.

- I gave it everything.

Oh, I'm so happy.

- Coming up, he knows
how to make an entrance,

and Grant McCartney's
got something special

planned for this year.

We'll see him next
on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior,"

where it's night one
of our semifinals.

While we were away,
Florida's Ashley McConville

got her shot at the course.

Back in qualifying,
the 20 year old

hit her first buzzer
with her family

and biggest fan,
her Uncle David, watching.

- Yeah! Okay!

- Tonight her
cheering section was back

as McConville tried to crush
the course once again.

- She made that look simple.

- The college student

conquered
the first three obstacles...

- Ashley, you go, girl!

- But hit a roadblock
when she faced Burn Rubber.

- No, no! Oh.

She second-guessed herself
on that third wheel.

- The Speedo Ninja, Mike Wright,

always makes
a dramatic entrance.

Oh! - Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh.

Oh, wardrobe malfunction?
- Oh, no.

- But tonight,
it didn't go as planned.

It didn't stop his buddy,

Grant McCartney,
from showing his support.

- Once on the course,

the diving coach
from Knoxville, Tennessee

quickly worked his way
through the front half

of the course
to the delight of his family.

- Okay, Mike Wright,
show you're right.

- On Corkscrew,
the diver survived one spin...

and a second...

- That's what's up!

- But couldn't reach the third.

Oh!

- Big men just doing
big things, but man,

endurance kills.

- This next woman rocks the mic
all night long

on the sidelines.

She's the host with the most
on "Access,"

and now Zuri Hall's gonna
let her ninja skills

do the talking.

Go, Z! Come on, girl!

- Zuri's about
to run the course?

- Zuri's gonna run?

- Are you serious?

- Wait, she's got a microphone
and a dress.

- That's an expensive
microphone.

She better not... - Yeah.

Uh, no, Grant.

Actually, I think we need
to switch places.

- I'm just gonna...
- Thanks.

It's been real. Bye, guys.

- Oh.
- Oh.

- They were running game on us.
- Hold on.

Oh, the... is this his intro?

This dude has got
more intro tricks

than any ninja in the history.

- Well, let's see
if he's dancing

at the end of this run,
the Island Ninja.

- Cool as the other side
of the pillow.

Make it happen, cap'n.

- His dad Ron with wise words.

He'll be watching along with
Grant's sister and her family,

along with ninja buddies
Daniel Gil...

- Let's go, Grant.

- And the Speedo Ninja,
Mike Wright.

- Let's go, Grant!

- You got it, Grant.

- What can Grant do?
- Big boys can ninja too.

- 6'2", 205, gonna be a big ask

to survive
this upper-body gauntlet.

- Yeah, endurance
is more of an issue

on this ten-obstacle course.

- This guy had gotten down
to about 180

but didn't feel strong,

and really, got back up to 205.

- Ooh, uh-oh.

- A little extra weight,
but struggling

on Off the Hook, Akbar.

- Nah, he should have this.
- All right, guys.

- And believe me,
that yank right there,

that expended some energy,

but he's through.

- Yeah!

- So a little early trouble.

Will that impact Grant
here at Clockwork?

- Well, he worked on his grip
strength in the off season

by tearing fruit apart
with his bare hands.

He should be able
to handle this obstacle.

- Makes it to
the second sprocket

but now has to jump
to the third one.

- Yeah!

- Yeah, there it is.
- Hips up, hips up.

- Come on.
- Come on, son!

- Nice.
- There you go.

- Great job using that
lower body here on Clockwork,

and now he's through but not
showing any real urgency.

- Good stuff, good stuff.
Keep the heart rate down.

- Now it's Burn Rubber.

- With all that weight,
he might get that

wheel spinning
even if he hits it on top.

Ooh! No, he stumbled!
- A stumble, oh!

- Man, if he didn't
have long legs,

that could have been bad,
real bad.

- I don't know why I thought
to smile at them

halfway through,
but I gotta tighten up.

I gotta tighten up out here.

- My man!
- Uh-oh.

- Now staring up at this
fifth obstacle, Sideways.

- This is an obstacle
that weighing 200 pounds

is not gonna help him.

- Sideways,
this is a real tough one,

have to be so precise
with those hand placements,

simultaneous grab, did it there.

- I do have to say he does
carry his weight

for a big guy very well.

A son of a former NFL player,
looking good!

- Ooh.
- Okay.

- Good job holding on there.

- All right, here we go.
- Go, son, go!

- Nice.
Gotta be finesse through here.

- But spending a fair amount
of time up here, Akbar,

and that upper body
is getting sacked.

This is a real challenge
for Grant. Can he hold on?

Ooh, ooh, ooh! - Oh, my.

Man, that was crazy.
That was dangerously close.

- And he is through.
Grant has had a couple brushes.

- Hey, Grant, go ahead.

Wipe that one off.
That was close.

- You got me nervous.

- Uh-huh.
- Hey, you got us nervous!

Go ahead and get through
this course, big guy.

- Yeah, wipe that off. Whew.

I want to know
what kind of dance

he's gonna do
on the Warped Wall.

You know he's got a new one.

He loves to dance, Matt.
It's about to happen.

- Talking about that new dance?

- Hey, I want to see you
TikTok dance up there.

- Hey, Grant!
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

- Grant, the clock is ticking!

- What's the deal?

- Hey, hey, hey,
hey, hey, hey, hey.

You crazy, dog. You crazy.

- Gotta have fun.
- Well, you know what?

- It's fun for him.
- Well... hey.

- I didn't see you doing
a TikTok dance.

- 'Cause I'm worried
about him moving on.

We've seen it before where
he went too slow on the course

and just missed the cut.

- There you go.
- Plus, he's coming up

on an obstacle
that is not his favorite.

He's had some problems on
the Salmon Ladder in the past.

He's fallen on this obstacle
three times over the years.

- He should be worried about
the next one, Corkscrew.

With his big body,
that's gonna be a challenge.

Nice. - Got it.

- Looked like
he's about to double skip.

- Two more.
- Here we go.

He's taking his time, spending
a lot of time on this though.

- Nice.

- But he gets it,
conquers the Salmon Ladder.

But with this slow pace,

I think he needs
to get through Corkscrew.

A lot of pressure on himself,
Akbar,

to have to survive this.

- All right, here goes.

Nice, get up and tight.
Get up and tight.

- Great job.
- Ahh!

- Oh, my!
- Nice. Okay, he saved it.

- How did he hold on?
- The G-force.

- And that technique
was perfect,

just so much mass,
nearly ripped him off.

- Now he's gotta get vertigo.

Come down with that vertigo!

- Oh! I don't know how
he's holding on.

- Man, he felt that
all back here, all back here.

- His technique is perfect.

There's just so much mass going.

Can he hold on one more time?
Oh!

- Oh, no!
- Oh, my goodness.

- The Island Ninja's night
ends at Corkscrew.

He survived two brutal spins
but not the third.

- Man,
that thing spins quick, boy.

Big weight didn't help me
on that spin.

Phew.

- Look at how twisted his arms
got on those wheels.

Grant's face said it all.
That hurt.

Somehow, he was able
to take the pain twice,

but the third time
wasn't the charm.

- Let's go down to Zuri.

- Grant, you had a strong run,
and I'll tell you right now.

You did better
than I would have done,

so I'm glad you took the course.

- Yeah.

- Talk to me about
what happened at Corkscrew.

- I knew being heavier
could cause it to spin faster,

and sure enough,
when I hit that end,

I tried to big body it,
but then I was like, ahh!

It twisted me up like some
kind of wrestling move, but...

- We'll see if you went far
enough fast enough. Great work.

- We'll see. Right on.
- Thanks, Grant. Guys?

- Aloha, you guys.

- We're just getting started,

and we've got lots of stars
still to come,

including our favorite fourth
grade teacher, Allyssa Beird.

- Yes! Nice!

- And later, his wife's

back on the front lines
of the pandemic,

and Jody Avila's
dedicating his run to her.

- She's a real superhero.

- It's all coming up

on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to ninja's home
for this season,

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

You know, Akbar, this arena
has hosted some legendary bands

like the Rolling Stones,
Journey, even Guns N' Roses.

- Yeah, but tonight
it's the ninjas

who are getting rocked
by the course,

and one obstacle in particular.

- Big lache.

Oh, no!

- This new obstacle, Corkscrew,

has been a nightmare,

knocking out half a dozen
competitors so far.

Whoo!

- Can he hold on one more time?

- Oh!
- Oh, no!

- And it's claimed more victims

in the last few minutes.

Seven-time veteran Abel Gonzalez

survived a spin
on the first wheel.

- Yes!

- But the Texas gym owner
couldn't reach the second.

- Just couldn't hold on.

- Then it was another
seven-time veteran,

Kevin Bull.

He went into a tailspin

that made it impossible
for him to hold on.

- The Bull sunk
by the Corkscrew.

- Well, from the Bull,
we move on to the Bomb.

This is Cameron Baumgartner,
AKA Cam the Bomb.

This 22-year-old was
very impressive in qualifying.

He's a pre-med student

who's already overcome
his own medical battle.

- When I was 12 years old,
I was at home.

All of a sudden,
I couldn't breathe.

I had to sit down.

That night my dad took me
into the hospital,

where I had an EKG done,

and I was diagnosed

with a blockage in my valve
in my heart,

and now I gotta have
heart surgery.

- For our whole family,
it was just, like,

you know, why?

Why did this happen?

You hate to see your kids
like that.

But once he was cleared
to go back to do

any type of activity
or sports...

It was nonstop with him.

- Launch!

Got it!

Oh!

- Because of my heart condition,

I was a short, skinny kid

that everyone took for granted.

- Cam Baumgartner is a freak.

Do not let his demeanor
faze you at all.

He's such a nice young kid.

Holy cow, when he steps foot
on the course,

he is a monster.

- Whoo! Whoo!

Let's go!

- Cam is definitely
a future superstar.

- He's focused. He's driven.

Anything he sets his mind to,
he achieves.

- You may not know me now,
but after tonight,

you'll definitely know who I am.

- Well, his family knows his
struggle and what this means.

They'll be watching from back
in Illinois with those

red Team Cam shirts,
as will his girlfriend Karissa

and her family, plus one
of his training partners,

the Pizza Ninja, Derrick Pavoni.

- Let's go, Cam!

- And another
Chicago-area ninja,

Chris DiGangi, on the sideline.

- You got it, Cam!

- Well, Cam the Bomb
was explosive in qualifying.

Had the fifth-fastest time
in a loaded field.

- Got that baby face, Matt.

He's 22...
Could probably pass for 16,

but he says he's been
underestimated his whole life.

- All those Chicago-area ninjas

rave about this kid's talent.

Now on to Clockwork,

and he knows about
time management.

He's taking pre-med classes,

interns
at Northwestern Hospital,

and also babysits.

- Jeez, he's a busy guy.

- Good transition there,

and just 5'5", 140 pounds.

One of the smallest
competitors tonight.

- You can see it takes him
a little more time

to build up
the momentum he needs.

- But he is through.

Again, heart surgery at age 12,

and you can just see him

trying to control
that breathing,

staring down Burn Rubber.

No problem. Explosive footwork.

- Cam the Bomb!
- Come on, focus!

- And now on to Sideways,
and, Akbar, a great pace.

- Yeah,
he is not messing around.

- Again, the top 12 athletes
who go the farthest

the fastest
move on to the finals.

It may come down
to who gets to Corkscrew

or perhaps The Dungeon
the fastest.

Looks like he's gonna
switch his lead.

- Get those hips up!

- Switch it up.
Now get sideways.

You know, getting sideways
from that...

From that head-on position
is pretty important.

- Very smooth here,

and he is through.

- Matt, I hope his family

doesn't have
downstairs neighbors.

They are making some noise.
- Take your time.

- No problem on the Warped Wall
in qualifying.

- Come on, Cam. Breathe.

- And you just heard Chris,
"Breathe."

- Nice.
- And right up it.

- Great explosion.
- Yeah!

A little point.
- You the bomb, you the bomb.

All right, let's go.

- Moves on now
to the Salmon Ladder,

which hasn't taken out
anyone yet tonight.

- Come on!

- Matt, don't let
that baby face fool you.

He's got grown-man strength.

Y'all business from here,
nonstop.

Here we go.

Yeah.
Feel it through the stadium.

- But here's the real test,
Corkscrew,

which knocked out
some of our best.

- Come on, get ready,
young fella!

- Great job controlling it,

but this is gonna be
a big lache, almost 4 feet up.

Can he pop up? Yes. - Whoo!

Look at him go! Okay!
- Wow, what levitation.

- Come on! Come on!

- Get up! Get up!

- Wow!
- That vertical lache,

he's mastered it.

- One more move.

Look at him.

- Are you seeing
what I'm seeing?

- Just amazing,
and Cam Baumgartner...

Now he's gonna walk out
to take on The Dungeon,

only the third athlete
to get this far tonight.

Staying loose,
waving to the screen.

What does he have left?

- Hey, Matt, being 5'5",
his reach, he's gonna really

have to power up
on the first part of Dungeon.

- Wow, long reaches
but great power.

- Nice! One more, nice.

- Cam the Bomb
truly explosive, locks in.

- Whoo-hoo!

Matt, I think
he's about to do it.

- Well, just amazing...

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
not stopping this young man!

Everybody's hearts
are beating faster

watching this performance.

- Come on, come on, come on!

- Can he make
this 6-foot transfer?

- This is gonna be hard.

Nice! Oh, my goodness!

- Barely hanging on,

and he's done it.

- Yes!

- And now he's got a shot

to beat Tyler Gillett
for the fastest finish.

- Come on! You got this!
- Wow.

He has just been annihilating
this course

and conserving his energy.

Does he have enough
to get up 35 feet?

Three sets of doors.

- Some of the doctors thought
that this might be impossible.

Impossible is nothing.
Come on, baby boy!

- Oh, my!

- One more!

- Chicago establishing itself

as the pre-eminent
home of ninja!

Cam the Bomb exploding
in his second season!

The top time thus far
in the semifinals!

- Whoo!

- Yeah!

- Let's go!

- The kid had a sea of red
behind him going nuts

as he conquered Corkscrew,
defeated The Dungeon,

and then climbed his way

to our second finish
of the night.

- Coming up,
Captain NBC's ready to fly.

Jamie Rahn's up next
on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back
to "American Ninja Warrior."

While we were away, we let
the dogs out and the cats.

First it was the K9 Ninja,
Roo Yori,

who runs to raise awareness
for dog adoption.

- All those out there
fostering, adopting dogs,

let's keep it going
and clear out those shelters.

- With two of the dogs
he trains,

Juju and Johnny,
watching with his wife,

he unleashed himself
onto the course.

- Roo Yori, 43 years old.

- Here we go.
- But things got rough

for the five-time veteran
on just the second obstacle.

Oh!

- Oh, my God.

- No! That was fast!

- Dang it. I'm sorry, dogs.

- Oh, he's in the doghouse
with Johnny, Matt.

- Then it was one of the ninjas

Roo brought this year,
the Crazy Cat Lover,

Jackson Twait.

- Let's go, Jackson!

- Okay, Twait,
this is your opportunity

to show the world
what you're made of.

- One down, here we go!

- The recent college graduate
showed catlike quickness,

making the early obstacles
look easy.

- Yeah!

Whoo!

- Twait's got so much
personality, huh?

I love it.
Don't do a lot of pausing.

- And with lots of support

from back in his home state
of Iowa,

Twait was able
to conquer Corkscrew...

- Oh, whoa! Okay!

- And the ninth obstacle,
The Dungeon.

- Okay, Twait!

- Yeah!
- Whoo!

- So the 22 year old
was on his way

to the fastest time of the night

as he clawed his way up
the Spider Trap...

- He's struggling a little bit.

- But came up just short
of reaching the top.

Oh! - No!

- Well, Matt, at least
he landed on all fours.

- And flying through
the course right now,

it's not a bird.

It's not a plane.

It's Captain NBC, Jamie Rahn.

The superhero is working
his way through Sideways,

and he's through.

And you can see
he's shaking that hand.

A few weeks ago,

he nearly cut off his thumb
with a power saw,

had it stitched together,
but wasn't sure

he'd be able to compete
this year.

- That thumb good?

Yeah, thumbs up.

- Breathe. Get up that wall.

- His wife Kim
with some good advice,

along with his dog Doogie.

And Jamie Rahn
doesn't need a cape

to get up that Warped Wall.
- Okay, Jamie!

- Yeah, buddy!
- Thumbs up.

All right.

- Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!

- His parents wearing
the green wigs.

They never miss one of his runs.

This is Jamie's
tenth year competing,

but if he wants to keep
this season going,

very likely gonna have
to get through Corkscrew

if Jamie Rahn wants to advance.

- Come on, dig deep.

- It's easy.

- Mom says it's easy,

but I don't think
the Salmon Ladder

is gonna be easy
with an injured thumb.

- Keep an eye on that left hand.

It is gonna be tested here.

Wow, no problem for Rahn...

Ripped right through
the Salmon Ladder.

- Okay, Matt, but how's he gonna

handle Corkscrew
with a bad thumb?

- Watch that hand.

- Just look at him,

pulling himself up,

controlling it.

He seemed to slow down gravity.

That was amazing.

- This is impressive.

You can see that
bandaged thumb right there.

- One more...

- How is he holding on
through these spins?

- I'm about to get vertigo

watching this man
spin like this.

- Ahh!
- Nice!

- Oh, my, yelling,
and fights through it!

What courage out of Captain NBC,

heroic performance.

And he's through Corkscrew!

Well, there's still
some good ninjas to come,

so nothing's guaranteed,

but he's in
the top 12 right now.

Could be going on to the finals.

- Go! Go!

- Kim and Doogie
trying to will him

through this obstacle.

- This is gonna be another one

that's gonna be a challenge
with that sawed-off thumb.

- If he gets through,

this will be a performance
for the ages.

- Yeah, he's gotta go up,
and he's gotta hustle up.

Wow. - Watch his grip, Akbar.

- He's really good
at controlling it,

not feeling the pump.

He doesn't get pumped out
very easily.

Oh, starting to grimace
just a little bit.

- Everyone has their limits,
Akbar.

Can he hold on here?
These pegs vertical!

- Ooh, watch, that hand's
starting to slip, Matt.

- Tight, tight, tight.

Stay high. Stay high. Come on.

- Jamie Rahn, that
grip strength so impressive,

getting tested here.

- But watch that right hand.
- What an effort!

- Nice!
- Are you kidding me?

- Watch that... watch that hand!

- This is insane!
- Here we go.

That thumb not a problem.
- He may...

- Oh!
- Oh, no!

- Oh, my goodness!

- Ahh!
- Whoo!

- Survived the hardest part,

only to be busted off
by that handle.

We gotta see that again.
Take us through it.

- I think he threw himself
too hard.

Watch it right there.

He's got both hands on the bars

but just couldn't hold on.

It may have been that bad thumb

that caused the miss,

but still a strong run
for an injured Jamie Rahn.

- That was so tiring.

Whew.

- Coming up, he was seconds away

from winning it all last year.

He's not gonna do it!

This season Daniel Gil doesn't
want to settle for second,

and he's next
on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to
"American Ninja Warrior."

Each year we invite fans

to submit to our
obstacle design challenge,

and this year we received
thousands of submissions,

and many of them
you've seen on the course

over the past few weeks,
but our winner this year

is the one causing havoc
tonight:

Corkscrew.

It came from a hand-drawn design

by none other than
Janitor Josh, Josh Norton,

a ninja who competed
in qualifying.

Josh cleans up
at Houston's Iron Sports Gym

and works with Daniel Gil,
who invited him this season.

And as this year's winner,
we're sending Josh

on an epic trip
to Universal Orlando Resort,

where he'll experience
heart-pounding thrills

and mind-blowing adventures

at their three incredible
theme parks.

And if you've got
an obstacle idea,

We might pick your obstacle
next season.

Minutes ago one of the students

who trains at the gym
where Josh works,

Gabriel Hotchkiss,
got his shot at the course.

- You've got this, Gabe!

- Hotchkiss is another ninja
invited this season

by Daniel Gil.

The 19-year-old
Texas A&M college student

quickly made his way to
the back half of the course.

- Are we sure he's a rookie?

- But his buddy Janitor Josh's
dastardly creation,

Corkscrew, got him too.

- Here you go. Whoa!

- Hold on for that...
- Oh, no!

- Well, on the course right now

is the guy who invited
both those two

to compete this year.

It's Daniel Gil
flying through Sideways,

and now he's through.

Gil is one of the best.

He was last season's runner-up,

made it to stage four,
and just missed out

on winning the million dollars.

- Oh, man,
he is trucking up the rope.

- Ready for the Warped Wall.

His hair might give him
a little lift too, Akbar.

And no problem.

The eyes of Texas are upon him.

He's got his wife, his family,

and a bunch of friends
in the Lone Star State,

including Janitor Josh.
- Go, Daniel!

- Salmon Ladder is up next.

- Go, Daniel! Go, Daniel!

- It's looking like
if you get past Corkscrew,

you've got a good shot
of being in the top 12.

- Matt, how bad would it be

if his buddy
Janitor Josh's creation,

Corkscrew,
ends Daniel Gil's season?

- Here we go.

- Look at that hair
whipping back and forth.

- Great job controlling it.
- Yeah!

- Harder to control
your hand placement

here on this big lache!

- Nice lache!
He got up, got the hang time!

- Josh Norton watching closely.

Might have some 'splaining to do

if this takes out his buddy.

- Nice!
- Got it!

- Whoo, that looked beautiful.

- If he can get this dismount,
almost guaranteed to move on.

Got it!

- Yes!

- But he's not done, Akbar.

- Did he just yawn?

Did he just yawn? -

- You yawned!

- Whoo!

- Well, this course
has been beating up

some of our best ninjas,

but Gil looks totally relaxed,

and he's in good shape
to beat Cam Baumgartner

for the fastest time,

but now facing The Dungeon.

- Here we go. Here we go.

- Gil looks locked in, Akbar.

But The Dungeon just ended

Jamie Rahn's impressive run
minutes ago.

Well, it's not quite
walking on water,

but it is other-worldly,
this performance.

- Well, he's going above water.

- Still has to swing over
and grab the final panel.

- Come on!

- Oh, my, Daniel Gil!

He looks unstoppable,

and he's through.

- Whoo!
- Matt, he could do it.

He could get the fastest time.

Has about 1:15 to do it.

Daniel Gil is going
to the finals.

Will he put
an exclamation point on it?

- And he's putting them bows
on it.

He's putting that nice hair
on it.

Look at that.

Don't get any juices
and berries on it.

- The efficiency out of Gil
is remarkable.

Look at this! - Nice!

- Gonna take almost a minute
off the top time!

- Nice, with the shoulder!

Oh, wow, and he's still
doing it with a smile.

- Daniel Gil,
this is his kingdom.

- Whoo! Whoo-whoo-whoo!

- Ahh!

- Whoo!

4:38.

Almost a minute
off the top time.

You think he's ready
for the finals?

- Matt, this is gonna be epic.

He got his friend Josh
off the hook

by surviving Corkscrew,

then cruised through The Dungeon

smoother than anyone all night,

and climbed up Spider Trap

finishing with
the fastest time by a minute.

Daniel Gil is ready
for the final.

- So Gil's now our third
finisher of the night.

Keep in mind only the top 12
and the top two women

at the end of the night
will move on,

and hoping to be one of those
women is our next competitor.

Coming off a big run
in qualifying,

this is our favorite
fourth grade teacher,

Allyssa Beird, and this pandemic

has really created
some challenges for Allyssa

and fellow teachers.

- Let's go ahead
and get in our groups.

You guys can work
around the room.

Tablets if you need to type.

I absolutely love teaching.

I look forward to it every day.

It's just such a part of me.

And so it's third-person
narrative now, correct?

- Yeah.
- Okay, excellent.

When the pandemic
initially struck,

our school closed for a day
and then a week

and then the rest of the year,

so we ended up remote teaching.

I want you to write down
these four numbers

that we just multiplied
together,

add them up, and when you have

your final answer,
raise your hands.

We thrive on the communication
and the relationships

with our students
in the classroom in person,

so it's definitely different.

It's hard.

Some days are frustrating,
but at the end of the day,

I know that I'm doing
everything I can

to help every individual student

be the best student they can be.

- You gotta love teachers,

and lots of love
for Allyssa Beird.

She's got her parents,
sister, and boyfriend,

James "The Beast" McGrath,

cheering her on
from all over the country.

- You can do this!

- Get it, girl!

- And some of her fellow
women competitors,

Flex Labreck
and Sandy Zimmerman,

showing their support
on the sidelines.

- As a parent of four kids,
I can tell you,

you gotta love
and appreciate your teachers,

especially the ones
who are helping those kids

with distant learning, and...

Well, I know you're a parent.

- Allyssa Beird was right on
the front line of that, yeah.

- You are very
sympathetic to it.

- That's it. That's it.

- Just looking so comfortable,
30 years old,

just turned 30.

- Whoo!
- Yeah, girl!

- Allyssa Beird made it up
the Warped Wall

to the buzzer in qualifying,

hoping for a run
like that tonight.

The top two women
will move on to the finals.

Sandy Zimmerman currently tops
among the women now.

Taking on Clockwork.

- Hey, teachers should know
all about Clockwork.

- Allyssa Beird,

the only woman
besides Jessie Graff

to finish stage one
at the national finals.

Has never hit a buzzer
on a ten-obstacle course.

- This could be her night, Matt.

- Oh, my!

Allyssa Beird airballs it.

- What happened?

- One of the top women
in the sport out

on just the third obstacle.

- She had no problems reaching
the first two sprockets,

but on the third,
she just released too late

and came up well short.

- The second I let go,

I knew it wasn't
the right timing, so...

Another year for that...
That buzzer up there, I guess.

Oh.

- Love you, Allyssa.
- It's all right. Love you.

- It happens, girl.

- That fall means
Sandy Zimmerman

is now guaranteed to be
one of the top two women,

because there's only
one woman left, Flex Labreck.

We'll see her run
in just a few minutes,

but up next,
you never know what'll happen

when Jake Murray
hits the course.

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

- Welcome back to St. Louis.

While we were away,
tonight's shortest competitor,

5'1" former Olympic gymnast
Jonathan Horton,

was trying to make a
big impression on the course.

- Here we go. Here we go.

- At the 2008 Games,

Horton won a silver medal
in the high bar.

- Nice!

- So it was a shock
when the six-time veteran

fell off on the first bar
on Clockwork.

- Oh, no, no!

- Well, that didn't work out.

- Coming up
to the start line now,

a fan favorite...

The 33-year-old Wild Man
out of Colorado,

Jake Murray.

- There's his signature pose.

- Jake's pulled some insane
stunts over the years,

coming out of a straitjacket,

or bringing a golf caddy
to the start line.

And Grant McCartney,
who's on the sideline,

was Jake's sidekick
for some of those,

but lately Jake's
been getting in trouble

with a new cast of characters.

- I've been hanging out
with Hunter Guerard

and Kyle Soderman a bunch.

We call our crew
the Blonde Boyz.

Last year down in San Antonio,
we went caving.

- Hi.
- Hey.

And an adventure we had.

- What could go wrong?

None of us have really
done this before,

so getting in there,
and it was just pitch black,

it was definitely scary.

- Did we get turned around? Yes.

It's a cave, and we didn't
have a map, okay?

- One of the caverns
Jake decided to go into

was 2 to 3 feet in diameter.

- And did I run into a raccoon?

Yes, face-to-face.

- There was no way that we
could see what was happening,

but we heard Jake scream.

- Ahh!

- As we were working our way
out of the cave system,

the walls seemed to be pulsing.

And sure enough, it was just
covered in daddy longlegs.

- If they were just
ordinary spiders,

it wouldn't have been that bad,

but the spiders on the wall
were throbbing.

Not for the squeamish.

Ew!

- Luckily, I was able
to get out unscathed.

We did it!

I love Mother Nature and all,

but it is so nice
to be back indoors,

and I'm ready to get crazy
in the Dome.

- Jake's already
started his run,

and he's through 4 1/2 obstacles

in less than a minute.

He is moving fast.

- Not as fast as I'd be running

if I was stuck in a cave
with those spiders.

That is crazy.

- Well, he's already
at the Warped Wall.

- Nice.

- And his caving buddies,

the Blonde Boyz,
they're loving it.

- Blonde Boyz!

- As are the rest of his family

watching from back home.

- Matt, he's been all business
so far, no gimmicks.

- Come on, Jake.
Time to get tough.

- It gets real here.

Starting with the Salmon Ladder.

- He just has to survive
the next two obstacles,

and he will go to the final,
and look at him

stopping to check that bar,
and now right up.

- Boom, boom, done.

Now here comes the real
challenge with Corkscrew.

- It's gonna be a crazy ride.
- There we go.

- Can he hold on?
- Nice!

- But didn't control his body
too well.

He's gonna have
an even bigger ride here.

Watch the hand placement.

- Come on, Jake, high up.
Bro, high up.

You got it. You got it.
You got it.

- Nice!

- Does a better job there

on the more difficult
middle corkscrew.

Can he do it again?

- Big lache up.

Yeah!

- Jake Murray hanging on,

just needs the dismount!

And he's going to the finals.

- Yeah, Jake!
- Nice job, Jake.

- That's it, bro.
- Let's go.

- But he's not done.

Right now Jake's got a shot
at the fastest time

of 4:38 seconds
set by Daniel Gil,

but The Dungeon
will really test your grip,

especially after
the previous eight obstacles.

Oh, boy, he's looking like
he's having trouble

making the ascent here, Akbar.
- Come on, Jake.

Yeah, this starts
catching up to you here.

You're gonna see him
try to make that move.

- Oh, boy.

- He's gotta make a power move.

- Come on, Jake.
- He's gotta make...

Yeah, that's it.
- Well, it's locking it in,

using that rock climbing move
to rest his arms.

- You got the strength in you.

You have all the strength
you need, Jake.

Keep moving. - That's it, Jake.

- Keep moving, you have all
the strength you need.

- Finding efficiency.

Oh, my, a second wind for Jake!

- He's trying
to get out of there.

- Yes.
- Nice one!

- And he's got it!
- Yeah!

- Come on!
- Come on!

- Nice!

- Now just has to climb up
the Spider Trap, and, Akbar,

he's got one minute
to catch Daniel Gil.

- All right, here we go.
- Here we go, buddy.

- Jake had the fastest time
on night two of qualifying.

Can he do it again tonight?

- He knows he has the strength
and endurance to do it.

- One set of doors down,
two to go.

Got a little over 45 seconds
to catch Gil.

Jake Murray, though,
slowing down.

- Come on, Jake!
- Finish.

You're right there.

- He's gotta get
a great position

so he can get
that 100-pound door open.

- 50.
- Nice.

- Another 50.
- Come on.

- Let's go! Keep going, bro!

Keep going! - Come on.

- Oh, boy, Matt, I thought
he had a little bit of time,

but this is getting close.

- Jake Murray
just about to the top!

- Come on.

Come on. - Come on!

- 20 seconds left
for that top spot.

- Come on!

- Does he have the traction?
Oh, what a fight, 50!

- He's gonna go.
This is getting way too close!

- You have to get both doors up

before you can advance.

Ten seconds, Akbar! -

- Oh, here we go!
- Jake Murray, five seconds!

- He might get it!
- Five, four, three, two!

- He did it!
- Got it!

Oh, with one second to go!

- The best time of the night!
- Oh!

- Jake Murray,
his best performance ever.

- Just edges out
the Kingdom Ninja.

- Matt, he did it with
every fiber of his body.

- Yes, bro!

- That last one, whew!

- He had those tube socks
looking sharp up the wall,

and then he tore through
the rest of the course,

really had to fight his way up
the Spider Trap,

and gets the fastest time
by just over a second.

You know what I'd like to say?

That was big time, primetime,
showtime, all time good time.

- Go get some rest, Jake.
You've earned it.

Well, another primetime player
is coming up.

Flex Labreck hits the course

when we come back
on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back
to "American Ninja Warrior."

While we were away,

fan favorite Flip Rodriguez
hit the course.

- Bound, bound, bound,
you see that? Nice.

- The Hollywood stuntman
was cruising

and then faced tonight's
ninja killer, Corkscrew.

- Usually when you grab
a corkscrew,

you try to unwind,

but this thing has got him
wound up!

- The ten-time veteran survived,

and though his grip
gave out seconds later

on The Dungeon... oh!

- Oh, oh!

- It was good enough to earn
him a spot in our top 12.

Then it was another one of our
top competitors, Adam Rayl.

- Don't look
at the big screen now,

but Mama Vicki pretty nervous.

- With his number one fan,
his mom Vicki,

watching from Arizona,

the concrete worker cruised
through the early obstacles.

- Burn rubber, burn rubber.

- And the former
competitive gymnast

rolled to the back half
of the course.

- Have some fun. Have some fun.

- After taking Corkscrew
out for a spin...

- All right, hold on!

Nice! Wow.

- Breathe.
- Okay, I'll breathe.

- And making the climb
across The Dungeon...

- Oh, my goodness, look at that!

- He finished his rock-solid run

as the night's fifth finisher,

securing a spot in the finals.

- Wow, Mama on the big screen
is losing her mind.

- Well, up next
is one of the best

and most consistent performers
in the sport.

Zuri, get her going.

- The last time she ran,

Jesse Labreck took down
her fifth buzzer,

a new record for women
on the course,

but then one week later,
Jessie Graff evened the score,

so now Flex is back with her
sights on another buzzer.

Here's what she told us
minutes ago.

- Whoo, semifinals.
I am so excited.

Of course I'm nervous,

but I'm just gonna take it
one obstacle at a time

and just hope I can make my way
to that Spider Climb,

get up that wall,
and hit that buzzer.

So excited.

- We're excited too,
and there's the flex.

That'll get her family
and friends fired up.

She's got her dad and stepmom
and some of her fellow ninjas

back in Chicago,
including Ethan Swanson.

- Stay smooth.

One obstacle at a time.
You got this.

- You got it, Jesse!

- And on the sideline there

is her fiancé Chris DiGangi.

- You know, two usually reach

the same obstacle on the course.

- And just minutes ago,
DiGangi survived Corkscrew...

Yes, Chris, let's go!

- But couldn't get past
The Dungeon.

- Ahh, come on! Hang on!

- Oh!
- Still, that was good enough

to punch his ticket
to the finals.

Can Flex join him there?

- Well, Chris fell
on the ninth obstacle,

but she wants a buzzer.

- Yeah! All right, let's go!

- Just an elite athlete,

University of Maine heptathlete,

still has school records
in their Hall of Fame,

quickly established herself

as one of the top
ninja warriors,

male or female.

- Well, Matt, she's a gamer.
She knows when to turn it on.

- Get off it. Get off it.

Nice, Jesse! Nice job, come on.

- Now staring up at Clockwork.

This knocked out her friend
Allyssa Beird earlier tonight.

- As she moves, it moves,
so it's all timing.

- Big throw, big throw, come on.

- Great power...
They've been training

at Ultimate Ninjas
in Naperville...

DiGangi, Swanson, Torres.

Chicago may well be
the king city

for ninja warrior right now.
- Stay calm!

- There you go.
- Let's go, Jesse.

- Come on, come on.
- Yeah, let's go!

Get off that thing!
Let's go, whoo!

- And no problem for Flex.

- But this fourth obstacle
has also been trouble tonight.

- Breathe it in, breathe.

- Flex, that track athlete here,

should bound right through
Burn Rubber.

- Nice... no, no, oh... okay, good.

Yes! - Yes!

- All right!

- Jesse Labreck on Sideways.

- Come on, Jesse.
- Last season,

top woman in Cincinnati
in qualifying and finals,

top woman in qualifying
this season.

- I get it, Matt.
She's the top queen of this.

- Well, right now
a 44-year-old mother of three,

Sandy Zimmerman's
in that top spot.

She got to Corkscrew
in just under five minutes.

- Matt, it's been three years

since Flex
has been in a competition

and didn't finish
as the top woman.

That's crazy.

- Here we go.
- On and off.

- Two more, let's go!

- Using that lower body
to kip up,

giving her plenty of time

to go down and around
with that lead hand.

- Oh, she's comfortable.

- And Flex is through,
now at the Warped Wall.

- Yes!

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

- I love how these ninjas
support each other.

Flex Labreck.

- Nice.
- Up that Warped Wall.

- Nice.

- Well,
the Salmon Ladder is next,

but I imagine the one
she's thinking about

is that Corkscrew.

- You got this.
- Well, you can see Chris.

I'm not sure he's taken
a breath this whole run.

- Let's do this,
Salmon Ladder then.

- She's up.
- Here we go.

Salmon Ladder into Corkscrew.

- If she finishes
this obstacle with her time,

she'll move ahead
of Sandy Zimmerman.

- She's up.
Reach out, and she's done it.

Top time for the women.
Flex Labreck once again.

- All right,
she's got the Corkscrew.

- Can she hang on?

- All right.

- Yeah, yeah!

- What strength!

This is a big lache.
Can Flex get it?

- Let's go! Hips up!

- Everything you got, Jesse.
- Everything you got, hips up!

- Come on, huge swing!
- Hips up, let's go!

- Come on!
- Let's go!

- Hold on! Hold on!

Nice! - Oh, what?

- You see her grating
and bite down on her teeth.

Hold on for dear life!
- Oh, my goodness.

Flex Labreck is so strong.

- One more!

Ahh! - Ahh!

- You heard her yelling,
and she's done it!

Flex Labreck, the first woman
to pass the Corkscrew!

And just about collapses.
- Whoo-hoo-hoo!

- Yes, yes, you earned it!

- She just bumped

Mathis "The Kid" Owhadi
out of the finals.

- What? What? She is a beast.

- Now two obstacles away

from a record-breaking
sixth buzzer,

but first gotta survive
The Dungeon.

This is where her fiancé Chris
fell minutes ago.

Does she have anything left
to survive Dungeon?

- Come on. Come on. Come on.
Look at the hustle.

Look at the muscles,
the deltoid muscles,

the back muscles, the heart,
come on.

- Can she do this traverse here?

Shaking out those forearms.
- Come on!

- Matt, the name Labreck

is a new adjective
for determination and grit.

- And look at that,

using the lower body,
keeping those arms straight

and her ribs...
Sliding, peeling down!

- Come on, come on, come on!
Hold on!

- But she is fighting
with everything.

- Come on, fight for it!

Oh!

- No!

- Once again gets
to the same spot as Chris.

Didn't get the record-breaking
sixth buzzer she wanted.

Still, an incredible run
out of Flex Labreck.

- Watch this woman survive
the wild ride on Corkscrew,

and just look at her game face.

She gave it everything
she had before her grip

finally gave out on The Dungeon,

and, Matt,
she's going to the finals.

That was everything I had.

I was holding
as hard as I could,

squeezing as hard as I could.

Just didn't have enough.

- Well, there's just
one runner remaining.

The Big Dog,

Jody Avila looks to stand tall
above the competition

when "American Ninja Warrior"
returns.

- We're wrapping up
our first night of semifinals

on "American Ninja Warrior,"

and we're down to the final
runner of the night.

This is the Big Dog, Jody Avila.

The heating and
air conditioning technician

is coming off a huge
performance in qualifying.

His wife Pauline was with him
for that night.

Now she's back in Houston

but never far from his heart.

Only a few seconds left!

He's got a chance
for the fastest time!

He's going for it!

He did it!

- Yeah!
- Let's go!

Talk about confidence.
I mean, I'm riding high.

My training's been paying off,
fastest time in qualifying.

- Hey, who said big dogs
can't run fast, huh?

- Let's go, baby!
Hitting a buzzer this year,

especially with my wife
watching on the sideline,

it was just amazing.

- Baby, yes! Let's go!

Oh, my gosh, I was just in shock

and also so, so,
so proud of him.

Yeah!

- I love you, baby.
- Yes!

- She's been working
as a COVID nurse since March.

The patients
that she takes care of,

sometimes she's taking care of
them for several weeks on end,

and a lot of times,
it doesn't end very well.

Unfortunately, duty calls,

and Pauline could not stay here.

She had to actually
go back to work.

They're just completely
flooded with patients.

I'm bummed
that she has to go through it,

but it just shows
that she's a real superhero.

- Me and my kids are gonna
support him all the way.

We're so proud of him already,

and, you know,
we're a family of ninjas,

and we're gonna
support each other.

- Tonight,
I have to represent for her

and keep hitting buzzers.

I'm ready for semifinals.

- Thank you to all
our frontline heroes

like Pauline Avila.

- You can see she's wearing
a mask at home.

Has to be extra careful

even when she's away
from the hospital.

- Got their two sons with her.

Jody's also got some other
ninjas down on the sideline,

including Grant McCartney.

- Come on! Hoo, hoo!

- Well, he completed
the finals course

last year in Oklahoma City,

and Avila seems to be getting
stronger and stronger.

- Stronger and stronger?

He's getting faster and faster.

- He's training with that
eight-year-old son Brandon,

who he says is a much better
ninja than he is right now.

- Well, don't blink now, Matt,

but he's on the third obstacle
in under 20 seconds.

- As the final runner,

Jody knows exactly
what he needs to do.

He must get past Corkscrew
to move on to the finals.

- Yeah! Come on.

- Now Burn Rubber, and, Akbar,

he's had issues in the past
on balance obstacles.

- But you'd think the
long legs will help him here.

- Big step it. Big step it.

- Here we go.

Ooh, Big Dog nearly tripped up
on the agility obstacle.

- And, Matt, I like the hustle
going right into Sideways.

- Well, he is moving like
he wants the fastest time.

That would be
Jake Murray's 4:37.

So impressive, 6'6", 210.

He's looking great
on this obstacle.

- Man, he is a specimen.

- This has been as smooth a run

as we've seen out of anybody
and about as fast.

- Hike your legs up.

Keep those knees up.
Don't kick the wall.

- And you hear G-Mac
offering some advice,

and he's through,
and he's actually ahead

of Jake Murray's time
to this point.

- Let's go, baby!
- Come on, Papi!

- All the way to the top.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.

- And no problem
on the Warped Wall,

on now to the back half.

- Go get it, Big Dog.

- Well, this is where
the pressure is on.

Gotta get through these next
obstacles, and with his size,

Corkscrew is gonna
be a challenge.

Brandon doing
the sign of the cross,

looking for any help he can get.

- This is all you, though, Jody.

You got this.

You can hold on
through all of these.

- First, you gotta
get up four rungs

on the Salmon Ladder.

- Well, at that big frame,

the Corkscrew's gonna
be a real challenge.

Now, here it is.
Get ready to ride.

- All right, here we go.
Here we go.

Nice, up and tight.
You saw that?

He was in tight.

- Okay, it's gonna be quick
on the grab on this one.

Be ready for it.

- He's on the front.
He's on the front!

- Whoo! Oww!
- Oh, my goodness!

- Don't twist your wrists!
- Nearly snapped his arms.

Can he hang on once again?

- Wow, thank God you're 6'6".

Hold on, hold... - Big Dog!

Yes!

- Yes!

- Now just gotta get off it,
and with that,

Jody Avila's
going to the finals!

- Yes, he is.

- And look at that joy
from Pauline.

She's here in spirit
for the Big Dog.

So great they get to celebrate

after the tough year
they've had.

- Well,
he's got the reach, Matt,

but remember,
he's carrying 210 pounds.

- You're doing awesome, man.

Easy work, bro.
You're crushing it, man.

- Oh, he's just skipping pegs.
- Well, he's...

- Use that height
to his advantage.

- Hey, if your mama
gave it to you, use it.

- Great job locking it in.
- Nice.

- Good efficiency.
- All right, a lot of weight.

- And not even hesitating.
- Oh, what?

Does he have this
in his backyard?

He must have it in his backyard.

- What? Are you kidding me?

At 200... his feet
are kicking that panel.

- He's so tall.

Oh, he's so tall!

- Oh, no!

- Aww, man.
- Such an incredible run.

- It's okay, Papi!

- He did what he had to do.
He's going to the finals.

- Agh!

Man, I whiffed on it.

- Matt, he should have
had that one.

Look at his long legs

flying like a helicopter
on Corkscrew,

and check out his face.

You know it hurt,
but he held on,

and on The Dungeon,
he just missed the handle

with his right hand,
but he's still moving on.

- Let's go down to Zuri.

- Jody, that was an amazing run.

Talk to me a little bit about

what happened right here
at Dungeon.

- I was feeling pretty strong.
- Okay.

- I kicked really hard, and
I actually kicked the Plexi,

and I just whiffed
with the hands.

- Okay.

- I just did not put my hands
in the right spot.

- But you had your family here
cheering you on

the entire time. - Yeah.

- What does it mean to you
to have them right there

on the sidelines
every step of the way?

- That's my heart right there,
all three of them.

I love them so much.
- Oh, we got the hearts.

- I love you.
I love them so much.

- Well, the good news is, you
went far enough fast enough.

- Yes!

- So we will see you
in the finals, all right?

- Let's go!
- Congratulations.

Guys, back to you.

- So checking
the final leaderboard,

we had five ninjas
hit the buzzer on the night,

with Jake Murray and
Daniel Gil leading the way.

Among the non-finishers
moving on

are Jackson Twait and
Jody Avila, who we just saw,

and rounding out our top 12
are veterans Flip Rodriguez,

Chris DiGangi,
and Captain NBC, Jamie Rahn.

The two women moving on
to the finals

are Jesse "Flex" Labreck

and 44-year-old super mom
Sandy Zimmerman.

Well, that wraps up
a spectacular night

of competition,
and, Akbar, next week

we have the other half
of our semifinalists.

- Yeah, that's right.

We're gonna see Najee
Richardson, the Phoenix,

and stuntwoman Jessie Graff.

- Can't wait for it.

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

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

Someone needs to stop Clearway Law.
Public shouldn't leave reviews for lawyers.