American Ninja Warrior (2009–…): Season 14, Episode 6 - Semifinals 1 - full transcript

- My mom is my hero,
my role model,

and she's been by me
through all the bad moments.

- "American Ninja Warrior"
qualifying was extraordinary.

- I got chills.

I got tears welling up
in my eyes.

- Highlighted by some of
the most inspiring runs

in the show's history.

- I decided,
right then and there,

that this was not gonna beat me.

- Hold on, hold on,
fight, fight!

This dude is a fighter, Matt.



- I'm so proud of you.

That was so amazing.

- Tonight, the heroes
from qualifying

continue their journeys
as we begin the semifinals...

- Now this is where
it gets real.

- With a ticket to the
national finals on the line.

- To hit a buzzer on
the extended course

would mean everything to me.

- Being the youngest female up
the Warped Wall was awesome,

but I want to be the youngest
female to make it to Vegas.

- And at the end of the night,
we crank up the juice

as the top two competitors
go head-to-head

on the newly redesigned
Power Tower.

- This season, the Power Tower
looks like something



that we've never seen in Ninja,
and I can't wait to take it on.

- My goal is to get
that Safety Pass.

You have to want it more
than that person next to you.

Let's go!

- It's semifinals, and it's
time to hit some buzzers.

- All right, this is your time.

- LA, Phoenix is ready to fly.

- Welcome to Hollywood,
Ninja fans.

We're on the backlot
at Universal Studios,

our home for the semifinals

on "American Ninja Warrior."

Hello, and thanks
for being with us.

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

Matt, we are on the biggest
movie studio lot in the world.

And you better
get your popcorn ready,

because it's about
to be popping.

- Well, we'll have action,
drama, and maybe even

a little comedy
as top Ninja athletes fight

for a spot in Vegas
at the National Finals.

- But Matt,
I got to keep it 100,

the semifinals is never easy.

- Speaking truth, big man.

For more on the course
they're gonna be facing,

let's go down to Zuri Hall.

- Guys, it is Hollywood,
so we're adding

some special effects
to the course.

You may even see some ghosts.

That's because
the eighth obstacle tonight

is the hauntingly
high-flying Ghost Town.

- I don't mess with ghosts.

- Other new obstacles
include the grip-grinding

Kaleidoscope at number five.

Split Decision is a choice
between the dangerous

Dragonback or the new
balance test, Spin Zone.

- Ooh.

- The tenth obstacle
is the 35-foot climb

up the Spider Trap
to the buzzer.

Guys.

- Well, we're in Hollywood,
so we're gonna start

the semifinals with a star.

This is social media
sensation Bob Reese.

He's got millions of followers.

In fact, fellow ninja Brett Sims

is filming him right now.

- What?
- Oh!

- He just flipped
out of his sweatshirt.

It's goofy stunts
like that that have

made him beloved by his fans.

- Here are six ways that you can

use rollerblades on trampolines.

Number one, don't.

On TikTok, I have
over 3 million followers.

And I've gotten over
100 million views on my page.

Ever since I was a kid,
I've always been the one

in my family that was
doing these crazy things.

My mom and other people
think it's kind

of crazy that that's my job.

I like to post parkour,
extreme stunt type videos.

- Oh!

Stuff where I'm falling
and screaming

and doing a lot
of chaotic things.

- Uh, Bob,
this is not a good idea.

Don't do that.

- No, dude, it's fine.

And I just get
reposted on meme pages.

A niche
internet micro-celebrity.

That's what my friends call me.

Ah, ah, ah!

I'm not gonna do
any TikTok dances

on the course tonight,
but I am gonna hit a buzzer.

- cheering Bob on tonight
are his wife

and his sister, Becca,
who competed in San Antonio,

and Ninja buddy Brett Sims.

And watching back
in South Carolina

are his parents.

- Just imagine
what he was like as a kid.

- We saw his skills
in qualifying.

Not only did he get a buzzer,

he got up that Mega Wall,
10 grand.

- Whoa, he didn't
even take a swing.

Went right to the second ledge.

Matt, he's in
ludicrous mode right now.

- And he's flowing.

On now to Air Surfer.

Got to fly with that

upside-down snowboard
from pad to pad.

This is where
you can't go too fast,

have to be precise with this
board on those small cradles.

The smaller one here,
but looking locked in.

This the biggest jump, though,

4 feet over to the landing pad.

- Get it. Ooh, nice, OK.

- The surfer's riding the wave.

Got it.

Up next is Spinning Bridge.

Doesn't want to have one
of his famous falls here.

Oh!
- Oh! Oh, okay!

- Yeah!

- He is moving quickly,
and he's gonna give us a look

at this new obstacle,
Kaleidoscope.

You have to rotate these windows

so that the next window
has the ledge

on the bottom, then swing over.

- Like that.

- And those ledges
go from an inch deep

down to a quarter of an inch
on the last one.

But he lands it and now
has to rotate this one around.

- Bob Reese is 190 pounds.

How is he landing softly
on these ledges?

- This is the transfer.
Only a 1/4 inch ledge.

Got it!
- Yes!

- Oh, he's fully extended.
Just needs the dismount.

- Oh, boy, his hands
are starting to slip.

- Got it!
- Oh!

- And even he looks
a little bit relieved.

And he's gonna climb down to
get ready for the Warped Wall.

- He doesn't mind a fail video,
but not at that point.

Now he's fine.
- Oh, what's he taking out?

Oh, he's getting...
- He's getting a banana.

- He's getting potassium.
He's starting to cramp up.

He needs some banana.

And he's putting it
back in his pocket.

- Bob Reese is recharged
for the back half.

- Oh! A 360.

- A reverse 360.

- This is a very difficult
semifinals course,

and Bob Reese is treating it
like a playground.

Oh!
- What?

- He's flipping and 360ing
all over the course.

I mean, take a look at this,
a 360 on the wall

during the semifinals?
Come on!

And then whatever flip this was.

This dude is an entertainer.

Matt, ya boy needs to save

some of that energy
for the course.

He's got four more
obstacles to go.

- First up is the Salmon Ladder.

You can't tell
by looking at him.

He's so agile,
but he is a bigger guy

out here in the Ninja world.

6 feet, 190.
- Here you go, Bob!

- It's impressive
he's gotten this far,

especially while doing all
of the tricks along the way.

Now ready for obstacle eight.

And this is a brand new
obstacle, Ghost Town.

It's an unusual motion.

You can see those ghosts
stay horizontal.

- Yeah, and they looking
at you too.

Look, that's weird,

having somebody
look at you like that.

- And this third move,

the next cradle
is 18 inches higher.

You really need some power.

- Yeah, a lot of power,
a lot of up.

Don't get ghosted by Ghost Town.

- Got to launch it.

Oh!

And the trickster
is taken down by Ghost Town.

We'll have to wait and see
if that is far enough,

fast enough to get him to Vegas.

- This run right here
was made for TikTok.

The hoodie flip,
the banana, the reverse 360,

and another flip
on the back half.

Come on. What a run.

- And apparently,
he's still hungry.

A pretty fun course.

- That's not hygienic.

- Tonight, we're in Hollywood.

So who's gonna be
the breakout star?

- All right, here we go.

- Will it be the masked man

or the Weatherman?

- This is the year.

- The record-breaking
teenager...

- Let's go!

- Or the high-flying veteran?

- Good to be back.

Bring on these obstacles.
Let's go.

- It's gonna be
an action-packed night.

- Oh, oh!
Oh, my goodness...

Oh, he gets thrown out
of the ring!

- On the semifinals...

- Oh, he hacked everything.

- Of "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back
to the bright lights

at Universal Studios Hollywood.

And moments ago,
software engineer

and self-proclaimed
computer nerd Ryan Hermstein

showed what he can do
off the course.

He hacked our system.

- No, he didn't.
Oh, he hacked everything.

Oh, shoot, he hacked my phone.

We got hacked,
and he looks jacked.

- When it came
to his Ninja skills,

the 26-year-old rookie

was able to avoid a total
crash on Shrinking Steps.

- Oh, oh!

- And on Lunatic Ledges.

- He's about to go down
with the mainframe!

Oh, my gosh!

He felt that impact
in his colon.

- But couldn't avoid
a shutdown on Air Surfer.

- Oh!

#SeeYouNextSeason, homey.

- New Jersey's Darion Bennett
was styling, rocking a pair

of genie pants given
to him by the Genie Ninja,

six-time veteran
Thomas Stillings.

- Do well.
I'll take the magic with me.

- And the pants seemed to give
the 30-year-old a lift,

as he got big air on Air Surfer.

- Bennett is in it to win it.
- And on Spinning Bridge.

- I think his pants
saved him, Matt.

- But on Kaleidoscope,
he just couldn't hang on.

Whoa!

- I had fun though.

- Up next is one of the most
exciting young ninjas.

This is Pennsylvania's
16-year-old Cal Plohoros.

And you never know
what Ninja Cal

is gonna do on the course.

Back in qualifying,
he hit a buzzer,

then played matchmaker.

- My Spanish teacher has

the biggest crush on you,
Matt Iseman.

- Oh, sí?

- So if you'd like to say hi
to Señora Meyer.

- Señora Meyer.
Hola. Como estas?

- Oh, yeah!

- Well, guess who's watching?
Señora Meyer.

- Hey, I just want to say,
meet Mr. Matt Iseman.

- Hi.
- Hi, Mr. Iseman.

- What do you have
to say to Ninja Cal,

in Spanish,
as he's getting ready to run?

- Hi, Cal.

- I don't know what
that means, but thank you.

- All right, let's see how
Ninja Cal does on the course.

- Go get 'em, Cal.
You got this, buddy.

- Well, here we go, Ninja Cal.

We saw him on "Ninja Junior."
We know Cal likes to go fast.

Oh, little stumble
out of the gates there.

Only the top 15
will move on to Vegas.

- Well, in the semifinals,

you're not gonna get
15 finishers.

So it often comes down to a race

to that eighth
or ninth obstacle.

Ninja Cal knows that.

And Matt, get this...
His mom said

if he makes it
to Vegas this year,

she gonna buy him his first car.

- Well, that's some
good motivation,

and there's Mom in the middle
of Cal's sideline group.

Dad and sister also here.

Just got his driver's license.

Putting it in drive
on Air Surfer.

5'6", 145, and he is launching.

- Ooh, that boy got some bounce.

- Just needs the dismount.

-Que bueno!

- Whoo!

- Yeah, stay on top,
stay on top, stay on top.

Nice. OK.

- Now sizing up the fifth
obstacle, Kaleidoscope.

Look at that!

He jumped right out

to start that rotation.

A smart, efficient move
out of Ninja Cal.

Oh, he wants
that car badly, Matt.

- Got it.

And wasting no time over
to the third window.

He is looking strong.

- He's about to line it up,
though, Matt!

- Look at that long reach.

- I don't even speak Spanish,
but my goodness, bueno, bueno.

- This high school student
is acing Kaleidoscope.

Just needs the dismount over
that Tilting Wall,

and he's done it!
- OK!

En fuego.
Did I say that right?

Did I say that right?

En fuego.
- En fuego, indeed.

Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

- On now to the Warped Wall.

- Muy fuerte, Cal, muy fuerte.

Hey, en fuego.

- That's right.

- We'll worry about that later.

You worry about a buzzer.

He just paused to check in

on that little hookup
that's going.

- He's saying, get her number,
dog, get her number.

- He should be
more worried about

the back half of this course.

- Come on, Cal, let's go!

- Starting
with the Salmon Ladder.

- Well, Matt, he's got to go.

Pop, pop, pop,
pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.

- Now the eighth obstacle,
Ghost Town.

- He fell on the
eighth obstacle last year.

If he gets through this,
he'll have

a much better shot
at being in the top 15.

- Yeah, he's got
to keep his grip though, Matt.

Oh!
- Oh!

Popped right out
of the cradle, and that is it.

La meurta, death.

En finale.

- I think Ghost Town is gonna
be a tough obstacle tonight.

As you generate swing,

it's easy for the bar
to slide out of the cradle.

And that's exactly
what happened to Ninja Cal.

- And he's down with Zuri.

- Cal, awesome job out here.

How are you feeling out there?
- The course was so much fun.

I'm really glad
that I made it this far.

Hopefully it's enough
to hold out for Vegas.

- Yeah.

- But that eighth obstacle, man.

I got to get past it.
- Yeah.

I hear your mom
is giving you a car

if you make it to Vegas.
Is that true?

- Yes, I'm hoping to make it.
Let's go.

- All right, let's get you
that car, okay?

We'll see if you went
far enough, fast enough.

Great job.
- Thank you. I appreciate it.

- Of course.
Guys, back to you.

- Thank you.
You digging the curls? Same.

You got a good head.
- Let's go, let's go!

- Coming up,

she's the youngest woman
ever to hit a buzzer.

- Herstory
was just made tonight.

- Jordan Carr tries
to make more history

when "American Ninja Warrior"
returns.

- Welcome back
to Universal Studios.

Minutes ago,
South Carolina's Brett Sims,

who's known for his experience

and his trusty beard,
got his shot at the course.

- This is the most
famous beard in all of Ninja.

- The 35-year-old Sims competed

in our very first season,

and he hit a buzzer
in last year's semifinals.

- Yeah, he's an OG, Matt.

- But even this
11-time Ninja veteran

was tripped up early tonight.

Oh!

- That's a shock right there.

- Steve Donnelly dressed
to represent dads everywhere

with tucked in shirt,

jeans shorts,
tube socks, and dad shoes.

Even his sidelines
embraced the look.

- Let's go, Steve!

- Come on, big fella.

- This father of three
is the night's

biggest competitor
at 6'5" and 225 pounds.

But Big Daddy can move.

- You don't mess
with that daddy strength.

- And after getting that
big body through Air Surfer...

- Let it fly, Big Daddy!

- He was ready
for some refreshment.

- Whoo!
Come on, give me one more.

Let's go. Come on.

- He's providing one heck
of a show right now.

- But at Spinning Bridge,
Big Daddy went out in style.

- Oh! Oh, he was just
thrown out of the ring!

- Luckily, he was OK.

- Just kind of rolled off,
but awesome course.

- But we've already
got another ninja

on the course right now.

Finishing up obstacle five
is rookie Matt D'Amico.

The gym owner
from the Boston area

has been wicked fast so far.

- Ooh!
- Oh, my!

- OK.
This kid has style.

He's been sprinting through
the first half of this course.

Now headed to the back half.

And he's well known
in the Northeast,

where he's been
winning local competitions,

but first time on the big show.

- And his motto's on his shirt.

Every course is a speed course.

That's his mindset.
He goes all out.

- Girlfriend and mom
on the sidelines.

- If he can keep this speed up,

he's got a shot
at the Power Tower.

- And you win
that Power Tower, you get

a Safety Pass,
a do-over in Vegas.

He does seem to be slowing down

a bit here on the back half.
- Oh, yeah.

- Ten obstacles is
a long time to go full bore.

- Matt, he's never done
this many obstacles.

This is new territory for him.

- And this obstacle,
Ghost Town, is brand new.

Two ninjas
have reached it so far,

but neither made it through.

- And I'm concerned
about this 18-inch rise

here on Ghost Town.

- And you can
just see those cradles.

It's an unusual move there,
counterweighted.

- That's not enough power, Matt.

Oh, got it, got it!

- Well, he may be unknown
outside the Northeast,

but Matt D'Amico is
making a name for himself.

D'Amico the first tonight
to get past Ghost Town,

and he'll be the first
to face Split Decision.

On one side, he's got the new
balance obstacle, Spin Zone.

On the other, the upper
body test of Dragonback.

- Do this one.

- His girlfriend
says Dragonback.

Spin Zone would be faster.

Dragonback may be safer,
and that's where he's headed.

- Matt, I think he's
made the wrong decision.

- He is looking gassed.

And this obstacle is almost
impossible on tired arms.

You have to jump the bar up
the notches

of the dragon's back.

Right up. Oh, oh.
- Wow.

- Matt D'Amico
just had nothing left

for the ninth obstacle,
but a great run to that point.

- D'Amico was the first
to get past Ghost Town,

then made the decision
to go with the Dragonback.

It didn't work out,
but that run may get

the rookie to Vegas.

- A few weeks ago
in San Antonio,

our next athlete
made Ninja history.

15-year-old Jordan Carr
became the youngest woman ever

to hit a buzzer.

It was a big moment,
one she admits

she wasn't prepared for.

Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

- 15-year-old Jordan Carr
trying to break that record.

- Let's go!

It feels amazing to be

the youngest woman
to hit a buzzer.

- Let's go!

- I've been watching the show
for years and years and years,

so it's crazy to be, like,
part of history.

When I hit that buzzer,
the first thing that, like,

went through my head was,
like, what do I do?

Because I'm kind of,
like, awkward person

when it comes to all that.

- Jordan!

Jordan!

All right, she's having
a little rave.

Come over here.
- Get over here.

- You come over here.

- And then I realized
I had to celebrate.

So then I was
like, oh, let's go. Like, yay.

- We'll see you in LA.

- Crazy. Yeah.

It definitely adds
some kind of pressure

because you have to live up
to those credentials.

But no matter what happens...
- Look, she's going for it.

- It's more admirable

to have failures
that everyone sees.

- No!

- I promise, you're gonna
do much better next time.

All right, good job.
All right? OK, all right?

- "Ninja Junior"
didn't exactly go my way.

- Beat that wall!

- But when you get back up,
it feels

more rewarding
when you work for it.

- You got this.

- Nice, Jordan.
- You got it.

- It's totally crazy
to have beaten a record

that has been held
for four years.

- Nice. Go Jordan!

- But I'm definitely
not stopping now.

There's a lot more
buzzers to go.

- Jordan's parents
on the sideline.

- Let's go!

- Along with her coach,
Flip Rodriguez.

Set the record
as the youngest woman

to hit a qualifying buzzer.

Tonight, she's aiming
to be the youngest woman

to hit a semifinals buzzer.

- Matt, you talk to any
of the ninjas out there

that's around Jordan Carr,
and they'll tell you,

she's constantly asking
questions

about how to get better.

- Do you see the power
she's generating

here on Lunatic Ledges?

- Yeah, it's power
and technique now

because that's not easy to do.

Not everybody has
the technique on that.

- Good job, J! Let's go.

- She doesn't show a lot
of emotion on the course,

but she is a fierce competitor.

She worked so hard for this.
- Hey, confidence, confidence.

You got this, J.

- Flip's keeping her pumped up
as she takes on an Air Surfer.

- You got this, J. You got it.

- This obstacle's
taken out a lot

of good ninjas in past seasons.

Very easy to overshoot
or undershoot that board.

- Perfect. Come on.

- Oh. Watch that left side.
- Good correction.

That left side
of the board almost missed.

- Oh, big power
with authority, too, Matt.

- Let's go, J!
- Power, poise, everything.

Jordan Carr, she is rolling.

- Let's go! Let's go!

- Matt, if it was me at 15,
I'd be freaking out,

but Jordan Carr is
keeping it cool.

- Taking a long look
at Spinning Bridge.

What kind of traction
does this Carr have?

- OK, watch this.
Watch the horsepower here.

Nice. OK.

- Got through it,
got through it.

Wasn't as pretty
as she was hoping,

but she knows, she survived.

Looks a little shaken up.

- Let's look at it again.

She started falling forward
towards the end

and landed right on her face.

Ooh, Carr with a fender bender.

- Looks like she took
a blow to the nose,

but she's gonna
fight through it.

Unfortunately, though,
the next obstacle

is the very tough Kaleidoscope.

- You got to take it, J.
You got to take it. Come on.

- Well, look, you are shaken up.

Something always goes wrong.

Now she really has to regroup
and push through the pain.

- Nice, J. Come on.

- Again, a rock climber,
has the grip strength,

but how will that fall
impact her?

- Nice swing.

Nice. Here we go.

- Just looking so at ease here.

- Up, up!

- But here's
where it gets tough.

Big reach.

Wow! Oh, no!

- No!

- The left wrist gave out.

Now she's gonna
have to wait and see

if that gets her through
to Vegas.

- Jordan Carr looked
in complete control early

until she stumbled
on Spinning Bridge.

And then,
trying to make that big reach

up on Kaleidoscope,
she just couldn't hang on.

- I'm sure she's disappointed,

but still an incredible run
for a rookie.

And Flip's letting her know it.

Well, a Phoenix is about to fly.

We'll see Najee Richardson
run next.

And remember, the night ends
over there at the Power Tower.

- It's like Thunderdome.

The two fastest ninjas enter.

Only one will come out
with the Safety Pass.

- We're in Hollywood,

where everyone
wants a good love story.

And we had two of them
while we were away.

First up was
Ohio's Jennifer Stefano

and Ryan Sanders,
high school sweethearts

getting married in September.

Stefano overcame crippling
anxiety in qualifying

to earn her first trip
to the semifinals.

- Come on, Jennifer Stefano.

- The thrift store owner
looked good

through two obstacles but
came up short on Air Surfer.

- Oh! Hit the front end.

- Then the roles were reversed,

and Sanders hit the course.

And he was able
to make it past Air Surfer.

- Look at that hair
flowing through, Matt.

- Along with his fiancée,
the long-haired rookie

had some long-haired friends
cheering him on.

And Sanders was impressive as
he conquered Kaleidoscope...

And headed to the
back half of the course.

The groom-to-be made his way

to the eighth obstacle,
Ghost Town.

- Come on, get up there. Oh!

- Though he didn't get through,

he's still got a good shot
at moving on to Vegas.

- That was so good.

- Another ninja couple,
Joe Capo and Abby Clark

have been dating
for more than ten years.

Capo led things off.

- Let's go!
- Come on, Joe!

- The 28-year-old
from New Jersey has made it

to the National Finals
in the past.

- Yeah!
- Yeah!

- But on Spinning Bridge...

- Failed to... oh, oh!

- His run came
to a shocking early end.

Then Abby took her shot
at the course.

And the former gymnast
at Springfield College

came out strong.
- All right, come on, Abby.

- Along with boyfriend Joe,
the five-time veteran

had her Jersey Girlz training
partners cheering her on.

And she was able to get
past the Spinning Bridge.

- And she became the first woman

to get past Kaleidoscope.

- Dear Abby, you are a beast.

- But just like
during last year's semis,

she failed on the Warped Wall

on her first, second,
and third attempt.

- Wow!

- But she's still in good
position to move on to Vegas.

- Guys, I've got a
bird's eye view for this run

because it is time
for the Phoenix to fly.

I'm talking about Ninja
favorite Najee Richardson.

The seven-time Ninja veteran

is a leader
in the Ninja community.

A hero to many, but his own hero

is his grandfather,
a civil rights pioneer.

- Back in 1967, my grandfather
was part of a student walkout.

Thousands of Black students
all across the city

marched to the Board
of Education to demand

better resources

for Black students
and neighborhood schools.

- Here we are, 2022,
and it's finally

being recognized
with a historical marker.

My grandfather had no idea,

so I decided to take him
to the spot

and show him that
what he did really mattered.

Check this out, Grandpa.

You are a part
of Philadelphia history.

- You didn't know
this was up here, did you?

- Uh-uh.

- Black student walkout, 1967.

You were just a teenager.

- I was a teenager,
just turned 18.

- The amount of students
that walked out

was over 10,000 students.

They had never seen anything
like that before.

It was a real call for change.

- I love this city.

Get out and make sure
your voice is heard.

People my age
are kind of making sure

that what you guys did
didn't go in vain.

Thank you for being
an inspiration to me.

During 2020, I went and I
protested in Philadelphia.

Now I'm someone
that can do my part

to change whatever
needs changing now.

- To have a grandson

to even think that
this is important...

I can't tell you
how much this meant to me.

- Good. Oh, that makes me
so happy, Grandpa.

That makes me so happy.

- And Najee's gonna have Grandpa

watching this run back
in Philadelphia.

- Go ahead now.

- Along with his fiancée
and his parents.

- I love you! Let's go!

- You got it, Naj!

- Missed last season because
of a severe ankle injury,

but he's coming back
strong so far this year.

Hit a buzzer in qualifying.

- Well, there's a reason why
they call him

the Phoenix, Matt.

Because he has risen
from the ashes.

He's come back stronger.

And he's actually
put about 15 pounds

of muscle since we last
saw him two years ago.

Nice.

- Looking to get back
to the National Finals

for the sixth time
in his Ninja career.

- Let's go!

- He's got Joe Moravsky
and other Ninja friends

down on the sideline.

And the man always
has a smile on his face.

He is a stud.
- There you go.

- Watch him here on Air Surfer.

The guy can lache.

- Holds the record
for the longest lache.

But here comes
the big move, Matt.

Oh, my... oh, my goodness.

- Did you see that?
Did you see the ease?

- Let's go, Naj!

- Yeah. There you go.
That's what I'm talking about.

- Grandpa liked that move.
Now it's Spinning Bridge.

And no one likes
balance obstacles.

- Especially when
you've suffered an injury.

- Right through.

- You see,
he was a little tender

through Spinning Bridge.

- You got it, man! Let's go!

- Taking a deep breath before
he takes on Kaleidoscope.

This has been
the biggest roadblock tonight.

- Matt, he's a former
top-level gymnast.

We know he can lache.

It's the landing
on these small ledges.

- Come on, man.
You trained for real.

- This guy just flies.
- It's like nothing to him.

- Just needs to hang on
and turn this last wheel.

- That's that
gymnast background,

that Ninja experience,
right there.

- And he makes that last grab.

- Matt, that's the easiest
anyone has made it look.

- And the Phoenix flies through.

- Whoo!
- Here we go.

- Let's go, Naj.

- Halfway to a buzzer.

These semifinals courses
are a beast.

- We saw even some
of the young ninjas gassed now.

- He knows how to pace himself.

- And he's headed
to the Salmon Ladder.

Uh-oh.

Looks like he's stopping
to stretch out that ankle.

- Stretch it out.
- There you go.

- Well, his injury
last year was bad.

He was on crutches
for two months.

But looks like he's gonna
keep going.

- Yeah, he's got to block
that out, though, Matt.

He's got to block that
because he's got to make

that jump on that trampoline
to get on the Salmon Ladder.

- The crowd looking concerned,
but he's smiling now.

I think he's gonna be OK.

- Can't nobody
keep the Phoenix down.

- No problem
with the trampoline, though.

That's a good sign.

Seems to be all right,

and no problem
with the Salmon Ladder.

- Right, all right. Come on.

- You know there's no quit
in Najee Richardson.

This course is tough tonight,

but if Najee can get
through Ghost Town,

he'll have a good chance
of getting to Vegas.

No finishers so far.

Najee would love
to be our first.

- Nice.
Great connect right there.

- One more big swing here
on Ghost Town.

Oh!

- Just flew
right out of the cradle.

- What?

Sha na na.

- And he's looking up like,
what just happened?

Now he'll have to wait to see

if that's gets him through
to Vegas.

- That's good. That's good.

- All right, so here's how
it went down.

He was trying
to build up momentum,

and the bar just slid
right off the front.

When you enter Ghost Town,
you better come correct.

- Can you talk to me about what

went wrong on Ghost Town here?

- I think I just underestimated

how light that bar was.

And honestly,
I'm coming into this

15 pounds heavier than I've
ever come into a competition.

- I noticed you packed on
a couple of pounds.

It looks good.

- I've always been used
to just being able

to throw my body around
on these obstacles,

and I guess being
a little heavier this year,

I got to dial it back
a little bit.

So I just... yeah,
just pulled it right off.

- OK, fair enough.

We'll know soon if you went
far enough, fast enough.

Great work out there, Najee.

Matt, Akbar.

- Up next, Flip Rodriguez
is bringing the mask back.

We'll tell you why when

"American Ninja Warrior"
returns.

- While we were away,
two different generations

of ninjas took their shot
at the semifinals course.

16-year-old
Addy Herman was trying

to earn her first trip to Vegas.

And she moved quickly
through the early obstacles.

- Great timing, great pace.

- Last year in the semifinals,
her rookie season ended

on the fourth obstacle,
Spinning Bridge.

- No, no, no, no! Oh!

- Tonight,
the Massachusetts teenager

faced the same obstacle.

- All right.
Here we go, Matt.

Come on, come on.
Nice. You go, girl!

- And she looked like she might

conquer Kaleidoscope.

- Hold on, Addy. Oh!

- But her fast time means

she's still got a good shot
of moving on.

Then it was a competitor over
twice her age, Dave Cavanagh.

And he used his eight years
of Ninja experience

to conquer Kaleidoscope.

- Cavanagh is like, no, I ain't

about to let
these teens push me out.

- With his wife Jenny hanging
on every move,

Cavanagh became just
the second athlete

to get past Ghost Town.

- This dude's a Ghostbuster.

- At Split Decision,
he gave Spin Zone a look

but opted for the upper body
test of Dragonback.

- Gather yourself.

Oh!

- It may still be early,
but that strong run

puts him in good position
to move on to Vegas.

- And we've actually
got Cavanagh's

old student
on the course right now.

It's the five-time veteran
Lucas Reale.

- Nice.

- He is one of the most
popular ninjas.

Look at his sideline.

So many ninjas he's coached
or trained

up in Massachusetts,

and they're all showing
their support.

Love seeing
the smile on his face.

What a joyous
young man Lucas is.

23 years old.

Amazing.

23 and a seasoned veteran.

- There's his grandparents
and one of his aunts

watching back in Connecticut.

He's one of the most
influential coaches

in the country.

And there are more
of his students

watching back in Boston.

- He had no problem
on the first six obstacles.

What does he have left
for the final four?

- He's finished
a semifinals course before,

and he gets
through Salmon Ladder.

Facing this brand-new
obstacle, Ghost Town,

which is unlike any obstacle
we've ever had before.

These counterweighted cradles.

- And Matt, I'm afraid
of ghosts, believe it or not.

- I do believe in them.

- I don't like ghosts.
I don't mess with ghosts.

- He's making like Pac-Man.
He's eating up these ghosts.

And look at him
sticking the tongue out.

- Matt, he out here playing
with these ghosts.

- He's having a blast.

Now it's Split Decision.

It looks like he's
waving off Dragonback.

He's telling his friends
he's gonna try Spin Zone.

- Let's go.

- No.
- Yes, yes.

- Is he gonna be the first...
- Yes, he's doing it.

- To attempt the Spin Zone?

- He's a brave man to try it.

Oh!

- Did the splits!

- But give him credit,
he was the first

to give Spin Zone a try,
but comes up just short.

Still, he made it
to the ninth obstacle.

He's got a good shot
at going to Vegas.

- This is why everyone's
scared of Spin Zone.

As soon as you touch them,

they start rotating,
and you need big strides.

Reale barely got
to that fourth one.

- Man, this is a hard one.

There's a reason
no one's done it.

- Our next ninja
is used to being

on movie sets like this.

Flip Rodriguez
is a Hollywood stuntman

who is very busy, but that's
not all he's been up to.

Flip is now an author.

His book is called
"The Man Behind the Mask."

As you can see, Flip
is wearing a mask tonight,

a throwback
to his early Ninja days,

and a reminder
of what he's overcome.

- I started
"American Ninja Warrior"

as the Masked Man.

- The mask for me was
like a security blanket,

in a sense of,
can't see emotion.

People's faces would tell you
how much pain they're in.

So the mask
was kind of like a way

for no one to really see it.

- One season, the mask came off.

- That is a bold statement.

- I felt comfortable enough
to talk about my story.

Um, from about the ages of 9
to 15, I was sexually abused.

How do you... how do you
tell somebody that...

What's happening
behind closed doors?

Like, you're afraid
for your life.

Talking about my story
helped me understand

that vulnerability
is a strength.

It's not a weakness.

Now I'm writing a book
to tell my story.

It's called
"The Man Behind the Mask."

In order for me
to write this book,

I had to relive
everything again.

- But I knew it was worth
me going back

into that dark place
in hopes that it

helps somebody else
realize that,

if he did that, I can do it too.

- I'm wearing the mask
at the start line

to show the symbol of hope
and to be fearless.

12 seasons in a row I've been
on "American Ninja Warrior."

Just shows how far and
reminds me how far I've come.

- And whatever happens,
there's always hope.

- And Flip's
already started his run.

Now on the fifth obstacle.

And Akbar, we have
such admiration for this guy.

Telling his very personal,
painful story,

it takes so much courage,

and he's helped so many people.

- Everyone loves Flip Rodriguez.

- And he's
through five obstacles.

- And there's a big smile.

Matt, we know that Flip's been
training with RJ Roman,

getting ready for this season.

- Now 32 years old,
he's twice as old

as some of the teenagers.

- That's crazy when
you say it like that.

- I know.

- I mean, because, remember,
it wasn't that long...

- He was the young gun.

- He was the young gun.
- Oh, my goodness.

- And now you talk about he's
twice as old as somebody?

- Let's go, Flip.
You got this.

- There are a couple
of those new young ninjas,

Cal Plohoros and Jordan Carr.

They're watching backstage.

Flip coached both of them.

- Everyone wants Flip
to get back to Vegas.

He missed out
last year for the first time

since season six.

- Been a few years since
he's hit any buzzer.

Should be OK on Salmon Ladder.

- Boom.

Boom shakalaka, just like that.

- Go, Flip! Let's go.

- But now it's Ghost Town.

The eighth obstacle
frequently decides

who gets into the top 15
and who goes home.

If Flip can get past it,
he'll have

a much better chance
of getting back to Vegas.

- Nice.

There's a guy that
has reached stage two

in Vegas
six times in his career.

So he has the experience
to go far.

- You can see, measured up
a foot and a half up here.

- Nice.
- Got it.

- You know, with these ninjas,

especially the veterans,
they like these new obstacles.

- And Flip definitely
likes this one

because he's through!

- Yes! Let's go! Come on, Flip.

- He's now the fourth athlete
to reach Split Decision.

Will it be Dragonback
or Spin Zone?

- Matt, he fell on Dragonback
two years ago.

- No!

- So we know
he doesn't like that one.

But Spin Zone just looks
like "Mission: Impossible."

- Lucas Reale just fell here.
But Flip's gonna try it.

- I know Flip Rodriguez.

He wants to play
on the new toys.

He wants to test his skills.
- Great shot there.

You can see how they're angled,

and the steps
are very small up front.

- And he's got
the skills to pay the bills.

Oh, yes!

- Let's go!

- Oh, shoot! Oh, my gosh!
- Flip did it!

I can't believe it! He did it!

- The first to get
through the Spin Zone.

- Let's go! Yes!

- He worked so hard
with RJ Roman

to get ready for this,
and it is paying off.

He's got a chance
to be our first finisher.

Up now on Spider Trap.

- It's been a long time
since Flip hit

a semifinals buzzer,
hit any buzzer at all.

- Wow.
- Three years in the making.

Flip! Flip! Flip! Flip!

- He brought the mask back
and turned the clock back.

Flip Rodriguez
is going back to Vegas!

Our first finisher.

Yeah!

Let's go!

Hard work pays off. Let's go!

- Matt, I think we just
woke up a sleeping giant.

- And Jordan Carr
is so emotional.

- J!
- Oh, wow. Oh, come on.

I'm getting emotional now.

- Can't believe I'm back, baby!

- Flip, what did it mean
to you to bring

that mask back out
with your book coming out,

"The Man Behind the Mask?"

- You know,
writing the book felt

like I needed to bring
the mask back as a protection

of who I am because this book
is gonna be very vulnerable.

It's gonna talk
about my past and what

I went through in order
to come to the man I am today.

And it feels good
that he's back.

I got to be honest with you.

- Spin Zone looked unbeatable,
but Flip found a way across,

took big strides,
and tumbled through,

then climbed his way to our
first buzzer of the night.

- Yeah!

- Hit that buzzer one more time.

Yeah!

Whoo!

- Coming up,
he made it to the Power Tower

last year as a 15-year-old.

- Look at this!
And Pippel moving up!

- Can rising star Josiah Pippel

get back there again
this season?

His run's next on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back
to New York Street

on the
Universal Studios backlot,

where we're about
halfway through

our first night of semifinals.

- But this course is
running rough and tough,

especially this new
fifth obstacle, Kaleidoscope.

- Just in the last few minutes,

we saw New Jersey's
Alex Begolly spin out.

- Oh!

- Then Boston area
police officer

John Uga just gassed out.

He needs backup.
- Oh!

- 16-year-old
James Sannella looked

like he had
Kaleidoscope conquered

for a second.

Oh!

- Sannella, the latest victim
of Kaleidoscope.

- New York City's Xavier
Dantzler played running back

on his high school
football team.

And with his mom
cheering him on,

the 17-year-old showed
some of that toughness

as he took a blow
on the second obstacle.

- Hard fall.

- Then had to tumble
through the fourth.

- Oh, survives.

- And all those hits
seemed to catch up to him

on the fifth.

Wow. Oh, no!

Oh!

As he too was brought down
by Kaleidoscope.

- Well, we've got another one
of our teenagers up next,

budding superstar Josiah Pippel.

This 16-year-old from New Jersey

amazed us last year.

He hit three buzzers.

But turns out,
Ninja's not the only thing

he's a natural at.

Josiah Pippel!

Yes! Are you kidding me?

- I love Ninja
so much, obviously.

But I have started
to pick up new hobbies.

Like racing...

Woodworking,

and after my fall last season...

- Blind grab, blind grab.

Oh!

- I knew I needed to work
on my hand-eye coordination,

so this year,
I actually learned piano.

But obviously, with piano,
there's all the keys,

and some of the keys
are very small.

But also, I cannot read music.

I would just, like, feel it
out, what it sounds like.

I'll just go through
the whole thing, and then

hit the next key and be like,
oh, that doesn't sound right.

Do it again,
hit a different key.

- He's totally self-motivated,
always trying to learn

something new, always trying
to conquer something,

always trying
to master a new song.

It's pretty impressive
for a 16-year-old.

- All these hobbies are
something that is helping me

in some way in Ninja
because the end goal is to be

racing on stage four
for the million dollars.

- This kid's got
all kinds of talent.

There's Mom and siblings
back in New Jersey.

Josiah's dad on the sidelines

along with training partner
Najee Richardson,

who ran earlier.

The sky's the limit
for Josiah Pippel.

- Nice.
- 6 foot and 150.

We met him on "Ninja Junior."
Blew us away.

And he's gotten bigger,
stronger, and better.

- And richer, Matt.

He got that 10 grand
from taking down

the Mega Wall in qualifying.

Just amazing,
going into junior year.

- Yeah, that's just crazy to me.

Junior year in high school.
Come on, man.

- Wasting no time
getting on to Air Surfer.

Really is amazing seeing this
young man

grow up before our eyes.

- Ooh, nice.

- Great moves,
linking it together.

Wow!

- First person
we've seen do that.

- Just a next-level move
from the 16-year-old.

And he's going
right into Spinning Bridge

and gets that too.

- He didn't spend
a lot of time on Air Surfer,

and that should help him here
on Kaleidoscope.

- Well, this guy loves speed,
loves racing,

and he has the pedal
to the metal here.

- But this is
the obstacle that's

put the brakes
on so many runs already.

- Here's where that piano
playing comes in handy.

Fingers are very important
on this obstacle.

- But at 6 feet, that long reach

is made a little easier
with those long arms.

Great control.

- Yeah, and you can
see him using them Ls.

- A 1/4-inch ledge now
to catch himself.

- Nice.
- No problem.

Pippel is flying.

- Boy, Pippel can propel himself

all the way to the top
like he did last year.

- He's got to be thinking
about the Power Tower.

Got there last year
but lost his race

to Vance Walker,

so he didn't have
a Safety Pass in Vegas.

- You got it, buddy!
- Whoo!

- Yeah, a Safety Pass
could have saved him

when he fell on stage two.

- Come on.
Let's go, Josiah.

- Right now, gotta focus on

getting past the Salmon Ladder.

- Nice.

- And again,
what we're seeing is,

he's so efficient
on these obstacles.

His shirt says,
"Sometimes you've just

gotta lick the stamp
and send it."

That's his style.

- He definitely did that
back on Air Surfer.

Don't think he's gonna try
that move here on Ghost Town.

This is where his buddy
Najee fell just minutes ago.

Easy to make a mistake here.

- Yeah, and the moving
apparatus makes it

a little bit more challenging.
That adds to the difficulty.

But these ninjas
are so prepared.

Big ups, right there.

- Up 18 inches.
No problem for Pippel.

Just needs the dismount.

And he's through.

- Let's go!

- Split Decision.

- He's going Dragonback.

- I'll bet he slays the dragon.

- It's just a bar. Let's go.

- We saw Dragonback
end so many runs

when it made its debut
in St. Louis.

And no one's made it
past this obstacle tonight.

- Easy. Nice.
- Good slide down.

- Got a buzzer
last year in semis,

and getting very close
to another one.

- Pippel using that bar
like it's a sword.

He wants to slay the dragon.

And he did.
- Oh, my goodness!

This kid is impressive!

- Come on! You got this!

- And he's not slowing down,

goes right into the chute
to start the Spider Trap.

Well, no one had gotten
past Dragonback all night,

and this 16-year-old
just made it look easy.

- Ooh, Matt, he's right there.
He's 20 feet up right now.

- Each set of these doors
is 100 pounds,

but Josiah Pippel
still has enough left

to power through them.

And the teenager who taught
himself to play piano

has given us
a virtuoso performance.

- Uh-oh, uh-oh. Get it!
- Josiah Pippel does it again!

- He is gassed.

Matt, that's what I call

leaving it all out
on the course.

He has nothing left.

He could barely hit the buzzer.

And he's just laying right out.

- We knew this run
was gonna be special

when he flew through
Air Surfer without a break.

Then he was the first
to conquer Dragonback

and climb to the buzzer.

And we could see him
on the Power Tower

later tonight.

- Josiah!

Man, you made that look easy.

Last year, it was just
one obstacle away

from making it to stage three.

How far can you go this year?
- Stage five.

- Stage... we don't even have it!

That's how far he's going.

- Hey, he's going to the moon.

- Yahoo!

- Coming up, it was an epic race

between teacher and student.

Will Joe Moravsky
and Jay "Lache" Lewis

have a rematch
on the Power Tower tonight?

And Joe Moravsky does it!

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

- Welcome back
to "American Ninja Warrior"

at Universal Studios Hollywood,

where you can soar
over Hogwarts Castle,

journey into Jurassic World,

or let loose on Illumination's

The Secret Life of Pets
Off the Leash.

- And let's not forget
the world famous studio tour,

where you'll go
behind the scenes

on your favorite film sets.
Make it your best day in LA.

- And moments ago,
Florida's Jay Flores

showed off
some wizardry of his own,

having liquids
magically change colors.

- What the what? Wow.

- The 32-year-old
hosts a science show

on YouTube
with crazy experiments

and has millions of views.

- Nice!
- Let's go, Jay!

- And the Ninja rookie
pulled off

some impressive tricks
on the course.

- Oh! He lost his grip.

Oh, my goodness. What a save.

- But seconds later,
gravity caught up to him.

- Science, technology,
engineering, math

cannot save him on this one.
- No.

And Zuri had some questions.

- So what happened
at the start line?

That was some magic.
I'm very impressed.

- It's not magic, it's science.

- Then it was Sophia Lavallee,
known as the Wandering Ninja.

She's traveled to 25
countries, and she's only 17.

- Sophia Lavallee
knows how to handle

the peaks and valleys
of "Ninja Warrior."

- The Massachusetts teenager
was the top woman

in her night of qualifying.

- Nice.

- Yeah, baby!

- But for the second year
in a row,

she struggled in semifinals,

going out on the third obstacle.

- Big lache! Ooh!

- I undershot it.
That was upsetting.

- Our next athlete
always electrifies the crowd.

He's one
of the most energetic ninjas.

Four-time veteran
Anthony Eardley.

He's a welder,
and Ninja fans love him.

- Get ready! Get pumped!

This is what we do!
This is what we do!

- No one gets pumped up
the way he does.

And that passion and positivity

comes from
his very unique family.

- Come and get your food.

It's ready. Ooh!

Get it while it's hot. Cheers.

What was the last time
we've done this? Seriously.

- I was just gonna say,
isn't it so nice

to have just about
everybody together?

- I come from a very diverse
and multicultural family.

I was adopted at two days old.
And I am number two of seven.

My siblings range from 33 down
to the tender age of 2.

Let's go! Whoa!
- Whoo!

- We just adopted baby Andrew.

- Hold on tight. Whoa!
- Whoa.

- It's just reminding me
how much of a kid I still am.

I have been...
- Hey.

Two more. Oh, miss.

He looks at me
like I'm a superhero.

And I have that responsibility
for him to realize

how much of a superhero
he can be himself.

Whoa!
- Daddy, I won!

- I don't think I could
do anything without my family.

- Can I get a super hug?
Give me a super hug.

- Which is why
I'm striving so hard

to show them how much they mean.

- Go! Beat it!
- Yeah!

- Ah, you can just see
how emotional

Anthony Eardley gets when
he talks about his family.

And of course, they're
watching back home in Oneonta.

Anthony Eardley, 5'10", 155.

He is electrifying.
- Yes, he is.

- It's because of that singlet.

- And he just needs
to channel that energy

from the start line
and use it on the course.

- Well, veterans know
it's hard to hit a buzzer.

So you want to go
as far, as fast as you can.

Only the top 15 will move on
to the National Finals.

Right now, it looks like
you have to get

to that eighth obstacle
quickly to have any chance.

- Anthony Eardley knows,
Eardley bird gets the worm.

- Feel it out. Feel it out.
- He has been consistent.

Made it to the semis
three of the four years

he's been here, but he's never
made it to Vegas.

Now taking on Air Surfer.

- Yes. Yes, indeed.

And you see he took a pause
to measure it.

He wants to see it, make sure
he got the calculation right.

- Okay, wow.
- Ooh.

- Looking real solid.
Long throw. And he's safe.

- Yeah, the crowd's digging it.

They're digging it, Matt.

- Now facing Spinning Bridge.

One missed foot,
and your season is over.

- Nice. Great footwork.

- The fifth obstacle,
Kaleidoscope,

has been a tough one tonight.

Ended the runs of a handful
of ninjas already.

- Come on, efficient,
efficient, yes, sir.

- Good power out of Eardley.

Really controlling
those windows.

- There you go, Matt.

As he progresses
through Kaleidoscope,

the handles go from
3/4 of an inch to a 1/4 inch.

- And that one really
tests the fingertips.

- Especially
as you start to turn them.

- And watch on these rotations.
- Oh, boy.

- You could see, you got
to grab on the opposite end,

that high part of the curve
as it rotates down.

- No pain, no gain.

- On now to just
a 1/4-inch ledge.

- Don't think about it.
Don't think about it.

- I think he's having trouble
building up the momentum.

There he goes for it. Got it!
- Nice.

I love how
he calmed himself down

as you start to feel
the buildup and the pain.

- Let's go!
- And he is pumped!

- Ah!
- I love it.

- The man is putting on a show.

Just electrifying.
- I don't hear nothing.

Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

- And now he's
calling out the crowd,

Akbar, he's cutting a promo!

- He wants that cheer.
Beat that wall.

Beat that wall! Beat that wall!

- And he is feeding
off that energy.

He's headed to the back half.
Enjoying the spotlight.

- All right.
- Now I can see you better.

- All right, light it up.

- Now last season,
Eardley got to this point

and only had to complete
the Salmon Ladder

to earn his first trip to Vegas,

but fell,
and it has haunted him.

- You know he's not tryna fall

two years in a row
on Salmon Ladder.

Nice. All right.

- Let's see what he learned.

- One,

two,

three,

four.

You don't own me anymore.

- He gets his revenge.

- This is what we do!
- He says this is what we do.

- And he's made it
to the eighth obstacle,

Ghost Town.

You can see the eyelashes
on the ghosts there.

And you can just see these
counter-weighted cradles.

- Nice.

- Little more difficult
to get them to move.

It's like they're in molasses.
- Matt, he's charged up.

- But it's 18 inches up
on this third move.

- Not enough power, though.

Oh, excuse me!

Excuse me!

- And look at this,
Eardley at the ninth obstacle.

- He is feeling himself.

He is feeling himself.
- And now Split Decision.

And this is the challenge,

Dragonback, or he can try

the balance obstacle, Spin Zone.

But only two have
tried it so far,

and Flip Rodriguez
is the only one who survived.

- Go ahead, man.
Take your shot at Spin Zone.

He's feeling himself.

- No, he's not.

- I got to do it.
I got to do it.

- You got it!

- Going with Dragonback.

But this one's not easy, either.

Only one ninja, Josiah Pippel,
has made it past it so far.

Got to control this bar.

And a long drop here.

- No!

- He slides off on Dragonback,

but still the best run
of Anthony Eardley's career,

and he gave these fans a show.

- Much love.

- Right from the start,
Eardley brought the energy

and got the crowd into it
as he muscled his way

to the ninth obstacle,
enough to earn him

his first trip
to the National Finals.

- And Zuri's gonna
give him the good news.

- Anthony, you know,

you've never been
to a National Finals before.

What would it mean
to you to make it to Vegas?

- Listen, that Salmon Ladder
took me out last year.

That was the greatest
I ever felt.

And it was good
to come back here and, like,

just never take
that offseason off.

Here we is.

- Well, we need these
to be happy tears

because I've got good news.

You're headed to Vegas.

You're gonna
to the National Finals.

Congratulations, Anthony.

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

- While we were away,

two of our East Coasters
took their shot at the course.

Many think
Pennsylvania's Matt Bradley

has the skills to win it all.

- We know he can fly.

- The 20-year-old is
well known for building

many of our obstacles
in his barn

so he can train on them,
including the Air Surfer.

So he felt confident
on the obstacle tonight

and tried to link
the three laches in a row.

Oh, no!
- Oh!

- I have that obstacle.
I went for it. It went wrong.

- Then it was
Jersey Girl Cara Mack,

who's made it to the semifinals

every year she's competed.

With the other
Jersey Girlz cheering her on,

Mack marched
through the early obstacles.

- Cara Mack is back, baby!

- She celebrated her sprint
across the Spinning Bridge.

- Oh, oh! Okay!

- But to guarantee
a spot in Vegas,

she needed
to finish Kaleidoscope.

- Now, this
is where it gets real, Matt.

Oh, my goodness. Body slam!

- Instead, she ended with maybe

the fall of the night.

- That was quite the ride.

- Cara's slower time
to Kaleidoscope

means she is out
of the top three.

Right now,
Abby Clark is guaranteed

to move on,
along with Addy Herman,

but Jordan Carr's on the bubble

with one more woman to run.

And that final woman
is another one

of the Jersey Girlz,
Rachel Degutz.

This 23-year-old is now

a full-time middle school
science teacher,

and she's bringing Ninja
to the classroom.

- Oh, yes!
That's what I'm talking about!

- Whoo!

Last year's semifinals
went pretty well.

- Only a small group
of elite women

have ever made it
to the back half.

- Oh! Wow!
- Holds on!

And Degutz does it.

- This year,
I'm even more prepared

because I started
my first big girl job.

I'm teaching seventh
and eighth grade science.

Good job.
Good job.

It's really fun because I get
to incorporate Ninja obstacles

into the physics concepts
we're learning about.

Oh, no!

- It's a really fun
and engaging way

to combine my two lives.

So here's my shout-out
to all of my students

that have been begging
for a shout-out.

I love you guys.

I hope you're taking
notes tonight

because I'm about to teach
this course a lesson.

- And there's the shout-out
to her students

from Riverfront Middle School,
who gathered

for a special
viewing party at the school.

- Whoo!

- And there's
the real shout-out.

That's her scream.

She does that before every run.

- The other Jersey Girlz
are on the sideline.

Matt Bradley is gonna be

an honorary member for this run.

Let's go, Rachel.

- And Rachel knows
what she needs to do.

That's the advantage
of being the last woman.

- All she has to do is get

to Kaleidoscope faster
than 1:31,

and she will go back to Vegas.

Just her second year,
but she understands

pace is everything.

It is a race
through Spinning Bridge.

Good power.

And you can see
the pendulum there.

I'm sure she's gonna use that

in middle school science class.

- Ooh, nice.

If you got the guts,
you get the glory.

- On now to Air Surfer.
It can be a challenge.

5'3", 130.
Kind of a short wingspan here.

This obstacle's knocked out
some veteran ninjas tonight.

- All right,
she teaches physical science.

This is some
physical science right here.

- And you can see the focus,

checking both sides
of the board.

Good precision.

Big lache.

- Nice.
- Got it!

- Did you see how she reached up

to make sure
she made that clear?

She was not about to break
on the front edge.

Ooh, get out of there.

- Nice!
- Got it!

- The clock is ticking.

Just needs to get
across Spinning Bridge.

Here we go.

Vegas on the line
for Rachel Degutz.

- Go, stay on top,
stay on top, stay on top.

- Got it!
- Nice.

- Her second trip
to the National Finals.

- If you don't think
their students

are paying attention in class,
yes, Ms. Degutz.

- Well, last year
in the semifinals,

she made it
to the ninth obstacle.

But Kaleidoscope has been
so unforgiving tonight.

- All right,
Rachel Degutz on Kaleidoscope.

Roll call.

She's taking names
and kicking butt.

Come on.
- Good lache.

No problem.
- Come on, Degutz.

- Let's go.

- Let's go. Come on!
- Come on, Rachel.

- And now let's see
if that reach,

if she can get up
to those handles.

- Big, high reach, Rachel.
- Uh-oh.

Watch out, watch out here.
- Wow.

- Watch out!
- Oh, my goodness.

- Did you see how
she just pulled up?

- The power out of Degutz.
- I'm just watching. Come on.

Come on.

- On now to the 1/4 inch lip
by that fourth window.

Does she have anything left?

- Matt, this is...
This is gonna be problematic.

You can see right there,
the right hand.

The right hand is
starting to give up,

but she's fighting through.

Come on. Show us what you got.
Come on, Degutz.

- Oh, trying to watch herself!
- Dig deep.

Dig deep!
- Oh!

Flips out,
but not before punching

her ticket back to Vegas.

- If you're gonna go out,
go out in style.

- Her students are
gonna have a lot of fun

watching this one over and over.

That's called a mean.

The science teacher learned
a hard lesson in physics,

but she's moving on.

- And Zuri's gonna let her know.

- I've got good news.
- What?

- You're headed to Vegas.
- Really?

Ah! Ahh!

- Two of the three
Jersey Girlz in Vegas?

It's about to be a party.

- Let's go!

- It's a Power Tower
like you've never seen before.

We're gonna get
our first look at it

when our two fastest race
for the coveted Safety Pass

at the end of the night
on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Music was ringing
through New York Street

while we were away.

First up was Boston's Guang Cui,

who showed off
one of his many skills,

playing the violin.

Guang's got a minor in music

but a major
in computer science at MIT.

And he had his
fellow students watching

as he mastered
the first two obstacles.

- Come on, come on. Got it.

- Then the 21-year-old
computer whiz

tried to calculate his moves
through Air Surfer.

- Oh!

His calculation was off.

- Then the Hip Hop Ninja,

Jeremy Warters showed off
his musical talent.

- Let's go!

- Warters is a rapper
from Syracuse, New York,

who got a buzzer
back in qualify.

And he had it
flowing again tonight.

- Hip hop hooray.

- The 21-year-old rookie
conquered Kaleidoscope.

And got the extended play
on the back half.

- OK, Jeremy.

- The rapper had no grip left

by the time
he reached Ghost Town.

- Ooh.

- But Zuri got to tell him
the party ain't over yet.

- I've got good news.
You're headed to Vegas.

I'll see you
in the National Finals.

Congratulations.

- Up next, one of Ninja's
rising stars.

It's Connecticut's
Jay "Lache" Lewis.

He just turned 18 and
graduated from high school.

And tonight, he's ready
to make a big announcement.

- So we're going
to Quinnipiac first?

- Yeah, Quinnipiac,
and then we're hitting

Fairfield after, right?
- Oh, that'll be good.

- Like a lot of families in the
last year of high school,

we've been doing a
lot of campus visits.

- Hi, nice to meet you all.

Welcome to Quinnipiac.
- Thank you. It's gorgeous.

- Thank you.
- Appreciate it.

- What are you
interested in school?

What are you looking for?

You'll be taking most of your
classes in this building.

- In a college,
I want to make sure

that I'm still
pretty close to home.

Obviously,
a really good education.

And in general,
I just want somewhere

where I feel like I fit in.

I applied to Quinnipiac,
Fairfield,

University of Connecticut,
Villanova, and Syracuse.

- You're in great hands.
Welcome to our campus.

Enjoy.
- Thank you.

- Welcome to our library.

- It's pretty amazing
watching Jay grow up.

We look back at old pictures
of him competing

in Ninja competitions,
and it really

has gone by very quickly.

- He's the new
big man on campus.

- Let's go!

Ninja truly is the biggest
thing in my life right now.

Something that was
very important was

if there were any
Ninja gyms nearby.

And I found a college that
checks off all of those boxes.

If I'm able to complete
this course tonight,

I will be announcing
my decision for college

at the top of the Spider Trap.

- You heard him.

He's going to announce
his college choice tonight

if he hits a buzzer.

- He's putting pressure
on himself.

- Ah, he loves pressure.

His dad and brother watching
back in Connecticut.

Jay's mom and other
Ninja friends on the sideline,

including training partner
and mentor Joe Moravsky.

Just an impressive young man.
5'4", 115. So strong.

- And Matt, expect Jay Lache
to go for speed.

You know exactly what he wants.

He wants to get
on that Power Tower.

- He made it there last year
but lost out

to his friend, Joe Moravsky.

And Jay Lache could have
used that Safety Pass

when he fell early on stage one.

He knows the value
of a Safety Pass in Vegas.

- And Joe's gonna be gunning
for that Power Tower as well.

We could have a rematch.

- Again, Jay Lewis is only
5'4" and 115 pounds.

- I'ma go ahead
and say that I don't think

Jay Lache can gas out.

If he makes a mistake tonight,

it's gonna be
on a technical issue.

This kid is talented.
- Such efficiency.

- Already at Spinning Bridge.

Look at that.
Double thumbs up.

- Let's go, Jay!
- Do it!

- On now to Kaleidoscope.
A great pace to this point.

- But look at how
he's keeping his Ls.

- Keeping his arms locked
in the L position.

Bend them Ls right there.

- And we just see
with these young ninjas,

this is why they're so good,

not just their motors
but his approach.

He's got a veteran approach.

- Matt, are you watching
what I'm watching?

He's not expending any energy.

Look at them Ls.
Look at the technique.

- And long reaches there,

getting those hands
in a great position.

- What the heck am I
watching right now?

- 1/4 inch ledge, no problem.

Jay Lewis just annihilated
those first five obstacles.

- Jay.

- He's busy, Akbar.

- Hey, are you even tired?

- He's too in the zone
right now to even respond.

- Good run. Let's go!

- Come on, Jay!

- Whatever college gets him,
they're gonna be thrilled

that he's bringing
his talents there.

On now to the back half
of the course with Jay Lache.

As you said,
it looks like he hasn't

even expended any energy.

He's looking strong.
- Wow.

This is the best we've seen
Jay Lache, Matt.

- Let's go. Go, go, go.
- Here we go!

- And now grabbing hold
of obstacle eight, Ghost Town.

Such a unique obstacle.

And Jay's looking up
at those googly eyes.

- That ghost
don't scare Jay Lache!

- But here's the big move,
18 inches up.

- Oh, boy!
- He got it!

That was a challenge.

He's getting closer to a buzzer

and that college decision.

Right now, he's well ahead
of Flip Rodriguez's pace,

and he has a chance
to catch Josiah Pippel

for the fastest time.

- And look, he's going
straight into Dragonback.

He ain't messing around
with Spin Zone.

- Dragonback can eat up
more time, though.

Now, this is such
a technical obstacle,

keeping that bar straight.

We saw it in St. Louis
end the runs

of many great ninjas.

- Ooh, this may be
breathing that fire, man.

I don't know
if he wants this smoke, man.

This one is hard.
- Now it's a slide down.

Watch this slide.
- Whoa!

- He just leapt it
onto those bungee cords.

- You see the switch grip
right there,

making sure, ensures that
he doesn't peel off.

- Jay Lache looking so strong.
Another big move.

- Matt, I'ma go ahead
and say it.

This kid's got
more heat than the dragon.

He's got more
heat than the dragon.

- And Jay Lache,
35 feet away from finishing

another semifinals course!

He's got a shot
to beat Pippel's time.

And he is just annihilating.

He is looking
like a graduate student

here at "Ninja Warrior."

- Yeah, well, whatever school
gets this kid,

they are getting a winner.

Finished first
in the semifinals last year.

Looking like he's gonna try
for a repeat tonight.

50-pound door on one side,
50-pound on the other.

- Ooh, that boy got stronger
since last year.

- Jay Lache!
- Let's go!

- Our third finisher, and it's
the fastest of the night!

What a performance
by this 18-year-old.

Jay Lache!

Now, we know you got
a decision coming up

because you're no longer
a high schooler.

You're going to college.

And we were just wondering,
where you going?

- Yeah, where you going, man?

Uh-oh, what's this?
What's this?

- I've decided to go
to Syracuse University.

- The Orangemen!
- Oh!

- Wearing the orange S
for Syracuse.

- Matt, that's what I call
an announcement right there!

- Yeah! Let's go!

- Jay, right now
it'd be you and Josiah Pippel

on the Power Tower,
but Joe Moravsky's coming up.

Could we see a rematch?

- Ooh, I want a rematch
on that bad boy.

- Hit that buzzer again, Jay.

- That boy going to college!

- So Jay Lache may be headed
to the Power Tower.

Will his buddy,
Joe Moravsky go too?

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

- Plenty of excitement from
our final runners tonight.

19-year-old James Burns
is a LEGO fanatic,

and he made us
custom microphones

built out of LEGO bricks.

- James Burns
just made us the dopest

LEGO microphone I've ever seen.

- Here we go.

- Zuri's didn't work
as well as ours,

but it was
the thought that counts.

On the course, Burns put
together an impressive run.

- It Burns! It Burns!

- And the Massachusetts native
ran his way

to the fifth obstacle,
where he let go

of the final piece
on Kaleidoscope.

No!

- It was a strong run.

He didn't quite get through it,

but I think we're
keeping these as souvenirs.

Next was one of our
strongest young competitors,

Rhode Island's Luke Dillon.

- I see you, Luke Dillon.
- Let's go, Luke!

- The college student
was eliminated

at the Spinning Bridge
in last year's semifinals,

but he wasn't gonna
let it happen again tonight.

- No! Oh! Yes! A flip.

Look at it again.
He went upside down!

- With that obstacle behind him,

the 20-year-old turned it on,

powering his way to the
back half of the course.

- I guess Luke Dillon's
now a Ghostbuster.

- And after going back and forth

several times
at Split Decision...

- He's giving it
a second thought.

- He finally settled
on Dragonback, and it worked.

- Nice.
- And Dillon climbed the tower

to become the night's
fourth finisher.

Let's go!

- Let's go!

- Well, Luke Dillon,
you're gonna be

dealing in Vegas, man.

- Dillon's time did not
get him into the top two,

so right now the Power Tower
would feature

teenagers Jay Lewis
and Josiah Pippel.

But our final runner may have
something to say about that.

Zuri, get him going.

- You'll see a lot of stars

at Universal Studios,
but there is none bigger

to Ninja fans
than our next athlete.

I'm talking the Weatherman,
Joe Moravsky.

Like the tornado behind him,
he's been a force of nature.

He's hit 28 buzzers
in his career,

more than any other ninja.

- And there's the family
watching back in Connecticut.

His mom there with his wife
and three kids.

His dad Joe is on the sideline

with training partner Jay Lache,

who's gonna be
on the Power Tower.

We could see a rematch
between Jay and Joe.

Now, the Weatherman won
their race last year.

Needs to beat Pippel's time

of 4 minutes, 10 seconds
to get on the Power Tower.

Moravsky has been
so remarkably consistent.

I look at he
and Flex Labreck as two

of the most mentally tough
ninjas out here.

- And Matt, a lot of people
believe Joe Moravsky

was supposed
to win it all years ago.

You talked
about his consistency.

Can he put it all together?

- Has made it
to the National Finals

every time he's competed.

Made it to stage three
five times,

been the Last Ninja Standing
twice.

Disappointed last year
when he went out

on a balance obstacle
in stage two.

Good correction there
with the board.

- Nice move, Joe.
Let's go. Keep moving.

- Now Spinning Bridge.

- Good job
on the balance obstacle.

He wants that Power Tower.

- Yeah, he's listening to us.
- There he is.

Watch this.
- Let's go, Joe.

- This is Joe Moravsky,
the Weatherman,

turning to Kaleidoscope
like a tornado.

- 33 years old, looking
to go up against Jay Lache.

They battled
on the Power Tower last time.

Moravsky looking strong here
on Kaleidoscope.

Moving efficiently,
the clock ticking.

That Safety Pass was key.
He needed it.

- Yeah, if he didn't
have that Safety Pass,

Matt, it's a whole
different story.

- He would have been out
on stage one.

- Still has plenty of time
if he wants to get

to the Power Tower.

A quick break, and now
he's headed to the back half.

- He's in the zone right now.
He looks serious.

- He's finished
the semifinals course

four of the last five years.

- You got it, Joe.

- He knows the value
of the Safety Pass.

- It can be
$1 million difference.

Now the Salmon Ladder.
Should be no problem.

Everyone in this crowd
watching Joe

and keeping an eye on the clock.

He's still got time
to beat Pippel,

but these last few obstacles
can really eat up the seconds.

- Well, you know he wants
that shot at the Power Tower.

That's what
Joe Moravsky's about.

He wants
to compete in the Power Tower.

He wants to show
that he's still elite.

He ain't gonna let these young
boys just run the course.

- Well, if he can dismount
off Ghost Town,

he'll secure a spot
in the top 15.

And he's done it.

He is definitely moving on
to Vegas.

Now he can focus
on getting to the Power Tower.

- What's he gonna do
at Split Decision?

I think he's
gonna go for it, Spin Zone,

because it's gonna be
the quickest way to ensure

that he gets the time
and gets to the Power Tower.

Oh.
- No.

He's calculating that
he can get through Dragonback

and still have time
to get up the Spider Trap

and beat Pippel's time.

- Hey, he trusts
his upper-body strength.

Doesn't want to risk it
on Spin Zone.

I'm sure that he's starting
to feel the pump.

Is he gonna slide it down,
or is he gonna... oh, nice.

- Good control. Watch the
right side of that bar.

It's barely on.
Good correction.

That's the challenge
on Dragonback,

and the bar favoring
the left side still, Akbar.

That right side clinging on.

Oh!
- Oh, my gosh!

Joe Moravsky's down!
- Eaten up by the dragon.

The Weatherman will not
go to the Power Tower.

He's obviously disappointed,

but the good news,
he's still going to Vegas.

- Well, this is one of the most

grip-intensive courses
we've ever had.

And you can just see
Joe's fingers gave out

on Dragonback, sending
the Weatherman into a twister.

- So our Power Tower
match-up is set.

Teenagers Jay Lewis
and Josiah Pippel

will race for the Safety Pass.

And our tower
has been redesigned.

It starts by pushing
a hundred-pound sled,

which leads to the Switchback.

Then it's a big rope swing
across to start the climb

up the columns
to the Cliffhanger.

Followed by the Pipe Climb,

and the Dropping Shelves
to reach the buzzer.

And we'll see it in action
for the first time

next on
"American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back
to Universal Studios.

We're gonna end our first night

of semifinals on a high note.

It's our first chance to see
the redesigned Power Tower.

And the first to try it
will be two teenagers,

Jay "Lache" Lewis
and Josiah Pippel.

Now, both raced and lost
on the Power Tower last year.

- There's some big differences
between these two.

Jay's only 115 pounds and 5'4".

So he's 35 pounds lighter,

but 8 inches shorter
than Josiah.

- We both know what it's like
to lose on a Power Tower,

and neither of us is gonna
want that to happen again.

- It's still neck and neck.

Oh, my, Vance Walker!

- Jay Lache is still coming.
He ain't giving up.

- Last year, I was definitely
just excited to be there,

and that was not enough.

- Oh, my goodness!

- This year,
it's gonna be serious.

- Jay's got a weight advantage.

I've got a height advantage,

but we each have our
strengths and weaknesses.

- Jay Lache continues to rise.

- He's got one of the
meanest game faces

I've ever seen, and he is
a really strong athlete.

It's gonna create
a really awesome match-up.

- This is the big move.

- Having that Safety Pass is
gonna be a big deal this year.

- Blind grab, blind grab.

Oh!

- I know from last year
that mistakes

are very easy
to be made in Vegas.

There's nothing you can do
once you fall in that water.

- Oh, no!

- One of us is walking away
without a Safety Pass

for the second straight year,

and I definitely
don't want that to be me.

- So they're gonna move
into position.

- Good luck to you.
- You too.

- Crush it.
- Classy.

Jay Lewis will be starting
on the right, the red side.

Josiah Pippel will be
on the left, the blue side.

- I can't wait
to see them in action

on this redesigned Power Tower.

Lots of new twists to this one.

- As you saw last season,

Jay Lache went out on stage one.

Josiah went out on stage two.

Both of them would have loved
to have had that Safety Pass.

Here's a chance
to earn it this year.

- Matt, you can
feel the tension.

- First new element
are these hundred-pound sleds.

And Pippel a slight edge there,

but let's see what happens
in the Switchbacks.

- Oh, in the Switchbacks,
you got to be nimble

through the Switchback.
Oh, boy.

- And you can see
Pippel first up the ramp.

- Here we goes.
Josiah, using them long legs.

Now into the rope swing.

- They need to get over
to the other side,

work their way across,
and then climb up the column.

Pippel using those long limbs.
Just a slight edge.

Can he sustain it?
Going to the Cliffhanger.

- Oh, boy.

Jay Lewis is right there,

and he's flying
through Cliffhanger.

- And Lache has made it up,

but Pippel first
on the Pipe Climb.

- Oh, boy.
- Just a slight edge.

Watch it here
on the Dropping Shelves.

- Back and forth!

- And Lache makes
the move first!

- His name is Jay Lache!

This is where he can win!

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

And Jay Lewis wins it.

- That was so close!
- Jay Lache edges out Pippel!

- Oh!

- One of the closest races

we've ever seen
on the Power Tower.

- Matt, that was way too much
drama for your mama,

way too much drama
for Hollywood.

Look at this.

Josiah used his size advantage

on the sleds,
took the early lead,

and he was able to keep it

as they swung across
and started climbing.

At Dropping Shelves,

Josiah still had a slight lead.

But look at Jay's technique,
going sideways.

That allowed him to catch up.

They both dove for the buzzer,

but right there,
Jay barely beat him.

- Just over a tenth
of a second separated them,

and Jay Lache will get
that coveted Safety Pass.

We'll see both of them in Vegas.

And joining them will be the
other finishers from tonight,

the 12-time veteran
Flip Rodriguez

and 20-year-old Luke Dillon.

Non-finishers moving on include

the Weatherman, Joe Moravsky,
along with the Phoenix,

Philadelphia's Najee Richardson.

And teenager Cal Plohoros
is getting a new car

because he earned
his first trip to Vegas.

Abby Clark finished 15th,

and the other two women
joining her

are 16-year-old Addy Herman

and schoolteacher Rachel Degutz.

So that wraps up
our first night of semifinals.

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.