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Previous Episodes June 30 |
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A new group of athletes have come from all over the country to take on the world's most brutal obstacle course. Who has what it takes to become the first American Ninja Warrior? Recaps by Chico Alexander, GSNN
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Venice Beach
Qualifier 2 A course so brutal and intense that, of the thousands that have attempted it, only three have completed it. Last year, with the course now firmly on American soil, one man - Brent Steffensen - came drastically close only to fail in the Third Stage. But that was then, and this year, a new group of athletes, specially trained and battle ready, have come from all across the nation to attempt to make the field of 100 who will take on Mt. Midoriyama's killer American course with $500,000 on the line to whoever can finish it in the fastest time. This year comes with a new twist in the competition. Three words: "Win and in." If you finish the qualifier course, you move to the final course, where only the fastest 100 will earn their spot on the group that will take on this year's ANW tournament. If we do not get 30 finishers, we will round out the field with whoever went the furthest the fastest. Last night, six competitors got an automatic spot in the next round. Now it's up to the final 65 to see if they can join them. VENICE, CA This course is markedly different from courses past. In fact, of the six obstacles, FOUR have not been seen on American soil. - QUINTUPLE STEPS: five steps, seven feet
between each one. As a reminder, anyone who finishes the qualifier moves on to the regional final and move one step closer to the American Sasuke course in Las Vegas. First up... - Michael Mark (37; San Diego; motivator
& life coach) - here to make a dedication to his father, who will be
turning 93 soon - FAIL Floating Chains Another 10 came, another 10 gone. - Spencer Hurtt (36; Tustin, CA;
operations manager) - FAIL Flying Nunchuk Another 10 gone, another 10 gone, another 10 bite the dust, including "Frosti" Zernow. Did you know that ANW invites players AND welcomes walk-ons? It's true. Here's one now. - Mario Mendoza (40; San Francisco;
general contractor) - FAIL Flying Nunchuk A fellow competitor who was next on the course treated him on site. His run later. - Justin Walcker (23; Seattle; systems
manager) - Remember, he lives with Tourette's Syndrome. - COMPLETE! ANW All-Star Paul Darnell and his wife Melanie are one of five married couples waiting to compete. Their run later. - Jessie Graff (29; Santa Monica, CA;
stuntwoman) - dressed as Big Bird. FAIL Flying Nunchuk. As God is my
witness, I thought chickens could fly! Eight more are done before they begin. Two more - classical pianist Yen Chen and Forest Chang-Turpen - advance. Next, the wife of an ANW All-Star. - Melanie Darnell (27; North Hollywood,
CA; CPA) - FAIL Quintuple Steps The couple that fails together... - Aaron Cook (32; Kirkland, WA; sales trainer) - Before that, he was a ballet dancer. After that, he was the father of an autistic child. FAIL Flying Nunchuk Married couple the Heltons fail on the Quint-Steps. The Queens.. also failed. Hope Rocho... failed the Quint-Steps. Her husband... - Dustin Rocho (34; Las Vegas; CPR instructor) - Last year, he ruptured his eardrum in the Finals. COMPLETE! Another eight got dumped by the course,
but Andrew Douglas moves on. There are five players left. Jessie Graff is currently in 28th place on the leaderboard. She could be the first woman EVER to make a final. Or.... - Kacy Catanzaro (23; Belleville, NJ; obstacle course trainer) - The girlfriend of one Brent Steffensen. FAIL Flying Nunchuk. Her time could still hold up. Shane Daniels joins the finishers... Meanwhile... - Kyle Cochran (24; San Diego; cheer instructor) - If you remember, he is a type 1 diabetic. FAIL Flying Nunchuk. Jessie's still holding on in 29th. With only Brent Steffensen left to complete, Jessie has just made history as the VERY FIRST WOMAN to compete in a City Final. And speaking of which... - Brent Steffensen (32; stuntman; Sandy, UT) - COMPLETE! And that's it. Let's see who's moving on. LEADERBOARD 1) JESSE LA FLAIR The downside of making history for Jessie Graff... Her run is FIRST in the Venice Final. See you on G4. For more information on the contestants, including never-before-seen footage, go to g4tv.com/anw or nbc.com/anw |
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