American Ninja Warrior's All Star episode aired on Monday February 20. It started with the team competition between Akbar, Matt, and Kristine.
I have to start off talking about Nicholas Coolridge. He was on Team Kristine-- the team which won the entire team battle. Also, he was the middle man on both Stage 1 and Stage 3 (the only stages Team Kristine competed). So, Coolridge attempted and successfully completed the Jumping Spider and The Crazy Cliffhanger (if that's what it is still called) and the Body Prop and Upside Down Rock Wall. He was INSANE! In addition to all this, he won his skills competition.
I wanted to mention him because this previous season (2016) was his second year competing, and he made it all the way to Stage 2 alongside some of the best: Joe, Chris, Jake, Drew. He was pretty incredible his Rookie year, too. He was the Only one to complete his City Finals (this included Kevin Bull and others). Despite all this athletic insanity, Coolridge receives almost no recognition. This last season he had next to no TV time. I believe the only time he had was halfway into his City Finals, and unfortunately, he didn't hit the buzzer. Also, his skills competition was not shown, only mentioned "during the break." He should be a famous competitor, in my opinion, but he seems to get passed over a lot. I joke a lot about how he must have said something to the wrong person and now the show is mad at him.
Anyway, I was psyched to see him on Team Kristine, and even more psyched when they won. I have to admit that was a pretty awesome team. I also have to admit that Akbar's team was a little odd. I definitely believe that Grant, Neil, and Meagan are excellent athletes, but they aren't necessarily the best. Meagan doesn't surprise me at all; she is a strong female athlete, and Jesse and Jessie were taken. However, I think Grant was only chosen because Akbar (and Matt) are totally in love with him. It's because of his dancing and his laid-back personality. Which, don't get me wrong, that's great; I have nothing against a happy person. Unfortunately, he was too over-hyped. They raved about him SO much, I got a little sick of him. Neil was probably chosen because him and Grant are a package deal (which is sort of cute; they have a pretty solid bromance).
So, that is the rant about Nicholas Coolridge. If he is still competing, look out for him because he is pretty amazing.
The next person worth mentioning is Najee Richardson. This last season I thought he was a rookie, but apparently this was his second year. Whatever year this last year has been doesn't matter because he was pretty great, too. He was on Team Matt and was also the middle man on Stage 3 completing the Crazy Cliffhanger and The Body Prop. Then he competed in 2 skills competition: the Warped Wall and the Super Sonic Shelf Grab, both were phenomenal. He is truly an incredible guy. I was surprised to see him on a team, but once I found out, I wasn't totally surprised, if that makes sense. He was a pretty strong competitor last season, and he proved he could handle the pressure.
So, I will definitely be looking out for Najee as well. This also provides a great segway into my next athlete: Drew Drechsel. Obviously, Drew is one of the most popular, loved, great, strong, etc. athletes on this show. He is also my favorite competitor. His record breaking skills competition was pretty cool. They had the Super Sonic Shelf Grab last year where Drew and ANW winner Isaac Caldiero (who is now somewhat MIA). They could not reach 15 feet due to safety reasons, but this year they could. They started at 9', went to 9'1/2", then jumped straight to 15'. This jump was between Najee and Drew. They each had two tries. Unfortunately, they both missed the first jump and Najee missed the next one, but when Drew jumped, and he stayed dry! It was astounding and totally history worthy. Drew never ceases to amaze, and he is a crowd favorite for obvious reasons.
I also want to mention Daniel Gil. He was also over-hyped his season, but considering he made it to Stage 3 (one of two, the other being Drew) he has definitely lived up to that hype. His skills competition was not aired, it was over the commercial break. It was a little disappointing to see him go down on those steps, but on the bright side his "rival" Thomas won the medal. He is another athlete I am looking forward to seeing this season ever since he surfaced with his friendly competition with Daniel.
Chris was also an interesting choice. He did go far this last season, and he has been popular in the past, but I never found him to be the such a star. Although, they did choose less "famous" people. (?) Flip is a big star, and all the women were, too. The "big stars" in my mind are people like Kevin Bull, Joe Moravsky, Drew Drechsel, Jamie Rahn, Geoff Britten, Ryan Stratis, James McGrath, Travis Rosen, Brian Arnold, and others who are "advertised" and typically saved for the end: they're like the stars of that episode. He did great, and it should have been obvious because of his previous season's run.
Another person worth mentioning is Jesse "Flex" Labreck. Her 2016 Rookie year was incredible. I don't remember if she completed her Qualifying Round, but her Finals Round was crazy. She made it all the way to obstacle 9 of 10, she was right there with a lot of great men: Rahn and Britten to name two (remember Britten won.) Kacy and Meagan, in my very personal opinion are over-done. Kacy is still the only women to finish a Qualifying and City Round, but since 2014, she hasn't done much. Meagan also had a great last season, making it to obstacle 9 of 10, but she is given too much credit, almost. I am really glad to see another women rise through, and it looks like she has some great potential.
Finally, Jon Alexis Jr. was fun to watch run/walk up that warped wall, and it was shocking to see Karsten Williams go 35+ rungs on the Salmon Ladder and beat previous winner Mike Bernardo.
I am absolutely in love with this show. I love some of these athletes: Drew, Kevin, Joe, Daniel, Nicholas, James, Najee, and so many others. It is so fun to watch, and it is so inspiring and epic to watch these humans do such incredible feats of athleticism. I can't wait for the official season to start, but this All Stars episode gave me my ANW dose. So, I will be back for the USA vs. the World, if it ever airs, and definitely have more to say during the ANW 2017 season.
Akbar's team:
Grant McCartney
Neil Craver
Meagan Martin
Matt's team:
Najee Richardson
Chris Wilczewski
Jesse "Flex" Labreck
Kristine's team:
Flip Rodriguez
Nicholas Coolridge
Jessie Graff
I have to start off talking about Nicholas Coolridge. He was on Team Kristine-- the team which won the entire team battle. Also, he was the middle man on both Stage 1 and Stage 3 (the only stages Team Kristine competed). So, Coolridge attempted and successfully completed the Jumping Spider and The Crazy Cliffhanger (if that's what it is still called) and the Body Prop and Upside Down Rock Wall. He was INSANE! In addition to all this, he won his skills competition.
I wanted to mention him because this previous season (2016) was his second year competing, and he made it all the way to Stage 2 alongside some of the best: Joe, Chris, Jake, Drew. He was pretty incredible his Rookie year, too. He was the Only one to complete his City Finals (this included Kevin Bull and others). Despite all this athletic insanity, Coolridge receives almost no recognition. This last season he had next to no TV time. I believe the only time he had was halfway into his City Finals, and unfortunately, he didn't hit the buzzer. Also, his skills competition was not shown, only mentioned "during the break." He should be a famous competitor, in my opinion, but he seems to get passed over a lot. I joke a lot about how he must have said something to the wrong person and now the show is mad at him.
Anyway, I was psyched to see him on Team Kristine, and even more psyched when they won. I have to admit that was a pretty awesome team. I also have to admit that Akbar's team was a little odd. I definitely believe that Grant, Neil, and Meagan are excellent athletes, but they aren't necessarily the best. Meagan doesn't surprise me at all; she is a strong female athlete, and Jesse and Jessie were taken. However, I think Grant was only chosen because Akbar (and Matt) are totally in love with him. It's because of his dancing and his laid-back personality. Which, don't get me wrong, that's great; I have nothing against a happy person. Unfortunately, he was too over-hyped. They raved about him SO much, I got a little sick of him. Neil was probably chosen because him and Grant are a package deal (which is sort of cute; they have a pretty solid bromance).
So, that is the rant about Nicholas Coolridge. If he is still competing, look out for him because he is pretty amazing.
The next person worth mentioning is Najee Richardson. This last season I thought he was a rookie, but apparently this was his second year. Whatever year this last year has been doesn't matter because he was pretty great, too. He was on Team Matt and was also the middle man on Stage 3 completing the Crazy Cliffhanger and The Body Prop. Then he competed in 2 skills competition: the Warped Wall and the Super Sonic Shelf Grab, both were phenomenal. He is truly an incredible guy. I was surprised to see him on a team, but once I found out, I wasn't totally surprised, if that makes sense. He was a pretty strong competitor last season, and he proved he could handle the pressure.
So, I will definitely be looking out for Najee as well. This also provides a great segway into my next athlete: Drew Drechsel. Obviously, Drew is one of the most popular, loved, great, strong, etc. athletes on this show. He is also my favorite competitor. His record breaking skills competition was pretty cool. They had the Super Sonic Shelf Grab last year where Drew and ANW winner Isaac Caldiero (who is now somewhat MIA). They could not reach 15 feet due to safety reasons, but this year they could. They started at 9', went to 9'1/2", then jumped straight to 15'. This jump was between Najee and Drew. They each had two tries. Unfortunately, they both missed the first jump and Najee missed the next one, but when Drew jumped, and he stayed dry! It was astounding and totally history worthy. Drew never ceases to amaze, and he is a crowd favorite for obvious reasons.
I also want to mention Daniel Gil. He was also over-hyped his season, but considering he made it to Stage 3 (one of two, the other being Drew) he has definitely lived up to that hype. His skills competition was not aired, it was over the commercial break. It was a little disappointing to see him go down on those steps, but on the bright side his "rival" Thomas won the medal. He is another athlete I am looking forward to seeing this season ever since he surfaced with his friendly competition with Daniel.
Chris was also an interesting choice. He did go far this last season, and he has been popular in the past, but I never found him to be the such a star. Although, they did choose less "famous" people. (?) Flip is a big star, and all the women were, too. The "big stars" in my mind are people like Kevin Bull, Joe Moravsky, Drew Drechsel, Jamie Rahn, Geoff Britten, Ryan Stratis, James McGrath, Travis Rosen, Brian Arnold, and others who are "advertised" and typically saved for the end: they're like the stars of that episode. He did great, and it should have been obvious because of his previous season's run.
Another person worth mentioning is Jesse "Flex" Labreck. Her 2016 Rookie year was incredible. I don't remember if she completed her Qualifying Round, but her Finals Round was crazy. She made it all the way to obstacle 9 of 10, she was right there with a lot of great men: Rahn and Britten to name two (remember Britten won.) Kacy and Meagan, in my very personal opinion are over-done. Kacy is still the only women to finish a Qualifying and City Round, but since 2014, she hasn't done much. Meagan also had a great last season, making it to obstacle 9 of 10, but she is given too much credit, almost. I am really glad to see another women rise through, and it looks like she has some great potential.
Finally, Jon Alexis Jr. was fun to watch run/walk up that warped wall, and it was shocking to see Karsten Williams go 35+ rungs on the Salmon Ladder and beat previous winner Mike Bernardo.
I am absolutely in love with this show. I love some of these athletes: Drew, Kevin, Joe, Daniel, Nicholas, James, Najee, and so many others. It is so fun to watch, and it is so inspiring and epic to watch these humans do such incredible feats of athleticism. I can't wait for the official season to start, but this All Stars episode gave me my ANW dose. So, I will be back for the USA vs. the World, if it ever airs, and definitely have more to say during the ANW 2017 season.
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