First, I want to mention something about last week and Jon Alexis Jr. I don't think it was rigged; that was a poor choice of words. That episode proved, though, the difference editing makes. The night it was taped, there is no doubt in my mind that Joe ran last. Alexis Jr. may be a fan favorite, but he would not be the closer. However, he had the fastest time, and, as last night also proved, the fastest time runner goes last. Obviously, Jon Alexis Jr. did well in his finals, and that is something to be said for. Usually, I don't question the editing too much, but that night it was obvious.
It was also obvious this week. Again, I really doubt that 'The Kid' ran last. Joe or Daniel would have taken that spot during the taping. Speaking of 'The Kid' and Gil, it was really great to see them pass. I doubted 'The Kid' a little, but he did better than the other 19 year old, Matthew Day. I had more confidence in Day, but clearly I was wrong. I wasn't too surprised that 'The Kid' did well, though. He trains with legend, Daniel Gil, and he has the build and vibe of a fast, sure-footed athlete. Stage 2 will probably be his downfall, and if he manages to pass that, I'd say he's quite the prodigy. From what I saw in Finals, though, even if he passes Stage 2, he would most likely fall on Stage 3. Since Stage 2-4 are in the same night, I don't think he would have the strength and stamina to finish everything. He's still probably a little too young and inexperienced. Gil was no surprise. He always has a spectacular run. As far as finishers, there were a lot of well known veterans this week; I was actually surprised. A lot were skipped like Sean Bryan, Josh Levin, Adam Rayl, Ethan Swanson, and Dan Polizzi. Hopefully that means they do well in Stage 2. Bryan, Levin, and Rayl have great potential, and I kind of expect a lot out of them. Bryan may have some extra added pressure since he was 1 of 3 of the last men standing last season. Bryan seems very accurate and consistent, but who knows how Stage 2 was altered?
Speaking of stage alterations. Stage 1 wasn't too messed up. They kept the Double Dipper, Spider Jump, Propeller Bar, and Warped Wall. They also kept pretty close to the formula for the other obstacles. I don't really care for the Archer Steps, but the others weren't too bad. At first I thought Jeep Run might be a killer because the final wheel spins, but not as many seemed to struggle. I definitely think they changed it because of Drew, though. Drew found a shortcut to the obstacle they had in place last year (I can't remember the name). So, when people followed suit, it probably didn't make them too happy. I also can see why they changed the Flying Squirrel to the Twist and Fly. That added much more difficulty to the last obstacle. Overall, not too bad. For Stage 2, I still think they will have either switched out the Wing Nuts or made them even more difficult. I doubt it will be the same way it was last year, and who knows what they did to Stage 3. I also doubt they kept it the same, not because it was too easy, but just to spice things up.
I'm really happy for the finishers. They are some of my favorites like Gil and Levin and Bryan. Jamie Rahn did fantastic with no shoes. A lot of vets fell this week, and Rahn proved how good he is. I like Rahn a lot, and he is a fan favorite, but I think a good amount of it comes from his Captain NBC persona. He really delivered this week, but I still think he is a little underrated sometimes. I would love to see him as one of the last men standing this year.
Austin Gray is a rookie this year, and he really held his own amongst these top notch competitors. He is the only one, and he had the 3rd fastest time. I'm not sure how well he'll do later on, but it's a good year for him.
Okay, now on to the disappointments. Honestly, as happy as I am for the finishers, this week was more disappointing than happy. Tyler Yamauchi fell on the Double Dipper. A lot of people struggled with this. Something with Yamauchi is that he got too much air, probably because he's smaller and lighter. The bar leapt off the rails as soon as he jumped. For others, too, it hit their chest when they tried to make the transition. I don't know the mechanics and physics of it, but it could be that they are too light to weigh the bar back down and/or they gain too much air. When they gain too much air, the bar can't stay on the track. It gets lifted off, and then the momentum of the person pushes it up, out, and down. You also have to keep it even with the other side which I think some people got lopsided and pulled one side down. I almost feel like last year, people were having trouble with the transition and reaching the second bar. Now, everyone dropped because of the second slide.
This week was really rough. James McGrath, Flip Rodriguez, Tyler Tamauchi, Neil Craver, Nick Hanosn, Brian Arnold, Jon Alexis Jr., Travis Rosen, Ian Dory, Jesse Labreck, Allyssa Beird, and, of course, Joe Moravsky. It was devastating. I absolutely cannot believe Joe fell. It was even hard to be happy for Daniel and 'The Kid' because his fall was almost heart-breaking. Joe was definitely the guy who I wanted to win the most. You almost take Stage 1 for granted for him. I don't know if he did, and maybe that's why he fell, but the Double Dipper was a killer last night. There's really nothing to even say. So many, myself included, thought maybe this was the year for him. He's so strong, and he's so perfect for this show. He's always done so well, and it's unbelievable that he's out on Stage 1. To wait another whole year will be hard for him, and I don't know how it will affect him. We'd like to think that he's learned and that he'll come back stronger next year, but this could rattle him a little. I've talked about how Joe has a regular job and a family to support. In his daily life, he doesn't have time to train, really. People like Drew and Jamie work in a ninja gym, and though their job is not to train themselves exclusively, they probably have more time and resources, whereas Joe has to cut out and plan for training. You also never hear about how Joe trains with others even though he lives in Connecticut like Drew. So, who knows what will happen with Joe in the future. I am quite upset, and this changes the season finale. Of course, there are still some greats and favorites left to run, and there could still be a winner, and Stage 2 and 3 could still have some excitement. We can't rule out Drew, yet either. There's also still Chris, Najee, Jessie, and Jake and so many others. There could even be a new rising star. To have a rookie or a sophomore be the last man standing would be pretty interesting.
Allyssa was also a shock. You could almost tell as she ran. She was kind of slow, so the steps had time to swivel. It also didn't seem like she accounted for the steps not being in perfect line with each other. She hit the second platform kind of on the edge, I thought, as well as the third. Who knows if she would have survived the rest of Stage 1, though. It's possible she still would have fallen or timed out. It was a surprising end, though. She did really well in her city courses, too, which makes it a little harder. Michelle was also a surprise. Michelle usually does fairly well in the city courses, but not in Vegas. She also fell on the Archer Steps, but, honestly, I didn't really picture her finishing Stage 1, anyway. Labreck I thought had the best chances. She gets so close, too. What I really liked about her run was that she had great time management. So many of these guys take way too long in between obstacles whether it's to rest, showboat, or mentally prepare. I realize I wouldn't be any different, and not everyone can run it quickly and without hesitation like Drew or Daniel, but it is very clear that some people take too long in between. The time limit was designed so that the course has to be run neatly and efficiently. I highly doubt they have much cushion time. Then again, 'The Kid' completed in about 40 seconds, so maybe they do allow for a good chunk of time to be off the obstacles. However, to have a time like that, you really can't afford any mistakes. You have to hustle between obstacles, can't get too twisted on the Twist and Fly, and can't spin around on the Propeller Bar. It is hard to tell on average how long it would take. 'The Kid' takes less than a minute, and Casey takes over 2 minutes. Regardless, it definitely doesn't allow for too much doddling. I was also talking about Labreck. She had the time, so if she had made the transition, she could have been more careful about the leap to the cargo net. Maybe she was tired, though. She didn't really pause in between because she was very time conscious. That actually could have been her downfall. It also could have been a poor jump or timing.
Like with Labreck and so many others, it's hard because you know they're all capable of great things, and they're really strong competitors, so it sucks to see them out so early. I still have people I'm rooting for, obviously, and the season isn't over or anything, but without Joe, it doesn't feel the same.
I'm also really bummed about Ian Dory and James McGrath. It really sucks that James went out yet again on the Jumping Spider. You just know it's going to haunt him for the next year. However, he recently had some fairly big surgery on his shoulder, so he may not even compete next year. There's a lot of time in between now and next season, and a bum shoulder hasn't stopped him before, but it might not be a bad idea to stay away. He's too young to have problems like that anyway, and he doesn't want to risk screwing himself up forever. I still think McGrath has earned the nickname "The Beast," but it is unfortunate that he fell again on only Stage 1. Ian Dory was also disappointing. He got hung up on the Propeller Bar, and I think he was trying to make up time which caused him to fall on the Jumping Spider. Ian is not a fast guy. His City Finals showed that with almost 8 minutes, I think. He's a rock climber not a free runner, so I think he got a little hung up on the time element. Of course, he was skipped, so we'll never really know unless we ask him. I just know that Ian has a lot of potential especially on Stage 3. He's an excellent rock climber and athlete, but it's a shame we won't get to see him anymore. There's also Travis Rosen. This may have been his last year. He talked about retiring years ago during the first USA vs. Japan competition, and now, it may be a sign. First, the replay was not pleasant to watch, but also, he's got a family, he's older, and to have a broken ankle is not fun for anyone. We'll see (as with everything), but I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last time we see him. He's still a great competitor, probably better than 2/3 of the guys half his age. There are so many people who we'll wonder about as we watch the season finale. Joe, obviously, but even people like Nick, Ian, Travis, Flip, James, Neil, Jesse, and Rigel. Do I think any of these people aside from Joe could have won everything? not really, to be honest, but it still feels weird to think that some of these ninja greats are done already.
From this batch, I'm still excited for a lot of them. Daniel, 'The Kid,' Josh, Sean, Tyler, Jamie, and Adam all have great potential. Arguably, these guys have more potential than those who fell this week (with the exception of Joe). Sean and Josh in particular seem a bit underrated, especially Josh who seems to have been slighted this year, but I know these are both phenomenal athletes. I'd love to see them on Stage 3, but who knows what Stage 2 has in store. Apparently there is an underwater obstacle? I know there was one in Sasuke, the original Japanese Ninja warrior, so I wonder if they'll copy what they did. For Sasuke, it was at the end, and then only the Wall Lifting obstacle was left. So, I could see them replicating that order, but I could also see them doing something kind of mean where it's a water obstacle and then some upper body obstacle after so they have to complete it while soaking wet. I do think that would be more cruel, and probably unnecessary. Stage 3 is run in the same night, so they shouldn't be that mean. It will be kind of unfortunate that regardless of wether or not you hit the buzzer you still end up wet. If it's set up the same way as Sasuke, I would like that they are returning to the original and drawing some inspiration from them. American Ninja Warrior is much more based on personality and stories which gets exhausting, but their obstacles are much more intense. When you watch Sasuke, it's still difficult, but everything seems like it's on a smaller scale. They also seem less grip intensive and more whole body/general upper body focused. It's not really an important point, but if there's an underwater obstacle, I'm thinking they pulled it from the original inspiration.
Really quick, I want to mention that when I say disappointing, I don't mean to say they let me down or they failed miserably. Technically, yes, they did "fail," but I don't want the word disappoint to sound mean. It's more like a surprise upset like in a sports game. Joe is still one of my favorites, and he will be next year. Overall, this episode didn't leave me happy and jittery, it left me dumbfounded. Hopefully, next week will yield better results. There are still a lot of big names, but if it goes the same way...
Comment who your favorite finisher was and who you're most sad about, and I'll be back next week for the final Stage 1 results.
It was also obvious this week. Again, I really doubt that 'The Kid' ran last. Joe or Daniel would have taken that spot during the taping. Speaking of 'The Kid' and Gil, it was really great to see them pass. I doubted 'The Kid' a little, but he did better than the other 19 year old, Matthew Day. I had more confidence in Day, but clearly I was wrong. I wasn't too surprised that 'The Kid' did well, though. He trains with legend, Daniel Gil, and he has the build and vibe of a fast, sure-footed athlete. Stage 2 will probably be his downfall, and if he manages to pass that, I'd say he's quite the prodigy. From what I saw in Finals, though, even if he passes Stage 2, he would most likely fall on Stage 3. Since Stage 2-4 are in the same night, I don't think he would have the strength and stamina to finish everything. He's still probably a little too young and inexperienced. Gil was no surprise. He always has a spectacular run. As far as finishers, there were a lot of well known veterans this week; I was actually surprised. A lot were skipped like Sean Bryan, Josh Levin, Adam Rayl, Ethan Swanson, and Dan Polizzi. Hopefully that means they do well in Stage 2. Bryan, Levin, and Rayl have great potential, and I kind of expect a lot out of them. Bryan may have some extra added pressure since he was 1 of 3 of the last men standing last season. Bryan seems very accurate and consistent, but who knows how Stage 2 was altered?
Speaking of stage alterations. Stage 1 wasn't too messed up. They kept the Double Dipper, Spider Jump, Propeller Bar, and Warped Wall. They also kept pretty close to the formula for the other obstacles. I don't really care for the Archer Steps, but the others weren't too bad. At first I thought Jeep Run might be a killer because the final wheel spins, but not as many seemed to struggle. I definitely think they changed it because of Drew, though. Drew found a shortcut to the obstacle they had in place last year (I can't remember the name). So, when people followed suit, it probably didn't make them too happy. I also can see why they changed the Flying Squirrel to the Twist and Fly. That added much more difficulty to the last obstacle. Overall, not too bad. For Stage 2, I still think they will have either switched out the Wing Nuts or made them even more difficult. I doubt it will be the same way it was last year, and who knows what they did to Stage 3. I also doubt they kept it the same, not because it was too easy, but just to spice things up.
I'm really happy for the finishers. They are some of my favorites like Gil and Levin and Bryan. Jamie Rahn did fantastic with no shoes. A lot of vets fell this week, and Rahn proved how good he is. I like Rahn a lot, and he is a fan favorite, but I think a good amount of it comes from his Captain NBC persona. He really delivered this week, but I still think he is a little underrated sometimes. I would love to see him as one of the last men standing this year.
Austin Gray is a rookie this year, and he really held his own amongst these top notch competitors. He is the only one, and he had the 3rd fastest time. I'm not sure how well he'll do later on, but it's a good year for him.
Okay, now on to the disappointments. Honestly, as happy as I am for the finishers, this week was more disappointing than happy. Tyler Yamauchi fell on the Double Dipper. A lot of people struggled with this. Something with Yamauchi is that he got too much air, probably because he's smaller and lighter. The bar leapt off the rails as soon as he jumped. For others, too, it hit their chest when they tried to make the transition. I don't know the mechanics and physics of it, but it could be that they are too light to weigh the bar back down and/or they gain too much air. When they gain too much air, the bar can't stay on the track. It gets lifted off, and then the momentum of the person pushes it up, out, and down. You also have to keep it even with the other side which I think some people got lopsided and pulled one side down. I almost feel like last year, people were having trouble with the transition and reaching the second bar. Now, everyone dropped because of the second slide.
This week was really rough. James McGrath, Flip Rodriguez, Tyler Tamauchi, Neil Craver, Nick Hanosn, Brian Arnold, Jon Alexis Jr., Travis Rosen, Ian Dory, Jesse Labreck, Allyssa Beird, and, of course, Joe Moravsky. It was devastating. I absolutely cannot believe Joe fell. It was even hard to be happy for Daniel and 'The Kid' because his fall was almost heart-breaking. Joe was definitely the guy who I wanted to win the most. You almost take Stage 1 for granted for him. I don't know if he did, and maybe that's why he fell, but the Double Dipper was a killer last night. There's really nothing to even say. So many, myself included, thought maybe this was the year for him. He's so strong, and he's so perfect for this show. He's always done so well, and it's unbelievable that he's out on Stage 1. To wait another whole year will be hard for him, and I don't know how it will affect him. We'd like to think that he's learned and that he'll come back stronger next year, but this could rattle him a little. I've talked about how Joe has a regular job and a family to support. In his daily life, he doesn't have time to train, really. People like Drew and Jamie work in a ninja gym, and though their job is not to train themselves exclusively, they probably have more time and resources, whereas Joe has to cut out and plan for training. You also never hear about how Joe trains with others even though he lives in Connecticut like Drew. So, who knows what will happen with Joe in the future. I am quite upset, and this changes the season finale. Of course, there are still some greats and favorites left to run, and there could still be a winner, and Stage 2 and 3 could still have some excitement. We can't rule out Drew, yet either. There's also still Chris, Najee, Jessie, and Jake and so many others. There could even be a new rising star. To have a rookie or a sophomore be the last man standing would be pretty interesting.
Allyssa was also a shock. You could almost tell as she ran. She was kind of slow, so the steps had time to swivel. It also didn't seem like she accounted for the steps not being in perfect line with each other. She hit the second platform kind of on the edge, I thought, as well as the third. Who knows if she would have survived the rest of Stage 1, though. It's possible she still would have fallen or timed out. It was a surprising end, though. She did really well in her city courses, too, which makes it a little harder. Michelle was also a surprise. Michelle usually does fairly well in the city courses, but not in Vegas. She also fell on the Archer Steps, but, honestly, I didn't really picture her finishing Stage 1, anyway. Labreck I thought had the best chances. She gets so close, too. What I really liked about her run was that she had great time management. So many of these guys take way too long in between obstacles whether it's to rest, showboat, or mentally prepare. I realize I wouldn't be any different, and not everyone can run it quickly and without hesitation like Drew or Daniel, but it is very clear that some people take too long in between. The time limit was designed so that the course has to be run neatly and efficiently. I highly doubt they have much cushion time. Then again, 'The Kid' completed in about 40 seconds, so maybe they do allow for a good chunk of time to be off the obstacles. However, to have a time like that, you really can't afford any mistakes. You have to hustle between obstacles, can't get too twisted on the Twist and Fly, and can't spin around on the Propeller Bar. It is hard to tell on average how long it would take. 'The Kid' takes less than a minute, and Casey takes over 2 minutes. Regardless, it definitely doesn't allow for too much doddling. I was also talking about Labreck. She had the time, so if she had made the transition, she could have been more careful about the leap to the cargo net. Maybe she was tired, though. She didn't really pause in between because she was very time conscious. That actually could have been her downfall. It also could have been a poor jump or timing.
Like with Labreck and so many others, it's hard because you know they're all capable of great things, and they're really strong competitors, so it sucks to see them out so early. I still have people I'm rooting for, obviously, and the season isn't over or anything, but without Joe, it doesn't feel the same.
I'm also really bummed about Ian Dory and James McGrath. It really sucks that James went out yet again on the Jumping Spider. You just know it's going to haunt him for the next year. However, he recently had some fairly big surgery on his shoulder, so he may not even compete next year. There's a lot of time in between now and next season, and a bum shoulder hasn't stopped him before, but it might not be a bad idea to stay away. He's too young to have problems like that anyway, and he doesn't want to risk screwing himself up forever. I still think McGrath has earned the nickname "The Beast," but it is unfortunate that he fell again on only Stage 1. Ian Dory was also disappointing. He got hung up on the Propeller Bar, and I think he was trying to make up time which caused him to fall on the Jumping Spider. Ian is not a fast guy. His City Finals showed that with almost 8 minutes, I think. He's a rock climber not a free runner, so I think he got a little hung up on the time element. Of course, he was skipped, so we'll never really know unless we ask him. I just know that Ian has a lot of potential especially on Stage 3. He's an excellent rock climber and athlete, but it's a shame we won't get to see him anymore. There's also Travis Rosen. This may have been his last year. He talked about retiring years ago during the first USA vs. Japan competition, and now, it may be a sign. First, the replay was not pleasant to watch, but also, he's got a family, he's older, and to have a broken ankle is not fun for anyone. We'll see (as with everything), but I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last time we see him. He's still a great competitor, probably better than 2/3 of the guys half his age. There are so many people who we'll wonder about as we watch the season finale. Joe, obviously, but even people like Nick, Ian, Travis, Flip, James, Neil, Jesse, and Rigel. Do I think any of these people aside from Joe could have won everything? not really, to be honest, but it still feels weird to think that some of these ninja greats are done already.
From this batch, I'm still excited for a lot of them. Daniel, 'The Kid,' Josh, Sean, Tyler, Jamie, and Adam all have great potential. Arguably, these guys have more potential than those who fell this week (with the exception of Joe). Sean and Josh in particular seem a bit underrated, especially Josh who seems to have been slighted this year, but I know these are both phenomenal athletes. I'd love to see them on Stage 3, but who knows what Stage 2 has in store. Apparently there is an underwater obstacle? I know there was one in Sasuke, the original Japanese Ninja warrior, so I wonder if they'll copy what they did. For Sasuke, it was at the end, and then only the Wall Lifting obstacle was left. So, I could see them replicating that order, but I could also see them doing something kind of mean where it's a water obstacle and then some upper body obstacle after so they have to complete it while soaking wet. I do think that would be more cruel, and probably unnecessary. Stage 3 is run in the same night, so they shouldn't be that mean. It will be kind of unfortunate that regardless of wether or not you hit the buzzer you still end up wet. If it's set up the same way as Sasuke, I would like that they are returning to the original and drawing some inspiration from them. American Ninja Warrior is much more based on personality and stories which gets exhausting, but their obstacles are much more intense. When you watch Sasuke, it's still difficult, but everything seems like it's on a smaller scale. They also seem less grip intensive and more whole body/general upper body focused. It's not really an important point, but if there's an underwater obstacle, I'm thinking they pulled it from the original inspiration.
Really quick, I want to mention that when I say disappointing, I don't mean to say they let me down or they failed miserably. Technically, yes, they did "fail," but I don't want the word disappoint to sound mean. It's more like a surprise upset like in a sports game. Joe is still one of my favorites, and he will be next year. Overall, this episode didn't leave me happy and jittery, it left me dumbfounded. Hopefully, next week will yield better results. There are still a lot of big names, but if it goes the same way...
Comment who your favorite finisher was and who you're most sad about, and I'll be back next week for the final Stage 1 results.
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