American Ninja Warrior

Okay, so my first impression is mixed. When we reach Stage 2 and on, the only people are big names, you know? There's an occasional rookie/lesser known, but there are going to all-star vets. Yet, it still surprises me when certain people are skipped. I figured Nicholas Coolridge, of course, but even Chris and Josh, too. Poor Josh Levin never got any screen time at all this entire season. I was also sure 'The Kid' was going to pass Stage 2. They were hyping him up so much throughout the season and even just this episode. They also showed him later in the night, and I thought they were setting him up. There were only 2 Stage 2 finishers, so I suppose they had to place them later in the night. So, I'm sure the editing was in play this week, but I would also guess Drew actually ran last. I'd also like to mention really quick how much I liked that they used past athletes as examples of how to complete the obstacles, like when they were going through the course, the peopl...

Fortunately, this week was not as shocking or disappointing. Lance, Kevin, and Kenny were a little upsetting, but I was very relieved Najee, Nicholas, Jake, and Drew all made it. They were setting it up too well for Drew to drop when they were talking about his Stage 1 success. I also had this weird feeling that either Najee or Drew were bound to fall. Thankfully, neither did. Barclay and Meagan were unfortunate, too. Barclay definitely would have made it last year if she had been more time conscious like she was last year. She was just too short for Jeep Run. She did lose her momentum, but it's hard to say whether or not that was actually the problem. Barclay is only 5'0", I think, so it would have been a stretch regardless, right? She would have had to have a pretty good leap even with her running start. Meagan was also a little unexpected, but the Jumping Spider is really not to be taken for granted. People screw up all the time because sometimes you just get a bad ju...