Obviously, we have a lot to talk about regarding the competitors, but let's start off with the course. Cincinnati was definitely easier than Baltimore and Tacoma, and I'm not just saying that because we had female finishers. I firmly believe that Jessie Graff could have hit a buzzer if she was in Cincinnati, and it would have been more unlikely that Jesse Labreck and Michelle Warnky would if they were in either of the previous two cities. However, it still would have been interesting to see them on Angry Birds. Women might have actually had a better chance because they're lighter. But, I guess we'll never know.
Overall, I still think Tacoma was the hardest city finals course. I know 22 people fell on Angry Birds last week in Baltimore, and it would have been unlikely that we would have seen a finisher even if a handful of people passed Angry Birds due to Cane Lane. However, since no one reached the 9th obstacle, I am not completely taking Cane Lane into consideration despite its difficulty and the fact that it probably would have killed the stragglers who managed Angry Birds. Anyway, Cincinnati did not compare to Tacoma or Baltimore. Slam Dunk was a pretty cool obstacle, I have to admit. Obviously, it had nothing on Angry Birds, but it was on par with the Monkey Bars from Tacoma. Taking every city obstacle by obstacle, all the cities may be more even in difficulty. Like the Slingshot was harder than Crank It Up, but definitely not as hard as the Lightning Bolts. Angry Birds was the hardest 8th obstacle, but Northwest Passage was the hardest 9th obstacle. The obstacles were also quite different in nature from city to city. The first 3 cities' 9th obstacles -- Leaps of Faith, Fallout, and Snap Back -- were in the fingertip jump area (harsh landing, delicate touch). The final 3 cities' 9th obstacles -- Northwest Passage, Cane Lane, and Spinball Wizard -- are more grip and strength based. The 8th obstacles were pretty much all over the place, so I won't bother. Anyway, back to Cincinnati. Like I said, I liked Slam Dunk, but I am not a big fan of Spinball Wizard. I'm not really sure if I have a reason, it just doesn't seem very elegant, maybe? The 8th obstacle was the cutoff as expected, but Cincinnati, overall, had a decent course. People fell everywhere, so it wasn't boring like last week. We also got to see actual finishers on the Power Tower. So, that was the course. I noticed from the preview of next week's National Finals that they have yet again altered Stage 1 of Mt. Midoriyama. I do not enjoy changes, but we'll have to see what happens. With changes, we could be seeing some of those Safety Passes in action.
Okay, let's talk about the biggest moments of this week: Jesse Labreck and Michelle Warnky. Honestly, I know that technically Kacy was the first woman to finish a City Finals course, and she was; we can't ignore that. With that being said, I'm going to ignore that. The course Kacy finished in 2014 was so different from what they have now, and Kacy can't do a fraction of what Jesse or Michelle in Cincinnati. Before her retirement, she proved that, too. Jesse and Michelle could have done the course Kacy did, but Kacy could never do what these two did this year. This sounds pretty harsh, but I really don't like when they keep touting her as The First Woman, blah blah blah. The courses are totally different animals, so in my book Jesse and Michelle are the first women. To be more honest, I actually kind of wanted Jessie Graff to be the 2nd/1st woman to complete a finals course. Jesse and Michelle did something phenomenal and did make history, but I still think Jessie Graff is the strongest female competitor on ANW. Her city was much more difficult than Cincinnati. Jessie could have done another city, but Tacoma was just unreal. If Jesse or Michelle had taken on Tacoma or Baltimore, they might not have made history.
A lot of people expected Jesse Labreck, I think, because she is definitely the second strongest woman, but Michelle was a surprise. I know she was really at the top for a while, but she did dip down in ranks, too. There was a year not too long ago that she was edged out for Vegas, so she was definitely better than the average woman, but still in the area where we don't know what she'll do. I really hope she does well in Vegas because I really like Michelle, but she is a bit more of a wildcard. Labreck has a good shot at finally finishing Stage 1. I think the biggest issue Jesse or even Jessie would have on Stage 2 is time. Jesse and Jessie tend to do pretty well regarding time; they don't dilly-dally like other women. However, Stage 2 is a little different. It's more strength based, so women tend to be a little slower and more thoughtful with their movements, so time may be an issue. I think time gets to Jesse's head in Stage 1, too, which is why she has yet to hit a Vegas Buzzer.
When they were talking about history in Cincinnati last week, I thought maybe just more women would qualify or 2 or 3 women would reach the 9th obstacle, so I thought they were just over-hyping next week's episode. However, clearly, I was wrong. This truly was a great accomplishment for Jesse and Michelle. I hope their runs in Vegas reflect their efforts from this week, and they show what they can do to everyone else.
Let's move to some other people. How about Ethan Swanson. It was not a surprise seeing him back on the Power Tower simply because of the competition. He probably was the only real "speed demon" as I call them, plus he had the security of the Speed Pass. However, he actually didn't seem to be hustling that much like I expected him to be. He still managed the fastest time, of course, but compared to the other Speed Pass winners, he didn't have as much urgency. Ethan Swanson is rising in my book of favorites. I know in the past I kept saying that I want the little guy to win the Safety Pass, so in this case, you'd think I was rooting for Michael Torres, but actually, I was kind of hoping that Ethan would win it. He fell on the Wingnuts last year, I believe, and if he fell on it again, he probably still would fall, but I did want him to win. I'm not sure where Torres will fall amongst all the stars in Vegas. Even Ethan gets a little dwarfed in the big leagues. But, hey, let's stick to cheering for the little guys. Torres' dog, Hershey, was absolutely adorable, so he was worth cheering for. You all know I abhor bios and how they waste time, but Hershey is so freakin' cute! Some bios, every now and then, I'm okay with. Like Jesse and Chris in Qualifiers. They had a cute story. Anyway, my prediction for Torres, though, is that he will have to use the Safety Pass on Stage 1. Since I don't know what Stage 1 looks like this year, I don't have predictions for how he will fare on his second chance. If I was going based off of what it looked like last year, I would predict that he could correct himself, and make it to Stage 2. However, the new Stage 1 could be drastically different, and if it introduces new obstacles, Torres could easily fall early and then be unable to make the Safety Pass work in his favor. Also, without the Safety Pass, Ethan Swanson may still be fine on Stage 1, but he'll probably struggle on Stage 2, though. Again, I have no doubts that they will change Stage 2 in some way, so I think The Swan will find himself drenched on Stage 2.
Also, I really like that these two were on the Power Tower. We had The Kid vs. Daniel Gil and Lucas Reale vs. Dave Cavanagh, and now Ethan Swanson vs. Michael Torres. We've had some solid mentor vs. mentee races. I think it's a little more exciting when the athletes are friends. Honestly, I still hate the Power Tower, and it doesn't do that much for anyone, but I'd at least prefer to see them have a relationship beyond fellow athletes on the same show. I've probably been a bit contradictory throughout my posts. I'm hoping we don't see anything like the Power Tower in Vegas, and I'm hoping even more that they cut it out for next year. I don't have a problem with something extra at the end of each episode, but I really hate the prize. The Speed Pass isn't as bad as I first thought, especially compared to the Final's Prize of the Safety Pass. I really hate the Safety Pass. This is like straight-up cheating. I think it would be highly unfortunate if ANW found a million dollar winner who won by using a Safety Pass. Straight up, if a Safety Pass winner wins the whole thing, they are not worth 1 million dollars or the title. Truly, the only person actually deserving of the title and the money is Geoff Britten because he had a perfect season, but I won't get into all that, especially since both Britten and Caldiero are out (which I can't believe).
Flip Rodriguez, Drew Drechsel, The Kid, Karson Voiles, Dave Cavanagh, and Michael Torres all won the Safety Pass from their cities. I will say it now, if any of these guys need to use the Safety Pass, I will not be rooting for them. As of now, of course I am cheering for all of them, especially the last 3 who are little more in the shadows. However, I do not approve of the Safety Pass, and if someone uses it and passes whatever Stage they fell on, I can't say I'll be their number 1 fan, even Drew. I'm not rooting for anyone's failure, just to throw that out there.
I guess the next one to mention is Grant McCartney. I know Akbar is in love with Grant, but he's pretty average, I must say. We had 6 finishers, and Grant probably should have been one given his popularity and attention. I think it's great that he finally has another shot at Vegas, but he's probably going to blow it. He missed it the last two years, as they mentioned, and he fell on the Salmon Ladder in Stage 2 his first two years. I think given the changes that are bound to appear in Vegas, he will see the end of his season early. He'll still be granted screen time, because, again, they're in love with him, but I don't think he'll do anything extraordinary. To be honest, he may be out of practice for Stage 1. Again, I don't know what it looks like in its full, so I won't make any brash predictions. Grant is a hard one, anyway. Based on all the attention they give him, you'd think he's one of the greatest, but he's really not. I could easily see him dropping on Stage 1; however, his height may help him.
When Brandon Mears was running, we were talking about how ANW caters to a specific body type. Height and weight are actually major factors contributing to whether someone does well or not. Mears is actually too tall, in my opinion. He's also a touch too muscle-y. 6'5" is definitely too tall. I think James McGrath and The Kid are probably the tallest athletes who actually perform well. 6'2" is probably the cap for height. Grant just hits that height, and 6'2" is a little generous. Height can help with speed and Stage 1 since it is more parkour based. Longer strides and a greater wingspan (which tall people tend to have) can help, but later on, height hurts. There is a sweet spot. As we've seen, too short can be a hinderance, too. Look at the women and see how their lack of height slows them down. The best are within a certain height and weight limit, and Grant pushes the envelope which is why he's much more on the average side. Truly, I don't see Grant doing particularly well in his return to Vegas, but maybe he'll be extra pumped. However, he did actually shock me in his early departure from the course. I thought they way they were talking, he would have secured his place not by finishing, but at least by making it to Spinball Wizard. I guess due to the hype they always give Grant, I expected him to be able to pass Slam Dunk. It was a good obstacle, but I didn't think it would have been too much of a challenge for the best.
And speaking of Brandon Mears, let's address the Towers of Power. Mears really surprised me because, like I just said, he's too tall and muscle-y, plus he's never finished before. His move on the Spinball Wizard was impressive, and both Towers of Power finally get to be competing together in Vegas. I think Dan will do better (even though he totally got schooled by Barclay in the Salmon Ladder competition during the All Stars special). Dan is a little shorter, for starters, but I think he has a better track record. From what I remember, I would bet on Dan more than Brandon if it were between the two of them. My prediction for these two is that Brandon will fall on Stage 1, and Dan will fall on Stage 2. Also, I think it would have been kind of cool to see them against each other on the Power Tower. Michael and Ethan had yet to run, so I was pretty confident that neither of these two would be on the Power Tower, but it would have been interesting to see those two up there, mostly given their nicknames. I think Dan would have won.
Jesse and Michelle really brought up the excitement levels for Cincinnati. Everything else was a little mediocre. The Chicago Natives really brought their game, and we had the most finishers of the season. (This is also kind of another way to prove that Cincinnati was easier than Tacoma or Baltimore.)
Oh, I almost forgot to mention Chris DiGangi. For both him and Dan, it was a jerk move for them to skip them considering they hit a buzzer, but I think it was a good sign for Labreck that DiGangi made it because they always fail in the same place. I was a little surprised that DiGangi made it because he's pretty average. Jesse is definitely a better on the show than him, although they are a real Power Couple. I think if James was competing this year, him and Allyssa would have been the ultimate Power Couple, but Jesse and Chris are really cute together. I think he might fall on Stage 1 since I don't think he has a great track record. I still enjoy watching him run, through, and maybe that's because he's Jesse's fiancé.
A few other people: I can't believe Sem Garay advanced. He was the wrestler who did not look 19, right? I do believe that there is a height and weight limit, and though he wasn't tall, I thought his weight might have been more than typical. I'm not trying to say he was fat, but hopefully, you understand. Clearly, he did well, but I never would have expected it from him. When they first showed him this week, I would have bet against him. I'll bet that they skip him in Vegas, but I'll also bet that he will fall on Stage 1.
I'm kind of bummed about Jackson Twait. He was not an instant favorite, I should say. He was a little odd. He definitely had the X factor, with his cat and scooter and all, and he made a great impression in Qualifiers. I think this is why I wanted to see him do well because he had a lot of potential. I can't tell if he got in over his head and was too focused on time that he got distracted, or if he genuinely just tripped up. Either way, he showed that he was a rookie. Whether or not it was a mental or physical error, he wasn't ready for Vegas, I guess. Hopefully, next year he'll do well, again. I think this guy could do well in the next generation.
The last guy I wanted to mention is Dustin Rocho. I talked about him in Qualifiers, too. A 4 year hiatus for traveling in an RV with his family, and then returning to the show and making it to Vegas at 40 years old? That's pretty impressive. He'll probably fall on Stage 1, but we've got to give him props, right?
Cincinnati had great representation from Chicago, so overall, it was not a bad city. There is huge congratulations to Jesse and Michelle. My predictions for them is that Michelle will fall on Stage 1. If Stage 1 was the same as last year, I definitely would be betting on Jesse; however, since it seems they are making changes, my prediction for Jesse Labreck will be that she still falls on Stage 1. I hope I'm wrong, but I can't help but feel that Jesse is just missing the mark every year.
Next week marks the start of this year's 4-week National Finals. I'm not sure what the 4th episode will entail and what changes are being made in Vegas. However, I do know there are roughly 75-80 people starting in Stage 1. I know the record for Stage 1 is 41 finishers, but I'm thinking that about 21-24 people will pass. I really can't make guesses for everyone. My absolute favorites and hopes for Stage 1 finishers are the following:
Joe Moravsky
Najee Richardson
Tyler Gillett
Adam Rayl
The Kid
Daniel Gil
Sean Bryan
Jessie Graff
Ethan Swanson
Kevin Carbone
Hunter Guerard
Kevin Bull
Conor Galvin
Drew Drechsel
Chris Wilczewski
Lucas Reale
Anthony DeFranco
*Again, I'm probably missing someone I really love, but a few names that I wanted to put on the list are on the next one :(
There are probably a few others, but I'm just going off of memory. I'm always surprised by people I see come up and it's like, "Oh, I forgot about them. Yeah, they're really good." Especially the rookies from this year. Anyway, hopefully there won't be too many surprises.
Also, since this is the final City Competition, I want to give a final shoutout/list of all those whom I love who we won't be seeing for another year:
Jake Murray (possibly the hardest to accept. I will greatly miss him in Vegas)
Jamie Rahn
Lance Pekus
Tyler Yamauchi
Geoff Britten (second hardest)
Casey Rothschild
Austin Gray
Sandy Zimmerman (did phenomenal but was edged out)
Matthew Day
Meagan Martin
Jeri D'Aurelio
Kyle Soderman
Neil Craver
Plus those who did not compete:
Ian Dory? (Not sure what his story was since his IG said he was competing in Cincinnati)
Nicholas Coolridge (Probably the hardest to accept from those not competing this year)
Josh Levin
Isaac Caldiero
Thomas Stillings
Neil Craver
James McGrath
Overall, I'm sure a handful of my favorites will fall on Stage 1, and those whom I wasn't expecting will advance to Stage 2. Regardless, I'm excited to see what happens. Leave a comment on your favorites for Stage 2 and who you think will be the last man standing? Until next week...
Overall, I still think Tacoma was the hardest city finals course. I know 22 people fell on Angry Birds last week in Baltimore, and it would have been unlikely that we would have seen a finisher even if a handful of people passed Angry Birds due to Cane Lane. However, since no one reached the 9th obstacle, I am not completely taking Cane Lane into consideration despite its difficulty and the fact that it probably would have killed the stragglers who managed Angry Birds. Anyway, Cincinnati did not compare to Tacoma or Baltimore. Slam Dunk was a pretty cool obstacle, I have to admit. Obviously, it had nothing on Angry Birds, but it was on par with the Monkey Bars from Tacoma. Taking every city obstacle by obstacle, all the cities may be more even in difficulty. Like the Slingshot was harder than Crank It Up, but definitely not as hard as the Lightning Bolts. Angry Birds was the hardest 8th obstacle, but Northwest Passage was the hardest 9th obstacle. The obstacles were also quite different in nature from city to city. The first 3 cities' 9th obstacles -- Leaps of Faith, Fallout, and Snap Back -- were in the fingertip jump area (harsh landing, delicate touch). The final 3 cities' 9th obstacles -- Northwest Passage, Cane Lane, and Spinball Wizard -- are more grip and strength based. The 8th obstacles were pretty much all over the place, so I won't bother. Anyway, back to Cincinnati. Like I said, I liked Slam Dunk, but I am not a big fan of Spinball Wizard. I'm not really sure if I have a reason, it just doesn't seem very elegant, maybe? The 8th obstacle was the cutoff as expected, but Cincinnati, overall, had a decent course. People fell everywhere, so it wasn't boring like last week. We also got to see actual finishers on the Power Tower. So, that was the course. I noticed from the preview of next week's National Finals that they have yet again altered Stage 1 of Mt. Midoriyama. I do not enjoy changes, but we'll have to see what happens. With changes, we could be seeing some of those Safety Passes in action.
Okay, let's talk about the biggest moments of this week: Jesse Labreck and Michelle Warnky. Honestly, I know that technically Kacy was the first woman to finish a City Finals course, and she was; we can't ignore that. With that being said, I'm going to ignore that. The course Kacy finished in 2014 was so different from what they have now, and Kacy can't do a fraction of what Jesse or Michelle in Cincinnati. Before her retirement, she proved that, too. Jesse and Michelle could have done the course Kacy did, but Kacy could never do what these two did this year. This sounds pretty harsh, but I really don't like when they keep touting her as The First Woman, blah blah blah. The courses are totally different animals, so in my book Jesse and Michelle are the first women. To be more honest, I actually kind of wanted Jessie Graff to be the 2nd/1st woman to complete a finals course. Jesse and Michelle did something phenomenal and did make history, but I still think Jessie Graff is the strongest female competitor on ANW. Her city was much more difficult than Cincinnati. Jessie could have done another city, but Tacoma was just unreal. If Jesse or Michelle had taken on Tacoma or Baltimore, they might not have made history.
A lot of people expected Jesse Labreck, I think, because she is definitely the second strongest woman, but Michelle was a surprise. I know she was really at the top for a while, but she did dip down in ranks, too. There was a year not too long ago that she was edged out for Vegas, so she was definitely better than the average woman, but still in the area where we don't know what she'll do. I really hope she does well in Vegas because I really like Michelle, but she is a bit more of a wildcard. Labreck has a good shot at finally finishing Stage 1. I think the biggest issue Jesse or even Jessie would have on Stage 2 is time. Jesse and Jessie tend to do pretty well regarding time; they don't dilly-dally like other women. However, Stage 2 is a little different. It's more strength based, so women tend to be a little slower and more thoughtful with their movements, so time may be an issue. I think time gets to Jesse's head in Stage 1, too, which is why she has yet to hit a Vegas Buzzer.
When they were talking about history in Cincinnati last week, I thought maybe just more women would qualify or 2 or 3 women would reach the 9th obstacle, so I thought they were just over-hyping next week's episode. However, clearly, I was wrong. This truly was a great accomplishment for Jesse and Michelle. I hope their runs in Vegas reflect their efforts from this week, and they show what they can do to everyone else.
Let's move to some other people. How about Ethan Swanson. It was not a surprise seeing him back on the Power Tower simply because of the competition. He probably was the only real "speed demon" as I call them, plus he had the security of the Speed Pass. However, he actually didn't seem to be hustling that much like I expected him to be. He still managed the fastest time, of course, but compared to the other Speed Pass winners, he didn't have as much urgency. Ethan Swanson is rising in my book of favorites. I know in the past I kept saying that I want the little guy to win the Safety Pass, so in this case, you'd think I was rooting for Michael Torres, but actually, I was kind of hoping that Ethan would win it. He fell on the Wingnuts last year, I believe, and if he fell on it again, he probably still would fall, but I did want him to win. I'm not sure where Torres will fall amongst all the stars in Vegas. Even Ethan gets a little dwarfed in the big leagues. But, hey, let's stick to cheering for the little guys. Torres' dog, Hershey, was absolutely adorable, so he was worth cheering for. You all know I abhor bios and how they waste time, but Hershey is so freakin' cute! Some bios, every now and then, I'm okay with. Like Jesse and Chris in Qualifiers. They had a cute story. Anyway, my prediction for Torres, though, is that he will have to use the Safety Pass on Stage 1. Since I don't know what Stage 1 looks like this year, I don't have predictions for how he will fare on his second chance. If I was going based off of what it looked like last year, I would predict that he could correct himself, and make it to Stage 2. However, the new Stage 1 could be drastically different, and if it introduces new obstacles, Torres could easily fall early and then be unable to make the Safety Pass work in his favor. Also, without the Safety Pass, Ethan Swanson may still be fine on Stage 1, but he'll probably struggle on Stage 2, though. Again, I have no doubts that they will change Stage 2 in some way, so I think The Swan will find himself drenched on Stage 2.
Also, I really like that these two were on the Power Tower. We had The Kid vs. Daniel Gil and Lucas Reale vs. Dave Cavanagh, and now Ethan Swanson vs. Michael Torres. We've had some solid mentor vs. mentee races. I think it's a little more exciting when the athletes are friends. Honestly, I still hate the Power Tower, and it doesn't do that much for anyone, but I'd at least prefer to see them have a relationship beyond fellow athletes on the same show. I've probably been a bit contradictory throughout my posts. I'm hoping we don't see anything like the Power Tower in Vegas, and I'm hoping even more that they cut it out for next year. I don't have a problem with something extra at the end of each episode, but I really hate the prize. The Speed Pass isn't as bad as I first thought, especially compared to the Final's Prize of the Safety Pass. I really hate the Safety Pass. This is like straight-up cheating. I think it would be highly unfortunate if ANW found a million dollar winner who won by using a Safety Pass. Straight up, if a Safety Pass winner wins the whole thing, they are not worth 1 million dollars or the title. Truly, the only person actually deserving of the title and the money is Geoff Britten because he had a perfect season, but I won't get into all that, especially since both Britten and Caldiero are out (which I can't believe).
Flip Rodriguez, Drew Drechsel, The Kid, Karson Voiles, Dave Cavanagh, and Michael Torres all won the Safety Pass from their cities. I will say it now, if any of these guys need to use the Safety Pass, I will not be rooting for them. As of now, of course I am cheering for all of them, especially the last 3 who are little more in the shadows. However, I do not approve of the Safety Pass, and if someone uses it and passes whatever Stage they fell on, I can't say I'll be their number 1 fan, even Drew. I'm not rooting for anyone's failure, just to throw that out there.
I guess the next one to mention is Grant McCartney. I know Akbar is in love with Grant, but he's pretty average, I must say. We had 6 finishers, and Grant probably should have been one given his popularity and attention. I think it's great that he finally has another shot at Vegas, but he's probably going to blow it. He missed it the last two years, as they mentioned, and he fell on the Salmon Ladder in Stage 2 his first two years. I think given the changes that are bound to appear in Vegas, he will see the end of his season early. He'll still be granted screen time, because, again, they're in love with him, but I don't think he'll do anything extraordinary. To be honest, he may be out of practice for Stage 1. Again, I don't know what it looks like in its full, so I won't make any brash predictions. Grant is a hard one, anyway. Based on all the attention they give him, you'd think he's one of the greatest, but he's really not. I could easily see him dropping on Stage 1; however, his height may help him.
When Brandon Mears was running, we were talking about how ANW caters to a specific body type. Height and weight are actually major factors contributing to whether someone does well or not. Mears is actually too tall, in my opinion. He's also a touch too muscle-y. 6'5" is definitely too tall. I think James McGrath and The Kid are probably the tallest athletes who actually perform well. 6'2" is probably the cap for height. Grant just hits that height, and 6'2" is a little generous. Height can help with speed and Stage 1 since it is more parkour based. Longer strides and a greater wingspan (which tall people tend to have) can help, but later on, height hurts. There is a sweet spot. As we've seen, too short can be a hinderance, too. Look at the women and see how their lack of height slows them down. The best are within a certain height and weight limit, and Grant pushes the envelope which is why he's much more on the average side. Truly, I don't see Grant doing particularly well in his return to Vegas, but maybe he'll be extra pumped. However, he did actually shock me in his early departure from the course. I thought they way they were talking, he would have secured his place not by finishing, but at least by making it to Spinball Wizard. I guess due to the hype they always give Grant, I expected him to be able to pass Slam Dunk. It was a good obstacle, but I didn't think it would have been too much of a challenge for the best.
And speaking of Brandon Mears, let's address the Towers of Power. Mears really surprised me because, like I just said, he's too tall and muscle-y, plus he's never finished before. His move on the Spinball Wizard was impressive, and both Towers of Power finally get to be competing together in Vegas. I think Dan will do better (even though he totally got schooled by Barclay in the Salmon Ladder competition during the All Stars special). Dan is a little shorter, for starters, but I think he has a better track record. From what I remember, I would bet on Dan more than Brandon if it were between the two of them. My prediction for these two is that Brandon will fall on Stage 1, and Dan will fall on Stage 2. Also, I think it would have been kind of cool to see them against each other on the Power Tower. Michael and Ethan had yet to run, so I was pretty confident that neither of these two would be on the Power Tower, but it would have been interesting to see those two up there, mostly given their nicknames. I think Dan would have won.
Jesse and Michelle really brought up the excitement levels for Cincinnati. Everything else was a little mediocre. The Chicago Natives really brought their game, and we had the most finishers of the season. (This is also kind of another way to prove that Cincinnati was easier than Tacoma or Baltimore.)
Oh, I almost forgot to mention Chris DiGangi. For both him and Dan, it was a jerk move for them to skip them considering they hit a buzzer, but I think it was a good sign for Labreck that DiGangi made it because they always fail in the same place. I was a little surprised that DiGangi made it because he's pretty average. Jesse is definitely a better on the show than him, although they are a real Power Couple. I think if James was competing this year, him and Allyssa would have been the ultimate Power Couple, but Jesse and Chris are really cute together. I think he might fall on Stage 1 since I don't think he has a great track record. I still enjoy watching him run, through, and maybe that's because he's Jesse's fiancé.
A few other people: I can't believe Sem Garay advanced. He was the wrestler who did not look 19, right? I do believe that there is a height and weight limit, and though he wasn't tall, I thought his weight might have been more than typical. I'm not trying to say he was fat, but hopefully, you understand. Clearly, he did well, but I never would have expected it from him. When they first showed him this week, I would have bet against him. I'll bet that they skip him in Vegas, but I'll also bet that he will fall on Stage 1.
I'm kind of bummed about Jackson Twait. He was not an instant favorite, I should say. He was a little odd. He definitely had the X factor, with his cat and scooter and all, and he made a great impression in Qualifiers. I think this is why I wanted to see him do well because he had a lot of potential. I can't tell if he got in over his head and was too focused on time that he got distracted, or if he genuinely just tripped up. Either way, he showed that he was a rookie. Whether or not it was a mental or physical error, he wasn't ready for Vegas, I guess. Hopefully, next year he'll do well, again. I think this guy could do well in the next generation.
The last guy I wanted to mention is Dustin Rocho. I talked about him in Qualifiers, too. A 4 year hiatus for traveling in an RV with his family, and then returning to the show and making it to Vegas at 40 years old? That's pretty impressive. He'll probably fall on Stage 1, but we've got to give him props, right?
Cincinnati had great representation from Chicago, so overall, it was not a bad city. There is huge congratulations to Jesse and Michelle. My predictions for them is that Michelle will fall on Stage 1. If Stage 1 was the same as last year, I definitely would be betting on Jesse; however, since it seems they are making changes, my prediction for Jesse Labreck will be that she still falls on Stage 1. I hope I'm wrong, but I can't help but feel that Jesse is just missing the mark every year.
Next week marks the start of this year's 4-week National Finals. I'm not sure what the 4th episode will entail and what changes are being made in Vegas. However, I do know there are roughly 75-80 people starting in Stage 1. I know the record for Stage 1 is 41 finishers, but I'm thinking that about 21-24 people will pass. I really can't make guesses for everyone. My absolute favorites and hopes for Stage 1 finishers are the following:
Joe Moravsky
Najee Richardson
Tyler Gillett
Adam Rayl
The Kid
Daniel Gil
Sean Bryan
Jessie Graff
Ethan Swanson
Kevin Carbone
Hunter Guerard
Kevin Bull
Conor Galvin
Drew Drechsel
Chris Wilczewski
Lucas Reale
Anthony DeFranco
*Again, I'm probably missing someone I really love, but a few names that I wanted to put on the list are on the next one :(
There are probably a few others, but I'm just going off of memory. I'm always surprised by people I see come up and it's like, "Oh, I forgot about them. Yeah, they're really good." Especially the rookies from this year. Anyway, hopefully there won't be too many surprises.
Also, since this is the final City Competition, I want to give a final shoutout/list of all those whom I love who we won't be seeing for another year:
Jake Murray (possibly the hardest to accept. I will greatly miss him in Vegas)
Jamie Rahn
Lance Pekus
Tyler Yamauchi
Geoff Britten (second hardest)
Casey Rothschild
Austin Gray
Sandy Zimmerman (did phenomenal but was edged out)
Matthew Day
Meagan Martin
Jeri D'Aurelio
Kyle Soderman
Neil Craver
Plus those who did not compete:
Ian Dory? (Not sure what his story was since his IG said he was competing in Cincinnati)
Nicholas Coolridge (Probably the hardest to accept from those not competing this year)
Josh Levin
Isaac Caldiero
Thomas Stillings
Neil Craver
James McGrath
Overall, I'm sure a handful of my favorites will fall on Stage 1, and those whom I wasn't expecting will advance to Stage 2. Regardless, I'm excited to see what happens. Leave a comment on your favorites for Stage 2 and who you think will be the last man standing? Until next week...
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