Well, we have a few things to talk about, don't we? I guess we can start with the obvious: Drew Drechsel wet on Stage 1? The first year ever that he messes up on Stage 1 he has the Safety Pass? I'm not saying that's rigged or anything because it would probably be pretty difficult to arrange that, but not impossible. I don't really see the point, though, so Drew probably just messed up. It's just very convenient, that's all. True to my word from previous posts, Drew has used his pass, so I am no longer on his side. Just having the pass is one thing. As we saw from those who earned the Speed Pass, they run a little differently. The confidence and security changes the mental aspect of someone's run, and yes, it is still an advantage, but it's not as intense as the Safety Pass. So, while having the Safety Pass still has an effect on the winners, it's when they actually use it that bothers me. Drew has been deserving of winning it all the other years that he has competed. He truly is one of the favorites to win, and he is very capable, no doubt. It wouldn't bother me if Drew earned the Safety Pass, never used it, and won everything. But now that he has used it, I can't be as happy if he wins everything. He failed. Period. Like I said, all the other years he has been perfectly worthy, but not this year. There's really nothing else to say about that. It will make Stage 2 much more interesting, though. I believe that Drew shouldn't have needed the Pass at all based on what we have seen in the past. Now, for Stage 2, he has to live up to that expectation. Stage 2 will be different, so he'll really have to use his abilities to adapt and show true skill without his Safety Pass.
Interesting how the two people we all thought would be cashing in the Pass on Stage 2 were the ones who failed us on Stage 1? I thought Cavanagh, Torres, and Voiles would be using that Pass on Stage 1, so I wonder how they'll use it on Stage 2. Obviously, the majority of people fail on Stage 2, but what can people do with a second chance? I still think Cavanagh, Torres, and Voiles will fall on Stage 2 regardless of the Pass. For them, it's more of where will they fall the second time? I have enough faith in them to not screw up on the same obstacle twice, but I still don't know how drastically Stage 2 was altered. I thought maybe the Wing Nuts would stay for one more year, but I'm kind of feeling like they're going to be gone, now. Or, if they are there, they won't be the same. Like Tire Run there has to be some change. Plenty of people mess up on the double salmon ladder one or whatever comes after that, so I think all three of them will make the best of their pass, for sure, but for the record, I don't think any of these three guys will be advancing to Stage 3.
However, our final Safety Pass winner might just make good use of it. The Kid could be looking at his first shot on Stage 3. Here's my thoughts. I really like The Kid. He has definitely earned his rank among the stars, and I'd love to see him on Stage 3, truly I would. With that being said, I actually wouldn't have much faith in him on Stage 3. Stage 3 is just so brutal with upper body and grip strength. I'm not sure what The Kid has grip strength wise. He's a little on the scrawny side, to be honest. I'm skeptical only because I feel like I haven't seen enough of him on those types of obstacles to really put my faith in him. Don't get me wrong, though, I definitely want to see what he can do on Stage 3. I'd love to be proven wrong about him. It's no easy feat to score the fastest time in Vegas when you're up against the greats like Drew, Joe, Daniel, Adam, and Ethan. And he's only 20 years old; this is only his second year. Even his rookie year, he won the 2nd or 3rd fastest time, I believe. The Kid has lived up to the hype, and I'm hoping his Safety Pass won't be wasted. However, I should still mention that, of course, if he uses it, I can't really be "on his team" if that doesn't sound weird. I want to see how far he could make it on Stage 3, but obviously, I won't be cheering for him to win it all.
We've also got to mention Joe Moravsky. One of the biggest shocks for me, actually probably the second biggest after Drew's fall, was that Joe was skipped! They are really screwing him over. The city courses had the decency to at least show him, but he was at the half way mark, which realistically, is a diss. Joe is a huge name. One accident last year should not push him to the back. Plus, they had the perfect story, too. He had a redemption thing going for the Double Dipper. Not only did he best it, but he finished the course and is returning to Stage 2. Look, yes, I'm a little bias because I love Joe, but when was the last time he was skipped? His second year, maybe? He's always been dynamite for this show. He's always made it to Vegas, and every year except for last he's reached Stage 2. Earlier in the year, he made an Instagram post supporting Pro-Life. I want to give the producers the benefit of the doubt that they are being that petty that politics, which have absolutely nothing to do with ANW whatsoever, are interfering with how they perceive runners. I don't know why they're dissing Joe so much, but it's kind of annoying. They better show him on Stage 2, because Lord knows they'll have the time. As a side note about his post, I agree with him, and I think it's really unfortunate that he took the post down because some people didn't agree with him or left comments or whatever. Then he apologized. He should never have to apologize for what he believes in. He has a right to post what he supports, and for starters, people shouldn't be so petty and rude as to leave horrible comments or start some stupid debate with him. He can post whatever he wants, and if anything, it makes people like me like Joe even more. He really shouldn't have to apologize, either. So, in that way, I was actually a little disappointed in him, but he's still my favorite to win it all.
Here's another thing about Joe. They're advertising that someone is going to win it all, right? They showed some random clip of someone climbing the tower that is Stage 4, and it looked like he was wearing a red shirt. Joe's new shirt has red on it. First, I don't believe that the clip is the real person who climbed the tower. It was probably just someone random or it was Geoff or Isaac with some editing so that they could show something. Even if it was real, I'm not sure it could be Joe. They've given him the cold shoulder all season for one. Joe is really great, no doubt about that, but it almost feels like they could have used that clip to make us believe that it was Joe which means it won't be. Anyway, I've still got Joe and Daniel. Daniel is another one of my absolute favorites.
Unfortunately, we lost my third favorite: Sean Bryan. It was extremely unfortunate that Sean injured himself. He's literally one of the best. And when I say "the best" I don't mean Najee, Jake, Flip, Adam, The Kid or whoever the best, I mean One of The Absolute Best. He's really, really promising for a good Stage 3 run, and it sucks that he failed without actually failing. Of course, his physical health and well-being is much more important. It is just a very sad ending to his season.
Jessie Graff would be next on the list. It was very shocking to see her go down so early. I do believe that she could have finished the whole thing, just like I believe that Jesse could have. Jessie was letting the time get tight, so maybe she would have failed anyway. I think what was more shocking was that it was only on the 3rd obstacle and that it was due to her whiffing on the transfer grab. Jessie is still my favorite female athlete. I really do enjoy watching her run, so again, it was kind of a shame that she dropped early.
She's another reminder, along with people Sean Bryan and Najee Richardson, that Stage 1 can't be taken for granted, and it is really jarring when they fall and their season is over. In City Finals, far enough, fast enough works for some, and it's like, "well, they didn't hit a buzzer, but it's okay." Here in Vegas, it's not okay, and it's really quite a bummer when some of the favorites fall early. Although, I do like that Stage 1 weeds out a lot of people. Out of 86 people, only 28 moved on. So, in all honesty, Stage 1 is doing its job. Sometimes, it is quite surprising not only how many people fall, but who falls. This season we've already had Sean Bryan, Jessie Graff, and Najee Richardson eliminated. These are the people who we just take their advancement as fact. Even Drew fell. If he didn't have that Safety Pass, it would be have been a bit of an uproar. It's kind of crazy to think about how fast a season can end, regardless of what stage they are at. Like Jake Murray or Jamie Rahn failing to even get to Vegas this year. But I suppose we can't complain about Stage 1 that much. Over the years, this besides from Stage 4 obviously, Stage 1 has probably stayed the most consistent. Yes, the majority of the obstacles have changed, but they stay in the same obstacle family/type better than Stage 2 and 3 obstacles. Look at Stage 3 last year compared to season 7 when Isaac and Geoff won. Totally different animals. I don't think any of the obstacles are the same, and they just keep changing them. Stage 3 is meant to be relentless, and they've definitely upheld that. Stage 1 has always been full body, fancy footwork, and speed based, and I really like that they've done a good job upholding that standard. Something else I noticed about this year's Stage 1 is that there is not one single obstacle which is killing everybody. There have been some falls on Spin Your Wheels, Double Dipper (still has seen a lot less drops than last year, though), Jumping Spider, Tire Run (has posed a much bigger problem with the alteration), the Diving Boards, and Twist and Fly. It's been very spread out, and I think that's a good sign of quality course. Unlike Baltimore where 1 obstacle defeated 22 competitors. I think it should be more like this anyway, with the failures being spread out. That way it isn't so boring, and we see a more diverse range of skill.
So that's my rant on the course. One other thing that doesn't really fit anywhere, but where was Chris Wilczewski? I know he made it to Vegas, and I didn't see him last week, but I still didn't see him this week. Apparently, he fell on the Double Dipper, but I have no recollection of seeing him, not even a "while you were away." I know this has happened before. I really don't understand this. What makes Chris different that they can't even mention him? There have been vanishing people before in all courses, so this is more confusing than skipping finishers in favor of non finishers. Dan Yager is another one. Apparently, it was the Jumping Spider which took him out, but I don't remember seeing his face at the start line in Vegas. Kenny Niemitalo timed out, but where was he? This is probably why I can't always remember certain people because they are literally not shown for even a second. That blows my mind the most, honestly, in terms of how the show works. It's annoying for us, but it's actually disrespectful to the competitor. Maybe these guys didn't finish, but they're here, and they deserve to be acknowledged.
I'm mad that finishers were skipped. I still don't completely understand why they skip finishers and show failures (with bios) instead. Maybe you could argue that they'll show them in the next Stage and they're trying to spread the love, but I've seen plenty of people who are skipped in Stage 1 and then skipped again in Stage 2 (when they fall). So, the argument is slightly invalid. There are actually plenty of people who are skipped through their entire season, and it's really stupid. Let's just name a few people they skipped: Tyler Gillett (great competitor, I think he's a little underestimated by Matt and Akbar), Dave Cavanagh, Michael Torres (both of these guys had Safety Passes, so for some reason I thought they'd be shown), Hunter Guerard, Ben Wales. The last one is a walk-on, and I think the walk-ons deserve a little more love. What they do to get on the show is incredible, and to hit the buzzer on Stage 1 is no easy feat, either. What's worse, is that I'll bet that he's still skipped next week.
Some of the other people I'm glad to see move on: Seth Rogers and Casey Suchocki. First, Rogers is 19, and hitting the buzzer is a good sign that he can be one of the strong athletes to fill the shoes of some of the older veterans. The survival of the show relies on people like him, and even The Kid, to be amazing. The next generation has to be equal or greater than those who are reigning right now, and Seth Rogers seems promising. There are plenty of young guys, like R.J. Roman and Conor Galvin (the latter whom did not advance but still had a good first season). Speaking of Seth Rogers, they made a comment about how he was actually too big for the Jumping Spider. I've said it before: height hurts. There is a height limit to ANW, and even the obstacles themselves recognize it. Stage 1 is where it might not matter as much, and in fact may even help. Tire Run in particular seemed to favor the taller people. At the very least, they were able to save themselves a little better. There were a couple taller people, even The Kid could be considered tall compared to his fellow competitors, who seemed to be able to save themselves using their height. I also like Casey a lot. I'm not saying he has what it takes to win it all, because I don't think that's true, but he clearly has fun on the courses, and seems like an all-around great guy outside of ANW. I remember his first year because he winked to the Warped Wall camera, just like he did last night. He cut it close on time, but what matters is that he finished, and he clearly was happy with his results. Again, though, it is amazing how different people's runs can be concerning time. Casey took the most time with 4 seconds left to spare (which, let's be honest isn't too terrible considering how extremely close people have gone in the past), and The Kid had something like 50 seconds left? It's ridiculous what some people can do in less than 2 minutes. My general prediction for Casey, though, is that he'll fall on Stage 2 somewhere in the middle or beginning, and he'll be skipped.
Something that I probably should have mentioned earlier but also fits with time, is how many people have timed out or let the time get to them. We could start last week with Labreck. Nick Hanson, Anthony DeFranco, David Campbell, Barclay Stockett, and Tiana Webberley all had issues with time. Jessie also appeared to be on the verge of having time issues if she hadn't fallen on Double Dipper. I don't really recall that many people timing out in previous years, but I suppose this could be my own poor memory. Regardless, it's another interesting contrast to see people who literally can complete the course but not in 2:30, and then there are others who can whip through the same course with tons of time to spare. This is where I think it's more of a mental game. People like The Kid are built to go faster naturally, I think, but he's also intent on going fast and sure of his ability on each obstacle. There is no hesitation in between obstacles; there is no pausing and recollecting. For some, I think this is a strategy used in order to get through, like they can't stop to think about it or they'll mess up, but I also think it's just a major difference in people's disposition. People like The Kid probably don't get up in their own head that much either. Nick Hanson has had time issues in the past and that probably messes with him. The Kid doesn't have that same history, but he's a lot more relaxed, and it clearly shows in his runs.
What else, what else? Grant finally made it back to Stage 2, which is great for him. I wonder if he'll fall on the salmon ladder obstacle in Stage 2 again. Assuming they'll have it (or something like it), this has been his Vegas enemy, failing on it both times he reached Vegas.
It's really hard to make exact predictions because I don't know the course. I don't have the inside scoop. It's easier to make general predictions about who I think will pass, but I'm usually just bias. If there is going to be a winner like they're hyping up, I would assume there might be a couple extra people on Stage 3. I think Drew and Joe are typically good bets, but we never know. I'm really feeling that The Kid will be on Stage 3 but with the use of the Safety Pass. I'd love to see people like Tyler Gillett or Adam Rayl on Stage 3. Daniel Gil is another good bet, and someone like Ethan Swanson could surprise us. I have a feeling that there will be 3 of 4 people looking at Stage 3, but it's totally up in the air on who it could be. To be fair, we have 4 Safety Pass users, and any one of them could use it to the maximum. Personally, I don't really see Cavanagh or Torres or Voiles succeeding, but I don't know. I'm not really rooting for them to use the Safety Pass since I'd prefer it they could pass Stage 2 without it. At the very least, though, we'll get to see what they can do on Stage 3 should they get there.
You all know my hopes for who wins: Joe or Daniel. We really haven't seen much of Joe which is slightly worrying, but I'll still stay optimistic for him. I kind of doubt Daniel, to be honest. I have a bad feeling it might be Drew who wins, and frankly, you know I don't want that. Not this year, at least. I feel like, as long as it is not a Safety Pass winner, I can't be mad at anyone who wins. There are some people who just don't seem like American Ninja Warrior Champions, so I would probably be disappointed if certain people won. I'm cheering for Joe, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens in 2 weeks. Let me know who you want to see at the top of Stage 4! Until then...
Interesting how the two people we all thought would be cashing in the Pass on Stage 2 were the ones who failed us on Stage 1? I thought Cavanagh, Torres, and Voiles would be using that Pass on Stage 1, so I wonder how they'll use it on Stage 2. Obviously, the majority of people fail on Stage 2, but what can people do with a second chance? I still think Cavanagh, Torres, and Voiles will fall on Stage 2 regardless of the Pass. For them, it's more of where will they fall the second time? I have enough faith in them to not screw up on the same obstacle twice, but I still don't know how drastically Stage 2 was altered. I thought maybe the Wing Nuts would stay for one more year, but I'm kind of feeling like they're going to be gone, now. Or, if they are there, they won't be the same. Like Tire Run there has to be some change. Plenty of people mess up on the double salmon ladder one or whatever comes after that, so I think all three of them will make the best of their pass, for sure, but for the record, I don't think any of these three guys will be advancing to Stage 3.
However, our final Safety Pass winner might just make good use of it. The Kid could be looking at his first shot on Stage 3. Here's my thoughts. I really like The Kid. He has definitely earned his rank among the stars, and I'd love to see him on Stage 3, truly I would. With that being said, I actually wouldn't have much faith in him on Stage 3. Stage 3 is just so brutal with upper body and grip strength. I'm not sure what The Kid has grip strength wise. He's a little on the scrawny side, to be honest. I'm skeptical only because I feel like I haven't seen enough of him on those types of obstacles to really put my faith in him. Don't get me wrong, though, I definitely want to see what he can do on Stage 3. I'd love to be proven wrong about him. It's no easy feat to score the fastest time in Vegas when you're up against the greats like Drew, Joe, Daniel, Adam, and Ethan. And he's only 20 years old; this is only his second year. Even his rookie year, he won the 2nd or 3rd fastest time, I believe. The Kid has lived up to the hype, and I'm hoping his Safety Pass won't be wasted. However, I should still mention that, of course, if he uses it, I can't really be "on his team" if that doesn't sound weird. I want to see how far he could make it on Stage 3, but obviously, I won't be cheering for him to win it all.
We've also got to mention Joe Moravsky. One of the biggest shocks for me, actually probably the second biggest after Drew's fall, was that Joe was skipped! They are really screwing him over. The city courses had the decency to at least show him, but he was at the half way mark, which realistically, is a diss. Joe is a huge name. One accident last year should not push him to the back. Plus, they had the perfect story, too. He had a redemption thing going for the Double Dipper. Not only did he best it, but he finished the course and is returning to Stage 2. Look, yes, I'm a little bias because I love Joe, but when was the last time he was skipped? His second year, maybe? He's always been dynamite for this show. He's always made it to Vegas, and every year except for last he's reached Stage 2. Earlier in the year, he made an Instagram post supporting Pro-Life. I want to give the producers the benefit of the doubt that they are being that petty that politics, which have absolutely nothing to do with ANW whatsoever, are interfering with how they perceive runners. I don't know why they're dissing Joe so much, but it's kind of annoying. They better show him on Stage 2, because Lord knows they'll have the time. As a side note about his post, I agree with him, and I think it's really unfortunate that he took the post down because some people didn't agree with him or left comments or whatever. Then he apologized. He should never have to apologize for what he believes in. He has a right to post what he supports, and for starters, people shouldn't be so petty and rude as to leave horrible comments or start some stupid debate with him. He can post whatever he wants, and if anything, it makes people like me like Joe even more. He really shouldn't have to apologize, either. So, in that way, I was actually a little disappointed in him, but he's still my favorite to win it all.
Here's another thing about Joe. They're advertising that someone is going to win it all, right? They showed some random clip of someone climbing the tower that is Stage 4, and it looked like he was wearing a red shirt. Joe's new shirt has red on it. First, I don't believe that the clip is the real person who climbed the tower. It was probably just someone random or it was Geoff or Isaac with some editing so that they could show something. Even if it was real, I'm not sure it could be Joe. They've given him the cold shoulder all season for one. Joe is really great, no doubt about that, but it almost feels like they could have used that clip to make us believe that it was Joe which means it won't be. Anyway, I've still got Joe and Daniel. Daniel is another one of my absolute favorites.
Unfortunately, we lost my third favorite: Sean Bryan. It was extremely unfortunate that Sean injured himself. He's literally one of the best. And when I say "the best" I don't mean Najee, Jake, Flip, Adam, The Kid or whoever the best, I mean One of The Absolute Best. He's really, really promising for a good Stage 3 run, and it sucks that he failed without actually failing. Of course, his physical health and well-being is much more important. It is just a very sad ending to his season.
Jessie Graff would be next on the list. It was very shocking to see her go down so early. I do believe that she could have finished the whole thing, just like I believe that Jesse could have. Jessie was letting the time get tight, so maybe she would have failed anyway. I think what was more shocking was that it was only on the 3rd obstacle and that it was due to her whiffing on the transfer grab. Jessie is still my favorite female athlete. I really do enjoy watching her run, so again, it was kind of a shame that she dropped early.
She's another reminder, along with people Sean Bryan and Najee Richardson, that Stage 1 can't be taken for granted, and it is really jarring when they fall and their season is over. In City Finals, far enough, fast enough works for some, and it's like, "well, they didn't hit a buzzer, but it's okay." Here in Vegas, it's not okay, and it's really quite a bummer when some of the favorites fall early. Although, I do like that Stage 1 weeds out a lot of people. Out of 86 people, only 28 moved on. So, in all honesty, Stage 1 is doing its job. Sometimes, it is quite surprising not only how many people fall, but who falls. This season we've already had Sean Bryan, Jessie Graff, and Najee Richardson eliminated. These are the people who we just take their advancement as fact. Even Drew fell. If he didn't have that Safety Pass, it would be have been a bit of an uproar. It's kind of crazy to think about how fast a season can end, regardless of what stage they are at. Like Jake Murray or Jamie Rahn failing to even get to Vegas this year. But I suppose we can't complain about Stage 1 that much. Over the years, this besides from Stage 4 obviously, Stage 1 has probably stayed the most consistent. Yes, the majority of the obstacles have changed, but they stay in the same obstacle family/type better than Stage 2 and 3 obstacles. Look at Stage 3 last year compared to season 7 when Isaac and Geoff won. Totally different animals. I don't think any of the obstacles are the same, and they just keep changing them. Stage 3 is meant to be relentless, and they've definitely upheld that. Stage 1 has always been full body, fancy footwork, and speed based, and I really like that they've done a good job upholding that standard. Something else I noticed about this year's Stage 1 is that there is not one single obstacle which is killing everybody. There have been some falls on Spin Your Wheels, Double Dipper (still has seen a lot less drops than last year, though), Jumping Spider, Tire Run (has posed a much bigger problem with the alteration), the Diving Boards, and Twist and Fly. It's been very spread out, and I think that's a good sign of quality course. Unlike Baltimore where 1 obstacle defeated 22 competitors. I think it should be more like this anyway, with the failures being spread out. That way it isn't so boring, and we see a more diverse range of skill.
So that's my rant on the course. One other thing that doesn't really fit anywhere, but where was Chris Wilczewski? I know he made it to Vegas, and I didn't see him last week, but I still didn't see him this week. Apparently, he fell on the Double Dipper, but I have no recollection of seeing him, not even a "while you were away." I know this has happened before. I really don't understand this. What makes Chris different that they can't even mention him? There have been vanishing people before in all courses, so this is more confusing than skipping finishers in favor of non finishers. Dan Yager is another one. Apparently, it was the Jumping Spider which took him out, but I don't remember seeing his face at the start line in Vegas. Kenny Niemitalo timed out, but where was he? This is probably why I can't always remember certain people because they are literally not shown for even a second. That blows my mind the most, honestly, in terms of how the show works. It's annoying for us, but it's actually disrespectful to the competitor. Maybe these guys didn't finish, but they're here, and they deserve to be acknowledged.
I'm mad that finishers were skipped. I still don't completely understand why they skip finishers and show failures (with bios) instead. Maybe you could argue that they'll show them in the next Stage and they're trying to spread the love, but I've seen plenty of people who are skipped in Stage 1 and then skipped again in Stage 2 (when they fall). So, the argument is slightly invalid. There are actually plenty of people who are skipped through their entire season, and it's really stupid. Let's just name a few people they skipped: Tyler Gillett (great competitor, I think he's a little underestimated by Matt and Akbar), Dave Cavanagh, Michael Torres (both of these guys had Safety Passes, so for some reason I thought they'd be shown), Hunter Guerard, Ben Wales. The last one is a walk-on, and I think the walk-ons deserve a little more love. What they do to get on the show is incredible, and to hit the buzzer on Stage 1 is no easy feat, either. What's worse, is that I'll bet that he's still skipped next week.
Some of the other people I'm glad to see move on: Seth Rogers and Casey Suchocki. First, Rogers is 19, and hitting the buzzer is a good sign that he can be one of the strong athletes to fill the shoes of some of the older veterans. The survival of the show relies on people like him, and even The Kid, to be amazing. The next generation has to be equal or greater than those who are reigning right now, and Seth Rogers seems promising. There are plenty of young guys, like R.J. Roman and Conor Galvin (the latter whom did not advance but still had a good first season). Speaking of Seth Rogers, they made a comment about how he was actually too big for the Jumping Spider. I've said it before: height hurts. There is a height limit to ANW, and even the obstacles themselves recognize it. Stage 1 is where it might not matter as much, and in fact may even help. Tire Run in particular seemed to favor the taller people. At the very least, they were able to save themselves a little better. There were a couple taller people, even The Kid could be considered tall compared to his fellow competitors, who seemed to be able to save themselves using their height. I also like Casey a lot. I'm not saying he has what it takes to win it all, because I don't think that's true, but he clearly has fun on the courses, and seems like an all-around great guy outside of ANW. I remember his first year because he winked to the Warped Wall camera, just like he did last night. He cut it close on time, but what matters is that he finished, and he clearly was happy with his results. Again, though, it is amazing how different people's runs can be concerning time. Casey took the most time with 4 seconds left to spare (which, let's be honest isn't too terrible considering how extremely close people have gone in the past), and The Kid had something like 50 seconds left? It's ridiculous what some people can do in less than 2 minutes. My general prediction for Casey, though, is that he'll fall on Stage 2 somewhere in the middle or beginning, and he'll be skipped.
Something that I probably should have mentioned earlier but also fits with time, is how many people have timed out or let the time get to them. We could start last week with Labreck. Nick Hanson, Anthony DeFranco, David Campbell, Barclay Stockett, and Tiana Webberley all had issues with time. Jessie also appeared to be on the verge of having time issues if she hadn't fallen on Double Dipper. I don't really recall that many people timing out in previous years, but I suppose this could be my own poor memory. Regardless, it's another interesting contrast to see people who literally can complete the course but not in 2:30, and then there are others who can whip through the same course with tons of time to spare. This is where I think it's more of a mental game. People like The Kid are built to go faster naturally, I think, but he's also intent on going fast and sure of his ability on each obstacle. There is no hesitation in between obstacles; there is no pausing and recollecting. For some, I think this is a strategy used in order to get through, like they can't stop to think about it or they'll mess up, but I also think it's just a major difference in people's disposition. People like The Kid probably don't get up in their own head that much either. Nick Hanson has had time issues in the past and that probably messes with him. The Kid doesn't have that same history, but he's a lot more relaxed, and it clearly shows in his runs.
What else, what else? Grant finally made it back to Stage 2, which is great for him. I wonder if he'll fall on the salmon ladder obstacle in Stage 2 again. Assuming they'll have it (or something like it), this has been his Vegas enemy, failing on it both times he reached Vegas.
It's really hard to make exact predictions because I don't know the course. I don't have the inside scoop. It's easier to make general predictions about who I think will pass, but I'm usually just bias. If there is going to be a winner like they're hyping up, I would assume there might be a couple extra people on Stage 3. I think Drew and Joe are typically good bets, but we never know. I'm really feeling that The Kid will be on Stage 3 but with the use of the Safety Pass. I'd love to see people like Tyler Gillett or Adam Rayl on Stage 3. Daniel Gil is another good bet, and someone like Ethan Swanson could surprise us. I have a feeling that there will be 3 of 4 people looking at Stage 3, but it's totally up in the air on who it could be. To be fair, we have 4 Safety Pass users, and any one of them could use it to the maximum. Personally, I don't really see Cavanagh or Torres or Voiles succeeding, but I don't know. I'm not really rooting for them to use the Safety Pass since I'd prefer it they could pass Stage 2 without it. At the very least, though, we'll get to see what they can do on Stage 3 should they get there.
You all know my hopes for who wins: Joe or Daniel. We really haven't seen much of Joe which is slightly worrying, but I'll still stay optimistic for him. I kind of doubt Daniel, to be honest. I have a bad feeling it might be Drew who wins, and frankly, you know I don't want that. Not this year, at least. I feel like, as long as it is not a Safety Pass winner, I can't be mad at anyone who wins. There are some people who just don't seem like American Ninja Warrior Champions, so I would probably be disappointed if certain people won. I'm cheering for Joe, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens in 2 weeks. Let me know who you want to see at the top of Stage 4! Until then...
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