*All right, I'm super late on this post. I thought about just combining last week and next week, but hey, why not just write a super late one? I'll make it short
Formula
Okay, so I'm cracking down on the "airing formula." I am really glad we saw Thomas Stillings because I know he wasn't invited back last year, so it's nice to see him run the course again. His story was also pretty serious. There have been similar stories to his, Lance Pekus and Michael Stanger (I don't remember what his name is). He ran around the 30 minute mark. Typically, I've noticed is that the first finisher is going to be placed around the 30-45 minute mark. It seems like the 40 minute mark is the more common time, but after 30 minutes, you can pretty much expect the first finisher. And, that is what happened. It is pretty rare that there is a finisher earlier than that. I do believe that they've had a finisher placed at the 20 minute mark, but it's unusual. Anyway, based on the time placement of his run and his intense story with his wife, it was no surprise that he hit the buzzer.
Also, the first half seems to focus more on the stories, like Stillings. Then, the second half, though it features bios and stories, holds the big names, the veterans, and the show stoppers (a.k.a. Jessie Graff, Sean Bryan, RJ Roman for this week). Of course, the fastest finisher of the night pretty much always goes last. Sometimes, if someone scales the Mega Wall, they might be shown last, but you can probably bet on it being the fastest time. This tracks because RJ Roman ran last. The actual run order when they film may be completely random, but I highly doubt that the fastest time always runs last.
Athletes
RJ Roman was not actually super surprising. I remember him from last year, and he's always been fast. Of course, when he is compared against some of the other speed demons, he may not be the fastest, but he wasn't running with too many speedsters this week. Sean Bryan is an admirable foe, though, for the Power Tower. I really like Sean Bryan. He's definitely one of my favorites. He actually might be my third favorite ninja of all. Joe Moravsky and Daniel Gil are definitely my top two favorites, but I think Sean Bryan is a really great character both on and off ANW.
So, it didn't really surprise me that Roman and Bryan were the two facing off. If I had known everyone who was running that night (the roster), then I probably could have bet on these two. I'm actually really impressed by Roman. He isn't my favorite ninja, for sure, but his move on the Power Tower was bold. Bryan had the upper hand all the way through, and I would have loved to see him win, but Roman's move on that last swing was pro. I have to give props to him for that risky choice. I still think the Power Tower prize for this season is stupid, but I also have to admit that it is kind of interesting to watch. What else I noticed was Roman's reaction to winning. Now, I didn't see the whole thing play out, and I don't know what they edited, but Roman was kind of arrogant when he won. The victor usually shakes the hand of or hugs the other guy at the buzzer, but RJ Roman did not do that to Bryan. He kind of seemed to ignore him to immediately in order to do his pose thing at the top. Maybe he did congratulate Bryan and be civil, and we just didn't see it. I just thought the initial reaction was a little mean, especially since Sean Bryan is so friendly and supportive. So, that bothered me a little, yes.
Michelle Warnky was quite a surprise. From her Instagram, she seems super happy and in love with her new husband, and since they're a little older, it makes sense that they want to focus on children. I think Michelle definitely seems like the motherly type. Now, if she's pregnant and has kids, I'm sure we won't see her for several years, but I also have no doubt that she would want to come back. Her run was disappointing because she fell so early, but it's not like she deserves special attention for being one of the best women.
Let's also talk about Jessie Graff. Honestly, there's not much I have to say because in the sneak peak from last week, they essentially showed her finishing. She was in her new costume at the Warped Wall with her hands at the top. They literally told us that she hit the buzzer, so really it wasn't very exciting when she did.
There were actually quite a few big names now that I look at the list again. Towers Of Power weren't crazy to see. I definitely think that Dan is the better half of the duo, and it kind of tracks when he advanced and his bro didn't.
Najee also ran. Like Daniel, I definitely thought Najee could get the Mega Wall. He made it previous years, and he used to get serious air on the regular Wall. Of course, it was disappointing, but what really counts is that Najee advanced and we get to see him again. I do like Najee. He's becoming a serious player in ANW. He isn't a speed demon, but I enjoy watching him run.
Austin Gray, Lorin Ball, and Adam Rayl. Those are names I want to acknowledge. Adam Rayl really surprised me in a bad way. I definitely could have bet that Rayl would have been on the Power Tower. He's fast and he's strong. He's like Najee. When putting together a team, Adam and Najee would be serious contenders for my Dream Team.
David Campbell surprised me in a good way. He's getting up there in age, and he's been on all 12 seasons, so you'd think that he is on his decline. But him running up the Mega Wall was a shock. Honestly, I did not expect that. Now, I think he'll drop eventually, and he might not get much screen time after this, but he had a nice moment in the spotlight. His save on Lunatic Ledges was impressive. He ran later in the night, so I was kind of unsure of what was happening, but it was nice to see his agility.
Ben Melick was a new/old face. I remember his Tarzan get-up, but I wasn't sure where he went. He wasn't the biggest name out there, but his costume makes him more memorable. I think he proposed to his girlfriend on the show. But, I'm not really mad about him moving on.
Tage Herrington is the last guy I want to mention. I swear that when he stepped onto the platform, he was 10 years old. I thought the 9 in 19 was a 0, and the angle of the camera made him look way too young. He looked like a 12 or 13 year old all the way through. He looks so young! Although, he was impressive. I think the first half of his run was a little sketchy, but seeing him on the Ferris Wheel means he must have some natural talent. The Towers of Power have what I call "celebrity muscles." They do the regimens and build up the hunky muscles for appearance, but they're not always actually useful. They have really great bodies, but this show isn't dedicated to pure muscle. It's actually very focused on grip strength (and upper body strength in general) and endurance/stamina. Maybe you can do a lot of pull-ups and push-ups and do the salmon ladder, but being able to control yourself and have strength in reserve to run the whole course at once. Even the Ferris Wheel is a great example of how muscles don't necessarily help you. It's about that grip strength. Tage didn't look like much, to be honest, but he's like Joe. Not obviously the muscle-y type, but a champ on the course. I'm actually excited to see hi continue. There were some promising new rookies and next-gen athletes from last year, but some of them have already kind of dropped off. It must be a little difficult to break through unless you have some connections (like The Kid). Tage could be really impressive this year, though, for the young rookies.
The Course
The course isn't very different from last week. The only thing I have to say about it is the Lunatic Ledges obstacle. I know they had it in week 2, and not nearly as many people fell. So many people dropped that they had a counter. That's how you know it's serious. I don't know why so many people struggled this week and not last week. It's one of those obstacles where you have to commit to the jump or you lose momentum. So, unless you're David Campbell, I guess you're screwed. Still, it was odd that it was the challenger of the night. That's pretty much all I have to say.
I wonder how the course will be altered next week. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bungee obstacle is there again since they had the Ferris Wheel twice, it would make sense that the first week's obstacle (the bungee one) would return. The smaller tweaks to the courses makes it all more fair without sacrificing entertainment.
Wrapping Up
So, that's it. Not the shortest post, but really not the longest, either. I still am counting this "season" as more of 11.5 not a full season 12, but I am glad that they managed to pull it off. We still get to see our favorites and new faces still get their shot. Next week will be great with Joe and The Kid. The Mega Wall shakes things up a lot because Joe could easily be on the Power Tower, but he'll also definitely go for the Mega Wall which will slow him down. My prediction is that he will not be on the Power Tower. The Kid, assuming he's running, will be a question mark. He's more than capable of getting to and winning the Power Tower, but he also might go for the Mega Wall. He hasn't gotten it before, but I'm expecting him to advance regardless. Of course, there could always be a huge surprise; we've already had that. Anyway, that's all from me. Until next time...
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