Season 12 Finale

 That's a Wrap!

So, we have finally come to the end of our Covid season. This post should be on the shorter side because I don't have too much to say. I guess I always say that, and many of my posts seemed to stretch on forever. Anyway, let's just see what we have to talk about.

Finishers

Before we talk about the main event, let's return to the remaining runners in the Finals. I'm not going to talk about everyone like last time, mainly the finishers. I wasn't really expecting Jessie to finish. No doubt, she's still strong and incredible, but I didn't see her in the Playoffs. I was surprised that she fell as early as she did, but she's okay, and hopefully we'll still be seeing more of her. I will also say that it seems like Jesse Labreck is asserting herself as the dominant Jess(i)e. I think this seasons pushes her ahead of Jessie in terms of total buzzers. This season Jesse hit 2 buzzers on 10 obstacle courses, something Jessie still has yet to do. Jessie still has the claim that she has finished Stage 1, though, and she still remains a fan favorite. It's not a competition about who is better, but it is interesting to see the dynamic shift and how strong Jesse Labreck has become. 

I had seen the video of Jake's run that was posted to Instagram. It only showed up to the 9th obstacle, but it had spoiled the fact that Jake had pushed RJ Roman out of the Top 8, and that Daniel Gil had finished because they showed his time (in regards to how fast Jake was moving). So, I already knew that Daniel and Jake were safe. Even if it was a spoiler, I am super happy that they made it that far. They both did incredibly well on the course, earning the top times. Jake received a lot of attention this season, and it was well deserved. Jake has failed early in the season in the past, like last year, but he really showed up this year. I think Jake moved really quickly into my favorites list, and I hope his momentum continues over into next year. Also, huge props to him for having the fastest times in Semi-Finals and Finals. It is very difficult to be faster than Daniel Gil, and I was so shocked at both. I talked about the Semi-Finals, and how Jake must have made up some serious time in the beginning because he was dogged by the last obstacle. But this week? He was faster by 15 seconds or something, under 4 minutes. It's so crazy to think about how short of a time 4 minutes actually is, and Jake completed a 10 obstacle ANW course in less time! It's ridiculous. Jake was a beast this year.

But so was Daniel. I'll talk about his Power Tower win later, but for now I just want to mention him on the list of finishers. Again, I knew he was fine because of the IG spoiler, but nonetheless, I was happy to officially see him hit the buzzer. I think he really proved that he was the best this season.

Okay, really all I have to say about the finishers and the Finals runners is I can't believe Joe fell. There always has to be one surprise, right? And on Slam Dunk? Wow, it hurt a little to see. He was definitely my number one from the very beginning. It was kind of an out of character thing for him to fall the way he did, but he's not perfect, and this show really proves that anyone can fall at any time. What's important is that Joe was able to return to his wife and kids. ANW is a hobby, and he has something way more valuable than a "champion" title or $100k (although $100k wouldn't be too bad to have in your pocket, especially with a third kid coming). I still think Joe is my favorite, although Daniel is an extremely close second.

The Power Tower Playoffs

Okay, so y'all know I don't like the Power Tower. I didn't like it last year, or whenever, when it was for the Safety Pass. I didn't like it this year with the second chance for the teammates (honestly, that was even more stupid), and I don't like it as the main event for the season. I know they couldn't have Vegas, and the normal routine. I know they probably wanted some kind of winner, and this was probably an easy way to determine one, but I just don't care for the Power Tower, not when something substantial is being given as a reward. If it was some kind of All Star competition, that would be fine. I'll admit that it's fun to see the match-up and bet on who is going to win. Even though it's only 30 seconds, it's still exciting to watch, I'll grant you that. However, when it's for $100k and a "champion" title, I'm going to pass on it. I think I've discussed it before, but the Power Tower favors speed. It's just the nature of the Power Tower. Even if it's easy for someone to slip up at any moment, and even factoring in the mental aspect, it's a race. It's not brutal on grip and upper body strength the way Stage 3 is. Stage 3 of Mt. Midoriyama is the gate-keeper. It is the beast you have to slay in order to claim the ANW title. The Power Tower is like a puddle compared to the ocean that is the 4 stages of Mt. Midoriyama. It doesn't matter that the prize money wasn't the same amount. It just felt a little bogus. So, once again, that's my opinion on that. Let's talk about the matchups.

Najee vs. Austin

Okay, so the two right in the middle of it all. I bet on Austin because, like I've said a dozen times, the Power Tower favors the fast. Najee is strong and a great athlete, but he's not fast. His Finals time was actually quicker than I thought it would be, but he's not known for speed. Austin has a couple years of experience on him, so he definitely had the advantage. I think in this case he was slower than Najee, but I figured Austin would still be fine. 

Adam vs. Lucas

I bet on Lucas. I guess it was influenced by their Finals time. Adam was surprisingly slow, clocking in at around 6.5 minutes, I think. Lucas has been on the Power Tower before, and he goes fast on the course. He's a little younger, but I didn't think experience would be a big factor. But anything can happen, and I was wrong when Adam hit the buzzer first. I'm not mad at that. I wasn't going to be shocked if Adam won, because he's still great. Last week, I thought Daniel, Joe, and Jake would be in it, and then I was trying to decide on who my fourth person prediction would be, and Adam was one of the stronger bets. I definitely saw him in the Power Tower Playoffs. Actually, nothing about his season was all that surprising. He's a good athlete. I think he gets undermined a little bit, but he was good out there.

Jake vs. Amir

So, Amir was also one of my predictions for being in the Playoffs. He looked real good out on the course. Very fast, very natural, very strong. Impressive. Overall, he had a fantastic rookie debut. I really hope to see him again next year because it would be great to see what he is capable of in Vegas. I think he would have made it to Stage 2, maybe even Stage 3 depending on how easy they would have made Stage 2 this year. (i.e. if it was last year's Stage 2, Amir might have been fine.) Unfortunately, he bested Jake Murray. I was definitely betting on and rooting for Jake because as incredible as Amir has proven himself to be on the course, Jake is one of my all time favorites (at least now he is), and I wanted to see him go against Daniel. So, yes, I'm a little salty at the outcome, and I will definitely remember Amir Malik because of this. 

I will also say that one issue I had with Amir was not his rookie status, it was the fact that he didn't finish the course like the other 7. If he had won the whole thing, I would have been disappointed. It's not because I don't like him, in fact, he'll be great to see in the future, but to have a rookie and the only one not to finish the Finals course win the whole thing would have been a little upsetting for me. It just wouldn't have seemed right, and it would have proven how bad the Power Tower actually is. The true grand prize is awarded if you can finish Mt. Midoriyama. That's a brutal, long, and intense challenge. To have any kind of "champion" or winner title when it was just the Power Tower would have been a bit degrading. I guess it wouldn't have mattered to Amir if he won, but I would have had words to say, and I guess I've already said a lot of them. So, sorry! You had to hear it anyway. But Amir did not win, and we'll get to that.

Jesse vs. Daniel

I was rooting for Daniel. Going into this with the Top 8 solidified, Daniel was my number one pick. As much as I think Jake is great, if it were Daniel against Jake, I would have been pulling for Daniel, no doubt. At the start of Jesse and Daniel's matchup, I knew that if Jesse won, I would have gone straight to the idea of the race being fixed. Jesse is the first woman to ever be on the Power Tower, and her season was so amazing that I wouldn't have been totally surprised if they wanted her to move on at least one more bracket. I am glad that that didn't happen. I guess that sounds like I'm against Jesse, but I just really wanted Daniel to win. I also wonder if Daniel slowed down a little to conserve energy and to not make it look like such a runaway. Jesse on the course is phenomenal, but she's not fast. That's more obvious than anything. That's fine, too, of course, but on the Power Tower, it basically means she didn't have a shot unless Daniel somehow fell off the whole thing.

Austin vs. Amir

I think I was betting on Amir for this race. I wasn't particularly keen on seeing him in the final 2, but I thought Amir just beat Jake, and he's fast and he's pumped up, but Austin raced very well. Amir might have gotten tired because he stumbled more than once on the race. Or it could have been him trying to get ahead and just not being able. When it comes to the Power Tower, any little setback becomes a huge disadvantage. We still see people rebound and catch up, but we also see whoever stumbles first to be the loser. Jake slipped up early and that cost him. Amir was a little sloppier the second time, and that took him down, literally. 

Truly, Austin had an unbelievable season. I never would have expected Austin Gray to be facing off against Daniel for the winning title this year. Never. There are so many others, even Amir if I had known who he was at the beginning, who I would have believed to be there next to Daniel, but Austin? Wow. I remember him his first year, and he did great, but I guess after last year, he dropped a little in my mind. Austin also doesn't get a lot of attention. He has the kidney thing going for him, but even this year he was skipped at one point. He was a real underdog. Very impressive season.

Adam vs. Daniel

This was the most nerve wracking race. I really like Adam. He's very reliable, but as you know, Daniel was my number one guy. I don't care who he was going against. The only person he could have run against who I would have cheered for instead would be Joe Moravsky. This race though was stride for stride. Literally toe-to-toe. Mirror images of each other at every step. I was betting on Daniel, but it was so close! Oh my gosh, it was by far the best race of the Playoffs. Adam Rayl was great competition for Daniel. The best competition for Daniel that night. Except for maybe Jake, Adam was probably the best person to give Daniel a run for his money out of all of the other competitors. 

Austin vs. Daniel

This was a good run, too. Daniel took the disadvantage at the beginning, but he knew how to make up the difference. There's not much to be said here. Austin did amazing, but I am very happy Daniel won. It makes the end of the season very satisfying. I'm really glad for them. Daniel is so great. Like I said, if he had been running against Joe, I would have hoped for Joe, but that wasn't the case. If it was, I honestly think Daniel still might have won. There's something about him that he just seems very suited for it. We'll never know, but I probably would have predicted that Daniel won regardless of who he faced off against. I would have cheered for Joe, but I still would have been happy with Daniel. 

Other Thoughts

Jon Alexis Jr. actually got a shoutout. He was the only one skipped, I think, and that is just so weird. Last week, and this week, they showed everyone because they actually had the time. Except for Jon Alexis Jr. We know he wasn't on Drew Drechsel's team, so why was he shunned so badly? I wonder what he could have said or done? Maybe he said something to defend or support Drew? 

And speaking of Drew, I realized that there wasn't fancy, weird editing to cut him out of the Playoffs. The Top 8 makes sense for the bracket to work. I suppose they could have had a Top 12, and just cut out the other 4, but the way it all went down with RJ Roman and Amir Malik and the times, it doesn't really seem possible. What I'm thinking is that it is possible that Drew screwed up earlier, so he wasn't even a factor in the Playoffs. On the other hand, his arrest came so soon after filming that maybe they were tipped off in the middle of filming, and something happened that cut him from the competition. We know he was against Jody Avila on the Power Tower during Qualifiers, so it would have had to happen around Semi-Finals. I honestly find it hard to believe that Drew wouldn't have been in the Playoffs, but I suppose anyone can fall at anytime. He is only human, so maybe he just fell too early. I'll probably never know. Anyway, that's my conspiracy theory on Drew. 

Until Next Year

So, I think that's about all I have to say on season 12's finale. I love Daniel, but he's a winner not a champion to me. I think this year might have made a good buffer for him after last year. Now, he has some energy and momentum to work off of for next year when, hopefully, everything is back to normal. He didn't have to come in to season 12 trying to prove something or finish what he started, but he gets a little boost. I have no doubt that we'll see him again, and maybe next year, he'll have a kid? It was great to have some form of American Ninja Warrior this year. I'm not sure if we'll have an All Stars or a USA vs. the World, but I'll take what's given. I'm already excited for next year, though! So, until then, stay safe!