Original subtitles

- Welcome to a special "American Ninja Warrior."

Those aren't ninjas you're seeing.

They're dragons.

We're celebrating the new live-action film

"How to Train Your Dragon."

And the stars of the film, Toothless, the Night Fury,

and Stormfly the Deadly Nadder, are winging

their way through our course.

- Oh-ho-ho! - Oh!

- What the what? My goodness.

- Oh, oh! Oh, my goodness.

- Are you kidding me?

This is gonna be a wild night as dragons

and ninjas come together on this special

"American Ninja Warrior."

Hello, everyone, and welcome to our second night of qualifying.

I'm Matt Iseman. - And I'm Akbar Gbajabiamila.

Matt, this is gonna be epic.

We've had a lot of crazy things happen

on our course over the years, but we've never had dragons.

- Absolutely, big man.

But tonight we've got dragons, we've got ninjas,

and we've got Zuri Hall.

So, Zuri, what else are we gonna see tonight?

- It's gonna be quite a night.

As you know, guys, we are bringing back iconic obstacles

from the past, including this classic, which has been

taken over by fearless Viking warriors

from "How to Train Your Dragon."

The Fly Wheels debuted back in season 8

and were a ninja killer, knocking out 25 competitors.

- No!

- Tonight, it's been decked out like a Viking ship.

Ninjas don't want to go overboard here.

Then it's the return of a balance obstacle

that's created some of the sport's most brutal falls...

- Ooh.

- And dynamic saves. - What a save!

- OK, save it.

- Oh!

[cheers and applause]

- And Ferris Wheel is back.

Ninjas have to climb the wheels and survive

two bone-rattling drops.

- Yes! - Hold on tight.

- Ride it. Ride it.

- Oh!

- Ah!

- If our ninjas hit the buzzer in under a minute,

they can try out our 18 1/2 foot Mega Wall

with the chance to win $10,000,

courtesy of the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card.

The Active Cash credit card pays

2% cash rewards on purchases. Terms apply.

Is anyone taking home 10k? We'll find out tonight.

- And the dragons, Toothless and Stormfly,

are gonna get us going with our first competitor of the night,

and he is a Renaissance man.

This is Max Manson, a Stanford grad student

who's a rocket scientist, a champion pole vaulter,

and a "Ninja" superfan.

And that smile shows he's happy to be here.

- Two, one, liftoff.

- When I was maybe eight years old,

started building my own rockets.

And then I've evolved into bigger and bigger ones.

And then now I'm here at Stanford

building these huge rockets that are going Mach 2,

30,000 feet, and really kind of pushing the limits.

[upbeat music]

Pole vaulting is in my blood.

It's something I've been around my whole life.

I've been a two-time state champion

in high school, junior Olympic national champion,

all-American NCAA.

I've been a huge "Ninja" fan since I was a little kid.

I remember watching ninjas like Meagan Martin,

Jessie Graff, who were all pole vaulters.

I built my own obstacles when I was, like, 14

and would compete in these competitions in Boulder.

But at the time, the age limit was 21 for the show.

- This is Max Manson.

This guy's gonna be the next "American Ninja Warrior"

seven years from now.

He is one of the most talented kids I've ever seen.

- Once I was 21, I was on the track team,

and I didn't have time, and I wasn't allowed

to do other stuff like that.

So I've been waiting years for this moment.

- Yeah!

- I've been fighting gravity my whole life,

and tonight, I am gonna reach new heights.

* *

Hey, guys, thank you so much!

- He'll have some of his buddies back

at Stanford watching. - Whoo! Go, Max.

- And his mom's leading the cheer section

down on the sideline.

[cheers and applause]

[countdown clock beeping]

- Now he looks ready.

- Bounding through, 6'1", 180.

And now he'll be the first on our

"How to Train Your Dragon" obstacle.

The movie opens Friday, June 13th.

The Vikings from the film have taken over the Fly Wheels.

It's 6 feet between each of these wheels.

- As a pole vaulter, he should have

really good body control,

needs to kind of build up that swing for this dismount.

[cheers and applause]

- Now the rocket scientist will try to blast across Log Runner.

- Uh-oh, watch out.

Watch out.

- Max Manson in trouble.

At 6'1", though, he's got long limbs.

- He doesn't have a pole to get him out of this one.

- Let's see if he can get his feet back to that second log.

- Boy, he's gonna have to wrestle this one.

I don't know if they had wrestling at Stanford.

- We've seen people save themselves on this before,

but that's when they're hung up

on the final log, not in the middle.

- We've never seen them go two steps, though.

That would be an incredible one.

And remember, each one goes up 6--

oh, 6 inches. - He's still alive.

- My goodness.

- Will he have a second save?

- Big Spider-Man moment.

Come on, Max. You got it.

- This is taking everything out of him.

- You got it, Max! - You got this!

Go, Max!

- We've seen a save on Log Runner,

but a double save?

- He is going to be glycogen-depleted

after this one. Nice!

Come on.

- After a lifetime of waiting to compete,

Manson has a storybook survival.

Two saves on Log Runner. - You know how hard that is?

- My goodness. - That's extremely hard.

- Well, what a save that was. What will Manson do with it?

That ate up a lot of time and a lot of energy, Akbar.

What does he have left here on Spin Cycle?

- Well, he probably feels like he's just been

through the spin cycle after that double save

on Log Runner.

- This is another obstacle fans will remember

from back in seasons 7 and 8.

- Nice. Whoo.

- He got some good flow. - Yeah.

[cheers and applause]

- Well, it hasn't been easy, but Max Manson's

made it to the fifth obstacle,

and it's another iconic one from the past--

Ferris Wheel.

You can go up, have a bigger drop with fewer moves,

or go underneath, but it requires more moves,

a little more fatigue.

- And, of course, the rocket man is going up,

and that means he's gonna have a big drop.

This will be the big test right here.

Can he survive this? - Oh!

- He survived the first big jolt.

- Fighting.

And those arms, still just commanding them.

- Now he's climbing up.

6'1", 180 pounds.

That's a lot. - [groans]

- Well, talk about perseverance, Akbar.

- Matt, this next jump will register at least

a 6.0 on the Richter scale.

Here we go. - Here we go!

Does he-- - No!

- Oh!

Max Manson. - Good job, Max!

- It catches up to you when it catches up to you.

- It was his dream to compete, and he definitely

gave us a run to remember.

- He spent almost a minute fighting

to save himself on Log Runner,

so, by the end, he had nothing left for that final drop.

- A valiant run, and now we wait and see

if he's one of the top 20 ninjas from tonight

who will move on to the semis.

Well, our next athlete may be small,

but she has come up with some big runs the past few seasons.

It's 5-foot-tall Utah teenager Anna McArthur.

She's going to college now but still works

at the family RV park.

[horn honks]

After years of cleaning toilets and emptying trash,

Anna has now moved up to answering phones

and planning events.

[phone rings]

- Temple View RV, this is Anna. How can I help you?

I've been promoted. [laughs]

Um, yeah, let me check the availability on that.

I really love customer service and talking to people.

Yeah, it looks like we have something available tonight.

Can I take a reservation for you?

Since I was on the show last, a lot of people

come into the RV park and they're like,

"Wait, are you the ninja?"

Hi.

I never thought that people would be watching me

and, like, recognizing me as a ninja.

So it's really special and exciting.

The only cleaning up I have to do now

is on the ninja course,

and I'm planning to set up camp on top

of that Warped Wall.

[horn honks]

- St. George is less than two hours from Vegas,

so Anna's got a big cheering section,

including her family and lots of other Utah ninjas.

[countdown clock beeping]

Made it to the National Finals last season,

but fell just a few steps into her run.

Had that early exit,

and she's got to feel good

getting past that first obstacle

here in Vegas. - Absolutely, Matt.

Remember, the last time we saw her,

she was in high school.

She's all grown up in college now,

Utah Tech University.

You can really see the height that you have to climb up.

That's 2 feet up.

- Big launch.

- It may not seem like a lot, but it is a lot.

especially when you're 5-foot-nothing.

That's a lot of energy you have

to use to thrust yourself up.

- But she's through.

And look at that reaction.

- Let's go!

- 5 foot, 115 pounds.

Will size be a challenge on Log Runner?

- Oh, now, Matt, at 5 feet, the distance between

each log is 4 1/2 feet, so she's really got to stretch it.

Nice! - Oh, stays alive.

- I like it.

[cheers and applause]

I would be shocked, too.

- Good effort.

- She rolled through it.

She was determined.

- Here she is now up on Spin Cycle.

- All right, big one here.

At 115 pounds, she should be able to throw

her body like nothing.

Throw it.

Nice.

[cheers and applause]

- Taking a lot of swings.

- Anna's really working it here,

but don't second-guess it.

It's the angles that can make you really second-guess it.

Nice.

- It is unusual because your upper body and your hips

are almost separated.

But she survives it...

[cheers and applause]

And pops right up to take on Ferris Wheel.

- She's navigating up.

- Well, she's made it to the fifth obstacle

multiple times in her career but has never made it past it.

Will tonight be the night? - Nice.

- Trying to get it rolling.

- OK, nice. Hold on.

Brace it. - Great job.

- You see how she came in and kept her elbows

at 90 degrees to absorb the drop?

- You could see what a big reach that is

at just 5 feet, but she makes it.

- She ain't playing around. - Oh! Oh.

But the grip gives out,

and she makes it to the fifth obstacle once again.

Five women from tonight are moving on,

and, with that run, she could be one of them.

- You've got to love her joy on the course.

And she had something to celebrate after that save

on Log Runner, but she was running out of gas

and peeled off on Ferris Wheel.

[cheers and applause]

- Yeah!

- Tonight "Ninja Warrior" is teaming up

with "How to Train Your Dragon"

for some high-flying entertainment.

- Fly, fly, fly, fly. Yeah.

- We've got "Ninja" greats, both old-school...

- Yes! Yes!

- And new-school. - That's incredible.

At 16 years old!

- Plus, the Utah family that's breaking the internet.

- What's up, awesome ninjas?

Welcome back. Whoo!

- The YouTube sensation the NinjaKidz

are trying our "Ninja" course.

- Dragons aren't the only thing on the course tonight.

It's definitely a night to remember.

[cheers and applause]

- On this special "How to Train Your Dragon" edition

of "American Ninja Warrior,"

we're counting down the best costumes

in the show's history.

And some of our athletes look like they'd be right at home

fighting dragons, including the ninja

who kicks off our countdown at number five, Reko Rivera.

- Wow.

- Over the course of eight seasons,

the DJ from Florida dressed as a leather

and red-caped warrior.

His bold look lit up the course,

making it an unforgettable fan favorite and number five

on our list of best costumes.

- Stuntwoman Arona Spader didn't have a costume,

but she did look like a warrior

as she came out to slay our dragons minutes ago.

- OK. I see you.

- The former track athlete from Phoenix had no problem

on the first obstacle, but on the second

was vanquished by our dragon-themed Fly Wheels.

- Oh, no!

- Louisiana's Wes Meador, despite being the night's

heaviest ninja at 225 pounds,

floated through the early obstacles.

- I see you, big boy!

- The 39-year-old has fallen on balance in all three

of his previous appearances.

So he tried to break that streak tonight on Log Runner.

- You know he's gonna complete this one, Matt.

- Let's go. Yeah, go get a grip. Come on.

- Oh.

- But no such luck.

He was taken out by balance for the fourth time.

Teenager Talan Yorn wanted to raise awareness

for Lyme disease and asked us

to try the Lyme Challenge.

Suck a lime and state a fact about the disease.

- It's called Lyme disease because early cases

of Lyme disease were discovered in Lyme, Connecticut.

- Yorn was bedridden for three years because of Lyme disease,

but he showed no signs of that tonight.

- Rookie season. Looking good.

- The 16-year-old battled all the way to Ferris Wheel.

- Uh-oh, uh-oh. Watch out.

Watch those hands.

Aw.

- And that could be enough to get him into the semifinal.

Well, now we're thrilled to welcome back

one of "Ninja's" most energetic

competitors ever, Megan Rowe.

She used to be known as the axe-throwing ninja,

but after fighting her way back from brutal injuries,

her shirt features her new motto--

"joy through chaos."

[upbeat music]

- Season 14 in Vegas,

I tore my ACL on my right knee.

- Uh-oh. - That's not good.

That's not good, Matt.

[somber music]

- Blowing out your knee and not knowing if

you're gonna get back to the thing that you love or,

like, what life is gonna look like is so hard.

It was not just a physical recovery.

It was also a very emotional recovery because

I had lost, like, a chunk of me.

Like, this was such a big part of my life for so many years.

And through it, I really did learn to find

the joy through the chaos.

It's what I told myself every morning when I got up.

I had it written on my mirror.

And that helped my recovery immensely.

Some days are still hard,

but I'm loving life with my husband.

I met Dalton through rock climbing,

and I got married 40 feet in the air.

Absolutely the best ninja wedding ever.

We ended up getting a puppy.

Come on, baby.

Her name is Lumos, and she's absolutely crazy,

and we love her. Mwah!

I am such a stronger athlete now.

Going from not being able to walk

to walking up on that stage, that's gonna be the win.

The course may be chaos,

but I'm gonna find joy at the top of that Warped Wall.

[cheers and applause]

- It's been a long road back.

- And you can see the scars on her legs.

- Her husband Dalton's been there for her.

He's on the sideline with Megan's brother,

and Megan's dog, Lumos, is also over there.

- Aw, Lumos is ready to watch some "Ninja" now.

[countdown clock beeping]

- She wasn't sure if she'd ever compete again,

so it's a victory just to get back on the course

after missing the past two seasons

while she rehabbed from injury.

- And let me tell you, when Megan was healthy,

she was one of our top competitors.

Made it to the National Finals in season 13 and 14.

- That's it! - Grab it!

- She's making the moves here on Fly Wheels.

As we saw from her wedding video, she's a rock climber

but needs a big throw up to this third wheel.

She gets it.

She's looking good so far,

but this is gonna be a big drop for that dismount.

Got to worry about that knee.

- Ooh, whoa, nice.

Nice, stop, drop, roll.

- But balance obstacles like Log Runner

always tough, even when healthy.

- She's thinking about it, Matt.

Let's go, Rowe.

Keep the feet nice and hot.

- Another one.

Megan Rowe, she's rolling through.

Refuses to be cut down by these obstacles,

taking some hard falls here.

And look at that smile.

Dalton's giving Lumos a better view.

- Well, the dog's happy. Look--

She's happy.

- Well, she was nervous about coming back,

but Megan Rowe has rolled her way to the fourth obstacle.

She was a top gymnast growing up

and can use those skills here on spin cycle.

5'3", 125.

And you can just see the struggle

to get those hips going. - That's right.

- Separate them from the shoulders.

Got it.

- You always kind of got to believe in the process,

believe in the throw.

- Oh, and this time it's a backwards roll.

The gymnast doing the full floor routine.

And after all the struggles she's been through,

she's truly finding joy in this chaos.

And the crowd rallying behind her

as she starts Ferris Wheel,

but you got to wonder, how much does she has left?

She's taking the lower route here.

That requires more moves.

- And that means she has to watch her feet,

make sure she doesn't hit the water.

- She's a rock climber, using those skills.

Megan Rowe continuing to fight.

And look at this.

Tremendous grip strength in that lower body,

trying to build the momentum.

Long reach for the 5'3" Rowe. - Keep going!

[cheers and applause]

- So now here she's gonna have to expend

a little bit more time.

If I was her, I would try to speed through

so it doesn't start to build up.

You know how it starts to build up?

Like, that lactic acid starts to build up?

- And you can just see, Akbar.

She's really trying to use the momentum

to go from step to step.

Rather than pulling them up, she's waiting till the steps

come down to her.

Now can she dismount?

- Nice. Come on.

The bigger the swing, it may be a little harder on her grip.

Nice. - Made it!

Megan Rowe rolling.

- She is so happy.

[cheers and applause]

- Everyone's so excited for her.

Has never finished a course before.

[cheers and applause]

- This would be her first-ever "Ninja Warrior" buzzer.

Hi, Megan.

[together] Beat that wall!

Beat that wall!

[dog barking]

- The dog is even barking.

The dog is barking.

The dog is excited. Everybody's excited.

- After all those days of rehab,

you know this would mean so much.

Got it!

- The dog barked orders, and she did it!

- Oh, yes!

And what a reaction out of Megan Rowe!

[cheers and applause]

- Oh, my gosh.

- Oh, look at this!

Overcome by it.

[cheers and applause]

- Oh, my gosh.

- Megan, the tears.

The tears.

- I'm so excited.

- Yeah, where are the tears coming from?

- I've just been through so much in the past two years

that you haven't seen,

and it just feels so good to be up here next to this thing.

- Yes. - Oh, my gosh.

And everybody down there.

- Oh, my goodness. Wow.

I gotta say you really seem to be embodying

joy through chaos right now.

- Absolutely.

Sometimes joy is happy, and sometimes joy is tears.

And we're here. Oh, gosh.

- Did you hear your dog Lumos barking commands...

- Yes! - To get up that wall?

- She's the best cheerer ever.

- Well, you got your first buzzer

in "Ninja Warrior," Megan.

- That right there is pure joy.

Go celebrate with your husband and your dog.

It's beautiful.

- That right there is contagious.

Oh, my goodness. I absolutely love it.

Aww.

Oh, my goodness.

- Lumos.

I think Lumos could get up the Warped Wall.

- Look at Lumos. Aww.

Oh, my goodness.

That's a special moment right there.

- He's one of the hottest young stars in Hollywood,

the hero in "How to Train Your Dragon."

Mason Thames joins us in the booth.

Plus, a decade ago, he was banging the drums

before crushing the course.

And now Derek Nakamoto is back as a 34-year-old dad,

coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."

[together] We love dragons!

- Welcome back to "American Ninja Warrior" in Las Vegas.

We've got dragons on shirts and dragons on the course,

as we celebrate the new live-action version

of the beloved animated film "How to Train Your Dragon."

And the long and short of it is this course

doesn't play favorites.

Minutes ago, the shortest man competing tonight,

5'2" Gnarly Nate Hansen came out strong.

- OK, big dog.

- The six-time "Ninja" veteran is one of the most

popular athletes and has made it to

the National Finals three times.

But tonight, when he reached Log Runner...

- Oh, no!

- It took him for a spin.

- That's all right.

- A shocking early end to his season.

Then it was the night's tallest competitor,

6'5" John Mack.

- You know I'm always going for the big fellas.

- The 23-year-old from Utah used

his impressive wingspan to soar through the Fly Wheels.

But despite his long legs...

- Oh, no. Oh, my goodness.

- He became another top competitor

knocked out by Log Runner.

This obstacle is a ninja killer tonight.

Well, all season long,

we're bringing back great competitors

from the past, and this is one of them.

Derek Nakamoto was one of the first young guns.

He originally competed 13 years ago

as a hotshot college student,

but a lot has changed since then.

In the starting blocks, it's Derek Nakamoto.

- Seasons four and six,

I was able to make it to the finals.

My first year as season sour,

I was the fastest guy in stage 1.

- Oh!

Nakamoto is blowing this course away.

He just put the rest of the field on notice.

- It still shocks me to this day.

It's been ten years since season six.

Married now for over nine years,

working now in the aerospace industry

as a manufacturing engineer.

- Papa. - Ahh.

- I got two kids.

One's two years, eight months.

The other one's eight months old.

Not getting any sleep.

Back then, I was training

four or five, six hours every day,

six, seven days a week,

and now it's like, I got 30 minutes for lunch.

Let's see what I can do.

It's not a dad bod.

It's a father figure.

- Well, his kids weren't born the last time he competed,

but they're here to watch Daddy tonight

along with Derek's wife and parents.

- They're wearing the "Dragon" shirts.

Look at that.

[countdown clock beeping]

I remember he used to play those Japanese drums

before every run.

- Oh!

- You can stay up there, Nakamoto.

You didn't come this far just to go out

on the first obstacle.

That's what I'm talking about.

[cheers and applause]

It's got to be cool as a dad to be able to show your kids,

to show his wife, and say, "Hey, look.

Look what Dad can do."

This will live forever.

- And remind some of these young ninjas, you still got it.

- He's 20 pounds heavier than he was back then.

- But moving well. - Nice.

Yeah.

But, you know, it's nothing better

and cooler than showing your wife, like, hey, babe,

I got it.

I remember back in 2018 when I ran,

I had the chance to show my wife, like, hey, babe,

I still got it.

Aw, and he didn't have it there.

- Nakamoto can't reclaim the glory,

but still good to see him back out here.

[cheers and applause]

- It almost ended on the Quad Steps.

He survived that,

but then when he got to the Log Runner,

his foot spun off the second step,

sending him chest-first into the third log,

and then he got to relive what that water feels like.

- Derek, welcome back, first of all.

Look, last time you ran,

I wasn't even working on this show.

So how did it feel to make your return?

- It feels great.

I'm just overall grateful to have been asked

to come back and compete.

It's kind of crazy where some of these kids

are, like, "Oh, I was one when you competed."

Oh, gosh. - Yikes, ouch.

- So overall, just really grateful to have

another chance at that.

But that just means I got to train some more now.

- Got to get better.

Well, it was so great to see you back out here

on the course. Good work tonight.

- Thank you. - Of course.

Guys, take it away.

- It's "How to Train Your Dragon" night

on "American Ninja Warrior."

We've had dragons flying around,

but now we're joined by the real star

of the film, Mason Thames. Mason?

- What's up, man? - Hey, guys.

Thank you so much for having me.

This is like a dream come true, so--

- Well, this is awesome.

And, this movie, we're really excited for it.

You play a Viking in this movie,

but the question is, do you think you can handle

being a ninja, Mason?

- Um, as a kid, I used to watch this

and be like "Yeah, of course I can."

But in-person, no, no. God, no.

- Reality sets in, right, real quick.

- Yeah, no, I'm looking at it, and I'm like, "Yeah,

no, I was cocky," so--

- Well, listen, Mason, we want you

to help call one of our next "Ninja" runs

because I think this ninja actually looks

like he belongs in your movie.

This is Trent Lintzen,

and he calls himself the Knight Ninja.

This 28-year-old from Dallas would be right at home

on the Isle of Berk.

- [shouts]

[yelling]

- Trent spends his days jousting and sword fighting

as a knight at Medieval Times.

[swords clanging]

And now he's ready to prove he has ninja skills as well.

- This is the Knight Ninja's toughest battle yet.

[cheers and applause]

- And Trent's got some of his Medieval coworkers

cheering him on.

- And he might be auditioning to be a Viking.

- Yeah.

- And there's his fair maiden, his fiancée,

Victoria, on the sideline along with members of his family.

He's a performer.

He knows how to hype up the crowd.

[countdown clock beeping]

He does four shows a week with sword fighting

and riding horses. That's his workout.

Mason, did you have special training

for your character in the movie?

- It was a lot of hard work to prepare

for "How to Train Your Dragon."

But this is-- this is insane.

This is-- yeah, I don't know.

- This is the "How to Train Your Dragon" obstacle,

the Fly Wheels.

You can see it's built like a Viking ship from the movie.

It's almost like you're flying through with Toothless.

- Yeah.

- That's a big distance right there.

- Ooh, yeah.

- Yeah, and he's 185 pounds.

That's big for a ninja,

but he's doing his thing.

[together] Trent! Trent! Trent! Trent!

- Oh, you got to get off now.

You got to get off, land it. Nice.

[cheers and applause]

- Yeah, looking at it now,

there's no way I could ever do this.

- But now he's got to face Log Runner,

which has taken out the last three competitors.

- And unlike Toothless, there's no wings.

You can't fly through. - Very fair.

- Gravity is applying to you. - All right.

Keep your feet high. You got to keep it, keep going.

- Ooh, ooh. Oh, my God, he made it.

[cheers and applause]

- I need you louder! I need you louder!

I need you louder!

- This is insane.

Look at him hyping them up, like Medieval Times.

- Yeah.

- He's made it to the fourth obstacle, Spin Cycle.

- Now, this one's a lot different than anything

you probably have seen.

This probably goes back to what you saw

when you were growing up... - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Watching "Ninja Warrior."

- This is so much more intimidating in person.

I don't think-- like, you don't realize on TV

how, like, scary this is.

- And got it.

And this knight's quest for a buzzer continues.

He's reached the fifth obstacle, the Ferris Wheel.

It's gonna test your grip strength.

You really have to focus on holding on.

- Yeah.

How can a human being do this?

- We don't know. We still don't know.

- We ask ourselves that question all the time,

but these ninjas, they put in so much preparation.

You can see Trent now--

oh, yeah, you can see he's a bigger body, 5'10".

- Yeah.

- And he should have gone up versus down.

- This lower route requires more moves,

and you have to keep your feet from hitting the water.

It's not like the dragon.

The Ferris Wheel won't come around and save you.

- He's slick.

Look how calm he is.

- And he is still fighting.

- He is fighting with everything he's got.

- What words of advice do you think that Hiccup

would offer our friend Trent Lintzen here?

- Oh, my, um...

- 5'10", keep it up.

- Aw.

- It was too late, Mason.

- No, he needed Toothless.

That's what he needed. - He needed Toothless?

- No.

- Well, a heroic run by Trevor Lintzen.

It could get him into the semifinals.

And, Mason, as the hero of "How to Train Your Dragon,"

we're glad you got to call it with us.

- Right now, we have a sneak peek of

his thrilling live-action movie,

"How to Train Your Dragon."

It's coming soon to a theater near you.

We're counting down the best costumes in "Ninja" history.

We've had some scary ones over the years,

but no one had more fans or fangs

than number four on our list,

Dracula.

- [screams]

- This is very scary.

- LA's Costin Becheanu paid tribute to his Romanian roots

in season 14 by dressing as the famous vampire.

Though his run was short-lived...

- Oh! Oh!

- Dracula's legend lives on

as number four in our countdown.

[laughs]

Well, if Dracula needs a dentist,

we've got the guy.

It's Dr. Devin Harr, who gave Toothless the dragon

a good brushing before his run.

And we got in on the act.

- Matt, your teeth look nice, man.

- Well, thank you.

I, uh, I've been practicing some dental hygiene

in honor of Devin.

- It's all about the brush, baby.

It's all about the brush.

- Unfortunately, Devin the dentist bit off

more than he could chew on the Quad Step.

- Oh!

- Our next competitor came a long way to get here,

but he's used to epic journeys.

From 3,000 miles away in Wasilla,

Alaska, this is Forest Strick.

He's an air force veteran who's teamed up

with fellow Alaskan Nick Hanson

to take "Ninja Warrior" across their state.

- Let's go, Forest!

- Here we go, Forest!

[dramatic music]

- Since I started "Ninja Warrior,"

I've been doing motivational speaking.

My very first year, a school called me,

and I went down to their school.

And I spoke about my testimony and my life story.

Yeah.

We're all ninjas.

Think our message to the youth of Alaska

really is to just know who you are

as an Alaska Native people,

to understand your culture and your history

and be proud of that.

And so I go out there, and I share that,

and Forest last year joined me.

- Ready, set, go.

One of the school trips that we did,

it was over four or five different villages

along the Yukon River in the dead middle of winter.

We traveled from village to village on a snowmobile

over 400 miles.

We go in there and we set up an obstacle course.

We utilize what any of the gym has,

and sometimes it's been just bleachers or hula hoops.

- Nick Hanson literally built an obstacle course

in Unalakleet, Alaska, made out of driftwood.

That started a platform to now see him

competing on national television 11 years ago.

If that doesn't give you goose bumps,

then I don't know what does.

- Nick Hanson delivers.

- I mean, as Alaska Natives, I feel like

it's almost our responsibility to be

those role models to the youth.

And I couldn't do it without Forest.

- [shouts indistinctly]

- We've gone through-- we've gone through

quite a bit, that guy and me.

And to be able to have somebody where it's just a--

[clears throat]

it's a true brotherhood.

- Now, Nick is gonna run the course later.

He's on the sideline with another good friend,

the Island Ninja Grant McCartney,

who's sitting out this season.

[countdown clock beeping]

Both Forest and Nick are top competitors in Alaska's

Traditional Native Games.

That's how they met.

- These two traveled through the Alaskan wildlife

via snowmobile, Akbar.

- He and Nick went to a lot of remote locations,

but I'm pretty sure they never made it to the Isle of Berk,

so he may not be prepared for this

"How to Train Your Dragon" obstacle.

- Now, he was a senior airman in the air force.

He'll try to fly across these wheels.

- Ooh.

And you see how he had to throw himself up.

- Ooh!

- Oh, landed right on his face.

- Yes! Yes!

- He's got to be shaken up a little bit.

Now on the Log Runner.

- And this is different than running

on icebergs because these spin right here,

the log--they spin. - Oh!

- And you can see. Nice.

- There we go!

Attaboy!

- His family watching back in Alaska got to be impressed.

- Run, Forest, run.

Just keep going, now on now to Spin Cycle.

- They do some serious training up there in Alaska.

- The one thing they lack, though, Akbar,

is a ton of obstacles.

Nick and Forest have gotten creative,

but nothing like Spin Cycle,

but Forest finding his momentum.

- Nice.

He's getting it.

- He's a solid all-around athlete,

ranked top five in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics.

- Right here.

Right here, right here.

- And he's through four.

But he's looking gassed, and he's gonna be

tested here on Ferris Wheel.

5'8", 160.

Good grip strength.

- All right, here we go.

This thing can be a little bit of a circus.

- You just see the challenge trying

to climb with already four obstacles under your belt.

Now here goes.

- Oh!

He didn't anticipate the drop.

That drop is serious and got a nice little jolt to it.

[cheers and applause]

- He's used to tough journeys, and this was definitely that.

He landed on his face after Fly Wheels

and stumbled across Log Runner,

but made it to Ferris wheel.

He's got a chance to move on.

- I'm proud of you, bro.

So proud of you. - Appreciate it, man.

- Good job. Good job.

- Go get one. Go get a buzzer for Alaska.

- There we go. - Come on.

- There we go. I got you.

- They're a worldwide phenomenon on YouTube

with millions of fans.

all: That was amazing!

- Whoo!

- Now the Utah family known as the NinjaKidz

make their "Ninja Warrior" debut

when "American Ninja Warrior" returns.

- Welcome back to a night of fury

on "American Ninja Warrior"

as we celebrate the epic new live-action film

"How to Train Your Dragon."

- And two veterans from the past

tried to slay the course again.

Curtis Tran last competed 11 years ago.

- No!

- And he had some pre-run jitters.

- I'm so nervous, man.

I have not done this in a long time.

- Tran's now a 34-year-old game designer

from here in Las Vegas.

And after he sailed through the Quad Steps,

he wasn't ready to face our dragon-themed Fly Wheels.

- Oh, no.

Take a look at this again.

Bow, got smacked right in the face.

Wow.

Alan Connealy goes even further back.

He first competed 14 years ago

on season three,

and for years, he was a top competitor.

- Look at that.

[buzzer blares]

- Yeah, buddy!

- The 44-year-old chiropractor

from the Bay Area made the adjustments

for the first obstacle.

- Yeah! - Come on, big fella.

- But the veteran made a rookie mistake on the second.

- Oh!

He rushed it.

- And Connealy became another victim of this obstacle.

- We are going old-school this season,

and no one is more old-school than

the Godfather, David Campbell.

He is the only athlete to compete

in every "Ninja Warrior" season.

- So much is expected of David Campbell.

- David Campbell.

- David Campbell.

- Godfather.

- What a storied career.

- The Godfather is now an actual father.

[baby crying]

I've competed 16 seasons as a single man.

- Nice.

- And now I'm married with a son.

And, yeah, it's very different now.

Instead of spending all my time training

on my obstacle course,

I'm now staying home, cooking food, changing diapers,

heating bottles, warming milk, and--

very demanding, but it's worth it.

All us OG ninjas, our biggest fantasy

is if we could teleport back to, like, season three.

This season's a little bit like that.

You know, we're getting to try obstacles that

we haven't seen in a while, but it's gonna be fun

seeing how fast we can go.

- And baby Luke is watching

back in Santa Cruz with David's wife, Claire,

and Claire's sister, Jennifer. - Wow.

The baby looks just like him.

- Hey, Lukie. Hey, Bubba.

I'm gonna crush it. - Let's go, David!

- And if Luke's not enough, Campbell's also got

his buddies Brian Kretsch and Sean Bryan

cheering for him.

[countdown clock beeping]

How amazing that he's still out here competing

with some of these kids who weren't even born

when he first hit the course.

- Well, we're impressed, but I don't know if baby Luke is.

He's already crying.

- Don't cry for Daddy, Luke.

He knows what he's doing.

Campbell has seen so many changes

in the sport over the years.

I don't know that this show is where

it is without David Campbell.

This was the guy who had that first backyard gym.

He's been so impressive, his passion--

competed in every season.

He's got more buzzers than anyone else

competing tonight with 25 in his career.

- Can I just give a little shout-out to David Campbell,

stay-at-home dad?

There are a lot of stay-at-home dads

who don't get a lot of credit.

I got to give it up to David Campbell.

[cheers and applause]

- But baby Luke's still crying.

I think he misses his daddy. - I bet you he does.

Daddy out here doing a pretty good job

running on this course.

- In his previous 16 seasons, he has 12 qualifying buzzers,

but didn't hit one in the last two years.

- But he's got that dad strength now.

- And see what he's doing here, going back to 11 on the clock

so he won't fall as far.

But he's in trouble, Akbar. - Ooh.

- Just can't seem to get the wheel going.

- Yeah, he better hold on. Hold on now.

Here we go.

- And you can see that's why you want

to be able to get your hands on two separate handles

to control the speed.

- And now you see him going back up

so he can make that transfer, 5'11".

Here we go.

And he'll remember this throwback call.

Come on now. - Look at this.

- Come on now.

- He's going up and over again.

- Here's a throwback call for you, David Campbell.

Keep your hands. Nice.

David Campbell!

What grit.

- What determination.

Can he get the dismount?

- Oh!

- Yes!

47 years old.

Well, this will be history.

His 13th qualifying buzzer.

[buzzer blares]

- Wow. - The Godfather.

[cheers and applause]

- Yeah!

- Whoo!

[upbeat music]

- David, you've had so many incredible moments.

But what's it like getting your first buzzer

with your son watching?

- You know, having a son,

it actually takes a lot of pressure off because

nothing else in your life matters as much as him,

and so it just kind of turns the volume down

on the rest of your life.

- 17 years.

That's a big deal, man. You deserve it.

Hit that buzzer one more time, man.

[buzzer blares] David Campbell.

- David Campbell continues to impress us at "Ninja Warrior."

- And before we go to break, we want to take a moment

to honor one of David's training partners,

who was invited to compete this season

but tragically passed away in a climbing accident,

Vincent Pane.

- Vincent was a chemistry professor at Stanford

but also an artist, a sculptor, a dancer,

and he always made you smile.

He was an amazing athlete,

and, of course, an incredible human being

off the course. Vincent Pane, gone too soon.

- We will remember his artistry and his passion.

He will always be a part of the family of "Ninja Warrior."

[somber piano music]

* *

- Welcome back.

We're about halfway through our special

"How to Train Your Dragon" edition

of "American Ninja Warrior."

- And dragons aren't the only thing

flying through the course tonight.

Ninja veteran Lorin Ball had some fun with the dragons

at the start line, and this 37-year-old

always has fun on the course.

He was a breakdancing B-boy in his early years.

- There it is.

- Ball competed on the very first season of "Ninja,"

and he showed some veteran savvy

when he fell on the Log Run.

- Oh, no!

- Watch those feet.

- He didn't panic, and he managed to get through it.

- Lorin Ball, what a save.

- With his signature backwards hat,

the 37-year-old turned back the clock

and got his first qualifying buzzer in five years.

[buzzer blares]

- Yo, you was ballin'.

- I love the hats, guys.

- You got any moves now that you got

a buzzer after that incredible save, brother?

[buzzer blares] - Whoo!

- Another veteran, Donovan Metoyer,

was celebrating his tenth season

on "Ninja Warrior."

And as usual, he did it in style.

- He's feeling it, Akbar. He's linking them.

- The Classy Ninja who always wears a suit was looking good

as he breezed his way through all six obstacles

with the fastest time of the night so far.

- Donovan Metoyer.

We got something special for the Classy Ninja.

We got a little gift for you. You ready?

That's for your ten-year anniversary, man.

- It's a tie clip.

We just want to let you know we appreciate you.

- Whoo-hoo!

- Donovan always flashes up the course,

but number three in our costume countdown

was known for his casual attire.

Oh! - OK.

- It's Chad Flexington.

all: Flexington! Flexington!

- With a headband wrapped around his spectacular mullet

and his red, white, and blue bottoms,

Flexington was the alter ego

of agriculture researcher Ben Udy,

who transformed himself into the brash,

flag-waving, trash-talking competitor...

- Whoo!

- In seasons 11 and 13.

[cheers and applause]

- Ah! - [laughs]

An unforgettable character,

Chad Flexington's number three on our costume countdown.

Well, we got some colorful outfits

coming to the course right now.

If you've got kids, they know this group.

Flipping their way across the start line,

it's Utah's Myler family,

better known as the NinjaKidz.

They have a huge following on YouTube.

You can see why. [all shout]

- I'm Ashton. - I'm Paxton.

- I'm Bryton.

- I'm Payton.

all: And we're the NinjaKidz.

Whoo!

- My dad owns a martial arts studio.

So that's what we started with.

- We decided to use our martial arts skills

to make Ninja Kidz TV.

- In 2017, that was the very first episode.

all: Ha!

- That video hit 1 million views.

We're like, "Wow, we got to make another one."

- Paxton versus Payton.

- We just had the realization, like, man,

this is an opportunity.

We can make an impact with this.

We have traveled all around the world making videos.

With all of our channels, we have

over 40 million subscribers.

- OK, but who's your favorite NinjaKid?

both: Payton. - Payton?

- Yes.

- Becoming famous has been crazy.

I never expected it.

- How's your day going?

- We get fan mail all over the world

saying that we started gymnastics

and martial arts because of you,

and that's really just awesome because

that's the reason we started.

We want to see people grow and get off the couch

and do something awesome.

- Whoever does the best flip wins.

You guys are the judge.

- I got this. - Oh, I got this.

- All my siblings are really competitive.

In the past, I would say I probably won most,

but, you know, my other siblings,

they're catching up to me really fast.

- Hey, we're the NinjaKidz.

We've been training every single day,

multiple times a day.

I am so excited to compete with my siblings,

and I hope they make it super far as long

as I beat them in the end. [chuckles]

- 18-year-old Ashton, the second oldest in the group,

will run first, but all four

of the kids will be competing this season.

[countdown clock beeping]

- 40 million subscribers, billions and billions of views

for the NinjaKidz, and here they are,

showing they can be Ninja Warriors as well.

- Right here, buddy.

- Boy, generating that power like they generate content.

Here we go.

- Ashton Myler, looking to cut down this "Ninja" course.

Should feel right at home on it as a NinjaKid.

[cheers and applause]

- Let's go.

- Better watch the balance obstacles.

They put a pause in every ninja's heart.

But Ashton Myler makes it look easy.

Wow.

Now on the Spin Cycle, and he's linking them.

- Wow.

- Tremendous athleticism.

- You know what to do. Like and subscribe.

- The NinjaKid continuing to chop down these obstacles.

What an effortless run thus far,

but Ferris Wheel's been the stopping point.

- Here we go.

Watch out.

Boom, locked in. - Wow.

You can see the earthquake shake

there on the Ferris Wheel.

- This NinjaKid looking like a ninja man.

He's a level 9 gymnast, a fourth-degree black belt,

and he came to fight tonight.

I don't want to get into a fight

with these NinjaKidz, big man.

- Yeah, he's showing he's more than just a YouTube sensation.

He is a "Ninja" sensation.

Wow.

[buzzer blares]

[cheers and applause] - Let's go!

[cheers and applause]

- Ashton, man, that is impressive.

Is there anything you can't do?

- Guess we'll have to find out.

- All right, all right.

Well, listen, you guys have billions of views.

You're gonna get billions more.

Hit that buzzer one last time, Ashton.

[buzzer blares]

Hey, flex on them real quick.

Show them what you're working with.

- There it is. - OK.

Show them what you're working with.

Did you see the guns on Ashton?

- This dude is jacked.

- What a debut by Ashton Myler.

- Oh, I'm so happy. - Good job.

- Coming up, he's a two-time last ninja standing

and a contender to win it all this year.

Kaden Lebsack runs next.

Plus, we're counting down the best-costumed competitors.

Who's gonna be number one?

It's all just ahead on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Minutes ago, Ashton Myler, one of

the YouTube sensation NinjaKidz,

finished the course.

[buzzer blares]

And while we were away, his brother Paxton got his chance

and showed off his martial arts skills at the start.

- All right, don't poke anybody's eye out.

- The 16-year-old is a second-degree black belt

and kicked it up a notch on the course.

- So he knows how to fight through.

all: Paxton!

Paxton!

- He followed in his brother's footsteps...

- NinjaKid on the Ferris Wheel.

Come on.

It doesn't get any better than this.

- And pushed another buzzer for the Myler family.

- This is gonna go viral!

[buzzer blares] OK, Paxton Myler, I see you.

- Let's go!

- Then it was another rookie, Colt Elder, a chicken farmer

who powers up by eating eggs or, as he calls them,

ninja nuggets. - Ninja nuggets.

Hold on. Is that with the shell?

- Whatever it was, it worked...

- Aw, come on.

Come on.

Matt, he looks so fluid.

- As the 16-year-old from Virginia

flew through the course.

- Matt, not one of these obstacles

looks like it's gonna ruffle his feathers.

- His whole town was watching as Colt the Bolt put up

the fastest finish of the night and barely missed out

on a shot at the Mega Wall.

[buzzer blares]

- These ninja nuggets, they looked like it works.

- They work good. - All right.

- Pretty good. There it is.

- Our next competitor is more at home

with moose than chickens.

From Unalakleet, Alaska,

it's "Ninja" veteran Nick Hanson.

It's been ten years

since we first met Nick back in season seven,

and we've watched him get married to his wife, Joanne,

and have a son, Christopher.

His buddy Forest Strick ran earlier.

Forest is on the sideline along with

the Island Ninja, Grant McCartney.

[countdown clock beeping]

Nick's now 35 years old.

Ooh, big bounce.

- Looking smooth.

- This guy is such a great ambassador for Alaska.

I even took my family up to Anchorage to visit him.

I finally made it to Alaska.

I see you, baby.

I see you.

Yeah, we went on a beautiful hike,

and he even got us to try some yak burgers.

- He is one proud Alaskan, travels all over the state,

spreading the word on "Ninja" and the world.

- Oh, oh, whoa.

- Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

- Nick Hanson's in trouble. - Danger.

He's had a lot of iceberg training,

training in some really extreme conditions.

This is an extreme position to be in.

- Well, we've seen people get here before.

You do have to go back to the previous log

to try to prop your body.

- You see, this is where doing the core workout works.

He's trying to swing,

but he's trying to also keep his legs

from not hitting the water.

- You got it. Feel that swing.

Feel that swing. Try to throw it over top.

Anything is good.

- Oh, oh, nice. - Throw it over the top.

- Got it! - Come on!

See, this is what it means to be a ninja.

This is the ninja mentality, problem-solving on the fly.

- Ooh.

Now this is taxing that core.

And you can just see you have to propel yourself up.

- You can see it's not stable.

- You can do it!

[together] Nick! Nick! Nick! Nick!

- Come on. - You've got to be quick!

You got this, Nick! You got this, bro.

- Here we go.

- Ain't no logjam here for Nick Hanson.

He's really trying to contemplate how to fly.

- How does one man fly?

Like that! Like that!

That's what I'm talking about.

- Let's go!

- He looked like a seal jumping onto an ice floe.

It wasn't pretty,

but he's still alive.

- Let's go.

- Well, that's an amazing save,

but, Akbar, with all that energy sapped,

will he have anything to survive Spin Cycle,

let alone Ferris Wheel?

- This is when you've got to ignore pain.

This is when you've got to ignore the body.

- Another extra swing.

- The body doesn't mind if the mind doesn't matter.

Nice.

- His whole body has to be exhausted.

Power it with those hips.

Don't even think about it.

Just launch it. Ooh.

Got it.

- I'm personally rooting for him like I always do.

- Absolutely.

- Took me and my kids hiking in Alaska.

We'll never forget that.

Now he's got to hike up here on Ferris Wheel.

Come on, hike it up.

- He is used to working hard in extraordinary conditions.

Here comes the drop.

Get ready. - All right, watch out.

- Oh, got it.

Good job absorbing that.

You can see those arms extending, Akbar.

- Nice. Oh.

You can see he's starting to feel it, man.

I'm looking at the body language right now.

Body language suggests that this

is really challenging for him.

- He's taking the low route.

That means he has to keep his legs up,

and it requires more moves.

- He's got to turn it more.

He's got a lot more turns here.

Ooh, come on, man.

- A few more moves.

- Check out the left hand, the left hand.

He's so close.

- And you can just see him trying to find a little rhythm.

- Yeah. - Now he's got to reach out.

- Don't give up.

You've come too far now.

You're already at the end of the Ferris Wheel.

I just don't know how that won't spin out from under him,

and he lets go.

- Oh, man.

- What a fight, but in the end just

couldn't get past Ferris Wheel.

- Yeah, Matt, it went from "Ninja" to "Fight Club."

- His foot slipped,

and he took a log to his stomach. Ooh.

He fought his way back on top and just launched

himself over to the pad.

He had nothing left for Ferris Wheel,

but what a gritty run out of Nick Hanson.

- It was so far.

Oh, my gosh, how'd I even get back to it?

- I was just crashing that party.

Just talk about it. - Oh, my God.

- Log Runner, that is insane. I need an oxygen mask.

Like, the way we were holding our breath.

What happened? - Oh, my gosh.

I mean, I just--

I missed my first step, really.

I mean, all I could do at that point was fall

and save it. I was like, "This is doable.

"I know it's doable.

Let me just try and see if I can get it."

It was just the confidence in my legs

to be able to make that move,

and I just stepped off and got it.

It was awesome.

- Obviously took a lot of steam,

a lot of gas out of you to make that happen.

So talk to me about what happened

by the time you got to this obstacle.

- I mean, I was just tired.

That was all I had left, so--

- What you had left was plenty impressive.

Let's hear it for him one more time, y'all.

We'll know soon if you went far enough fast enough.

- Thank you. We'll see. We'll see.

- Guys, back to you. - Come here.

- Unbelievable. - Again.

- Oh, my gosh. - So good, man.

- Train together. - Well, that was an adventure.

Now it's time to move on to our next athlete,

Colorado's Kaden Lebsack,

and he is one of the favorites to win it all.

He was the last ninja standing his first two seasons

on the show and holds the record

for most consecutive obstacles completed.

He conquered 99 before he fell,

and he's got an interesting cheering section.

His parents and training partners

are here, but so is an alien who has come down

from his UFO to show support.

- Wow, that's a first.

- And that's not all.

Back in Colorado, Bigfoot is watching with some friends.

- [groans]

[countdown clock beeping]

- This kid's got fans all over the universe.

- From different galaxies, everything, huh?

- Kaden is a fan of conspiracy theories and the paranormal,

so having some fun.

I don't know if dragons fit into that category,

but he's attacking our "How to Train Your dragon" obstacle.

We expect this guy to go fast.

- It'll be interesting to see

if he's going for the fastest time of the night.

- Just floats across Log Runner.

So easy.

And already halfway through Spin Cycle.

- Big moves. - Wow.

He could beat Colt Elder for the fastest time,

and he's got a shot at the Mega Wall,

which he's never conquered in his storied career.

- And there's no pause in his game.

He's just moving.

Now a little hiccup here on Ferris Wheel.

- He actually went back so he could land

higher for the second wheel.

- So now it's one move over,

and he's going up top. - Yeah, Kaden!

- Yeah, he's taking the high road here.

- It's getting to be close for that Mega Wall.

- Matt, he was in no danger of peeling off.

- Oh, my. - Oh.

- Kaden Lebsack just misses out on the Mega Wall

and the fastest time.

- Yes.

- Well, Bigfoot can attest Kaden Lebsack is for real.

Kaden, unbelievable job.

You were moving fast, but just by 2 seconds,

you missed a shot at the Mega Wall, my man.

- I was close. - That close.

- Go celebrate with your friends, buddy.

Well, speed is gonna be

especially important this season.

The rest of the field better watch out for Kaden Lebsack.

- Coming up, Sandy Zimmerman made history.

Yes!

The first mother ever to hit a buzzer!

Now at 48, she's still got the fire for "Ninja."

Her run's coming up on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Welcome back to Las Vegas.

Marques Leonard was all smiles as he waved to his family

at the start line.

The 37-year-old father of two is a concrete worker

from Corona, California.

- This is his third season competing

on "Ninja Warrior," Matt. Oh!

- Oh!

- And he hit a brick wall on the first obstacle.

- Wow.

- 17-year-old Violet Kepo'o has made it to the semifinals

each of the past two seasons.

But the Utah high-schooler has never

made it past the fifth obstacle.

- Uh-oh. Hold on.

- Whoa!

OK.

Wow.

- But Ultra Violet did it tonight.

Though she failed in her three attempts

at the Warped Wall...

- Go, go, go, go, go, go. Oh.

- She's still guaranteed a spot in the women's top five,

so she's moving on to the semifinals.

And now it's another one

of our impressive women competitors,

Colorado's Anabella Heinrichs.

She's a hairstylist but also a scuba diver,

and she's just as fearless in the water

as she is on a "Ninja" course.

[inspirational music]

- I scuba dive, and I snorkel,

and I love going on these trips with my family.

Recently, we've gone to Florida

to swim with some sharks--

like, bull sharks, lemon sharks,

silky sharks, and sandbar sharks,

6, 7, 8 feet long, like, big sharks--

these apex predators circling around you,

and you have to respect their space.

You just have to trust them, and they have to trust you.

It's humbling, and it's incredible to be there.

As much as I love being underwater,

I am not going in the water tonight.

I'm gonna be a shark on the course.

- Well, I'm a PADI certified scuba diver, too,

but I don't do sharks. Uh-uh.

- Not only do the Heinrichs dive together,

they also train Ninja together

and competed on our family championship a few years ago.

[countdown clock beeping]

Anabella has to be starting this season

with a lot of confidence.

She made it to the National Finals last year.

- She seems to get stronger every season.

- We know she's not afraid of sharks,

so I doubt she'll be scared of our

"How to Train Your Dragon" obstacle.

- At 5'5", got to generate a lot of swing

to get up to that last wheel.

- The women are off to a great start this season.

Jessie Graff got a buzzer last week,

and Megan Rowe got one earlier tonight.

But the Log Runner, always dangerous,

and we saw her buddy Nate Hansen fall here earlier.

Let's see if Heinrichs can handle Log Runner.

Excellent balance on Anabella Heinrichs.

And she's fired up.

She's had some solid runs. Has never had a buzzer.

- Ooh.

Looking to change that tonight.

- You can see really getting some good mobility,

launching with those hips to get that power.

And here she is.

- And she's reached the fifth obstacle, Ferris Wheel.

- Well, be interesting to see

if she's gonna take the up route

or the down route here on Ferris Wheel.

- Looks like she's taking the high road.

Over the top for Anabella Heinrichs.

- Nice.

Yeah, she's got a nice and easy pace going.

- Well, she's got a background in rock climbing,

and that is serving her well.

- Great grip strength.

Heinrichs' maneuver has been outstanding so far.

- At least five women from tonight

will move on, Heinrichs putting herself in good position

to be one of them.

- Go! - Come on, let's go!

- Let's go, Anabella!

- Here comes another little fall.

- Come on, Heinrichs. - Locked in.

Anabella Heinrichs.

Are you kidding me?

- Get that Warped Wall. Get that Warped Wall.

[together] Beat that wall!

Beat that wall!

- Going for the first buzzer of her career.

[together] Beat that wall!

- 14 1/2 feet away from her first buzzer.

- Nice power. Nice power.

- Yes!

- Anabella Heinrichs,

the second buzzer of the night for the women.

What a performance, Anabella.

- Thank you.

- Now tell everybody out there,

what does that red buzzer feel like for the first time?

- It feels so good.

- Hell yeah. - Nice.

Well, hit it one more time. - Whoo!

- And go down and celebrate with your friends and family.

- That's so cool.

- Anabella Heinrichs, you just keep working hard,

you don't give up, and it's amazing

what you can accomplish.

Anabella spends a lot of time in the water,

and so does the number two on our countdown

of best costumes, the Mermaid.

- This is my kind of place.

- Created by influencer Charity LeBlanc,

she adopted the Mermaid persona

for her huge social media following

and brought the turquoise tail

and shimmery swimsuit to "Ninja"

when she competed on seasons 10, 11, and 13,

though she did take the tail off for her runs.

- Oh, no! - Oh, she stays in!

- Wow! - Unbelievable.

- OK, Charity.

- The Mermaid is number two on our best costumes countdown.

Coming up, she's watched her dad...

- Yeah!

- Her mom, and her two brothers compete.

Now Baylee Beckstrand is ready for her shot

at "Ninja" stardom.

We'll see her debut next on "American Ninja Warrior."

- It's "How to Train Your Dragon" night

on "American Ninja Warrior."

And one ninja looked like a beast minutes ago.

Xzavian Ochoa did handstand pushups at the start.

- He is showing some good upper-body strength here.

- And then he went super aggressive on the course.

- Looks like an NFL running back right there.

- The 20-year-old from Southern California

sprinted all the way to the fifth obstacle...

- He is running this course with authority.

He means business.

- But the fast pace may have caught up to him.

- Oh!

- But he's guaranteed a spot in the semifinals.

Hitting the course was a full-circle moment

for 17-year-old "Ninja" superfan Tyler Rizzo.

Rizzo was just 11 when he won our

obstacle design challenge for drawing up the Barrel Roll.

He got to meet many of his "Ninja" heroes back then,

and, tonight, he finally got his shot at the course.

- That's the first time we've seen anybody

tiptoe through Log Runner.

- In his rookie debut,

Rizzo made it through the first five obstacles...

- OK, Rizzo.

- And got to live out his childhood dream

of hitting a buzzer.

[buzzer blares]

- First time out, I got to give you a nickname, man.

You are officially the Ninja Rizz.

You got rizz, man. - I like that.

- You got rizz, baby.

[buzzer blares]

- Always exciting when this woman comes to the start line,

48-year-old motivational speaker Sandy Zimmerman,

the first and still only mother to hit a buzzer

at "American Ninja Warrior.

She did that back in season 11 in Tacoma.

- Wow.

- Sandy's family will be watching from back home.

And more friends and training partners are on the sideline.

[countdown clock beeping]

- Here we go.

Sandy looking like she's got an extra bounce to her step.

- Well, was a gym teacher, but now does motivational speaking.

Just wrote her first book titled "Get out of the Car."

Was talking about her first trip to a "Ninja" competition

when she drove there and she just

couldn't get out of the car.

She was too nervous. She finally did.

She ended up winning.

And she said, "So many good things come

on the other side of fear."

- Let me tell you, she is fearless.

She's still out here competing at 48,

three decades older than a lot of these competitors.

- Last season, she went out on the second obstacle

in qualifying.

And look at her now, getting ready to take on number three.

- Well, two seasons ago, she went out

on this obstacle, Log Runner.

It's a chance for revenge for Sandy Zimmerman.

- Go, go, go, go.

- Oh, no! - Oh!

[crowd groans]

- Well, Sandy Zimmerman does not get revenge on Log Runner,

and her season comes to an end.

- Trouble started early.

Her foot rolls over the second log,

and that caused her to come up short on the third,

and that led to a hard fall.

- And dancing up to the start line now is

15-year-old Baylee Beckstrand.

She's the fifth member of her talented Utah family

to compete on "ANW."

"Ninja" runs in the Beckstrand blood.

Baylee's dad, Brian, kicked things off in season 7,

hitting the family's first buzzer.

Mom Holly made her debut three years later.

- Yes.

- Brother Kai first competed in season 13...

- Nice.

- Quickly becoming one of the sport's

premier competitors.

- Kai Beckstrand with the fastest time of the night.

- And another brother, Luke,

made a strong impression last year.

- Get that buzzer!

[buzzer blares]

- I've been watching my family from the sidelines

for about ten years, and I finally get my chance.

OK, my turn.

- Big pull. Go. Easy.

- I am the fifth Beckstrand to take on the "ANW" course.

My brothers set a pretty high bar.

So I feel a lot of pressure because I just know I wanted

to be just as good as them.

- Dad, who you got? - I don't know.

I think it'll be close.

- It's definitely very competitive in

the Beckstrand household.

- Three, two, one, go.

[energetic music]

* *

Speed definitely runs in the family.

* *

- Pull, pull. - Yeah.

There it is.

Good job.

- I'm super excited for Baylee.

I think she's gonna crush the course.

- Like her brothers, Baylee's interests

extend outside the gym.

- I've been doing hip-hop dancing for about five years.

Dancing is a lot of balance and movement

and just keeping your body moving.

So it really helps with everything in "Ninja."

My dad and my brothers have all had buzzers,

so it's finally a girl in the family's turn.

* *

- Her mom Holly is running next,

and her brothers Kai and Luke are competing in a few weeks.

[countdown clock beeping]

- It's a tough act to follow with her family.

Mom, Dad, and both brothers have been very successful.

Big brother Kai is one of the favorites to win it all.

- Well, the Beckstrands own two ninja gyms

in St. George, Utah.

- So you're saying that she knows what she's doing.

- Well, it's kind of like the Beckstrands and the Bergstroms.

- Ninja family, yeah.

- Big ninja families.

Little sis wants to show the brothers,

the mother, the dad, the whole family she can ninja as well.

- I see you, Baylee.

- But a real test here on Log Runner.

It's already knocked out some experienced ninjas tonight.

- Well, the Beckstrands, they know how to train ninjas.

Oh! Come on.

- Her feet didn't hit the water.

- Fight.

- And she saves it.

She kept her feet dry.

That was unbelievable.

I think she's a little surprised.

- Well, she fought with fire right there.

- That was just reflexes.

Great reactions to save herself.

Well, we say it, Akbar.

Sometimes you need a break.

We've seen a lot of Beckstrand family buzzers.

- Nice. Good.

You see the angles, too, especially--

you're trying to get yourself to a position

where you can make the grab and then absorb that spin.

- And she is through.

[cheers and applause]

Let's see what she's got on Ferris Wheel.

Going up. - Nice.

- Confidence in that back strength.

Now, she's taking quite a few extra swings,

but at just 103 pounds, her grip strength might allow that.

- And you really got to absorb it.

- Good job.

- Nice. That's impressive.

She did that straight-armed.

A lot of times, you'll see the ninjas kind of come up

into that 90-degree position.

That just speaks to her grip strength.

- Baylee Beckstrand, 15 years old,

closing in on a buzzer.

- When you have that name, a legacy name like Beckstrand,

you know there's only one thing to do.

- Hold on.

- Bend it like Beckstrand.

Nice! - Oh!

- Sha-na-na. Aw.

- About one move away from completing the Ferris Wheel.

But what a debut by the latest Beckstrand ninja.

- She stumbled on the last log but was able to keep her feet

out of the water and then battled her way

to Ferris Wheel and was close to finishing,

but the final drop got her.

- But with that run, she's guaranteed

a spot in the semifinals.

- Let's go, baby.

Let's go.

- Coming up, it's gonna be a party at Beta Theta Pi,

because America's fastest frat boy, Colton Skuster,

runs next on "American Ninja Warrior."

- Utah mom Holly Beckstrand has three kids

competing this season.

But moments ago, it was her chance to shine on the course.

And the 44-year-old looked nimble on the early obstacles.

- Mama, there goes that ninja.

- Her daughter, Baylee, made it to

the fifth obstacle minutes ago.

But Mama Beckstrand splashed out on the third.

- No!

[hard rock music]

- Jonathan Godbout and Evan Lavallee

are bandmates in a heavy metal band,

and they got to rock out at the start line.

Then they rocked out on the course.

Godbout, the drummer, went first.

And the 20-year-old from Sterling, Massachusetts,

had the rhythm going.

- All right, watch out for this bang.

This is a banger. Nice.

- The four-time "Ninja" veteran made it to the end

and got his sixth career buzzer.

- Let's go! - I see you, Godbout.

- [imitates drum fill]

- Then it was Lavallee's turn,

and the 18-year-old guitarist came to play.

- He's going for time, Matt.

He's going for the fastest time and for that Mega Wall.

- The rookie absolutely shredded the course

and finished with the fastest time

so far, just over 54 seconds.

- Let's go!

- And earned him a shot at the Mega Wall.

- Oh!

- Though he missed, he'll still be one

to watch in the semifinals.

And now it's time for another young talent

who can light up the course.

- Let's go, baby!

- This is Utah's Colton Skuster.

He's a part-time light salesman and a proud member

of Beta Theta Pi.

- Let's go!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a lot of energy,

and joining Beta Theta Pi has amped it up even more.

[all shouting]

We're literally just all best friends.

- Ooh.

- We do everything from, like, grilling together...

Oh, my goodness.

Playing video games, studying.

Oh, my gosh.

This is way harder than chemistry, dude.

We go golfing all the time.

We even go on ski trips.

Ah!

Joining this fraternity, I've been able to look up

to guys that are going through exactly what I'm

going to go through, look to them for advice,

and hopefully, I can learn from the guys

that have been in my shoes.

Me competing on "American Ninja Warrior"

has brought the whole house together.

Some of these guys didn't even know what "Ninja Warrior" was,

and now they're die-hard fans.

These guys are gonna be louder than a football stadium.

I won't hear the end of it if I fall early,

so I'm gonna put on a show for them.

Oh, there's the boys!

Let's go!

- His frat brothers watching back in Utah.

Got others here on the sideline

along with his parents.

We mentioned that he sells holiday lights door to door,

and he brought us some to decorate the booth.

- I like it, man.

'Tis the season, even though it's the summertime.

- Skuster likes to have fun,

but this guy's a serious competitor.

[countdown clock beeping]

Had a breakout season last year--

made it to stage 2 and nearly beat

"Ninja" great Daniel Gil in a head-to-head race.

6'2", 185.

- Yeah, he looks stronger than he did last year.

He is shining bright like the Christmas lights.

- He's moving like he wants the fastest time.

- Whoo!

- Right through it. Oh, my.

He is flying.

Already to the fifth obstacle.

- Yeah, he wants to impress his frat bros.

- Wow.

- Hold on, Skus.

Look at that. Boom.

Well, he just did that in a good 7 seconds.

That should put him in position to get

the fastest time of the night.

He's got to ride this one down.

- Colton Skuster.

- Oh, he's got a real good opportunity.

- It's gonna be close. - Here we go.

- 5 seconds. - He's gonna get it.

[buzzer blares] - Nice.

- And does it. - Let's go!

- Colton Skuster, and he is fired up!

- All right, I'm back.

- OK, yes, you are back, man.

And let me tell you something. You lit this course up.

- Hey, hey, the lights are red. The lights are partying, man.

- Hey, listen.

You got the lights, but we're gonna see if you're gonna

unwrap the gift because you made it

in under a minute, and you got $10,000

on the line, Colton. - Yeah!

- And the fastest time of the night.

[together] Mega Wall. Mega Wall.

- Well, it is festive, Akbar. He's 6'2".

We've had four ninjas try the Mega Wall this season.

No one's conquered it yet.

- Ah!

- Colton Skuster, 18 1/2 feet away.

- Come on, Skus, Skus, Skus, Skus, Skus.

- Put the star on top of the tree.

Not even close. - Oh, boy.

- That thing's tall, man.

That thing's tall. - That's high.

That's tall. It is.

- Hey, you still on have fastest time of the night.

- He wanted to give his frat boys something

to cheer for, and he delivered.

- Skuster is gonna be the big man on campus now.

And he's going out with the fraternity fight song.

[together] Woogln, Wooglin, Beta Theta Pi!

[all cheer]

- Coming up, three years ago, she was on top of the world

and won our women's championship.

- That's incredible.

- But a devastating injury shattered Katie Bone's world.

Now we'll see her courageous return

to the course next on "American Ninja Warrior."

- It's the final moments of our special

"How to Train Your Dragon" edition

of "American Ninja Warrior."

All night, we've been counting down the best

costumes in "Ninja" history.

- [screams]

- And now it's time to reveal

our number one.

It's Jamie Rahn, superhero.

Rahn created the look using body paint 13 years ago

and was Captain G4 when "Ninja" started

on the cable network.

Then he became Captain NBC and has dressed

as the superhero every season,

upgrading the look over the years

with a red cape and blue bodysuit.

He's got a huge following of "Ninja" superhero super fans

across the country,

and Jamie's son carries on the green-haired tradition.

Jamie Rahn's Captain NBC is number one.

And we'll see Jamie later this season.

- Guys, injuries forced Katie Bone

to take the past two seasons off,

but now the former women's champion is back.

It's been a long road for this world-class climber.

After winning the women's championship,

she had her sights set on climbing in the Olympics,

but a brutal injury led to two years of rehab.

[soft dramatic music]

- Right before my knee injury,

I was on my way to do the Olympic qualifiers.

I was about to compete at my first World Cup,

and then, in one fall, I lost all of that.

Ah!

After my injury, I never wanted to climb again.

I wanted to walk away from all of it.

- * Been through the fire *

* Felt the burn *

* Lost in the shadows *

* Nowhere to turn *

- The recovery has not been smooth, unfortunately.

I had to do PT three to six times a day for months.

And that was so hard because you don't want

to do it anymore, and you're in so much pain.

And it's like, OK, why-- why am I doing this still?

- * We'll rise again *

* We'll break the chains *

* We'll find the strength to face the pain *

- I have so many incredible friends.

One of them who has been there through everything is Megan.

Even though I don't want to be at the gym,

she'll show up and be there.

And she'll do anything for me.

Knowing how it feels to lose everything

and knowing how bad I want to be up there again

helps with the motivation because I know how it feels

to not even be able to walk.

- * We'll rise again *

[bright music]

- Just to walk on that stage, it means the world to me,

but being able to hit a buzzer would be

one of the best feelings ever.

- * We hold on to hope *

* Yeah, we find our way *

[cheers and applause]

- So much love here for Katie Bone.

There's Megan Rowe and some of the other Colorado ninjas

who've supported her and fans so happy to see her back.

[countdown clock beeping]

- She's still not 100%.

You can see the brace on her knee,

but slowly getting back into pro climbing and "Ninja" events

and working relentlessly to get into competition shape.

- Rehab is such a process, but she committed to the process

to rehabbing so she could have this moment again

now, three years later, back on "Ninja Warrior."

And who could forget the rookie sensation?

What a sensational first year.

- She won our women's championship in her first year,

just looked so strong.

- A little ginger, though, on the landing.

You saw she was a little cautious.

- Breathe, Katie, breathe!

- Now, the real test will come here on this balance obstacle.

See how that knee holds up.

- She will definitely need some stability here.

- Got through. - There it goes.

- And that's a relief.

She is such a stud, out here with type 1 diabetes.

You can see the insulin pump on her arm.

- And that's an obstacle she conquers every day.

- Well, Akbar, this has been a loaded field of women.

We've had two hit a buzzer already.

The record is three.

Michelle Warnky, Allyssa Beird,

and Casey Rothschild

did it on the same night back in season ten.

We've never had three women do it since then.

Katie Bone's trying to join Anabella Heinrichs

and Megan Rowe tonight.

- You got this!

- Will have to get through Ferris Wheel

if she wants to get a shot at a buzzer.

- She's a world-class climber,

so she can handle this.

Just needs to watch out for the drops.

- Lock on.

- And she hangs on.

Now one more wheel to go.

- Come on, Katie. Come on.

- Well, we've seen just the continual success of women.

If you can see her, you can be her.

- Well, what a return this would be,

and a little piece of history.

This would be the third woman to hit a buzzer in a night,

but she's got to hang on here.

And Katie Bone, oh, my.

- Yes.

- 14 1/2 feet away from getting another buzzer.

And she just gave us a little smile,

Akbar, a little look.

- This is a special night.

This is a night that no one's ever gonna forget.

Nice approach. Ooh.

- And you can just see a little stumble there.

A little misstep. - OK, all right.

- With that reconstructed knee,

you wonder if this is even possible.

- Here we go. Nice approach.

Good speed.

There you go. There it is.

There it is. - Got it!

- That's what I'm talking about!

- Katie Bone is back! - [laughs]

- And look at the reaction. That says it all.

- You deserve it.

You deserve it, Katie Bone.

I know you're so emotional right now, and you should be.

Talk about the rehab process

and being back at the buzzer again.

- It's been the hardest probably two years of my life.

Like, I feel like I just-- I lost basically two seasons.

It was probably the most heartbreaking thing

to happen, and to be back here through it all

and still rehabbing my knee, it was amazing.

- Well, Katie, if there's one thing we've learned,

it's that you are greater than your obstacles.

Soak this moment in.

Hit that buzzer one more time.

You deserve it.

[buzzer blares]

[cheers and applause]

- That's what "Ninja Warrior" is all about.

- I love it.

Go celebrate with your family and friends, Katie.

Well, you just see it, Akbar.

The moments are so big.

You see it matters so much,

and that's what makes "Ninja Warrior" so special.

- Well, she overcame the tears, the fears.

Her knee is back.

It's so good to have Katie Bone

back doing "Ninja Warrior."

- So here's who else will be moving on to the semifinals.

College student Colton Skuster takes the top spot, just ahead

of two rookies, rock-and-roller Evan Lavallee

and chicken farmer Colt Elder.

NinjaKidz Ashton and Paxton Myler

advance to the semis in their "Ninja" debut,

and Anabella Heinrichs is the fastest

of our record-matching three women who hit a buzzer.

Katie Bone and Megan Rowe were the others,

and Violet Kepo'o almost made it four.

Baylee Beckstrand also advances,

along with Alaska's Forest Strick

in the 20th spot.

- Well, that's gonna wrap up this special edition of "ANW"

featuring "How to Train Your Dragon."

- The live-action film opens in theaters this Friday,

June 13th.

For Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall, I'm Matt Iseman.

We'll see you next time on "American Ninja Warrior."