profxavier

I'm surprised at how underwhelming Lorin Ball did. He's known for his speed and I expected he'd excel at the TNW course. On the other hand, I'm so happy to see Paul Kasemir back on the course again, even for just the team competition. I'm so glad Lorin picked him.

I agree. I've observed this since season 1 of TNW. He seems to be having so much fun, regardless of his fails and losses. It's nice to see him so happy and It's refreshing to see someone just enjoying it.

My all-time favorites are Paul Kasemir and Travis Rosen. I LOVE THEM. Both incredible and consistent athletes, and seem to be nice guys as well. It makes me furious that Paul Kasemir has not been called back for ANW 9 (the 2nd year he wasn't called back). I really don't get why. He has been a very strong performer for all the years he's been in ANW, does far better than most rookies every year, and he's got a serious shot at conquering Midoriyama. This alone makes me not want to watch ANW 9 anymore. Other favorites of mine are Jessie Graff, Nicholas Coolridge, Geoff Britten, Elet Hall, and the underrated Brett Sims. I also like Ryan Stratis, Chris Wilczewski, and Jamie Rahn, who all seem to be all-around nice guys. I don't care much for rookies whom they give so much airtime to show backstories but end up failing in the first obstacles. I get that they need to feature new competitors too, but I would personally much rather watch the veterans and long-time competitors whom I've been rooting for, have a real shot at Midoriyama, and have made me tune in to ANW in the first place.