S06.E07: Dallas Finals

[Lantern7]

I was wondering when the hype around  Kacy Catanzaro was overdone because she happened to be the first woman up the Warped Wall. Well, the hype is justified. Holy crap. She didn't smoke the course, but she grilled it evenly and overcame her five-foot frame to complete it. Then her boyfriend climbed the frame of the Spider Climb to congratulate her. That had to make the network insurance people extremely nervous. Oh, and thank you, hashtag people, for making "#mightykacy" a thing, so I can look up and copy "Catanzaro."

 

The other story: the last guy up fucked up the Salmon Ladder, so Sam Sahn's bubble didn't burst, and he'll be going to Las Vegas for the final. Aside from that and the bad dude that DQ'd and got pissed about it, the two hours were a blur. At least more people completed the course than in Venice Beach.

[irisheyes]

While she was awesome, the announcers got a little annoying trying to find as many over the top adjectives as they could to describe her. An American hero?? Ninja Warrior is getting more popular, but it's still a niche sport, and I'm pretty sure that many Americans don't even know who she is.

Impressive job. I didn't think there was any way she was going to get through some of those obstacles, simply because of her height and arm span.

We'll see how far she and Brent (cause you KNOW he's getting a wildcard) do in Vegas.

[roamyn]

She went up that spider crawl like it hand handles & foothold. Amazing!

I really thought the poles woukd be her downfall.

In other news I'm excited for Sam! And the young man who's been raising his sibling, and the walk on truck driver.

[Iguana]

Well, mighty Kasey did not strike out. Amazing that she finished the course with only five feet of wing span. Her grip and upper body strength were unexpected and many kudos to her mental strength as well. I loved how crazy the crowd got for her and the sincere appreciation of the other competitors.

Oh and I think some other people competed too.

[Richness]

Way to go Kacy! I'm gonna laugh my ass off when the first American Ninja Warrior is a woman named Kacy. Imagine how many of the male ninjas will feel inadequate after that. Loved how she just went for the widest pole jump, and just stuck to that pole like a well seasoned stripper.

 

Speaking of strippers though, I wonder if her choice of attire was hers, or the producers? With a few exceptions like Mr. Speedo, none of the men wear such skimpy, tight shorts. It sort of irks me actually. Though judging by the talk in the All Season's thread about the guy who completed the course in gold lame sweats, I don't think most fans could handle it (no pun intended). They described the few brief seconds where his junk bulged out as "gross". Imagine the reaction if a guy wore spandex Under Armour bike shorts?

 

And for the first time, I got a feeling of staged collusion about this competition thanks to that final run. The last ninja was tearing through the course, and seemed almost to be thumbing his nose at the other competitors by copying Sam Sann's single sided rope swing into the net and using that bizarre alternating grip style on the ring toss. I won't say rigged, cause I'm not sure how the producers could do it. But I am saying possible collusion as he went out just before he would have knocked Sam out. Of course, he may have intentionally messed up himself out of respect for Sam. I'm just saying the entire situation seemed rather forced and faked, especially when the cameras just happened to catch that one guy talking to Sam about his standing, and saying the very thing the hosts were commenting on. The hosts even referred to it as some "developing story".

 

Of course, I've slammed the editing on this show many times before. The preview for this episode that was aired last week showed Kacy on the new tilt bar obstacle. This let out a lot of the tension by spoiling the fact she made it past the original five obstacles again, including the daunting warped wall. We also had another "joining a run already in progress" tonight. Those simply don't happen except on live broadcasts. This show was recorded months ago and are edited to tell a story, so this really sticks out like a badly faked sore thumb. I hate that I'm sounding like a tin-foil hat wearing conspiracy nut, but it just seemed to hit me over the head particularly hard with this episode more than any other. And that's a shame too, given how much it tarnishes the awesomeness that was Kacy.

[blueray]

Really I thought it was filmed live, mainly because of them tell us who we missed.

 

I was very happy for her when she finished. The announcers were a bit annoying but I was still really rooting for her. I also imagine that the producers are happy she is still in because it may increase viewers.

[Ohwell]

I was happy for Kacy and my annoyance wasn't with her but the announcers, who kept teasing throughout the damn show that she was coming up.  I'm also not sure how big a deal this is for the vast majority of Americans.  

 

I was happy that Sam made it through, and the guy with the brother.  The others are a blur. 

 

Regarding attire, I was one of the ones who commented on the guy with the gross gold lame covered package.  I think Kacy needs to revisit those tight shorts as well.  She's petite, but there's no reason to have on such teeny tiny shorts and it irked me, too.

[Pepperclove]

That was an amazing performance by Kacy!  Not only her strength, but her mental focus and utter fearlessness were so impressive as well.  I agree that the show overdid the teasers (what else is new?) and the announcers were annoying (I'm pretty sure that's in their job description, unfortunately), but I thought the cuts to the other competitors quietly commenting during her round were really effective.  Something about the way the pastor guy said "she's going to have to jump" as he tried to imagine how someone only five feet tall could get through that course really built the tension for me.  I think Kacy's gymnastics background really helped her since she has experience flying between bars, although of course these bars were entirely different.  She has a real shot to get through a stage or two in Vegas, and I'll certainly be rooting for her.

 

As much as ANW is basically an overly dramatized TV show more than a real athletic competition, the support, mutual respect, and camaraderie between the competitors seems really genuine and is nice to see.  

 

As far as her attire, I'm sure it was her choice and I found it entirely appropriate.  That's what many ultra-fit women who are confident in their bodies are wearing to work out these days.  If you walk into any CrossFit gym in the country or any hot yoga studio (or any sporting goods store), you'll see lots of those little shorts.  The only sports where women wear longer shorts right now are basketball and soccer, and frankly the spandex create less opportunity for people to see something inappropriate on an obstacle like the spider climb (is that what the last one is called?) than looser short shorts.  And tighter clothes make more sense for Ninja Warrior because there's no danger of them dangling into the water on something like the cargo net.  She could have gone with capri length tights, of course, but her clothes seemed normal to me as a fellow female athlete.

[Ohwell]

Oh, I wasn't aware that the women wore those short shorts.  I don't go to the gym, I work out at home, and the women I see out jogging usually wear spandex down to the knees or lower.  I rarely see loose shorts which, I agree, might show something you don't want to be seen.  Bottom line though, is that I still think her shorts should have been a bit longer, knowing she was going to be on television.

[kayma]

I know Brett is supposed to be a fan favorite, but I just cannot stand him. The smugness he gives off is in such contrast to the other athletes' support and awe. When Kacy made it to the end, he couldn't just let her have her moment but had to climb up there, too. None of the wives or girlfriends had to intrude like that. I hope they use those wild cards on more deserving and/or likeable competitors like the one who DQ'ed himself or the corrections officer from one of the other cities that dipped his toe in the water. Ones that actually qualified for the finals instead of falling two years in a row.

 

I'm warming up to Kacy. That was amazing to watch, which is why I like this show, but I can do without the hamming up with the audience during the course.

[QTBlueMoon]

Quick question - Granted, Kacy's run tonight was made of awesome, but during the Dallas Qualifier, wasn't there another female that reached the top of the warped wall?  And if I remember correctly, she did it faster than Kacy.  If she completed the course, didn't that automatically place her in the Dallas Finals?  Where was she tonight?

[blueray]

There was another girl who made it up the wall but that was another city (Miami?). She should be on next week.

[theatremouse]

When he climbed the tower go talk to Kacy I thought he was going to propose or something. It did seem a disproportionate gesture to the moment. It's odd and I wonder how media savvy he is (and I feel bad for even thinking in this calculating a manner) but... in the moment when he was up there talking to her, I actually found it refreshing that when she said "I couldn't have done it without you" his response was "yes, you could, but thank you for saying that" or something to that effect, and it seemed really genuine, not like he was deflecting praise to be faux-modest. I think at another point he also called her the most impressive athlete he's ever seen, and he seemed to really mean it.

 

But then looking back...it is really oddly showboatey to climb the damn tower, basically just to kiss her and say congratulations. (which is why it made me think he was going for some grand gesture, and then there wasn't one; he was just...up there.) Which now that I've read other people's reactions, sort of makes me wonder if the whole thing were calculated. Ugh, that's a sort of depressing thought.

Edited July 16, 2014 by theatremouse

[Ohwell]

I got the unsavory feeling that he was, first of all, surprised that she actually made it and, second, just a wee bit jealous that she actually made it (because him making it was not as big of a deal). 

[joanne3482]

She could have gone with capri length tights, of course, but her clothes seemed normal to me as a fellow female athlete.

 

I would think that having her bare skin on some of the obstacles (like that log thing and the poles) would help her grip. I think the capri length tights would cause her legs to slip more. 

 

Bottom line though, is that I still think her shorts should have been a bit longer, knowing she was going to be on television.

 

Sadly, for women, there aren't a lot of exercise clothes options. You can do long or you can do super short. I have found knee length bike shorts that I use, but they are not always easy to find. Since she was a former gymnast, she is also probably used to having nothing on her legs. They practice and compete in leotards. 

[RockShrimp]

I'm a few inches shorter than Kacy and there really are no good options. Runners tights and/or capris are usually way too long and you can't shorten them easily. I usually end up buying a ton of knee-length pants when I can find them and those fit me like capris.

(plus, as was stated - skin is better at sticking to obstacles like the poles and the log than fabric is - there was at least one guy I saw who would have been better off in shorts when he got to the poles).

 

I want to like her but when she talks it's so grating, and reminds me of how screwed up gymnastics training is in delaying development for women (see also - Kerri Strug's voice). 

[Ohwell]

I'm sorry, but I can go to Marshall's and find spandex shorts that are a few inches longer than those shorts she was wearing.  I'm 5'2' and the shorts give me 3' from my crotch.  That's all I'm talking about  I know she's very short but I still think she could have found some a bit longer.  And she still could have gripped the pole because she still would have had enough bare thigh.  

[theatremouse]

He shorts were short, but not to the extent that I found them inappropriate. They're also, as others noted, the fashion of how most women's athletic clothing is produced lately. Could you find something an inch or two longer? Sure, probably, but not by much. When you can see the underwear coming out the bottom because it's longer than the shorts...then you have a problem. (Oh the horrors of teens in denim shorts that fit that bill, but I digress.) She could've just as easily done the course in a leotard too. For a nice dinner out? Not an OK outfit. For running an obstacle course, it made enough sense to me.

Edited July 17, 2014 by theatremouse

[Kromm]

I was wondering when the hype around  Kacy Catanzaro was overdone because she happened to be the first woman up the Warped Wall. Well, the hype is justified. Holy crap. She didn't smoke the course, but she grilled it evenly and overcame her five-foot frame to complete it.

The more Iseman yelled about "will she be the first", the more I expected her to go out on like... the 2nd obstacle.

 

I gotta say I never expected her to finish this. 

 

I suspected she'd done the Salmon Ladder before in training a lot. But doing it TIRED is the issue.  Then the next two obstacles AFTER that?   I didn't even think making a 5 foot jump between poles was even possible for a 5 foot tall person.

 

Is she a national celebrity?  No.  But there's come to be pretty decent money in American Ninja Warrior tie-ins, endorsements, ancillaries like running a gym, holding adventure camps, etc. and in that space being first up the wall was big... and then capping it off by doing this? She can write her own ticket with whatever profit these people can make off this show.

[Dewey Decimate]

I have to say, all the Kacy hype almost started making me feel a little backlash-y, but each obstacle she completed after the warped wall had me gripping my pearls in excitement. Free jumping on the moving frames and the poles was bad ass; that girl is seriously impressive! I didn't even glance at her outfit (other than that it was covering a body in amazing shape); I mean, we've had legitimate male competitors running in not much more than body paint, or a leopard print bikini, or a gladiator kilt. Plenty of the guys go shirtless, or dramatically rip them off while on the course. Kacy was wearing much more than a fairly demure tankini. I don't see how she should have felt obligated to wear an inch more.

 

Now, Brent going King Kong and (imo) stealing some of the spotlight? THAT pissed me off. I get that you're super-excited about your girlfriend/protege making ANW history, but really? EVERY other contestant celebrates with loved ones... on the fucking ground. She should have had her own fist-pumping moment on top of the world. Not that I think she necessarily minded, but for all those girls/women at home watching Kacy (to whom the announcers kept referring), seeing him immediately next to her at the end sets a real nice example. "You can do it too, ladies! As long as your main man is there by your side!" Plus, standing on that top level of the course is an honor and a privilege. One Brent did not achieve this year.

[Kromm]

He shorts were short, but not to the extent that I found them inappropriate. They're also, as others noted, the fashion of how most women's athletic clothing is produced lately. Could you find something an inch or two longer? Sure, probably, but not by much. 

Yeah, I honestly couldn't care less about her shorts.  Nobody is watching or not watching what she's doing because of them (one of the few cases you could say that about a woman as attractive as her).

Now, Brent going King Kong and (imo) stealing some of the spotlight? THAT pissed me off. I get that you're super-excited about your girlfriend/protege making ANW history, but really? EVERY other contestant celebrates with loved ones... on the fucking ground. She should have had her own fist-pumping moment on top of the world. Not that I think she necessarily minded, but for all those girls/women at home watching Kacy (to whom the announcers kept referring), seeing him immediately next to her at the end sets a real nice example. "You can do it too, ladies! As long as your main man is there by your side!" Plus, standing on that top level of the course is an honor and a privilege. One Brent did not achieve this year.

I don't imagine they're going to have separate identities in relation to the show anyway, but he's now kind of erased even the possibility.  It's a shame.  That said, the cynic in me thinks it might have even been suggested to him by the show/network/whoever.

At the very least it was a good minute or two later, so if they ever break up and in some later season they have to show clips, they can just end after she hits the buzzer.

BTW: was the Neil Armstrong comparison the one that made everybody else laugh too?  They couldn't use... I dunno.  Marie Curie?  Rosa Parks?  Jackie Joyner? Babe Didrickson? 

Way to go Kacy! I'm gonna laugh my ass off when the first American Ninja Warrior is a woman named Kacy. Imagine how many of the male ninjas will feel inadequate after that. Loved how she just went for the widest pole jump, and just stuck to that pole like a well seasoned stripper.

Heh. I know that SHOULD seem offensive, but it's just too funny for me to find it that way!

 

On one level I suppose it lessens the impact of this that this will hardly be the first attempt of a woman at Midoriyama (I believe that would be Joyce Shaboz).  Just the first one where there's no basis for bellyaching about them "letting" someone in who didn't actually qualify (or even get to a city final, muchless be in the top 15, muchless FINISH one).  Actually, even still I'm fully expecting even if she's the only of the 3 woman to do this, the other 2 will STILL likely be there via the infamous "wildcard picks". (ie - the "had a good story" picks).

There was another girl who made it up the wall but that was another city (Miami?). She should be on next week.

Two others. Michelle Warnky (St. Louis) and Meagan Martin (Denver).  Google-Fu confirms that they both had times much faster than Kacy's, however the times between them probably can't really be compared because the three courses were so different.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Kromm

[Wax Lion]

I didn't get to watch it last night, so I spent the day reading articles calling Kacy's run "inspiring" and it made my eye roll. It just sounded so melodramatic. But when we watched the episode, I really did feel inspired at how the five foot Kacy beat obstacles that were stacked against anyone with a smaller frame. (My husband hates obstacles he describes as "coming with a 'you must be this tall to ride' sign".)

 

I have seen fit women Kacy's age wear shorts like that, so I didn't find it an inappropriate choice for her. However, those shorts were pretty tight and they made any shot from below seem especially leering. The time Ben Melick made his first run in the loincloth didn't feel that way t (and his second run was just a clip).

[Kromm]

As much as ANW is basically an overly dramatized TV show more than a real athletic competition, the support, mutual respect, and camaraderie between the competitors seems really genuine and is nice to see.  

Not just the competitors.  I know several people have posted about feeling the show editing fakes things up a bit, and it WAS a little suspicious to hear Akbar talk about Tim Brown, and then have a nice convenient cut to him during Kacy's run.  But what we DID get to see was one of the best football players of all time go absolutely apeshit nuts over a five foot tall 24 year old girl (right around the 3 minute mark of the YouTube video the official ANW channel has up).

 

Here... if it's marked right, this video should jump directly to the right part for that:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfZFuw7a13E#t=156

Edited July 17, 2014 by Kromm

[jhlipton]

[Kacy] didn't smoke the course, but she grilled it evenly...

 

So much love for this!

 

However, those shorts were pretty tight and they made any shot from below seem especially leering.

When she came off the Cargo Net, her legs were pretty wide apart, and there was nothing inappropriate showing. I thought they were fine -- if anything was "inappropriate", it was the top-down shots (on the Salmon Ladder, for example).

[VartanFan]

I can't help it, I just love Matt and Akbar's genuine excitement about the contestants.  Sometimes they're totally Captain Obvious but they really seem to have fun and it makes me smile when they freak out.  

[Pepperclove]

BTW: was the Neil Armstrong comparison the one that made everybody else laugh too?  They couldn't use... I dunno.  Marie Curie?  Rosa Parks?  Jackie Joyner? Babe Didrickson?

 

 

I think I groaned out loud at the Neil Armstrong comparison.  I guess no one remembers that Sally Ride was the first American woman in space?

 

As far as the hosts' excitement, does anyone else think there's a huge difference in Akbar this year?  I seem to remember people on TWOP making fun of him last year for looking interested just after the camera found him like "here comes the camera, time to pretend to care."  But this year he really does seem into it.  I still find it amusing when any of them start talking about the correct technique for obstacles, though, when I'm pretty sure they wouldn't get very far on the course.

[Kromm]

Photo putting Kacy's size in... perspective.

 

[Etta Place]

I think maybe what I give Kacy the most credit for is delivering under unbelievable pressure. All the talk, all the anticipation, all the build-up ... and then it's at the bottom of it all, just an incredibly tough challenge. I liked that she was able to do it even with all that riding on her run. Some other competitors have said that the crowd cheering for them really helped them go on (I think it would make me completely wilt - everyone is staring at me!), and I liked that it seemed to have a positive effect for Kacy, too.

Edited July 19, 2014 by Etta Place

[Ohwell]

Yup, I already knew that a five-footer was tiny; however, these guys are also pretty big fellows.  Wasn't Akbar a football player?

[Kromm]

I think maybe what I give Kacy the most credit for is delivering under unbelievable pressure. All the talk, all the anticipation, all the build-up ... and then it's at the bottom of it all, just an incredibly tough challenge. I liked that she was able to do it even with all that riding on her run. Some other competitors have said that the crowd cheering for them really helped them go on (I think it would make me completely wilt - everyone is staring at me!), and I liked that it seemed to have a positive effect for Kacy, too.

If you think about it, the biggest share of that pressure was in her future though.  While I'm sure the entire "Ninja" community knew immediately after she scaled the Warped Wall and became the first, no mainstream press or general public really was around to talk about it.  Not that NBC/G4/ANW goes to any lengths to contain "spoilers", even though they film months in advance of airing, but before NBC broadcasting it, there was no hook into the public/media zeitgeist (yes, I know everyone hates that word, but it fits here, okay?)

 

So on the day she had to face the Finals run, she had the "local" hype from Iseman's blather and from show pre-interviews, and maybe a sense of weighing destiny from the thousands of plugged-in superfans across show fan-sites, but she hardly had the six or seven million people paying attention to her NOW (at least based on the views of her run on YouTube), and several hundred major media outlets talking about her, and Nastia Luiken making a personal video congratulating her. That stuff came LONG after she'd actually already done the run successfully, right?

[Etta Place]

Sure, that's totally different than what I was referring to, though.

[Psychobunny]

Quick question-how far apart is the body prop?  Would she even be able to reach?

[Kromm]

Quick question-how far apart is the body prop?  Would she even be able to reach?

In previous seasons I seem to remember them saying that they adjust the body prop for each contestant based on their height.  Not sure why they didn't explain that again.  Maybe it's not true anymore.

[K2DangerGirl]

 

Quick question-how far apart is the body prop?  Would she even be able to reach?

It is 4 feet.  I don't remember previous commentary about it being adjusted--that seems as if it would be very difficult based on the structure.  I could be wrong though as I mentally delete most of this after watching it.  Mr. DangerGirl and I were speculating that at 4 feet it might actually be easier for her than for a 6-footer.  Some of the tall guys look pretty awkward trying to fold their legs enough, but she could almost lock her knees and still be exerting enough outward pressure for the climb.

 

And her shorts were WAY longer than I expected, given what I'd read here.  Heh.

[Kromm]

It is 4 feet.  I don't remember previous commentary about it being adjusted--that seems as if it would be very difficult based on the structure.  I could be wrong though as I mentally delete most of this after watching it.  Mr. DangerGirl and I were speculating that at 4 feet it might actually be easier for her than for a 6-footer.  Some of the tall guys look pretty awkward trying to fold their legs enough, but she could almost lock her knees and still be exerting enough outward pressure for the climb.

Here's someone else who remembers the same comment I did from last season on this.

 

That said, I'm fairly certain they DON'T adjust the other similar obstacles, like the Jumping Spider/Spider-Walk.  

[mlp]

I'm normally not interested in sports but I stumbled on ANW a couple years ago and was hooked.  I'm beginning to recognize some of the regulars but not all of them.  During the very exciting Kacy run, the camera goes to one fellow watching several times.  He's wearing a red tank top and, while she's on the poles, he says, "She's going to have to jump."  He looks happy for her and almost in awe of her ability.  Can someone here tell me who he is?  Just curious.

[SophiaD]

I think his name is Johnathan Morin and he's a youth minister.  What was so impressive is that he fell on the salmon ladder (and therefore, won't get to go to Vegas), yet he was totally into Kacy's run, and is cheering her on the whole time.  Such a classy, classy person.

[mlp]

 

I think his name is Johnathan Morin and he's a youth minister.  What was so impressive is that he fell on the salmon ladder (and therefore, won't get to go to Vegas), yet he was totally into Kacy's run, and is cheering her on the whole time.  Such a classy, classy person.

 

Thanks.  He just looked like a nice guy.  I thought maybe he was someone of special interest because the cameraman kept going back to him.