S15.E12: Las Vegas Finals 2

[SophiaD]

Tomorrow is another weird day, so here your thread for Stage 2 (and possibly 3?), which will feature yet more SIDE-BY-SIDE RACING!  for the second part of Stage 1!

Thanks for the corrections, friends!  I must have been looking at the wrong week!  

Edited September 2, 2023 by SophiaD

[astrohip]

I thought S15E12 was the second half of Stage 1? The second group to run Stage 1?

[ams1001]

41 minutes ago, astrohip said:

I thought S15E12 was the second half of Stage 1? The second group to run Stage 1?

You are correct; the episode description is "The national finals continue in Las Vegas as the remaining ninjas compete in Stage 1 for their chance to win $1 million and become the next American Ninja Warrior."

[Lantern7]

Anyone remember Taylor Greene doing the semifinals?

[Lantern7]

Whuh oh, they’re talking about Daniel Gil’s perfect record on Stage One . . .

ETA: Never mind. They didn’t jinx him.

Edited August 29, 2023 by Lantern7

[Lantern7]

Sean Bryan with the nasty fall. I think it clocked in at 270 degrees.

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Lantern7 said:

Sean Bryan with the nasty fall. I think it clocked in at 270 degrees.

I thought he was gonna miss the water for a second.

[Lantern7]

Heckuva episode. Hard not to feel bad for Najee Richardson.

[MsVixen]

I'm glad that R. J. Roman made it through, but I was shocked to see him winded.  That course must have been tougher than they could have imagined.
Sorry that James McGrath (?) didn't make it.  I didn't realize how many of the contestants had made it to the cargo net.

[urahara199033]

Is it bad I CANT STAND kayden labreck, kid is overrated but he will probably win it all and he’s arrogant af

[enoughcats]

I watched it with a slight delay. I kept falling asleep except for the "old timers".  The editors are hard pressed to make the teenies interesting. 

I did notice that Kayden the magnificent wears the same clothes he was wearing two years ago and also last year.  He's fun to watch and so cool about his style. 

I kept hating the roulette wheel which seemed to be immobile for some and slick as a pig wallow for others. 

[eel2178]

16 hours ago, MsVixen said:

I'm glad that R. J. Roman made it through

I don't want to see anyone win or even advance on a do over again.

I was hoping that if all the people with safety passes didn't need to use them, the show would give up on handing them out. We don't need another Drew Dreshel undeserved win.

[Quilt Fairy]

So apparently the safety passes are only good for Stage 1 this year, because - have you heard? - in Stage 2 all the runs are races!

[mlp]

38 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

So apparently the safety passes are only good for Stage 1 this year, because - have you heard? - in Stage 2 all the runs are races!

I suppose they could still get a second chance if they fall on Stage 2 but then they'd have to have someone to race against so that would seem to be problematical.  I have no idea what they plan to do.  I do know from an interview I read that the next season was filmed right after this one so we have races to look forward to for at least one more year.  :(  

 

[eel2178]

12 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

So apparently the safety passes are only good for Stage 1 this year

I am so glad the 3 of the 4 people with safety passes didn't have to use them. I really hated seeing Drew win on a do-over. I still consider it a stolen victory.

Also, maybe if the safety passes become completely superfluous, it will convince whoever makes the rules to decide to eliminate them entirely. How many of the WWWA runs would we have been able to see if they hadn't wasted screen time with the Race for the Pass?

Edited September 1, 2023 by eel2178

[eel2178]

11 hours ago, mlp said:

 they'd have to have someone to race against 

Another rule I'd like to see change. Is the point of racing each other in Stage 2 to ensure that 12 move on to Stage 3? Are they trying to limit how many move on or are they trying to ensure that they have at least 12 advancing even if it isn't by their own merits?

If it has to be a race, then the pairings should be by drawing straws. Having the fastest run against the slowest really only ensures that the people who finished 12th and 13th (or maybe 11th and 14th too) are evenly matched. All the other couplings have one person entering with the odds already stacked against him.

[eel2178]

11 hours ago, mlp said:

the next season was filmed right after this one

The lot where they usually film in Las Vegas was sold and is going to be turned into a baseball stadium. 

I don't know if they will be able to continue filming there during the off season (are baseball games are still going on in June?), or if they have to find a new location. Even if they can secure the property for 4 days of filming a year, it will most likely be under construction next year making it necessary to get in 2 years worth of episodes now,

[Rickster]

1 hour ago, eel2178 said:

The lot where they usually film in Las Vegas was sold and is going to be turned into a baseball stadium. 

I don't know if they will be able to continue filming there during the off season (are baseball games are still going on in June?), or if they have to find a new location. Even if they can secure the property for 4 days of filming a year, it will most likely be under construction next year making it necessary to get in 2 years worth of episodes now,

Baseball season runs April through October, if you make the playoffs. The Oakland A’s are trying to move to Vegas, but it hasn’t gotten final approval yet.

Interesting idea on why they are filming two seasons at once, but I don’t think it would be that hard to film somewhere else in Vegas or a different city.

[enoughcats]

What does it take to win a race in this stage?

Just get farther than the other guy?

Get farther faster and then fall and the other guy gets ahead, but slower?

complete the race course first? (and a non-completion doesn't win?) (That would be different!)

 

[VartanFan]

I’ve hated the head-to-head matchups so much this season that I haven’t done any forum posting. I enjoyed these couple weeks of regular anw. I think it sucks that they filmed two seasons in a row. That means that the people who are hurt miss two seasons. And we probably won’t see new people. Meh. 

[eel2178]

On 9/1/2023 at 12:10 PM, Rickster said:

I don’t think it would be that hard to film somewhere else in Vegas or a different city.

Location, location, location.

The current site is right on The Strip and across from the airport. It is easy to get to, and there are plenty of hotel rooms within walking distance for large numbers of contestants, crew and spectators.

It is the same place where the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival shooting took place.

[SophiaD]

I caught the re-run on NBC earlier this evening.  Again, it was nice to see a normal episode again, but, overall, the season was kind of meh.  So sad for Najee and for Sean Bryan.  No women got through.  They're still harping on the mother thing.  

I am happy that Flip, RJ, Joe Moravsky, and RJ made it through, but a teen will probably win the whole thing.

I'll watch the rest of the season, but if next year is identical, I'll probably have it on while I clean the house.  

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

The current site is right on The Strip and across from the airport.

That is incorrect. The current site is just south of the South Point Casino at Las Vegas Blvd and Frias Avenue. That's the big white and gold building that was seen in a few of the long shots. I know because I attended the filming of Stage 1 for the 2024 season. It was literally the next night after they finished 2023. The course was not changed at all either. Now I'm wondering if some of the Ninjas I saw were actually in the Finals or just hanging around to cheer on friends. And will they pretend a year has passed?

The former site was not sold for the stadium, that is going to be next to the Tropicana. Which will probably get imploded if it goes through. The tribal government of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, also known as the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, bought the land containing the previous site without a public vote by the tribe or even a plan for it. As this article outlines.

Quote

The Tribal Business Council approved a resolution in June 2020 to buy the site. Its meeting minutes that day indicate the deal was discussed in a closed session...The tribes expanded their holdings in December 2022 when they bought 13.3 acres of the former Route 91 site from casino giant MGM Resorts International. The business council held no public hearing or public vote on that purchase...the tribes already found at least one way to make money from their first real estate purchase in Las Vegas. In early 2021, the Tribal Business Council gave the green light to allow “American Ninja Warrior” to use its property for 30 days to film the show, for the price of $100,020.