S07.E01: Venice Qualifying

[OnceSane]

In the 1st Qualifying Round from Venice Beach, California, competitors must tackle six obstacles, including three brand new ones: the Mini Silk Slider, Spin Cycle, and Hourglass Drop. Contestants include "Ninja" veterans Kevin Bull and David Campbell. First timers include former Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo and Seattle Seahawks Jon Ryan. Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila return as hosts, and Kristine Leahy co-hosts.

[VartanFan]

Happy it's back but getting a bit too commercialized for me. The pom sponsor....New weak blonde interviewer, and the stories upon stories. The only way I can watch is with ffwd. Hope the Eskimo gets a wild card and so so so happy that morovsky fell...and so early!!

Also, have to mute when kacey talks. Just please stop with her constant interviews.

[Lantern7]

Heh . . . I just knew Adonis' fall would be celebrated. Good thing for him that he can bang twice his weight in starlets, and nobody really gives a crap about his moving eyebrows. Also, it looks like we'll be getting Kacy crammed down our throats. I mean, she's nice and talented, but the hosts love her way too much. And it's nice to see Kevin Bull live up to the hype.

 

I got a hold of Entertainment Weekly, and they had a page on the "hourglass" obstacle. Quirky to have an obstacle where you can get disqualified for completing it too easily. Also, you get to root for people to smack their heads on the second board. Not that I'm hoping for an injury . . . like that one guy who broke his friggin' leg on the course. It was brutal to see him try and hang in there, though I'll give him props for encouraging his sister while laid out on the stretcher. That was hardcore.

[Richness]

Welcome back show. Despite them continuing to annoy me with the usual (the background sob stories, failure to show some of the runs or only part of them, pretending to be pseudo-live), I am glad to have it have it back. I just fast forward through most of those. And if they have to whore themselves out to Pom and other sponsors in order to air, I can tolerate even that, especially now that they're offering a full million dollar prize. Speaking of that, I wonder if that prize continues to grow like a lottery if no one wins it this season?

 

Yes, I was overjoyed to see the Adonis go out so early. He really doesn't do his relative, the Weatherman, any favors. However, I will admit to finding myself evenly split between hating and adoring his alternating pec pouncing. Yes, I'm shallow like that, ogling the beefcake (or cheesybeefcake in this case).

 

I still question some of the ninja's attire though. What was up with Bull's slacks, and Robinson's skinny jeans? (Granted, the latter may really have been stretchy and only looked like denim.) Granted, the outrageous outfits get you noticed and talked about, but they have to be somewhat of a hindrance compared to shorts or other workout gear.

 

Speaking of the Bull, my admiration for him from last season dropped considerably when I heard he was going for the fastest time. I remember reading somewhere that the fastest run time earns a bonus, but it really makes me nervous to see people flying through the course solely to have the fastest time. I'd rather they ran it at a comfortable pace, and be pleasantly surprised if they win. He and his run were impressive though.

 

Felt for the poor guy that broke his leg, though I had to laugh when I saw the paramedics hauling him along side the course on a rolling cart while his sister (or was it girlfriend?) made her run.

 

Also, was the guy who was disqualified for touching the Hourglass Drop support beam disqualified from going on to the city finals, or was that considered the same as a fail and he can go on? In retrospect, that may have been Robinson, and I seem to recall seeing him advance on.

 

ETA: Also happy to see so many rookies complete the course compared to the veterans.

 

Otherwise, my fun, summer diversion and guilty pleasure is back. Yay!

Edited May 26, 2015 by Richness

[JenMcSnark]

Was it confirmed that the guy did, indeed break his leg?  

[lilabennet]

Was it confirmed that the guy did, indeed break his leg?  

I think that was the preliminary conclusion reached by medical at the course, but I don't think there was an official update about it after he went to the hospital so it may not have been broken.

[SophiaD]

Fun evening.  I was a bit sad for the Inuit guy, as well as for Jon Ryan.  I didn't mind that Kacy did an interview - at least, she spoke intelligently about the other top woman's chances, and was rooting for her. 

 

My guess is that the Adonis guy has been kind of skimping on his training.  He definitely didn't look as sharp this year.  Really liked seeing all of the rookie qualifiers make it through.  They seemed like a nice bunch and very supportive of each other. 

[AConspiracy]

I was happy when cocky football Brendon failed out -

[Taeolas]

Do they try to make the Venice course the most difficult or what? Last year it barely had anyone get through too. 

 

I wonder how they'll adjust it for the second round, since so few people made it past the Hourglass. Maybe not have skipping the second bridge be an auto-DQ? But that might give the risk takers too big of a time advantage. 

 

I was impressed by the number of women who attempted the course, and how far many of them made it. I suspect we've got a couple wild cards in there, along with the one who actually got in the Top 30. 

 

Wish they could have given more of an update on the guy who 'broke' his leg. It did sound like something happened; he said he could feel something grinding when he tried to move it. Considering the amount of pain he was showing, I'm surprised they didn't have course handlers standing by to jump in the water after the trampoline as soon as he jumped.

 

As for everyone who got DQ'ed, I think it just counts as a fail, you failed the obstacle, so your time is when you finished the previous one.

 

I did like the new obstacles. They seemed quite challenging while not being impossible. With how many people got hung up on the rings, I'm surprised more people didn't back to the second ring to regain the momentum like that guy did. I'm sure in the second round we'll see more people do that if they misstime the final jump.

 

And yeah, count me as another who wants to nix the background. I started watching after recording 75 minutes, and between FFing throuhg background and commercials, I was done watching about 20 minutes after the show ended. (So I watched a '2 hour' show in about an hour. )

Edited May 26, 2015 by Taeolas

[VartanFan]

Oh, i was also bummed by the poor showing of insulin pump-guy.

 

Seems like once someone figures out a tough new obstacle, others after them do better.  I was happy to see no cargo net.

 

I'm hoping that Kevin Bull stays mostly humble.  I also hated his statement of fastest time.  I know he didn't go the farthest last year, but I think these guys should look to Brian Arnold for how to stay humble and focused.  Of course, now he'll probably be a raging asshole this year. 

[mertensia]

They need to stop with the (no doubt prompted to say) "I'm going to be the Ninjas Warrior!" Well yes. You all think that. It's a given.

[saber5055]

They need to stop with the (no doubt prompted to say) "I'm going to be the Ninjas Warrior!" Well yes. You all think that. It's a given.

 

 

Except for that one guy, who added at the end, "Well, at least I hope I will be."

 

I'm rooting for the Alaskan guy to get a wild card. He was all kinds of awesome. I also liked the guy who built a course in his yard, then invited everyone to come and use it. Those are the good back stories.

 

Sorry to see Adonis, but glad he's out. I had forgotten about him so thanks for bringing him back, show. (Not.) I do, however, very much like The Weatherman. So being a jackass doesn't run in the family.

[kayma]

but I think these guys should look to Brian Arnold for how to stay humble and focused.  Of course, now he'll probably be a raging asshole this year.

Oh, I hope not. I'm still rooting for him to win the whole thing this year.

[Skyfall]

There seemed to be less human interest pieces though which was a good thing. The guy who "broke" his leg shouldn't had been allowed to continue once he grabbed his knee like that. I'm sure he damaged it worst by continuing on and might not had been broken until the 2nd or 3rd crash.

[Kromm]

They need to stop with the (no doubt prompted to say) "I'm going to be the Ninjas Warrior!" Well yes. You all think that. It's a given.

It's also the tagline for the show.  They ASK them to say it.

[SmithW6079]

Yes, I was overjoyed to see the Adonis go out so early. He really doesn't do his relative, the Weatherman, any favors. However, I will admit to finding myself evenly split between hating and adoring his alternating pec pouncing. Yes, I'm shallow like that, ogling the beefcake (or cheesybeefcake in this case).

"Adonis" would be best enjoyed with a ball gag in his mouth.

[biakbiak]

I get he is just a punter and this might be my 12th man syndrome talking but who okayed Jon Ryan competing?

[Fukui San]

I get he is just a punter and this might be my 12th man syndrome talking but who okayed Jon Ryan competing?

I'm honestly surprised when an active highly paid pro athlete goes on a show like this. Even more glaring was when active NFL linebacker Dhani Jones had his own travel channel show called Dhani Tackles the Globe, where every week he traveled somewhere to learn and play a new sport. He wasn't a superstar, but I'd still be wary of losing him for a season because he tore his ACL wrestling a 300 pound Bavarian dude.  (That said it was a good show.)

[Way Wes Jr]

There were more beards in this episode than in the Stanley Cup games I'm watching this week...

[blackwing]

Overjoyed that "the Adonis" failed.   But fearful they are going to just give him a wild card slot because, well, he's "the Adonis".

[GeminiDancer]

On the rewatch, I'm extra annoyed with Rob Moravsky (I absolutely refuse to call him the Adonis cause his douchebag attitude makes him unattractive to me) during his post-run interview. He was posing like he was Gaston and trying to be all dramatic actor. Did he really think that was cute? Who told him to do that?

 

I'll be pissed if he gets a wildcard and Nick Hanson doesn't.