S08.E11: National Finals Week 1

[OnceSane]

Quote

ANW travels to Las Vegas where the top competitors from the City Finals tackle the four-stage course. Competitors take on Stage One, with 4 new obstacles: Snake Run, Giant Log Grip, Broken Bridge, and Flying Squirrel.

[AZChristian]

I turned to Mr. AZC and asked, "Is there anything we want to watch tonight?"

"Yep.  American Ninja Turtles."  Give us a break - he's 75, I'm 69.  That's what they would call it (based on speed) if we competed.  LOL.

[slf]

Oh wow, so Stratis killed it for me. The beard, the slapping, the yelling. He's usually one of my favorites but...ick. I do feel bad for him though, it must suck to go out when you're so close to finishing. He really should have taken this year off though.

I didn't recognize that first woman, I don't remember even seeing a highlight from her run. She was tiny.

Aw, sad to see Beird go but I figured we'd lose most of the women in Stage 1. Hope she comes back next year.

Grant McCartney is always so much fun. I don't know what the hell that dance was after he hit the buzzer but it was cute.

Damn, Craver, got a new girl? 

Holy shit. Poor Travis Rosen, I can't believe he went out on the first obstacle. Damn. He's one of the ones I expected to got to Stage 2. 

MuscleBall, dude, so close. He was so fast going through it I honestly didn't think the warped wall was going to be a problem. I forgot about the shorter run-up.

I'm trying not to swear, really, but I can't believe how people veterans are going out. Yikes. They might've made this new Stage 1 too hard. Captain NBC out before the Spider Wall? 

It's the first and third obstacles that really seem to be throwing them all off.

8 MILLISECONDS?! Wow, Torres! I honestly didn't think he'd make it up the net in time. 

Noooooo, Jessie! Flex! I have to echo Meagan, that was weird. She looked like she hit and then just...splashed down. I didn't see the slo-mo repeat; did anyone see what happened? Did she just let got or did she lose her footing?

Edited August 30, 2016 by slf

[ClareWalks]

13 minutes ago, slf said:

I didn't see the slo-mo repeat; did anyone see what happened?

She landed on the curved part and it "pushed" her back out. She needed to hit the tramp better and get deeper in there. (That's what she said?)

I am all for giving deserving women wildcards but I'm pretty sick of seeing some women who couldn't even make the city finals course getting them. I feel like if you couldn't make the city finals, you should be disqualified from a wildcard, even if your name is Kacy Catanzaro.

[slf]

9 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

She landed on the curved part and it "pushed" her back out. She needed to hit the tramp better and get deeper in there. (That's what she said?)

I am all for giving deserving women wildcards but I'm pretty sick of seeing some women who couldn't even make the city finals course getting them. I feel like if you couldn't make the city finals, you should be disqualified from a wildcard, even if your name is Kacy Catanzaro.

Ah, thanks. That's disappointing but it was still a good effort. This was only her first year, I think? If she trains harder, especially builds up more strength, and comes back next year I think she could actually complete Stage 1.

I thought the wildcards were always given to whoever just missed the cut? 

Daniel Gill, good job man, thank you for making sure Brian Arnold didn't get the fastest time of the night. But seriously, you need to pull your hair back.

Edited August 30, 2016 by slf

[ClareWalks]

2 minutes ago, slf said:

I thought the wildcards were always given to whoever just missed the cut? 

I think they *should* be but unfortunately they are usually just handed out to random women and "fan favorites." There was a woman today who had a wildcard who I swear I have no memory of at all (the singer chick with the braids).

[slf]

Okay, why show people saying "oh so-and-so is my choice to win it all" when that person falls on the second obstacle? That's just mean, lol. Ian Dory out on the second obstacle. 

Did I see Angel during Flip's run? Flip did so well, a little hung up on the rope, but once he made it past that he just flew through the rest of the courses. The tadpoles were adorable!

[riverheightsnancy]

JESSIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE her! 

[Mierin]

Go Jessie!  That was awesome!

Edited August 30, 2016 by Mierin

[slf]

Maggi Thorne! I didn't know she and Jessie Graff were friends!

JESSIE JESSIE JESSIE! She's amazing! I love her! I was yelling the whole time, she was a beast! I loved her little smile toward the end when she realized she was going to make it.

Edited August 30, 2016 by slf

[ClareWalks]

Jessie is a goddess. I want to be her when I grow up, even though she is a year younger than I am.

[MsVixen]

Jessie Graff is an Amazon Queen!!!! 

Did they give the Wildcards to only women again? 

Edited August 30, 2016 by MsVixen
Spelled name wrong

[SanLynn]

Jessie is the best and I love how she's so chill too.

[sab85]

I mean, I knew there was no way Jessie didn't finish with the way they am were hyping it but it was still awesome to see.

Travis Rosen, Ian Dory, and Kevin Bull all out on the first few obstacles. Weird.

[Chaos Theory]

Jessie Graff is awesome.  The first woman to beat stage 1 and she finished #4 

I thought someone put a curse on stage 1 for awhile.   Alot of bad falls.  Still it was fun to watch,.

[slf]

9 minutes ago, sab85 said:

Travis Rosen, Ian Dory, and Kevin Bull all out on the first few obstacles. Weird.

I know. When Bull hit the water on the third obstacle my jaw dropped. Maybe he shouldn't have also done Spartan this year.

[JenMD]

Jessie!  I couldn't figure out if NBC was spoiling her run so much because she made it or because she at least made it past the wall this year, but maybe didn't make it all the way.  And it was killing me!  Damn, that was so awesome!  I love how she recognizes what she needs improvement on from stage to stage and year to year and just does it.  Man, my heart was racing and I was just sitting on my sofa.  She is just the best.  And with over 12 seconds left?  That was incredible.

Holy cow, this course was taking out people left and right, that was shocking.  They had something like 38 finishers last year and halfway through they're at 8?  Kind of scared to see what they did to Stage 2.  And yes, I'm also side-eyeing all the wild cards.  They really don't need them since we tend to miss them while we're "away" anyway. 

But wow, that was the perfect ending to that ep, though.  Just perfect.

I was yelling the whole time, she was a beast! I loved her little smile toward the end when she realized she was going to make it.

Oh, that smile on her face as she was on the Flying Squirrel was adorable.  You could tell she could see the finish in sight.  So great.

Edited August 30, 2016 by JenMD

[Lantern7]

Can we let Jessie go directly to Stage Three? Damn, she didn't even need the ten-second warning. Then again, she didn't have to exert herself that much. She could have just ran on top of the broken ninjas littering the course and not gotten her feet wet. Oh, and Matt and Akbar definitely need a fresh pair of pants following her run.

I'm guessing the ten fewer ninjas can be blamed on the Olympics. I have reservations about Kacy getting a wild card. Minimum, she'd have to clear the Warped Wall to make it worthwhile. I hate being harsh, but I don't think she's that relevant. Maybe she can go farther with less of a load on her shoulders. Like Flip without the mask or something. Oh, and Flip? Facial hair doesn't work for you, dude. Could he have stuff pasted on his face while doing stunts?

[healthnut]

I enjoyed Jessie's run but I would've enjoyed it more if NBC hadn't given away last week that she made it up the wall. 

Yes, all the wild cards were girls again: 2016 wild cards . I don't mind some being girls, but not all of them, really no more than 15, I don't even remember several of these girls. I really think they use them to even out the playing field because the difficulty varies in each city. 

I actually thought this course wasn't all that hard, seems pretty similar to last year. Most of the veterans that went out was kind of flukish, probably taking obstacles for granted. They spend so much time training for Stage 2 and 3 and it's the little stuff that can get you. 

[riverheightsnancy]

1 minute ago, slf said:

I know. When Bull hit the water on the third obstacle my jaw dropped. Maybe he shouldn't have also done Spartan this year.

I think that we are seeing the changing of the guard. Many of the "veterans" cannot hang anymore, no matter how much they train. It seems to be the nature of getting older. We see it all the time in pro athletes and ourselves. The mind is willing but the body just cannot anymore. Even a 1 or 2 second slow down in speed makes a huge difference in a competition like this. 

[SophiaPehawkins]

Jessie Graff is so awesome. I loved that it wasn't even really that close. She breezed through the course. It was just as shocking to see Ian Dory and Travis(?) go out so early. It honestly didn't look *too* difficult. I say that knowing I can't do it, but a lot of them were going out early on the log drop so maybe it has something to do with the wildcards going to not so qualified ninjas. I hate to be bitchy, but enough of Kacy. I'd be really surprised if she makes it to the wall next week. Excited to see Meghan, though. Hopefully she can join Jessie at Stage 2. 

[mtlchick]

It says a lot when Jessie gets her own LEGO video!  SO pumped that she's made it past stage 1. 

 

[anniebird]

Can someone explain why, on the Jumping Spider, instead of just going straight ahead they go up? I've never heard an explanation for it - there's a pretty good drop at the end - if they didn't go up they wouldn't have such a drop.

[slf]

38 minutes ago, SophiaPehawkins said:

It was just as shocking to see Ian Dory and Travis(?) go out so early. It honestly didn't look *too* difficult. I say that knowing I can't do it, but a lot of them were going out early on the log drop so maybe it has something to do with the wildcards going to not so qualified ninjas. 

I'm not sure the wildcards had much to do with so many people not going on; granted I've only looked at the past few years of ANW on wiki but it doesn't look like wildcards tend to complete Stage 1. Travis Rosen, Kevin Bull, Ian Dory, James McGrath, Jamie Rohn, Ryan Stratis...these are guys who usually can make it to at least pretty far into Stage 1, most of them generally advance to Stage 2. 

Edited August 30, 2016 by slf

[Fukui San]

Writing this as I watch this off my TiVo before reading anyone else's posts.

I think they might have made this first stage too hard.  After watching the first two capable competitors go out, they ramped up the difficulty of the Log Grip a lot by requiring a precision dismount, and the Flying Squirrel is a lot harder than the time waster they usually put in that spot.  You hope to get 10-20 or so people to pass the first stage to give you enough competitors to fill out Stage 2 and 3. I'm worried that they might only get in the 4-8 range.

Re: The Bama guy who's the 4th competitor. It kills me when someone fails the Jumping Spider because he or she happens to pick the wrong shoes to wear and they don't have the right traction.

Off to watch the rest. We'll see if I'm right about the difficulty or not.

[slf]

4 minutes ago, anniebird said:

Can someone explain why, on the Jumping Spider, instead of just going straight ahead they go up? I've never heard an explanation for it - there's a pretty good drop at the end - if they didn't go up they wouldn't have such a drop.

Because on the back half of the Jumping Spider the wall gives out at the bottom. You have to go up.

[majormama]

Well, my three daughters know what they want to be for Halloween: Jessie Graff in red, Jessie Graff in blue, and Jessie Graff in green. And my son wants to be Kevin Bull, or possibly Captain NBC (dyeing his hair green vs shaving it off).

[anniebird]

4 minutes ago, slf said:

Because on the back half of the Jumping Spider the wall gives out at the bottom. You have to go up.

Thank you!

[JenMD]

Oh, that LEGO video was the cutest!

[SophiaPehawkins]

7 minutes ago, slf said:

I'm not sure the wildcards had much to do with so many people going on; granted I've only looked at the past few years of ANW on wiki but it doesn't look like wildcards tend to complete Stage 1. Travis Rosen, Kevin Bull, Ian Dory, James McGrath, Jamie Rohn, Ryan Stratis...these are guys who usually can make it to at least pretty far into Stage 1, most of them generally advance to Stage 2. 

I was thinking of the women that were given the wildcards. I'm not saying they're not good enough, but I wish the wildcards were given to the people that finished 16th, 17th in the semifinals. It's hard to keep track, because they have so many people go and I can't remember who qualified and who didn't. I think it was a combination of a more difficult course and WCs. Once it's updated online somewhere, I'll be curious to look at it and see if that was a part of it.

[Chaos Theory]

Quote

I think they might have made this first stage too hard. 

I am not sure 'hard' is the right word.  Most of stage 1 obstacles are agility obstacles which don't align to most of these guys strengths.   Of course they got harder this year but I think alot of it was get psyched out early.   I am curious about the week 2 and if there will be m more flameouts.

As for the wildcards I am both surprised and not surprised  that Kacy got one.  She is a popular female and she is well liked so I can see NBC wanted her around as much as possible and to be honest I want to see what she does on the course,

Edited August 30, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[slf]

1 minute ago, SophiaPehawkins said:

I was thinking of the women that were given the wildcards. 

Ah, I took "It honestly didn't look *too* difficult. I say that knowing I can't do it, but a lot of them were going out early on the log drop so maybe it has something to do with the wildcards going to not so qualified ninjas" to mean you thought the average being lower this year was due to so many wildcards being given to women who didn't complete the finals, when honestly it comes down to a harder course and so many veterans going out for one reason or another (age, underestimating the course, etc.). 

3 minutes ago, SophiaPehawkins said:

I'm not saying they're not good enough, but I wish the wildcards were given to the people that finished 16th, 17th in the semifinals. It's hard to keep track, because they have so many people go and I can't remember who qualified and who didn't. I think it was a combination of a more difficult course and WCs. Once it's updated online somewhere, I'll be curious to look at it and see if that was a part of it.

This is where I'm divided. On the one hand I would prefer the wildcards to always go to whoever just missed the cutoff. It seems the most fair. I understand that they want more women in Vegas (possibly partially due in no small part to the women being so popular) but it seems to me like the solution is for more women to audition/be chosen for the show. Not that many women are competing each year; of 600 or so contestants how many are women?

On the other hand? They don't pick contestants based just on skill. They pick people to run on this show who they have to know stand no chance in hell. They've picked people because they were wacky or attractive, they pick people who they think will make good television. So while I would prefer the wildcards to be given only to the 16th contestants in the finals, it doesn't bother me when they don't.

[Fukui San]

I'm relieved that 8 made it so far and Jessie Graff was awesome.  A field of 15-20 finishers would be about right.  38 last year was an excessive amount, but I'm sure they were glad to have a winner break the ice finally last year. It was worrying to me that every obstacle had a chance to eliminate someone. Usually there are a few obstacles that are strictly time wasters.

Physics-wise, watching people overshoot the Log Grip dismount was darkly hilarious.  I've had the thought that if I were drawing Superhero comics I'd freeze frame this show to have models of impossibly fit people in the midst of extreme action.

I never understand how contestants who are down to the wire have their runs fast forwarded.  If you get within 5 seconds either way, win or lose, I'd think it'd be an easy choice to include that run in full since those are the most exciting.

The Wildcards are chosen strictly for whoever the showrunners think might draw ratings. This year it's women. Next year it might be old people, or whatever Olympians they could get, or pop stars. If it were the Japanese showrunners, 20-40 slots would be given to comedic no hopers. There were people who ran for 10+ tournaments whose gimmick was that they were lucky to pass the first obstacle.  This version is far more of a meritocracy than the Japanese version ever was.

[AuntTora]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I turned to Mr. AZC and asked, "Is there anything we want to watch tonight?"

"Yep.  American Ninja Turtles." 

Hee! I always find myself saying, Ninja Custodian...the name of a college band from the 80s.

[slf]

2 hours ago, Fukui San said:

The Wildcards are chosen strictly for whoever the showrunners think might draw ratings. This year it's women. Next year it might be old people, or whatever Olympians they could get, or pop stars. If it were the Japanese showrunners, 20-40 slots would be given to comedic no hopers. There were people who ran for 10+ tournaments whose gimmick was that they were lucky to pass the first obstacle.  This version is far more of a meritocracy than the Japanese version ever was.

NGl, this makes me want to watch the Japanese version even more.

Edited August 30, 2016 by slf

[Rickster]

8 hours ago, slf said:

Ah, I took "It honestly didn't look *too* difficult. I say that knowing I can't do it, but a lot of them were going out early on the log drop so maybe it has something to do with the wildcards going to not so qualified ninjas" to mean you thought the average being lower this year was due to so many wildcards being given to women who didn't complete the finals, when honestly it comes down to a harder course and so many veterans going out for one reason or another (age, underestimating the course, etc.). 

This is where I'm divided. On the one hand I would prefer the wildcards to always go to whoever just missed the cutoff. It seems the most fair. I understand that they want more women in Vegas (possibly partially due in no small part to the women being so popular) but it seems to me like the solution is for more women to audition/be chosen for the show. Not that many women are competing each year; of 600 or so contestants how many are women?

Having more women applicants might help, but the reality is that especially the earlier rounds place a huge emphasis on upper body strength, which women are generally not gifted with. It's hard for me to see how a lot more would get through without a redesign of the courses. Interestingly, my girlfriend and I both thought last night's course placed a lot more emphasis on agility than usual.

[Chaos Theory]

Stage 1 is an agility course which doesn't align to a lot of the stronger athletes but would to someone like Jessie Graff and Flip Rodreiguez who makes their living as stunt doubles.  I can see some of the others who do better on the strength obsticals not liking stage 1.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Fukui San]

5 hours ago, slf said:

NGl, this makes me want to watch the Japanese version even more.

It has its charms! Cheesy theme songs for every important competitor, over-emotive announcers, more props and costumes on entrances, commercial breaks in the middle of runs at dramatic points...

[fivestone]

There were at least a couple of women on the wild card list who made the city finals. I am perfectly fine with them getting wild carded. If I'm not mistaken, one of them didn't miss the cut off by much. I also don't mind Tiana Webberley, because she did Team Ninja Warrior and made it up the wall there. But I also think the rest of the spots should go to those who just miss the cutoff.

I am so, so sick of Kacy. I can only hope that she will fade into some kind of obscurity the more Jessie Graff, Meaghan Martin, and other capable female competitors steal the show. Don't get me wrong, Kacy was seriously legit that year she finished the city finals. I've got nothing but respect for that. But that was, what? 3 years ago? It's time for her to take a back seat and let Jessie and Co. drive the bus. If nothing else than for her own sake. With the difficulty of the courses continuing to increase, she just doesn't really have the physical make-up to have much success. So she's going to feel a lot of pressure and keep flaming out... is it really worth it? I mean, seriously, what's the point?

In other news, I totally pulled an Akbar and kept going, "What?! WHAT??!!!" at my TV screen the farther Jessie advanced. She is 100%, no lie, real talk, no denying it LEGIT. I mean, she didn't just finish; she CRUSHED the course.

Edited August 30, 2016 by fivestone

[callmebetty]

17 hours ago, fivestone said:

 

In other news, I totally pulled an Akbar and kept going, "What?! WHAT??!!!" at my TV screen the farther Jessie advanced. She is 100%, no lie, real talk, no denying it LEGIT. I mean, she didn't just finish; she CRUSHED the course.

This ×1000. She literally turns me into a misty eyed mess when she crushes these courses. And to have my young son and daughter watching her and exploding with joy when she does it just furthers my respect and admiration for her.

[Hanahope]

I haven't watched this show before, but my facebook feed includes Leverage, so they showed Jessie's run because she was the stunt double for Parker.  I heard she also stunts for Supergirl.  She was really incredible on that course.  I'll have to tune in for the rest.

[Chaos Theory]

58 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

I haven't watched this show before, but my facebook feed includes Leverage, so they showed Jessie's run because she was the stunt double for Parker.  I heard she also stunts for Supergirl.  She was really incredible on that course.  I'll have to tune in for the rest.

I didn't know she stunt doubled for Parker on Leverage. That is cool.  I loved that show.

[Hanahope]

Jessie didn't even need a wig to stunt for Parker/Beth Reisgraf and even her fascial features have some similarity, so its really hard to know in some scenes which is which.

[JenMD]

20 hours ago, fivestone said:

In other news, I totally pulled an Akbar and kept going, "What?! WHAT??!!!" at my TV screen the farther Jessie advanced. She is 100%, no lie, real talk, no denying it LEGIT. I mean, she didn't just finish; she CRUSHED the course.

Heh, she really did.  I've watched it a couple of times at she just nails all the transitions and gets past the parts that were tripping people up (not spinning around the propeller, landing right on the platform after the Sonic Curve), she was so smooth getting from place to place that it all added up. 

1 hour ago, Hanahope said:

I haven't watched this show before, but my facebook feed includes Leverage, so they showed Jessie's run because she was the stunt double for Parker.  I heard she also stunts for Supergirl.  She was really incredible on that course.  I'll have to tune in for the rest.

Here's where I confess that part of my initial love for Jessie, back when I first saw her compete in 2013 was discovering her Leverage connection (my love for that show is very strong).  They had introduced her as a stunt woman and I remember turning to my sister and saying, "She looks just like Beth Reisgraf" only to look and find out she had been one of Beth's two stunt doubles.  She even gets a shout out on one of the dvd commentaries.  I thought it was very sweet of Dean Devlin to post congrats, that was really nice to see.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Hanahope said:

 I heard she also stunts for Supergirl.

I think Jessie has done some stunt work on 3 eps of Supergirl (and a lot of other shows) but she isn't the stunt double for Melissa Benoist.  That's someone else.  The way ANW always mentions Supergirl in her bio makes you think otherwise, though.  I imagine they just like tieing in her superhero-ish costumes?  

[JenMD]

She's spoken in interviews about enjoying working opposite Melissa Benoist and her stunt double, but yeah, I think the show just grabs onto the name Supergirl and doesn't bother clarifying Supergirl the character vs. Supergirl the show.

[Chaos Theory]

A nonJessie Graff question;. I think I heard thE show mention that Flip was stunting on the next Fast & Furious movie.  I am curious for who.

[riverheightsnancy]

Oh you guys will like this (I think). I teach at a major University in Philadelphia. One of my students needs to miss a class for a rocking climbing thing in Virginia. She teaches the stuff (she has great arms-you can tell-rock climber). Long story short, I mentioned, oh wow, there are lots of climbers on ANW and some of the females come from the climbing world. So my student then tells me that she is actually friends with Meghan and will be watching her on Tuesday when she does her run. I am always amazed at what a small world it is! My student said that she hopes to try out for the show sometime. If she ever does, then I will let you all know who she is. 

[Guest]

55 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

A nonJessie Graff question;. I think I heard thE show mention that Flip was stunting on the next Fast & Furious movie.  I am curious for who.

I thought I heard Furious 7 but I don't see it on his imdb page.  I don't think they necessarily have to be someone's stunt double to be doing stunts for a movie.  They could be say a random bystander who is blown back by an explosion or tossed aside by a fleeing felon or something like that.  Or even possibly driving a car that gets hit in a chase scene, if they do that sort of work as well.  

[craziness]

I'm pretty sure they said he was growing the facial hair for stunt work on the next fast and furious movie,  which would be 8.