S09.E08: San Antonio City Finals

[Lantern7]

Quote

The Top 30 competitors from the San Antonio Qualifier tackle the City Finals course, which includes the Salmon Ladder, Hourglass Drop, Elevator Climb and Spinball Wizard.

What are the odds that we'll hear "There HAS to be a twist!!!" from Matt and/or Akbar if somebody excels on Spinball Wizard?

ETA: Brutal night. Hourglass Drop killed a lot of ninjas, and Daniel Gil was the only one to complete the course. Bright side: Kacy Catenzaro doesn't make the top fifteen, but she makes it to the Warped Wall. And then Barclay Stockett climbed the Wall and cleared the Salmon Ladder, so she's The Hotness. Well, at least until Jessie Graff runs next week.

[slf]

Barclay was so great! I love that Kacy inspired her to run and that all the other women were supporting her. It's like watching Wonder Woman every week.

[SophiaD]

That course was too hard, if only one person finished. Congratulations to Daniel, though.  I'm glad someone finished.

It was nice to see Abel Gonzalez and Nicholas Coolridge actually get showcased for a change.  Also, congratulations to Brent Steffensen who looks a lot like his old self.

Of course, for me, the story was all about Barclay and Kacy.  Love the two of them.  Love the sismance (or whatever the feminine version of bromance) is between the two of them.  (I'm short, too, which might have something to do with it).  Love the other women going crazy during Barclay's run and the happy pile-on at the end.  

I am bummed for Jonathan Horton, but, hopefully, he'll be back next year.  He was one of my favorite US men's gymnasts back in the day.

Jessie's run next week looks insane.  I'm really looking forward to it.

[Chaos Theory]

It's weird the ones that end up being ninja killers.  The hourglass drop is deceptively difficult.    

Apparently some people do like the background stories.  It's nice to see things turn out well for people and the kidney story was nice and to have the woman who gave her the kidney be there.  Which is why NBC and ANW will never get rid of them.  Stories like these.

I am glad to see Kacy have more fun.  It looks like too much stress was put on her and she crumbled and just stopped enjoying herself.  Barclay was awesome as well.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[Aliconehead]

37 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

It's weird the ones that end up being ninja killers.  The hourglass drop is deceptively difficult.    

Apparently some people do like the background stories.  It's nice to see things turn out well for people and the kidney story was nice and to have the woman who gave her the kidney be there.  Which is why NBC and ANW will never get rid of them.  Stories like these.

I am glad to see Kacy have more fun.  It looks like too much stress was but on her and she crumbled and just stopped enjoying herself.  Barclay was awesome as well.

The ninja killers tend to be the ones that involve a trampoline transition. I think this has happened multiple other times.  

Yeah, they are never getting rid of the back stories. The people that keep complaining that they should are wasting their breaths and their typing fingers. It just ain't ever going to happen.  

Barclay is incredible. Same height has Kacy but quite a bit more muscle it seems.  Kacy is crazy tiny while Barclay looks ripped. 

Edited August 1, 2017 by Aliconehead

[notcreative enough]

Way to go Kenny G the only finisher of the night.

Kacy girl I would be burnt out too if I had to work with my ex everyday. Glad she found a way to make it fun again.

Good on the random lady donating her kidney to the baby. The backstory made that connection possible but I still hate them and want them to go away.

Is it a rule or something that you need to take your shirt off to compete in round 2. I prefer the guys that leave it on. They aren't there to show off they are there to run the course. 

Um no the people in the armed forces do not need to be "ninjas" this is real life not a mission impossible movie. I'm sure the set up is for them to have fun and blow off steam not so that that can learn to jump from pole to pole in combat. 

[Richness]

<The Brady Bunch>Kacy! Kacy! Kacy!</The Brady Bunch> Ok, now that I got that out of my system, at least Kacy Kraziness is warranted this week since she ran. Granted, she didn't make it up the warped wall, which was disappointing, but at least she ran and wasn't a spectator.  That said, it was cool that she inspired Barclay to compete. But I was even more thrilled that Barclay did better than Kacy.  You go girl! I didn't even mind them together in her post run interview.  That was rather touching, as was the dog pile and shoulder carrying after her run. That they're going together to Vegas is awesome.

 

I'm also sad that Jonathan Horton didn't make it to Vegas. However, was it he who joked about making it up the warped wall the first time. That made me laugh whoever it was. Also sad that Nate Burkhalter  got edged out after coming in all the way from Norway.

[MooCat Pretzel]

I just had to laugh when they said Barclay "made history" by "being the shortest person to ever make it up the warped wall".  It seems like everyone who makes it up --especially women--hold some kind superlative with the feat.  I am surprised they didn't say something like "Barclay is the first person with two A's in their first name to make it up the warped wall!!"  It feels like they ALL hold some kind of "record".

[Chaos Theory]

31 minutes ago, MooCat Pretzel said:

I just had to laugh when they said Barclay "made history" by "being the shortest person to ever make it up the warped wall".  It seems like everyone who makes it up --especially women--hold some kind superlative with the feat.  I am surprised they didn't say something like "Barclay is the first person with two A's in their first name to make it up the warped wall!!"  It feels like they ALL hold some kind of "record".

Oh come on.  They have oldest guy complete the course.  Oldest guy to complete a obstacle.  I think they even mentioned the kingdom ninja guy was the guy to be 2nd only to Drechel in completing number of obstacles.  It interesting facts.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[healthnut]

I was trying to will Kacy up the wall. I'm sure she's done it hundreds of times in practice but I am so glad she made it to the wall and went beyond just earning her spot because the San Antonio crew had to be the weakest field of ladies of the six cities.

When I saw the course I was definitely expecting more than one finisher, it didn't seem that bad but I guess it was sneaky hard. People really have a hard time figuring out those boards. And why are ninjas so bad at trampolines? I couldn't believe the number of them, Barclay included, that weren't even close.

[ClareWalks]

17 minutes ago, healthnut said:

And why are ninjas so bad at trampolines? I couldn't believe the number of them, Barclay included, that weren't even close.

Totally agree! I notice when they show brief clips of these ninjas training at their gyms, I never see any trampolines. Sounds like long past time for them to have a trampoline with a jumping platform over it and some grasping obstacles as well. The only guy tonight who I thought "oh yeah, he's got this trampoline stuff" is Nicholas Coolridge. (I was shocked that Jonathan Horton didn't nail it.)

By the way, how great was it to see Nicholas Coolridge? He *does it for me* in a big way. Extremely attractive. I usually prefer ninjas who keep their shirt on but that guy can just never wear a shirt, it's fine by me.

Daniel Gil is my fave ninja now that Geoff Britten has retired. Glad to see him do so well. Although it was easy to tell he would finish because we still hadn't had our POM Run of the Night by the time he went.

Glad to see Kacy do a bit better. I was getting so sick of hearing about her, but I actually liked her this episode. I think the breakup with Brent might have screwed her up for a while and magnified the pressure she felt. Having more distance from that and relaxing a bit seems to have helped. I hope she at least gets to the warped wall in Vegas stage 1.

Edited August 1, 2017 by ClareWalks

[Lantern7]

28 minutes ago, healthnut said:

[Why] are ninjas so bad at trampolines? I couldn't believe the number of them, Barclay included, that weren't even close.

Hourglass Drop is a bit of a pain. Normally, you go off the trampoline to advance yourself a great deal. Here, you have to bounce and go forward, but not so much forward as to bypass the boards. If memory serves, not grabbing those results in failure. You can't bounce forward and bypass the boards like some people were doing with the pipe. Also, I'm thinking that the obstacle was designed to prevent ninjas from dropping onto the trampoline, then bouncing until the right height is reached.

[Aliconehead]

I figured Brent had the trampoline handled because he was a trampoline gymnast.  

[eel2178]

17 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Glad to see Kacy do a bit better. I was getting so sick of hearing about her, but I actually liked her this episode. I think the breakup with Brent might have screwed her up for a while and magnified the pressure she felt. Having more distance from that and relaxing a bit seems to have helped. I hope she at least gets to the warped wall in Vegas stage 1.

I doubt she'll get as far as the warped wall. 

[eel2178]

Drinking game sure to have you bombed by the second commercial:

Do a shot every time Akbar says, "I see you!"

Do a shot every time someone yells, "You got this!" Double shot if it was Kacy Catanzaro who said it.

Do a shot every time a competitor takes his shirt off in the middle of his run.

Do a shot every time the backstory includes someone dying or already dead.

Feel free to add your own.

[Aliconehead]

2 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

Drinking game sure to have you bombed by the second commercial:

Do a shot every time Akbar says, "I see you!"

Do a shot every time someone yells, "You got this!" Double shot if it was Kacy Catanzaro who said it.

Do a shot every time a competitor takes his shirt off in the middle of his run.

Do a shot every time the backstory includes someone dying or already dead.

Feel free to add your own.

Sorry will not participate, this would end in alcohol poisoning for sure

[eel2178]

Just now, Aliconehead said:

Sorry will not participate, this would end in alcohol poisoning for sure

I'll let you use root beer, if you're worried about it.

[eel2178]

7 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

Good on the random lady donating her kidney to the baby. The backstory made that connection possible but I still hate them and want them to go away.

 

Once again, I'm not convinced we're getting the real story. The odds of a total stranger having the same blood type and being an HLA match are something like 1 in 100,000.

I've also never seen a doctor put an adult kidney into a child that size.  There is enough room to put an adult kidney horizontally across the abdomen of a toddler, however, I've never seen that done with an infant.

[ClareWalks]

Are kidneys like livers where you can cut off part of it and it will work as a transplant? Because I thought it would be tough to fit an adult kidney into an infant, too.

[eel2178]

3 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Are kidneys like livers where you can cut off part of it and it will work as a transplant?

Nope. Livers have lobes that can be divided kind of like a flower bulb. Kidneys do not.

[enoughcats]

16 hours ago, SophiaD said:

 (I'm short, too, which might have something to do with it).  Love the other women going crazy during Barclay's run and the happy pile-on at the end.  

Also altitudinally challenged here and I cheered out loud (and surprised myself doing it) when Barclay hit 14 1/2 feet.  

Today I laughed at the thought that she could get things off the top shelf in my kitchen that has a ten foot tall ceiling.  Then it hit me just how high 14 1/2 feet is. Dang.  Down at 5', that's ridiculously high.  So much for the guys that are tall and skinny,  Short and petite are a whole 'nother kind of awesome.

[ClareWalks]

Barclay is a physical marvel. I'll bet she IS pound-for-pound the strongest contestant, besides maybe Jonathan Horton. I also like that Barclay probably has about 20 lb of muscle on Kacy.

As a woman almost 6' tall, it does make me kind of sad that women my height are basically excluded from succeeding at ninja stuff. It is much harder to be pound-for-pound strong like you need to be when you are tall and therefore have to weigh more to have any muscle. Tall men at least have a natural upper-body strength advantage that kind of cancels out the height issue. But the leanest I could probably get and still have the power to perform the obstacles is probably around 155-160 lb, which is about 30 lb heavier than the heaviest female competitors. It is difficult for a female to throw/haul that much weight around.

Edited August 1, 2017 by ClareWalks

[notcreative enough]

1 hour ago, eel2178 said:

 

I've also never seen a doctor put an adult kidney into a child that size.  There is enough room to put an adult kidney horizontally across the abdomen of a toddler, however, I've never seen that done with an infant.

I did wonder how an adult kidney could fit into a baby. I wouldn't even know how to go about donating to a random person hundreds of miles away. Did she go to her hospital with a video clip and say I want to see if I can donate to these strangers and their child. 

Her being there for the run did give me slight Lifetime movie vibes but I'm just an awful person. 

[eel2178]

3 minutes ago, notcreative enough said:

 but I'm just an awful person. 

I wouldn't call you awful. You just sound as cynical as I am.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

 I did wonder how an adult kidney could fit into a baby.

I'm wondering if by donating a kidney (to an adult on the list) in the baby's name, the baby would move up the list ... 

[eel2178]

18 minutes ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

I'm wondering if by donating a kidney (to an adult on the list) in the baby's name, the baby would move up the list ... 

It probably worked something like this:

http://www.matchingdonors.com/life/index.cfm?page=p030

Although, the above over-simplifies the HLA matching part of being a compatible donor. Also, the matchingdonors site does say that the ages of the donor and recipient have to be within 10 years of each others, which would have meant Amy donating to Hazel would not have been possible. 

Edited August 1, 2017 by eel2178

[AZChristian]

I tried the double shot every time Kacy said, "You got this."  My hangover has now gone away and I'm able to face the light of day again.

After they showed Daniel last and he was the only one who finished the course, I began to be more than suspicious that they are rearranging the order they show the contestants, regardless of when they actually run.  I know that in golf, the folks in the lead go last . . . but it's really fishy that the big favorite in ANW goes last . . . and they haven't awarded the Pom Wonderful Run of the Night already.  I think they're adding Matt and Akbar's commentary AFTERWARD so they can say things like, "The ONLY one to complete the course tonight" and award the PWRotN.  

But I love Daniel, so it's okay.  Except for one question . . . did he marry his twin sister?

Edited August 1, 2017 by AZChristian

[eel2178]

2 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

 

After they showed Daniel last and he was the only one who finished the course, I began to be more than suspicious that they are rearranging the order they show the contestants, regardless of when they actuall run.  

 

The 30 people who run in the finals are supposed to go in reverse order of first thru last from the qualifier; however, that is not the way it is broadcast after all the editing. Thomas Stilling finished the qualifier in second place; however, I'm pretty sure his finals run was shown during the first hour of the show instead of second to last (ie. just before Daniel Gill).

[JenMD]

Good on Daniel Gil for finishing that course.  I knew he had it in him, and not just because we can't have an ep without a "POM Wonderful" run.  He so impressive and he made that last obstacle look almost easy, except of course for the part where he almost fell through the hole at the top (gave me a heart attack).  Regarding when he ran, Kristine tells him in their post-run interview that he's the only person to finish the course, so I'm inclined to believe in this case he was actually last.

Also so impressed by Barclay.  I wasn't that surprised she made it up the wall though, didn't she do really well in the Team competition that aired on USA in the spring? 

As for the Hourglass Drop, a slightly different version was a ninja killer a couple of season ago in Venice, too.  All I could think of when Barclay was getting ready to drop down was "Pull up!", which was advice Jessie Graff got in Venice after the qualifiers (it helped her get through it in the city finals).  Add me to those surprised ninjas aren't doing more trampoline training.

So glad to see Nicholas Coolridge run, he was so close. 

As for previews,

Spoiler

Jessie!  Thank you NBC for spoiling that she gets past the Rolling Thunder, I've been dying to find out. (I'm not being snarky, I've been so curious)  But what the heck is up with those boxes she's trying to navigate.  Can't wait to see what that obstacle is all about.

[Lantern7]

Just once, I'd like to see the first person shown to run completing the course. I realize that if that happened, it would be from a rookie with a non-compelling backstory, it would be on a qualifying run, and he (of course) would be relegated to WWWA status, even if you see the crowd going insane in the background for a leadoff ninja finishing.

[ClareWalks]

12 minutes ago, JenMD said:

Regarding when he ran, Kristine tells him in their post-run interview that he's the only person to finish the course, so I'm inclined to believe in this case he was actually last.

I think sometimes (not always) they do the "post-run interview" much later, but of course I'm not sure. If I were the producers I would have definitely saved Daniel Gil for last anyway :)

[eel2178]

19 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

 If I were the producers I would have definitely saved Daniel Gil for last anyway :)

He was supposed to go last. He finished the qualifier with the fastest time.

[Chaos Theory]

14 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

I think sometimes (not always) they do the "post-run interview" much later, but of course I'm not sure. If I were the producers I would have definitely saved Daniel Gil for last anyway :)

 

14 hours ago, eel2178 said:

He was supposed to go last. He finished the qualifier with the fastest time.

Editing (especially in recent years) has always been a bit hinky.   I always thought the rules for the finals were reverse order of qualifying but it is never edited that way.  If anything just once I would like to see the runs in order they are supposed to be in.  

[AZChristian]

And what if he had fallen on one of the early obstacles?  Who would have gotten the Pom Wonderful Run award, and when would they have taped the announcement?

[ClareWalks]

6 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

 

Editing (especially in recent years) has always been a bit hinky.   I always thought the rules for the finals were reverse order of qualifying but it is never edited that way.  If anything just once I would like to see the runs in order they are supposed to be in.  

Yes! You can practically set your watch by this show. The first person they show competing in a city qualifier will definitely go out on the 2nd or 3rd obstacle. Nobody will finish until 40 minutes in to the show. One of the last two people they show will finish the course. The city finals are a bit less predictable but there is no way the first 3 competitors shown are getting past the 8th obstacle, and again one of the last two people that they show will finish the course. The POM Run of the Night is an absolute dead giveaway if it hasn't been awarded by a certain point.

[JenMD]

9 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

And what if he had fallen on one of the early obstacles?  Who would have gotten the Pom Wonderful Run award, and when would they have taped the announcement?

IIRC, the POM run is done via voice over so they can stick that over anybody during editing.

[enoughcats]

49 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Yes! You can practically set your watch by this show. The first person they show competing in a city qualifier will definitely go out on the 2nd or 3rd obstacle. Nobody will finish until 40 minutes in to the show. One of the last two people they show will finish the course.

Which final was over very fast as nobody got anywhere close to the end of it?  Maybe two or three years ago?  

[ClareWalks]

39 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

Which final was over very fast as nobody got anywhere close to the end of it?  Maybe two or three years ago?  

I think they mentioned this ep that the only time nobody finished a finals course was Philadelphia in, I think 2014? I don't remember that episode at all, but I am intrigued. I wonder how the back half of that course looked.

[SophiaD]

My guess is Barclay would have gotten the POM wonderful run, or Brent - she for getting so far, he for making such a great comeback.  But I'm glad Daniel finished.  His first year, he annoyed me a LOT, but I actually like him better this year.  Thomas Stallings annoys me inexplicably, but I'm not sure why.

I still think the course was too hard.  I'd like to see at least more than one person finish!

[JenMD]

It was at the Philadelphia finals last year, there were no finishers.  No city had more than 4 finishers, LA only had one.  It was a tough year, but this year is shaping up just as tough, it seems. 

[VartanFan]

It's like y'all are in my head tonight.  After many years of watching this show, I was finally exasperated enough to post about (1) Akbar repeatedly saying "I SEE YOU!" (FIne, you have great eyes); and (2) Knowing that the first guy will not finish.  Just once, switch it up (like when I used to watch the Bachelor and one year they actually had the winner do the final rose ceremony FIRST).  

I've been vocal in how annoying I find Kacy, but I was very happy for her tonight.  But Daniel Gil is starting to annoy me (and his super primped wife - sorry).  

Since I never watch anything but the runs (not the backstories, not the interviews, not previews), I was surprised when Matt mentioned he has rheumatoid arthritis.  

Finally, I want them to see Matt and Akbar run a qualifying course for fun.  

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, VartanFan said:

Since I never watch anything but the runs (not the backstories, not the interviews, not previews), I was surprised when Matt mentioned he has rheumatoid arthritis.

Yeah, I don't know if he has mentioned it on ANW before, I know he talked a lot about it on Celebrity Apprentice (and he won, raising money for an RA charity) :)

[BTBAM310]

5 hours ago, VartanFan said:

It's like y'all are in my head tonight.  After many years of watching this show, I was finally exasperated enough to post about (1) Akbar repeatedly saying "I SEE YOU!" (FIne, you have great eyes); and (2) Knowing that the first guy will not finish.  Just once, switch it up (like when I used to watch the Bachelor and one year they actually had the winner do the final rose ceremony FIRST).  

I've been vocal in how annoying I find Kacy, but I was very happy for her tonight.  But Daniel Gil is starting to annoy me (and his super primped wife - sorry).  

Since I never watch anything but the runs (not the backstories, not the interviews, not previews), I was surprised when Matt mentioned he has rheumatoid arthritis.  

Finally, I want them to see Matt and Akbar run a qualifying course for fun.  

In last week's comments I said Grant was the most annoying Ninja to me - I forgot about Daniel Gil. Ugh.  Outstanding competitor though.

 

I don't find Kacy annoying, the show just pays way too much attention to her. Speaking of trampolines - I don't mean to laugh at someone failing, but...I'm glad they finally replayed this moment, it's the funniest thing I've seen on ANW:

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2017 by BTBAM310

[enoughcats]

Daniel Gill's hair ought to compete by itself.

I remain surprised that it hasn't interfered with his grip on the salmon ladder or some of the closer quarters obstacles.  I wish he wouldn't fluff it out;  that makes me wonder if there's a magic elixer that does the same sort of thing that other substances do to major league baseball pitchers' harder to hit throws.  I can't imagine he would do that, but it could be the equivalent of a placebo. 

[mlp]

I love Daniel Gil.  When we first saw him as a rookie, his back story was that he was studying/aspiring to be an opera singer.  There was footage of him on a patio or some place outdoors practicing singing.  I'm just speculating here and know nothing but I thought maybe his hair went along with his image of himself as an opera singer and, when he got so much attention about it during his first season on ANW, it became part of his persona and also a talisman.  Just guessing.

I'm glad Barkley did well and I hope Matt and Akbar will concentrate on her now if they want to laud little women and lay off Kacy who hasn't had a successful run since 2015.  I'm sick to death of hearing about her.

I'm also sick of Akbar's "I see you."  What does that even mean anyway?  

[mtlchick]

Quote

I'm also sick of Akbar's "I see you."  What does that even mean anyway?  

It''s right up there with Akbar saying "They got this--" (splash into the water.)  It's like the show wants to jinx people with him giving out advice. 

I never hated Kacy, it's the show that made her a BIG deal which in turn the show itself became a big deal as it hit the news and it simply got to her more.  She seemed a lot more relaxed and seemed she was about to cry when Barclay (who was a beast!) embraced her.  There is nothing more miserable than doing something you love and feels like it's turning into a chore.  Glad she took a moment to re-evaluate why she competes.   

[Guest]

Regarding order of runs... Sometimes I see a female who recently took a plunge celebrating another's run on the sidelines shortly after, with dry, styled hair.  I wasn't sure if it was out of order, much later, or they immediately let ninjas into some dressing area where they can dry off completely including their hair.  

I do feel bad for them when everyone's in parkas and hats and scarves and they're leaving a dunk tank.