S10.E13: Las Vegas Finals Night 1

[Lantern7]

New development in the episode's description:

Quote

Ninja veterans take on the world's toughest obstacle course for a chance to win $1 million; the ninja who goes the furthest on the course walks away with the "last ninja standing" prize of $100,000.

[ams1001]

The youngest ever to hit the buzzer! ...is not that impressive, frankly. Someone who's 19 today has basically had half their life to train for this show, and if 19 year-olds had been able to run in the past, I'm sure they would have been hitting buzzers from the beginning. Seriously, why are they always so shocked that a young guy can do well at this sport? (Almost as shocked as they are the older guys can do it. Is there some ideal age where they wouldn't keep mentioning it?)

An under-water obstacle in stage 2! I'm intrigued.

Every time I see the jumping spider I wonder if I can still do that in the hallway in my parents' house like I did when I was a kid...

Did Akbar just say "dadgummit"? ?

Edited August 28, 2018 by ams1001

[Hellga]

Very impressed by Jamie Rahn finishing without shoes!

[Conotocarious]

Disappointed that the women didn’t do better. 

[ams1001]

2 minutes ago, Hellga said:

Very impressed by Jamie Rahn finishing without shoes!

Coulda' done without Akbar screaming "take it off!" at him, though...

[Courtney]

That fall by Travis Rosen looked awful.  I'm surprised there isn't more padding on the landing zone for the Double Dipper, given how fast they come off of it.  I don't know that it would have necessarily helped Travis, given the angle he fell, but it looks like a metaphorical lawsuit waiting to happen. (I'm sure they all sign away any possibility of a lawsuit in order to compete.)

[Hellga]

The way they were talking about McGrath's falls on the Jumping Spider, I just knew he would fall on it again.  They need to be more subtle in their editing!

[mtlchick]

Captain NBC did it.  WITHOUT. SHOES!  I somehow missed it the first 15 times that was yelled at me.   (That was a great run.)

 

I'm not sure what was worse; the build up around Kyle only for him to go down at the propellers, the guy who still splats at the Spider Wall, Brian Arnold getting the "watch him in a corner while we do an ad break" or the Fantastic Four...not being that fantastic. 

 

Then Joe Morovsky fell and I actually gasped. Then he started to tear up and I started to tear up.  GOD DAMN. 

Then Daniel Gil and his Pantene hair destroys stage 1.   

[Courtney]

3 minutes ago, Hellga said:

The way they were talking about McGrath's falls on the Jumping Spider, I just knew he would fall on it again.  They need to be more subtle in their editing!

Or how Joe Morovsky hadn't fallen on Stage One in forever?

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, Courtney said:

(I'm sure they all sign away any possibility of a lawsuit in order to compete.)

I wonder if the show's insurance covers those injuries or if they have to use their personal health insurance...

 

1 minute ago, Hellga said:

The way they were talking about McGrath's falls on the Jumping Spider, I just knew he would fall on it again.  They need to be more subtle in their editing!

It amuses me that they're so shocked that he fell...on an obstacle that he's fallen on the last two times as well. "I can't believe he fell!!!" Why? You've seen it before. What's so hard to believe?

 

1 minute ago, mtlchick said:

Then Joe Morovsky fell and I actually gasped. Then he started to tear up and I started to tear up.  GOD DAMN. 

It drives me crazy when she stands there shoving a mic in their faces when they clearly do not want to talk to her.

 

1 minute ago, mtlchick said:

Then Daniel Gil and his Pantene hair destroys stage 1. 

Haha. I wonder if he's like Samson...if he cut his hair would he lose his edge?

[Hellga]

9 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Haha. I wonder if he's like Samson...if he cut his hair would he lose his edge?

It probably is all in the hair!  Though it looks so good, he probably does get the split ends trimmed off, so it's not total scissors-avoidance... 

11 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

the Fantastic Four...not being that fantastic. 

Jesse LaBreck is the most consistent of the women, along with Jesse Graff, and she went the furthest.   If only she did a little better early on and wasn't so pressed for time at the end, she probably would have finished.   I hope she does finish next year. 

Edited August 28, 2018 by Hellga
fixed typo

[Lantern7]

"Night One" in one word: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

I get it. You can't expect all one hundred ninjas to pass. A quarter of that woud be optimistic. Still, it was shocking to see familiar names fail . . . and most of them failed on obstacles they already knew about! That's what made it a tough two hours to go through. Especially Joe Moravsky . . . regardless of how you feel about him, watching him being unable to say anything was sad to watch.

At least we had Daniel Gil and protege Mathis "Kid" Ohwadi excel like crazy, and Jamie Rahn pulling out a marvelous performance where most of his peers would have failed. But I think a lot of the fails were more memorable. Also, a lot of WWWA completions, including Sean Bryan, who made Stage Three last year. He got farther than Joe. Why not show the Papal Ninja? Also, I think of the producers caught Brian Arnold plowing his wife, because -- regardless of how you feel about him -- he did not deserve the corner box.

Next week should be more of the same . . . though the lack of mention of Jessie Graf does make me nervous for her.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Lantern7

[SophiaD]

I'd heard that Jessie Graf isn't running at all in Vegas this year.   I hope I'm wrong.   

[CrazyDog]

I haven't even finished the ep, and I'm so sad to read that Joe fell. Damn it. He's such a nice average joe, and is so talented and  consistent.

I feel horrible for Eskimo Nick too. Failing to finish by timing out right at the top of the net. URGH.

I'm not sure I want to watch the rest of the show!

ETA: I was rooting for Rigel and Kyle too. Oh man. I hope this gets better.

Edited August 28, 2018 by CrazyDog

[Lantern7]

@SophiaD . . . last I checked, she did qualify for Vegas. Maybe she was injured, or the movie needed her a lot more.

[SophiaD]

Oh, she definitely qualified.  I just had heard she didn't compete the finals course.  Such a bummer if true.

[mlp]

Wow, what a night!  One gasp after another.  I felt the worst for Travis Rosen, one of my two all-time favorites, but watching Joe, whom I also like very much, in tears was hard to do.  Christine should have left him alone and let him suffer with a little dignity.  I also felt bad for the two who got to the top of the cargo net and failed by a second or two, especially Nick.  

Jamie's shoeless run was one for the books.  And he did it with a smile the whole way.  Daniel Gil, my other top favorite, also did his whole run smiling.  He is always impressive and rarely ever makes a mistake.  

The two 19 y/o's are both impressive but a real contrast.  The Kid is good but he's cocky and not very personable.  The other one, can't think of his name, looks much older and seems a lot more mature.  

Did I see Sweet T on crutches?

I wish they'd had an update on Travis at the end.  Maybe they'll say something next week.

[enoughcats]

16 minutes ago, mlp said:

I wish they'd had an update on Travis at the end. 

Travis' Twitter page  has a photo of him standing with crutches and a cast on his lower leg.

[Fukui San]

12/50 passes is about the right ratio. If it was much higher I'd be annoyed that the course was too easy.

The Double Dipper was an obstacle that was one of the fans created via a contest they did last year. I don't see any evidence that they did the design contest this year. I wonder what the Double Dipper creator thinks about the fact that it took out so many ninjas and maimed Travis Rosen!

I think Jamie Rahm's barefoot pass is actually unprecedented in the history of ANW and Sasuke. I don't remember that ever before.

Sad to see two of the Fantastic Four fail the first obstacle. But when you've seen enough iterations of the tournament, you'll see even the strongest competitors fail unexpectedly in the most innocuous seeming places. It just happens to everyone eventually.

[Nonja]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

It drives me crazy when she stands there shoving a mic in their faces when they clearly do not want to talk to her.

OMG I know! I would LOVE if when someone is asked that ridiculous question, "Can you tell me why you are so emotional right now?" they answered, "TAKE A WILD GUESS, BITCH!", or something of the sort. Its what we're all thinking.

[Quilt Fairy]

I enjoyed the new 5th obstacle, Jeep Run.  In the past iterations of that obstacle, too many experienced ninjas were shortcutting through it, which I always thought should have been a rules violation.  In any case, they can't do that the way it's set up now.

I also appreciated that the buzzer is now set up at the front of the finishing platform rather than the back.  That never made any sense to me.

Did anyone else think Jamie Rahn would tell Christine he's always going to run barefoot from now on?

Edited August 28, 2018 by Quilt Fairy

[SophiaD]

That was a serious letdown.  Still too many tedious backstories, not enough of actual athletes completing the course, no women completing the course, and too many favorites crashing and burning.  

I'm pinning my hopes on Drew Drechsel and Lance Pekus.  I love Barclay Stockett, but I keep thinking her lack of height is a huge disadvantage.  After so many strong showings by great women this season, this is definitely a letdown.  I hope Flex works on her speed in the off-season.

Thank goodness for Daniel Gill and his wildly curly locks.  Also, huge props to Jamie.

[Pepperclove]

I agree that was a depressing episode of a show that is usually fun and uplifting (if frustrating at times). Travis's injury, no women advancing and only Flex even managing a good run, and I feel like most of the finishers are people I either don't care for or don't care about. I also wish they'd skipped a couple of the repetitive backstories to show a couple of additional runs, particularly people they haven't shown all season like Josh Levin. 

 

Jamie Rahn's shoeless run was fun, though!

Edited August 28, 2018 by Pepperclove

[Chaos Theory]

I hate it when so many people fall on stage one.  I hope day two is better.

[healthnut]

7 hours ago, mlp said:

Did I see Sweet T on crutches?

Yes, they could’ve explained that considering she made it to Vegas. If they talk about it next week, that’s just bad editing.

I think it’s clear Jessie Graf didn't run since they did not mention her at all. Must be that top secret movie. That sucks because to have no women finishers this year will be such a let down. Meagan Martin has no chance, she’s just too slow. 

Tonight was just heartbreaking. I prefer stage 1 knocking 75-80% of the competitors but I was really surprised to see Joe, Travis, and Flip go out an obstacle they all got through last year. Ian Dory falling on the jumping spider, Michelle and Alyssa failing on the steps. Such a downer of an episode. 

[Lantern7]

I think a lot of viewers forget this is a series that usually ends with no winners. X number of attempts all time, X-2 failures. Like I said, it was how some of them fell last night that was shocking. Also, you seldom get serious injuries. That’s the thing Ninja vs. Ninja has been providing.

One good thing about Alyssa’s fail: Matt and Akbar suddenly remembered Geoff Britten.

[JenMD]

Regarding Tiana and Jessie:

Spoiler

Reddit posted spoilers from a podcast confirming alternates for both Tiana (who injured her leg, as was briefly seen last night) and Jessie (work commitments).  Emily Durham and Zhanique Lovett will be running instead.  They probably didn't mention either case because they're not running until next week.  Jessie mentioned on social media that she has a special announcement next week, probably which project she's working on and why she couldn't be there.  I've been so disappointed Jessie couldn't make it since I first got hint of it before city finals.  I'm happy for her, that she has a big job she's excited about, but sad not to see her compete.

Poor Travis, that looked awful.  My sister and I kept zeroing on everybody's shoes.  "Who's got red shoes?!"  We knew it was him when he started.  Ugh, that was tough.  Someone else had a similar fall earlier.  Not sure what they can do about that, as it seemed it was mostly about the way they fell.

Loved watching Jamie kill the course barefoot, that was fun. 

It was kind of a weird night.  People either seemed to go out early or late.  And what's with WWWA whole batches of finishers?  They did 3 in one go, and then 2.  That was so weird.

[mtlchick]

25 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

One good thing about Alyssa’s fail: Matt and Akbar suddenly remembered Geoff Britten.

You mean the ninja who actually completed stage 4 but because he was a hair too slow, didn't win so the show pretends he was an illusion?  I will be throwing confetti for his return next year.  

6 hours ago, SophiaD said:

I'm pinning my hopes on Drew Drechsel and Lance Pekus. 

With Joe out, I think Drew will either win it all or be the last one standing.  

[Deianeira]

11 hours ago, Courtney said:

12 hours ago, Hellga said:

The way they were talking about McGrath's falls on the Jumping Spider, I just knew he would fall on it again.  They need to be more subtle in their editing!

Or how Joe Morovsky hadn't fallen on Stage One in forever?

I was so glad when Akbar told Matt, "You jinxed him!" (I think it was about Joe Moravsky).  I always think that when Matt makes those comments, including on Ninja vs. Ninja when he says that someone is "undefeated in team competition."

Joe is one of my favorite ninjas, so that was hard to watch.  Ditto for Travis Rosen.

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Also, a lot of WWWA completions, including Sean Bryan, who made Stage Three last year. He got farther than Joe. Why not show the Papal Ninja?

I agree.  Josh Levin is also having a great season, but we haven't seen it.

Jamie Rahn's run was something special.  I know the ninjas have to be adaptable, but wow.

I agree that the show was a downer.  I wish they hadn't WWWAed Ethan Swanson, since he brings a sense of fun.  I like his silly swan wing flapping.

One of my few laughs came when they showed Grant McCartney on the sidelines, and under his name it said something like, "Failed to qualify."

[enoughcats]

I think we are seeing sidelines shots of others who failed to qualify as well (Natalie Dormer).  The upcoming ANW junior edition, or whatever they decide to call it, apparently has Natalie and others as the "mentors" for the youngsters.  This kind of publicity gives more credibility to mentors who might have had uninspiring runs this year. 

(I wonder how many of them get some stipend to covert their travel expenses from city to city as well as lodging, food, etc.)

[Kazzy25]

I’ve never been a big fan of Brian Arnold but I really wonder who has it out for him in production there. Wasn’t his city finals run also put in the small box during commercials? And now last night’s as well - kind of made it clear he wouldn’t make it cause I doubt they’d do that to a finisher.

 

Really was hoping they wouldn’t do that during the Vegas finals. I hope they’re getting a lot of flack for it on social media.

[SophiaD]

Oh, I forgot Najee Richardson is still competing next week.  He's pretty awesome.  I hope he and Drew both do well.  I originally didn't like Drew all that much, but ever since that time - the year before last, maybe? - when he let Jessie Graf have his spot on the USA vs. the World event, I've been a real fan.  I love how encouraging he is of all of the people he coaches.

I can't believe the show didn't even give Maggie Thorne a caption.  I found her to be really impressive in the Team Spartan show last year.  If she ever puts it together and has a good run, she could be a force to be reckoned with, especially because she's pretty tall.  Meanwhile, I will cherish the hopes that Barclay Stockett somehow makes it through the Jumping Spider, while admitting that is wildly unlikely.  I just don't think Meghan Martin is fast enough.

[LGraves65]

Why does this show just gloss over the fact that Matt Iseman is a licensed doctor? Not that he should have jumped down and helped Travis, but Akbar is all "Legs shouldn't bend that way!" and Matt was *crickets.* Is he not allowed to comment on stuff like that?

[ClareWalks]

I could NOT believe how graphic that Travis Rosen ankle-break was, and they showed EVERYTHING. The guy's bone was sticking out. They showed it several times. I was astonished that a family TV program would keep that gross of a shot in despite editing (it's not like this is live TV). Poor Travis.

[Morgan of Hed]

I thought Travis Rosen's knee was hurt, not his ankle.  His knee may also be destroyed, it just bent in a really bad way.

Jessie posted on her Instagram account that she would appear on next week's show with a big announcement.  I haven't seen her respond to the many questions in the comments about whether she competed, other than to say that the announcement is not about retiring from ANW.

[healthnut]

2 hours ago, Kazzy25 said:

I’ve never been a big fan of Brian Arnold but I really wonder who has it out for him in production there. Wasn’t his city finals run also put in the small box during commercials? And now last night’s as well - kind of made it clear he wouldn’t make it cause I doubt they’d do that to a finisher.

Where did he fall? I watch on Hulu so I never see these runs during commercial break.

[Quilt Fairy]

12 minutes ago, healthnut said:

Where did he fall?

All the way at the end; he didn't get a good grip when he jumped to the cargo net.

[AZChristian]

I noticed two things:

1.  At no time during Brent Steffenson's run did I hear "her" name.

2.  Matt's a great guy, but he needs to upsize his jacket.  He could barely button it or raise his arms.

[questionfear]

2 hours ago, LGraves65 said:

Why does this show just gloss over the fact that Matt Iseman is a licensed doctor? Not that he should have jumped down and helped Travis, but Akbar is all "Legs shouldn't bend that way!" and Matt was *crickets.* Is he not allowed to comment on stuff like that?

He probably couldn't comment-I wonder if for insurance/liability reasons the show doesn't want him commenting on something like that. Hypothetically, if he speculated "oh, it must be the angle/pad/dismount" and then there's a lawsuit, they don't want his words as a licensed physician coming back at them.

Also IIRC he was a surgeon, right? It's entirely possible Akbar has more orthopedic knowledge than Matt. Matt might have more to say if Rosen's gallbladder took a walk partway through the double dipper. 

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm not sure Matt, although he has a degree, has ever been a practicing physician.

[LGraves65]

2 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I'm not sure Matt, although he has a degree, has ever been a practicing physician.

He was practicing when he left to do standup. 

[eel2178]

16 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I enjoyed the new 5th obstacle, Jeep Run.  In the past iterations of that obstacle, too many experienced ninjas were shortcutting through it, which I always thought should have been a rules violation.  In any case, they can't do that the way it's set up now.

I still would have liked to see the first four tires rotate, too.

[eel2178]

22 hours ago, ams1001 said:

An under-water obstacle in stage 2! I'm intrigued.

It sounds similar to the old American Gladiators course.

20 hours ago, ams1001 said:

It drives me crazy when she stands there shoving a mic in their faces when they clearly do not want to talk to her.

I kept waiting for her to scream, "say something...say ANYTHING."

[EllenB]

This was a sad splat-fest for so many of my old favorites.  I almost fell off my chair when Joe M. fell, and I actually teared up a little watching how devastated he was.

[mtlchick]

3 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I'm not sure Matt, although he has a degree, has ever been a practicing physician.

He practiced internal medicine but doesn't have his license any more.  So if someone had a seizure, he could have pulled a Ken Jeong he could have stepped in to assist.  A bad fracture (which I didn't see and I would have puked if I did), that may be out of his scope.

[VartanFan]

Quote

  I felt the worst for Travis Rosen, one of my two all-time favorites, but watching Joe, whom I also like very much, in tears was hard to do. 

I”m surprised they didn’t say....”and with HIS ADVANCED AGE, we’ll probably never see him again.  He might DIE, Matt!”  Travis Rosen is my ultimate favorite and I was so bummed for him.  I don’t agree with your second point because I laughed  mightily at the shot of Joe’s wife’s stunned face on the ipad.  I rewatched it.  

Even though I don’t love Joe, I would have traded his fall and give it to Daniel Gil.  Every time I see him and his Tammy Fay wife, I like him less.  Hell in a hand basket...

[srpturtle80]

Wow that was sad. It was just heartbreaking to watch Joe’s “interview.” Christine doesn’t bother me that much except in that situation. Just cut it short and let him be!

I still find the Kid to be a bit cocky but I guess he’s done nothing but back it up so he’s allowed to be. 

Flip is one of my faves so that was painful to watch as well. Also felt terrible for Alyssa Beird. 

So wish LaBreck could have finished, she’s was so close! 

And I’m sorry but I got a chuckle out of Brent Stefanson running out of time as Matt and Akbar made it sound like he was doing too much celebrating during he run. Not that we’d actually know that since they didn’t really show his run anyway. 

Felt awful for Nick Hanson. So many disappointments! 

Final thought I have at the moment, I love me some Adam Rayl and Daniel Gil so they made me happy in otherwise bummer of an episode! 

[Hellga]

13 hours ago, mtlchick said:

You mean the ninja who actually completed stage 4 but because he was a hair too slow, didn't win so the show pretends he was an illusion?  I will be throwing confetti for his return next year.  

I thought I had read Geoff has decided to quit forever, that it was fun while it lasted but it required too much of a commitment and he would rather do his job and spend time with his family than do all this training. 

[VartanFan]

6 minutes ago, Hellga said:

I thought I had read Geoff has decided to quit forever, that it was fun while it lasted but it required too much of a commitment and he would rather do his job and spend time with his family than do all this training. 

...but then I believe he’s now moved and is involved in a “ninja gym”, so...advertising.  I really like him, so I’ll be happy to have him back.  

[ams1001]

4 minutes ago, VartanFan said:

...but then I believe he’s now moved and is involved in a “ninja gym”, so...advertising.  I really like him, so I’ll be happy to have him back.  

He did Team Ninja, too (his wife was on his team; as I recall she didn't do so well in the episode I saw her in).