S11.E08: Atlanta City Finals

[Hellga]

I sure hope they disinfected the course after Ryan Stratis's run!  The last thing I would want is to get some random guy's blood on me! 

[ams1001]

Okay, I enjoyed the backstory about Devin Harrelson's twins, cuz they're freakin' adorable...but then they said the word "twins" about 12 times too many and ruined it.

Is it just me or has this season been...bloodier than usual?

39 minutes ago, Hellga said:

I sure hope they disinfected the course after Ryan Stratis's run!  The last thing I would want is to get some random guy's blood on me! 

I think I mentioned that last time...I wondered if there was some kind of protocol they have to follow for cleaning things when someone is dripping blood for half the course.

[enoughcats]

Is there a shoe secret?  

Failures on the spider seemed to happen when the shoe soles didn't take hold.  Didn't it used to be that spider fails happened because contestants didn't get their arms AND legs up against the walls.  This time, shoe soles slipped.

Then there was the final climb.  Shoe soles weren't taking hold of the surface. Was it a surface + humidity problem that some shoe soles (known by the in group) could handle.

Evidence that the humidity was high:

1 it was Atlanta and Atlanta has high evening humidity and seldom has dry air at night

2 a view of Atlanta at night with the venue all lighted showed really pretty blue light where the lights hit the air and humidity.

[Lantern7]

Big question after tonight's episode: which ninja would have burned at the stake under suspicion of being a witch? Drew Dreschel or Kevin Carbone?

Drew got the fastest time of the night, and he utterly smoked Kevin on Power Tower. On the other hand . . . Kevin's little twisting jump to make it up the Warped Wall. HOW?!? There seemed to be no way he could have made that leap, but he did.

I can't remember much else. Apparently, Brent Sims had to shave his beard last year after falling behind Ryan Stratis . . . but there was nothing in the bet about the loser regrowing his facial hair for the following year. Meh . . . it does make for a semi-interesting subplot.

In regard to the "passes" . . . the competitors weren't surprised going into this at any city, right? It's just that it seems too risky to win the Express Pass, then run anyway for the Safety Pass. Matt & Akbar have a point about someone being able to run without worrying about their spot in Las Vegas, but I keep thinking someone would get hurt. For instance: "Paul won the Express Pass in the Qualifiers, and he chose to go for the Safety Pass. As you can see in this replay, it did not work out for him at all. I think those five bones are still jutting out of his leg. But a deal's a deal, and we'll be flying him to Las Vegas. He just won't run. Or be there at all. But he'll get to know about the best hospital in Sin City!!!"

[Hellga]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I think I mentioned that last time...I wondered if there was some kind of protocol they have to follow for cleaning things when someone is dripping blood for half the course.

There definitely should be.  Bloodborne pathogens training - which has to be done by everyone potentially exposed to blood and other stuff at work - states that all bodily fluids must be treated as potentially infectious.   Since they do have to reset the course for every competitor anyway, to angle steps right, to place bars back at the beginning, etc. why not do a quick wipe-down of equipment too?   Even though sweat is not likely to be infectious - not like we are dealing with an Ebola epidemic out there - it's still good practice... 

Drew is awesome and I am rooting for him to finally beat the course!

Edited July 23, 2019 by Hellga

[ClareWalks]

Drew is inhuman. WOW.

Regarding shoes, 99% of the ninjas wear New Balance Zantes. They are famously grippy. After my first trip to a ninja gym I went online and ordered them (on clearance) and they are truly spectacular ninja shoes. At least one of the slippers tonight did NOT have the Zantes on, so that might explain a bit.

[Chaos Theory]

Drew having the free pass is a HUGE advantage to him.  He is already a frontrunner and now with a do over if he makes a boo boo on the first two stages  at Vegas he is almost guaranteed to make it to stage three.  

Edited July 23, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[Taeolas]

I believe they also said that only the Top 12 are going through to Vegas instead of the Top 15 as it has been in the past. So that gives them extra scheduling room for the Safety Pass redos.

Winning the Express pass and then running for the Safety Pass should be a no brainer for most of these ninjas. While the risk of injury does exist, they have weeks to recover before Vegas if they do a minor injury, and these Ninjas are competitors, they WANT to run the courses, gain experience and just show how good they can be. 

[healthnut]

I thought the ninth obstacle was pretty easy, I don’t recall anyone failing. I also don’t remember people having issues with traction on the last obstacle last year, which I still hate, by the way, because I fear someone’s head getting stuck...or worse.

Poor showing for the women, I guess I need to start ninja training, I live in Tennessee so I’d probably be in this weaker region. When they were in Atlanta two years ago, the biggest name was Britney Reid. 

[ams1001]

2 minutes ago, healthnut said:

I thought the ninth obstacle was pretty easy, I don’t recall anyone failing. I also don’t remember people having issues with traction on the last obstacle last year, which I still hate, by the way, because I fear someone’s head getting stuck...or worse.

Glad I'm not the only one picturing someone getting trapped in those things. I kinda feared for Jody, especially.

2 minutes ago, healthnut said:

When they were in Atlanta two years ago, the biggest name was Britney Reid. 

Who?

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, healthnut said:

I fear someone’s head getting stuck...or worse.

I thought the same, so paid attention and noticed that the two glass doors have a space about one-neck-wide so if a head did get caught in the doors, the person won't be killed. By the doors. Or right away.

3 hours ago, Taeolas said:

Winning the Express pass and then running for the Safety Pass should be a no brainer for most of these ninjas.

Agree. Especially since running again gives them more experience on different obstacles. I'd think most ninjas would want to run every course in every city, just to check it out and get better.

Drew is awesome and I love him running in jeans, like "no big deal. Just taking the long way to town."

[Chaos Theory]

3 hours ago, Taeolas said:

Winning the Express pass and then running for the Safety Pass should be a no brainer for most of these ninjas. While the risk of injury does exist, they have weeks to recover before Vegas if they do a minor injury, and these Ninjas are competitors, they WANT to run the courses, gain experience and just show how good they can be. 

Or the opposite could be true.  Too fast.  Too sloppy.    Without something at stake someone without experience like what happened at LA could end up making a mistake because they have nothing to lose.  

[DEL901]

Does anyone know what would have happened is Drew had fallen early in the run at the finals?  Would that negate his Express Pass?  I kinda think it should.  Dude, you didn't have to run the city finals.  You do, you take the consequences as well as the benefits (if you get the Safety Pass)

[Rosenrot]

Apologies in advance for all the Drew fans out there, but I feel the need to vent. 

ASDFKDLSLKD HE HAS ALREADY WON ALMOST EVERYTHING WHY CAN'T HE JUST GO AWAY? I don't know what kind of an obstacle they'd have to construct so he would fail! He's just too damn good! He will win it all this year, he absolutely will, and I will have a stroke. On a plus side, maybe he can then retire and I don't have to watch his smug face for years to come.  

[/vent over]

Travis Rosen is a machine, and I'm happy he's through.  Also really glad that Niemitalo (my countryman!), Carbone, Stratis and Roman are through! (Though disappointed that Roman got the WWWA treatment.) Also, what does Brett Sims need to do to get shown? 

That Jody kid made the course look easy. 

25 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

Does anyone know what would have happened is Drew had fallen early in the run at the finals?  Would that negate his Express Pass?

No, he would've advanced to Vegas anyway.

Edited July 23, 2019 by Rosenrot
keep putting commas instead of full stops

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, DEL901 said:

Does anyone know what would have happened is Drew had fallen early in the run at the finals?  Would that negate his Express Pass?  I kinda think it should.  Dude, you didn't have to run the city finals.  You do, you take the consequences as well as the benefits (if you get the Safety Pass)

That would have made the speed pass totally useless, so I disagree.

[enoughcats]

The same time so many men made the course look easy, the woman were, how to say this?, less than spectacular.  Advancing two women who hadn't even made it  up the wall would be one thing, but who didn't make it through the (?) 4th obstacle seems to be almost too simplified a ticket to Las Vegas.

If you were to chose to design an obstacle that Drew couldn't handle as readily, design it to fit a height/stretch) shorter than he is/his reach is. A frog walk along a narrow balance beam might do it, or a balance obstacle that forces contestants to stop, change direction and then do the direction change repeatedly. 

[SophiaD]

Drew really was amazing.  I used to dislike him, but then I saw he supportive he is of his fellow ninjas - and when he gave up his opportunity to run the Stage 2 course to let Jessie Graf do it at USA vs. the World a few years ago - and was so genuinely happy for her - he completely won me over.  

Other than that, it was kind of meh.  I really miss shows with no elite women on them, especially since the major stories were essentially re-dos.  Also, it's ridiculous to do this huge segment on Neil Craver and have him go out early, and basically ignore two of the finishers.  It's not like there were that many.

I know I've said this before, but I really don't like Akbar's moments.  I've taken to muting the sound and just looking at the list of finishers while that's happening.  

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, SophiaD said:

1. Drew really was amazing.  I used to dislike him, but then I saw he supportive he is of his fellow ninjas - and when he gave up his opportunity to run the Stage 2 course to let Jessie Graf do it at USA vs. the World a few years ago - and was so genuinely happy for her - he completely won me over.  
2. Other than that, it was kind of meh.  I really miss shows with no elite women on them, especially since the major stories were essentially re-dos.  Also, it's ridiculous to do this huge segment on Neil Craver and have him go out early, and basically ignore two of the finishers.  It's not like there were that many.
3. I know I've said this before, but I really don't like Akbar's moments.  I've taken to muting the sound and just looking at the list of finishers while that's happening.  

1. That's one of the things I love about this show. Even when you see a big name go down and get frustrated, in the next scene they're on the sidelines for a friend, wearing their shirt and cheering them on.
2. Poor Neil. When we first met him way back when, I thought he would quickly get on my nerves, but I love him and was sad he fell. His wedding looked like lots of fun, though.
3. I can't stand it either. I wish they would go back to the rundown of the finishers.

[Chaos Theory]

6 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Does anyone know what would have happened is Drew had fallen early in the run at the finals?  Would that negate his Express Pass?  I kinda think it should.  Dude, you didn't have to run the city finals.  You do, you take the consequences as well as the benefits (if you get the Safety Pass)

The whole point of the express pass is that its a freebee.   I initially thought that the winner would skip the final course all together but this works better.  Running a course with nothing to lose you can fall anywhere an it doesn't matter.  If it did it would negate the entire point of the free pass.  

[eel21788]

22 hours ago, enoughcats said:

Is there a shoe secret?  

Failures on the spider seemed to happen when the shoe soles didn't take hold.  Didn't it used to be that spider fails happened because contestants didn't get their arms AND legs up against the walls.  This time, shoe soles slipped.

Then there was the final climb.  Shoe soles weren't taking hold of the surface. Was it a surface + humidity problem that some shoe soles (known by the in group) could handle.

They mentioned it had rained earlier in the day.

[eel21788]

10 hours ago, Taeolas said:

I believe they also said that only the Top 12 are going through to Vegas instead of the Top 15 as it has been in the past. So that gives them extra scheduling room for the Safety Pass redos.

It's the top 12, plus the speed pass person, plus the top two women if they didn't already place in the top 12. The makes it potentially 15 per city still.

[ParadoxLost]

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

The whole point of the express pass is that its a freebee.   I initially thought that the winner would skip the final course all together but this works better.  Running a course with nothing to lose you can fall anywhere an it doesn't matter.  If it did it would negate the entire point of the free pass.  

When they first mentioned the express pass, I thought it was bizarre that they would set up something where its likely that their biggest stars would be skipping city finals.  So its not at all surprising that there is an incentive for the express winners to still run the course.

[Taeolas]

2 hours ago, eel21788 said:

It's the top 12, plus the speed pass person, plus the top two women if they didn't already place in the top 12. The makes it potentially 15 per city still.

I believe it used to be 15 + Top 2 women for 17 minimum from each city. 

Now it is Top 12 + Top 2 women + Safety for 15 runs per city minimum. (I believe if you complete you still get in, even if you are the 13th winner but it hasn't really come up before). 

[TimothyQ]

As soon as they mentioned the "Trifecta" I'm like, yep... Drew gets the safety pass. No way they would have spent all the time talking about it if he failed. Hate spoilers like that from the production team.

Edited July 24, 2019 by TimothyQ
grammar

[Ilovepie]

19 hours ago, SophiaD said:

Drew really was amazing.  I used to dislike him, but then I saw he supportive he is of his fellow ninjas - and when he gave up his opportunity to run the Stage 2 course to let Jessie Graf do it at USA vs. the World a few years ago - and was so genuinely happy for her - he completely won me over.  

Other than that, it was kind of meh.  I really miss shows with no elite women on them, especially since the major stories were essentially re-dos.  Also, it's ridiculous to do this huge segment on Neil Craver and have him go out early, and basically ignore two of the finishers.  It's not like there were that many.

I know I've said this before, but I really don't like Akbar's moments.  I've taken to muting the sound and just looking at the list of finishers while that's happening.  

You summed up my feelings completely on Drew. He is a ninja beast - I think he's the best ninja. I think he deserves to win more than any other, and that includes my favorite Weatherman. He's so supportive of the other ninjas, and he does it in a constructive way by coaching from the sidelines. I did love Flip timing him and telling him how much time he had to beat Kevin's time.

Speaking of Kevin, he really has improved from last season. I liked the back story of his growing business designing obstacles. The 360 on the warped wall was awesome. I hope he does well in Vegas.

Good for Kenny Niemitalo for using his Ninja shirt for good instead of a stupid logo and ninja name. I truly hope that kid gets a kidney.......

These women were underwhelming. I expect absolutely nothing from them in Vegas. I think they should have to at least make it to the warped wall to advance. At this point it's just patronizing....

Ditto on Akbar's moments. Why not just pick a new sponsor to replace Pom and pick ONE moment? I like to see who made it to the next round, and it sounds like most people agree.

[eel21788]

1 hour ago, Ilovepie said:

These women were underwhelming. I expect absolutely nothing from them in Vegas. I think they should have to at least make it to the warped wall to advance. At this point it's just patronizing....

Having rules that allow a woman who went out on the second obstacle in the qualifier still go on to the nationals is just plain dumb (yes, I'm talking about Tiana).

[TimothyQ]

48 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

Having rules that allow a woman who went out on the second obstacle in the qualifier still go on to the nationals is just plain dumb (yes, I'm talking about Tiana).

Ok, but to be fair, Tiana went out on the 2nd obstacle of the qualifier, which allowed her to go on to the city finals. In the city finals, she did make it up and beyond the warped wall which qualified her to go to national finals. The qualifying rounds itself had no determination on who goes to the national finals, except as much as it allows them a chance to advance beyond city finals. 

ETA: meaning once you’re in city finals, it doesn’t matter what happened in qualifiers. 

Edited July 24, 2019 by TimothyQ

[Ilovepie]

2 minutes ago, TimothyQ said:

Ok, but to be fair, Tiana went out on the 2nd obstacle of the qualifier, which allowed her to go on to the city finals. In the city finals, she did make it up and beyond the warped wall which qualified her to go to national finals. The qualifying rounds itself had no determination on who goes to the national finals, except as much as it allows them a chance to advance beyond city finals. 

ETA: meaning once you’re in city finals, it doesn’t matter what happened in qualifiers. 

I agree it's fine to advance top 5 from the qualifiers to the Finals regardless of where they finished, but I do think that once they get to the finals they should be able to get farther than the third obstacle. I mean, most if not all of the men usually have to get to at least the 8th or 9th obstacle to get to Vegas. It's just pandering to let a woman who never even got within a couples obstacles of the warped wall in either the qualifiers or finals to go to Vegas. The reality is that there is a very short list of women who are good enough to handle the time limits and difficulty of the Vegas course, and the rest are just fodder anyway. And I am saying this as a woman myself. I am always rooting for all the women competitors do well, and I do love when a woman gets far on the course or up the wall, but it feels unearned when women who finish the Finals run like this week move on.

[Hellga]

To me what feels the most unfair about advancing top 2 women per city whether or not they did well overall, is that in some cities we have women who fail on obstacles 8 and 9, and in some - on 3 and 4.  If there has to be a gender-based quota, would it be more fair to advance top 12 women overall instead of top 2 per city? I get it that city courses are not created equal (though I think they try as much as they can to keep them more or less even) but the competition in some cities is a lot stiffer than in others. In Cincinnati the rookie woman (Amanda O'Neil was it?) who did really well has almost no chance to advance with Jesse LaBreck and Michelle Warnke also in the mix while here we have two weaker competitors advance.

Edited July 25, 2019 by Hellga

[Ilovepie]

@Hellga I think that’s a better idea than how it is now.

[eel21788]

22 hours ago, TimothyQ said:

Ok, but to be fair, Tiana went out on the 2nd obstacle of the qualifier, which allowed her to go on to the city finals. In the city finals, she did make it up and beyond the warped wall which qualified her to go to national finals. 

Going to the city finals when you flame out on the second obstacle in qualifying is no different than getting a do-over pass.

[mlp]

15 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

Going to the city finals when you flame out on the second obstacle in qualifying is no different than getting a do-over pass.

I think it's totally different.  A do-over pass, like the concept or not, has to be earned.  Advancing someone who hasn't even made it to the warped wall is, as has been said, pandering to women just because they're females.  

I am female and I don't like the hypocrisy.

[QuantumMechanic]

A few things...

* Like many others, I’ve come around on Drew.

* I particularly like the city finals since because we’ve seen the people before I can convince my family to skip the backstories/sob stories.

* The 2-women rule for advancing from the city finals needs to be changed so that they have to make it past the wall to be able to go to nationals.

* Am I the only person annoyed by the removal of the clock during runs?

[Nonja]

Lance Peakus + Dave Grohl = Josiah Singleton

Travis Rosen rules, as usual! I was freaked when he went down but thank God his time saved him, and now he's going to Nationals for the 9th time!

"Baby Bergies". Gag me. They are clearly beautiful, talented kids, but the nickname and over-the-top cuteness are too much for me. 

Where did Jody Freeman come from?! I was blown away by how easy he made it all look. Damn those slippery walls, he would have totally hit that buzzer otherwise. 

49 minutes ago, QuantumMechanic said:

* The 2-women rule for advancing from the city finals needs to be changed so that they have to make it past the wall to be able to go to nationals.

This is an excellent idea.

[mlp]

13 minutes ago, Nonja said:

Travis Rosen rules, as usual! I was freaked when he went down but thank God his time saved him, and now he's going to Nationals for the 9th time!

Amen!   Travis is one of my all time favorites.  I'm also very happy that he made it to Vegas, especially after fighting his way back from a serious injury.  I hate his haircut though.  🙂

[Hellga]

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 10:48 PM, QuantumMechanic said:

Am I the only person annoyed by the removal of the clock during runs?

Count me in!  I really miss it too.

[realdancemom]

I like Drew.  He works hard to improve himself and other ninjas.  I only started watching about four years ago.  So I don't know how he used to act.  He lets his runs speak for him.  No extra gimmicks needed. 

[Ilovepie]

On 7/25/2019 at 7:48 PM, QuantumMechanic said:

* The 2-women rule for advancing from the city finals needs to be changed so that they have to make it past the wall to be able to go to nationals.

I would rather they changed it to all women who make it up the wall or farther advance to Vegas.........

[eel21788]

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 8:48 PM, QuantumMechanic said:

A few things...

* Like many others, I’ve come around on Drew.

He used to be a really sore loser. Now he so rarely loses, he doesn't have to show that side of his personality. I ask it every year and never get an answer I'm satisfied with: What makes him a "real life" ninja?