S11.E14: Las Vegas National Finals Night 2

[Lantern7]

Quote

On the second night of the national finals, top competitors, including Jessie Graff, Grant McCartney, Drew Dreschsel and Mathis "The Kid" Owhadi," tackle stage one, featuring eight obstacles that must be completed in time to advance to stage two.

That's a run-on sentence, right? Also, is it annoying that the facade of multiple nights is still there?

[enoughcats]

Could we hack/edit it to read "Grant McCartney who only got to the finals by the skin of this teeth"?

Probably not. 

[Lantern7]

Jeez, Nick Hanson went out badly on Stage One yet again. Also: Eskimo Ice Cream can't be real,right? Whitefish and bear fat . . . I cannot begin to imagine the taste.

[Lantern7]

I hope you come back next year, Brian Burke. And now, I'm gonna hold my tongue about his mom and that hair.

Geez, Sean Bryan got hurt. No Stage Three with a lack of hype for him this year. Shit, man. Whatever happened to the times where ninjas didn't get hurt like that?

ETA: Dislocation shoulder, got popped back in. If he comes back, ANW will milk the heck out of that moment.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Lantern7

[EllenB]

9 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Geez, Sean Bryan got hurt. No Stage Three with a lack of hype for him this year. Shit, man. Whatever happened to the times where ninjas didn't get hurt like that?

ETA: Dislocation shoulder, got popped back in. If he comes back, ANW will milk the heck out of that moment.

They'll work it as some sort of effing miracle that he survived.  Barf.

On the other hand: KARSTEN!  I Love him AND his mother.

[Lantern7]

DRESCHEL IS OUT! DRESCHEL . . .  oh, he's got the Safety Pass. He's got another shot. Cut to Najee in the locker room, banging his head against a wall because he messed up on the same obstacle.

[EllenB]

WHY WHY WHY are they doing so many WWWG for finishers?  Damn, who did Joe Marovski piss off?

[Lantern7]

Heh . .  Grant knows @enoughcats is watching, so he's dancing as they go into commercial.

And yeah, I never figured Joe Moravsky would get the WWWA treatment.

[Lantern7]

Holy crap. Jessie went out on the third obstacle. Nice that she's taking it well on-camera, but that has to wreck her . . . maybe even harder than two years ago.

Sammo Hog wasn't watching on FaceTime. Maybe she needs to do that in order for Jessie to succeed?

[EllenB]

So Drew gets both his runs completely covered, AND a backstory.  Some of those who got shorted need to have a little talk with him or the producers.

[Lantern7]

Did they say 86 ninjas ran the course? With 28 clearing Stage One, that's a shade shy of one-third of the field moving to Stage Two. Is that a good thing?

8 minutes ago, EllenB said:

So Drew gets both his runs completely covered, AND a backstory.  Some of those who got shorted need to have a little talk with him or the producers.

In his defense, he is the odds-on favorite to clear all four stages AND he's an expectant dad. But yeah, I can see Joe Moravsky e-mailing the producers. He finished tenth and got WWWA. Dang. Maybe one of the bigwigs found Joe's cousin banging a wife or something.

[Booklady1017]

1 hour ago, EllenB said:

WHY WHY WHY are they doing so many WWWG for finishers?  Damn, who did Joe Marovski piss off?

I was trying to figure that out too. Also they could cut out most of the backstories because we know who they are at this point.

34 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Holy crap. Jessie went out on the third obstacle. Nice that she's taking it well on-camera, but that has to wreck her . . . maybe even harder than two years ago.

Sammo Hog wasn't watching on FaceTime. Maybe she needs to do that in order for Jessie to succeed?

I was surprised at some of the people who went out in stage 1 this year.

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

ETA: Dislocation shoulder, got popped back in. If he comes back, ANW will milk the heck out of that moment.

Where was Dr. Noah Kaufman and his gold lamé jumpsuit when they needed him?

[srpturtle80]

Really, really bummed for Sean Bryan. And Nick Hansen. I love both of them. I’m just glad Sean wasn’t seriously injured. 

Holy crap was I was shocked when Drew fell. Thank heavens for that Safety Pass.

I can’t put my finger on why Ethan Swanson bugs me. Maybe it’s the hair style? 

The Kid was impressive, I still find him a bit cocky though. 

I never get to watch the show on Monday nights but I’m on vacation this week! I can’t believe there are only two episodes left. Not ready for my show to be done 😞 

[enoughcats]

9 minutes ago, srpturtle80 said:

The Kid

Why was the Kid (he's lucky he wasn't labeled The Child) wearing a black face mask covering his nose and  mouth in the shots leading up to his run?

52 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

In his defense, he is the odds-on favorite to clear all four stages AND he's an expectant dad.

Editing called his the odds-on-favorite so often, no one would dare have a different favorite.  Some of the others are going to feel slighted.  

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

Holy crap. Jessie went out on the third obstacle.

And she was the anointed one, the favorite and super star.  The problem is, they spent more time boosting her fame than she took on the course before that fail.  If anyone of the other women was that experienced, maybe they would have practiced more.  Jessie talked a year or two ago about not having had the time to practice.  Was that the problem this year or will anybody ask that question?  

Ghastly pink bow in hair:

I hated it the first time I saw it, but it really works to set her apart from all the other ninja women cheering other ninjas on.  It's still ghastly bright pink, but it really worked in a very subtle way to identify her without her having to dance around or whatever.  

Finally I feel the WWWA guys who hit the buzzer were short changed in the worst way.  Any personal brand they might be developing just isn't happening and they have worked hard and well to become this good.   

[Hellga]

Aargh, with the holiday, I totally forgot it's a Monday because it felt like a Sunday (also because I worked on Saturday) and missed the episode.  Will have to watch tomorrow...

[suebee12]

3 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Also: Eskimo Ice Cream can't be real,right? Whitefish and bear fat . . . I cannot begin to imagine the taste.

I wondered about this also so I googled(because you know google is your friend!)

http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/npe/culturalatlases/virtualmuseum/writings/native food/098d22f2-9971-4588-9a87-680b4fe88955.html

Don't think I want to try it!

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Out of curiosity, did they show even a snippet (this week or last) of Ken Niumatalo, the guy who always runs the course to spotlight kids who need an organ donor/transplant?? If they did, I completely missed him.

I thought it was really interesting that with all of these rock climbers and their super human grip strength (along with the other all-around ninjas like Dreschel & Najee who are quite proficient on jump catch obstacles)....the obstacle that tripped up more than a few was the "simple" jump off and on a spinning tire. Were they overlooking it, and focusing too quick on the final three obstacles? Whatever the reason, it got a bunch of ninjas...and I definitely think they will continue to tweak that obstacle in future seasons.

Felt bad for Taylor Amman.....she had so much adrenaline going she nearly jumped over the entire trampoline on the Jumping Spider. I'm calling it early, not only will she come back and qualify for LV next season....she will join Alyssa and Jessie as a Stage 1 female finisher. She's got all the skills, she just needs some more experience and seasoning.

Edited September 3, 2019 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Fukui San]

With the Safety Pass holders now 2 for 2 in cashing in the second chances, I hope a lesson that people take away from this is that finishing a stage, any of these stages, is very difficult and often times people who are capable of finishing fail because their foot is one inch too far this way or that way on a landing.

We've seen people we know are capable of going farther fail on that Tire obstacle like Alyssa Beird, Drew Dreschel, and Najee Richardson. I don't view it as a failing of their work ethic or their attitude if anyone should happen to fail. It's just that the task is so difficult that success should never be assumed.

In the history of this whole competition, dating back to 30+ seasons in Japan, we've seen Grand Champions and most likely to succeed people fail the first "easy" obstacle. We seen All Stars slip off an exit ramp (not an obstacle) and fall in the water. We've seen arguably the best of all time at the height of his powers just dismount the Jumping Spider a half sec too soon and miss the platform completely.

Weird, inexplicable stuff happens on this show all the time. That's what makes it fun, IMO. Sometimes Babe Ruth strikes out. Sometime no-names elevate their game and go all the way. When a fail happens, usually there's nothing to do but shrug and say see you next season. It's not like Drew and Flip got better between their first attempts and their second ones. It's just that no one is guaranteed success no matter how well they are prepared and focused.

[Taeolas]

Yeah, as this Stage 1 shows, sometimes it's pure luck. Your foot lands just slightly off centre, or your hand hits a wet spot on the obstacle and slips, and down you go. 

I wonder if the 2nd obstacle (the offset rings) threw Jesse off a little. As she said, she's usually great at those grabbing challenges, but the offset rings has been throwing everyone off. She handled it fine, but she may have been offcentre from it going into the double dipper and missed the important grab. 

Really, all the ninjas felt like they were taking too much time on the offset rings; most took 4-5 swings before they felt confident enough to swing for the landing pad. Considering the fails and close calls, I think the landing pad should have been a half foot wider, or centred a bit more towards the camera.

Which woman made it to the wall? She had a great time going to the wheels, but then she slowed right down and timed out on the wall. Great on her for getting so far; but when she came down to the tire run and started taking her time, I knew she was going to time out sadly. 

28 out of 86 finishers, with 4 safeties still in play, so 32 possible attempts. I think that number is a hair high but not too bad. Assume another 30% get through Stage 2, that gives us 10-12 for Stage 3 and a good chance at least 1-3 will take on Stage 4. 

[IndyMischa]

10 hours ago, enoughcats said:

Why was the Kid (he's lucky he wasn't labeled The Child) wearing a black face mask covering his nose and  mouth in the shots leading up to his run?

My first thought was that it's a bandana-style callback to Billy the Kid. But that would require him to know something about history, so... jury's out.

[questionfear]

31 minutes ago, IndyMischa said:

My first thought was that it's a bandana-style callback to Billy the Kid. But that would require him to know something about history, so... jury's out.

I read somewhere it was really dusty when they filmed-it's why you saw some ninjas with glasses/goggles too, to protect against sand. 

[AZChristian]

When Hawaiian Ninja was standing next to the buzzer and prepping for his dive, it finally struck me who he reminded me of.  Kody Brown - the halfwit man-child head of the "Sisterwives" family.  Every move is screaming for attention.

Their hairdos are similar, but Kody's only exercise is surfing from one recliner to the next.

[healthnut]

13 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Did they say 86 ninjas ran the course? With 28 clearing Stage One, that's a shade shy of one-third of the field moving to Stage Two. Is that a good thing?

I think it’s a lot better than two years ago when they had over forty people complete stage 1, that was WAY too many. 

3 hours ago, Taeolas said:

Which woman made it to the wall? She had a great time going to the wheels, but then she slowed right down and timed out on the wall. Great on her for getting so far; but when she came down to the tire run and started taking her time, I knew she was going to time out sadly. 

That was Tianna Webberly. The women were quite disappointing this episode, no female finishers for the second year in a row. 

Super bummed for Sean Bryan and I can’t believe they WWWa’ed Joe, although I’m okay with it so someone else can get shown, just surprised. 

[Rosenrot]

Random thoughts:

I had a feeling that Dreschel (I know I'm spelling it wrong, sorry) would fall and run again since his run was shown so early on. Man, he was not a happy camper. I was begging the gods of Mount Midoriyama to tackle and eliminate him, to no avail, of course. I'm going to be twice as pissed if/when he wins it all since technically he should've been out on stage 1. Goddamn safety passes.

Really bummed for Nick Hanson. One or two more swings and he would've had it! And R-E-A-L-L-Y bummed for Jessie. 

Sucks for Sean Bryan. 😐 I'm not exactly a fan, but I don't want to see anybody get hurt (even though it wasn't very serious, luckily).

I wonder, is it really necessary to show Karsten Williams' mother every ten seconds? 

I'm easy, but I snorted at Chad Flexington's occupation ("American Superstar").

I don't like kids in general and I don't care to see them on the course, but I gotta admit, it was a little bit adorable when Jody Avila's son was giving him instructions. Also his story was tragic! I'm scared of (big) dogs as well and I would never go near one again after what happened to him (so kudos to him with the dog shelter thing)! And his wife's like "he's a big guy, he shouldn't be afraid of dogs"! What the fuck, lady?? I think it's a very wise thing to be wary of a strange, angry dog that bites you on your own driveway, whether you're a big guy or not! [shudder] 

I'm oddly happy for Grant. He's really grown on me. I couldn't have anticipated that happening in a million years, tbh.

13 hours ago, srpturtle80 said:

I can’t put my finger on why Ethan Swanson bugs me. Maybe it’s the hair style? 

Same. Maybe it's that lame flapping of the arms. 

Edited September 3, 2019 by Rosenrot

[saber5055]

13 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Felt bad for Taylor Amman.....she had so much adrenaline going she nearly jumped over the entire trampoline on the Jumping Spider.

She did get a great free promo for her modeling career though, so that was a Big Win for her. Making it through to the buzzer was secondary.

Good thing Grant made it to the buzzer to prove to Akbar that cut-off jeans shorts are still okay to wear. Calling them "jorts" is so ... millennial. And snobby.

This show is really setting Drew up to win the whole thing. At least it seems that way to me. I don't watch all the backstories so hearing he even had a girlfriend, much less a pregnant one, was a surprise to me. And me being old school, someone who still wears jean shorts, get married you guys. Maybe he is waiting to win the mil before they tie the knot.

[VartanFan]

Quote

Maybe one of the bigwigs found Joe's cousin banging a wife or something.

Are you kidding?  Then he'd get a backstory, his whole run shown, and tears.  TEARS!  He'd be the guy who miraculously made it through an emotional thunderstorm!  /snerk

Quote

I can’t put my finger on why Ethan Swanson bugs me. Maybe it’s the hair style? 

Yes, because he hasn't washed it since city qualifiers.

I find it hard to believe that Maggi Thorne has a TBI, was learning to walk again, couldn't talke, etc. after her fall on the boards but yet she makes it to cheer on people at Stage 1.  Quite a recovery.  

[eel21788]

17 hours ago, EllenB said:

So Drew gets both his runs completely covered, AND a backstory.  Some of those who got shorted need to have a little talk with him or the producers.

I ask this same question every year because I am never satisfied with the answers: What makes him a real life ninja?  As far as I can tell he has no ties to being a Japanese mercenary. I'm sure if he was, we would have heard about it in his back story by now.

[Nonja]

18 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I hope you come back next year, Brian Burke. And now, I'm gonna hold my tongue about his mom and that hair.

Geez, Sean Bryan got hurt. No Stage Three with a lack of hype for him this year. Shit, man. Whatever happened to the times where ninjas didn't get hurt like that?

Also Grandma's hair...*sweating with the effort of holding my tongue**

And Sean Bryan~ this week's star in the crossover show NBC seems to be promoting-- "ANW/ER".

[eel21788]

19 minutes ago, VartanFan said:

I find it hard to believe that Maggi Thorne has a TBI, was learning to walk again, couldn't talke, etc. after her fall on the boards but yet she makes it to cheer on people at Stage 1.  Quite a recovery.  

Maybe the pain or humiliation of it was enough to shut her up for a few minutes, and someone interpreted that as something that could only be caused by a traumatic brain injury.

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, Rosenrot said:

I had a feeling that Dreschel (I know I'm spelling it wrong, sorry) would fall and run again since his run was shown so early on. Man, he was not a happy camper.

He has been known for being a sore loser in the past.

[saber5055]

45 minutes ago, Nonja said:

Also Grandma's hair.

Were Mom and Grandma the two who were wearing Cher's old cast-off wigs? I thought they were hilarious. Well, humorous anyway.

[little black cloud]

I pegged them as sisters, but either way, there's no mistaking the resemblance, even beyond the hair. Lordy, those genes are strong. But so is that kid!

[Nonja]

19 hours ago, enoughcats said:

Finally I feel the WWWA guys who hit the buzzer were short changed in the worst way.  Any personal brand they might be developing just isn't happening and they have worked hard and well to become this good.   

YES. They NEED to change this editing style! At stage 1 there needs to be no more back stories and for God's sake no more starting line stunts/shows/gimmicks. Seriously, we need to start a petition or something. 

I am shocked that Joe Moravsky was given such minor treatment. I was waiting all year for his comeback, and his whole family was there for the first time. He has arguably one of the best records ever and they do this to him so they can show baby shopping and models and dogs. Just wrong. 

OMG Chad Flexington. Go home. Ben Udy can come back, you cannot.

I think Drew was being a dick at the end. When Flip re-did his Stage 1 run, he seemed relieved to have had the safety pass; Drew seemed like having had to use it was beneath him. He needs to remember that "Everybody falls" and that he is still part of "Everybody".

Ethan Swanson is actually a favorite, but yes that hair needs to go.

Im beyond bummed for Nick Hanson! And I thought that Matt and Akbar were kinda rude about the Eskimo Ice Cream. Yeah, its kinda gross (Ive had it) but it was a gift from Nick's culture and they didnt have to bash it. These guys have eaten TARANTULAS for crying out loud.

I predict Dave Cavanaugh as a top finisher this year.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Nonja

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, eel21788 said:

I ask this same question every year because I am never satisfied with the answers: What makes him a real life ninja?  As far as I can tell he has no ties to being a Japanese mercenary. I'm sure if he was, we would have heard about it in his back story by now.

I learned by watching the old reruns that Drew was a used-car salesman. Backstory video was him in the car lot. I guess selling cars might be considered "real life."

[ams1001]

On 9/2/2019 at 8:14 PM, Lantern7 said:

Jeez, Nick Hanson went out badly on Stage One yet again. Also: Eskimo Ice Cream can't be real,right? Whitefish and bear fat . . . I cannot begin to imagine the taste.

I got home late and turned it on just as he fell (or maybe the replay of him falling). Was sad. Chose not to go looking to find out what Eskimo ice cream is (I guessed it involved blubber of some kind; I guess I wasn't too far off).

On 9/2/2019 at 8:44 PM, Lantern7 said:

ETA: Dislocation shoulder, got popped back in. If he comes back, ANW will milk the heck out of that moment.

Well, now that Travis is retiring, they'll need something else to show repeatedly in place of The Breaking Of The Ankle to make me cringe. I was impressed that he managed to get himself up to the top and not drop into the water (where someone might have had to go in to help him get out). 

4 hours ago, Nonja said:

OMG Chad Flexington. Go home. Ben Udy can come back, you cannot.

I was giggling at his mullet wig sitting at the bottom of the pool.

Edited September 4, 2019 by ams1001

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, Nonja said:

YES. They NEED to change this editing style! At stage 1 there needs to be no more back stories and for God's sake no more starting line stunts/shows/gimmicks. Seriously, we need to start a petition or something. 

They need to make up their minds if they want this to be taken as a serious athletic competition, or something people do on the weekends for fun.

[Courtney]

On 9/2/2019 at 8:14 PM, Lantern7 said:

Jeez, Nick Hanson went out badly on Stage One yet again. Also: Eskimo Ice Cream can't be real,right? Whitefish and bear fat . . . I cannot begin to imagine the taste.

Making a variation of it, called nivagi, was a plot point in Molly of Denali a few weeks ago.  Hers was based on whipped moose fat.

[Hellga]

I was really sad for Nick Hansen and Sean Bryant, I had high hopes for them.  And for the ladies, especially Alyssa and Jessie.  Oh well...  Just looking at the list of finishers I realized I did fall asleep and missed the final few runs - OK, I am sure nothing to see there, especially after all the WWWAs (*hate* on editors!)

I was also impressed with the way the new guys are performing... I think there is going to be a generational shift and the "old favorites" who started in the simpler era are either retiring or not going to be able to keep up with those who are young and have trained for this type of competitions since childhood. 

I think the 1/3 or so completion rate is about right for stage one.  Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 is the best window, IMO. 

On 9/2/2019 at 10:23 PM, Booklady1017 said:

I was trying to figure that out too. Also they could cut out most of the backstories because we know who they are at this point.

Exactly.  Either people have watched the whole season and have seen all those stories, or people have just joined for the finals and they probably don't care for all the background info anyway, don't know-don't care type of scenario.  

On 9/2/2019 at 11:10 PM, enoughcats said:

Finally I feel the WWWA guys who hit the buzzer were short changed in the worst way.  Any personal brand they might be developing just isn't happening and they have worked hard and well to become this good.   

Good point... It irritates me when someone gets 5 mins background story and fizzles out after 15 seconds on the course and someone who completes the whole course gets a whomping 10-second WWWA recap.  I would rather cheer on the finishers than care about some random guy or gal - unless their story is really, really compelling/unusual/interesting, and 99% of the stories they show are anything but.

13 hours ago, eel21788 said:

They need to make up their minds if they want this to be taken as a serious athletic competition, or something people do on the weekends for fun.

I think they want to be taken as an entertainment game show type thing that is vaguely based on athleticism in the same way as say Jeopardy is vaguely based on intellect by way of erudition.

[Destiny74]

I think the producers are trying to usher in a new age of Ninjas.  That's why some are still getting background packages and why a lot of the "old timers" are getting WWWA.  

I think if you finish a run, we should get to see the whole run.  That's why I tune in, not to see the backstories.

Edited September 4, 2019 by Destiny74

[Ilovepie]

Wow. So many feelings about this episode. My husband and I screamed out loud when Drew fell, then I remembered the Safety Pass. Judging by his facial expressions, I am sure that is not how he had it planned. I think he and Flip went a little harder than they would if they didn't have that. Neither should have had to use it on Stage One, but it does make next weeks episode a little more interesting. And speaking of the passes - they may as well just cancel the speed pass because anyone fast enough to get it is already an elite ninja. Every single speed pass winner completed the finals course and moved on without needing it. Oh and another thought - the fact that so many ninjas had problems with the tire thing and those diving boards makes me wish they had a better ratio of balance and hanging obstacles - I think more of the elite ninjas (this year including Flip, Najee and Drew!) seem to struggle with those just as much as the upper body ones, plus it seems women tend to struggle less which would help them move the women forward on the show......

Sean Bryant has never been my favorite, but he grew on me after the All-Star competition. The angle his arm was hanging before he hopped off the jumping spider was gruesome. I'm glad it was just dislocated, but it sucks that he's out. Is it me, or is this season kind of brutal?

Man, the ladies were a big let down after the high of two city finals finishers. I can't believe both Jessies and Alyssa fell. I had high hopes for all three. More and more ladies are beginning to excel - I have high hopes for next season.

You could have made a drinking game out of how many times Akbar uttered the word Jorts.......

I detest Chad Flexington. And Ethan Swanson.

I hope Brian Burke comes back next season. He has been a highlight this year for me.

And lastly, my rage at the WWWA treatment of The Weatherman is not over more than 12 hours after I viewed the episode. How dare they! I know they looooove Drew, but frankly, Joe's Ninja resume is just as impressive. Joe has been an All-Star, on the World competition team and last man standing MULTIPLE years. I do not know why they treat him like the red headed step child this year, but it sucks. He's not as flashy as some of the other Ninjas. He doesn't dance like Grant, or have hair like Daniel Gil, or a signature move like Ethan Swanson. He just looks and acts like a regular guy until he gets on the course and kicks ass. That should be enough. His past accomplishments should be enough. Booooooo to you ANW!

And can I just say, the ninjas all changing shirts 15 times an episode is getting ridiculous. I am waiting for a Ninja that is awesome that doesn't have nickname and a custom t-shirt. Wait, is that Adam Rayl????? If so, I hope he wins.

And what the hell, did I hear right? Did they totally spoil that someone wins the million dollars? Way to go show - why don't you just show us a picture of who it is and ruin the rest of the suspense......

Whoo, I feel a little better now. Glad I have this space to rant.........

[ClareWalks]

11 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

I am waiting for a Ninja that is awesome that doesn't have nickname and a custom t-shirt. Wait, is that Adam Rayl????? If so, I hope he wins.

And what the hell, did I hear right? Did they totally spoil that someone wins the million dollars? Way to go show - why don't you just show us a picture of who it is and ruin the rest of the suspense......

It does seem like Adam Rayl just shows up and works it without the cutesy shit. Love that about him.

And yeah the show has been having "someone wins a million" in the promos for a long time. They're not trying to keep it a secret, for whatever reason. Kind of a bummer to have that suspense gone.

[saber5055]

17 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

And can I just say, the ninjas all changing shirts 15 times an episode is getting ridiculous.

So much this. I was wondering if they all change while standing right there, women included, strip off one shirt, put on another. Or do they have 10 shirts on and just peel off the top one before each new runner.

And does everyone get a box of t-shirts before each filming? Including spectators? And who makes those cr*ppy signs. Inquiring minds want to know.

[Fukui San]

Someone must be on the show's payroll to design all these shirts. "Hi, I'm Pete. I'm the shirt designer. Now what's your hook? You're the Ambidextrous Ninja? OK, I can work with that. I'll email you a draft tomorrow."

[Rosenrot]

52 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

And yeah the show has been having "someone wins a million" in the promos for a long time. They're not trying to keep it a secret, for whatever reason. Kind of a bummer to have that suspense gone.

Hey, that's right! I clearly haven't been paying attention (to the promos) because I kind of haven't even noticed that. 

... it's Drew. Mark my words. [sigh]

[Ilovepie]

3 minutes ago, Rosenrot said:

... it's Drew. Mark my words. [sigh]

I'd rather it be Drew than Daniel Gil or "The Kid"..........

[Rosenrot]

2 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

I'd rather it be Drew than Daniel Gil or "The Kid"..........

Mm. Both plausible and discouraging alternatives. 

[surreysmum]

5 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

I'd rather it be Drew than Daniel Gil or "The Kid"..........

I'd be equally fine with Drew or Gil. The Kid can wait his turn.

[Ilovepie]

2 minutes ago, surreysmum said:

I'd be equally fine with Drew or Gil. The Kid can wait his turn.

I agree re: the Kid. Daniel Gil just seems kind of fake. Maybe he's not, but he just kind of bugs. No doubt he is a ninja beast and definitely deserving. My fingers are crossed for Drew, Adam Rayl and of course, Joe (although after the WWWA treatment, I'm not holding out hope for that). I wish Najee was in the mix too.......

[Rosenrot]

Both Drew and Daniel would be deserving of the win, absolutely (not saying anything about The Kid, not yet at least, although he's clearly very good). Just that I would personally prefer someone else because they just totally rub me the wrong way. Can't explain why, really... they just do.

I wish as well that Najee was in the mix too! 😭