S11.E14: Las Vegas National Finals Night 2

[Quilt Fairy]

3 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

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......

I am beginning to wonder if that comment isn't cribbed from the 2015 final when Isaac Caldiero beat Geoff Britten on Stage 4.  Remember, Matt says "Someone will win a million dollars" and that's only true if there are at least 2 people who finish Stage 3.   Never underestimate the lengths to which the broadcast media will go to increase viewership. 

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Remember, Matt says "Someone will win a million dollars" and that's only true if there are at least 2 people who finish Stage 3.

Technically I think that no matter how many folks clear stage 3, if nobody beats the time limit then nobody wins a million. Now THAT would be anticlimactic!

[ams1001]

5 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

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

Apparently he's "Rock Solid"...but I had to google that.

I was wondering the other night who pays for all those shirts. (I googled briefly but didn't find an answer. Just like I can't find an answer to how deep the water in the pools is.)

Still hoping for Chris DiGangi to win it all. He gets so little attention (outside of being Flex's Fiance) and seems like such a nice guy. It'd be a great upset to see him win it over all the big shots. 🙂

[JenMD]

So sad for Jessie, she's my favorite ninja so I was heartbroken when she fell.  I was suspecting she didn't make it though, the preview only showing her on the 2nd obstacle made me suspicious of an early exit.  As usual, she took it better than I did.  Heh. Oh well, on to next year. 

I totally let out a yelp when Drew fell, even though I knew he'd get another go it was still shocking.

24 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I was wondering the other night who pays for all those shirts.

I would think the ninjas do (and their supporters).  There are quite a few make-your-own t-shirt websites out there; they're easy and can be rather inexpensive.  I had to do research last year for my team at a charity event and I found some that came to under $10 with a simple design and I think it got cheaper the more you bought.  I wouldn't be surprised if someone said the show encouraged ninjas to bring a cheering section with matching shirts for the visual it provides.

[Hellga]

I will be OK with just about anyone still standing winning it all.  Even Grant McCartney or Ethan Swanson.  It would be really, really awesome if someone who is perpetually WWWA'd won, but I know it won't happen because they do their editing knowing the final outcome... so the sweet, sweet irony is not possible on this show.  If I had to bet, though, I would choose Joe Moravsky, Daniel Gil or Drew Dreschel as the winner - though I personally won't discount the possibility that no one won Stage 4 regardless of what they are trying to make us think.

[saber5055]

5 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

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

I was for Drew until all that baby stuff this week. Now anyone but. Which means it'll be Drew. *sigh*

I'd be fine with Flip. Or Joe. Maybe Joe wins the mil but it's shown as a WWWA.

[Hellga]

It would also be awesome if a rookie won - in that "veni, vidi, vici" way - but I get how unlikely it is.  

[Fukui San]

Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten weren't very high profile when they broke through. Someone could surprise us.

[Rickster]

I thought it interesting how few competitors fell in the Double Dipper vs the last two years. I wonder if it was better training, or some subtle change in the design of the obstacle (wider bar?).

I wonder who pays for all those kids from Drew’s gym to go to Vegas?

[crazy8s]

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I was wondering the other night who pays for all those shirts. (I googled briefly but didn't find an answer. Just like I can't find an answer to how deep the water in the pools is.)

🙂

surely the show provides the shirts - sometimes in the background, at the top of the crowd shots, you can see young women with the next round of shirts to be handed out draped over their arms

[VartanFan]

If Gil wins it all, do you think that means he would take 10-or-so seasons off?  If so, I'll root for him.  

[Quilt Fairy]

21 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

Technically I think that no matter how many folks clear stage 3, if nobody beats the time limit then nobody wins a million. Now THAT would be anticlimactic!

You're right, the time limit still applies with 2 or more finalists.  I guess I'm trying to figure out some way that Matt could be saying someone will win without it being an obvious, foolish, unintended spoiler.  Unless NBC  believes the viewership will be better if people know in advance that the season finale will not be the anticlimactic letdown that it usually is.  Since they've split Stage 2-3-4 from one episode to two, it implies that quite a few people make it to Stage 3.  Sometimes we only have 2-3 people make it that far.  And going from our only experience with Stage 4, Geoff and Isaac, it seems likely that anyone who makes it past Stage 3 will be able to beat the time limit in Stage 4. 

[ClareWalks]

9 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

And going from our only experience with Stage 4, Geoff and Isaac, it seems likely that anyone who makes it past Stage 3 will be able to beat the time limit in Stage 4. 

I would assume so as well! After all, stage 4 is the only stage in Vegas where every ninja knows exactly what they'll need to do in exactly what amount of time. If they are serious ninjas they've definitely trained for it.

[SamFortune]

I just re-watched this episode and could not believe why Jessie bothered with a reverse grip on the second half of the Double Dip.  It just added an extra degree of difficulty to an otherwise easy bar grab.  A lot of the ninjas, including Drew just switched back to traditional grip on the second dip and not overthink it. 

I think WWWA Josh Salinas is going places. 

[RedbirdNelly]

On ‎9‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 3:43 PM, Nonja said:

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. 

I generally don't mind the backstories on this show BUT (a) the Drew one was way too long and not necessary; just tell me he's expecting a kid; cool; no need to show the shopping segment; and (b) especially not necessary at Stage 1.

[DanaMB]

On 9/2/2019 at 10:45 PM, srpturtle80 said:

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

I wasn’t. Only because they had him running with an hour left and he’s always one of the last ones to run.