S11.E15: Las Vegas National Finals Night 3

[ams1001]

2 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

I read this as "according to HIM" and laughed out loud 😄

Well, that too...

[eel21788]

18 hours ago, Omeletsmom said:

Gutted for Flip, but he clearly was in a lot of pain.  I'm not sure he should have even attempted the stage.

He needs to keep in mind if he wrecks himself on the course it will cost him his livelihood as a stunt double for a while.

[saber5055]

16 hours ago, Hellga said:

If someone other than him wins it, I won't be surprised if he ends up with a total mental breakdown.

I'm hoping for the total mental breakdown. While I liked him in the past, I'm anything but a Drew fan this year. And I hate that this show keeps promoting that someone really does win the million, and TPTB are pointing at Drew for the win.

Maybe I would still like Drew if I hadn't seen all his backstories.

My favorite was Flip. I couldn't be more bummed that he went out last night. I was hoping he would pocket that check.

[eel21788]

16 hours ago, Hellga said:

I am actually not sure what would make me laugh harder - if all of these 21 fail on Stage 3 or if some ridiculous number, like 15, complete it and go on to compete on who climbs that rope the fastest.

If we have to watch 15 people climb a rope next week to see who does it the fastest, it is going to be boring as hell. 

[eel21788]

3 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I'm hoping for the total mental breakdown. While I liked him in the past, I'm anything but a Drew fan this year. 

I'm hoping he doesn't win, so he can have the opportunity to show he is capable of losing gracefully. It's something that he hasn't been able to do in the past. I'm also completely over all the "Real Life Ninja" crap. His ego needs to come down a few notches. If he doesn't win this year, they really need to drop that, as it is pretty obvious there are people on the course who are better than him.

[heckkitty]

7 hours ago, VartanFan said:

Snapback but in between each of the pieces of snapback, you have to land on the diving board, run to another diving board and jump back up to another snapback.  Think of the wipeouts!  Think of the blood!  Think of the deep muscle trauma!  

As I watched the first 20 minutes of this course, I thought - too easy.  I know Stage 3 is an upper body, brutal nightmare - so I'll be happier next week.  🙂  [please not daniel gil Drew Dreschel, please not daniel gil Drew Dreschel, please not daniel gil Drew Dreschel]

Fixed it for you. I'm not a Gil fan or anything, and I've been meh on Dreschel in the past, but he is way too much and way to overhyped this season for me.

[eel21788]

19 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I cannot imagine doing this after having food poisoning. I got...something...several months ago and the next day I was so drained it was a feat just to slice up an apple and make a cup of tea (which was pretty much all I ate for two days).

I'm assuming you didn't have medical staff giving you IV fluids and nausea medication all night though. He had a lot of help to get himself back on the course.

[ams1001]

13 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

I'm assuming you didn't have medical staff giving you IV fluids and nausea medication all night though. He had a lot of help to get himself back on the course.

No, just me all alone failing to keep down a few sips of ginger ale. But you do make a good point. 

[eel21788]

17 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

. it's a toss-up between him and Daniel Gil as to which has the biggest "name" in ANW. 

I'm expecting them to become dethroned (maybe dethrowned). This is a young man's game. Their muscles are getting tighter, and their joints are getting stiffer. They started training in adulthood (physically, the jury is still out on mental maturity). They are now up against young guys who were training for years before they ever went into competition.

Edited September 10, 2019 by eel21788

[ClareWalks]

20 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

His ego needs to come down a few notches. If he doesn't win this year, they really need to drop that, as it is pretty obvious there are people on the course who are better than him.

I agree that his ego is huge. I'm not so sure about your last point that there are obviously better ninjas than him. I think he's definitely the top ninja in the game, or at least a top-3 ninja. His body awareness and control is just insane. There might be other ninjas who are better at individual skills (grip strength, power, etc) but I just think Drew is on another plane than most. Doesn't make him any more palatable for those who can't stand him, but I don't think his talent is arguable. I don't mind Drew as much as some others (Joe Moravsky and Daniel Gil are strange dudes IMO), but I definitely see the ego has grown this year.

[saber5055]

15 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Joe Moravsky and Daniel Gil are strange dudes IMO

That reminded me, Joe has always been a favorite of mine, he looks just like Average Joe (eh) instead of some flamboyant guy like Grant or Gil, you wouldn't notice him on the street. But his backstory last night was so odd and weird, like now that he has two kids he's all fat and flabby and has no time to train or do anything other than babysit. No mention of his occupation now, which is ninja trainer and not weatherman, and if he no longer goes to the gym, where did that bicep come from.

I don't want this show to make me dislike Joe now that it made me not like Drew any more.

I'd like to know how many proposals Grant is getting from his free national-network dating video. And if the tall woman ninja who got her modeling audition broadcast last week has been signed to an agency yet. Inquiring minds want to know.

[ClareWalks]

22 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I'd like to know how many proposals Grant is getting from his free national-network dating video.

LOL I'm sure his DMs are blowing up, as the kids say. I thought his dating service video was too vague, though. He didn't even specify if he wanted men or women. I guess that's an indicator that his relationship would really be all about him?

[VartanFan]

Quote

  18 HOURS AGO, LANTERN7 SAID:

". it's a toss-up between him and Daniel Gil as to which has the biggest "name" in ANW." 

eel21788:  "I'm expecting them to become dethroned (maybe dethrowned)."

From your lips to Akbar's ears....please, oh please!

As some others have noted, I think if they shaved off some time on the course, it would have helped keep the numbers down and would have differentiated the guys.  A few of them took noticeable breaks to get their breath back...don't allow that kind of pause and you'll really differentiate the wheat from the chaff.

[Rosenrot]

Soo... I'm not sure if that kinda sucked. ?? JMO, but I think they intentionally made it easier to keep people interested and watching, since I think they fear ratings will go down if people don't succeed. I'm glad for the folk who made it, but just like DEL901 said, if 75% of the people finish, it just feels less special. I'd rather have, say, five to ten finishers rather than 21. (Even I admit, though, that last year's two(!) finishers was not quite enough.)

Well, here's to hoping that Stage 3 sees the reappearance of the Angry Birds obstacle and everybody falls. (Everybody except R.J Roman and Ryan Stratis, please.) 

Poor Flip. 😔

Am I really the only one who likes Grant? 🥴 (My feelings for him have gone from "eww" to "I love him" in a worryingly rapid timespan, to be perfectly honest.) 

20 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Do we really need the Dating Adventures of the Island Ninja?

One of those things I didn't know I needed in my life, but now that the idea is out, I'd totally watch that show. 😄 (Also I would totally write to him on a dating app if I thought I had even 0,0000000001% chances.)

19 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

And really not a good look when he'd be out if they hadn't invented the safety pass and finished 8th on stage 2.

Which is why I will seriously have a mini stroke when he wins the whole thing because as far as I'm concerned, he was out on Stage 1. The rest is cheating, period. (I KNOW he earned the Safety Pass by doing extremely well, but still. I can't get over this.)

7 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

Can we talk about how MAJESTIC Adam Rayl looked in that slow-motion handstand at the buzzer, dripping wet? If they make a Men of ANW calendar, that should be July.

I just thought "god, what a show-off". 😄 But I'd love me a "Men (And Women) of ANW" calendar, what a grand idea! 

[ams1001]

9 minutes ago, Rosenrot said:

Am I really the only one who likes Grant? 🥴 (My feelings for him have gone from "eww" to "I love him" in a worryingly rapid timespan, to be perfectly honest.) 

I actually do like him, but he can be a little much sometimes.

[Rosenrot]

11 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

I actually do like him, but he can be a little much sometimes.

Well, yes, that he can be. Whoever does it, I always think it's a little unnecessary to throw off your shirt and take a dive. 😄 

(E: Apparently "taking a dive" doesn't mean what I thought it meant, but I'll just leave it there anyway.)

Edited September 10, 2019 by Rosenrot

[ams1001]

24 minutes ago, Rosenrot said:

Well, yes, that he can be. Whoever does it, I always think it's a little unnecessary to throw off your shirt and take a dive. 😄 

I hate it when they take their shirts off mid-run. Run with or without it, I don't care, but stop stripping in the middle! (Except for the few who took them off before starting the under-water obstacle last night. It's probably easier to do without it. Some of them had their shirts floating up to their shoulders when they jumped in.)

[MsVixen]

No love for Ryan Stratis?  I would love to see him go all the way because this is the first time that he's gotten to Stage 3.

Daniel Gil is only 26?  Damn, it seems I've been watching a lot longer than that.

The African-American man whose Mother is always there could go all the way, also.  

 

[ams1001]

53 minutes ago, MsVixen said:

The African-American man whose Mother is always there could go all the way, also.  
 

Karsten Williams? Fun fact: If you start typing his name in google one of the auto-complete options is "Karsten Williams Mom" 😛 

[Hellga]

I don't care for Ryan Stratis.  The way he looks just creeps me out, so thin and dry he looks gaunt and with that awful beard...

I honestly will be OK with any of them winning it all at this point.  It would be cool if RJ Roman won it as he is not a professional athlete/trainer.  Or if Michael Torres won because he is the only safety pass holder who didn't need to use his.  Or Seth Rogers, because how cool would it be to win it all in your rookie season.  Or Nate Burkhalter because it's impressive to complete a run while ill/recovering.

[saber5055]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

Karsten Williams? Fun fact: If you start typing his name in google one of the auto-complete options is "Karsten Williams Mom" 😛 

Fun fact: I just tried this and it's true. So I googled Najee and found this on his twitter:

Grant would be perfect on The Bachelor since he obviously can't spell nor use punctuation properly. Now if he also says "Her and I's relationship," he's a lock.

[healthnut]

I hated this episode. Twenty one finishers for Stage 2! Joke. Complete joke. I wanted to see Deja Vu and Wingnut Alley back. Instead we got totally lame obstacles in their place. 

My request for next week: can we finally see a Kevin Carbone run, four buzzers this year and every single one fast forwarded. 

[Courtney]

23 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

I think he's beyond taking it too seriously.  He already made Ninja gyms his life work.  He brings larger and larger bus  loads of kids to wear his shirts to the show.  He seems to travel to most of the cities even where he isn't competing.  And I don't begrudge him his advertising tour.

But he needs to throttle back his mouth when it comes to getting too cocky.  On top of all the other stuff, its not a good look.  And really not a good look when he'd be out if they hadn't invented the safety pass and finished 8th on stage 2.

At this moment, I would rank Brian Arnold ahead of Drew, if only that Drew is self-supporting and does not (yet) have the obligation of a family.  Arnold cashed in retirement money and quit his job to live on his girlfriend's (wife? I can't remember) wages, and I remember her being visibly unhappy about that fact.  There's room for debate about the long term stability of ninja gyms as a concept once a new fad emerges, and if he's still doing this insane night training regimen next year when he has an infant, I'll cheerfully re-rank. 🙂

I agree that he's developed an unpleasant edge this year that is really unappealing.  I don't remember him being like this in the past.  Maybe he always was and hid it better, or maybe he's started believing too much of his own press.  I'm definitely on the couch with those who think he's headed for a mental break if he doesn't win it all.

[mlp]

I'm sure the entire season including the obstacles was all planned out before the competition started.  I doubt that they made Stage 2 easier on purpose for whatever reason.  My thought is that the PTB expected the Grim Sweeper and the backwards grab thing (forgot the name) to be a lot harder than they turned out to be.  Simple as that.

Drew is a super athlete and his ninja skills are impressive.  However, I've never been crazy about him because he doesn't seem to have any warmth to his personality.  His attitude this season has brought me close to actually disliking him.  I wonder what his girlfriend really thinks of his sleeping all day and then spending all his waking hours at the gym.

I'd like to see Daniel Gil make it all the way.  I've liked him since his very first run during his first season.  He doesn't do any posturing and showing off.  He just goes out and kills almost every course.  With a smile on his face.  The very few times he hasn't succeeded, he's been gracious about it.  

If Daniel doesn't win, I hope it's Joe, Ryan or Adam.  Not Drew.

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, Hellga said:

It would be cool if RJ Roman won it as he is not a professional athlete/trainer.  Or if Michael Torres won because he is the only safety pass holder who didn't need to use his.  Or Seth Rogers, because how cool would it be to win it all in your rookie season.  Or Nate Burkhalter because it's impressive to complete a run while ill/recovering.

I don't think it's any of them, purely because their "stories" would have been pushed harder upon us if they were to go all the way. Has RJ Roman ever had a run that wasn't WWWA? I'm not being mean, but I reckon he's been swept under the rug more often than he's been showcased. The push factor leads me to believe the champ will be Drew or Daniel.

6 hours ago, eel21788 said:

This is a young man's game. Their muscles are getting tighter, and their joints are getting stiffer. [Drew Drechel and Daniel Gil] started training in adulthood (physically, the jury is still out on mental maturity). They are now up against young guys who were training for years before they ever went into competition.

How old is Daniel? With that hair, he could be 45, and I would be none the wiser. Right now, I'm thinking he's under 30. His exposure probably would make people think he's older. Having a protege in Kid Owadhi would add to that.

[ams1001]

35 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

How old is Daniel? With that hair, he could be 45, and I would be none the wiser. Right now, I'm thinking he's under 30. His exposure probably would make people think he's older. Having a protege in Kid Owadhi would add to that.

He's 26.

Funny: I googled him just now and the wikipedia box that comes up on the right side of the results page is for this Daniel Gil:

Quote

Daniel Gil Pila was one of the leading Spanish graphic designers of the 20th century. Born in Santander, Daniel Gil studied in the Academy of Fine Arts of Madrid. In the early 1950s, he attended the Ulm School of Design, where he was a disciple of Otl Aicher.Wikipedia

Born: February 17, 1930, Santander, Spain

Died: November 14, 2004, Madrid, Spain

Nationality: Spanish

But all the pictures above it are of Ninja Warrior Daniel Gil. 😄

[Pepperclove]

Just watched this and everyone finishing is even more boring than no one finishing. I started rooting for the poor course to take out someone, anyone.

I am amused by the idea of 15 people finishing stage 3 and everything coming down to who can climb a rope 0.1 seconds faster though.

[JenMD]

More finishers in Stage 2 than in all the City Finals combined just seems like too many. 

Joe Moravsky did an AMA on Reddit and agreed it was too easy. 

Spoiler

He also said the same about Stage 3...

[TimothyQ]

9 hours ago, mlp said:

I'm sure the entire season including the obstacles was all planned out before the competition started.  I doubt that they made Stage 2 easier on purpose for whatever reason.  My thought is that the PTB expected the Grim Sweeper and the backwards grab thing (forgot the name) to be a lot harder than they turned out to be.  Simple as that.

I agree that the entire season’s obstacles were probably determined before the season started but I wouldn’t doubt one bit that they purposefully made the finals runs a bit easier. They’ve been itching for a winner for a few years now in order to hype the show. In the eyes of the PTB, they needed a winner this year. 

[DEL901]

10 hours ago, mlp said:

I'm sure the entire season including the obstacles was all planned out before the competition started.  I doubt that they made Stage 2 easier on purpose for whatever reason.  My thought is that the PTB expected the Grim Sweeper and the backwards grab thing (forgot the name) to be a lot harder than they turned out to be.  Simple as that.

Since stage 2 (and 1) have maximum times associated, they also made a mistake with the amount of time they gave people to complete the course.  I think only Flip and maybe 1 other person had the clock run out, but they still completed it.  So it was actually 22 or 23 out of 27 who finished.

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

Since stage 2 (and 1) have maximum times associated, they also made a mistake with the amount of time they gave people to complete the course.  I think only Flip and maybe 1 other person had the clock run out, but they still completed it.  So it was actually 22 or 23 out of 27 who finished.

And if Flip wasn't injured, he certainly would not have timed out.

[Fukui San]

Comparison of Stage 2 obstacles from last year and this year

ANW10 - 30 Runners

Epic Catch & Release - 1 Fail
Criss Cross Salmon Ladder - 5
Deja Vu - 10
Swing Surfer - 0
Wingnut Alley - 11
Water Walls - 1
Clears - 2
 

ANW11 - 28 Runners + 3 Safety Passes Used = 31 Total Runs

Giant Walk The Plank - 2
Extension Ladder - 2
Snap Back - 2
Swing Surfer - 2
Grim Sweeper - 1
Water Walls - 1
Clears - 21

I thought Snap Back would be tougher than it was. Grim Sweeper they should have known was much easier than Wingnut Alley, through testing.  They should have replaced Swing Surfer as it didn't eliminate anyone last season.

[Lantern7]

I'm thinking three minutes was too long. The field could have been narrowed down if thirty seconds were subtracted. There were a few that stopped to catch their breath . . . and if someone does that on a Stage other than Three, that's not right.

Also, if Snap Back hadn't been used, we probably wouldn't have double-digit ninjas going into Stage Three, even with Safety Passes.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Lantern7

[Taeolas]

I think Snap Back should have had 3 jumps instead of 2, maybe with different elevations. (IIRC the City course had 3).

I'm fine with Swing Surfer, especially with the modification they made to it. Instead of catching a rope, you need to catch and climb the ledges, which is where the failures should/would happen.  My only concern is the ledges might be too far apart for the shorter Ninjas. 

Grim Sweeper is a wiff of an obstacle IMO. It is slow and not really that much of a challenge, though it is a chance to give them a bit of a breather. Were I evil, I'd change the sweeper into something you might see on one of those Japanese shows, where you have to jump on it, and stand on it as it spins around, maybe jumping over an obstacle on the way. 

I like the idea of the water challenge, but I'm starting to get tired of the underwater doors. Maybe instead of standing water they could use one of those current pools, and the ninjas have to swim/pull themselves against the current to go through hoops or something. 

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, Taeolas said:

I like the idea of the water challenge, but I'm starting to get tired of the underwater doors. Maybe instead of standing water they could use one of those current pools, and the ninjas have to swim/pull themselves against the current to go through hoops or something. 

I'm sure there are safety mechanisms designed into them, but I keep picturing someone getting caught in one of those doors and having to be rescued.

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, Taeolas said:

Grim Sweeper is a wiff of an obstacle IMO. It is slow and not really that much of a challenge,

When the show had Jessie demonstrate Grim Sweeper, I figured she'd been training on it all that day so she could make it look easy. Then it turns out it WAS easy. They could have grabbed someone from the audience to show how it worked.

[eel21788]

21 hours ago, Courtney said:

At this moment, I would rank Brian Arnold ahead of Drew, if only that Drew is self-supporting and does not (yet) have the obligation of a family.  Arnold cashed in retirement money and quit his job to live on his girlfriend's (wife? I can't remember) wages, and I remember her being visibly unhappy about that fact.  There's room for debate about the long term stability of ninja gyms as a concept once a new fad emerges, and if he's still doing this insane night training regimen next year when he has an infant, I'll cheerfully re-rank.

His baby isn't due until December, and the city qualifiers begin at the end of January. I'm guessing, he'll still be in his state of hypermania training next year. It will be the year after that which will determine if he shifts his priorities because he's father.

Edited September 11, 2019 by eel21788

[Ilovepie]

19 hours ago, Courtney said:

At this moment, I would rank Brian Arnold ahead of Drew, if only that Drew is self-supporting and does not (yet) have the obligation of a family.  Arnold cashed in retirement money and quit his job to live on his girlfriend's (wife? I can't remember) wages, and I remember her being visibly unhappy about that fact.  There's room for debate about the long term stability of ninja gyms as a concept once a new fad emerges, and if he's still doing this insane night training regimen next year when he has an infant, I'll cheerfully re-rank. 🙂

I agree that he's developed an unpleasant edge this year that is really unappealing.  I don't remember him being like this in the past.  Maybe he always was and hid it better, or maybe he's started believing too much of his own press.  I'm definitely on the couch with those who think he's headed for a mental break if he doesn't win it all.

Brian Arnold was ridiculous about it, and I think the pressure to perform came because he quit his job whereas with Drew it is his job. The more Brian Arnold failed, the more flop sweat he displayed. I think Drew just exudes cold, calculated confidence. The difference to me is that he seems humorless about it this year as opposed to prior years, although I did like his dolphin dive into the water. I also think he's the victim of his own success; the show tends to over hype their stars to the point of annoyance (think Kacy). Despite all this, I think Drew deserves to win, and is going to win. He's pretty amazing on these obstacles. No doubt Daniel Gil is also just as impressive, but Drew has been at it longer than Daniel, and Daniel just seems super cheesy to me. My own personal pick is Joe because I just love him. And if that's what a dad bod looks like now, I know some guys that would love to have it!

I am honestly so disappointed that the show decided to spoil that someone was definitely winning this year. It's kind of anti-climactic at this point. And who would have known that too many people finishing is equally as boring as too few?

And @ClareWalks, I am with you on the Adam Rayl love - Hell yes to a ANW calendar!

[Conotocarious]

What happens if you win? Are you allowed to compete the next year or do you have to wait a certain number of shows before returning? 

[eel21788]

10 hours ago, ams1001 said:

And if Flip wasn't injured, he certainly would not have timed out.

If he didn't have the do-over pass, he wouldn't have been participating in Stage 2.

[MsVixen]

Spoiler

I check next week's listing and it said that there is a new champion and that it was the first since 4 years ago.  

[Quilt Fairy]

I think that in addition to the Grim Sweeper being too easy (the 5th obstacle should be a ninja-killer), the first obstacle, Giant Walk the Plank, was also way too easy.  In the past, some ninjas got held up for 30 seconds or more on the first obstacle, and it physically could not be completed in less than 10-15 seconds.   This year most ninjas got past it in less than 5 seconds.   

[Ilovepie]

@MsVixen I do not think that needs a spoiler tag as they have been saying it in all of the promos for the show..........

[MsVixen]

On 9/10/2019 at 8:27 PM, Courtney said:

At this moment, I would rank Brian Arnold ahead of Drew, if only that Drew is self-supporting and does not (yet) have the obligation of a family.  Arnold cashed in retirement money and quit his job to live on his girlfriend's (wife? I can't remember) wages, and I remember her being visibly unhappy about that fact.  There's room for debate about the long term stability of ninja gyms as a concept once a new fad emerges, and if he's still doing this insane night training regimen next year when he has an infant, I'll cheerfully re-rank. 🙂

I didn't know that Brian Arnold cashed in retirement money.  Not the smartest move.  As I remember, he flamed out early in the contest, too.  The next year, he got a job that was something close to a delivery job so that he would still have time to train.

[MsVixen]

44 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

@MsVixen I do not think that needs a spoiler tag as they have been saying it in all of the promos for the show..........

Quite a bit of the promos were misleading, such as really touting the females (definitely suggested that a female could go further than the 1st stage).  

However, you are right that it has been promoted.

[Richness]

Finally got around to watching this episode. I'd rather have too many finishers than too few, so this was definitely better than last year. However, it would be even better if it was somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. It would also be even better if we could actually see more of the runs instead of the stupid back/sob stories, especially at this stage of the competition.

I am so sick of the Island Ninja show. Grant McCartney should spend more time training on variations of the Salmon Ladder than dancing and dating. Though I will admit it's more the show's fault that we're subjected to so much of the latter. The Drew Drechsel hype train doesn't bother me as much though since I skipped it entirely. The editing certainly makes it seem that Drew is our next winner though. Though I admit to giggling at his dolphin dive.

Seeing Flip Rodriguez timeout so close to finishing was crushing though. My reaction surprises me since I couldn't stand him during his earlier masked ninja days. I was impressed by Nate Burkhalter powering through the food poisoning to barely finish the course in time.

I was amused by the moms on the sideline. It's a good thing Karsten Williams was given the WWWA treatment, because his mom must have went crazy when he completed the stage. And my sympathies to Jake Murray who got his bicep mangled by Adam Rayl's Mom during his run.

And speaking of Adam, thank-you show for the gratuitous, long, slow-motion shot of his dripping wet victory hand stand. I agree their needs to be a Men of ANW calendar, especially with everyone going shirtless. However, I thought Jamie Rahn looked more like Jared Leto’s Suicide Squad Joker than ever before since he wasn't wearing his pleather Captain NBC outfit, exposing his bare torso and tatts. He also looked more buffed since the outfit hid his definition.

I thought for sure someone was going to crush their trachea in a horrible clothes-lining near-decapitation on Snap Back.  They really need to extend that clear guard cover all the way toward the front bar handle. The clear aspect prevents it from being a true blind grab though. If they wanted to make that even harder, they could switch to an opaque guard cover. I prefer the more difficult Deja Vu from last year. Speaking of new Stage 2 obstacles, as much as I like and prefer the design and flow aspects of the Grim Sweeper, Wingnut Alley was much tougher.
 

[MelinaBallerina]

On 9/11/2019 at 6:18 AM, JenMD said:

More finishers in Stage 2 than in all the City Finals combined just seems like too many. 

Joe Moravsky did an AMA on Reddit and agreed it was too easy. 

  Hide contents

He also said the same about Stage 3...

Dang it, in the comment bar, the spoiler above is open.  I hope it closes again when I hit post!

Spoiler

Ok.  DANG!  Joe said that!!  I really can't wait for tomorrow night because he is my fave, and if he did say that.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[saber5055]

I've got my money on Drew winning since he is getting that edit, what with showing him training at night and all. I do think that's smart since the runs are all night long. People used to sleeping at night are at a disadvantage. Maybe more train at night but we aren't shown that because they aren't going to win the mil.

Drew also got the "I'm having a baby" edit, with cameras following him through the baby-clothes section of some store, like he's such a fun and special guy now that he got some woman pregnant. While I liked him okay before, that segment made me hope for his failure. But because this show hates me, I don't think I'm getting that wish.

I don't remember Drew's girlfriend ever being shown or even mentioned before. Maybe I blocked it.

I tolerate Grant ever since his back story friendship with Eskimo Ninja. So those backstories can work both ways with me.

Add me to the list of people waiting for the ANW calendar.

Edited September 16, 2019 by saber5055

[eel21788]

6 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I've got my money on Drew winning since he is getting that edit, what with showing him training at night and all. I do think that's smart since the runs are all night long. People used to sleeping at night are at a disadvantage. Maybe more train at night but we aren't shown that because they aren't going to win the mil.

Did you think the guy who was training by dangling off construction sites 100 ft in the air so he wouldn't feel nervous on the obstacles was smart, too? I think both of them are taking things way too far. 

[AZChristian]

On 9/16/2019 at 5:33 PM, eel21788 said:

Did you think the guy who was training by dangling off construction sites 100 ft in the air so he wouldn't feel nervous on the obstacles was smart, too? I think both of them are taking things way too far. 

My concern with them showing the dangling guy was . . . we live in a country with a lot of stupid people.  Some want to be on television, and will do anything to get there.  Like copying some "ninja" who dangles from high structures.  I thought it was irresponsible of ANW to show clips of him doing that.