S11.E16: Las Vegas National Finals Night 4

[ParadoxLost]

8 hours ago, questionfear said:

And I think as much as it sucks for Gil that he timed out, I think that's almost better-like, he knows he failed, full stop, not "finished but .01s too late to win money", which has got to be more painful. 

I think they changed the rules a couple years ago.  There is an overall winner but the stage 4 finishers share the money.  I think Gil would have preferred to have some more money.

3 hours ago, Taeolas said:

Stage 3 did feel noticeably easier than in past years. I think it's because there wasn't really an endurance aspect to it. Everything was basically a hang or lache swing/jumps obstacles. There weren't any draining obstacles like circuit board or body prop to make you work upside down or to wear  you out like there has been in the past. 

I think they intentionally reduced the difficulty because they wanted a winner.  Not a lot, just enough to make it possible for Drew or someone of his caliber to win.  I remember every like obstacle being longer and harder last year. I rewatched ultimate cliffhanger from last year and it was definitely made less difficult.  And I agree, the endurance part was left out entirely.  And nothing new seemed like it replaced the most difficult aspects that were absent.

Although I do think this course was harder than the last time there were finishers.  

I expect them to dial back up the difficulty next year and return to a string of no finishers.

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, Iguana said:

Well, while I'm fairly meh about Drew as a contestant, you can't say his win was a fluke (safety pass issue excepted).  He trained hard, prepared properly, and gave the course maximum effort.   And, for me, I'd rather see him win than one of the kids or rookies, so congrats to Drew.  

Maybe I'm the only outlier who isn't happy about him winning. As far as I'm concerned he went out on a Stage I obstacle and letting him do the later stages without any kind of compensation penalty is just wrong. On Amazing Race if you come in last on a non-elimination leg, you face some type of penalty that burns into your race time. The do-over with no consequences corrupted his win, in my opinion. I do think the producers were embarrassed by it, too. When they did the whole montage about his season accomplishments, they conveniently left out the part about him needing a do-over to move on to Stage 2.

Edited September 17, 2019 by eel21788

[eel21788]

22 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Daniel Gil sings and plays guitar. So not surprised. 😛

His first season his occupation was Opera Singer. That career seems to have fallen by the wayside.

[Quilt Fairy]

Am I the only one who hates Daniel Gil's hair?  I can't stand hair in my face and I can't stand to see people with hair in their face.  I was seriously hoping that he would fall on stage 3 because of the damn hair.  Although I can't believe he timed out on stage 4.  It's interesting that both times they've gone to stage 4 the ninja who completed stage 3 last, i.e., the person with the least time to rest between stages, failed. 

I noticed that at the beginning of the show Matt  said "the person who climbs stage 4 in under 30 seconds wins a million dollars" implying that every person who climbed stage 4 would get a million.  Only later it became "the person who climbs stage 4 in under 30 seconds fastest wins a million dollars."  They fudge this stuff all the time and it bothers me. 

Edited September 18, 2019 by Quilt Fairy

[AdorkableWitch]

No matter how you feel about Drew, watching Flip cheer on Drew warmed my heart. The editing on him was heavy this year, but how other ninjas support and react to someone weighs heavily on me, especially someone as good hearted as Flip. 

[healthnut]

That was definitely a watered down cliffhanger and I believe Stage 3 was at last one obstacle shorter than it has been, maybe two. Just feels so manipulated to get a winner, at least Drew is deserving. Now please marry April, seems like they’ve been dating for like eight or ten years, including the years he was rooming with James McGrath, who was nowhere to be seen tonight, are they still friends?

Would have liked to seen Kevin Carbone’s run, he made it pretty far in Cane Lane, congratulations on being fast forwarded all season. 

I’ve been pissed for a month they spoiled there was a winner this season and I’m still salty about it, took a lot of fun out of watching tonight.  

[Me from ME]

Quote

His first season his occupation was Opera Singer. That career seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Quote

From the recent Reddit by Joe Moravsky I think the producers play a little fast and loose with the actual professions of the ninjas. I must admit I had been pondering what a "worship leader" might actually entail.

As far as the hair, The Kid's hair bugs me a lot. The curl in the middle of his forehead is always the same so it must be styled to look that way. When he lost his hat what was the point in jamming back on as soon as he possibly could? It didn't look like it was a receding hairline issue, maybe some kind of security blanket?

[eel21788]

16 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

 It's interesting that both times they've gone to stage 4 the ninja who completed stage 3 last, i.e., the person with the least time to rest between stages, failed. 

The people who run stage 2 and stage 3 go in order of who finished the previous stage the slowest to the fastest. The idea was to let the faster people have more time to rest between those stages. That's why Daniel ran last, and it totally screwed him over because it didn't give him time to rest when it really counted.

I remember one year there was a guy who finished stage 1 with time on the clock but wanted to go first in stage 2, so he let the clock run down before he hit the buzzer.

Since stage 3 isn't a timed event, I wondered what would happen if one of the guys decided to lie down on the mat and take a break between obstacles.

[absnow54]

20 hours ago, eel21788 said:

Maybe I'm the only outlier who isn't happy about him winning. As far as I'm concerned he went out on a Stage I obstacle and letting him do the later stages without any kind of compensation penalty is just wrong. On Amazing Race if you come in last on a non-elimination leg, you face some type of penalty that burns into your race time. The do-over with no consequences corrupted his win, in my opinion. I do think the producers were embarrassed by it, too. When they did the whole montage about his season accomplishments, they conveniently left out the part about him needing a do-over to move on to Stage 2.

I'm not sure how I feel about the safety pass, but it was an earned advantage based on his performance in the qualifying round. The penalty of using it is that he had to run the course a second time. This would have been a huge hit if they did the entire tournament in one day, but since ANW needs their nighttime aesthetic, there was probably a day or two to rest, so not a huge hit, but again he earned the advantage, so I'm not sure why players should be penalized for using it.

[little black cloud]

18 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Am I the only one who hates Daniel Gil's hair?

I hate his hair only slightly less than I hate his scuzzy-looking beard. It looks like someone's pubic area has been grafted right under his chin.

[AZChristian]

5 hours ago, Me from ME said:

 I must admit I had been pondering what a "worship leader" might actually entail.

Most large charges ("mega-churches") have worship teams now instead of choirs.  Members of the worship teams are often referred to as worship leaders . . . mostly for music.  Usually loud.  

[Courtney]

6 hours ago, eel21788 said:

I remember one year there was a guy who finished stage 1 with time on the clock but wanted to go first in stage 2, so he let the clock run down before he hit the buzzer.

I think that was Brian Arnold. He wanted to finish Stage 2 early so he could have a long rest before Stage 3.  Then he wiped out on Stage 2.  I may have experienced some schadenfreude that evening...

I have no objections to Drew winning.  I don't think the editing of his backstory packages did him any favors, really, but I can't argue his credentials or commitment.  It clearly meant a lot to him, and the other ninjas seemed genuinely pleased for him.  Wasn't looking forward to the almost inevitable meltdown if he didn't win.

That said, I am SOOOOOOO not looking forward to the inevitable "Will Drew be the first back to back Ninja Warrior Champion!!!?!?!?!?!?!??" storyline for him next year.  Huzzah for DVRs.

[enoughcats]

1 hour ago, Courtney said:

I am SOOOOOOO not looking forward to the inevitable

The mute button can be your friend, too.  It can join Mr. Fast Forward when you decide that the custom show you'd like isn't happening, but it can happen if you tape and FF and mute at will.

[Rosenrot]

On 9/18/2019 at 2:03 AM, eel21788 said:

Maybe I'm the only outlier who isn't happy about him winning. As far as I'm concerned he went out on a Stage I obstacle and letting him do the later stages without any kind of compensation penalty is just wrong.

Oh, you most definitely are not. I think I said in an earlier thread that as far as I'm concerned, Drew went out on Stage 1 and the rest is cheating, plain and simple. 

(I know it isn't quite that simple. But to me it is, essentially.)

[slaterain]

Yup - FF was my friend through all of this season which is why I was a little surprised by all the Drew-hate. I didn't watch any of the background stories so missed a lot of what must have bothered people. I have generally liked him and am happy he got the title. Daniel on the other hand gives me that creepy cultish christian vibe that always puts me off which I know I am slightly biased against as I think those types of mega churches are shady. I do respect him as a very talented athlete. 

[Fukui San]

7 minutes ago, Rosenrot said:

Oh, you most definitely are not. I think I said in an earlier thread that as far as I'm concerned, Drew went out on Stage 1 and the rest is cheating, plain and simple. 

(I know it isn't quite that simple. But to me it is, essentially.)

It's interesting that without the Safety Passes, Drew is a first round washout and the show ends with Daniel Gill trying, and failing, Stage 4.  That ending is something that's happened a lot in the Japanese version but not something that has happened yet on ANW. I wonder how it'd be received?

[RedbirdNelly]

I'm happy Drew won. I watch this show in a very non-snarky way. I enjoy the positive energy of all the participants supporting each other, and I watch it the same way. I really don't cheer against anybody or strongly want so and so to do better than anyone else.

my favorite for whatever reason is the Kid. Not sure why.

Daniel Gill's hair kind of creeps me out. It reminds me of a cross between Weird Al and that magician who used to do TV specials in the 1970s (Doug somebody?).

I'm always puzzled by things like (a) wouldn't you pull your long hair into a pony tail? and (b) clothes people wear--when it looks like jeans it's just a puzzle to me. I'm no athlete but run 1 mile 3x a week. I wear work out clothes. I can't imagine doing it in jeans, much less trying NW course. To me, I'd want nothing that could possibly slow me down or restrain my movement.

I was surprised that the 30 second part was that hard to beat. I just assumed that if you were going fast, the main issue was beat your opponent. Both of them went really fast ( at least to me) but Drew had less than 3 seconds to spare and Gill didn't make it.

[questionfear]

19 hours ago, eel21788 said:

The people who run stage 2 and stage 3 go in order of who finished the previous stage the slowest to the fastest. The idea was to let the faster people have more time to rest between those stages. That's why Daniel ran last, and it totally screwed him over because it didn't give him time to rest when it really counted.

I remember one year there was a guy who finished stage 1 with time on the clock but wanted to go first in stage 2, so he let the clock run down before he hit the buzzer.

Since stage 3 isn't a timed event, I wondered what would happen if one of the guys decided to lie down on the mat and take a break between obstacles.

Some of the ninjas have done AMAs on Reddit and indicated the producers push very hard for ninjas to take short rests (like 30 seconds). While there's no time limit per se, there is a soft limit on how long you can rest, apparently. There's probably some obscure rule that says no more than 5 min between obstacles or something. 

[Rosenrot]

52 minutes ago, RedbirdNelly said:

(b) clothes people wear--when it looks like jeans it's just a puzzle to me. I'm no athlete but run 1 mile 3x a week. I wear work out clothes. I can't imagine doing it in jeans, much less trying NW course. To me, I'd want nothing that could possibly slow me down or restrain my movement.

I think that may be part of the reason why I have a problem with Drew. His jeans and headphones and occasional jamming to the music just give out the kind of an arrogant "just chilling here, at this course that's totally beneath me, listening to my music while wearing my jeans, just a regular day for Drew" kinda vibe. It's probably not fair - he's just doing his thing and maybe the music really does help him to concentrate (as I think he has said in the past, correct me if I'm wrong). But still, it comes across like that to me. 

Edited September 19, 2019 by Rosenrot

[absnow54]

42 minutes ago, questionfear said:

Some of the ninjas have done AMAs on Reddit and indicated the producers push very hard for ninjas to take short rests (like 30 seconds). While there's no time limit per se, there is a soft limit on how long you can rest, apparently. There's probably some obscure rule that says no more than 5 min between obstacles or something. 

With lactic acid build up, I don't think you want to be idle for too long, or else your muscles will stiffen up. (or something...)

16 minutes ago, Rosenrot said:

It's probably not fair - he's just doing his thing and maybe the music really does help him to concentrate (as I think he has said in the past, correct me if I'm wrong). But still, it comes across like that to me. 

I rolled my eyes at it until he revealed he was listening to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan.

[RedbirdNelly]

1 hour ago, Rosenrot said:

I think that may be part of the reason why I have a problem with Drew. His jeans and headphones and occasional jamming to the music just give out the kind of an arrogant "just chilling here, at this course that's totally beneath me, listening to my music while wearing my jeans, just a regular day for Drew" kinda vibe. It's probably not fair - he's just doing his thing and maybe the music really does help him to concentrate (as I think he has said in the past, correct me if I'm wrong). But still, it comes across like that to me. 

I really don't mind the music or the fact he wears jeans--I'm just puzzled by it. In the Olympics we see people go to great lengths for any edge (think of the rules on what swimsuits the swimmers can wear), and he seems very serious about competing--so I'm just puzzled as to why he wouldn't be wearing really flexible workout wear type stuff. I have the same thoughts about anybody else in jeans.

[Ilovepie]

6 hours ago, Rosenrot said:

His jeans and headphones and occasional jamming to the music just give out the kind of an arrogant "just chilling here, at this course that's totally beneath me, listening to my music while wearing my jeans, just a regular day for Drew" kinda vibe.

I find it kind of amusing that you view his music as being blase'; I view it the opposite way: he's super focused and trying to drown out all the hubbub around him to concentrate on the course, unlike some idiots who spend more time playing to the crowd to their detriment (Island Ninja I'm looking at you!).

I saw his post-win interview with Ellen and she asked about the pants and he just said he's used to it and it feels most comfortable to him. She questioned how comfortable it was in the water on stage 2, and he said it wasn't that big of a deal since there isn't really any actual swimming involved and you aren't in the water for too long.

[ClareWalks]

Drew's apparel and music choices are more about him trying to replicate his training environment. He has this stuff he is comfortable wearing and listening to, and if he can get into that "it's just another workout" mindset, he won't get nervous and make mistakes. It doesn't trouble me at all. The only ninja whose attire really flummoxes me is Lance Pekus with that damn cowboy hat that he always ends up removing anyway.

[saber5055]

I am not a Drew fan, but I'm good with his jean and earbuds. So many people wear expensive exercise gear so they LOOK like they are super athletes. Like skiers in the Midwest will wear expensive designer clothes and skis sporting hoity toity names as they snowplow down the bunny hill. In Colorado, people wear jeans, strap on no-name skis, and rip down the black diamond slopes. At least that’s what I’ve observed.

I see Drew (and Grant) wearing jeans to mean they don't need the mental boost of "my clothes tell you I'm good." Plus it gives Akbar multiple talking points. Remember Isaac running the course in his country-club outfit? Hilarious. But as others have posted, that’s what they are comfortable wearing.

Drew listening to music I also like. He listens to tunes instead of stopping to wave to the crowds or do back flips in between obstacles like so many others do. And for that, I'm grateful.

[ams1001]

29 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I see Drew (and Grant) wearing jeans to mean they don't need the mental boost of "my clothes tell you I'm good." Plus it gives Akbar multiple talking points. Remember Isaac running the course in his country-club outfit? Hilarious. But as others have posted, that’s what they are comfortable wearing.

My favorite was Joel Brady, who ran in khakis, a button-down, tie, and a sweater vest.

[Ilovepie]

I tell you what - I'd rather see jeans and jorts than "Speedo Ninja".......

[Chaos Theory]

Honestly I am not sure how I feel about the safety pass.   On one hand its an earned reward for completely a previous course the fastest on the other hand it is a cheat for what amounts to the finals.    Then again I don't think people would have minded so much if Drew hadn't won the whole thing the first season the safety pass was used.    

Also I think that the final round night of the finals should have the two fastest women of all the winners win for a safety pass.   

Edited September 21, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[suebee12]

On 9/19/2019 at 8:34 AM, Rosenrot said:

Oh, you most definitely are not. I think I said in an earlier thread that as far as I'm concerned, Drew went out on Stage 1 and the rest is cheating, plain and simple. 

What I wonder and I don't think anyone has mentioned it, is would Drew have fallen if he didn't have the safety pass?  He was going for speed and mis-stepped on the tire. If he didn't have the safety pass back-up, I think he would have been more careful on the all of the obstacles like he was in the second run. I like Drew and I think it goes back to when he was in FL selling cars. I lived in FL for years so love anything Gator!

@Ilovepie Thanks for the heads up on the Ellen Show. That was a fun interview and it was great to see him get his million dollar check! Here is the link if others want to watch...it is worth it. Now I know he wears his bandana as his utility belt!🤣

https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/2019/9/17/20870583/american-ninja-warrior-season-11-2019-winner-drew-drechsel-the-ellen-show

[ams1001]

7 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

Now I know he wears his bandana as his utility belt!🤣

Ha! I always wondered how he kept the earbuds from falling out!

[Ilovepie]

@suebee12 Thank you for posting the link! If I wasn’t so technically challenged I would have done it! 😊

[suebee12]

On 9/19/2019 at 10:52 AM, RedbirdNelly said:

-so I'm just puzzled as to why he wouldn't be wearing really flexible workout wear type stuff. I have the same thoughts about anybody else in jeans.

You will know why if you watch the Ellen Show that I linked to above...explains lots of questions that folks have asked.

[eel21788]

9 hours ago, suebee12 said:

What I wonder and I don't think anyone has mentioned it, is would Drew have fallen if he didn't have the safety pass?  He was going for speed and mis-stepped on the tire. If he didn't have the safety pass back-up, I think he would have been more careful on the all of the obstacles like he was in the second run. 

Everyone kept saying he wanted to save his get out of jail free card for Stage 2, so I don't think he ran Stage 1 with the idea in mind that he would get a do-over. He always goes for speed, sometimes very recklessly, because he thinks he's the best, and he doesn't think he can make a mistake.

[eel21788]

On 9/19/2019 at 4:00 PM, saber5055 said:

. In Colorado, people wear jeans, strap on no-name skis, and rip down the black diamond slopes. At least that’s what I’ve observed.

Were you in Aspen or Vail?

On 9/19/2019 at 4:00 PM, saber5055 said:

Drew listening to music I also like. He listens to tunes instead of stopping to wave to the crowds or do back flips in between obstacles like so many others do. And for that, I'm grateful.

He has done plenty of the latter, too.

[saber5055]

On 9/21/2019 at 12:34 PM, suebee12 said:

Now I know he wears his bandana as his utility belt!

Yeah, so he can keep a Sharpie there to sign all those autographs for his fans.

[saber5055]

5 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

Were you in Aspen or Vail?

You mean where all the out-of-state people go with their designer clothes and skis? No. Loveland, Keystone, Copper, Breckenridge.

[eel21788]

1 minute ago, saber5055 said:

You mean where all the out-of-state people go with their designer clothes and skis? No. Loveland, Keystone, Copper, Breckenridge.

There are also locals who go skiing in Aspen and Vail dressed to the nines.

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, eel21788 said:

There are also locals who go skiing in Aspen and Vail dressed to the nines.

Never been to either so I'll take your word for it. Although what skiers wear in Vail has nothing to do with Drew, born in Florida, or any Ninja wearing jeans on the ANW course. My point was, some people don't need the fancy schmancy clothes to help them perform their best or to do what they love. That is what I appreciate.

Edited September 22, 2019 by saber5055

[SophiaD]

Drew used to annoy the heck out me, but I had a change of heart a year or two ago, when he let Jessie Graf have his spot in "USA vs. the World," and she finished Stage Two!  I was really touched when he was so pleased and delighted for her - and he gave all her fans such a great moment to remember.

Other than him winning, though, and Flex and Michelle Warnky finishing a city finals course (yay!), the season was kind of forgettable for me.  Too many new gimmicks - the Power Tower and Akbar's moments - and too many injuries.  Too many stories that bordered on exploitation.  Too many favorite ninjas inexplicably vanishing from the scene (Nicholas Coolridge (remember him?), Abel Gonzalez, Tremayne Dortch).  On the one hand, I think it's great to have a story about someone who suffers from autism and anxiety, if it gives others of like conditions hope... on the other, it almost felt invasive.  

I'm happy for Drew he won and I hope he uses some of those $$$ to take a few parenting classes, because he also came off as somewhat clueless in the video about April's pregnancy.

[suebee12]

22 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Yeah, so he can keep a Sharpie there to sign all those autographs for his fans.

I don't even mind that. I imagine lots of those asking for autographs are kids and if there is not pen around, they would be disappointed! I remember taking my kids to spring training games when they were young and we quickly learned if you didn't carry a sharpie, you missed out. With Drew having one on him, there would not be disappointment which in my opinion is a good thing.

I also liked hearing him explain what music he listens to, and why. I bet he knows how much time has elapsed in each song. It was also fun watching his face when he was given the check...and the fact that he knew Uncle Sam would get his big cut right away!

My grandson finally got to see the Stage One round and he loved the dolphin dive into the water...we had to watch that several times.

[BettyFiona]

I’m really glad Drew won. Although I really wish Flip wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I root for them both since I remember them from their very young days on a show calls Jump City Seattle where they were in competing parkour teams. It was so cool and some other early ninjas were on there as well. 

[Hanahope]

I'm glad Drew won.  He obviously worked very very hard for the competition and I like seeing hard work and dedication get rewarded.

Daniel seems like such a natural talent, he just needs to work a little bit more, especially the fast rope climb and he'll get it.  He's got a good chance for the next year or two (if they don't ramp up the difficulty of stage 2-3 again).  Nice to see we finally got some back story on him, even if it was very unsurprising.  But nice for him that he can be a volunteer and still have the time/money to train.

Stage 3 seemed a tad easier than in the past, but not terribly so.  Only 2 people still got through it, out of 22.  It definitely was nice seeing more people able to take a stab at it though. I hope they don't overcompensate in making stage 2 too difficult again next year.