‘American Ninja Warrior’ Baltimore City Finals: 7 Runs to Watch (VIDEO)
The Spider Trap does still exist on American Ninja Warrior, but it would be understandable if you forgot about it.
The back half of the course has become so difficult that no one even made it to the 10th obstacle in the Seattle/Tacoma City Finals or Baltimore City Finals. And no one even made it past the eighth obstacle in Baltimore. In fact, 22 competitors tried it and fell.
The ninjas faced the same first six obstacles from qualifiers: Shrinking Steps, Double Twister, Dangerous Curves, Hazard Cones, Crank it Up, and the Warped Wall. Then came the back half. The Salmon Ladder, present at every city finals, was no problem. But Angry Birds proved to be so challenging — no one could make the blind transfer — that we didn’t even see anyone attempt Cane Lane or the final climb to the buzzer.
Check out the highlights below from the second to last city finals.
Mike Silenzi & His Four Horsemen
(William Gray/NBC)
Known as “The Stallion,” he had four ninjas cheering him on on “horses” on the sideline. Though he, too, fell at the halfway point like most of the competitors on the night, he came close to successfully making the transfer.
Julius Ferguson’s Homage to Drew Drechsel
(NBC)
The Real Life Ninja is his friend and training partner — and was yelling at him to go fast on the course from the sidelines. Ferguson did (which was why he qualified for Las Vegas), though he took a moment to pay homage to Drechsel’s Warped Wall flip from Season 7.
Joe Moravsky Made Two Difficult Obstacles Look Easy
Baltimore continued to be a thorn in Moravsky’s side; he missed the Mega Wall in qualifying and failed to hit a buzzer. While he fell on the blind transfer on Angry Birds, he made an impressive backwards jump on Dangerous Curves and only needed two moves on the first handles of Crank It Up.
Lucas Reale’s Training Paid Off
Fellow ninja Dave Cavanagh took him under his wing, and that paid off for Reale. He had the fourth fastest time in qualifying and was quick and efficient on the course, also only needing two moves on the first handles of the fifth obstacle. In fact, he faced off against his mentor on the Power Tower (and lost).
Allyssa Beird Is One Step Closer to Redemption
Beird fell on the first obstacle of Stage 1 in Season 10, but she’s going back to the National Finals. She was the second woman ever to make it past Crank It Up and even attempted Angry Birds, but couldn’t figure out the blind transfer.
Not Even the Phoenix Could Conquer Angry Birds
Najee Richardson was able to fly past the seven obstacles that came before it and just missed the Power Tower. He was especially impressive and efficient on Crank It Up and did the Salmon Ladder in reverse, but even he couldn’t solve the eighth obstacle.
Dave Cavanagh Became the King of Baltimore
Cavanagh had the Speed Pass from the city qualifiers, so he was able to run the course with one goal: the safety pass. And the (former) King of the Walk-Ons accomplished his goal, making it to Angry Birds with the fastest time (though he also fell). He also beat Reale on the Power Tower and earned the Safety Pass.
American Ninja Warrior, Mondays, 8/7c, NBC
American Ninja Warrior where to stream
