American Ninja Warrior, NBC’s obstacle course competition airs tonight with an all Monday June 13, season 8 episode 3 called “Indianapolis Qualifier,” and we’ve got your recap down below! On tonight’s episode contestants take on six obstacles, including the Floating Steps, Fly Wheels and Disk Runner. From Indianapolis.
On the last episode, American Ninja Warrior” traveled to Atlanta, Georgia where competitors tackled six obstacles, including the brand new Floating Steps, Block Run and Pipe Fitter. Did you watch last week’s episode? If you missed it we have a full and detailed recap, right here for you.
On tonight’s episode per the NBC synopsis, “American Ninja Warrior” travels to Indianapolis, Indiana where competitors tackle six obstacles including the brand new Floating Steps, Fly Wheels and Disk Runner. “American Ninja Warrior” veterans Meagan Martin and Brian Arnold, from the famed Colorado rock climbing team “The Wolfpack,” return, while Indianapolis 500 Champion Hélio Castroneves and NASCAR’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. take on the course for the first time.”
Tonight’s episode looks like it is going to be great and you won’t want to miss it, so be sure to tune in for our coverage of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior at 8:00 PM EST! While you wait for our recap hit the comments and let us know how excited you are about the show so far.
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
#AmericanNinjaWarrior tonight is in Indianapolis, Indiana. Akbar and Matt announce that there’s a bit of rain in Indy but the crowd is going wild. Meagan Martin will run tonight and four racers will run tonight including an Indy 500 and NASCAR driver.
There are three new obstacles – the new floating steps. The Rolling Log is back and new this year are the Fly Wheels. Disc Runner is new and it looks crazy. Swinging Spikes are back too. Then there’s the Warped Wall which is 14.5 feet tall.
First up tonight is Brandon Denson, a high school football coach and a really big guy. He’s a diabetic and you can see his insulin pump. He runs the steps and struggles with the dismount but finally makes it. The Rolling Log is next and his feet come loose and he’s in the drink.
Next is the first woman of the night. It’s Natalia Kley-Wisniewska and she’s a kickboxer and gymnast who ran back in Denver but went out on the steps and went down hard. She fell on the steps again – that’s the second time she’s out on a first obstacle.
Turkey farmer Eric Sietsema is up next. He trains on the farm and we see him climbing up silos and obstacles. He struggles on the dismount off the steps then moves on to the log and clears that too. Now he’s on to the new obstacle – the Fly Wheels.
He falls making the transition despite his height. Kristine interviews Danica Patrick and another driver and they talk about being fans of the show. Danica loves Kacy Catanzaro. Indy car driver Josef Newgarden is the first of four race car drivers tonight.
He clears the steps and struggles on the dismount like others tonight. It takes a lot of swinging to clear it. He pulls off his shirt and moves on to the log. He rolls to a good landing. He’s a little dizzy and now faces the Fly Wheels.
He swings but doesn’t make it off the first wheel. It’s a crash and burn. Rookie Michaela Kiersch from Chicago is up next. She’s a champion rock climber who’s placed 5th in the world. Michaela hops the steps then dismounts.
Now it’s the log which she lands perfectly. Now it’s the Fly Wheels. She’s the first to make the second wheel then the third. She lands and completes the obstacle. Now it’s the Disc Runner which is new also. She clears that too but one foot grazes the water and she’s out.
On the break, three Ninjas ran. Megan Bevans fell out on the steps. Dylan Boxer was taken out by the Fly Wheels. Lee Summer, the Swedish Ninja, also fell on the Disc Runner. Next up is the heaviest athlete they’ve had – James Carter.
He’s a social media sensation for his insane workouts – he’s called Strong Like James – and he’s a really big guy. He springs across the steps like a bunny. He lands the first obstacle and moves on to the log. He makes it halfway and is thrown hard but is happy.
Next to run is Kirsti Pratt, aka “The Machine.” We see her doing the salmon ladder in her wedding dress. She beats the steps and takes the log. She lands hard but makes it. Now it’s the Fly Wheels. She clears those and now it’s the Disc Runner.
She’s the first to beat the obstacle! She now on to the Swinging Spikes but falls fast on the 5th obstacle. Three more ran on the break. Wesley Owen Jr went out on the Fly Wheels. Alex Bienz went down on the Warped Wall. Charles Kim was taken down by the Swinging Spikes then proposed to his girlfriend who said yes!
Charles Kim was taken down by the Swinging Spikes then proposed to his girlfriend who said yes! Drew Knapp is up next and we see him talking about his brother Dalton suffering leukemia.
He says his brother was in bad shape when they were kids. Now they train on Warrior obstacles together. That helped his brother get his strength back. He whips through the first three obstacles. Now he’s onto the Disc Runner.
Drew lands that too and now is on to the Swinging Spikes. He clears that too. Now it’s the Warped Wall run. No one has cleared it yet tonight. He makes it up, pops into a handstand and slaps the button.
Next is an older competitor Darron Witherspoon who’s 51. He’s an auto worker from Detroit. He clears the steps and heads for the log. His feet aren’t locked but he manages to make it to the end. Now he’s on to the Fly Wheels. He goes down on the transition to the second.
Now it’s Jake Murray from Denver, Colorado. The fee spirited wedding photographer considers himself a 29-year old child. He makes quick work of the steps and takes a hard hit on the log but clears that too. He moves through the other obstacles, runs the Wall and lands the fastest time of the night.
Matt and Akbar put on headbands as part of their bet with him – the wild child even slapped the button with his foot. Next up Andrew “Roo” Yori who’s a lab tech at the Mayo Clinic but is dedicated to rescuing dogs. He calls himself the K9 Ninja.
He hops the steps, rolls the log then moves to the Fly Wheels. He beats those and now it’s the Disc Runner. No problem there and then it’s on to the Spikes. He works those fast and then makes it up the wall as the third finisher of the night.
NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr will run next. The 28 year old was born to drive and Ninja training is new to him. He says the three Indy car drivers tonight need to check their mirrors because he’s going to lap them. Girlfriend Danica Patrick is there to cheer him.
He slips on one of the steps but recovers. He struggles on the dismount and makes it. Now the log. He goes into the drink when he loses his grip. Akbar calls it a “spin out.” Danica hangs her head and winces as he flies off of it.
Dhani Jones and Kyle Martino from new show Spartan: Ultimate Team talk about their new show and the obstacles that takes a whole team to conquer. Some Ninjas are on the show tonight as it premieres. Next is Fred Throne.
Maggi Thorne, his wife, is on Spartan tonight. He’s a former Husker football player and now coaches a HS team. His wife is a former Ninja Warrior and obstacle race runner. He clears the first two obstacles easily then moves to the Fly Wheels.
Now he’s on the Disc Runner and his wife cheers him on. He lands that and now faces the Spikes. He gets past those and faces the Warped Wall. He falls short on his first run. He almost gets it the second time. The course is a bit wet. He nails it on his third try and slaps the buzzer.
On the break, Zanny Henseler lost her shoe on the log then fell off the Fly Wheel. Tyler Yamauchi ran the wall and the tiny guy slapped the buzzer. He’s the shortest guy to make it up the taller wall. PJ Granger also ran the wall after doing it up right last year too.
Now it’s Zach Gowen, an amputee and professional wrestler who lost his leg to cancer. This is his first Ninja run. He lost his leg with a late stage cancer diagnosis at age eight. He says professional wrestling really helped him find his way.
He signed at 19 to the WWE as the first one legged wrestler. He says the course will be the ultimate achievement. He pulls off his prosthetic leg to do the run. He hops the steps with ease. He lands the dismount after a struggle.
The #OneLegedWarrior has the crowd revved up. Now it’s the log. It’s stunning that he completed the obstacle. WOW. He makes the leap the first Fly Wheel but falls. That was an amazing run and Kacy Catanzaro is crying. He gets a standing ovation.
Next is Michael Stanger. He’s the guy we met last year as a walk-on. He’s the one who went into strength training to be able to care for his wife who has a debilitating and degenerative disease. He found out this year that both his daughters have the same illness as Enedina.
He starts his run as the crowd chants for him. He gets hung up on the steps then moves on. He is on the log and locks in. He almost falls but makes it. He’s dizzy. He does well on the Fly Wheels. He also conquers the Disc but then fell off the side of the course. That takes him out. He goes to hug his kids and wife.
On the break, firefighter Dan Polizzi slapped the buzzer. Fellow firefighter Brandon Mears beat him by five seconds. Then Indy car driver Tony Kanaan went out on the rolling log. Now it’s Helio Castroneves, three time Indy 500 winner and Dancing with the Stars glitter ball winner is up.
He struggles on the steps a little but recovers. Now the log. He loses both his shoes but cleared the obstacle. He slips his shoes back on and heads for the Fly Wheels. He falls on the transition from wheel one to two. His fellow drivers cheer him.
Now it’s time for Meagan Martin’s run and the crowd goes insane for the climbing coach. Beth Martin, her mom, is there cheering and her Wolfpack training crew is also on hand. Meagan clears the steps and mounts the log. She locks in tight.
She lands the log and shakes her head to clear the dizzies. She beats the Fly Wheels with ease. She beats the Disc and moves on. Now it’s the swinging spikes. She makes a beautiful dismount and now faces the Warped Wall.
No woman has made it three years in a row so she’ll set a record. She snags it then loses grip and falls back. She makes it on the second try and slaps the buzzer to set a record and land the POM Wonderful run of the night. That was after hitting her face on the wall.
On the break, rookie Dr John Adams fell on the Spikes. Ian Dory, the youngest member of the Wolfpack slapped the buzzer. Brian Arnold nailed a top time for the Wolfpack. His finish knocked Kirsti Pratt out of the top 20.
Lorin Ball is up as the last run of the night. He’ll try and beat Murray top time. He leaps the steps insanely fast then rolls the log. He’s still recovering from ACL surgery last year. He’s been on every season of American Ninja Warrior.
He zipped through the Discs and is on the spikes going fast. He dismounts and slaps the buzzer with more than a 20 second lead on the fastest time of the night. He almost fell off the course after the Disc Runner but crawled back up.
There were 25 finisher and Meagan Martin was the only woman to finish.
THE END!
