Tonight on NBC their obstacle course competition American Ninja Warrior returns with an all-new Monday, July 16, 2018, episode and we have your American Ninja Warrior recap below! On tonight’s “Los Angeles City Finals,” season 10 episode 7 as per the NBC synopsis, “The Los Angeles City Finals feature the top 30 competitors from the qualifying round. Obstacles include “Baton Pass” and “Spider Trap.””
Tonight’s episode looks like it is going to be a great season 10 episode 7, so be sure to tune in for our coverage of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior at 9 PM – 11 PM ET! While you wait for our American Ninja Warrior recap make sure to check out all our American Ninja Warrior news, spoilers, recaps & more!
Tonight’s American Ninja Warrior recap begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
“American Ninja Warrior” returned to Los Angeles for the City Finals on tonight’s all-new episode and with a much longer obstacle course.
The obstacle course tonight began with the Archer Steps, then the Jumper Cables, the Spinning Bridge, the Flying Shelf Grab, the Doorknob Drop, the Warped Wall, the Salmon Ladder, the Giant Cubes, the Baton Pass, and the last obstacle Spider Trap. It will be the Spider Trap that determines who makes it to Las Vegas for the Nationals and as luck would have its both new and harder than anything the ninjas have faced before, so who was it that went first? It was actually newbie Joe Mardovich. He was running the course for his late father who had always supported him in all that he did and so he had a t-shirt with his dad name on it. Joe had fallen on the last obstacle during the City Qualifiers and he was hoping that he could end tonight with finally completing his run. And, well, that hadn’t happened.
Joe had made it past the Doorknob Drop which was where he fell last time and so it was a personal triumph when he defeated that obstacle. Joe made it past the Warped Wall and had made it all the way to the Giant Cubes when he fell. To be fair, that was the same obstacle that knocked out a lot of people last year and so it was the obstacle to beat tonight. The next ninja had been Jesse Orenshein. He too had fallen on the Doorknob Drop during the City Qualifiers and, this time around, he made it past that obstacle as well. Jesse had been looking good until he got to the Giant Cubes when this rookie lost his footing and fell into the water. That was the end of his run and so the next ninja to run the course was Verdale Benson.
Verdale had also been a newbie to the show, but he was also a little more equipped. He was an army veteran and had been awarded the Bronze Star for his courageous acts during the war. Verdale works as a Physician Assistant now and was also a new father. He dedicated his run tonight to his newborn son and sadly his run ended rather abruptly on the Spinning Bridge. The next three ninjas had their run during the commercial break and neither of them had made it very far, so the next ninja to look like they could take on this course was Zhanique Lovett. She came out of nowhere last year and since then she’s become a crowd favorite. This time, she had her family waiting on the sidelines as she made her run with perhaps the fastest starting time.
Zhanique had fallen on the Doorknob Drop during the City Qualifiers and she fell at the same place tonight. She hadn’t been able to grasp the last doorknob and will need her timing to see if she could make it the next round. The next ninja to make their run tonight was Kevin Bull. He had become a role model for people with alopecia and his fans were out tonight to cheer him as he made his run. Kevin had fallen on the Doorknob Drop and this time he managed to hold on. He made it up the Warped Wall and became the first of the night to make it past the Giant Cubes. Kevin was just speeding through the obstacles and was even having some fun with it while he was at it. He became the first to reach the Spider Trap and ultimately became the first person to hit the buzzer.
The next ninja of the night was Anna Shumaker. She was a former gymnast and had actually begun her athletic career at four-years-old but then that career came to an end and Anna said she felt the void. She started practicing for American Ninja Warrior as a way of getting back into the gym and since then she’s gained a name for herself. Anna was the first woman tonight to make it past the Doorknob Drop and had made as far as the Giant Cube when she had trouble with transferring to the last cube. She had tried doing a spilt to help facilitate things and unfortunately, it hadn’t worked because her legs hadn’t been long enough though her timing makes her practically a shoo-in for Nationals.
The ninja to test this new course was Derek Miyamoto. He was a ninja ambassador nowadays by running obstacle courses in various countries however he’s never made it to a buzzer on the American version, so his run tonight was noteworthy. He made it past the Doorknob Drop and made it up his first warped wall ever. Derek then made it to the Spider Trap where he used his back to open the trap doors and eventually became the second person tonight to hit the buzzer. The next ninja to hit that buzzer would be Josh Levin who as an avid rock climber and Olympic hopeful had no problem with making it past the Spider Trap as well. Only they were a few people during the commercial break that wasn’t as lucky and so a few were eliminated before long. And before you knew it was Davyon Donald’s.
Dayvon the paramedic that had surprised everyone when he had a great showing during the City Qualifiers. He had fallen back then on the Doorknob Drop and had known what to do to make sure he didn’t fall of it this time. Things were looking good for him when he made it past the Glass Cubes and so everyone wanted him to be able to continue on yet his arms had tired out by the time he made it to the Baton Pass. He had been too tired to hold onto the batons and eventually fell into the water. Dayvon’s timing hadn’t been that great and so he’ll have to rely on how far he had made it in the competition to see if he was going to the Nationals. The next ninja to have his run was Grant McCartney. McCartney had a crushing defeat last year when he fell on the Salmon Ladder during the 2017 City Finals.
Grant McCartney otherwise known as the Island Ninja had wanted to be able to make it past the Salmon Ladder this time but first thing first he had to make it past the Doorknob Drop. He had swung too widely off of it during the City Qualifier and because his foot had touched the water it had been enough to end his run, so he took his revenge out on quite a few obstacles. Grant had no problem with the Doorknob Drop and had been very careful when he was dismounting. So with that one down, he next went after the Warped Wall and took on the Salmon Ladder. He struggled that and had even struggled with the Giant Cubes because he was losing momentum. Grant was getting tired out and so it wasn’t surprising when he fell on the Baton Pass. And since his timing was actually longer than others, it might not be enough to get him into Nationals.
The next ninja happened to be Brian Rambo. He had been a newbie during the City Finals and had taken everyone by surprise when he managed to hit the buzzer. Therefore, it shouldn’t anyone when he became the fourth finisher of the night and even the commentators were saying they couldn’t wait to see Rambo Part III at Nationals. He had been fun to watch and so had been the next ninja’s run. Tiana Webberley was known as “Sweet T” and one of the things she was known for was never made past the fifth obstacle. It was like she was cursed because she always fell on the fifth obstacle and so if there was a cure it was broken tonight when she made it past the Doorknob Drop. It was the first she ever made it to the Warped Wall and it turns out she had no problem with making up that as well.
Neither the Salmon Ladder or the Giant Cubes were a problem either. No, her problem was the Baton Pass because her arms started to get tired and she ended up falling on the ninth obstacle. It was the farthest she had ever made and so tonight was a personal triumph. The next ninja of the night was Spencer Clapp. He had been another surprising newbie and had made it as far as the Spider Trap when he fell before he could reach the top. The ninja that followed him was veteran Adam Rayl and he became the next person to hit a buzzer. He was followed by Flip Rodriguez who also went on to hit the buzzer. And so each new finisher, the Island ninja was pushed further and further down the line of qualifiers.
Grant had to watch his position slide even as David Campbell hit the buzzer for the first time since Season 6 and Nicholas Coolridge finished with the fastest time (at that time, anyway). So it all came down to the last ninja of the night. Sean Bryan was known as the Papal Ninja and if he fell on the Giant Cubes then Grant’s position was safe. Grant watched Sean flew through the obstacles and ultimately moved past the Giant Cubes and hit the buzzer with the fastest time by a simple second. It was a disappointing end to Grant’s dreams and was a great way to end the night for Sean Bryan. He was a three-year veteran and had come out the gate as one of the strongest competitors this season.
THE END!
