Tonight’s on NBC American Ninja Warrior airs with an all-new Monday, August 31, 2026, season 18 episode 13 and we have your American Ninja Warrior recap below!
In tonights American Ninja Warrior season 18 episode 13 called, “National Finals 4” as per the NBC synopsis, “It’s down to the wire on the last night of the National Finals where only one ninja can be crowned champion. The top four women competitors vie for the title in a new bonus women’s tournament.”
Tonight’s episode looks like it is going to be a great season 18, so be sure to tune in for our coverage of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior at 8 PM – 10 PM ET!
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In tonight’s American Ninja Warrior episode, it was the last night of the National Finals! They finished up the round of thirty-two first. Enzo DeFerrari Wilson vs Aaron Deal was the starting match and it was a close one. Aaron came running out of the gate. Enzo tried to take his time at first before finding his speed on the course.
Unfortunately, that speed came at a cost. Enzo was so busy going fast that he tripped up. He fell on the last obstacle. Aaron could’ve have overtaken his position because he made it to the same obstacle. And that’s when he fell too.
The win went to Enzo for getting there first. The lack of a buzzer on the other hand was sure to bother him. Up next was Kaden Lebsack vs Ben Behrends. One of the Ninja Kidz against a leading ninja.
Kaden has come close to winning it all several times and yet tonight his might was no match for Ben. Kaden made a common mistake on the course. He focused on what his opponent was doing. He was so busy watching him that he failed to sail towards the end like he could’ve. It practically gave Ben the win and Ben became the sole Behrends standing at this point.
Ryan Cooper vs Addy Herman was the next race. The energetic teen had already hit five buzzers in his rookie year. He proved a great challenge for Addy. Addy was the adept experienced one. She’s been locking herself into the Women Championship. They were equally matched right up until Addy lost her momentum.
She went smoother hoping to cement that final spot in the Women’s Championship. It also caused her to go slower. She was taking her time while giving Ryan plenty to realize how to overcome the obstacle and complete it. He hit a buzzer while she fell on the last obstacle.
Addy was sadly out of the running for that championship. Next up was Taylor Greene vs Nathaniel Honvou. Taylor has been on fire this season. She became the top female finisher in the field. She also proved that speed doesn’t always win the lead. Well, tonight she switched it up. She already clinched her spot in the Women’s Championship.
Taylor decided to aim for speed to give Nathaniel a run for his money. He had hit three buzzers his rookie year and he had no intention of slowing down either. He raced out ahead. He got that buzzer. Taylor later fell on the last obstacle so maybe speed its her thing.
Jay Lache Lewis vs Max Feinberg was the next race. They two were evenly matched. Max managed to overcome the Flyboy just last week so this week promised to be good. Jay has made it to Stage 4. He made the climb and just missed out on the prize back then. He wanted to walk away the great ninja. He raced out ahead. He was the first to the obstacle over Max and it might not have count if it hadn’t been for Pizza Party. Jay Lache fell on that obstacle. Max didn’t make it that far to fall so Jay got the win.
Up next was Matt Da’Amico vs Josiah Pippel. There had been a fakeout with this one. Matt got to the obstacles almost at the same time as Josiah. They were neck and neck all the way to Pizza Party. Matt jumped on the obstacle and then jumped off. Maybe he couldn’t do it. Maybe he knew that Josiah deserved the win. Or maybe the judges were right that it was a fakeout. It doesn’t matter because Josiah figured out Pizza Party. He sailed to the buzzer. He also celebrated a birthday tonight.
Luke Beckstrand vs Elijah Browning were soon up. Elijah made a critical mistake in the middle. It gave Luke an easy win because a Beckstrand does love a buzzer and Luke literally tripped on his way to said buzzer. He still became a finisher. Another person who tripped albeit it happened earlier was Max Salebra. Max ran against Luke’s brother Kai. He was never going to defeat Kai. He just had to give it a shot and he tripped. He tripped right into the water. He was disqualified right as Kai sailed to the buzzer much like his brother.
Ryan Cooper vs Nathaniel Honvou were then next. The rookies battled it out for a spot. They were so close that the race seemed unfair to their friendship. They competed against each other until Nathaniel got the upperhand. Nathaniel was proving to be a great ninja. He defeated a legend in the last round. He went on to defeat the unstoppable Ryan Cooper in this one. It turns out Ryan could be stopped. Speaking of which another rookie making waves was Phil Folsom. He was Sam’s brother. And Isabella’s brother-in-law.
Phil went up against the legendary Nacssa Garemore. These two were strong competitors. They were at each other when Sam fell exactly where his brother fell earlier. It was the same piece of the same obstacle. It seemed they needed to add a similar object to the obstacle course in the barn they built. Nacssa sailed through to a next buzzer, but the race right after that one proved to be the most controversial. It was between Enzo DeFerrari Wilson and Ben Behrends. Enzo remained stuck forever at not being able to move past the dreaded Pizza Party. He fell again.
Ben got ahead. He got to the buzzer where he found out he was disqualified because of an error on Pizza Party. He fingers touched the bottom. Which Enzo’s family was the first to point out. They were that petty. The show replayed the tape to see what Ben did and Ben was disqualified in spite of finishing the course. The two guys had been friendly at the start of the race. Who knows if they’ll continue to be after that disqualification. It was soon time for the women to race. Addy Herman managed her way into another race after all.
The first race was between Taylor Greene and Jalessa Himka. Funnily enough, both women fell on the exact same obstacle. Taylor got there first and swept the win for going faster. The next women’s race was between Addy herself and Isabella Folsom. Addy tried to make up time by going faster while her opponent took their time. Steady pace wins the race. Addy ended up falling while Isabella went ahead to add another buzzer to her win. It put her in a great position against last year’s Women Champion, Taylor Greene.
Now this next race was between Kai Beckstrand and Nathaniel Honvou. They were both now known for their speed. Kai going fast was able to quickly win the race and Nathaniel suffered a fall. He fell by trying to move off a daring move. It doesn’t always work only he was young and he had plenty of time to catch up in the future. Enzo DeFerrari Wilson was up against Josiah Pippel. The latter’s timing has been on point all throughout tonight’s episode. Josiah didn’t race ahead though when he could’ve. He took his time because deep down he knew that Enzo was never going to defeat Pizza Party.
It’s taken him out several times. It wasn’t Josiah slowing down for nothing. He took his time and he still went fast enough to have the fastest time so far because Enzo didn’t make it past that one obstacle. It took him down again. Josiah finished it with a buzzer. He still congratulated Enzo for an amazing race, but Enzo didn’t seem to the mood to appreciate it because now everyone knows his one weakness.
Luke Beckstrand vs Jay Lache Lewis was next up. It had a real shocker. Luke fell. His brother was so shocked that he cursed and then checked to see if anyone else noticed. Those watching at home did. Luke’s fall allowed Jay to defeat a Beckstrand. He sailed through to the finishing line where he hit a buzzer. Kai was going to have to race him after that one. However, the next race decided the Women Championship. Taylor Greene vs Isabella Folsom. The race was tight until the last obstacle. Isabella played it safe and that allowed Taylor to become back to back Champion.
Jay drew the short straw when he later had to race Kai. He had to go up against the defending champ. He tried to go fast and it caused him to fall. Kai got the win and the revenge for his little brother. Then came Josiah Pippel’s race against Nacssa Garemore. Nacssa suffered a fall which was completely unlike him. Josiah’s speed came in handy because that buzzer never felt so good. He had needed a minute before the final race of the night.
The final race between Josiah and Kai. Again, there was another shocking fall. This time it had been the defending champ, Kai Beckstrand. They’ve been racing all night so he pushed himself a little more than he should and it resulted in a devastating fall. Josiah Pippel continued on. He got to that buzzer and he became the new ANW Champion.
Congratulations, Josiah!
THE END!