Tonight’s on NBC American Ninja Warrior airs with an all-new Monday, July 27, 2026, season 18 episode 8 and we have your American Ninja Warrior recap below!
In tonights American Ninja Warrior season 18 episode 7 called, “Central Regional Qualifying 2” as per the NBC synopsis, “A new group of ninjas from the central region hits the course as the qualifying rounds come to a close in Las Vegas.”
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! 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!
In tonight’s American Ninja Warrior episode, the Central Qualifying continues on tonight’s episode of ANW. The course was rearranged like always. There was the Shrinking Steps, Greased Lighting, Domino Effect, Tilt-A-Whirl, the Cubes, and the Warped Wall. Finishing the course in a minute and ten seconds would give a competitor a chance at the Mega. It’s a guaranteed ten grand now rather than later. Up first to test the course was Brendan Kelly. He was a professional boxer. He first competed on ANW nine years ago and wasn’t afraid to display some showmanship.
Brendan’s confidence had him saying he was one of the best in the game. Yet, time didn’t prove that claim. Brendan was out on the second obstacle. He couldn’t handle Greased Lightning and to be fair it has taken out some legendary ninjas before. Brendan’s run was then followed by Jonathan Bange. Jonathan had an amazing season that had him go all the way to Stage 3 and then it was followed by a season that had him out on the first obstacle. He pushed too hard to live up to that first season that he cursed himself.
Jonathan was a gym owner. His ninja kids were brutal after his fall. It meant he still had a lot to live up to on tonight’s episode and unfortunately he kept pushing too hard. He was out on Tilt-A-Whirl. There’s still a chance he might advance but it wasn’t that high because it was the fourth obstacle. Now, it would’ve been a different story if it had been the fifth obstacle. Most of the ninjas that fall there still have a chance and case in point was the next ninja after the commercial break. Michael Vasilveich was a stage performer.
Michael pulled off an amazing twirl at the start only he too seemed surprised by how far he made it. He got all the way to the Cubes when he fell on the last piece and he has great odds of advancing. Maggie Owen had her run after him. She was trained by Jesse “Flex” LaBreck. She was still a college student and already her future looks bright. This experienced ninja has been rock climbing to get stronger. It helped with her grip strength. She had her own curse. She’s never made it past the fifth obstacle. And tonight was different.
Maggie broke her curse. She made it past the fifth obstacle. She got to the Warped Wall and that’s where she ran into her first setback. She was on the shorter side for the Wall. It took her all three tries before she finally got up there. She hit her first buzzer and it also happened to be the first buzzer of the night. Congratulations, Maggie! The same goes to Nathan Greene who became the second finisher during the commercial break. They were followed by Julian Browning. He was the younger brother of Elijah “The Boss” Browning.
Julian was ready to compete. He couldn’t wait to beat his brother. Only his timing on the second obstacle was off. He didn’t let go when he had the momentum and he was really tall. He was well over six feet. He missed the golden opportunity. He fell and that was it for his run tonight. He was then followed by another younger brother of a fellow ninja. It was Hayes Dyer. He was the younger brother of Owen Dyer. Owen was out this season because of an injury so Hayes was running for the both of them.
It was really sweet in seasons past when Owen would bring his brother up on the stand to hit the buzzer with him. Nowadays, Hayes was hitting buzzers for himself. He had a little trouble with the Tilt-A-Whirl before he corrected himself and sailed through the rest of the course. He hit his first official buzzer tonight. He was the third finisher. His brother was so proud of him that he cried on the sidelines. He knew that the legacy will continue with Hayes. Aydon Holley was next up and this rookie was a familiar face.
He was a TikTok star. He began five years ago where he went viral and he’s been making content ever since. He was even filming on the course. He made it all the way to the Cubes before he fell. Not too bad for a rookie either. He was followed by Michelle Warnky Burma. She was one of the all-time greats. It still didn’t stop her from getting out on Greased Lightning. That obstacle has many victims to its name this season. They were in turn followed by KK Andrews who had her run once the show came back from commercial.
KK was another high school student. She was a rookie without an older siblings experienced in the ninja world. She also happened to have been a pole volter and she won a medal the first time she tried that so she figured she’d tried ANW. It turns out she was incredibly athletic. She easily moved past the obstacle until she got her first buzzer of her newfound ninja career. She was then followed by Jess Wombles. Unfortunately, Jess was out on the second obstacle and the legendary Jamie Rahn was next.
Jamie was known as Captain NBC. He’s been on ANW for the past sixteen seasons. He was a phenomenal athlete and sadly his goodbye didn’t end on a positive note. He fell on Tilt-A-Whirl. The odds of him advancing were low. It was such a disappointing fall that it even had his toddler crying. Next up was Spencer Johnson. He first competed back in season nine when he returned last season. He started a Change Course program with ninja gym to help people who were homeless as well as those that were formerly incarcerated.
His gym was cheering him on via video. He had no trouble with the course. The benefits of owning his own ninja gym was on full display tonight. He hit a buzzer and he cemented himself as a ninja. Elijah Browning then had his run. He proves he was a speed demon only sometimes taking your time serves you better. Elijah was in such a rush that he didn’t fully turn one of the cubes around in the Cubes. It made his hand slip. He fell on the fifth obstacle. This plus his speed should serve him well.
Next up was another legend. The legendary Big Cat returned to the course. Karsten Williams was tall and muscular. Two things that could help in most sports just not this sport. He still managed to hit plenty of buzzers and he did so again tonight. He hit a buzzer after easily tackling the course. He proved that a ninja comes in all shapes and sizes. The Big Cat was followed by Jay “Lache” Lewis. He was Akbar’s pick for the fastest time. He raced through that course tonight. He went on to take the fastest time. There was just one thing left.
Jay needed to go after the Mega. He was on the shorter side. It worked against him again tonight and so he just missed out on the extra ten grand. Meagan Martin was up next. She’s been out of the game for the past five years. She has a toddler now. He saw an old episode of her. He kept saying “mama” when he saw her on it. It gave Meagan the push she needed to make a comeback. Meagan took her time with the course. Her toddler may have kept her in shape, but her hands got tired eventually. She made it all the way to the Warped Wall when she just ran out of energy.
She used up all three tries. She didn’t make it up there for a buzzer. The highlight was that she did get a kiss from her son. Sam Folsom was up next. Sam was Matt’s pick for fastest of the night. He honored that bet well because he was barely on the course. The one obstacle that took up most of his time was the Cubes. It lasted a full ten seconds more than the other ones. He finished with the fastest time. Matt now has three wins. And Sam just missed out on the Mega.
No one took home the Mega tonight.
THE END!