American Ninja Warrior Season 17 Episode 2 Recap: Qualifiers 2

Since its thrilling inception in 2009, NBC’s ‘ANW’ has consistently pushed the boundaries of strength, speed, and skill. Similarly, Season 17 Episode 2 is one to remember. On the second qualifier night, the adventures are more epic than ever, thanks to a legendary collaboration with ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ In this crossover episode, the course has been transformed with Viking-inspired obstacles. Returning to guide us through the matches are the hosts, Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila, while Zuri Hall brings her signature energy to capture all the emotions. The players are not just chasing thrills but also the grand prize of $1 million.

The Night Kicks Off With the Thrilling Return of Iconic Obstacles

Zuri Hall announces a new surprise for the audience: Besides the return of iconic obstacles like #1 Quad Steps and #3 Spin Cycle, three iconic obstacles from the past season have returned. At #2 are the Viking-inspired Fly Wheels, which originally debuted in Season 8 and knocked out 25 competitors. At #3 is Log Runner, which has created some of the sport’s most brutal and dynamic falls. Last but not least, at #5 is the Ferris Wheel. Ninjas must climb the wheel and survive two rattling drops to press the buzzer on the 14½ feet warped wall. If they manage to do so in under a minute, they can grab a shot at the 18-and-a-half-foot mega wall to win $10,000 through Wells Fargo’s Active Credit Card.

With that being said, the first player of the night takes the stage. It is Max Manson from Stanford, California, who is not only a rocket scientist but also a champion pole vaulter and a ninja warrior superfan. He reveals how he began building his own rockets when he was just eight, and now, at Stanford, he is building bigger ones that reach 30,000 feet. Max is a two-time state pole-vaulting champion in high school, a junior Olympic national champion, and an American NCAA champion. He has been a fan of the show since childhood and began building his own obstacles at 14. He had competed in boulder competitions but not in the show since, at that time, the age limit was 21. Once he reached 21, he joined the track team and didn’t get much time for this.

Although Max flows through the first four challenges—despite a small hiccup on Log Runner—he falls into the water on the Ferris Wheel, narrowly missing his chance. Then comes 18-year-old Utah Tech University student Anna McArthur from St. George, Utah, who works at the family RV park. From cleaning the toilets and emptying trash, she has been promoted to customer service. She has been a ninja before and plans to be on top of her game this time. She participated in the finals last season but fell short by a few steps. She has also reached the fifth obstacle multiple times in her career, but failed to pass it. To her dismay, she fails to get past the Ferris wheel again.

Unique Personal Journeys and Costume Tributes Set the Stage For the Course

Just then, the hosts announce that they are counting the best costumes in the show’s history. In number 5 is Reko Rovera, a DJ from Florida who has dressed as a leather and red king warrior for the past 8 seasons. The third player, Arona Spader from Phoenix, Arizona, next takes the stage. Being a stunt woman and a track athlete, she maneuvers through the first obstacle easily, but is vanquished by the Fly Wheels. Next arrives Wes Meador from Louisiana, the night’s heaviest ninja, weighing 225 lbs. Although he floated through the early obstacles, he fell short of balance in all three previous appearances. Although he tries to break his streak, his fall during the Log Runner prevents him from doing so. It is now the turn of Talan Yorn, a teenager from California, who wants to raise awareness of Lyme Disease.

As Talan smoothly passes the first four obstacles, the hosts note that he shows no signs of his condition due to his impressive gameplay. However, the Ferris Wheel seals the deal for him as he falls into the water. The energetic Megan Rove from Denver, Colorado, next takes the stage. She is known as the “axe-throwing ninja” after she fought through her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear in her right knee, which she experienced during her appearance in season 14. After both physical and emotional recovery, she now has a husband whom she married 40 feet in the air during a rock climbing wedding. Megan also has her dog, Lumos, to cheer her through the journey. As she passes through the first four obstacles, it is revealed that she has made it to the top in seasons 13 and 14.

Megan successfully gets past the Ferris Wheel and becomes the first person of the night to press the buzzer at 3:51.03 minutes, leaving her in happy tears since her injury had forced her to the backseat for two years. Following, the actor of ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ finally makes his appearance as he greets the crowd. The next contestant is Nate Hansen, the shortest person of the night at 5’2”. Although he has made the national round thrice, he ends up falling during the Log Runner. It is now the turn of the night’s tallest player at 6’5″, John Mack. Hailing from Utah, the ninja soars through the first two obstacles but gets knocked out by the Log Runner despite his long legs. 34-year-old Derek Nakamoto from California takes the stage next. The Aerospace Manufacturing Engineer appeared in seasons 4 and 6, successfully reaching the finals.

Multiple Veterans Return to Face The Tough Returning Obstacles

It had been 10 years since Derek’s last appearance. Unlike his previous 5-6 hours, 7 days a week training, he cannot train much now because he is a father of two little munchkins. He barely survives a fall on Quad Steps but fails on Log Runner. As Zuri asks him how returning to the game feels, he expresses his gratefulness for another chance. Meanwhile, Matt and Akbar call Mason to the podium to discuss the film and announce the next player. 28-year-old Trent Lintzen from Dallas, Texas, is a self-proclaimed “night ninja” who spends his day on Jousting and swordfighting at night in medieval times. However, his heroic run comes to an end as he falls into the water on the Ferris Wheel. The hosts then announce that the #4 costume in the show is of Costin Becheanu for his renowned Dracula look in season 14.

Following this, Devin Harr, a dentist, takes the stage, but his run is cut short as he fails to get past the Quad Steps. Athlete #12 of the night is Forest Strick, a 29-year-old motivational speaker from Alaska. He has teamed up with Nick Hanson, who is also from Alaska and will be competing later. The latter has been doing motivational speaking since his first year, and together, they work to ensure their message reaches the Alaskan youth. Forest had joined Nick in the past year to visit 4-5 schools and even multiple villages. They set up an obstacle course there, and the former has made one from driftwood. They have taken on the responsibility to be a role model for the youth in their area. However, both Nick and Forest credit each other for their successful initiative, highlighting how it is a “true brotherhood.”

Forest, a former senior airman, begins his ninja run with a blast, stumbles on Log Runner, and falls on the fifth obstacle. Now, two veterans from the past will try to slay the course again. The first player is a 34-year-old game designer from Nevada, Curtis Tran, who last competed 11 years ago. However, his run is cut short by an unanticipated fall on the Fly Wheels. The second veteran is Alan Connealy, whose legacy goes way back to his first competition 14 years ago on season 3, and he has been a top contestant for years. Despite his experience, Alan makes a rookie mistake during Fly Wheels, leading to his fall into the water. Zuri introduces the next old-school contestant, 47-year-old stay-at-home dad David Campbell from Santa Cruz, California. He is the only player to have competed in every season.

The Energetic Atmosphere is Dimmed With an Emotional Tribute

David discloses how he has competed for 16 seasons as a single man but now has a beautiful wife and a handsome son. He reveals how he fantasizes about returning to season 3. Just like that season, they can try obstacles that haven’t been seen in a while in this one. He smoothly sails through all five obstacles and successfully presses the buzzer at 02:16.55 minutes, making it the first one in his 17-year history. Before the break, the hosts announce that they are taking a moment to honor David’s partner, Vincent Pane. He was also invited to compete this season, but unfortunately, he passed away in a climbing accident. Besides being a Chemistry Professor at Stanford, he was an exceptional sculptor, artist, dancer, a fantastic athlete, and above all, an incredible individual.

After an emotional moment, Lorn Ball, another ninja veteran from Colorado, takes the stage. He was a breakdancer in the early years and competed in the show’s first season. The 37-year-old succeeds in getting past all five obstacles and hitting the buzzer at 2:39.24 minutes, making him the night’s fastest one to do so. Another veteran, Donovan Metoyer, breaks the record of being the fastest person of the night to hit the buzzer at 1:06.26 minutes in a suit. He receives a tie clip as a gift for his tenth anniversary on the show. The hosts then announce #3 on costume choice to be Chad Flexington, an agricultural researcher known for his colorful flag outfits in seasons 11 and 13. The next athletes are from Utah’s Myler Family siblings, who are known as Ninja Kids.

The siblings- Bryton, Ashton, Paxton, and Payton’s father owns his own martial arts studio, which marked the beginning of their journey. They are popular on YouTube for their channel Ninja Kidz TV and released their first video in 2017, which hit 1 million likes. Currently, the channel boasts 40 million subscribers. Ashton, the second-oldest, is the first one to take the stage. The 18-year-old influencer, a level-9 gymnast and a full-degree black belt, flies through all the obstacles and presses the buzzer at 01:11.87 minutes. His 16-year-old brother, Paxton, is next up for the ninja run and has a second-degree black belt. He kicks it up a notch, succeeding in pressing the buzzer at 02:37.28 minutes.

Rookies and Veterans Alike Bring the Heat Up on the Course

The rookie, Colt Elder, a chicken farmer from Virginia, flies through the course and hits the buzzer at 01:01.19 minute, making him the fastest one to do so. The next athlete is 35-year-old veteran Nick Hanson, who had last played 10 years ago in season 7. He almost slips through the Log Runner but gets past it, only to fall into the water at the last moment on the Ferris Wheel. As Zuri inquires what happened at last, he explains how he fell due to losing his strength. 19-year-old Kaden Lebsack is a two-time last ninja standing and has completed the most consecutive obstacles. He becomes one of the fastest players to overcome the obstacles and press the buzzer at 1:02.31 minute, but misses the mega wall by 2 seconds. Marques Leonard, a 32-year-old concrete worker from California, fails to get past even the first obstacle.

17-year-old Violet Kepo’o had made it to the semi-finals in the past two seasons but failed to conquer the fifth obstacle. The Utah High School student succeeds this time but fails to reach the top of the 14½ feet Warped Wall. However, rest assured that she has made her way to the semi-finals. Colorado hairstylist Anabella Heinrichs, who is also a scuba diver, is the next to take the stand. She had made it to the national finals last season. This time, she passes all the obstacles and presses the buzzer at 02:34.74 minutes, becoming the night’s second woman to do so. #2 of the costume countdown goes to Charity Le Blanc for her mermaid costume and appearance in seasons 10, 11, and 13. Following this, 20-year-old Xzavian Ochoa from California fails to get past the Ferris Wheel but confirms her position in the semi-finals.

Tyler Rizzo is a 17-year-old ninja superfan who makes his rookie debut of the night. He has won the show’s obstacle design challenge at just 11. In his first shot at the course, he presses the buzzer at 02:48.28 minutes. Sandy Zimmerman is the next on the stage, who is a 9-time ANW veteran and the first and only mom to hit a buzzer. The motivational speaker also wrote her first book, ‘Get Out of the Car.’ Just like two seasons ago, she also falls down during Log Runner this time. 15-year-old Baylee Beckstrand from Utah is a high-school student, and her father was the first in their family to press the buzzer in season 7. Her mother, Holly, debuted three years later, followed by her brother, Kai, in season 13. Her brother, Luke, had hit the buzzer last season. It is now Baylee’s debut, who has been doing hip-hop dancing for five years.

Narrow Slip-ups Pave the Way For Two Triumphant Bandmates

Although Baylee flies through the course easily, at the very last moment in the Ferris Wheel, she falls, losing her grip. However, she returns to greet her family on the sidelines with a guaranteed spot in the semi-finals. Holly then takes her chance but fails to get past the Log Runner. The next two contestants are heavy metal bandmates, the first being a 20-year-old drummer, Jonathan Godbout. The four-time ninja veteran skillfully passes the obstacles to press the buzzer at 01:50.83. His bandmate, the 18-year-old guitarist Evan Lavalle, goes for the fastest time so far in the night by pressing the buzzer in 54.12 seconds. This gives him a chance to take a shot at the Mega Wall, but his trial is in vain. The next athlete is Utah’s light salesman, Colton Skuster, who is also a part of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity.

Colton discloses how he does every activity with his boys, like skiing, golfing, studying, and so on. In a breakout season the previous year, he nearly made it to Stage 2 and almost beat great ninja Daniel in a head-to-head race. With his best friends cheering for him, he takes the opportunity and swiftly glides through the obstacles to reach the top of the 14½ feet Warped Wall and press the buzzer at 52:08 seconds. This makes him the fastest one of the night and gives him an opportunity to win the $10k cash credit card. Although he fails to reach the top of the 18½ feet daunting Mega Wall, he has secured his spot in the semi-finals. In total, four ninjas took their chance at the structure but failed to do so.

Qualifier 2 Concludes With an Inspirational Comeback After Two Years

The hosts finally announce the #1 of the costume countdown, which is Jamie Rahn’s improvised superhero costumes every season. The final athlete of the night is Katie Bone, who was forced to take a backseat due to her injury. The former women’s champion bagged her win three years ago and had her sights set on climbing in the Olympics when a brutal knee injury during practice led her into two-year rehab. In her confessional, she divulges how she had lost her motivation and almost given up because she lost her chance at the Olympics and the first World Cup. Katie has been giving her best for months now, with her friend Megan supporting her every step of the way. With renewed zeal and dedication, she is now ready to run the course despite her pain.

Katie also has diabetes, making her journey more inspirational. With a calm mind and sheer skills, she runs through the obstacles and presses the buzzer at 03:00.81 minutes. This makes her the third woman of the night to press the buzzer. She breaks down in happy tears, expressing how hard her journey had been for the past two years, and this success makes it worth it. In the end, the final 20 to move into the semi-finals are Colton, Evan, Colt, Kaden, Donovan, Ashton, Jonathan, David, Anabella, Paxton, Lorin, Tyler, Katie, Megan, Violet, Xzavian, Talan, Baylee, Trent, and Forest.