American Ninja Warrior Season 11: Cincinnati City Finals Summary

Hey, American Ninja Warrior fans, are you ready for that? If anyone had a bad taste in the mouth after the Seattle / Tacoma and Baltimore City finals, well, it was an effective way to flush it. Cincinnati is presented ready to rock our worlds. We do not think we have ever shed so many tears of joy in one episode. From the first to the last race, it was time to celebrate.

The story was made when, not one, but TWO, the women touched the buzzer. The pure joy of the episode is contagious. This is the last step before the national finals and there are so many things that make us smile when we look to the future.

In numbers:

• Course completed: 7 (yes please and thank you)
• Ninjas out by the new obstacle, Slam Dunk: 4
• Ninjas left by the obstacle back, Slingshot: 6

The lesson:

• The narrowed steps
• Swing ring
• Rotating bridge
• Nuts
• Slingshot
• Distorted wall
• Salmon ladder
• Slam Dunk
• Spinball Assistant
• Spider trap
• Power Tower for Safety Pass

The strong points:

• Philip Scott had the emotions and tears flowing early in the night. Philip, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, said he had been the victim of multiple panic attacks before his run. He called the producers to tell them that he could not do it. It was only an hour before the show started that he decided not to miss this opportunity.

Thank God for Philip's strength! He started things with a stellar race deep in the back half of the course. Philip showed a perfect shape on the salmon ladder and gave us our first look at the new Slam Dunk obstacle. A bullet fell into the water behind Philip, but he did not need it, eliminating the obstacle and heading for the Spinball Wizard. He fell early on the ninth hurdle and this placed him in the national finals.

In his interview, Philip is crying. Zuri cried. We cried. We are 100% Phil.

• Jeri D'Aurelio is a lawyer at JAG Corp. He spent the last year in an air assault school and worked in a war zone in Afghanistan. There are not a lot of Ninja gyms in these areas, so Jeri trained his best. On the course, Jeri beat the Slingshot who took her in qualifying. We were so nervous when she needed all three attempts at the Warped Wall, to finally move into the back half. Everyone smiled as Jeri made his way across the salmon ladder and seemed happy to see his progress on Slam Dunk. She fell there, but it was such a beautiful race!

• Cameron Nave recently lost his father to cancer. He wore a kilt to represent his Scottish origins. His race is over on the Wingnuts.
• Phillip Hucke and his epic beard fell on the Slingshot.
• Christopher Gabayan barely survived the Spinning Bridge and officially left the Slingshot.
• Brandon Mears is one of the members of the training team, the power tricks. He is also daddy of little Ashton and the new little girl, Joelle. During qualifying, Brandon fell on the Slingshot. This time, he totally controlled the obstacle. He took things slowly and firmly on the salmon ladder. Remaining precise, he completed Slam Dunk. Brandon dug deep and pioneered a path through the Spinball Assistant. Faced with the trap of spiders, so close to his first buzzer City Finals, he had to be creative. Brandon slid his wide frame into the chute and made the best progress he could. He slipped several times on the walls, scaring us into bejeezus. Brandon broke down when he touched the ring and took an important step in his ninja career. Emotions are deep tonight!

• The breakfast lady, Amanda O'Dell, was on the Ring Swing.
• Alpine climber Eddie Russel was encouraged by his grandmother when he went to the Wingnuts.
• Ninja Speedo Mike Wright reached the national finals last season. He will miss this year after falling on the Slingshot.
• Sem Garay, 19, is a professional wrestler from the Chicago area. It is mildly manicured during the day and Sem Sei at night. Matt Iseman loved having the chance to release his impressions of Hulk Hogan. Sem had a lot of extra movement during the Ring Swing, but he made a safe exit. After a steady performance on the front end of the course, Sem was missing for his second transfer to Slam Dunk.

• Michelle Warnky has a year. In qualifying, she finished the course with a dramatic injury over her eyes. For City Finals, she did the story. Prior to her race, Michelle said she was faced with major medical decisions when she discovered she had the BRCA2 mutation, which put her at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

We wanted Michelle so much with this race and everything went well. She worked briefly on the front end of the course and dived into the last obstacles. It was just beginning to make the impression that something was about to happen. Michelle had never crossed the eighth hurdle before and Slam Dunk was no problem. Our anxiety was on high alert as she headed towards the Spinball magician. Michelle is launched there, jumping even the last set of handles to crash at the base of the Spider Trap. She locked herself in a position and we knew it was going to happen. She was about to end the drought. Michelle has reached the buzzer, the first time since season six that a woman finishes the course of the City Finals.

Everyone in the audience was overwhelmed by emotions. Allyssa Beird was crying on the side. We could not help but shed some more tears. Michelle deserved that.

• After Mike Bernardo shared his health issues this year, he completed the qualifying course. Unfortunately, he will not go to Vegas after a fall of the Wingnuts.
• Reese Pankratz, 19, was on the Salmon ladder ladder.
• Grant McCartney danced on the starting line alongside Bootsy Collins. Grant has missed the national finals in the last two seasons. Last year, it was because he took too much time on the course and he came in 16th place for the night when the first 15 moved. He knew that concentration was the key this time. At the top of the Warped Wall, there were no dancing moves or playing with Matt and Akbar. Grant kept him moving. The salmon ladder seemed to be trying for him. On Slam Dunk, Grant missed one of the handles of the last ball and hit the water. Although he has definitely toned down the antics, he would once again need to wait and see if he was safe.

• Derrek Pavoni was on the Spinning Bridge.
• Dan Polizzi, the other half of the towers of power, had a great race. Although it seemed that he could slip on the spider trap, he touched the ring. It's the first season that the two members of the Towers of Power will be heading together to Vegas! At that time, Dan and Brandon also had the two best times of the night.
• Michael Torres introduced us to his adorable workout companion, Hershey the Yorkie! This is a happy puppy! Michael had to absorb some of this endless energy as he tore the course. He reached the Warped Wall in less than a minute. Michael cut Slam Dunk and finished the Spinball Assistant in a blink of an eye. He was in rhythm for the fastest time and for his first city finale ring. Michael tore the spider trap to claim the ringtone!

• Dustin Rocho took a four-year break at Ninja Warrior before his comeback. This time, he went to Slam Dunk.
• Chris DiGangi hit the buzzer City Finals for the first time in seven years! The moment made his fiance, Jesse Labreck, moved while he looked at her on the sidelines.
• Jackson Twait signed Cincinnati's second fastest qualifying time and a trip to the Power Tower. Remember, he likes his cat a lot. He was out after trying to save a fall from the Spinning Bridge. He was about to do it, but his foot hit the water.

• Exterminator Tyler Smith made a backup of one hand on the Spinball Wizard. When this happened again, he broke loose in the water.
• Jamie Ross is out on the Wingnuts.
• Pastor David Womelsdorf came across the fifth hurdle three times before. He did only four when he came out on the slingshot.
• We joined Ethan Swanson because he was on the Slingshot. He had the fastest qualifying time and got the fast pass on the Power Tower, which means he's already safe in Vegas. Ethan took the time to flap his wings with the crowd and continued pacing the course. After quickly climbing the salmon ladder, he had no problem with Slam Dunk and it was the same story with the Spinball Wizard. Ethan had a minute to clear the Spider Trap of the best time, which he did easily. The Chicago area was well represented, Ethan becoming the fifth Ninja in this region to hit the ring.

• Grant McCartney was in a delicate position. He was in 11th position with a few remaining riders. When Jesse Wildman and Jonathan Cooley both fell on the Slingshot, Grant could finally expire. He was safe to return to the national finals.
• The last run of the night belonged to Jesse Labreck and she owned it. After Michelle Warnky headed for the buzzer, all eyes were on Jesse. Could she hit the ringtone too? She was twisted on the Ring Swing, but then made a clean sprint through the Spinning Bridge. With all her experience, we knew that she had the skills to do it. But it was still difficult not to be nervous. When Jesse crossed the salmon ladder, Jeri D'Aurelio was fired from Vegas. She faced Slam Dunk with perfect form and control. The Spinball Assistant hesitated a bit at first, but Jesse threw herself to the front and skipped the last set of handles. That was the tenth obstacle! All the witnesses lost their mind while Jesse finished the climb. Stepping through the doors, she made her way to her own final City Finals.

Jesse is the guest of the week in the American podcast Ninja Warrior. She talks about that night in Cincinnati and explains how she trained the next generation of Ninjas.

• All we can say is WHAT A NIGHT.

The electric tower:

• Ethan Swanson vs. Michael Torres

After all this action, the Power Tower was still waiting for us! This time it's Ethan Swanson and Michael Torres, who train together all the time. Ethan had been to the Power Tower once before, which might have given him an advantage.

However, once they're gone, Michael gave Ethan a run for his money. They were neck and neck the whole race. At the very end, it seemed like Ethan was going back to the buzzer first. When he hesitated half a moment, Michael passed him and grabbed the Safety Pass.

Security Pass Winner: Michael Torres

We will not forget …

By the time we realized that Michelle Warnky was going to reach the buzzer. We are still hoping. We always want the best. Then there is that, "Oh wow. I think it'll happen, "moment. For us, it's when Michelle reached the Spinball Wizard. She looked so relaxed and confident. Not windy, not stressed. She was ready for that. To be honest, me (Nikki, publisher) was so scared that I "jinxed" Michelle with my hopes, that I turn my back on the ground until I know that she started the Spider Trap. It was a beautiful moment.

We did not see that coming …

All these buzzers for the first time in City Finals! Michelle, Jesse, Brandon, Michael, Dan (correct us if we are wrong). And those buzzers did not go to the recruits. They went to make the veterans who had worked so hard for this moment. Bravo!

Shout at …

Cincinnati in general for bringing us back to a dark place in Ninja Warrior. Holy Moly. If anyone felt depressed after the struggles of Tacoma and Baltimore, it was a hell of a good start. We are moving towards the national finals on a very high note.

Next episode:

• Monday, August 26th. National final evening, first stage, 8/7 c on NBC