‘American Ninja Warrior’ Baltimore City Qualifiers: 7 Runs We Loved (VIDEO)
Qualifiers moved to Baltimore in American Ninja Warrior Season 11, and some big names tackled the course and hoped to walk away with not only a ticket to the city finals but also cash from conquering the Mega Wall.
Alas, no one succeeded in accomplishing the latter, so a couple of the more well-known ninjas who almost always hit a qualifying buzzer came short of doing so this year. (Once someone decides to take on the Mega Wall this season, they can’t switch to the regular 14.5-foot Warped Wall.) They’ll still be competing in the city finals.
Still, we were treated to some remarkable runs as the competitors took on the Shrinking Steps, Double Twister, Dangerous Curves, Hazard Cones, and Crank It Up before the Walls.
Check out the highlights from the second to last round of city qualifiers.
Angela Gargano Came Back From an Injury
After she tore her ACL on the course in Season 10, she took on these obstacles with a smile, even as she fell on the fourth. Still, she went far enough fast enough to make it to the city finals as one of the Top 5 women in Baltimore.
Brandon Stenta Did It for His Son
The single father and his son wore matching shirts — “I have a reason” on Brandon’s and “Daddy’s reason” on Brody’s — for the run, and Brandon was the first one to conquer Crank It Up and hit the buzzer in Baltimore. He pointed to his son after he made it up the Wall.
Conor Galvin Had a Good Luck Charm on His Side
With his grandfather on the sidelines, the rookie sped through the course and didn’t take breaks between obstacles, which allowed him to have the fastest time — for most of the night. “I was just having so much fun out there,” he said after.
Joe Moravsky Chose to Go for Revenge Over the Power Tower
He’s qualified for the National Finals every year he’s competed and has been the last ninja standing twice. But last season, he failed to make it up the Mega Wall. He tried to get revenge on it in Baltimore but came up short on all three attempts, ending his perfect streak of hitting a qualifying buzzer.
Allyssa Beird Got Revenge After National Finals Stage 1
One of only two women to conquer Stage 1 in the National Finals, she took time off from training after falling on the first obstacle in Las Vegas in Season 10. But she easily made it past the Shrinking Steps in this season’s qualifiers and though she fell on Crank It Up, she qualified for city finals.
Dave Cavanagh Went From “King of the Walk-Ons” to the “King of Qualifying”
He has competed on six seasons and waited in walk-on lines for 77 days in five cities. But this season, he was invited to compete and he not only sped through the qualifying course, but he also won the Speed Pass after beating Galvin on the Power Tower, meaning he has a ticket to the National Finals.
Najee Richardson Flew Through the Air (and Most of the Course)
He made it to Stage 2 last year and Stage 3 the previous year. And he lived up this name of the Flying Phoenix on this course, especially on the dismount of the Double Twister. While he made it up the Mega Wall last season, he couldn’t do the same in Baltimore.
American Ninja Warrior, Mondays, 8/7c, NBC