ANW: Final Stage One Runs

(Mid-South Top Qualifier Paul Kasemir)

We are back to Mt. Midoriyama for the conclusion of Stage One. So far, eighteen ninjas have advanced to the second stage. Let's get straight to the recaps...

Andrew Karsen: A very likable competitor, this the single father and former Pistons cheerleader (DETROIT!) looked great until the Half Pipe Attack, where a bad approach on the ramp left him slipping into the water.

Luis Moco: The stuntman who lives out of his van is competing for his family. With a knee brace on his left leg, he quickly aggravated his injury but continued to fight through the pain all the way to the Warped Wall, where there was no hope. His fight was inspiring but he was clearly unable to climb the wall, he finally gave into the injury. Note: we learned after the run that he was running with a TORN meniscus. Ouch.

Drew Drechsel: Speaking of injuries, Drechsel has been battling back for the past year since he destroyed his knee in Japan. His remarkable comeback continued with a smooth run through the stage (outside of a slight scare on his dreaded Half Pipe Attack) and a finish with over twenty seconds on the clock.

Jesse La Flair: We learned that during the break, the notable "youtube sensation" failed on the Jumping Spider. A surprise, for sure.

Brandon Douglass: Also during the break, Douglass ran the course but, unlike La Flair, he was able to conquer Stage One and advance to the next one.

David Campbell: As Iseman said, no one comes into the competition with more expectations than Campbell. Not surprisingly, Campbell lives up to the hype through the first part of the course, but a stumble on the first ball of the Spinning Bridge doomed his run and sent him diving into the water. And just like that, the most experience ninja in the competition is out.

Now for the top finisher from each region:

ANW: Mt. Midoriyama Stage One

With all region finals completed, the top 100 (top 15 in 6 regions + 10 wildcard) ninja warriors in the country have convened in Las Vegas to take on Mt. Midoriyama which has been painstakingly relocated from Japan.   There are 8 obstacles in Stage One and a 2 minute, 10 second time limit.

• Step Slider
• Rolling Log
• Giant Swing
• Jumping Spider
• Half Pipe Attack
• Warped Wall
• Spinning Bridge
• Final Climb

With so many competitors trying to conquer Stage One, coverage of the runs was a bit choppy this week. We saw several runs through the course, while learning the fates of others during breaks throughout the episodes...

• Brent Steffensen: As expected, Brent destroyed the course finishing with plenty of time left on the clock
• Stephen Volcko: Perhaps a little caught up in the mental aspect of the course, Volcko made an error on the Jumping Spider as a terrible trampoline jump put him in the water below
• Bull Bullard: The Harlem Globetrotter was able to complete the course but not before time expired. Having just reached the cargo net on the Final Climb, the clock hit zero and his ANW dreams were dashed
• Kole Stephens: Focused throughout his run, 37-year old Stephens finished the course with over 25 seconds still on the clock.
• Jake Smith: Knowing endurance was a problem in the Region Finals, Smith worked tirelessly to try and improve his lasting strength. His hardwork did not pay off as fatigue left him unable to get to the top of the Warped Wall, an obstacle he has completed hundreds of times before.
• Ahmed Toure: Though we did not see his run, Toure put in a good effort as he finished the course in a timely manner.
• Danny Johnson: This lengthy ninja was not profiled this time around, but he turned in a great time, finishing just a second slower than Brent Steffensen.
• Elet Hall: The Maryland outdoorsman came to Las Vegas meaning business as he finished in 1:46.00
• Remi Bakkar: This acrobat quit his Cirque du Soleil job to compete. In perhaps the most stressful run to this point (his wife was shaking with nerves), Remi looked the part of American Ninja Warrior as he finished with just under 20 seconds left on the clock.
• Travis Rosen: The ANW veteran turned in a good time of 1:51.00, setting himself up for a chance to go far this year
• Nathaniel Spencer: The former pro golfer was the first to complete the course, finishing just as time expired with a time of 2:10.00

With some big names still to run (Flip Rodriguez, David Campbell, Tim Schieff) next week, we will surely add to our list of 18 finishers of Stage One.

Who disappointed you in Stage One? Who is your favorite to be the first American Ninja Warrior? Share your comments below.

Masterchef: Top 9 Compete

After eliminating two chefs last week (Tonya and Mike), the competition is narrowed down to the Top 9. To this point, the strongest chefs appear to be Frankie, Becky and (to everyone's surprise) Monti. Let's dive right into the recap of tonight's episode:

Mystery Box Challenge:

• Tonight's challenge is Sea Urchin.
• Tali, when looking at the moving sea urchin says, "It looks beautiful...it kinda represents me right now." What?
• Gordon Ramsay shows the contestants the proper way to kill, cut and empty the sea urchin.
• Sixty minutes on the clock.
• Josh's choice to under perform: David Martinez
• Christine's choice: Monti
• Becky wants to see Monti go home. She "questions her as a Masterchef" and once again mentions that "this isn't best home chef on a budget." Catty.
• After tasting throughout the challenge and judging presentation, the top 3 sea urchin dishes are:
• Felix (second time in top 3)
• Josh (first time in top 3)
• Stacy (second(?) time in top 3)
• The winner of the Sea Urchin Mystery Box Challenge: Felix

Elimination Challenge:

Masterchef: Top 12 Compete

The Round of 12 opens in Venice Beach where the chefs have been dropped off wondering what their next challenge will be. Next thing they know, the three judges roll up in three food trucks, horns blaring.

For the first time, the group will be divided into three teams. Because she won the previous challenge, Stacey gets the advantage of picking all three teams:

Stacey’s team – Tali (chosen surprisingly #1 because he is a team player and weak opponent in the event of a pressure test), Frank, Becky

Second Team – Monti, David, Anna, Tanya

Third Team – Christine, Mike, Josh and Felix.

Next, Stacey gets first choice of the different coloRed food trucks, not knowing what each color will mean. Stacey chooses the Red truck – Mexican cuisine. Monti’s team is given the Yellow truck – American cuisine. Josh’s team is given the third and final Blue truck – Indian cuisine.

Each team must elect a team captain. Obviously, Stacey is her own team’s captain. Josh decides to be captain of his team, as does Anna.

Each team must plan and prepare one $7 dish to serve the impending crowds, with 90 minutes before service.

Right off the bat, David and Monti butt heads with differing ideas on the side for their burger. In the end, David wins out with chips.

For the Blue team, Josh and his team decide to go with a Chicken Tikki Masala (though Michael has no idea what the dish is).

ANW: Southeast Region Finals

In our Final region before we head to Mt. Midoriyama, there is stiff competition for the final 15 spots. With one veteran already gone (Ryan Stratis), the pressure is on for the other veterans to perform to a high level. The course, slightly extended from Qualifying is:

1. Quad Steps
2. Log Grip
3. Bungee Bridge
4. Jump Hang
5. Swing Circles
6. Wall Lift
7. Warped Wall
8. Salmon Ladder
9. Cycle Road
10. Cargo Climb

Let's get right into our Southeast Region Finals recap:

Toshio Sidney-Ando: Half-Japanese, half-Jewish, Toshio grew up in Mexico. He credits his athletic ability to his diverse cultural background. When his cousin was diagnosed with cancer last year, Toshio decided to start living life and his first mission was to compete in ANW. Looking relaxed through the first few obstacles, Toshio continued his smooth run to the top of the Warped Wall. Having never seen the Salmon Ladder before, Toshio's inexperience showed as his lack of timing resulted in a long fall to the water.

Kamerion Wimbley: The highly anticipated run from the NFL Defensive End started as it did yesterday -- quickly. Strong through the jump hang, Wimbley continued his form past the Swing Circle, Wall Lift and up the Warped Wall in his second attempt. A new obstacle for him, Wimbley began to fatigue on the Salmon Ladder but he powered through it (and the Cycle Road!). With only the Cargo Climb between him and the summit, Wimbley slowly made his way up, finishing the course in just under four minutes, thirty seconds. Our first finisher and an amazing run from a behemoth of a ninja!

Masterchef: Top 14 Compete

After a 4am wake up call, the chefs learn that they will be cooking breakfast service for the entire hotel at which they are staying. As mentioned in the previous post, Christine and Josh are team captains with Christine having first pick and an extra perk because of her apple pie victory. The teams, in the order that they were chosen, are:

Team Christine: Felix*, Scott, Tanya, Mike, Stacy, Ryan
Team Josh: Becky, Frank, Anna, Monti*, David, Tali

*chosen by captain as expediter

Christine's extra perk is the opportunity to trade one chef for another. Without hesitation, she gets rid of Ryan for Becky.

Gordon Ramsay makes it clear right away that the key to expediting in the kitchen is communication, and each kitchen is a polar opposite of the other. Monti is screaming out orders (in two languages), pushing dishes out of the kitchen in rapid succession. Meanwhile, Felix is silent, keeping to herself, which is creating confusion in the blue kitchen.. It is clear that this is everyone's first experience in a professional kitchen.

While both kitchens continue to get dishes out, it seems they are being returned just as quickly. Quality is suffering for the sake of quick service. After a dish is returned to the blue kitchen with a hair in it, tension is at an all-time high, but despite a few arguments between Josh and Monti it appears that, in the end, everyone appreciated one another and the blue team turned in an overall great performance in the kitchen.

Over in the red kitchen, they were drowning throughout service at the direction of a silent Felix. The worst moment for the inexperienced expediter came at the end of service when she was still trying to send dishes out after time was called, resulting in a cheating accusation by Gordon Ramsay.

Though the blue team appeared to outperform the red team, it all comes down to customer satisfaction. Surprisingly, with 60% of the votes, the winning team was the red team, meaning the blue team must face an elimination pressure challenge.

As the chefs wait to enter the kitchen, Ryan and Tali are shown talking of their "alliance" (wait...what?) and about how Monti is at blame for the loss.

Once in the pressure challenge kitchen, each judge saves one contestant from the challenge. Their selections: Joe: David; Graham: Frankie; Gordon: Josh, psych...Monti. Well deserved!

This type of pressure challenge is my favorite. Cooking a dessert, the chefs will bring what they feel is their best dish when they feel it is ready with a 60 minute limit. The challenge: Molten Lava Cake. As Gordon says, "when you slice into it, you should be rewarded with a chocolate gooey surprise. Leave it in the oven too long and you have a brownie; pull it out too soon and you have a mess." Let's see what the chefs have to present.

Ryan's test cake, when pulled out collapses in a messy heap. Graham Elliot says "diarrhea on a plate." Precious, little time remains to cook another. Josh also pulls a test cake too early and it, too, falls apart.

Tali is the first chef to present before time runs out. Cooked to perfection, there is a nice gooey center. We will wait to hear how it tastes.

Anna also serves before the time and hers appears to be even better than Tali's.

With two minutes to go, Josh's second cake is ready to serve and when cut into, a beautiful runny center gushes out.

As time expires, Ryan gets his dish to the chefs just in time, however; the cake is a mess, collapsed on the plate. In poor taste, Monti, David and Frankie audibly chuckle on the balcony.

The judges' takes: Josh and Anna both produced a Molten Lava Cake of "pure perfection" according to Ramsay. They nailed the pressure test, and received big compliments from all three judges. The self proclaimed "Dream Team" is left standing in front of the panel in disbelief that one of them will be leaving. Tali's was stable but floury, while Ryan's was tasty but a complete mess. Gordon Ramsay turns the table and asks the chef "who knows he didn't make the better Molten Lava Cake" to turn in his apron. After a moment's hesitation, Ryan the "Flavor Elevator" removes his apron and hands it to Chef Ramsay -- a noble move in the end for a very arrogant chef.

And like that, we're down to 13 chefs. Who will be the next to go? Who impressed you this week? Share your comments below.

ANW: Southeast Region Qualifying Round

To find the final fifteen ninjas who will compete to become the first American Ninja Warrior we head back to FIU's campus in Miami, Florida for the Southeast Region's Qualfying Round. Tonight we will find the top 30 ninjas who will advance to the Region Finals. The course, unique to the region just as we've seen in the previous 5 regions, consists of...

1. Quad Steps
2. Log Grip
3. Bungee Bridge
4. Jump Hang
5. Swing Circles
6. Wall Lift
7. Warped Wall

Some memorable competitors from the Qualifying Round:

Kamerion Wimbley: The second NFL player we’ve seen tryout for ANW in two years, Wimbley is a Defensive End for the Tennessee Titans. His stature gives him a big disadvantage on the course – but someone forgot to tell Kamerion that. He cruised through the first part of the course, becoming the first athlete to get past the Swing Circles. And then on his first attempt, the BIG man got up the Warped Wall. This will be a fun one to watch in the Regional Finals. Note: His day job did not define him in his competitor profile as he was shown with his wife and kids, looking the part of all-around family man.

Christian “C.J.” Koegel: For all the Real World fans out there, this is the aspiring NFL punter from the Cancun cast. Though he looked the part through the first two obstacles, a terrible tramp bounce left the cargo net just out of reach.

Ryan Stratis: This Mt. Midoriyama veteran is a heavy favorite and one of Jonny’s picks.  Having just been promoted to Captain in the Georgia National Guard, Stratis approaches the course with a military attitude – focused and cautious. Unfortunately, he stumbled on the obstacle he’s never seen as one of this feet slipped through the Bungee Bridge and hit the ground for a disqualification.

Drew Drechsel: A devastating knee injury at Mt. Midoriyama last year left him off his leg for over three months. Unbelievably, he was able to get through rehab stronger than before the injury. One of Jonny Moseley’s favorites (for good reason), Drew was clinical through each obstacle and blew through the course in just over a minute.