American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs Ninja –Â Season 1: Episode 11 Recap
(If you just want to see who won what round, the points, and obstacle list, check out our Stats & Database about the episode)
Live from Los Angeles, California with four matchups tonight!!!
Here’s the format for the wildcard round:
-For each matchup, everyone runs head to head.
-The first team to win 3 races will be victorious
-If neither team can get to three races after everybody’s run, relays races will decide the winner.
-No next round matchup here: the winner of each matchup will advance to the playoffs.
Tonight’s Course: Sonic Swing, Tic Toc, Ring Swing, Floating Tiles, Bungee Pipeline, Warped Wall
Matchup 1: Team Wolfpack (Dan Yager, Jeri D’Auriello, Ian Dory) vs Hazard Brigade (Mike Needham, Grace Sims, Mike Bernardo)
Race One: Dan Yager (Team Wolfpack) vs Mike Needham (Hazard Brigade)
Yager got off to a hot start.
But Needham quickly closed.
Yager missed a ring on Ring Swing, allowing Needham to build a lead.
But on Bungee Pipeline, Yager used his size to overpower Needham and force him into the water.
Yager hit the buzzer and gave his team the early lead with a come-from-behind win.
Team Wolfpack 1 Hazard Brigade 0
Race Two: Jeri D’Auriello (Team Wolfpack) vs Grace Sims (Hazard Brigade)
Sims had a slight lead early.
But D’Auriello passed the shorter Sims on Ring Swing.
D’Auriello never let up from there, and Sims fell on Bungee Pipeline.
D’Auriello climbed the Wall, hit the buzzer, and put her team one win away from advancing.
Team Wolfpack 2 Hazard Brigade 0
Race Three: Ian Dory (Team Wolfpack) vs Mike Bernardo (Hazard Brigade)
Dory and Bernardo stayed even during Ring Swing.
But Dory’s fast pace forced Bernardo to press, and he fell (though not all the way in) on the Floating Tiles.
Bernardo pressed again, and he fell on Bungee Pipeline (and did fall all the way in), giving Dory the win and sending the Wolfpack on to the playoffs.
Team Wolfpack wins 3-0!!!
Matchup 2: Beasts from the East (James McGrath, Erica Cook, Dave Cavanagh) vs Wisco Warriors (Drew Knapp, Christine Ahn, Andrew Philibeck)
Race One: James McGrath (Beasts from the East) vs Drew Knapp (Wisco Warriors)
The Beast grabbed the early lead.
That lead only grew as the two men entered the Floating Tiles.
And another competitor fell (seems to be a lot of that tonight) as Knapp fell on Floating Tiles, giving McGrath the win.
Beasts from the East 1 Wisco Warriors 0
Race Two: Erica Cook (Beasts from the East) vs Christine Ahn (Wisco Warriors)
Ahn was a fill-in for the injured Sara Heesen. She had a lead before falling on Floating Tiles.
Cook completed Floating Tiles and gave the Beasts a 2-0 lead.
Beasts from the East 2 Wisco Warriors 0
Race Three: Dave Cavanagh (Beasts from the East) vs Andrew Philibeck (Wisco Warriors)
Philibeck had a great first round, but he was in a battle here as Cavanagh had a slight lead going into Floating Tiles.
Both men were really pressing, and both men fell on the Tiles.
But Philibeck kept hit feet up, completed the obstacle, and kept his team alive.
Beasts from the East 2 Wisco Warriors 1
Relay Race:
The ladies start first with Cook taking an early lead after Ahn slipped.
Philibeck tried to press to get his team back into it, but he missed a ring on Ring Toss.
And McGrath did not let up, moving flawlessly to the buzzer and sending the Beasts on to the playoffs.
Beasts from the East win 3-1!!!
Matchup 3: Hashtag Ninjas (Nicholas Coolridge, Larissa Cottle, Jesse LaFlair) vs Big Dog Ninjas (Jody Avila, Brandi Monteverde, Josh Salinas)
Race 1: Nicholas Coolridge (Hashtag Ninjas) vs Jody Avila (Big Dog Ninjas)
Coolridge jumped out to an early lead despite a good start from Avila.
Coolridge’s lead grew as Avila’s feet touched water on Floating Tiles.
Coolridge would never falter from there, hitting the buzzer and giving his team the early lead.
Hashtag Ninjas 1 Big Dog Ninjas 0
Race 2: Larissa Cottle (Hashtag Ninjas) vs Brandi Monteverde (Big Dog Ninjas)
Cottle took the early lead and built a lot of separation going into Ring Swing.
Monteverde got stuck on Ring Swing.
Cottle nearly opened the door for Monteverde after getting her shoes wet on Floating Tiles.
But Monteverde fell all the way in, giving Cottle the victory.
Hashtag Ninjas 2 Big Dog Ninjas 0
Race 3: Jesse LaFlair (Hashtag Ninjas) vs Josh Salinas (Big Dog Ninjas)
Salinas came out fast and took the early lead.
He was keeping up a frantic pace through Floating Tiles, but Salinas fell on the Bungee Pipeline.
LaFlair took his time the rest of the way out, completed the fifth obstacle, and sent the hashtag ninjas on to the playoffs.
Hashtag Ninjas win 3-0!!!!
Matchup 4: Three Wishes (Thomas Stillings, Brittany Hanks, Geoff Lancaster) vs The Ballers (Lorin Ball, Paul Kasemir, Meiling Huang)
Race 1: Geoff Lancaster (Three Wishes) vs Paul Kasemir (The Ballers)
Lancaster is an injury replacement for Brian Burkhardt, and he took the early lead here.
The two men bumped on Ring Swing, but Lancaster kept a slight lead.
He maintained that lead all the way to the Warped Wall, but he just missed grabbing the top of it.
Kasemir passed him at hit the buzzer, giving the Ballers an early advantage.
The Ballers 1 Three Wishes 0
Race 2: Brittany Hanks (Three Wishes) vs Meiling Huang (The Ballers)
Huang grabbed the lead she wouldn’t relinquish at Ring Swing.
Hanks hurried to catch-up, but she fell-in at Floating Tiles.
The Ballers 2 Three Wishes 0
Race 3: Thomas Stillings (Three Wishes) vs Lorin Ball (The Ballers)
A fantastic match-up here!!!
You expect speed from these two, and that is exactly what we got to start.
Stillings raced to the lead on Ring Swing.
It looked like Stillings would coast up the Warped Wall, but Ball nearly ran him down from behind.
Stillings did hit the buzzer first with the night’s fastest time, keeping his team alive.
The Ballers 2 Three Wishes 1
Relay Race:
Huang tagged Ball slightly ahead of Hanks.
Ball grew the lead for his team on Ring Swing.
And Kasemir made no mistake on the last two obstacles, sending the Ballers onto the Playoffs.
The Ballers win 3-1.
The playoffs start next week!!! See you then.
Photo Credit: USA Network
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