American Ninja Warrior JR Kids Season 1 2019 Episode 14
Here’s a breakdown of the format:
-Ninjas will compete in three divisions: 9-10 years old, 11-12 years old, and 13-14 years old. They will compete in head to head races.
The qualifying rounds feature four ninjas per division. They will start in a seeding round, with the two fastest ninjas from that round taking on the two slowest ninjas in the knockout round.
The winners of the two knockout rounds move on to the final showdown, where the winner will move on to the semifinals.
-The winner of each division at the end of the season receives a $15,000 prize.
Also, Laurie Hernandez will be joining Matt and Akbar as co-host this season.
9-10 Year Old Division (Ninja Mentor: Drew Dreschel)
The course: Sonic Swing, Tic Toc, I-Beam, Floating Tiles, Spin Cycle, 13 Foot Warped Wall (with two hand holds)
Seeding Round: Jason McNeil vs Bella Palmer
Bella loves creating and inventing (including creating her own ninja obstacles), while Jason has been doing gymnastics since he was 4.
Bella raced out to the early lead.
Jason nearly slipped on the cargo net on obstacle 2.
Jason made up some ground on Floating Tiles, and hesitation by Bella before the Warped Wall nearly allowed Jason to catch up.
But Bella held on and hit the buzzer first.
Seeding Round: Vaughn Stevens vs Madisen Asmus
We’ve got the “Rhino Ninja” (Vaughn) vs the “Unicorn Ninja” (Madisen). Madisen is a writer whose nickname is inspired by her sister, who has Alopecia.
The two were tight after two obstacles.
But Madisen fell on the Tic Toc, giving Vaughn the win.
During the break…
Knockout Round: Bella Palmer vs Madisen Asmus
Bella made her way through the course again and advanced to the Final Showdown.
Knockout Round: Vaughn Stevens vs Jason McNeil
Vaughn works to save Rhinos, an endangered species.
Jason had a slight lead early.
Vaughn stayed close behind, but he fell on the final bar on I-Beam.
Jason made it up the Warped Wall again, setting up a Final Showdown rematch.
11-12 Year old Division (Ninja Mentor: Natalie Duran)
The course: Sonic Swing, Tic Toc, Ring Toss, Floating Tiles, Fly Wheels, 13 foot Warped Wall (one hand hold)
Seeding Round: Addy Herman vs Ben Behrends
Ben helps his parents care for the foster kids they’ve taken in the last two years, while Addy runs a 5K in 23 minutes (23 minutes??? That’s insane).
The two were tight going into the Ring Toss, but Ben pulled ahead on the third obstacle.
However, Addy passed Ben after he hesitated before Fly Wheels.
Ben retook the lead going into the Warped Wall, but another slight hesitation by Ben allowed Addy to pass him again.
Addy made it up the Wall on her first try and took the win.
During the break…
Seeding Round: Sophie Stuart vs Mica Zumann
Sophie hit the buzzer and took home the win after Mica got stuck on Ring Toss.
Knockout Round: Addy Herman vs Mica Zumann
Addy is a gymnast who sees ninja as another way to challenge herself, while Mica is a musician who plays four instruments.
Addy took a big lead early.
Mica lost ground on Tic Toc, and fell again on the Ring Toss.
Addy hit her 2nd buzzer and moved on to the Final Showdown.
Knockout Round: Sophie Stuart vs Ben Behrends
Sophie is a former high level performing gymnast who does Crossfit now.
Sophie started out with a nice lead, but she got stuck on the Ring Toss.
Ben’s lead grew, setting himself up for the Warped Wall.
This time, he made it up on the first try and moved on to the Final Showdown.
13-14 year old Division (Ninja Mentor: Meagan Martin)
The course: Archer Steps, Tic Toc, Floating Tiles, Devil Steps, Flying Shelf Grab, 13 foot Warped Wall (no hand holds)
Seeding Round: Sophie Shaft vs Celena Vanhaezebrouck
Celena has been to the Junior Olympics twice and can throw a javelin 70 feet, while Sophie can back squat 180 pounds.
The two were even, but Sophie took a clear lead on Devil Steps.
Celena caught up and passed with a one swing dismount on Shelf Grab.
Sophie missed the Warped Wall on the first attempt, and Celena hit the buzzer, clinching the win.
Seeding Round: Nolan Ward vs Kacie Teruya
Kacie is a surfer and wrestler, while Nolan is an advanced skier.
Kacie hesitated on her start, while Nolan kept a great pace.
The lead only grew as Kacie struggled with Devil Steps.
Nolan missed his first attempt on the Warped Wall, allowing Kacie to catch up a little.
But Nolan made it on his 2nd attempt, hitting the buzzer and taking the win.
During the Break…
Knockout Round: Celena Vanhaezebrouck vs Kacie Teruya
Celena hit her 2nd buzzer and advanced to the Final Showdown.
Knockout Round: Nolan Ward vs Sophie Shaft
Ninja training has helped Nolan deal with Aspergers. His coach is ninja athlete Karsten Williams
Sophie raced out to the early lead.
That lead grew on Devil Steps.
Nolan nearly caught up, but he fell on the last shelf on Shelf Grab.
Sophie hit the buzzer and sets up another Final Showdown rematch.
That’s right: three rematches for the Final Showdown!!!
9-10 year old Final Showdown: Bella Palmer vs Jason McNeil
The two were even going into the third obstacle.
But Bella’s foot slipped on Tic Toc, allowing Jason to advance to the Semifinals.
11-12 year old Final Showdown: Addy Herman vs Ben Behrends
The two were even before Ben took a slight lead going into the Ring Toss.
Addy took her first lead after the 3rd obstacle.
Ben retook the lead going into the Warped Wall.
But just like their first matchup, Ben missed on his first attempt up the Warped Wall.
Addy didn’t as she hit the buzzer and advanced to the Semifinals.
13-14 year old Final Showdown: Celena Vanhaezebrouck vs Sophie Shaft
This race started very similar to the first with Sophie looking strong on the Devil Steps and taking the lead after the 3rd obstacle.
But also just like the first race, Celena caught up passed Sophie on the Flying Shelf Grab.
Her lead was small, so it was anyone’s race going into the Warped Wall.
Both ninjas missed the top on the first two attempts.
But it was Celena who made it up on her third attempt at hit the buzzer, advancing to the Semifinals.
Your Semifinalists:
9-10 year old division: Jason McNeil
11-12 year old division: Addy Herman
13-14 year old division: Celena Vanhaezebrouck
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