America Ninja Warrior Season 9 Celebrity Edition
Your Announcers: Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Kristine Leahy, and Jennifer Garner
The Course, In Order: Floating Steps, Cannonball Drops, Flywheel, Block Run, Battering Ram, Warped Wall
Tonight’s charity is Red Nose Day, which Jennifer Garner describes while everyone in the crowd sports their red noses.
Each celebrity has a ninja coach they’ve trained with and will be running the course with. Here are the pairings:
Natalie Morales (Access Hollywood and the Today Show)/Grant McCartney
Stephen Amell (Arrow)/Kacy Catanzaro
Erika Christensen (Parenthood)/Flip Rodriguez
Jeff Dye (Better Later Than Never)/Meagan Martin
Derek Hough (World of Dance)/Daniel Gil
Nick Swisher (Baseball Player)/Drew Drechsel
Nikki Glaser (Comedian)/Jessie Graff
Ashton Eaton (2 time Olympic Gold Medalist)/Kevin Bull
Mena Suvari (American Beauty)/Natalie Duran
For every obstacle completed, $5,000 will be donated to the cause.
- Natalie Morales
With Grant McCartney cheering her on, the TV Host held on to complete Floating Steps.
“The Island Ninja” joined Natalie on the platform to give her some coaching on Cannonball Drop that proved effective as she completed the second obstacle.
Morales tagged in Grant McCartney, who stepped in and completed the Flywheel.
Unfortunately, Natalie fell on Block Run.
Money Raised: $10,000 (It doesn’t look like they are counting the obstacles the Ninjas complete)
- Nikki Glaser
Glaser and Graff both dressed like Wonder Woman. Glaser completed Floating Steps, but fell on Cannonball Drop. She did row her way through Flywheel, which apparently counts.
Money Raised: $10,000
Total for the night: $20,000
- Jeff Dye
The comedian and Meagan Martin spent most of their training session flirting.
Dye celebrated every jump he made on Floating Steps, an obstacle he completed.
Dye took every chance he could to flex as he finished Cannonball Drop.
Then, Jeff tagged in Meagan Martin, who completed the Flywheel for him with a spin at the end.
Jeff then made it past Block Run and entirely skipped Battering Ram before climbing up the wall and hitting the buzzer.
Money Raised: $20,000
Total for the night: $40,000
- Nick Swisher
The baseball player made it through five obstacles, including a trip to the top of the Warped Wall.
Money Raised: $25,000
Total for the night: $65,000
(Of note: these obstacles are easier than the ones the Ninjas run, so don’t get too excited watching all these amateurs complete this course)
- Ericka Christenson
“Mommy Ninja” flew through the first two obstacles. Only Nick Swisher has done Flywheel by himself. And Ericka was no exception to that rule as she tags in her coach, Flip Rodriguez, to complete it.
And Ericka would have fallen on Block Run, but Flip pulled her up from falling into the water.
Ericka did become the first celebrity to try Battering Ram. And she used a unique strategy (climbing the pole instead of the pylons) to get past it.
And with an assist from flip, Ericka made it to the top of the Warped Wall.
Money Raised: $25,000
Total for the night: $90,000
- Derek Hough
Hough and his trainer, Daniel Gil, are the Hair Twins (as a man losing some on the top, these two make me sick).
Hough moved through the first two obstacles easily and became the second celebrity to attempt the Flywheel.
Unfortunately, he fell on the third attempt.
But Hough gives it another try (which you can apparently do tonight).
Hough completed it on the second attempt, and M@M will honor that completion.
Hough became the first celebrity to make it through all six obstacles.
Money Raised: $30,000
Total for the Night: $120,000
- Ashton Eaton
You expect the world’s greatest athlete to have no problems with the course. He didn’t, completing all six obstacles without a do-over.
Money Raised: $30,000
Total for the Night: $150,000
- Mena Suvari
You might remember Mena as the high school cheerleader Kevin Spacey obsessed over in American Beauty.
And her training montage with Natalie Duran emphasized how scared she was to do this. That makes her completion of the first obstacle special.
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Mena right before she completed Cannonball Drop.
Mena skipped Flywheel before running across Block Run. Then, she skipped the Battering Ram and headed straight toward the Warped Wall.
The Ninja coaches come together to build a “Ninja Ladder” so Mena can get up to the top. According to Matt, that’s “people coming together,” and that’s “what Red Nose Day is all about.” Of course, another context, that would be considered “cheating.”
Money Raised: $20,000
Total for the Night: $170,000
- Stephen Amell
Amell already does the Salmon Ladder on Arrow. But last time I checked, that wasn’t a part of this course.
“Arrow” is an athletic guy and moves through the course similar to the way Eaton did.
So the question is after he gets to the top of the Warped Wall, will someone give him a shot at Salmon Ladder?
Well, of course they will. Amell requests one more obstacle. And guess which one it is?
Amell completed the Salmon Ladder and earned the M@M run of the night.
Money Raised: $35,000
Total for the Night: $205,000
Plus an additional $100,000 because everyone was so impressive:
Total for the night: $305,000
Photo Credit: Tyler Golden/NBC | 2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
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