Someone (finally!) wins $1 million on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ this season — will it be this Utah teen?
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It’s that time of year again, when people with remarkable upper body strength navigate through a series of increasingly challenging obstacle courses on “American Ninja Warrior” with the hopes of winning a $1 million prize that has only been given out twice in 14 seasons.
If there’s anything “American Ninja Warrior” has proved over the years, it’s that winning the show is no easy feat.
To achieve total victory and claim the $1 million prize, one must successfully navigate the entire four-stage obstacle course of the National Finals — a course that ends with a 75-foot rope climb that has to be completed in 30 seconds.
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Last season, a whopping five competitors made it to the rope climb — up until that point, only five people over the course of 13 seasons had ever made it that far, the Deseret News previously reported. And although all five completed the rope climb, no one was able to do it within 30 seconds, so like most seasons of the show, no one walked away with the $1 million prize. Teenager Kaden Lebsack, who had the fastest time, was awarded a $100,000 prize.
But this season is going to be different. In a dramatic promo, NBC has spilled the beans that for the first time in four years, “American Ninja Warrior” has a champion. Someone completed that rope climb within 30 seconds.
Someone is walking away with the $1 million prize.
Lebsack, a 17-year-old who has been the “Last Ninja Standing” for the past two seasons, is a strong contender for the money. But there’s also 17-year-old Kai Beckstrand from St. George, Utah, who has been the fastest ninja all season long.
“He has been flawless,” one of the announcers said during Beckstrand’s semifinal run.
Will Kai Beckstrand win ‘American Ninja Warrior’?
Beckstrand made his “ANW” debut in Season 13, beating out professional athletes and seasoned veterans of the show to secure the fastest time of all the competitors in the first round (he did it in 1:38.83).
Somehow, he’s come back even faster.
This season, the teenager finished the qualifying course in a little over 54 seconds — more than 20 seconds ahead of the second-fastest time of the night. That time granted him a shot at $10,000 by attempting to run up the 18.5-foot Mega Wall — which he did handily.
Beckstrand also flew through the semifinal course in under a minute — again beating the second-fastest time of the night by more than 20 seconds. The announcers have declared him a favorite to win the show.
The teen started training for “American Ninja Warrior” roughly 10 years ago, when his dad and fellow “ANW” competitor Brian Beckstrand began building obstacles after another son requested an “American Ninja Warrior” themed birthday party, the Deseret News reported. At its peak, the Beckstrands’ backyard had anywhere between 40 and 50 obstacles, but that’s now given way to two gyms the family co-operates in the St. George area dedicated to training for the show.
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A changing format on ‘American Ninja Warrior’
On the surface, the format of “American Ninja Warrior” can seem discouraging — like only two winners in 14 seasons discouraging. But Brian Beckstrand previously told the Deseret News he found it motivating.
“Obviously they don’t want winners every time, because that would water it down and people would look at it and say, ‘Well that’s easy. Someone beats it every year,’” he told the Deseret News during his Season 13 run. “This is motivation — it leaves it for anybody to complete. If even the seasoned veterans that are there every year haven’t done it, then it just leaves room for improvement every time.”
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In the past, competitors have had to complete the first stage of the finals course — and finish it within a specific time frame — to move on to the next stage, but according to the website Reality Blurred, the format of the finals this season has undergone significant changes. Some of the changes reportedly include:
The fastest competitors will move on from stage one to stage two — even if they don’t complete stage one.
Like the semifinals earlier this season, the second stage of the finals will feature competitors going head-to-head, with the winner of each race advancing to stage three — guaranteeing that at least a handful of competitors will make it to the third stage.
And as per usual on “American Ninja Warrior,” competitors who complete stage three get to attempt the final rope climb.
While this changed format makes it a bit easier to reach stage four, competitors still have a 30-second countdown looming over them as they ascend the 75-foot rope. And as the show has illustrated over the years, that’s a lot easier said than done.
But apparently at least one person has done it this season, and whoever it is is walking away with $1 million — and serving up a reminder that winning “American Ninja Warrior” isn’t impossible after all.
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How to watch ‘American Ninja Warrior’ finals
The “American Ninja Warrior” finals begin airing Monday, Aug. 21, on NBC at 7 p.m. MDT. The first stage of the finals is split across two episodes, airing on Aug. 21 and 28.
The finale airs Sept. 11.
