TikTok stars' brutal wipeouts while running ‘American Ninja Warrior’ course

On American Ninja Warrior Monday, the final week of semi finals action took a back seat for a couple tics, so a couple of TikTok stars could try their hand at running the course.

Josh Richards, a 19-year-old Toronto native who has over 30 million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined, was joined by 22-year-old Griffin Johnson from Paris, Illinois, with 14 million combined followers.

Richards was first to go, and although he made it through the first obstacle with relative ease, the Lunatic Ledges were up next and proved too difficult. And after jumping up and swinging a couple times, he lost his grip and fell into the water.

Then it was Johnson’s turn, and let’s just say the former high school baseball player hopefully wasn’t trying to turn his run into a TikTok video, because there may not have been enough time to even press the record button. Johnson was able to safely run across the first five steps, but abruptly crashed body-first into a short slide wall and down into the water.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

JOSH RICHARDS: Yo, what's up, guys. It's Josh Richards. And I just wanted you guys all check me out on "American Ninja Warrior."

- And, now, it's a moment teenage girls around the world have been waiting for. This is Josh Richards, star of TikTok, Instagram, you name it.

KYLIE MAR: On the final night of the "American Ninja Warrior" semifinals, the show took a break from the intense competition to give a couple of social media influencers a chance to run the course, starting 19-year-old Toronto native Josh Richards who has over 30 million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined.

- Here goes Josh, 19 years old, 5 11, 127. All right. Come on. Do it for the light then. OK. Gets through the first obstacle, and he's smiling.

GRIFFIN JOHNSON: Come on, baby. Let's go.

KYLIE MAR: Josh was joined by fellow TikTok star and former roommate Griffin Johnson who put in some work as Josh's cheerleader on the show but not for very long.

- But now it's lunatic legis. And this might be a challenge for someone without much ninja training grew up in Canada playing hockey.

- Oh.

- He splashes down. TikTok, you do stop.

KYLIE MAR: Viewers on Twitter seemed to enjoy watching Josh's short lived run on the course, making comments like, "I wanted to see Josh Richards face plants but that belly flop was pretty great too." And, "I just watched Josh Richards fall on this second obstacle in "American Ninja Warrior" goodbye. And one viewer wondered, "Was the run the length of a TikTok video?" But as Griffin showed on his run, does it even matter if you don't have time to press record.

- The former high school baseball player ran safely through the steps but was out on the slide. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Oh, my goodness!

GRIFFIN JOHNSON: Josh, you did better than me, bro.

[AUDIO LOGO]