Tonight was the season 10 finale of American Ninja Warrior. Unfortunately, none of the qualifying ninjas were able to complete all four stages of the course. That means that there was no winner.
The final two competitors were Drew Drechsel and Papal Ninja Sean Bryan. Both were able to make it to the third stage of the course before falling.
Historically, only two people have completed all stages of Mt. Midoriyama. Isaac Caldiero was the season 7 winner, and was able to climb the final stage of Mount Midoriyama in 26.14 seconds. Caldiero beat Geoff Britten by just three seconds, and was the victor, walking away with the grand prize of $1 million.
Mount Midoriyama consists of 23 obstacles in total.
Stage 1 tests a contestant’s agility and speed. It must be completed within a certain time limit for a contestant to advance to the next round.
Stage 2 is a test of strength and speed, and mostly targets the upper body. The third stage, meanwhile, doesn’t have a time limit, but is a difficult test of grip strength.
The final stage, commonly referred to as Stage 4, includes a 75-foot rope climb.
Sean Bryan, the Papal Ninja, previously competed as a gymnast for UC Berkeley, where he earned his degree in Physics. He also has his MA in theology.
Asked by Word On Fire if he could tell someone one thing about living the faith and one thing about embracing fitness, what would they be, Bryan said, “If I could tell someone one thing about living the faith and one thing about embracing fitness, I would say the same thing for both: Be courageous in the Lord! Be full of heart, knowing that the Lord can and will accomplish wonderful things through your devotion. If we have low expectations of ourselves, we are essentially doubting the power of God. We need not have particular expectations as to what our Lord will accomplish with us, but if we seek to see through his eyes, and remain faithful, we will marvel at his works!”
And what about Drew Drechsel, who also qualified for stage 3 on Monday evening?
Drechsel is an ANW veteran and one of the most successful foreigners to ever compete on Sasuke. He is also the owner of a gym.
Drechsel made it to Sasuke 27 through tryouts in American Ninja Warrior 3. Asked by American Ninja Warrior Nation what advise he has for any new ninjas trying out the course, he said, “So, to sum it up as easy as I can for any new Ninja is, try to get all of your thinking about the course done before you’re on the course. You don’t want to go out there without a game plan. You need some preparation.”