The eighth season of American Ninja Warrior premiered on June 1, 2016, on NBC. Hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila returned for their respective seventh and fourth seasons, alongside sideline reporter Kristine Leahy who returned for her second season. The grand prize stayed even with season 7, at $1,000,000. In addition, 28 new obstacles were created for this season, and there were 40% more female applicants over last season.[1]
The Los Angeles Qualifying round featured four new or modified obstacles and concluded with 17 finishers. Both Jessie Graff and Natalie Duran made it to the Warped Wall, and Jessie got a buzzer while Natalie failed in the qualifying round. In addition, the Facebook video showcasing Graff's qualifying run was viewed more than 50 million times leading up to the Finals round. Kevin Bull earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" with the fastest time (2:02.81). Additionally, actor Brennan Mejia, the Red Power Ranger from Power Rangers Dino Super Charge, failed on the second obstacle again.[7][8]
Obstacles used during Los Angeles Qualifying are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the City Finals are listed below.
The Los Angeles Finals round featured one new obstacle, The Wedge, as well as three modified obstacles from city qualifying. The round concluded with one finisher, the lowest number of any final to date unless the chance of a non-completed course. Rock climber and engineering student Josh Levin, who was a rookie, earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" and the only finish, with a time of 8:21.30. Jessie Graff came in second place, breaking her own record for the highest finish by a woman in a city competition.[9][10]
Obstacles used during the Los Angeles Finals are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the Vegas Finals are listed below.
The Atlanta Qualifying round featured three new or modified obstacles and concluded with 27 finishers. Gym owner Drew Drechsel earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" with the fastest time (1:19.44).[11]
Obstacles used during Atlanta Qualifying are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the City Finals are listed below.
The Atlanta Finals round featured one new obstacle, The Clacker, as well as two modified obstacles from city qualifying. The round concluded with four finishers. Stock trader and ANW veteran Travis Rosen, earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" with a time of 6:52.17, coming in third place. Roommates James McGrath and Drew Drechsel competed for the fastest time of the night when they came in first and second place, with times of 5:01.62 (McGrath) and 5:05.26 (Drechsel). After competing since the premiere season in 2009, parkour trainer and original ANW veteran Brett Sims made it to his first Vegas final with a time of 7:36.45, ending up in 4th place. During Drew Drechsel's run, Lucas Gomes was "on the bubble" in 15th Place, meaning if Drew got past the 8th obstacle, he would be eliminated in 16th place. He ended up in 16th, behind Todd Bourgeois. Someone got injured before Las Vegas so he did get in the top 15.[12]
Obstacles used during the Atlanta Finals are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the Vegas Finals are listed below.
Lucas Gomes was brought back as a wildcard and an injury replacement for Tyler Martin.
Indianapolis
Qualifying
The Indianapolis Qualifying round featured four new or modified obstacles and concluded with 25 finishers. Rock Climbing coach Meagan Martin was the only woman to advance to the city finals, earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" with a time of 6:30.08. She became the first woman to scale the warped wall three years in a row. The Indianapolis round also featured IndyCar drivers Hélio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, and Josef Newgarden as well as NASCAR driver and 2-time Xfinity Series champ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and one-legged wrestler Zach Gowen. However, none ended up moving on to the Indianapolis city finals.[13] This was the first time ever that the course was built in a curve.
Obstacles used during Indianapolis Qualifying are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the City Finals are listed below.
The Indianapolis Finals round featured one new obstacle, Circuit Board, and three modified obstacles from the qualifying round. The round concluded with four finishers. Wedding photographer Jake Murray earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" with a time of 6:34.68, coming in second place. The fastest time of the night went to maintenance technician Adam Arnold, with a first place time of 5:40.42. Even though she failed on the Circuit Board obstacle, rock climbing coach Meagan Martin became the second woman to make it to the Las Vegas finals with a time of 7:31.83, finishing in 8th place. This was Meagan's first time on a back half of a Finals course and first time qualifying for the National Finals in Las Vegas.[14]
Obstacles used during the Indianapolis Finals are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the Vegas Finals are listed below.
The Oklahoma City Qualifying round featured three new or modified obstacles and concluded with 15 finishers. Even though personal trainer Artis Thompson III didn't advance to the city finals, he earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" for making it to the end of the fourth obstacle, the Tire Swing with a prosthetic leg. The Oklahoma City qualifying round also featured Kacy Catanzaro, Brent Steffensen, Sam Sann, Daniel Gil and Lance Pekus. Two of them ended up moving on to the Oklahoma City finals. However, Kacy Catanzaro failed on only the third obstacle, the Log Runner. Despite this, she was once again wild-carded to the Las Vegas finals.
Pekus and Sann failed on the Log Runner and the Tire Swing, respectively. Additionally, basketball player, Flip White Jr. from the Harlem Globetrotters, made an appearance.
Obstacles used during Oklahoma City Qualifying are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the City Finals are listed below.
Rank
Finalist
Outcome
Obstacle/Time
1
Thomas Stillings
Completed
1:43.51
2
Daniel Gil
Completed
1:44.17
3
David Campbell
Completed
1:47.20
4
Kyle Mendoza
Completed
2:23.82
5
Cass Clawson
Completed
2:31.40
6
Brian Beckstrand
Completed
2:35.96
7
Geoff Lancaster
Completed
2:39.58
8
Thomas Doweidt
Completed
2:43.76
9
Nate Burkhalter
Completed
2:48.61
10
James Wyatt
Completed
2:54.15
11
An Ly
Completed
2:58.10
12
Karsten Williams
Completed
3:08.18
13
Jon Stewart
Completed
3:18.67
14
Tremayne Dortch
Completed
3:27.71
15
Andrew Lowes
Completed
3:47.09
16
Hamidulah Khazi
Failed
Warped Wall (3:11.05)
17
Jessell Boseman
Failed
Bar Hop (1:09.17)
18
Diron Jones
Failed
Bar Hop (1:12.50)
19
Andrew Potter
Failed
Bar Hop (1:33.15)
20
Jared Brady
Failed
Bar Hop (1:43.84)
21
Mitch VeDepo
Failed
Bar Hop (1:51.64)
22
Brent Steffensen
Failed
Bar Hop (1:59.49)
23
Reid Pletcher
Failed
Bar Hop (2:18.85)
24
Chris Moore
Failed
Bar Hop (2:22.10)
25
Brian Doom
Failed
Bar Hop (2:48.83)
26
Brian Burkhardt
Failed
Tire Swing (0:34.34)
27
Clayton Wolf
Failed
Tire Swing (0:35.31)
28
Sudul Diahkah
Failed
Tire Swing (0:50.70)
29
Grant Clinton
Failed
Tire Swing (0:51.53)
30
Alexander Moran
Failed
Tire Swing (0:53.01)
Finals
The Oklahoma City Finals round featured one new obstacle, Window Hang, and two modified obstacles from the qualifying round. The round concluded with two finishers. Bank manager Grant Clinton who suffered a stroke just 6 months ago earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" with a time of 5:57.43, coming in second place. The fastest time of the night went to ninja trainer Daniel Gil, with a first place time of 5:14.27. Also, 54-year-old construction manager Jon Stewart edged out veteran "The Godfather" David Campbell, who had advanced to Mount Midoryama in all seven previous seasons. Even though Stewart failed on the Window Hang, he earned a spot in the Las Vegas finals with a time of 3:41.71, ending up in 5th place.
Obstacles used during the Oklahoma City Finals are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the Vegas Finals are listed below.
The Philadelphia Qualifying round featured two new or modified obstacles and concluded with 9 finishers. High school track coach and ANW rookie Anthony DeFranco earned the "POM Wonderful Run of the Night" with the fastest time (1:44.37). Michelle Warnky, Jesse Labreck, Rachael Goldstein and Allyssa Beird, who finished 17th, 28th, 29th and 30th respectively, all moved on to the city finals - the first time four women made it into the a city qualifier Top 30 in ANW history. Other competitors also included Geoff Britten, who continued his streak of hitting every course buzzer, as well as veterans Joe Moravsky, Ryan Stratis, and Jamie Rahn, who all moved on to the city finals.[15]
Obstacles used during Philadelphia Qualifying are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the City Finals are listed below.
The Philadelphia Finals featured one new obstacle, the Stair Hopper and one modified obstacle from the qualifying round. Weatherman Joe Moravsky and gym owner Chris Wilczewski made it the farthest by nearly completing the Invisible Ladder; for the first time in ANW history, the city finals had no finishers, making it the hardest course in the series’ history. Caregiver Jesse "Flex" Labreck earned the POM Wonderful Run of the Night, becoming only the 3rd woman in Season 8 to advance to the Las Vegas finals and the 5th woman ever to scale the Warped Wall in ANW regular competition.
Obstacles used during the Philadelphia Finals are listed below.
Competitors who advanced to the Vegas Finals are listed below.
Rank
Finalist
Outcome
Obstacle/Time
1
Chris Wilczewski
Failed
Invisible Ladder (3:33.53)
2
Joe Moravsky
Failed
Invisible Ladder (4:02.73)
3
Jon Alexis Jr.
Failed
Stair Hopper (2:56.69)
4
Jamie Rahn
Failed
Stair Hopper (3:40.06)
5
Mike Bernardo
Failed
Stair Hopper (3:41.50)
6
Najee Richardson
Failed
Stair Hopper (3:54.70)
7
Michael Torres
Failed
Stair Hopper (3:56.24)
8
Geoff Britten
Failed
Stair Hopper (4:29.69)
9
Ryan Stratis
Failed
Stair Hopper (5:07.01)
10
Jesse Labreck
Failed
Stair Hopper (6:48.87) (POM Wonderful Run of the Night)
11
Anthony DeFranco
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (3:28.31)
12
Nick Kostreski
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (4:11.65)
13
Brandon Pannell
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (4:31.09)
14
Richard Shoemaker
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (4:47.21)
15
Carl Fantauzzo
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (5:33.27)
City Qualifying Leaderboard
Order #
Competitor
Outcome
Obstacle/Result
1
Drew Drechsel
Completed
1:19.54
2
Caleb Watson
Completed
1:29.98
3
Neil Craver
Completed
1:30.40
4
Lorin Ball
Completed
1:36.44
5
Thomas Stillings
Completed
1:43.51
6
Daniel Gil
Completed
1:44.17
7
Anthony DeFranco
Completed
1:44.37
8
James McGrath
Completed
1:45.96
9
David Campbell
Completed
1:47.20
10
Jon Alexis Jr.
Completed
1:51.08
11
Jake Murray
Completed
2:00.13
12
Joe Moravsky
Completed
2:00.29
13
Adam Arnold
Completed
2:00.36
14
Kevin Bull
Completed
2:02.81
15
Tyler Martin
Completed
2:08.15
16
Dan Yager
Completed
2:11.90
17
Chris Boehm
Completed
2:12.01
18
Brian Arnold
Completed
2:18.15
19
Brett Sims
Completed
2:22.21
20
Flip Rodriguez
Completed
2:23.12
21
Kyle Mendoza
Completed
2:23.82
22
Chris Workman
Completed
2:24.45
23
Justin Maina
Completed
2:26.12
24
Michael Torres
Completed
2:27.96
25
Mack Roesch
Completed
2:29.93
26
Sean Bryan
Completed
2:30.11
27
Kenneth Niemitalo
Completed
2:30.84
28
Cass Clawson
Completed
2:31.40
29
Nicholas Coolridge
Completed
2:33.37
30
Travis Rosen
Completed
2:34.03
31
Brian Beckstrand
Completed
2:35.96
32
Casey Suchocki
Completed
2:37.15
33
Geoff Lancaster
Completed
2:39.58
34
Thomas Doweidt
Completed
2:43.76
35
Ian Dory
Completed
2:46.55
36
Nate Burkhalter
Completed
2:48.61
37
Todd Bourgeois
Completed
2:50.25
38
James Wyatt
Completed
2:54.15
39
Najee Richardson
Completed
2:54.33
40
Brandon Mears
Completed
2:55.01
41
Jamie Rahn
Completed
2:57.66
42
Reko Rivera
Completed
2:57.81
43
An Ly
Completed
2:58.10
44
Danny Adair
Completed
2:58.87
45
Dan Polizzi
Completed
3:00.78
46
Eric Middleton
Completed
3:01.80
47
Jonathan Ruiz
Completed
3:04.08
48
Karsten Williams
Completed
3:08.18
49
Gabe Hurtado
Completed
3:08.70
50
Yuri Force
Completed
3:09.89
51
Theodore "TC" Tronquet
Completed
3:12.47
52
Ethan Swanson
Completed
3:13.58
53
Jo Jo Bynum
Completed
3:14.81
54
Jon Stewart
Completed
3:18.67
55
Dan Banura
Completed
3:20.56
56
Tyler Yamauchi
Completed
3:21.70
57
Shawn Richardson
Completed
3:22.56
58
Drew Knapp
Completed
3:25.81
59
Tremayne Dortch
Completed
3:27.71
60
Justin Hillsten
Completed
3:28.90
61
Zack Kemmerer
Completed
3:30.77
62
Ryan Robinson
Completed
3:30.95
63
Chad Hohn
Completed
3:32.37
64
Matt Wilder
Completed
3:32.57
65
Geoff Britten
Completed
3:33.97
66
Liam Buell
Completed
3:34.24
67
Eddy Stewart
Completed
3:34.37
68
Tyler Cravens
Completed
3:35.69
69
Tyler Smith
Completed
3:36.27
70
Jeff Harvey
Completed
3:43.78
71
Andrew Lowes
Completed
3:47.09
72
Mike Chick
Completed
3:55.55
73
Alexio Gomes
Completed
4:04.91
74
PJ Granger
Completed
4:06.74
75
Andrew "Roo" Yori
Completed
4:10.22
76
Brent Ruffin
Completed
4:16.60
77
Grant McCartney
Completed
4:23.47
78
Lucas Gomes
Completed
4:25.41
79
Jessie Graff
Completed
4:27.84
80
Kevin Hogan
Completed
4:28.13
81
Ryan Stratis
Completed
4:29.12
82
Josh Levin
Completed
4:35.21
83
Nick Hanson
Completed
4:43.68
84
Brian Kretsch
Completed
4:45.30
85
Ben Melick
Completed
4:50.16
86
Ryan Elliot
Completed
4:58.25
87
Jonathan Cooley
Completed
5:00.43
88
Joseph Greene II
Completed
5:02.39
89
Andrew Rowland
Completed
5:17.80
90
Ted Jung
Completed
5:19.83
91
Fred Thorne
Completed
5:36.84
92
Meagan Martin
Completed
6:30.08
93
Jerod Warf
Completed
7:02.60
94
Rudolfo Burgos
Failed
Warped Wall (2:09.51)
95
Adam Stroup
Failed
Warped Wall (2:51.01)
96
Hamidulah Khazi
Failed
Warped Wall (3:11.05)
97
Steve Seiver
Failed
Warped Wall (3:22.84)
98
Natalie Duran
Failed
Warped Wall (4:03.58)
99
Alex Bienz
Failed
Warped Wall (6:31.19)
100
Mike Bernardo
Failed
Rolling Thunder (0:51.58)
101
Bobby Bohannon
Failed
Pipefitter (0:58.68)
102
Adam Rayl
Failed
I-Beam Cross (0:58.91)
103
Chris DiGangi
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:00.34)
104
Mike Soria
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:03.14)
105
Chris Wilczewski
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:03.78)
106
Alan Connealy
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:04.24)
107
Jackson Meyer
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:07.76)
108
Chris Moore
Failed
Pipefitter (1:08.10)
109
John Gowder Jr.
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:09.16)
110
Jessell Boseman
Failed
Bar Hop (1:09.17)
111
Diron Jones
Failed
Bar Hop (1:12.50)
112
Lori Adams
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:13.02)
113
Jesse La Flair
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:17.12)
114
Jesse Cargill
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:18.64)
115
Brandon Pannell
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:20.97)
116
Michelle Warnky
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:21.08)
117
Eric Torres
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:21.97)
118
Yancey Quezada
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:23.15)
119
Jonathan Cunanan
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:23.88)
120
Tim Bream
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:25.75)
121
Grey Kantor
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:26.46)
122
Alex Smith
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:29.64)
123
Richard Shoemaker
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:30.84)
124
Andrew Potter
Failed
Bar Hop (1:33.15)
125
Ben Antoine
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:37.46)
126
Nick Kostreski
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:40.16)
127
Alex Dell'Aquila
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:40.28)
128
Greg Fleming
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:40.68)
129
K.C. Halik
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:42.23)
130
Scott Willson
Failed
I-Beam Cross (1:42.71)
131
Fabio Figueiredo
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:43.49)
132
Jared Brandy
Failed
Bar Hop (1:43.84)
133
Miles Avery
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:46.64)
134
Mitch VeDepo
Failed
Bar Hop (1:51.64)
135
Carl Fantauzzo
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:54.33)
136
Jesse Labreck
Failed
Rolling Thunder (1:58.05)
137
Brent Steffensen
Failed
Bar Hop (1:59.49)
138
Rachael Goldstein
Failed
Rolling Thunder (2:01.00)
139
Allyssa Beird
Failed
Rolling Thunder (2:04.46)
140
Bryce Foley
Failed
Swinging Spikes (2:07.82)
141
Reid Pletcher
Failed
Bar Hop (2:18.55)
142
Ben Jackson
Failed
Swinging Spikes (2:21.37)
143
Chris Moore
Failed
Bar Hop (2:22.10)
144
Dr. John Murray Adams
Failed
Swinging Spikes (2:32.99)
145
Brian Doom
Failed
Bar Hop (2:48.83)
146
Brian Burkhardt
Failed
Tire Swing (0:34.34)
147
Clayton Wolf
Failed
Tire Swing (0:35.31)
148
Sudul Diahkah
Failed
Tire Swing (0:50.70)
149
Grant Clinton
Failed
Tire Swing (0:51.53)
150
Alexander Moran
Failed
Tire Swing (0:53.01)
City Finals Leaderboard
Order #
Competitor
Outcome
Obstacle/Result
1
James McGrath
Completed
5:01.62
2
Drew Drechsel
Completed
5:05.26
3
Daniel Gil
Completed
5:14.27
4
Adam Arnold
Completed
5:40.42
5
Grant Clinton
Completed
5:57.43
6
Jake Murray
Completed
6:34.68
7
Brian Arnold
Completed
6:37.87
8
Travis Rosen
Completed
6:52.17
9
Brett Sims
Completed
7:36.45
10
Ian Dory
Completed
7:53.91
11
Josh Levin
Completed
8:21.30
12
Chris Wilczewski
Failed
Invisible Ladder (3:33.53)
13
Thomas Stillings
Failed
Invisible Ladder (3:52.91)
14
Joe Moravsky
Failed
Invisible Ladder (4:02.73)
15
Ethan Swanson
Failed
Invisible Ladder (6:41.42)
16
Jon Alexis Jr.
Failed
Stair Hopper (2:56.69)
17
Casey Suchocki
Failed
The Clacker (3:24.45)
18
Mitch VeDepo
Failed
Window Hang (3:39.32)
19
Jamie Rahn
Failed
Stair Hopper (3:40.06)
20
Mike Bernardo
Failed
Stair Hopper (3:41.50)
21
Jon Stewart
Failed
Window Hang (3:41.71)
22
An Ly
Failed
Window Hang (3:45.99)
23
Thomas Doweidt
Failed
Window Hang (3:46.73)
24
Najee Richardson
Failed
Stair Hopper (3:54.70)
25
Michael Torres
Failed
Stair Hopper (3:56.24)
26
Dan Polizzi
Failed
Circuit Board (4:24.68)
27
Karsten Williams
Failed
Window Hang (4:27.40)
28
Geoff Britten
Failed
Stair Hopper (4:29.69)
29
Shawn Richardson
Failed
The Clacker (4:37.34)
30
Ryan Stratis
Failed
Stair Hopper (5:07.01)
31
Ryan Elliot
Failed
Circuit Board (5:24.47)
32
Jessie Graff
Failed
Circuit Board (6:07.36)
33
Jo Jo Bynum
Failed
Circuit Board (6:07.44)
34
Jesse Labreck
Failed
Stair Hopper (6:48.87)
35
Meagan Martin
Failed
Circuit Board (7:31.83)
36
Kevin Bull
Failed
The Wedge (2:34.03)
37
Neil Craver
Failed
Floating Monkey Bars (2:47.10)
38
Eric Middleton
Failed
Hourglass Drop (3:06.78)
39
Andrew Lowes
Failed
Bungee Road (3:16.31)
40
Dan Banura
Failed
Hourglass Drop (3:17.81)
41
Chris Workman
Failed
The Wedge (3:25.97)
42
Anthony DeFranco
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (3:28.31)
43
Nicholas Coolridge
Failed
The Wedge (3:28.89)
44
Adam Rayl
Failed
The Wedge (3:34.93)
45
Flip Rodriguez
Failed
The Wedge (3:39.43)
46
Tyler Martin
Failed
Floating Monkey Bars (3:44.46)
47
Gabe Hurtado
Failed
The Wedge (3:46.56)
48
Chris Boehm
Failed
Floating Monkey Bars (3:51.21)
49
Yuri Force
Failed
Floating Monkey Bars (3:54.59)
50
Tyler Smith
Failed
Hourglass Drop (3:55.69)
51
Brent Steffensen
Failed
Bungee Road (4:00.61)
52
Liam Buell
Failed
The Wedge (4:04.51)
53
Grant McCartney
Failed
The Wedge (4:09.06)
54
Mike Chick
Failed
Floating Monkey Bars (4:09.59)
55
Alexio Gomes
Failed
Floating Monkey Bars (4:11.25)
56
Nick Kostreski
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (4:11.65)
57
Tyler Yamauchi
Failed
Hourglass Drop (4:14.08)
58
Mack Roesch
Failed
Floating Monkey Bars (4:16.77)
59
Ryan Robinson
Failed
The Wedge (4:18.86)
60
Justin Hillsten
Failed
The Wedge (4:19.73)
61
Jackson Meyer
Failed
The Wedge (4:20.93)
62
Ben Jackson
Failed
Hourglass Drop (4:30.69)
63
Brandon Pannell
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (4:31.09)
64
Todd Bourgeois
Failed
Floating Monkey Bars (4:33.40)
65
Matt Wilder
Failed
Hourglass Drop (4:35.22)
66
Nick Hanson
Failed
The Wedge (4:44.10)
67
Ben Melick
Failed
The Wedge (4:44.16)
68
Richard Shoemaker
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (4:47.21)
69
James Wyatt
Failed
Bungee Road (4:54.59)
70
Andrew "Roo" Yori
Failed
Hourglass Drop (5:12.32)
71
Reid Pletcher
Failed
Bungee Road (5:21.97)
72
Carl Fantauzzo
Failed
Flying Shelf Grab (5:33.27)
73
Jessell Boseman
Failed
Salmon Ladder (2:01.91)
74
Clayton Wolf
Failed
Salmon Ladder (2:05.33)
75
Nate Burkhalter
Failed
Salmon Ladder (2:30.43)
National Finals
The National Finals were held along the Las Vegas strip, as has been the case since the series set up its own finals course instead of sending competitors to Japan.
Stage 1
During the first episode of Stage 1, Jessie Graff became the first woman ever to successfully complete Stage 1 and advance to Stage 2. She placed 5th overall with a time of 2:07.61. She is the first woman in ANW history to make it to Stage 2. During the second episode of Stage 1, Jake Murray placed 1st overall with the fastest time of 1:45.25. Dan Polizzi, Nick Hanson, and Nick Kostreski cleared all the obstacles, but ran out of time before they could hit the buzzer at the end of Stage 1. Brent Steffensen, Travis Rosen, Ryan Stratis, James McGrath, Jamie Rahn, Mike Bernardo, Kevin Bull, Ian Dory, Jo Jo Bynum, and Geoff Britten surprisingly went out early on Stage 1 this season. Only a record-low 17 finishers have successfully completed the course.
Stage 1 featured four new obstacles, Snake Run, the Giant Log Grip, the Broken Bridge and the Flying Squirrel.
Competitors who completed Stage 1 are listed below.
^Porter, Rick. "Broadcast weekly Top 25: NBA Finals down but still dominant in week of June 6–12". TV by the Numbers. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)