In the previous six seasons of American Ninja Warrior, thousands of competitors tried and failed to be the first American to conquer Mount Midoriyama. On the seventh season finale, which aired Monday night, not one but two Warriors climbed the 75-foot rope to hit the final buzzer in the final stage.
In the end, Isaac Caldiero narrowly edged out Geoff Britten to take home the $1 million prize.
The show uploaded replays of his runs through the final three stages in Las Vegas:
To put both Caldiero's and Britten's accomplishments in perspective, no Americans had ever completed Stage 3 of the course. Britten's run was especially dramatic as he nearly slipped on the final obstacle:
In a way, it's a bit of a shame Caldiero and Britten both had to scale Mount Midoriyama in the same night. Britten will likely become more of a footnote even though he was technically the first competitor to complete the entire course.
Instead, Caldiero will get the lion's share of the glory and all the cash. A busboy by day, he has earned himself a nice vacation.
Given the way the episode was shaking out, you weren't sure how many Warriors would manage to reach Stage 3 at all, let alone the last stage at Mount Midoriyama.
Roulette Row in Stage 2 proved too difficult to traverse for a number of athletes. Daniel Gil, Brian Arnold and Dan Yager were among those who fell victim to the obstacle.
As if transitioning between the two hoops weren't difficult enough, Yager demonstrated making the dismount was no small task either, as he managed to just get one foot on the landing pad before falling into the water below.
Ian Dory discovered the perfect solution to that second problem. Rather than leaping from one hoop to the next, he reached out for the second hoop while still holding on to the first. Labeled the "Stop and Drop" by announcer Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, the strategy proved doubly effective as it halted Dory's momentum, thus making the dismount easier.
From there, he merely needed to move through the Wall Lift in order to hit the buzzer at the end of the stage. Upon clearing the 120-pound wall, Dory was the first Warrior on the night to complete Stage 2:
Not long after, Caldiero and Jeremiah Morgan joined Dory in Stage 3.
Kevin Bull then posted the time to beat, completing Stage 2 in a little over two minutes and one second. It looked like his run was doomed on Roulette Row as he missed the dismount on his first rotation of the second wheel. But Bull repositioned his hands, which gave him enough forward momentum to reach the landing pad.
This fan below took home the honor of best sign in Las Vegas:
Britten subsequently topped Bull's time, wrapping up the course in just a shade under two minutes and one second.
Joe Moravsky then made American Ninja Warrior history, becoming the eighth competitor to reach Stage 3, a new record for the show. This was also the third year in a row Moravsky finished Stage 2, a testament to his skill and consistency over multiple seasons.
A meteorologist by day, Moravsky predicted a forecast that called for his reaching the top of Mount Midoriyama:
Bull and Abel Gonzalez were the first to compete in Stage 3, and each man fell short of the mark on the Ultimate Cliffhanger.
Dory followed up with the most heartbreaking finish of the night.
He reached the end of the Ultimate Cliffhanger, becoming just the fourth American to do so.
After that he met Area 51, a new obstacle on the show. The fact he was the first-ever competitor for Area 51 made Dory's job more difficult. Because of that, he had no frame of reference by which to create a game plan.
Dory didn't seem too troubled by the obstacle, completing it with relative ease.
With just two more jumps remaining on the Flying Bar—the final obstacle in Stage 3—Dory lost his grip on the bar and fell into the water. As show host Matt Iseman tweeted out, Dory's run contributed to a compelling third stage:
Fellow Warrior Meagan Martin saluted Dory's performance and is already looking ahead to Season 8:
When hope that anybody would beat Stage 3 was beginning to fade, Caldiero and Britten saved the day, producing the most memorable moments in show history.
They certainly set the bar high for the next season of American Ninja Warrior. You wonder if the organizers will decide to up the difficulty level and make a few subtle tweaks to the course.
Meanwhile, Caldiero and Britten have offered hope to countless athletes across the country who might have otherwise felt completing Mount Midoriyama was a bridge too far.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566737-american-ninja-warrior-2015-results-recap-from-september-14-episode
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