Team Ninja Warrior recap: Qualifying week 6

Season Two of Team Ninja Warrior has been jam-packed with upsets and come-from-behind wins. The only thing that’s been consistent is the inability to predict what’s going to happen. Week six of qualifiers was no different with some jaw-dropping results.

TL:DR: Labreckfast Club looked like the solid winner until The Ballers made a move that sent them home. However, it would be the Real Life Beasts who would fight their way to a place in the finals.

The match ups:

• Real Life Beasts vs The Ballers
• Stratis Faction vs Labreckfast Club

As usual, a refresher on the Team Ninja Warrior rules is at the bottom of this article.

The Obstacles:

• Sonic Swing
• Ring of Fire
• Swing Jump
• Floating Tiles
• Spin Cycle
• Warped Wall

The Teams:

Real Life Beasts

• Drew Drechsel
• James McGrath
• Erica Cook

The Ballers

• Lorin Ball
• Paul Kasemir
• Meiling Huang

Heat One:

• Real Life Beasts’ James vs The Ballers’ Lorin

When James got off the Ring of Fire first, it gave him a small lead. However, Lorin was stuck for a moment on the Swing Jump, allowing James to build a bigger advantage. He completed the course, but appeared to have injured his shoulder on the Spin Cycle.

Point= Real Life Beasts

Heat Two:

• Real Life Beasts Erica vs The Ballers Meiling

Erica got a little bit hung up on the Sonic Swing while Meiling breezed through the Ring of Fire. Erica also got delayed at the Swing Jump, allowing Meiling to get way ahead of her. Meiling made short work of the Spin Cycle and headed for the Warped Wall. Erica ended up falling on the Floating Tiles.

Point= The Ballers

Heat Three:

• Real Life Beasts’ Drew vs The Ballers’ Paul

Both were briefly stuck on the Ring, but Drew took off running. After that, he was unstoppable, completing the course in 36 seconds.

Points= Real Life Beasts

Winner of Round One: Real Life Beasts

Round two brought us Stratis Faction vs Labreckfast Club

The Teams:

Stratis Faction

• Ryan Stratis
• Mike Bernadro
• Grace Sims

Labreckfast Club

• Jesse Labreck
• Noel Reyes
• Jon Alexis Jr.

Heat One:

• Stratis Faction’s Mike vs Labreckfast Club’s Noel

Noel was stuck on Ring of Fire for a moment, but had caught up to Mike by the cargo net. Mike was leading into the Spin Cycle but Noel kicked it into a whole new gear. It was a dead heat as both ran for the Warped Wall. In a very close finish, Mike JUST missed pressing the buzzer before Noel.

Point= Labreckfast Club

Heat Two:

• Stratis Faction’s Grace vs Labreckfast Club’s Jesse

Jesse had a lead heading into the Ring of Fire that she never gave up. When Grace was stuck on the tough obstacle, Jesse kept moving. As she completed the Wall, she set the fastest women’s time of the season.

Point= Labreckfast Club

Heat Three:

• Stratis Faction’s Ryan vs Labreckfast Club’s Jon

Jon used his long legs and wingspan to his advantage. Ryan was just trying to keep up as Jon seemed to stride through every obstacle. He completed the course in 32 seconds, the second fastest time of the season.

Points= Labreckfast Club

Winner of Round Two: Labreckfast Club

Knockout One:

After being swept by Labreckfast Club, Stratis Faction would be facing the Real Life Beasts.

Heat One:

• Real Life Beasts’ James vs Stratis Faction’s Mike

James decided his shoulder was in good enough shape to keep pushing forward. He didn’t have to push his body for too long. Mike fell from the Swing Jump, giving James a fairly simple win.

Point= Real Life Beasts

Heat Two:

• Real Life Beasts’ Erica vs Stratis Faction’s Grace

Erica got the very important first dismount from Ring of Fire. However, Grace had something to say about that and completed the cargo net first with slightly wet feet. Erica caught up on the Spin Cycle and passed Grace. Erica landed the grab at the top of the Warped Wall on the first try.

Point= Real Life Beasts

Heat Three:

• Real Life Beasts’ Drew vs Stratis Faction’s Ryan

The captains faced off in this all-important anchor run. They were tied up until Drew went all out. It ended up being costly for him, as he misjudged his grip on the Spin Cycle and fell there. When Ryan was able to complete the obstacle we were headed to Sudden Death.

Points= Stratis Faction

Sudden Death:

• Real Life Beasts’ Drew vs Stratis Faction’s Mike

Both of the strong Ninjas went all out to stay in the game. Drew crossed the Floating Tiles first. When Mike attempted a quick path across the Tiles, he wasn’t so lucky, and fell. With that, the match was over.

Point= Real Life Beasts

Stratis Faction is OUT.

Knockout Two:

The Ballers would need to be relentless against the impressive Labreckfast Club.

Heat One:

• Labreckfast Club’s Noel vs The Ballers’ Lorin

Both competitors leapt off the Rings at the same time. Noel was able to cross the Floating Tiles first, then speed through the Spin Cycle. Lorin didn’t have chance to close the gap and Labreckfast Club continued their winning streak.

Point= Labreckfast Club

Heat Two:

• Labreckfast Club’s Jesse vs The Ballers’ Meiling

Meiling had a hard fall from the Ring of Fire and got her feet wet on the cargo net, but that wasn’t going to deter her. She held a good lead until Jesse caught up to her on the Spin Cycle. Both went for the Warped Wall at the same time, but Meiling’s wet feet came back to haunt her as she slipped. Jesse took the opportunity to hit the buzzer.

Point= Labreckfast Club

Heat Three:

• Labreckfast Club’s Jon vs The Ballers’ Paul

If Paul didn’t pull out the win now, it would be over for The Ballers. Jon made an error on the Ring of Fire that ended his run. This gave The Ballers a chance to redeem themselves in Sudden Death.

Points= The Ballers

Sudden Death:

• Labreckfast Club’s Jon vs The Ballers’ Paul

We saw a rematch as the Ninjas both wanted to prove themselves. Paul was off the Ring of Fire first, but Jon was right behind him. It looked like Paul was stuck on the Spin Cycle, but he quickly figured it out and went for the Warped Wall.

With that, the Labreckfast Club was going home after looking so strong all day.

Point= The Ballers

Labreckfast Club is OUT.

The Ballers moved on to the Relay Race against the Real Life Beasts.

In the relay, all three team members will be on the course at the same time. Each will complete three obstacles, meaning the course is extended. It’s up to each team to decide which member runs when.

The Ballers’ would have Meiling start the race against Real Life Beasts’ Erica.

Once they passed the Swing Jump, Meiling would tag in Lorin and Erica would bring in James.

At the top of the Warped Wall Drew and Paul waited, ready to tackled the extended three obstacles.

• Dueling Salmon Ladders
• Globe Graspers
• 40 foot Invisible Ladder

Relay Race:

Even though Meiling had another rough landing off the Ring, she kept charging forward. Erica was stuck on the Ring, allowing The Ballers’ to get the first tag, bringing in Lorin.

Lorin had a comfortable lead. He was almost up the Warped Wall by the time James was tagged in. But James knew he needed to make up ground.

Paul had already started the Salmon Ladder, but Drew met him there. Paul seemed distracted by the side-by-side competition and made an error that caused him to fall.

Once Drew finished the Ladder, it meant his team had won. But he went for the glory and completed the entire course.

The Ballers are going home and Real Life Beasts move on to the finals.

Next week is the last of the qualifiers! Four more teams will try to snag the last spot in the finals.

• InvincAbels
• Ninja Brittens
• Team Ronin
• Towers of Power