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When it comes to American Ninja Warrior, there’s making an entrance and then there’s making a Kevin Bull entrance.
Since we’re taking a look a “Firsts/Lasts” this week, today we’re looking at Kevin Bull’s first City Finals run. AKA: The Cannonball Alley incident.
Back in season six, Kevin was an unknown rookie. A walk-on, even! In the Venice Qualifiers, he completed the course with a top time, but it was the City Finals that really put this new competitor on the map. He gave us one of the most unforgettable examples of Ninja-prowess we’ve ever seen on the course.
Kevin’s form on the Quintuple Steps gave us a glimpse of his decathlete experience.
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Remember this thing? The Spinning Wheel? Lol. Pretty sure not many people miss it.
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Remember the Slack Ladder? Oh, the good old days when you could train for American Ninja Warrior using just a slackline.
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Remember when this was considered a challenging laché distance? We’re feeling so nostalgic!
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Okay, okay. We know the course wasn’t easy back then. It takes incredible control to hold those lock-offs on the Monkey Peg.
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Check out Kevin’s style on the Warped Wall. He actually hopped up to the edge.
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He did have one small hitch on the Salmon Ladder. Nothing to write home about.
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NOW, this is what we wanted to talk about. Cannonball Alley was a beast. To this point in the night, no Ninja had been able to complete the obstacle. It looked like a total Ninja killer.
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That is, until this moment. Kevin flexed those abs and hauled his legs up over the third ball.
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This means that once he let go with his hands, he was swaying upside down, swinging trapeze-style. The daring move gave him the momentum and length he needed to be the first Ninja to make it to the landing pad!
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You know it’s good when this is the sideline reaction.
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And he got a standing ovation.
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Only three other Ninjas would clear the obstacle that night, all of them after Kevin demonstrated that it was possible. Still on the course, Kevin handled the Body Prop simply.
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Then it was the Spider Climb.
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Boom. First finisher of the night. Epic Ninja Warrior career launched. Mic dropped.
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Since this move, Kevin has made six National Finals appearances. In season 12, he cleared the Qualifying course and then made his exit in the Semi-Finals on the Corkscrew obstacle. But, as we can plainly see, Kevin is an adaptable Ninja. He’ll find a way back to the top.