American Ninja Warrior season 10, episode 1 recap: New obstacles spell new trouble

NBC’s American Ninja Warrior tested competitors in new ways for its 10th season opener.  Read on to find out who fared the best.

American Ninja Warrior kicked off its 10th season Wednesday night with the Dallas qualifiers.  There were no signs of complacency as two new obstacles were added into the mix, one of which knocked out a few long-time favorites.

Along with old reliables, the Floating Steps and Bouncing Spider, fans got a chance to see some fresh challenges.  Catch and Release tested grip strength and body control, while the Tuning Forks tested balance in a whole new way.

Along with the two obstacles, a new version of the Warped Wall was debuted.  Competitors who made it that far could opt to try and conquer the new 18-foot iteration of the old classic.  Failing would limit the ninja to one final attempt at the standard 14.5-foot wall.  Any ninja who could scale the new monster would be awarded $10,000.

More from NBC

• It’s Thanksgiving Eve! Tune into the SNL Thanksgiving special to get into the spirit of the holiday
• Final season, release date set for La Brea season 3: Everything we know so far
• Law and Order: Organized Crime season 4 release date revealed!: Everything we know about the new season
• QUIZ: Finish these Friends quotes from “The One With All the Thanksgivings”
• Is Quantum Leap on tonight? (November 22, 2023)

Another big change in season 10 came with the new minimum age for competitors.  This restriction was lowered from 21 to 19.  As expected, this brought the youngest ninjas to date to the course for competition.

Watch your favorite shows on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

American Ninja Warrior opens season 10 with one of the toughest balance obstacles we’ve seen

As the night began, it became clear that this qualifying round would be anything but easy.  Several competitors would try and fail to pass the new Tuning Forks.  Karen Wiltin was the first to conquer the tricky test, only to fail on Crank It Up.

It took a newcomer, Mathis “Kid” Owhadi, just 19 years old, to finally best the course.  Mathis pulled off what appeared to be an effortless run, but failed the new 18-foot wall.  He redeemed himself easily on the lesser wall to become the night’s first finisher.

Perennial ninja, Brent Steffensen, began a solid run but quickly fell victim to the Tuning Forks.  Barclay Stockett, able successor to mighty Kacy Catanzaro, also failed on the Tuning Forks.  These were just two favorites to be eliminated by the tough new obstacle.

Jon Stewart broke his own record, once again becoming the oldest ninja to finish the course at 56.  Stewart struggled with Crank It Up, but gutted his way through and opted not to try the daunting new wall.  The veteran easily clambered up the 14.5-foot wall to secure a spot in the city finals.

Daniel Gil turned in the fastest run, and became the only competitor to tame the 18-foot beast for $10,000.

Thirteen men finished the course to move on to the next round.  Daniel Gil, newcomer Mathis Owhadi, and favorite, Thomas Stillings, were among the top five.  In total, 30 men will move on to the city finals, including veteran Brent Stefensen.

Next: 5 shows that could replace "Roseanne"

Five women qualified for the city finals, including fan-favorite, Barclay Stockett.  With her will be Karen Wiltin, Quest O’Neal, Brittany Hanks, and Kat Ratcliff.

American Ninja Warrior airs Wednesdays on NBC.

What did you think about the new obstacles?  Will American Ninja Warrior season 10 set a new bar for the competition?  Share your thoughts below.