Season 16 of “American Ninja Warrior” kicked off on June 3, and Utah is being represented by Jonas Harmer, who has successfully navigated the qualifier rounds and is advancing to the semifinals.
The athleticism required to complete the series of courses, which test strength, balance and speed, has increased every season as more contestants vie for the $1 million grand prize awarded to the winner of the finals in Las Vegas.
Only three contestants in the history of “American Ninja Warrior” have achieved Total Victory, completing all finals courses within the given time frame to win the grand prize, according to NBC.
Last season, Vance Walker became the most recent winner, edging out Daniel Gil on Mt. Midoriyama, a 75-foot rope climb that must be completed in under 30 seconds. Walker finished in 26.75 seconds, 1.24 seconds ahead of Gil.
Harmer told the Deseret News that to qualify for the semifinals, competitors must complete six obstacle courses that change every season. They are unaware of the specific obstacles until they arrive at the competition and do not get a chance to practice the course beforehand.
This season, competitors who completed the bonus obstacle — the Mega Wall, which was raised to 18.5 feet last season — could win $20,000, double the prize from previous seasons. To attempt the Mega Wall, they had to finish the obstacle course in under one minute and 20 seconds.
Per NBC, only one contestant, Caleb Bergstrom, has managed to complete the Mega Wall this season.
Harmer’s previous stints on ‘American Ninja Warrior’
Harmer explained his decision to compete was influenced by his wife, MyKayla Skinner, an Olympic silver medal gymnast.
When Skinner was training for the Olympics, her agent suggested she compete on “American Ninja Warrior.” After winning her silver medal, Skinner decided against further training.
However, Harmer thought it sounded fun and decided to apply himself.
“I watched the show as a kid. I always thought it was really cool,” he said. “I never thought that I’d ever have a chance to compete on it.”
His first chance at competing came in Season 14, but he was disqualified in the qualifiers after failing an obstacle called The Serpent, a balance-based challenge with rotating cylinders. Harmer slipped near the end and touched the water, resulting in disqualification.
“I didn’t even know that was a rule,” he said. “Everyone knows if you fall in, you’re out, right? But no one talks about if you touch the waters, because not many people are tall enough to touch the water and still climb out.”
Being 6 feet, 7 inches tall, Harmer’s height may be at an advantage in some sports, but in “American Ninja Warrior,” height proved to be more bane than boon by making the obstacles harder to navigate.
Harmer described how, at first, he didn’t realize he failed until the lights turned red and he heard the buzzer. Despite the setback, Harmer was motivated to return.
“I was pretty devastated,” he said. “It was a sad way to go out, but it definitely lit a fire under me to come back with a vengeance.”
In the next season, he competed with Skinner in the couples challenge, where each partner attempts half of the course. However, they didn’t make it past the qualifiers because they lacked the experience other competitors had.
“There were some veteran couples, so we were definitely the underdogs,” he said.
Harmer’s performance in Season 16 qualifiers
In the current season, Harmer successfully completed the first three obstacles but failed during the Duck Duck Goose challenge, which requires competitors to swing and latch through pendulums with handholds that bend.
Harmer cited “bad preparation” as the reason for his fall. While he was feeling confident after grabbing onto the first pendulum, he was caught off guard by the bigger drop of the second handhold, leading to his defeat.
However, Harmer had a second chance in the Runoff Round, a head-to-head race for the last semifinals spot, which he won.
“They told me I’m the tallest ninja ever to make it to the semifinals,” Harmer said.