Busboy Issac Caldiero becomes the second person to complete American Ninja Warrior’s punishing obstacle course, and the first to win the show.
It took seven years, a couple jumps in prize money, and too many shots of competitors falling off scaffolding to count, but someone has finally won American Ninja Warrior. If this is the first you’re hearing about this show, it’s kind of kind American Idol, if the panel of disinterested judges was replaced by a ridiculously difficult obstacle course. Contestants head to Vegas, try their luck climbing up a series of inverted handholds and the like, and more often than not fail as the citizens of a disillusioned nation look on, pining for someone to save them.
Issac Caldiero, a busboy and rock climber who recreated some of the show’s obstacles in his parents’ backyard, is that savior. Yesterday, he sailed through the final two stages of the competition without even seeming to break a sweat. Check out his performance.
Although the 33-year-old Caldiero is the first person to win American Ninja Warrior—he’ll take home a million dollars and the privilege of quitting his busboy job with a big scene for his trouble—he wasn’t the first person to climb Mt. Midoriyama, the last of the show’s many obstacles. That honor went to Geoff Britten, a 36-year-old sports cameraman who made the 75-foot rope climb to the summit in 29.65 seconds. Moments after he achieved that feat, Caldiero made the climb in only 26.14 seconds, and while we’re sure Britten was happy for his fellow competitor, we would forgive him if he took a moment to scream internally.
Anyway, now that Mt. Midoriyama has been conquered, is there any more need for the show? That’s probably a question for the philosophers, but it’ll definitely continue. Sasuke, the Japanese series on which American Ninja Warrior is based, has run for 31 seasons since 1997, with four people having claimed victory in that time. American Ninja Warrior has definitely got a few more years in it, and now the announces can start saying things like, “This guy’s good, but he’s no Issac Caldiero.”
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