Las Vegas pair test skills in ‘Ninja Warrior’ finals
It is 1 a.m. when Dustin Rocho starts pacing back and forth at the beginning of the obstacle course for season seven of "American Ninja Warrior."
Despite the time and having to wait hours before he could tackle the course, Rocho is ready.
And so is the crowd as it greets him with cheers and chants, showing support for the latest contestant.
"American Ninja Warrior" finals have begun testing the best of the best.
Though the show begins airing tonight, taping for the episodes started the night of June 24, as hundreds of contestants from across the country flew to Las Vegas to test their "Ninja" skills.
They climbed net ladders, swung from ropes and scaled walls, along with various other seemingly impossible obstacles, trying to avoid plummeting into the cold waters below.
Some made it past two obstacles, while some made it through four. Every now and again, someone made it all the way through the first round of the finals.
As the "American Ninja Warrior" finals premiere on NBC, there are two Las Vegas hopefuls competing — Almas Meirmanov and Dustin Rocho
Meirmanov is an acrobat and performer at "Absinthe." He is also a personal trainer and owner of the gym Intermix Fitness in Henderson.
As if his life weren't active enough, Meirmanov set his sights on becoming a ninja warrior.
"I've always been following it and it's something I wanted to do for three years," he says.
Though he is in peak physical condition, he says it has still been a chance to train harder and get better at other obstacles.
The warp wall and salmon ladders are something he has been working on.
"Though I'm in good shape, those are just something completely different," he says.
He already knows he will return again and again.
"You just gotta have fun with it," he says.
Rocho has been competing in "American Ninja Warrior" since season two.
After a quick tour of the layout before filming starts, he is already pumped to conquer another course.
Since high school, Rocho, 36, has always been active with sports such as basketball, football and baseball.
He has continued to be active training — and training others — at the gym Camp Rhino.
Though the night brings many new faces, it also features "Ninja" sensations such as Kacy Catanzaro and Brent Steffensen.
"You still get butterflies in your stomach," Steffensen says.
Catanzaro became an Internet sensation by being the first woman to complete the qualifying course, in which she scaled the 14-foot warp wall last season.
"I really never imagined so many people would watch it," she says. "It feels good that people find it so inspiring."
Though this isn't their first time around, they have made sure to diversify their training to make sure they are in peak condition.
"We've added in more rock climbing as well as keeping up with strength conditioning," Catanzaro says.
One of the best things about returning, Steffensen says, is the camaraderie built among contestants.
"It feels like a family," he says.
Though there are many factors encouraging contestants along the way, they will not be facing just the course, but also a timer counting down to zero.
With 10 seconds to go, Rocho climbs the net furiously stretching hand over hand to reach the top.
"Nine, eight, seven, six," the crowd roars with each step upward he takes, inches from the end of the course.
Rocho's episode is slated to air in September.
Contact reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Find him on Twitter: @mjlyle
