‘American Ninja Warrior’ final features three Orlando contestants

Fans of NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” got to witness Floridian R.J. Roman flying through obstacles with strength and speed in the show’s Season 15 semifinals.

Roman, a 27-year-old who grew up in Jacksonville and spent the last five years in Orlando, finished the semifinals course in just over 48 seconds, faster than any other competitor, and will join two other Central Floridians in the finals.

Austin Hair, a former professional wakeboarder from Orlando, fell on the “sideways” obstacle in the semifinals but advanced to the finals. Nacssa Garemore, a 15-year-old from Ocala who trained with Roman, posted the third-fastest time in semifinal round four to advance. His brother, Roberto, didn’t quite make the cut.

The three contestants will face off against dozens of top ninjas in the Las Vegas national finals to see who emerges as the winner of the $1 million prize.

Now in his sixth season on the show, Roman has found community and work through the sport of ninja.

“I spent five years in Orlando growing the ninja community. I feel like I’ve made my mark there, and now I’m moving on to Fort Lauderdale to hopefully do the same thing,” he said. “It was super cool getting to watch the Garemore brothers compete. They’re a joy to be around. Having them there on set was awesome; it just made everything better.”

In the safety pass race against the second-fastest round-four finisher, Elijah Browning, Roman breezed through the course and won with a 38-second finish. In stage one of the finals, if Roman doesn’t finish the course or make the top 24 to advance, he can re-run the course for a chance to move up the leaderboard.

While the TV show is a competition, fellow ninjas come together for support when other contestants face challenging obstacles.

“We’re all trying to complete the course, but if we come up a little short, we want to see someone else do it. It’s us versus the course,” Roman said. “It feels like a performance. That helps take the pressure off and makes it a lot more fun.”

During four final episodes, viewers can witness the ultimate test of ninja strength and endurance.

“I feel like it’s more mentally challenging. The obstacles in the finals are bigger and higher, which adds an intimidating factor,” Roman said. “It all ends with the stage four tower, which is an 80-foot rope climb.”

“American Ninja Warrior” airs at 8 p.m. EST Mondays through Sept. 11 on NBC.

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