Urbana High alum, Hollywood stuntwoman Jessie Graff back on 'American Ninja Warrior'

Jun. 8—Mum had mostly been the word regarding whether Jessie Graff would make her return this year to the extreme obstacles of "American Ninja Warrior" — the NBC show that she used to almost literally launch herself to acclaim and fame.

Graff, an Urbana High alum and Hollywood stuntwoman, spent the better part of the past two years recovering and rehabbing after a trio of surgeries, some of which were necessary due to injuries incurred during her most recent Ninja Warrior participation in July of 2020.

She sat out last season, not quite in proper form yet. But, for anyone who knows or follows Graff — a Wonder Woman stunt double, fitness fanatic and all-around seeker of derring-do — she hardly remained idle.

And after Season 14 of Ninja Warrior kicked off Monday night, it's now just a matter of time before Graff — one of the biggest breakout stars in the series' history — will again grace viewers' screens in one of the next four qualifying episodes.

Graff, 38, appeared in a Ninja Warrior "sneak peak" that was released late last month on NBC.com. She can be seen, it seems, warming up for her turn and, near the end, flying through the air amid an obstacle.

She confirmed Monday that, yes, she did compete this season. Providing details, though, is forbidden among competitors.

Her last appearance on the show, which aired on Nov. 6, 2020, ended in the semifinals on an obstacle called Falling Shelves after her hand slipped and she fell during a transition in the middle of it.

That's when she messed up her right shoulder.

Meanwhile, she had torn the ACL in her knee during a special episode that was recorded prior to her semifinal attempt.

Hardly a newcomer to surgical procedures as someone who routinely puts her body on the line in her vocation and avocation, she endured three surgeries in about a three-month stretch.

Since then, Graff, a California resident with a home gym that she can legitimately climb through, has remained busy building herself back up. For instance, those who visit her Instagram account can see her looking, as usual, unencumbered and undeterred.

There she is, monkeying up what looks like the underside of a wooden staircase — with a 50-pound, 7-year-old boy piggybacking her.

There she is using the roof of a lifeguard stand to do pull-ups alongside her mother at the beach.

There she is walking on her hands — on a moving treadmill.

There she is climbing a 90-foot rope, hung from a tree.

All of those videos, and more, have been posted since January, providing proof that Graff's two repaired shoulders — which all Ninjas need to have in tip-top shape — are almost back to her high standards of strength.

In the past, Graff — a former Maryland state pole vault champion — has made ninja history. A veteran of several seasons, she was the first female competitor to complete Stage 1 at nationals in 2016, for example.

This year's qualifying took place in San Antonio, where hundreds of Ninja Warrior hopefuls descended to attack the six-obstacle course.

Thanks to injuries and time away from one of her favorite hobbies, how Graff will fare on this season of the show, maybe more than ever, remains up in the air.

But that's a place where she's always been pretty comfortable.