Brian Burkhardt

He is not to be confused with Brian Burk, a competitor who competed in Los Angeles in American Ninja Warrior 11.

Brian Burkhardt is an attorney from Fort Worth, Texas, who attended Texas Tech University School of Law. Brian initially ran the course on American Ninja Warrior.

American Ninja Warrior 8
Brian first competed in Oklahoma City in American Ninja Warrior 8. In qualifying he was one of 30 people to fail the Tire Swing. However, he got to the Tire Swing the fastest out of everyone, and as a result, placed 26th overall. Brian's city finals run was cut, but he failed the Log Runner.

American Ninja Warrior 9
In American Ninja Warrior 9, Brian has partnered a duo with fellow competitor Rynel Gervacio, forming a duo known as the "210 duo", named after the area code of San Antonio. This time, Brian finished the course, ultimately being able to clear it with the 4th fastest time. In the city finals, he was one of many competitors to fall on the Hourglass Drop. Due to his speed, Brian secured a spot in the national finals, placing 8th overall.

His run on Stage 1 was digested, but it was shown that he failed the Jumping Spider.

American Ninja Warrior 10
He returned in American Ninja Warrior 10 and competed in Dallas. His qualifying run was cut, but he was one of many competitors failed on the new Tuning Forks. But due to his speed, he still managed to barely make the top 30 for the 3rd straight year by placing 29th.

In the city finals, his run was digested but it was shown that he failed the Nail Clipper but placed 8th overall and moved on to Vegas.

His run on Stage One was cut, but he got revenge on the Jumping Spider, and cleared the course with 11.89 seconds left. His run on Stage Two was digested, but it was shown that he failed Wingnut Alley, being one of the last 14 ninjas standing in the competition.

American Ninja Warrior 11
Brian returned to Oklahoma City for American Ninja Warrior 11. His qualifying run was digested, but it was shown that he attempted the Mega Wall, but he failed on all of his 3 attempts. He still made the top 30, by placing 17th overall. It was erroneously stated that he was a 3 time veteran rather then a 4 time veteran which he was actually. His city finals run was cut, but it was revealed that he got past the eighth obstacle after falling on it the past 2 seasons. He ultimately failed on the next obstacle, Snap Back which placed him 7th overall and he moved on to Vegas.

His run on Stage 1 was cut, but it was revealed that after being one of top 14 ninjas standing last year, he surprisingly failed the 2nd obstacle, Spin Your Wheels. This meant that he didn't hit a single buzzer this year for the first time since his debut in Season 8.

American Ninja Warrior 13
After not being selected for American Ninja Warrior 12, he returned to compete in the first qualifying episode for American Ninja Warrior 13. His run was cut, but it was revealed that he failed on V Formation. He still moved on to the semi-finals as he placed 9th overall in the top 30.

In the semi-finals, he blazed through all the early obstacles with ease. However, on Wall to Wall, he slammed his nose on the top ledge of the second board, thus having it wounded. He still managed to fight through the pain. Once he reached Split Decision, he chose Tuning Forks, the obstacle that took him out in season 10, and got his revenge on it. He then cleared the semi-finals course for the first time ever. He placed 2nd overall, which meant he got to face off against Daniel Gil on the Power Tower. On the Power Tower, he had no trouble on the obstacles, thus being ahead of Gil, and ultimately won the Safety Pass.

On Stage One, he once again steadily moved through the course, but once at Split Decision, he went for The High Road. He was able to extend his arm and grabbed the ring with one-hand, guaranteeing him a spot in Stage 2.

On Stage Two, his first run was digested, but he shockingly slipped off the Double Salmon Ladder. His second attempt was also digested, where he went across the first 4 obstacles with ease, but slipped the surfboard off the rails on Epic Air Surfer.

Trivia

 * He was seen on the sidelines supporting Sam Sann on American Ninja Warrior 7 during the Houston city finals.