Eric Middleton

Eric Middleton, nicknamed "The Bug Ninja", is an Entomologist from Winter Haven, Florida (formerly St. Paul, Minnesota), who has studied at the University of Minnesota. Middleton has always developed an uncanny interest for insects, and encourages to change many believed perceptions about them to the public.

American Ninja Warrior 8
Middleton first competed in Indianapolis in American Ninja Warrior 8. His run in qualifying was cut, but he finished the course holding the 9th fastest time of the night.

In the city finals, Eric was one of the many competitors that failed the Hourglass Drop. Just like in qualifying, he placed 9th overall and advanced to the national finals.

His run on Stage 1 was digested, but it was shown that he timed out on the Flying Squirrel, seconds before losing his grip.

American Ninja Warrior 9
He returned to compete in Kansas City in American Ninja Warrior 9 where his run was cut in qualifying but it was revealed that he failed the Bar Hop. He placed 17th overall and advanced to the city finals. His run in the city finals was digested but it was shown that he failed the Floating Monkey Bars, where he placed 4th and made his second trip to the national finals.

His run on Stage 1 was cut, but it was revealed that he got revenge on the Flying Squirrel and finished Stage 1 with 23.52 seconds remaining. In his first trip in stage 2, he failed the Wave Runner.

American Ninja Warrior 10


In American Ninja Warrior 10, he returned in Minneapolis. As a confident representative of his home state, he placed a bet to have Matt Iseman and Akbar eat a tempura-fried tarantula if he finishes the qualifying course.

Confident about his bet, Middleton flew through the course at a brisk, yet efficient pace. Although he decided to go straight for the regular 14'6 wall, he became the first finisher of the night and not only moved on to the city finals, but also successfully made Matt and Akbar eat the tempura-fried tarantula. He finished 2nd overall, just behind Joe Moravsky.

He hinted after his qualifying run about placing another bet during city finals, this time on Kristine Leahy. True to his word, he placed another bet to have Kristine Leahy eat a mealworm lollipop if he finishes the city finals course. His actual run was digested, but it was shown that he made it to the Iron Maiden, an obstacle he barely missed out on attempting last year in Kansas City, only to slip off the bottom of the first panel. Becuase of his fall, he ate the mealworm lollipop instead during his interview. Despite being unsuccessful with his bet this time, he still placed 7th overall and made his third straight trip to the national finals.

In Stage 1, he made another bet with Matt and Akbar that if he cleared the course, they each would have to eat a scorpion. In the end, he pulled through, clearing with 16.16 seconds left, leaving Matt and Akbar to eat the glazed scorpion.

His run on Stage 2 was digested, but it was shown that he failed Deja Vu, broke his nose, and failed to have Matt and Akbar eat fried worms.

American Ninja Warrior 11
He returned for American Ninja Warrior 11 in Oklahoma City. In qualifying, his run was digested, but it was shown that he had cockroaches for sideline reporter Zuri Hall to eat if he hit the buzzer. However, in a huge shock, he failed the dismount on the Fly Wheels. This is the first time that he failed to qualify for the national finals, let alone the city finals. Zuri was seen to be very relieved as she gladly placed the cover back on the cockroach dish.

American Ninja Warrior 13
After missing out on American Ninja Warrior 12, he returned to compete in the last qualifying episode in American Ninja Warrior 13. His qualifying run was mostly cut, but he was briefly shown at the end in the Akbar Gbaja-Biamila moments. This time around, he placed a bet to have both Matt and Akbar eat a hornworm caprese if he finished the course. He managed to redeem himself after failing early in season 11, by once again clearing the qualifying course, despite failing to scale up the Mega Wall. Not only did he have both Matt and Akbar eat the hornworm caprese, but he moved on to the semifinals in 11th place. He later competed in the last semifinal episode. This time around he brought 5 different bug snacks for Matt and Akbar to eat: jollof rice with grasshoppers, Korean Wax Worm pupae, bee bread, cricket cookies, and tarantula sushi for every obstacle that he cleared after the Soritatsu Kabe. He nearly failed on the dismount of Crazy Clocks. Then, at Split Decision, he decided to go for the Diving Boards and he managed to clear that obstacle, being the first one that episode (and overall season) to do so. Not only he was he successful in having Matt and Akbar eat all 5 bug snacks, but he also cleared his first semifinal course. He placed 10th overall and made it back to the national finals. His run in the nation finals was digested, but he surprisingly failed the Jumping Spider(an obstacle that he had cleared every previous time that he advanced to Vegas), ending his season.

Trivia

 * Eric is one of two athletes to be nicknamed "The Bug Ninja." The other being Tyler Smith.