Ben "Tarzan" Melick is an American Ninja Warrior competitor who has competed on five seasons of American Ninja Warrior. He is known for his former Tarzan stuntwork, thus given his nickname.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
He first competed on American Ninja Warrior 6 in Venice. He completed the qualifying course, placing 13th. In the finals, he was one of many to fail Cannonball Alley, but he still advanced to the national finals by placing 15th. In the national finals, he made it past the first three obstacles, but failed to stick the jump on the Jumping Spider.
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
He returned to compete on American Ninja Warrior 7 in Venice again. In qualifying, he was one of many to fail the Hourglass Drop but still advanced to the city finals placing 22nd. In the city finals, he was the first to complete the Hourglass Drop, and completed the Salmon Ladder the opposite way, becoming the first competitor to do so. He made it all the way to the Rumbling Dice before falling in the water on the second die. He still advanced to the national finals by placing 8th. In his second trip to the national finals, he got revenge on the Jumping Spider, only to fail the next obstacle, Sonic Curve. However, in a major surprise to the crowd, he proposed to his then-girlfriend, Sarah Blade, whom accepted.
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
In American Ninja Warrior 8, he competed in Los Angeles. In the qualifying, he completed the course placing 16th. In the city finals, he failed The Wedge, but was still able to advance to the national finals once again by placing 15th. In his third trip to the national finals, his run was not shown but it was known that he failed just the second obstacle, Propeller Bar, despite clearing it the past two times.
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
In American Ninja Warrior 9, he once again competed in Los Angeles. In qualifying, he failed Block Run, and didn't make the top 30 for the first time in his career.
American Ninja Warrior 12[]
After being absent for two seasons, Ben made a comeback in American Ninja Warrior 12. He was initially invited by producers to run one of the qualifying courses before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a delay. Although he was not among the top 50 competitors cast by production for the modified season, he was eventually recruited by R.J. Roman to join his group. It is revealed that he no longer works as a stuntman, and he now works as a farmer in the Orlando area. In qualifying, he fell on the Ferris Wheel. He did not make the top 12 that night, but after R.J. won the Power Tower against Sean Bryan, he automatically advanced to the semi-finals along with Jessica Helmer.
In the semi-finals, his run was digested, but he went out on Clockwork and didn't advance to the finals again.
He was not selected to compete on American Ninja Warrior 13.
Other Appearances[]
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Melick also competed in Team Ninja Warrior as part of Lance Pekus' Wild Bunch in Team Ninja Warrior. In the next season, he formed a new team in the form of Team Tarzan on Team Ninja Warrior 2. He also competed on his own team, Team Tarzan on American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja.
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Wild Bunch | ||||||||
| 1 | 4 (Qualifying) | Round One | 1 | Think Tank | Matt Wilder | Loss | Ben fell at the Sonic Swing. | 0-1 |
| 1 | 4 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 1 | Team Ronin | Flip Rodriguez | Loss | 0-2 | |
| Team: Team Tarzan | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 (Qualifying) | Round One | 3 (Anchor Run) | Mega Crushers | Ian Dory | Loss | 0-1 (0-3 Overall) | |
| 2 | 2 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 3 (Anchor Run) | Team TNT | Travis Rosen | Loss | Ben fell at the Swing Jump. | 0-2 (0-4 Overall) |
| 3 | 2 (Qualifying) | First Matchup | 3 | Labreckfast Club | Jon Alexis Jr. | Loss | Ben fell at the Pole Grasper. | 0-3 (0-5 Overall) |
American Ninja Warrior Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 48 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | |
| 7 | 28 | Failed Sonic Curve (Stage One) | |
| 8 | Failed Propeller Bar (Stage One) | All cut. |
External Links[]
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