David "Dave" Cavanagh is a firefighter from Weymouth, Massachusetts. He is best known as "The King of the Walk-Ons" because he competed as a walk-on in his first five years he had been competing. His appearance in American Ninja Warrior 11 marked the very first time where he was called to compete on the show. He is married to fellow ANW competitor, Jenny Lawler.
Cavanagh is also nicknamed the "Part-Ninja".
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
In American Ninja Warrior 6, he competed in St. Louis, being the fifth walk-on to be called to compete from the line in this city. His run was cut from the broadcast, but it was revealed he cleared the course in 3:58.66, placing 24th. He was also one of three St. Louis walk-ons to have completed the course, along with Leoniel Olanda and Adam Arnold.
His run in the city finals was digested, but it was shown he failed the Salmon Ladder, ending his rookie season.
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
He competed in Kansas City on American Ninja Warrior 7. Here, he was the fourth walk-on to be called to compete in this city's line.[1] His run in qualifying was once again cut, but it was revealed he cleared in 2:23.64, placing 23rd overall.
His run in the finals was also cut, but it was revealed he failed the Flying Shelf Grab, and once again did not advance to the national finals as he placed 21st overall.[2]
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
It was said on social media that he was chosen to run in the Oklahoma Cuty walk-on line. However, the producers transferred him to Philadelphia to run there instead. His run was yet again cut, but it was revealed that he failed the fourth obstacle, the Wall Drop. This marked the first time he failed in qualifying, and for once, he did not make the Top 30.
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
He once again walked on for Kansas City in American Ninja Warrior 9. His runs in Kansas City were remarkably very similar to American Ninja Warrior 7. Just like in ANW 7, he was the fourth walk-on to be called from the line to compete in Kansas City. His run in qualifying was digested, but he completed the qualifying course, being one of only ten finishers, clearing in 3:06.51 and placing 7th in the leaderboard.
His run in the city finals was also digested, but it was shown he made it to the eighth obstacle again, as he failed the Floating Monkey Bars, also mirroring a similar result to his run in ANW 7's Kansas City finals. This season, however, he went far enough to place 5th overall, so he advanced to the national finals for the first time in his career.
In the national finals, his run was once again digested, but he finished Stage One with one of the fastest times: 38.24 seconds left. On Stage Two, his run was digested for a fourth time, but he failed the Wave Runner. Ultimately, Dave went the farthest out of any walk-on this season, making it to the third obstacle in Stage Two.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
Despite having a strong performance as a walk-on last year, Cavanagh ended up waiting in the walk-on line again in American Ninja Warrior 10. This became his longest time waiting out of the five seasons, waiting for 23 days before competing.
Cavanagh competed in Philadelphia once again, where this time, he finished the qualifying course. Cavanagh had attempted the Mega Wall, but wasn't able to scale it. However, he still finished the normal Warped Wall with the second fastest time behind Chris Wilczewski.
In the city finals, Dave became the first competitor to complete the Captain's Wheel. However, he fell on the next obstacle, the Spinball Wizard when he swung too high, but placed 5th overall and advanced to the national finals for the second straight season.
His run on Stage One was cut from the broadcast, but it was revealed that he failed the Jumping Spider, despite clearing it the previous season.[3]
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
Dave Cavanagh's Speedy Run - American Ninja Warrior Baltimore City Finals 2019
For the first time, Cavanagh has been called to compete on American Ninja Warrior 11. He competed in Baltimore, where he put together a spectacular run, finishing with the fastest time of the night and advancing to the Power Tower, where he faced off against Conor Galvin. The two were neck-and-neck for the most part until the balance beam portion of the obstacle. From there, Cavanagh didn't hesitate, and quickly raced his way to victory for the Speed Pass, beating Galvin. During the city finals, he was the final runner of the night, and the last hope to get through Angry Birds, but it didn't happen. But due to his fast time to that point, he placed 1st and faced Lucas Reale on the Power Tower, and he won the match, earning the Safety Pass for his third appearance at the national finals.
On Stage One, his run was digested, but he cleared the course. On Stage Two, he surprisingly failed the first obstacle, Giant Walk the Plank. He ended up using his Safety Pass. But on his second run, he got revenge on Giant Walk the Plank, only to fail the next obstacle, the Extension Ladder, ending his breakout season.
American Ninja Warrior 12[]
Dave returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 12. This season, he also brought two walk-ons from the previous season along with him: Kenneth Edwards and Sloane Cameron. His run was digested, but in a surprise, he failed on the balance obstacle, Rib Run and did not move on to the semifinals for the first time since American Ninja Warrior 8.
He was not called to compete in American Ninja Warrior 13. However, he was invited by the ATS Team to test the course in Tacoma, along with a few other ninjas. As such, this marked the first time that he was not selected to compete by any means, be it by call or by walk-on.
American Ninja Warrior 14[]
Dave returned for his eighth season, competing in the second qualifying round. His run was cut from the broadcast, but it was revealed that he failed on the fifth obstacle, failing the Piston Plunge. However, his time was good enough to place 15th overall and advance to the semifinals.
He later competed in the first semifinals round. His run was digested, but he was the second competitor shown to have completed Ghost Town. At Split Decision, he chose the upper body obstacle Dragonback, but his decision backfired as he lost his grip on the second drop. Fortunately, his time to the obstacle placed him 8th overall, and he advanced to the National Finals for his fourth time.
His run on Stage One was cut, but history repeated itself as just like American Ninja Warrior 10, he failed the Jumping Spider, ending his season without a buzzer.[4]
American Ninja Warrior 16[]
Dave returned for his ninth season, competing in the fifth qualifiers. His run was digested, but he failed on the third obstacle, the Spin Bridge, making it the second time that his season ended on a balance obstacle during the qualifiers. This was also his earliest exit to date.
American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja[]
Cavanagh was part of the Beasts from the East in American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja. His team lost against the Hashtag Ninjas in qualifying.
Walk-on experience[]
Cavanagh has waited in the walk-on line in the first five seasons he has competed on American Ninja Warrior:
- ANW 6: 9 days in walk-on line
- ANW 7: 13 days in walk-on line
- ANW 8: 14 days in walk-on line
- ANW 9: 18 days in walk-on line
- ANW 10: 23 days in walk-on line
In total, Cavanagh has waited a grand total of 77 days in the walk-on line, and has been selected to compete each season he has done so. He officially was called to compete in American Ninja Warrior 11, ending his consecutive walk-on day streak at 77.
Trivia[]
- Dave was one of four ninjas to attempt the Power Tower twice in ANW 11. The others were Drew Drechsel, Daniel Gil, and Ethan Swanson.
- Though Dave didn’t move on after the qualifying round in American Ninja Warrior 16, he was shown attempting Patriot Pass, Stalactites, and Pressure Cooker on Stage Three.
- A part of his ANW10 run was shown early during Ninja Warrior Weekly along with Allyson Felix and Alex Weber as he was shown to conquer the Captain's Wheel.
- The three seasons Dave was eliminated in the qualifier rounds were all coincidentally seasons that were aired on leap years. The seasons were Dave was eliminated in qualifiers were on American Ninja Warrior 8 (2016), American Ninja Warrior 12 (2020), and American Ninja Warrior 16 (2024).
References[]
- ↑ https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/f/2017/9/8/16266326/life-of-a-perennial-walk-on-the-4-year-wait-for-vegas-pt1
- ↑ https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/f/2017/9/15/16315102/life-of-a-perennial-walk-on-the-4-year-wait-for-vegas-pt-2
- ↑ https://www.americanninjawarriornation.com/2018/9/3/17807098/american-ninja-warrior-national-finals-stage-one-full-results-and-all-competitors
- ↑ https://sasukemaniac.proboards.com/post/203895
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Beasts from the East | ||||||||
| 3 | 1 (Qualifying) | First Matchup | 3 | Hashtag Ninjas | Jesse La Flair | Win | Jesse fell at the Flying Shelf Grab. | 1-0 |
| 3 | 11 (Wildcard) | Round One | 3 | Wisco Warriors | Andrew Philibeck | Loss | Dave fell at the Floating Tiles. | 1-1 |
| 3 | 12 (Playoffs) | Round One | 1 | Iron Grip | Mathis Owhadi | Win | Mathis fell at the Hanging Staircase. | 2-1 |
Relay Showdown Record[]
| Season | Episode | Competitor (Obstacle Attempted) | Opponent Team | Opponent (Obstacle Attempted) | Result | Notes | Relay Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Beasts from the East | |||||||
| 3 | 1 (Qualifying) | Erica Cook (1-2) Dave Cavanagh (3-4) James McGrath (5-6) |
Hashtag Ninjas | Larissa Cottle (1-2) Nicholas Coolridge (3-4) Jesse La Flair (5-6) |
Loss | 0-1 | |
| 3 | 11 (Wildcard) | Erica Cook (1-2) Dave Cavanagh (3-4) James McGrath (5-6) |
Wisco Warriors | Christine Ahn (1-2) Andrew Philibeck (3-4) Drew Knapp (5-6) |
Win | 1-1 | |
| 3 | 12 (Playoffs) | Erica Cook (1-2) Dave Cavanagh (3-4) James McGrath (5-6) |
Team Ronin | Tiana Webberley (1-2) Mathis Owhadi (3-4) Daniel Gil (5-6) |
Loss | 1-2 | |
Power Tower Record[]
| Season | Round | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | City Qualifiers (Baltimore) | Conor Galvin | Win | Won the Speed Pass. | 1-0 |
| 11 | City Finals (Baltimore) | Lucas Reale | Win | Won the Safety Pass. | 2-0 |
Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Failed Wave Runner (Second Stage) | Digest. | |
| 10 | Failed Jumping Spider (First Stage) | All cut. | |
| 11 | Failed Extension Ladder (Second Stage) | Won Speed Pass and Safety Pass in Baltimore. | |
| 14 | Failed Jumping Spider (First Stage) | All cut. |