Dustin McKinney is a junior grade navy lieutenant who first competed in American Ninja Warrior 6. McKinney is known by many for his military experience, as well as being the second smallest man to finish a finals course at 5'2 (tied with Nate Hansen), only behind Tyler Yamauchi at 5'1.
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
McKinney made his debut in American Ninja Warrior 6, where he placed 35th in Miami qualifying. His run was cut in qualifying, but it was revealed he was the smallest man to scale the Warped Wall (which was later beaten by both Jonathan Horton in the next season and Tyler Yamauchi in American Ninja Warrior 8). In the finals, he made all the way to the Spider Climb but wasn't able to scale it and was the first man to fail to get up it this season. He still ended up placing 9th and moved on to the Vegas finals.
He was the second competitor up in Vegas' Stage One. He made it past the first three obstacles and was the first to get through the Silk Slider, but wasn't able to get past the Jumping Spider.
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
McKinney returned in American Ninja Warrior 7, now at a lieutenant status. He was one of the veterans to compete in the military special in San Pedro. He had revealed that this might be his last season for a while, as he is to be deployed out on sea for a few years.
In qualifying, McKinney had become the first to get past the I-Beam Cross, which took out 16 militants, and was the first finisher, placing 10th overall.
In the finals, McKinney put a successful run as he was the only finisher that night and the smallest man to finish a finals course in American Ninja Warrior history (which was later tied with Nate Hansen and beaten by Tyler Yamauchi in American Ninja Warrior 13).
Dustin McKinney at the Vegas Finals- Stage 1 - American Ninja Warrior
In Vegas, he got past the Jumping Spider this time and finished Stage One with 7.48 seconds to spare. However, on Stage Two, he surprisingly failed Rope Jungle. This marks his best season to date.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
Dustin made his return in Miami in American Ninja Warrior 10 after a three-year hiatus from being on active military service. Although his run was all cut, it was revealed that he shockingly failed the second obstacle, the Fly Wheels. This made it the first time McKinney failed a qualifying course, let alone fail to make the top 30.
Trivia[]
- Dustin McKinney is currently the third smallest man to scale the Warped Wall, only being beaten by Jonathan Horton and Tyler Yamauchi, both standing at 5'1, and is technically the third smallest competitor in ANW history to finish a finals course (tied with Nate Hansen), behind Kacy Catanzaro at 5'0 and Tyler Yamauchi.
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Ninja Brittens | ||||||||
| 1 | 5 (Qualifying) | Round One | 1 | Elet-Trikz | Elet Hall | Loss | Dustin fell at the Swing Jump. | 0-1 |
| 1 | 5 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 1 | Iron Grip | Sam Sann | Win | 1-1 | |
American Ninja Warrior Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | ||
| 7 | Failed Rope Jungle (Stage Two) |