Flip Rodriguez, born as David Flip Rodriguez (デイヴィッド・F・ロドリゲス), is a free runner who competed in SASUKE 27 and has been a standout competitor in American Ninja Warrior. He is currently dating fellow ANW competitor, Megan Budway.
For his first four seasons on American Ninja Warrior, Flip wore a mask as a trademark piece of his outfit. In Season 8, one year after removing the mask, he revealed more detail about the reason he wore the mask: he was sexually abused from the age of 9 to 15.
SASUKE[]
Rodriguez made his debut in American Ninja Warrior 3, making it through the qualifying and semi-final rounds with little trouble and completed the Team Relays as one of the more consistent competitors on his team, the White Tigers. This consistency helped him become one of the ten U.S. competitors to qualify for SASUKE 27, with Rodriguez being the #5 qualifier. Although his First Stage run was digested during the NBC broadcast, his full run was shown during the SASUKE 27 broadcast. He was shown showboating on the course during his run, such as doing a flip on the top of the Jumping Spider platform, though this did little to hinder him and he was still able to clear the First Stage with 17.73 seconds left on the clock. In the Second Stage, he failed the Slider Drop when he failed to keep the bar straight along the track, similar to what fellow freerunner and American veteran Levi Meeuwenberg did in SASUKE 25 placing 9th overall.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 4[]
In American Ninja Warrior 4, Rodriguez competed in the Southeast Region. In qualifying, he cleared the course with the fastest time of 57.34 seconds.
In the semifinals, he finished the course with the fastest time of 2:02.55, eliminating Kamerion Wimbley. Overall, he clocked the fastest time in all regions, earning him the coveted #100 in the national finals.
On Stage One, he cleared with 18 seconds left. On Stage Two, he got revenge on the Slider Drop, but later failed the Balance Tank when he fell backwards and slipped off the tank.
American Ninja Warrior 5[]
In American Ninja Warrior 5, Rodriguez competed in Miami. In qualifying, he completed the course with the second fastest time of the night. He then proceeded to finish with the second fastest time of the city finals. However, in the national finals, he shockingly failed the Jumping Spider. When he came out of the water, during his interview, he was shown to be sobbing as he said he let all of the people who wanted him to win down.
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
In American Ninja Warrior 6, Rodriguez returned to compete in Miami as the last runner of qualifying. However, he shocked many people when he was disqualified on the Jump Hang when he didn't realize how close he was to the water while climbing down the net, and his foot slipped, causing his rear to skim the water. This was one of the most devastating moments of Rodriguez's life, as he felt far more devastated than the previous season, and even considered quitting for good. This was also his first time failing a qualifying course. Flip was invited as a wildcard to Vegas, but he declined.
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
After a depressing past two seasons, Flip returned in American Ninja Warrior 7 stronger than ever due to the support of his fans. He competed in Orlando and competed as the final runner of qualifying. He cleared the course with the 3rd fastest time, and for the first time, he competed without his trademark mask, putting it to the side this time. He would state in a post-run interview that his mask represented everything he had been through in the previous years.
In the city finals, Flip powered through the first nine obstacles, but ran out of steam on the final obstacle, the Invisible Ladder. Like qualifying, he placed 3rd overall, and because of that, he advanced to the national finals.
On Stage One, Flip flew across the course, even running on one side of Piston Road. He finished Stage One with 28.86 seconds left. On Stage Two, he made it all the way to Roulette Row, but came up short on the dismount, ending his redemption season off on a bittersweet note.
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
Flip returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 8 in Los Angeles. As usual, he put up a strong run and finished with the second fastest time just behind Kevin Bull.
In the city finals, he was hoping to become the second ninja to complete The Wedge. He looked comfortable on the obstacle, but slipped off before the dismount, becoming one of many that round to fail the obstacle. He placed 7th overall and advanced to the national finals.
In the national finals, he finished Stage One with 04.78 seconds left on the clock. On Stage Two, his run was digested, but he was disqualified on the Wave Runner for dismounting from the first board.
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American Ninja Warrior 9[]
Rodriguez returned to compete American Ninja Warrior 9 competing in the Los Angeles qualifying round once again. This time, he took a more slow and steady approach to the course. This tactic worked as he cleared the qualifying round, finishing with the 8th fastest time.
In the city finals, his run was digested. He made it all the way to the new Elevator Climb, but in a similar fashion to Orlando two years ago, he ran out of strength midway up. He still finished in 5th place and advanced to Vegas.
Prior to the Vegas Finals, Rodriguez suffered from a hip injury. Despite this, he cleared with 30.66 seconds remaining in a digested run.
On Stage Two, his run was yet again digested, but he made it to the fifth obstacle once again. He had no problem with the first few transfers, but eventually failed the transition to the dismount on Wingnut Alley, failing Stage Two for the fourth time. He ended up with one of the best performances of this season.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
Rodriguez returned for his eighth season, once again competing in Los Angeles. He moved quickly through the first four obstacles, but was one of many to fail the Doorknob Drop. Despite this, he placed 13th overall and advanced to the city finals.
In the city finals, he cleared all ten obstacles with ease. He would end off the city finals as one of nine finishers in the LA city finals, clearing in 7th place. He was one of three competitors in the Los Angeles region to have failed the qualifying course but still finished the city finals course. This was also Flip's first semifinal clear since American Ninja Warrior 5.
In Vegas, he cleared the first two obstacles, but he was one of many to fail the Double Dipper, ending his season early on Stage One.
Flip Rodriguez's Stunning Run - American Ninja Warrior Los Angeles City Finals 2019
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
Rodriguez returned for American Ninja Warrior 11, competing in Los Angeles again. He progressed steadily through the course and was the first person to attempt the Mega Wall this season. He opted to take on the Mega Wall, but was unable to scale it after three attempts. He still qualified for the city finals, placing 13th again.
In the city finals, he performed well and cleared the course with the fastest time and a spot on the Power Tower alongside Brian Kretsch. From there, he completed the Power Tower and won against Kretsch, earning him the first Safety Pass of the season.
On Stage One, he performed well, but fell on the Diving Boards, injuring his quad in the process. But since he had the Safety Pass, he was able to run the course again. On his second attempt he had a slower pace due to his injury, but was able to clear the Diving Boards this time and finish the course.
On Stage Two, Rodriguez's injury got the best of him and although he performed strongly, he ended up timing out on the Water Walls. Although his season ended in a heartbreaking way, he ended up with his best performance at the time, clearing the fifth obstacle of Stage Two for the first time.
American Ninja Warrior 12[]
Flip returned for American Ninja Warrior 12 in St. Louis. He was originally going to be in the D.C. regional before the season was modified from Covid-19. This marked the first time since American Ninja Warrior 7 in Orlando where his qualifying round took place outside of Los Angeles. In heartbreaking news, he lost his dog Maui from an auto-immune disease.
In qualifying, he performed well through the first four obstacles, but struggled on the Slingshot and fell there. Fortunately, his performance was fast enough to get him through the semifinals having placed 9th.
In the semifinals, his run was digested, but he made it to the ninth obstacle, The Dungeon. Fortunately, his time was fast enough to place 10th overall and move on to the finals. It is worth noting that his semifinals run was the exact one-year mark of losing Maui.
In the finals, he made good work of the first eight obstacles. He would later end up failing Dragonback, being one of five to go out on the obstacle. He ended up missing the cut for the playoff races, so he was eliminated in the finals. Thus, his season ended without a buzzer.
American Ninja Warrior 13[]
Flip returned for American Ninja Warrior 13 in Tacoma during the fifth and final qualifying episode. While he performed well through the first four obstacles, he fell at Sideways. Fortunately, his fast pace was able to get him to through the semifinals having placed 19th.
In the semifinals, he competed in the fourth semifinal round. His run was digested, but he failed the eighth obstacle, the Crazy Clocks. But since the cut off for that episode was the ninth obstacle, he unfortunately didn't advance to Vegas for the first time since season 6, as he placed 22nd overall. It was also the first time his season ended in the semifinals.
American Ninja Warrior 14[]
Flip returned for his twelfth season during the first qualifying episode in American Ninja Warrior 14. His run was digested, but it was shown that he failed on the new Salmon Roll, making it the fifth straight season he failed qualifying and the third straight time where he failed the fifth obstacle. Fortunately, his fast pace was once again able to get him to advance to the semifinals, placing 24th.
In the first episode of the semifinals, Flip was shown wearing his trademark mask that he used to wear until American Ninja Warrior 7, and he revealed he was writing a book called 'The Man Behind the Mask'. He managed to complete Ghost Town, and became the first competitor to clear Split Decision that night, opting for Spin Zone rather than Dragonback (the obstacle that ended his season two years prior). He then completed the Spider Trap, becoming the first finisher of the night. It was also Flip's first buzzer in three years, and he managed to earn a spot back to Vegas after missing out on it last year by placing 3rd overall.
In the national finals, he was the final runner of the first night, and once again he was shown wearing his trademark mask at the start line, and revealed that he was now training with R.J. Roman. He managed to clear Stage One for the first time since American Ninja Warrior 11, with 16 seconds remaining. On Stage Two, he injured his hand on the Double Salmon Ladder, but he managed to overcome on the next obstacles, and with only less than 10 seconds on the last obstacle, the Falling Shelves, he managed to clear the dismount, and ultimately completed Stage Two, and advanced to Stage Three for the first time in his career with 3 seconds remaining. He was the first runner on Stage Three. He looked strong on the first three obstacles, but he slipped on the Ultimate Cliffhanger, ending his best season to date.
American Ninja Warrior 15[]
Flip returned for his thirteenth season during the eighth round of qualifying in American Ninja Warrior 15. After seeing many top competitors go out early all season long, he avoided the curse and cruised through the early obstacles and not only managed to beat the fifth obstacle (this time being Mutant Mayhem) for the first time since ANW11, but also completed the course for the first time since ANW9. He placed 4th overall and advanced to the semifinals once again.
Flip raced Johnny Brown in the semifinals. He once again delivered, getting his revenge on Sideways, which he failed to complete during ANW13, despite scraping his head on the last board when he skipped it altogether, and the Slingshot, which he failed to complete during ANW12. Brown, on the other hand, failed that obstacle. He completed the course, making it the first time that he hit the buzzer on both the qualifying and semifinals courses since ANW5. He also moved onto the national finals for a record ninth time, tying with Joe Moravsky.
Flip competed in the first Stage One episode. In his run, he was fine until The Gambler, where he lost valuable time, which he couldn’t recover from and timed out on the cargo net of Thread The Needle. Luckily, this was good enough to make the top 24 and advance to Stage Two.
In Stage Two, he was matched up against Hans Hertz. The race was digested, and Flip quickly failed Jawbreakers, while Hans was able to clear the course.
American Ninja Warrior 16[]
Flip returned for his fourteenth season in the second round of qualifying on American Ninja Warrior 16. His run was digested, but he completed the course with the 3rd fastest time. Since he finished in under 1:20, he was able to attempt the Mega Wall, but just like in ANW 11, he failed to complete it.
Flip raced against fellow OG competitor Ryan Stratis in the semifinals. They both cleared the course, but since Flip was faster, he got the win and advanced to the national finals for a record tenth time.
In the national finals, Flip was able to clear Stage One for the eighth time in his career. On Stage Two, he raced against Vance Walker. Despite losing the race and his time not being fast enough to move on to Stage Three due to the format change, Flip was still able to complete the course.
American Ninja Warrior 17[]
Flip returned for his fifteenth season in the first round of qualifying in American Ninja Warrior 17 where it was also revealed that he has the third most amount of buzzers in his ninja career. Before his run, production got the opportunity to show him his first run ever in qualifying, way back in ANW3. He was shown reminiscing about how much more primitive the course was back then, yet also commenting about how awful the first obstacle was back then due to the slipperiness that round.
On the course, Flip was expected to do well given he had the unique advantage of facing every obstacle on the qualifying course at least once at some point in his ANW career. During his run, he was able to get through the first two obstacles with ease. But on the Block Run (which he attempted twice in season 9's Los Angeles regionals), he tried to skip the third block and couldn't regain his balance. His feet would ultimately touch the water, eliminating him. The crowd was visibly shocked, as his season was over on just the third obstacle of qualifiers. This marked his earliest exit in his ninja career and the first time since ANW6 his career ended in the qualifying round. Similarly to ANW 6, Flip was shown heartbroken and confused as to what happened during the post-run interview, unable to put together what happened during the moment.
Trivia[]
- Rodriguez and Drew Drechsel are the only competitors in American Ninja Warrior to have attempted all five versions of the final obstacle in the city finals.
- Rodriguez is one of five competitors to use the Safety Pass on Stage One and clear it on their second try. The others are Drechsel, Joe Moravsky, Nate Hansen, and R.J. Roman.
- Rodriguez is the second competitor after Najee Richardson to time out on Stage Two on American Ninja Warrior. Both competitors did so on the Water Walls.
- It was revealed during one of his streams that, sometime in 2017 or 2018, he legally changed his first name to “Flip”, meaning his first name is no longer “David”.
- He is the second ninja to clear the original and updated version of the Falling Shelves.
- He is a Twitch Streamer with 5,000 followers, his channel can be viewed here.
- Flip has hit 25 buzzers in his ninja career (if Ninja vs Ninja were counted, he has hit 34 buzzers).
- Out of the 11 competitors to make it to Stage Three in American Ninja Warrior 14, Flip was the only one to have failed the qualifier round.
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Team Ronin | ||||||||
| 1 | 4 (Qualifying) | Round One | 3 (Anchor Run) | Karsonic Boom | Karson Voiles | Loss | 0-1 | |
| 1 | 4 (Qualifying) | Round One | Sudden Death | Karsonic Boom | Karson Voiles | Win | 1-1 | |
| 1 | 4 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 1 | Wild Bunch | Lance Pekus | Win | 2-1 | |
| 1 | 7 (Finals) | Round One | 3 (Anchor Run) | Team TNT | Travis Rosen | Win | 3-1 | |
| 1 | 7 (Finals) | Round Two | 1 | Stratis Faction | Mike Bernardo | Win | 4-1 | |
| 1 | 7 (Finals) | Round Two | 4 (Sudden Death) | Stratis Faction | Ryan Stratis | Loss | 4-2 | |
| 2 | 7 (Qualifying) | Round One | 3 (Anchor Run) | InvincAbels | Abel Gonzalez | Loss | Flip fell at the Ring of Fire. | 4-3 |
| 2 | 7 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 3 (Anchor Run) | Ninja Brittens | Geoff Britten | Win | Both of them fell at the Ring of Fire. However, Flip reached the obstacle first. | 5-3 |
| 2 | 10 (Finals) | Round One | 3 (Anchor Run) | Think Tank | Matt Wilder | Loss | 5-4 | |
| 2 | 10 (Finals) | Round Two | 3 (Anchor Run) | Iron Grip | Daniel Gil | Loss | 5-5 | |
| 3 | 1 (Qualifying) | First Matchup | 3 | West Coast Warriors | Alan Connealy | Win | Alan fell at the Criss Cross Ring Toss. | 6-5 |
| 3 | 1 (Qualifying) | Final Matchup | 3 | Hashtag Ninjas | Jesse La Flair | Loss | Flip fell at the Flying Shelf Grab. | 6-6 |
| 3 | 15 (Playoffs) | First Matchup | 3 | The Ballers | Lorin Ball | Loss | Flip fell at the Floating Tiles. | 6-7 |
| 3 | 15 (Playoffs) | Final Matchup | 3 | Lab Rats | Brian Wilczewski | Win | Brian fell at the Hanging Staircase. | 7-7 |
| 3 | 16 (Finals) | First Matchup | 3 | Iron Grip | Daniel Gil | Win | 8-7 | |
| 3 | 16 (Finals) | Final Matchup | 3 | Labreckfast Club | Jon Alexis Jr. | Loss | 9-7 | |
Relay Showdown Record[]
| Season | Episode | Competitor (Obstacle Attempted) | Opponent Team | Opponent (Obstacle Attempted) | Result | Notes | Relay Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Team Ronin | |||||||
| 1 | 4 (Qualifying) | Tiana Webberley (1-3) JJ Woods (4-6) Flip Rodriguez (7-9) |
Think Tank | Asya Grechka (1-3) Matt Wilder (4-6) Noah Kaufman, MD (7-9) |
Win | 1-0 | |
| 2 | 7 (Qualifying) | Tiana Webberley (1-3) Flip Rodriguez (4-6) JJ Woods (7-9) |
Towers of Power | Dan Polizzi (1-3) Selena Laniel (4-6) Brandon Mears (7-9) |
Win | Brandon fell at the Invisible Ladder. | 2-0 |
| 3 | 1 (Qualifying) | Meagan Martin (1-3) Flip Rodriguez (4-6) JJ Woods (7-9) |
Hashtag Ninjas | Larissa Cottle (1-3) Jesse La Flair (4-6) Nicholas Coolridge (7-9) |
Win | 3-0 | |
| 3 | 1 (Qualifying) | Meagan Martin (1-3) Flip Rodriguez (4-6) JJ Woods (7-9) |
Hashtag Ninjas | Larissa Cottle (1-3) Jesse La Flair (4-6) Nicholas Coolridge (7-9) |
Win | 4-0 | |
| 3 | 15 (Playoffs) | Meagan Martin (1-2) JJ Woods (3-4) Flip Rodriguez (5-6) |
The Ballers | Meiling Huang (1-2) Lorin Ball (3-4) Paul Kasemir (5-6) |
Win | 5-0 | |
| 3 | 15 (Playoffs) | Meagan Martin (1-2) JJ Woods (3-4) Flip Rodriguez (5-6) |
The Ballers | Meiling Huang (1-2) Lorin Ball (3-4) Paul Kasemir (5-6) |
Win | 6-0 | |
| 3 | 15 (Playoffs) | Meagan Martin (1-3) Flip Rodriguez (4-6) JJ Woods (7-9) |
Lab Rats | Chris Wilczewski (1-3) Brian Wilczewski (4-6) Michelle Warnky (7-9) |
Win | Michelle fell at the Salmon Ladder. | 7-0 |
| 3 | 16 (Finals) | Meagan Martin (1-2) Flip Rodriguez (3-4) JJ Woods (5-6) |
Iron Grip | Tiana Webberley (1-2) Mathis Owhadi (3-4) Daniel Gil (5-6) |
Loss | Flip fell at the Wingnuts, resulting in a 5-second penalty for JJ. Then, Daniel beat JJ to the buzzer by 0.6 seconds. | 7-1 |
| 3 | 16 (Finals) | Meagan Martin (1-2) Flip Rodriguez (3-4) JJ Woods (5-6) |
Iron Grip | Tiana Webberley (1-2) Mathis Owhadi (3-4) Daniel Gil (5-6) |
Win | Mathis fell at the Floating Tiles, resulting in a 5-second penalty for Daniel. | 8-1 |
| 3 | 16 (Finals) | Flip Rodriguez (4-6) JJ Woods (7-9) Meagan Martin (1-3) |
Labreckfast Club | Jon Alexis Jr. (1-3) Chris DiGangi (4-6) Jesse Labreck (7-9) |
Loss | 8-2 | |
Power Tower Record[]
| Season | Round | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | City Finals (Los Angeles) | Brian Kretsch | Win | Won the Safety Pass. | 1-0 |
Results[]
SASUKE[]
| SASUKE | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 66 | Failed Slider Drop (Second Stage) |
American Ninja Warrior[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 66 | Failed Slider Drop (Second Stage) | |
| 4 | 100 | Failed Balance Tank (Stage Two) | |
| 5 | 84 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | Didn't land his feet on the walls simultaneously. |
| 7 | 24 | Failed Roulette Row (Stage Two) | Transition to the landing platform. |
| 8 | 34 | Disqualified Wave Runner (Stage Two) | Digest. Disqualified for dismounting the obstacle without using the second board. |
| 9 | 35 | Failed Wingnut Alley (Stage Two) | Digest. Transition to the landing platform. |
| 10 | 15 | Failed Double Dipper (Stage One) | |
| 11 | Failed Water Walls (Stage Two) | Timed out. Third wall. | |
| 14 | Failed Ultimate Cliffhanger (Stage Three) | ||
| 15 | Failed Jawbreakers (Stage Two) | Timed out on Thread the Needle on Stage One, but was able to advance due to the change in format. | |
| 16 | Clear (Stage Two) | Failed to advance due to rule change. |