Lorin Ball is a breakdancer from the Denver area who first competed in the very first season of American Ninja Warrior. He also submitted a video for American Ninja Challenge 2, but his video didn't make the top 6.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 1[]
In the first season of American Ninja Warrior, his run was cut, although he could be seen at the starting line in a short clip during the 1st episode. According to Ball himself, he failed the Pipe Slider.
American Ninja Warrior 2[]
He competed again on American Ninja Warrior 2. His run was digested, but it shown that he blazed through the qualifying course and was able to clear it this time around, placing 26th overall. However, in the semi-finals, he was one of many competitors to fall on the Salmon Ladder, as he was shot at a more forward angle by the trampoline instead of upwards adjacent to the bar, thus missing it. Since his time to that point did not place him in the top 15, he missed Boot Camp by one spot and approximately 1 second, placing 16th overall.
American Ninja Warrior 3[]
He competed again on American Ninja Warrior 3. His run was digested again, but it was shown that he finished the qualifier in 1:31.57, but his time was not fast enough to make the Top 30, placing 36th overall and not advancing to the semi-finals again since his debut.
American Ninja Warrior 4[]
He then competed again on American Ninja Warrior 4 in the Midsouth regionals. His run in qualifying was digested, but it was shown that he went much faster than last time, clearing the course in just over one minute which placed him 5th. In the semi-finals, his run was digested again, but he managed to get revenge on the Salmon Ladder that took him out two competitions ago and finish the course altogether, earning him a spot in the Las Vegas national finals.
In the national finals, he managed to clear Stage One with the second fastest time, only behind Derek Nakamoto. On Stage Two, his run was digested again, but he failed on the Double Salmon Ladder, ending his season.
American Ninja Warrior 5[]
He returned to compete on American Ninja Warrior 5 in Denver. His run in qualifying was digested, but he finished the course in 6th place. In the city finals, his run was digested again, but he failed the Floating Stairs. His time to that point placed him 11th, earning him his second straight trip to the Las Vegas national finals.
In the national finals, he cleared Stage One with the second fastest time for the second consecutive year, just behind Elet Hall. On Stage Two, he got revenge on the Double Salmon Ladder, only to fail the next obstacle, the Unstable Bridge.
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
He returned to compete again on American Ninja Warrior 6 in Denver. In qualifying, he blew through the course, clearing it with the fastest time of 1:04.27. In the city finals, he cleared the first 6 obstacles at a fast pace. However, he was having trouble on the Salmon Ladder and shockingly failed it again for the first time since American Ninja Warrior 2, which was not good enough for the top 15.
While he did not qualify for the Las Vegas national finals, he was selected as one of the 18 wildcards that season. He cleared Stage One for the third straight year with 0:35.29 remaining. In addition, this was second straight year he cleared Stage One with the second-fastest time, behind Elet Hall again. On Stage Two, however, he struggled with the new Rope Jungle, despite seeing so many other competitors attempt it. It took him over a minute to complete it, and due to fatigue, his arms gave out on the Double Salmon Ladder causing him to fail, making it the third straight year that he failed Stage Two.
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
In American Ninja Warrior 7, he blew away the Kansas City qualifiers in under a minute, with a time of 58 seconds. In the city finals, his run was digested, but he made it all the way to the Body Prop, which also took out a bunch of veterans, including Brian Arnold an Isaac Caldiero. His fast time that guaranteed himself a spot In the Las Vegas national finals again.
However, he suffered an injury before the national finals took place, thus forcing him to withdraw from the competition. His replacement was Michael Stanger, who placed 16th at the end of the Kansas City city finals.
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
In American Ninja Warrior 8, he competed in Indianapolis. In qualifying, he once again cleared with the fastest time, for the third year in a row. However, things did not go so well in the city finals, as he was quickly and shockingly eliminated by the Rolling Log, not moving on to the Las Vegas national finals for the first time.
Lorin Ball at the Indianapolis Qualifier - American Ninja Warrior 2016
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
In American Ninja Warrior 9, he competed in Denver. In qualifying, he once again finished with the fastest time, for the fourth year in a row. In the city finals, he managed to clear the Salmon Ladder and The Wedge that took out majority of the competitors that night. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to defeat the new obstacle, Ninjago Roll. He still placed 2nd overall made it back to the Las Vegas national finals.
In the national finals, he cleared the first two obstacles with ease, but on the Double Dipper, he faced issues on how to grip the bar. He decided to use the cross-grip technique, which backfired as he lost his grip right after the transition to the second bar, marking the first time he failed Stage One.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
He returned in American Ninja Warrior 10 in Indianapolis. His run was all cut for the first time since his debut in the first season, but he shockingly had the earliest exit of his career on Cannonball Drop, also marking the first time he failed the qualifying course since the first season.
It was later revealed on his YouTube that he got disqualified due to him grabbing the truss at the end. As such, although not immediately, he was ordered to drop in the middle of his attempt on the next obstacle, the Wheel Flip, because by rule, grabbing the truss/support structure is grounds for disqualification.
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
After an unexpected early exit last season, he competed on American Ninja Warrior 11 in Seattle-Tacoma. In qualifying, his run was digested, but he cleared the course with the 4th fastest time. In the city finals, his run was digested again, but he failed Floating Monkey Bars. Since he was the fastest to that point out of all the competitors who failed there, he ended up placing 4th and earning a return trip to the Las Vegas national finals.
In the national finals, his run was digested once again, but he cut it close, finishing with a mere 4.73 seconds remaining, making it the first time in 4 years that he completed Stage One. One Stage Two, he made good work of the first few obstacles despite needing to take another swing on the rope on Giant Walk the Plank. He made it all the way to the Swing Surfer when he failed to grab the ledges on the wall and slid down until he couldn't grab any of them, ending his best season to date.
American Ninja Warrior 12[]
He competed on the downsized American Ninja Warrior 12 in the third qualifying round. His run in qualifying was digested, but it was shown that he fell on the Ferris Wheel. Despite not clearing the course, he barely managed to make it to the semi-finals by placing 12th. His run in the semi-finals was also digested, but he was shown to fail Burn Rubber, not advancing to the finals.
American Ninja Warrior 14[]
After surprisingly not getting the call to compete American Ninja Warrior 13 (ending his perfect streak at 12 seasons), he returned to compete in the first qualifying episode. His run was digested, but it was shown he once again fell on the fifth obstacle, Salmon Roll, but his time to that point was good enough to advance to the semi-finals by placing 16th. He competed in the fourth and last semifinals episode, where his run there was also digested, but he put up one of the best runs in his long ninja career. He took a little break after clearing the fifth obstacle, Kaleidoscope, and was the first competitor to get past the Diving Boards at Split Decision. He ended up hitting his first buzzer in three seasons and also his first buzzer on a semi-finals course in 10 years, placing him 5th, earning his sixth trip to the Las Vegas national finals.
His run at the national finals was also digested, but he moved through the course in a rather slow pace. As such, he tried to go for The High Road and ended up falling on the Dipping Birds, making it just the second time that he failed on Stage One, ending his season.
American Ninja Warrior 17[]
After not getting the call to compete on American Ninja Warrior 15 or American Ninja Warrior 16, he returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 17 in the second round of qualifying, being one of two OGs to compete in that episode along with David Campbell. His run in qualifying was digested, but he struggled with the Log Runner, but still managed to clear it, and also getting past the fifth obstacle since American Ninja Warrior 11, this time being the Ferris Wheel which he had failed back in American Ninja Warrior 12, thus also getting revenge on it, and eventually hitting his first qualifying buzzer in five years, moving onto the semi-finals in 11th place.
However, due to a schedule conflict, he opted to withdraw from the competition during the semi-finals. He was replaced by Anna McArthur, who placed 21st during that qualifying round.[1]
Trivia[]
- He is one of three competitors to have been bleeped when cursing upon failing an obstacle in the American Ninja Warrior 2 semi-finals, in his case being when he missed the jump to the bar on the Salmon Ladder as he was shot at a more forward angle instead of upwards adjacent to the bar.
- He has always cleared Stage One with over thirty seconds left, up until American Ninja Warrior 11 where he cleared with only 4.73 seconds left.
- He has the record for the most seasons in a row with the fastest time in the qualifying rounds at four, tied with R.J. Roman.
- He is the first and currently the only competitor to withdraw from the semi-finals due to reasons unrelated to injuries or medical issues, in his case being a schedule conflict in American Ninja Warrior 17.
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: The Ballers | ||||||||
| 2 | 6 (Qualifying) | Round One | 1 | Real Life Beasts | James McGrath | Loss | 0-1 | |
| 2 | 6 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 1 | Labreckfast Club | Noel Reyes | Loss | 0-2 | |
| 2 | 8 (Wildcard) | Round One | 1 | The Wings | David Yarter | Win | David fell at the Swinging Spikes. | 1-2 |
| 2 | 8 (Wildcard) | Round Two | 1 | Superhero Squad | Sean Darling-Hammond | Win | 2-2 | |
| 2 | 8 (Wildcard) | Round Two | 4 (Sudden Death) | Superhero Squad | Jamie Rahn | Loss | Lorin fell at the Ring of Fire. | 2-3 |
| 3 | 6 (Qualifying) | First Matchup | 1 | Team Alpha | Brent Steffensen | Win | Brent fell at the Floating Tiles. Lorin passed him up afterwards. | 3-3 |
| 3 | 6 (Qualifying) | Final Matchup | 1 | Lab Rats | Chris Wilczewski | Loss | Lorin fell at the Rumbling Dice. | 3-4 |
| 3 | 11 (Playoffs) | Round One | 1 | Three Wishes | Geoff Lancaster (alternate for Brian Burkhardt) | Win | 4-4 | |
| 3 | 15 (Playoffs) | Round One | 1 | Team Ronin | JJ Woods | Win | JJ fell at the Hanging Staircase. | 5-4 |
Relay Showdown Record[]
| Season | Episode | Competitor (Obstacle Attempted) | Opponent Team | Opponent (Obstacle Attempted) | Result | Notes | Relay Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: The Ballers | |||||||
| 2 | 6 (Qualifying) | Meiling Huang (1-3) Lorin Ball (4-6) Paul Kasemir (7-9) |
Real Life Beasts | James McGrath (1-3) Erica Cook (4-6) Drew Drechsel (7-9) |
Loss | Paul fell at the Dueling Salmon Ladder. | 0-1 |
| 3 | 6 (Qualifying) | Meiling Huang (1-2) Lorin Ball (3-4) Paul Kasemir (5-6) |
Team Alpha | Sydney Olsen (1-2) Brent Steffensen (3-4) David Yarter (5-6) |
Win | Sydney fell at the Sonic Swing, resulting in a 5-second penalty for Brent. | 1-1 |
| 3 | 11 (Wildcard) | Meiling Huang (1-2) Lorin Ball (3-4) Paul Kasemir (5-6) |
Three Wishes | Brittany Hanks (1-2) Geoffrey Lancaster (3-4) Thomas Stillings (5-6) |
Win | 2-1 | |
| 3 | 15 (Playoffs) | Meiling Huang (1-2) Lorin Ball (3-4) Paul Kasemir (5-6) |
Team Ronin | Meagan Martin (1-2) JJ Woods (3-4) Flip Rodriguez (5-6) |
Loss | 2-2 | |
| 3 | 15 (Playoffs) | Meiling Huang (1-2) Lorin Ball (3-4) Paul Kasemir (5-6) |
Team Ronin | Meagan Martin (1-2) JJ Woods (3-4) Flip Rodriguez (5-6) |
Loss | 2-3 | |
Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 49 | Failed Double Salmon Ladder (Stage Two) | Digest. |
| 5 | 25 | Failed Unstable Bridge (Stage Two) | Digest. Transition to the second plank. |
| 6 | 28 | Failed Double Salmon Ladder (Stage Two) | Competed as Wild Card. Failed the transition to the fifth rung. |
| 9 | 38 | Failed Double Dipper (Stage One) | Lost grip on the second bar. First time he fell at Stage One. |
| 11 | Failed Swing Surfer (Stage Two) | ||
| 14 | Failed Dipping Birds (Stage One) | Digest. |