Nathan "Nate" Burkhalter is an oil and gas engineer from Houston, Texas.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
Burkhalter first competed as a walk-on in American Ninja Warrior 6. His run was cut from braodcast, but he failed the Ring Toss
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
In Season 7, Nate competed in Orlando as a walk on. His run was cut, but he failed the Paddle Boards in qualifying.
One of Nate's brothers, Joel Burkhalter, also competed in the same season. Joel served in the military, so he competed in San Pedro.
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
Nate waited in the walk-on line for three years before getting chosen to compete on the course in Oklahoma City in American Ninja Warrior 8, where he was the first to complete the qualifying course, placing 9th. In the city finals, he failed the Salmon Ladder. However, he barely was able to advance to the national finals placing 15th overall. His run on Stage 1 was cut but it was revealed that he failed the first obstacle, Snake Run.
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
Nate Burkhalter at the San Antonio City Finals - American Ninja Warrior 2017
Nate returned to compete in San Antonio in American Ninja Warrior 9. Starting in 2017, Nate mentioned that he currently is living in Norway for his job as an engineer, and traveled over 6000 miles to compete in San Antonio, TX. He failed the Pipe Fitter but he placed 22nd in the top 30 and moved on to the city finals.
In the city finals, Nate got his revenge on the Pipe Fitter and the Salmon Ladder, but was one of the many competitors that failed the Hourglass Drop, This time around, Nate just missed out on going to Vegas, where he paced 16th.
Additionally, another one of his brothers, Ben Burkhalter, competed in Denver in the same season.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
He returned to compete in Dallas in American Ninja Warrior 10. His qualifying run was completely cut, but it was shown that he failed Crank It Up and still made it to the top 30 for the 3rd year in the row, placing 16th.
In the city finals, Nate's run was digested but it was shown that he once again failed the Salmon Ladder like he did in American Ninja Warrior 8 and did not move on to Vegas for the second year in a row; he placed 20th overall at the end of the night. In the next season it was said that he was fast enough to advance, but only if he cleared the Salmon Ladder which he failed to do.
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
He competed in Tacoma in American Ninja Warrior 11. Though his run was cut, he failed the Lightning Bolts, making it his third consecutive season failing the fifth obstacle in qualifying. He placed 22nd at the end of the night, advancing to the city finals for the fourth year in a row.
In the city finals, Nate manage to get revenge on the Lightning Bolts, and managing to get to the 8th obstacle, Floating Monkey Bars before falling. Nate manage to placed 10th and advanced to Vegas for the first time since American Ninja Warrior 8.
In Vegas he got his revenge on the 1st obstacle, which was now Archer Alley, and just flew through the rest of the course with relative ease, hitting his first buzzer of the season as well as the first competitor to hit a buzzer on that version of Stage One. He celebrated with a Jake Murray style cannonball at the end. On Stage Two, he cut it close by finishing with under 2 seconds left, but he still became the first finisher of Stage Two that season. In stage 3, his run was digested. He was shown to have failed Iron Summit where he had been fatigued by the first obstacle Grip and Tip. He wasn't able to have anything at all as he failed very close to the starting position of the obstacle.
American Ninja Warrior 13[]
After missing the previous season, Nate competed in the first qualifying episode. His run was digested but it was shown that he shockingly failed on the second obstacle Overpass as he managed to dislodge the bar on the short track to the landing pad. As a result, he didn't qualify for the semifinals for the first time since ANW 7.
Burkhalter did not compete in American Ninja Warrior 14 in light of new vaccination requirements.
Trivia[]
- Many of Nate's nicknames come from words that use his first name as a suffix (e.g. Passionate, Illuminate, etc.) Additionally, Nate has other nicknames such as "No Limits Nate".
- There was a broadcast error on Nate's run in the Tacoma finals, stating that he only once made it to Vegas prior to his run, which was in American Ninja Warrior 8. However, the broadcast contradicts this statement by saying Nate advanced to Vegas for the first time in four years. At the time, Nate last advanced to Vegas three years ago, not four.
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Iron Grip | ||||||||
| 2 | 4 (Qualifying) | Round One | 1 | Lab Rats | Chris Wilczewski | Loss | Nate fell at the Floating Tiles. | 0-1 |
| 2 | 4 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 1 | Phoenix Force | Dan Galiczynski | Win | 1-1 | |
| 2 | 10 (Finals) | Round One | 1 | Storm Team | Josh Levin | Loss | Nate injured his right arm at the Floating Tiles. Scott Willson served as his alternate for the rest of the season. | 1-2 |
| Team: Towers of Power | ||||||||
| 3 | 5 (Qualifying) | First Matchup | 3 | Three Wishes | Brian Burkhardt | Loss | Nate fell at the Tick Tock. | 0-1 (1-3 Overall) |
American Ninja Warrior Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Failed Snake Run (Stage One) | ||
| 11 | Failed Iron Summit (Stage Three) |
External Links[]
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