Nathan "Nate" Burkhalter is an oil and gas engineer from Houston, Texas.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
Burkhalter first competed in Dallas as a walk-on in American Ninja Warrior 6. His run was cut from broadcast, but he failed the Ring Toss, not moving on to the city finals.
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
In American Ninja Warrior 7, he tried to walk on in his hometown of Houston, but did not get a chance to run. He then waited in the walk-on line in Orlando, where he was selected. His run was cut, but he failed the Tire Swing in qualifying, not moving on to the city finals again.
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[]
After waiting in the walk-on line for 3 years, he got the call for the first time to compete on 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, his time and performance was enough to scrape in to advance to the national finals, placing 15th. His run on Stage One 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, Texas. 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 after he was eliminated by Daniel Gil and he placed 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[]
It was announced on social media that while he did get the call to compete in Oklahoma City, he had a schedule conflict due to him working in remote Africa, clashing with Oklahoma City’s filming dates. Hence, 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 managed to get revenge on the Lightning Bolts, and made it all the way to the 8th obstacle, Floating Monkey Bars before falling. He placed 10th and advanced to the national finals 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. On Stage Three, his run was digested. He was shown to have failed Iron Summit due to him being fatigued by the first obstacle, Grip and Tip, ending his breakout season. He had little left in the tank 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 American Ninja Warrior 7.
Burkhalter did not compete in American Ninja Warrior 14 in light of new vaccination requirements and it is currently unknown if he will ever return to American Ninja Warrior.
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. | 1-3 |
Relay Showdown Record[]
| Season | Episode | Competitor (Obstacle Attempted) | Opponent Team | Opponent (Obstacle Attempted) | Result | Notes | Relay Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Iron Grip | |||||||
| 2 | 4 (Qualifying) | Barclay Stockett (1-3) Nate Burkhalter (4-6) Daniel Gil (7-9) |
Lab Rats | Arnold Hernandez (1-3) Michelle Warnky (4-6) Chris Wilczewski (7-9) |
Win | Both Daniel and Brian fell at the Invisible Ladder. However, Daniel got the furthest up and already secured the win after Brian was the first to fall. | 1-0 |
American Ninja Warrior Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Failed Snake Run (Stage One) | All cut. | |
| 11 | Failed Iron Summit (Stage Three) | Digest. |