Ryan Stratis (ライアン ストラティス) is a former member of the Georgia Army National Guard in the United States who is notable for having competed since the first season of American Ninja Warrior. Stratis had been trying to get on SASUKE since the original American Ninja Challenge in 2007 but his video tape submissions have fallen short many times.
ANW 1-3 & SASUKE[]
Ryan Stratis applied for all four American Ninja Challenge contests and, although he reached the final round of selection at least once, he was rejected every time. He competed in a G4 event named Ninjafest 4 in Santa Monica, CA around the time of American Ninja Challenge 4, in which he quickly completed a small course with basic replica obstacles from SASUKE, including the Quad Steps, the Pipe Slider, the Cliffhanger, the Jumping Spider and the Warped Wall.[1]
During American Ninja Warrior 1, Stratis looked very strong early on, as he blazed through the first four obstacles, reaching the fourth obstacle in 10 seconds and the fifth in 19 seconds. His pace until this point was on track to put him as one of the fastest finishers. However, he had trouble with momentum on the Pipe Slider and missed two tries at the Warped Wall. As a result, despite eventually clearing, he didn't have a Top 30 time and did not move on, placing 34th overall.
Stratis came back for American Ninja Warrior 2, placing 25th in the preliminary round despite missing a try at the Warped Wall. However, in the Semi Finals, his run was digested, but it was shown that he buckled on the trampoline leading up to the Salmon Ladder and did not qualify for boot camp, as like in the first competition, his time was not fast enough, placing 23rd overall.
Ryan competed in American Ninja Warrior 3 and managed to exact revenge on the Salmon Ladder and was the only one of the 30 competitors to clear semi-finals round, finally qualifying for SASUKE 27. In the First Stage, he almost fell on the Half Pipe Attack, briefly holding onto the rope with one hand. However, he managed to clear and finished the First Stage with 13.97 seconds left. In the Second Stage, he put on a strong performance and finished with the fastest time of the Americans, 18.41 seconds. In the Third Stage, he made it to the Ultimate Cliffhanger but failed the transition from the third to fourth ledge placing 4th overall. Interestingly, Stratis was mistakenly aged as 37 in the Japanese broadcast, when he was actually 28.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 4[]
Fans expected Stratis to repeat his previous performance in American Ninja Warrior 4, but he shocked many when he tripped on the Bungee Bridge and his foot touched the mat below.
American Ninja Warrior 5[]
In American Ninja Warrior 5, Stratis was on a mission for redemption, and got it on the third obstacle the Balance Bridge. He almost failed the Slider Jump, but once he cleared it, he defeated the Monkey Peg and did an army yell before scaling the Warped Wall on his first try.
In his first visit to the Miami Finals, he defeated all six obstacles once again, and the Salmon Ladder, while also conquering the Ledge Jump and Rolling Steel, before flipping onto the mats before the Spider Climb. Then he made it to the top of the tower, hit the buzzer, and earned a trip to National Finals.
In Las Vegas however, he was one of many to have failed the Jumping Spider in Stage One, ending his comeback season there.
American Ninja Warrior 6[]
In American Ninja Warrior 6, he competed again in the Miami qualifying, and cleared with the 20th fastest time.
In the Miami Finals, he once again pwoered his way through all ten obstacles. He ended up clearing the finals course and placed 3rd place.
In Stage One at Vegas, he cleared the first two obstacles, but almost went out on the new obstacle, the Silk Slider. He cleared the Jumping Spider, where he failed last time. He had another near-stumble one obstacle later, nearly failing the Half-Pipe Attack and taking three attempts to clear. After that, he went on to successfully clear the rest of the course, hitting the buzzer with 08.66 seconds left.
On the Second Stage, Ryan destroyed the first four obstacles. However, on the Metal Spin, Ryan lost his grip on the chain. Although he managed to hold on to it, he held it too low and his foot touched the water.
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
In American Ninja Warrior 7, Stratis competed in the San Pedro qualifiers for the special military event. On the course, Ryan took a slow, cautious approach to the qualifying course. He nearly failed the balance obstacle, the Log Runner, averting a similar exit to ANW 4. He recovered though, and completed the rest of the course in 9th place.
On the finals course, Stratis fought and muscled his way through the first nine obstacles with finesse. On the Invisible Ladder, however, Ryan started out hard but instantly lost his grip strength halfway through the obstacle. As a result, Ryan fell just short of completing the course. He still earned a spot to the Las Vegas National Finals, as he placed 3rd overall.
In the Vegas Finals, Ryan cleared the first stage with ease. On Stage Two, Ryan flew through Rope Jungle. But on the Double Salmon Ladder, he rushed through the obstacle and misjudged the height of the second-to-last rung, causing him to fail there.
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
Ryan Stratis at the Philadelphia Qualifier - American Ninja Warrior 2016
Prior to American Ninja Warrior 8, Stratis underwent shoulder surgery after years of shoulder pain. Even though he wasn't 100%, he still managed to compete in the Philadelphia qualifying region. On the course, he dominated the first three obstacles. However, on the fourth obstacle, he slightly injured his right shoulder (which he had surgery on). Fighting through the pain, Stratis annihilated the grueling Rolling Thunder and scaled up the new and improved Warped Wall and finished the qualifying course in ninth place. In the city finals, his run was digested but it was shown that he failed the Stair Hopper but placed 9th and moved on to Vegas. In Vegas, he was the first runner and Ryan Stratis powered through most of Stage One, but however, he fell on the Flying Squirrel after showing obvious signs of pain in his shoulder.
Prior to his runs in Philadelphia, he was shown in qualifying along with Geoff Britten were shown with Alex Weber on American Ninja Warrior: Crashing the Course to see the rule walk for the obstacles, plus he and Ryan were the ones who were telling Alex no pictures and they were cheering him on as he was attempting the Pipefitter and then later in the city finals he appeared again along with Meagan Martin and Jamie Rahn on American Ninja Warrior: Crashing the Course with Alex Weber giving them tips about The Clacker and although he didn't test the obstacle, he did send Alex across with the traditional backslap.
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
In American Ninja Warrior 9, Stratis competed at Daytona Beach still struggling with shoulder pain. In qualifying his run was digested but cleared the course at 9th place with a time of 2:55.19. In the city finals, his run was again digested, but it was shown that he failed the Giant Cubes by failing the jump to the second cube as he was one of the many, but placed 13th and moved on to the national finals. On Stage One, he powered through and achieved vengeance on the Flying Squirrel and cleared with 9.67 seconds remaining. On Stage Two, his run was digested, but it was shown that he had struggled with the Giant Ring Swing for a prolonged period of time and eventually attempted a risky backwards jump with the ring but was unsuccessful which sent him plummeting into the water.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
Ryan Stratis at the Miami City Qualifiers - American Ninja Warrior 2018
In American Ninja Warrior 10, Stratis competed in Miami for his tenth consecutive season. Although he had a slight struggle on the new Slippery Summit, Stratis still managed to clear the qualifier course with the sixth fastest time and also became the fourth competitor (as well as the only one to do so in Miami) to complete the Mega Wall.
During the city finals he had a strong run as he managed to get revenge on the Stair Hopper, the obstacle that he failed on during the Philadelphia city finals in American Ninja Warrior 8. He later continued to clear the city finals course for the first time since Season 6, placing 3rd overall.
On Stage One, Stratis performed strongly, however, he failed on Jeep Run after losing balance on the moving tire portion. Despite this, since he made it further than Brett Sims- he gets to keep his beard while Sims had his shaven off.
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
In American Ninja Warrior 11, Stratis confirmed competing in Atlanta for his 11th season and that he and Brett Sims will continue the beard bet with whoever fails to complete the coarse will lose the bet. While his qualifying run was digested (His full run was posted on YouTube, though.), Stratis had an amazing save as he went inverted on Off the Hook and performed strongly throughout the rest of the course and he cleared with the fourteenth fastest time and also scaled up the Mega Wall for the second year in a row. Since he scaled it on his first attempt, he won the $10,000 grand prize. He was also the first competitor to scale the Mega Wall twice. Brett Sims also cleared the course, continuing the beard bet to the City Finals.
In the City Finals, Stratis put up another strong run, despite having a slight stumble on Block Run where he cut his hand, but was able to pull through and finished the course in 5th place. Brett Sims also manage to clear the course, thus continuing the beard bet for Vegas.
In Vegas, Stratis got revenge on Jeep Run, and manage to clear Stage One and also won the beard bet against Brett Sims for the second year in a row. On Stage Two, Stratis had a hard landing coming off of Giant Walk the Plank, but pulled through and cleared Stage Two not only for the first time since Season 3, but also the first time on U.S. soil. Stratis was the first to attempt Stage Three this season where he was able to beat the Grip and Tip, but unfortunately made an error on Iron Summit where he put too much force on one peg by putting two hands on it and this caused him to fall with it into the water, ending his Stage Three run and chances of beating his personal best record. Although in the All Star Special of Season 11, he finally bested the Ultimate Cliffhanger.
Unfortunately, on April 19th, 2020, Stratis announced on Instagram that he will not be competing on American Ninja Warrior 12, ending his streak of consecutive appearances on American Ninja Warrior, which started 11 years ago. The post can be found here.
He did apply for American Ninja Warrior 13, looking for a comeback after taking off the previous season, but unfortunately did not get the call along with some other veterans. He also didn't compete in American Ninja Warrior 14 due to new vaccination requirements but he was shown supporting James McGrath during his qualifying run on the screen.
American Ninja Warrior 15[]
After a three season absence, he made his return in the final qualifying episode of American Ninja Warrior 15. He had an exciting comeback, becoming the first finisher of the night, and hitting the 23rd buzzer of his career. He placed 6th overall and advanced to the semifinals.
In the fourth round of semifinals, he raced against Austin Hair, whom Stratis had 10 years of experience on. Their race was digested, but it was shown that he had a significantly slower pace than Hair. He fell on Sideways, and since Hair, who fell at the same obstacle seconds later, reached the obstacle faster, Stratis was eliminated. This was the first time since American Ninja Warrior 4 that he failed to make it to Vegas.
American Ninja Warrior 16[]
Ryan competed in ANW 16 in the eighth qualifier round. In the qualifier, his run was digested, but he made it past the first four obstacles with ease. However, on Ring the Bells, he made a fatal mistake second-guessing himself on the first transfer, and then struggled generating momentum. Eventually, his grip gave out and he went out on the obstacle. This marked his first qualifier fail since his earliest exit twelve seasons ago in American Ninja Warrior 4. Despite the sudden fall, Stratis did manage to place 10th and advance to the semifinals.
In the fourth round of semifinals, he raced against fellow OG competitor Flip Rodriguez. Flip cleared the course faster than Ryan, giving him the win while Ryan was slower and also cleared the course in hope of being one of the top two non-winners. Unfortunately, since two other non-winners finished the course faster than Ryan, he entered Vegas as a wild card, making the him the second to earn that honor after Eric Middleton that this happened to during the season.
Though he did not advance to the national finals legitimately via the semifinals, Stratis was invited to compete in the National Finals as a "Legacy Invite", which functioned similarly to a Wildcard. He was one of two competitors to be legacy invites, with the other being Jesse Labreck. He was the first runner of the second night and looked very strong for the first four obstacles, but fell on The Gambler where he couldn’t make the jump up to the playing card. He was later a guest commentator for Kaden Lebsack's run, and sent him off to Stage Two with his famous battle cry.
American Ninja Warrior 17[]
Ryan competed in ANW 17 in the third qualifier. There he was looking good before he struggled a lot on Crank It Up, which in turn caused him to fail on the following obstacle, V Formation, once out on the fifth obstacle for the second season in a row. He still placed 16th overall and once again advanced to the semifinals.
Ryan later competed in the third semifinals episode where he shockingly failed on the second obstacle, falling on the Lunatic Ledges, after he tried to link the move from the first swing to the second board. He was the only competitor to fail the Lunatic Ledges in the third semifinals round. Thus his season ended with the worst result out of all of the semifinalists in SF3, placing 40th overall.
After his semifinals episode aired, he posted a recap of his season on Instagram where he announced that he won't compete in American Ninja Warrior 18, due to wanting to focus on other aspects of his life. [1]
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Stratis Faction | ||||||||
| 1 | 3 (Qualifying) | Round One | 3 (Anchor Run) | Team Alpha | Brent Steffensen | Win | 1-0 | |
| 1 | 3 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 1 | Tré Amigoz | Tremayne Dortch | Win | 2-0 | |
| 1 | 7 (Finals) | Round One | 3 (Anchor Run) | Team Midoryama | Ian Dory | Loss | 2-1 | |
| 1 | 7 (Finals) | Round Two | 3 (Anchor Run) | Team Ronin | JJ Woods | Win | JJ fell at the Dancing Stones. | 3-1 |
| 1 | 7 (Finals) | Round Two | 4 (Sudden Death) | Team Ronin | Flip Rodriguez | Win | 3-1 | |
| 2 | 6 (Qualifying) | Round One | 3 (Anchor Run) | Labreckfast Club | Jon Alexis Jr. | Loss | 3-2 | |
| 2 | 6 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 3 (Anchor Run) | Real Life Beasts | Drew Drechsel | Win | Drew fell at the Spin Cycle. | 4-2 |
Relay Showdown Record[]
| Season | Episode | Competitor (Obstacle Attempted) | Opponent Team | Opponent (Obstacle Attempted) | Result | Notes | Relay Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Stratis Faction | |||||||
| 1 | 3 (Qualifying) | Grace Jones (1-3) Ryan Stratis (4-6) Mike Bernardo (7-9) |
ExpendaBulls | Luci Romberg (1-3) Alan Connealy (4-6) Kevin Bull (7-9) |
Loss | Ryan fell at the Dancing Stones, resulting in a 10-second penalty for Mike. | 0-1 |
| 1 | 7 (Finals) | Grace Jones (1-3) Ryan Stratis (4-6) Mike Bernardo (7-9) |
Team TNT | Joyce Shahboz (1-3) Adam Arnold (4-6) Travis Rosen (7-9) |
Loss | 0-2 | |
SASUKE Results[]
| SASUKE | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 63 | Failed Ultimate Cliffhanger (Third Stage) | Transition to fourth ledge. |
American Ninja Warrior Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | ||
| 6 | Failed Metal Spin (Stage Two) | ||
| 7 | Failed Double Salmon Ladder (Stage Two) | Transition to second-to-last-rung | |
| 8 | Failed Flying Squirrel (Stage One) | Transition to second handle. | |
| 9 | Failed Giant Ring Swing (Stage Two) | ||
| 10 | Failed Jeep Run (Stage One) | ||
| 11 | Failed Iron Summit (Stage Three) | ||
| 16 | Failed The Gambler (Stage One) | Legacy Invite. |
Gallery[]
._Mike_Bernardo_and_Grace_Sims_(Team_Ninja_Warrior_Season_2)..JPG "-6 Team Stratis Faction- Ryan Stratis (Captain). Mike Bernardo and Grace Sims (Team Ninja Warrior Season 2)..JPG (189 KB)")
