Sean Bryan (ショーン・ブライアン), known by many as the Papal Ninja for his Catholic identity and apostolic/evangelical activity. Sean is highly involved in both religious and secular affairs; he is co-founder of a pioneering ministry within the Catholic Church called the "Lay Mission Project," as well as co-founder of one of America's largest Ninja Gyms, Traverse Fitness. Although Sean hails from Concord, California, he spent most of his childhood in Cranford, New Jersey.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
He first competed in American Ninja Warrior 8 Los Angeles and cleared the qualifiers with the 4th fastest time of 2:30.11. Despite placing in the top 5 in qualifying, Bryan shockingly failed just the third obstacle, the Escalator, in city finals. He placed 23rd overall and did not advance to the national finals.
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
Bryan came back in American Ninja Warrior 9 stronger than last year. In the Los Angeles qualifiers, Bryan placed 5th overall with a finish of 1:37.47. In the city finals, Bryan put up a memorable run by becoming one of the four finishers of that region as well as getting the fastest time out of all finishers and getting the fastest time out of all nine athletes to complete the City Finals course, completing the course in 5:07.22. Moreover, he beat Adam Rayl's time by .70 of a second for first place. Overall, Sean is one of just nine athletes to have completed a city finals course this season.
In Vegas, Sean cleared Stage One with 19.80 seconds left. Later, he became the first ninja to conquer Wingnut Alley on his way to become the first of the three people to clear Stage Two, finishing with 15.06 seconds remaining. He was also one of just two people of Season 9 to complete four buzzers (meaning he finished qualifying, city finals, and the first/second stages of Las Vegas), with the other being Joe Moravsky.
On Stage Three, he was able to clear the first three obstacles. However, his arms were fatigued upon reaching the Ultimate Cliffhanger resulting in him failing to make the transition to the fourth ledge.
American Ninja Warrior: USA vs the World 4[]
Due to his suberb showing during the regular season being only one of three to make it to Stage Three, he was chosen as a member for Team USA during American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World 4. Sean competed in the first heat for Stage Two where he made it all the way to Wingnut Alley where he was offline and tumbled downward into the water when he landed on his back, getting his team members (Joe Moravsky, Najee Richardson, and Drew Drechsel) to come and make sure that he was okay, but he was able to stay in the competition and won the heat, getting 3 points for Team USA. He competed in the final heat on Stage Four (after Team USA had a suberb showing on Stage Three). going against Sean McColl in the “Sean vs. Sean” matchup. Sean had the lead in the beginning but McColl had the lead in the last few feet and didn’t give it up and McColl only beat Sean to the buzzer by less than a second, getting Team USA the runner up spot.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
He returned to Los Angeles in American Ninja Warrior 10. In the qualifiers, he was one of only ten competitors who cleared the Doorknob Drop, and all though he failed to get up the Mega Wall, he still cleared the course for the third straight year, placing 7th. In the city finals, he was the last competitor of the night. Because of this, Bryan's run knocked Grant McCartney out of the top 15. Sean barely finished the fastest out of the nine finishers on the course, beating Nicholas Coolridge's time by .93 of a second. Miraculously, this was the second year in a row in which he achieved the first place spot in a city finals course by less than a second on the clock.
On Stage One, his run was digested. He stumbled on the Propeller Bar but ended up clearing with 18.95 seconds to spare. He later rose to the occasion on Stage Two, in which he became the first competitor to clear Stage Two, doing so with 21.70 seconds remaining. Sean originally failed the Water Walls during his first run due to an obstacle malfunction (According to a Reddit post: He turned the wheel on the final wall the wrong way at the end). He was given a second chance and eventually finished on his second run.
On Stage Three, he failed the Ultimate Cliffhanger for the second year in a row, but this time he made it further than last time (when he slipped on the last ledge). He missed out on serving as the Last Man Standing and winning US$100,000, having his time being beat by Drew Drechsel. Though he placed second out of the entire competition, he once again hit four buzzers, in which Dreschel did not do (since he fell on the Stair Hopper in the Miami finals). Because of this, Sean Bryan hit the most buzzers out of any competitor in the tournament.
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
Sean returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 11. He was originally going to compete in Los Angeles, but because of a broken ankle, which he got in a training accident a few months earlier, he waited 2 months to compete in Tacoma. Although his ankle was still in the midst of recovering, he still managed to dominate the qualifying course with the 2nd fastest time, only behind Leif Sundberg. However, he managed to clear the Power Tower with a time faster than Sundberg and advanced to Vegas immediately.
In the city finals, he went for broke, making risky moves such as entirely skipping a cradle on the Lightning Bolts and jumping up two rungs on the Salmon Ladder. However, he shockingly failed the Floating Monkey Bars. While he was guaranteed a spot in Vegas, he did not get to attempt the Power Tower again.
That year's Stage One was the most devastating run Bryan has ever had in his Ninja career. Bryan passed Spin Your Wheels and the Double Dipper, but as he took on the Jumping Spider, Bryan dislocated his right shoulder and had to withdraw from the rest of his run. While still on the Jumping Spider, Sean attempted to pop his shoulder back in place to no avail. So, he hopped up to the top of the obstacle with no hands and was rescued by a crew member, thus ending Bryan's fourth season. He was the first Speed Pass winner to be eliminated early. He was still seen supporting fellow competitors in the later stages, with his arm in a sling.
American Ninja Warrior 12[]
Bryan returned to compete in the modified season of American Ninja Warrior 12. He was running the obstacle course with his teammates Father Stephen Gadberry and David Womelsdorf. His teammates didn't finish the course and failed to qualify. Bryan managed to get the second fastest time despite his limited time training due to his shoulder rehab. He took on the Power Tower against R.J. Roman. However, he was defeated by Roman, who sent his teammates to the Semi-Finals.
In the Semi-Finals, he competed in the second episode. His run was digested, but was shown that he made a mistake and missed a cradle on the fifth obstacle, Slingshot, shocking everyone. Bryan didn't even take on the back half of the course and he failed to make it to the finals for just the second time in his career.
American Ninja Warrior 13[]
Bryan returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 13, participating in the 4th qualifying round. His run was digested, but it was shown he went at a fast pace, completing the course. He finished with the 2nd fastest time, as his time was later beaten by Jake Murray.
In the third episode of the semifinals, he ran as the first competitor of the night. He hit his head on the Drop Zone, and was bleeding but still finished the course, becoming just the second athlete to complete a course as the first runner. He placed 3rd overall, meaning he just missed out on the Power Tower, but still advanced for his fourth appearance at the national finals.
On Stage One, his run was digested, but it was shown that he finished the course with ease. On Stage Two, his run was digested once again, but he made it to the Falling Shelves where he fell on the blind grab.
American Ninja Warrior 14[]
Bryan returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 14, competing in the last qualifying episode. His run was digested (being shown side-to-side with his training partner Adam Rayl), but he once again attempted the Mega Wall and he failed it again. Nevertheless he still cleared the qualifying course for his seventh consecutive time, placing 8th overall.
He later competed in the second semifinals episode. When Sean reached the eighth obstacle, Box Office, he was in position to move on to the Power Tower just by finishing it. However, he failed the transition to the final box. He still placed 6th and advanced to the national finals for his fifth time.
In the national finals, he had one of the most shocking fails as he fell on just the second obstacle of Stage One, Three Ring Circus after he tried to adjust his grip on the disc, ending his season.
American Ninja Warrior 15[]
Sean returned in the sixth round of qualifying, after having recently recieved his pilot's license. Sean once again blazed through the course and finished with the fastest time of the night, keeping his perfect record on qualifying courses. Since he finished faster than 1:20, he was able to once again attempt the Mega Wall. Unfortunately, he failed it for the second year in a row. Still, this marked the first time he achieved first place in the qualifying round and he is one of the few to have never failed a qualifying course.
Then, he competed in the second semifinal episode. His race against John Uga was digested, but while John failed Beehive, Sean made it through the first four obstacles. But, after he felt some pain in his arm, he had to withdraw from the run to avoid injury. Despite that, he once again moved to the national finals.
At the national finals, he got revenge on Three Ring Circus, but he later failed on The Gambler, not being able to reach the playing card, ending his season, marking the first time that he failed Stage One in back-to-back seasons.
American Ninja Warrior 16[]
Sean returned in the fourth round of qualifying as the final male competitor to run. He once again completed the qualifying course, doing so in 4th place. He also cleared in under 1:20, and was able to attempt the Mega Wall once again, but he failed it for the third consecutive season.
Sean raced his close friend, David Campbell, in the second round of semifinals, where they swapped shirts before the race begun. Sean kept the lead for the entire race and ultimately completed the course, earning his seventh trip to the national finals, while David ultimately failed the Spin Hopper.
Sean returned for the first half of the National Finals during Stage One in a digested performance. He got his revenge on The Gambler on his way to once again hit a Stage One buzzer with over 10 seconds left, hitting his fourth Stage One buzzer and going back to Stage Two for the first time since American Ninja Warrior 13.
Sean returned on Stage Two racing against one of the fastest ninjas, Kai Beckstrand which Sean ultimately lost the race but was able to conquer the course with a fast enough time to qualify for a runoff race. In the runoffs, he raced against legend James McGrath where after James failed the Falling Shelves, Sean was able to conquer them and head back to Stage Three for the first time since American Ninja Warrior 10.
On Stage Three, Sean was able to get revenge on the Ultimate Cliffhanger, before falling on the new Pizza Party, ending his best season to date.
Sean has been announced to compete in American Ninja Warrior 17.
Other Appearances[]
Bryan was a replacement for Team Ninja Warrior 2 for the David Campbell's team, the NorCal Ninjas. Sean Bryan had filled in for Brian Kretsch after an injury forced him to withdraw from competing in further heats. Despite being a replacement, Sean Bryan performed exceptionally, blazing through the courses and winning all heats except against James McGrath. His team won the wildcard round, but was eventually knocked out in the finals by Drew Drechsel's team, the Real Life Beasts.
SASUKE World Cup[]
In the SASUKE World Cup 1, he made his first appearance in a international competition since American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World 4 representing Team USA. He completed the First Stage in his heat although his slower time would ultimately see him placing 4th in his heat. Nonetheless, his team moved on to the Second and Third Stages and while he did not participate in either heat, he attempted the Final Stage against Morimoto Yūsuke. Sean was slow up Speed Climbing and while he attempted to make up time on the Salmon Ladder Jugo Dan he slowed down on the Tsuna Nobori and while he reached the top in 63.65 seconds, it was not enough for the win as Morimoto did so in 50.72 seconds, granted Team Japan Red the win and making them the champions.
Trivia[]
- Although Najee Richardson failed the Water Walls and was eliminated from the competition becoming the first in American Ninja Warrior history to fail on the final obstacle on Stage 2, Bryan was the first in the competition to get to the Water Walls, but did not clear it due to an obstacle malfunction.[citation needed] Because of this, Sean was given another attempt after the obstacle was both fixed and modified.
- Despite being one of only two competitors to make it to Stage Three in American Ninja Warrior 10, he did not participate in American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World 5. It was not mentioned over broadcast what had happened to him prior to the competition, but it is shown that he suffered from a broken ankle in training a few weeks before its filming.
- Sean is the sixth ninja to hit eight qualifier buzzers in a row.
- Sean has hit 20 buzzers in his ninja career.
- Sean is the first to attempt Stage Four and the Final Stage in both an international competition for American Ninja Warrior and SASUKE.
- Sean is the first American to attempt SASUKE's Final Stage since Kane Kosugi in SASUKE 8. However, since the former's attempt was during an international competition, Kane is still the only American to reach the Final Stage in regular competition.
- Sean is the first ninja along with Jackson Twait to complete Stage Two twice in the same night (once during the regular competition and during the runoffs).
- Sean is the only one to fail the same version of the Ultimate Cliffhanger twice but was able to conquer a different version of the Ultimate Cliffhanger.
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: NorCal Ninjas | ||||||||
| 2 | 9 (Wildcard) | Round Two | 1 | Lab Rats | Arnold Hernandez (alternate for Chris Wilczewski) | Win | Sean serves as an alternate for Brian Kretsch | 1-0 |
| 2 | 11 (Finals) | Round One | 1 | Golden Hearts | Grant McCartney | Win | 2-0 | |
| 2 | 11 (Finals) | Round Two | 1 | Real Life Beasts | James McGrath | Loss | 2-1 | |
American Ninja Warrior Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Failed Escalator (Los Angeles City Finals) | Digest. | |
| 9 | Failed Ultimate Cliffhanger (Stage Three) | ||
| 10 | Failed Ultimate Cliffhanger (Stage Three) | 2nd Transfer. | |
| 11 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | Forced to withdraw due to dislocated shoulder. | |
| 12 | Failed Slingshot (Semifinal 2) | Digest. | |
| 13 | Failed Falling Shelves (Stage Two) | Digest. | |
| 14 | Failed Three Ring Circus (Stage One) | ||
| 15 | Failed The Gambler (Stage One) | ||
| 16 | Failed Pizza Party (Stage Three) | Finished Stage Two (not fast enough to win his heat) but moved onto to Stage Three due to winning a runoff race. |
SASUKE Results[]
SASUKE World Cup[]
| Competition | Stage | Heat | Run | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Stage | 2 | 1 | Clear (101.52) | Digest. Earned 40 points for Team USA. |
| Final Stage | 1 | 1 | Clear (63.65) |