Sean Darling-Hammond is a lawyer nicknamed The Giving Ninja. He has given every dollar he has won through ninja warrior competitions to organizations expanding educational opportunity, and has aimed to donate all his money to charity if he finishes Stage Four and receives the grand prize.
American Ninja Warrior[]
American Ninja Warrior 7[]
Sean first competed in Pittsburgh in American Ninja Warrior 7. His run in qualifying was cut, but he cleared the course placing 21st.
In the city finals, he failed the Doorknob Arch when he tried an early dismount but advanced to the national finals. In Stage One, his run was cut but it was revealed that he failed the Jumping Spider.
American Ninja Warrior 8[]
Sean competed in Philadelphia in American Ninja Warrior 8. His run was cut, but he failed the Paddle Boards in qualifying. This is the first time he did not move on past the qualifying round, let alone to Vegas. On his submission video for ANW 9, he actually revealed being DQ'd for stepping on the center axis.
Sean evaluated personally on social media that this was the season where he didn't prepare as hard.
American Ninja Warrior 9[]
Sean returned in American Ninja Warrior 9, competing in Daytona. His run in qualifying was cut, but he cleared the course placing 11th.
In the city finals, he failed the Elevator Climb but placed 3rd and advanced to the national finals. On Stage One, Sean hit the buzzer finishing with 6.26 seconds left and advanced to Stage Two. In Stage Two, Sean was one of many to fail Wingnut Alley.
American Ninja Warrior 10[]
Sean returned to compete in Minneapolis in American Ninja Warrior 10. His run was once again cut in qualifying, but it was revealed that he attempted the Mega Wall, but failed to complete it. He still cleared the course, finishing with the 11th fastest time. In the city finals, his run was put in the corner to watch during a commercial break. Though he eventually fell on Iron Maiden, he placed 15th overall and moved on to Vegas. His run on Stage One was cut but it was revealed that he failed the Jumping Spider, similar to three years ago.
American Ninja Warrior 11[]
Sean returned to complete in Seattle-Tacoma in American Ninja Warrior 11, now living in Oakland, California. His qualifying run was yet again cut, but it was revealed that he was one of many who failed the Lightning Bolts, making it just the second time in his career he slipped in qualifying. But luckily his time to that obstacle was just good enough to make the top 30, as he placed 30th overall.
In the City Finals, Sean got revenge on the Lightning Bolts, which took out many competitors. However, he failed the Floating Monkey Bars, an obstacle he completed in Pittsburgh four years ago, making a premature dismount on the obstacle. However, Sean just barely placed in the Top 12, placing 12th. On Stage One, his run was all cut, but it was revealed that he failed Twist & Fly.
American Ninja Warrior 12[]
Sean returned to compete in American Ninja Warrior 12, with his newborn son watching on the virtual sidelines. Although his qualifying run was digested, it was shown that he shockingly failed at the Ferris Wheel and did not advance to the semi-finals.
American Ninja Warrior 14[]
Sean competed on American Ninja Warrior 14 in the fifth qualifying episode. His run was cut, but he once again failed the fifth obstacle, going on Final Frontier and his time to the obstacle wasn't good enough for him to advance to the semifinals, ending his season early.
Other Appearances[]
He also competed alongside Jamie Rahn and Rachael Goldstein as a member of the Superhero Squad on Team Ninja Warrior 2 and American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja.
Trivia[]
- It is worth noting that Sean has ranked the bottom spot on the Top Leaderboard three times, as in Minneapolis Finals he placed fifteenth, Seattle-Tacoma qualifiers he placed 30th, and during Seattle-Tacoma finals, he placed 12th, which was the bottom spot due to the rules changing on American Ninja Warrior 11.
- Sean considers his mentality to be his strongest asset on the course, as shown here.
- There was a flame between him and Brent Steffensen after Brent was accusingly racist towards him.
Team Ninja Record[]
| Season | Episode | Round | Heat | Opponent Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | Individual Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team: Superhero Squad | ||||||||
| 2 | 3 (Qualifying) | Round One | 1 | Think Tank | Noah Kaufman | Win | 1-0 | |
| 2 | 3 (Qualifying) | Round One | 4 (Sudden Death) | Think Tank | Matt Wilder | Loss | 1-1 | |
| 2 | 3 (Qualifying) | Round Two | 1 | G-Force | Jesse La Flair | Win | 2-1 | |
| 2 | 8 (Wildcard) | Round One | 1 | Labreckfast Club | Noel Reyes | Loss | Sean fell at the Floating Tiles. | 2-2 |
| 2 | 8 (Wildcard) | Round Two | 1 | The Ballers | Lorin Ball | Loss | 2-3 | |
| 3 | 9 (Qualifying) | First Matchup | 3 | Wisco Warriors | Andrew Philibeck | Loss | 2-4 | |
American Ninja Warrior Results[]
| ANW | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | All cut. | |
| 9 | Failed Wingnut Alley (Stage Two) | Digest. | |
| 10 | Failed Jumping Spider (Stage One) | All cut. | |
| 11 | Failed Twist & Fly (Stage One) | All cut. |