Zak Stolz, Fred Dorrington, Jake Baker & more

Zak Stolz on Australian Ninja Warrior

Zak Stolz is a machine, Fred Dorrington is a man of focus, Rob Patterson quietly gets things done and Jake Baker is the full, loveable package.

I’m going to be straight up; I’ve been helping the Rampfest crew these past few days and I am beyond tired. I have a headache, sore neck and I’m just not in the mood. So I’d love to say a huge thank you to my daughter who picked up the slack and took the show notes for me while I worked away tonight.

I’ll add to that, the episodes we saw last week didn’t have me rushing home to watch Heat 4 of Australian Ninja Warrior. I’m not a fan of the American accent on a the Australian version of the Ninja Warrior franchise and it’s felt like there’s something missing from the episodes. I dunno, excitement maybe? But will this episode change that?

But Let's Chat Ninja

Using the same Australian Ninja Warrior course as Heat 1, the final heat was stacked with some of our favourite Ninja Warriors. Frequenting the monthly Ninja Warrior competitions at The Compound Training, Zak Stolz, Jake Baker, Georgia Bonora & even Fred Dorrington provided the excitement we needed.

Fan favourite, Jake Baker breezed through the course. “Jake Baker is a real threat” says American commentator Jim Courier and he’s not wrong. Baker barely made an error through his whole run but jokes as the two sideline commentators make him do a 360 up the Warped Wall, “That was sooo close!”

Rob Paterson's Second Chance

The last obstacle before the Warped Wall is the Ring Chaser and if you’re not fast enough, you’ll miss the ring. Rob Paterson is fast but putting too much into the jump to the Monkey Bars meant he wiped off all his speed and missed the large ring.

But that’s why they have the second chance ring. It’s far more difficult. A smaller hole to find is only half the battle, it also extends further up a post making it harder to nail the pinpoint accuracy needed. Using this Second Chance, Rob had no option but to go for it. Using a bit more force on his swing, the Post section hit the Sky Hook first but with that extra power in his swing, was able to readjust and slide the ring on the hook.

Want to try local Ninja Warrior?

Try the Ninja Challenge League

The Ninja Challenge League (NCL) is a nation wide, grass roots Ninja Warrior competition for everyone in your family. Join Today.

Rare stumble from Zak Stolz

Zak Stolz rarely makes a mistake. The Dominos, Heat 4’s third obstacle, provided the rare proof that he is human. But did you see how much it phased him? Barely at all. Not even a glance back, Stolz just got on with the job of getting the fastest time of the night.

Edge Of My Seat in the Power Pool

After watching the youngest Australian Ninja Warrior to tackle the course, and crush it with style, we’re onto the Power Pool for the very interesting Semi Finals advantage.

The Power Pool matchups were solid.

Jake Baker vs Fred Dorrington then Zak Stolz vs Rob Patterson. These races had everyone on the edge of our seats in our house. It was hard to pick a favourite heading into the races because, having watched them at the local Ninja competitions for so long, we know just how close it was going to be.

Zak Stolz however, being the cool, calm and very calculated Ninja he is was unbeatable. Having said that, in the final head to head battle with the ever loveable Jake Baker, Zak got tangled up in the rope had Baker got a sizeable lead.

But Ninja isn’t over until the buzzer is hit. Jake, under pressure from the looming force behind him, missed the final lache and slipped into the pool below giving the win and Semi-Final advantage to Zak Stolz.
This episode, from all accounts was what we were looking for from the Australian Ninja Warrior crew. Edge-of-seat excitement the whole time. Let’s hope it continues this trend for the rest of the Season.