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Why Fans Are Buzzing Over This American Ninja Warrior ICU Nurse Contestant
Watch Mady Howard's ANW Season 16 run right here.
The Season 16 American Ninja Warrior Qualifiers blazes on, and as a new roundup of Ninjas graced the stage, viewers also got a visit from fan favorite Mady Howard.
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Check out the highlights from Howard's incredible Season 16 run, below.
ANW's MVP Nurse Mady Howard almost reached the Warped Wall
Madyson "Mady" Howard, a former gymnast from Utah, is a five-time ANW competitor, first jumping into the competition in Season 11 as one of the top women of the season. Howard has been a familiar ANW face ever since, but she took a brief hiatus in Season 13 for the birth of her son. Howard is an ICU nurse, unfazed by the chaotic landscape of a hospital or obstacle course. For Season 16, Howard set her sights on conquering the dreaded fifth obstacle to hit the buzzer.
Howard's performances have been nothing short of spectacular but a tad ill-fated in recent seasons. During the Season 11 Finals, Howard scaled the Warped Wall on her first attempt and placed eighth overall. In seasons since, Howard struggled on the penultimate obstacle before the Warped Wall, always coming inches short of completion. Howard even got her feet on the landing pad of Season 14's fifth obstacle before she fell backward into the water. Howard has been so close to slamming that buzzer, so all eyes were on the former gymnast to see if she'd clear the Season 16 course and settle the score, once and for all.
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Howard started off her run with panache, expertly scaling the Pole Vault and soaring through the second Ring Chaser obstacle. Howard had the audience on the edge of their seats during the Spinning Bridge obstacle, the same obstacle she fell on during the Season 14 Semi-Finals and only narrowly completed in Season 12. Would she clear the Spinning Bridge this time? Howard flew across the Spinning Bridge with flying colors, and the crowd went wild.
Howard continued to impress during the Heavy Metal hanging obstacle, where she swung from bar to bar with preternatural grace. As Howard approached the Cubes, the Hosts watched with bated breath to see if she'd clear the jinxed fifth obstacle. As Howard hopped from cube to cube, it seemed like she was finally going to get her shot at Buzzer-hitting glory. But, just as Howard reached the final cube before the Warped Wall, Howard lost her grip and plummeted to the water below.
That said, with a final time of 1:39.16, Howard progressed to the Season 16 Semi-Finals, and viewers can't wait to see the former gymnast soar.
Watch Season 16 of American Ninja Warrior on Mondays at 8/7c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
