>> AND THERE'S A LOOK OUTSIDE
AT OUR SOUTHWEST FREEWAY.
>> LOOKS LIKE RAIN THERE ON THE
RIGHT SIDE
>> IT'S NICE NOT TO HAVE THE
HOT AND HUMID TEMPERATURES.
>> WELCOME BACK TO HOUSTON
LIFE, EVERYONE.
YOU MAY RECOGNIZE OUR NEXT
GUESTS FROM AMERICAN NINJA
WARRIOR ON NBC, WHERE THEY'VE
CONQUERED NOT JUST THE OBSTACLE
COURSES.
AND THEY'RE HERE.
WE'VE SEEN YOU BOTH ON THE SHOW.
I THINK WHAT'S REMARKABLE IS
JUST WHAT YOU'VE BOTH BEEN
THROUGH BEFORE GETTING TO THIS
POINT.
ALLISON, LET'S START WITH YOU.
YOU WERE DIAGNOSED WITH
PARKINSON'S DISEASE.
>> I WAS 37 YEARS OLD, WHICH IS
ABOUT HALF THE AGE THAT THE
NORMAL PERSON GETS DIAGNOSED
WITH THAT TYPE OF DEGENERATIVE
NONCURABLE DISEASE.
>> SO WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO
GO THROUGH THE NINJA WARRIOR
TRAINING?
>> WELL, IT DIDN'T START OFF "I
JUST GOT DIAGNOSED, LET ME GET
ON AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR,,"
BUT BASICALLY EXERCISE IS THE
ONLY THING THAT WILL SLOW THE
PROGRESSION, SO I START
EXERCISING AND I JOINED THE MUD
RUN, AND I DID THAT AND I DID
PRETTY WELL, AND AS I WAS
TRAINING FOR IT, I'M TRAINING,
YOU KNOW, BOUNCING ON MY
DAUGHTER'S JUNGLE GYM AND
PEOPLE STARTED TELLING ME, YOU
NEED TO TRY OUT FOR AMERICAN
NINJA WARRIOR, AND I THOUGHT,
OKAY, WHY NOT?
>> SO YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR
DAUGHTER.
YOU ARE A MOM.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE IT ALL?
>> WELL, BALANCE FOR EVERYONE
IS A STRUGGLE, BUT BASICALLY
YOU BALANCE AND YOU MAKE TIME
FOR WHAT IS A PRIORITY AND
EXERCISE IS A MAJOR PRIORITY
FOR MY HEALTH, SO I TRY TO
EXERCISE ABOUT SIX DAYS A WEEK.
I AM ONLY ABLE TO GET INTO THE
NINJA GYM USUALLY AT THE MOST
TWO DAYS A WEEK.
>> IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS AT
HOME TO REALIZE THAT YOU V BTS
BEEN TRAINING FOR THIS FOR
YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.
YOU FOCUSED ON YOUR
ANYONE,TRAINING IN A VERY SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I WENT TO THE NINJA GYM ON THE
16th OF JANUARY AND THE
APPLICATION WAS DUE ON THE 17th
OF JANUARY, SO--
>> YOU HAD 24 HOURS TO DECIDE.
>> I HAD ABOUT 24 HOURS TO
DECIDE AND ABOUT FOUR MONTHS OF
TRAINING BETWEEN THAT POINT AND
ACTUALLY COMPETING ON THE SHOW.
>> GRANT, LET ME ASK YOU, I
ACTUALLY FIRST SAW YOU ON
AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR, AND I
HEARD FROM THE OTHER ROOM, OUR
NEXT CONTESTANT JUST SUFFERED A
STROKE SIX MONTHS AGO, AND I
COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT FROM
THEN UNTIL NOW, THE
TRANSFORMATION JUST SEEMS
RADICAL, SO TELL US YOUR STORY.
>> YEAH, I HAD THAT STROKE, I
WAS WORKING OUT ONE DAY AND ALL
OF A SUDDEN A LOT OF PRESSURE
ON THE BACK OF MY HEAD AND A
LOT OF PAIN.
BEFORE I KNOW IT, I'M IN THE
AMBULANCE ON THE WAY TO BAYLOR
HOSPITAL.
>> AND SIX MONTHS LATER, YOU
WERE COMPETING ON AMERICAN
NINJA WARRIOR DOING VERY, VERY
WELL, SO HOW DID YOU REACH THAT
GOAL?
>> I WAS IN THE I.C.U. FOR OVER
A WEEK.
A LOT OF PEOPLE TELLING ME THAT
I WAS NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO
DO STRENUOUS ACTIVITY EVER
AGAIN, BUT I OVERCAME THAT AND
IT JUST WORKED OUT.
IT'S A REALLY EXCITING TIME.
>> YOU WERE NUMBER TWO UP IN
KANSAS CITY, RIGHT?
>> OKLAHOMA CITY.
>> AND NOW WE'RE INTO THE VEGAS
ROUND STARTING TONIGHT.
>> STARTING TONIGHT.
>> WE DON'T KNOW YET, YOU COULD
BE ON TONIGHT OR NEXT WEEK.
BUT YOU DO HAVE A GYMNAST
BACKGROUND.
DOES THAT GIVE YOU AN EDGE OVER
SOME OF THE OTHER COMPETITORS?
>> YEAH, I THINK IT DOES.
I HAD THAT HISTORY OF IT, I HAD
ABOUT 10 YEARS WHERE I WASN'T
WORKING OUT AT ALL, SO I WASN'T
CONTINUALLY IN THAT GOOD A
SHAPE AS I HAD BEEN IN THE PAST
COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT IT
DEFINITELY GIVES ME THE ABILITY
TO LAUNCH MYSELF.
I DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE HEIGHT
AND THE STATURE THAT SOME OF
THE OTHER GUYS HAVE OUT THERE,
BUT I THINK THAT THAT
DEFINITELY HELPS.
>> WELL, BOTH OF YOU GUYS ARE
AMAZING AND THE TWO OF US GOT A
CHANCE TO WORK OUT WITH Y'ALL,
SO CATCH THE NEW EPISODE OF
AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR TONIGHT
AT 7:00 P.M. ON KPRC CHANNEL 2.
>> AND AS JENNIFER JUST
MENTIONED, WE DID HAVE A CHANCE
TO TRY TO BALANCE OURSELVES AT
THE GYM.
WE WEREN'T AS GOOD AS GRANT AND
ALLISON, BUT TAKE A LOOK FOR
YOURSELVES.
YOU KNOW THE GIANT WALL AT THE
END OF THE AMERICAN NINJA
WARRIOR OBSTACLE COURSE?
THAT WALL?
I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED IF I COULD
MAKE IT UP TO THE TOP, AND
TODAY, I'M ABOUT TO FIND OUT.
YOU'VE TRAINED SOME OF THE TOP
COMPETITORS ON THE SHOW, EVEN
THE FOLKS BEHIND US, ON ALLISON
AND GRANT.
THEY'VE BEEN ALL BEEN ON THE
SHOW AND THEY'VE DONE VERY WELL.
>> IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS
THAT NONE OF US ARE COMPETING
AGAINST EACH OTHER, WE'RE
COMPETING AGAINST OURSELVES AND
THE COURSE BASED UPON OUR
ABILITIES, AND WITH THAT, IT
BECOMES THIS HUGE FAMILY.
WE ALL LOVE AND SUPPORT EACH
OTHER AND WE'RE ALL ROOTING FOR
EACH OTHER TO WIN.
>> IT'S ALL-AROUND ATHLETICS.
IT'S AGILITY.
YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO BE
EXPLOSIVE WITH YOUR LEGS, YOU
HAVE TO BE ABLE TO HANG ON A
BAR AND PULL YOURSELF UP AND
CONTROL YOUR OWN BODY WEIGHT.
>> I'VE NOTICED YOU'VE GOT
SOMETHING ON YOUR HANDS THERE.
>> YEAH, A LITTLE BIT OF CHALK.
>> WHAT'S THAT FOR?
>> IT'S EASY TO GET SLIPPERY ON
THE COURSE.
>> YOU SAIL THROUGH THOSE
OBSTACLESING LIKE IT'S NO BIG
DEAL.
>> I HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR
ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF.
MY FAMILY IS A BIG INSPIRATION.
>> DO YOU THINK YOU THINK TURN
KNEE AND JENNIFER INTO A NINJA
WARRIOR COMPETITOR?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT, WITH A LITTLE
BIT OF TRAINING AND COMMITMENT
ON YOUR PART, I THINK WE CAN DO
IT.
>> OKAY, LET'S DO IT.
>> JENNIFER, HOW LONG HAVE YOU
BEEN TRAINING FOR THIS BIG DAY?
>> YEARS.
YEARS.
AND READY TO KICK YOUR BUTT.
>> WHAT'S THE TRICK TO GETTING
THROUGH THIS COURSE?
>> LEG STRENGT