4 Southern Utahns advance to ‘American Ninja Warrior’ semifinals

ST. GEORGE — Four St. George area residents remain in contention in the 16th season of “American Ninja Warrior,” with the first of the semifinal competitions scheduled to air on Monday, July 22.

Luke Beckstrand, 16, of St. George, Utah, rings the buzzer after finishing the qualifier during Season 16 of “American Ninja Warrior,” the semifinals of which air on July 22, 2024 | Screenshot image courtesy of The Grip Ninja, St. George News

Teenage brothers Kai Beckstrand and Luke Beckstrand are scheduled to appear in Monday night’s episode, as is local nurse Mady Howard. The program starts at 7 p.m. on NBC.

Then, in mid-August, after the Summer Olympics, Crimson Cliffs High School graduate Anna McArthur, 17, is slated to be featured in a different semifinal.

Both Kai, 18, and Luke, 16, successfully cleared the entire obstacle course during their quarterfinal episode, which aired on July 1. Kai’s winning time was 1:06.03 (best in his qualifier), while Luke’s was 2:11.38, putting him in fifth overall among the group and securing a semifinal spot. It marked Luke’s debut in the main American Ninja Warrior competition after having competed twice at the junior level. 

Kai’s top time earned him another shot at scaling the formidable Mega Wall. He successfully conquered it for the second straight year and pocketed $20,000 (double the amount he won for beating the Mega Wall last season). 

The Grip Ninja gym hosted an “American Ninja Warrior” watch party in St. George, Utah on July 1, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Kai and Luke’s mom Holly Beckstrand also competed in the same quarterfinals episode that aired July 1. Like four other competitors in her group, Holly made it as far as the fifth obstacle, “The Cubes,” but just missed the semifinals when she lost a head-to-head runoff to Australian Judith Carroll.

Meanwhile, Howard, who also trains at The Grip Ninja, the Beckstrand family’s gym in St. George, made it to the fifth obstacle “The Cubes” during the third quarterfinal qualifier, which aired on June 10. She ended up in the No. 2 spot in that qualifier, thereby advancing to the semis.

One week earlier, during the second qualifier that aired on June 3, McArthur finished first among her group. Although she lost her grip and fell into the water on the fifth obstacle, “Ring the Bells,” she still posted the best overall showing.

A handful of other Utahns have also been seen competing during Season 16:

Ally Tippetts-Wootton, a physical therapist who lives in Vineyard, Utah County, advanced to the semifinals after winning a runoff to capture the fourth and final spot during July 8’s episode. 
Also seen on that same episode was Tom Simek, 71, who, although he lives in Santa Fe, was shown on the program training in St. George, at both The Grip gym and at Utah Tech University during the Huntsman World Senior Games. Although Simek didn’t advance, he called the experience “an awesome ride.”
In addition, Pine View High School alumna Rysann Clark just missed advancing to the Season 16 semifinals. In the qualifier that aired June 10, Clark was edged in a runoff by fellow Utahn Violet Kepo’o, 16, of Pleasant Grove. 

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