'American Ninja Warrior' 2019 Results and Highlights from Episode 6

Between Joey Votto, A.J. Green and Andy Dalton, Cincinnati sports belong to the veterans.

American Ninja Warrior is no different.

NBC's show hit the Queen City on Monday for its sixth qualifying episode of the season after stops in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Seattle and Baltimore, and the veteran ninjas made the biggest impression.

They did so in an episode sprinkled with Cincinnati flavor with Dalton, Mr. Redlegs and the Cincinnati Bengals' mascot and cheerleaders in attendance. What's more, Cincinnati native and 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey took to the course only to lose in the second obstacle.

Veteran Ethan Swanson and college student and ninja rookie Jackson Twait made it much further than the second obstacle and faced off in a head-to-head showdown on the Power Tower with an automatic spot in the national finals hanging in the balance.

They earned the right with the fastest two times on the qualifying course and put on a dramatic show. Swanson was behind Twait for much of the race but made a late push in the final seconds to earn a trip to Las Vegas in comeback fashion.

The top finishers weren't the only ones to make a statement, as ninja rookie Amanda O'Dell was the first to make it through the fourth obstacle of the Wingnuts, where competitors had to propel themselves across three large wingnut-shaped obstacles hanging in the air.

O'Dell and her supporters donned Lunch Lady Ninja shirts in homage to her job in a school cafeteria, but she and many others fell short at the new Slingshot obstacle. Competitors had to use a pull-up bar to propel themselves through a series of bungees, which ended the evening for many of the challengers.

It wouldn't be American Ninja Warrior without tales of emotion and inspiration, and firefighter Mike Bernardo provided plenty of it in his 10th season of competition.

He has been to the national finals four times but thought he may never compete again after he suffered a serious fall at work and feared he may have the early signs of Lou Gehrig's disease. He was tentatively cleared there and would have been an inspiration no matter how far he made it.

Not content with just competing, he was the first to conquer the Slingshot and reach the buzzer as a finisher.

Twait joined him on the finishing podium with a blistering time of one minute and 46.19 seconds. The time stood up for much of the episode before Swanson put on an absolute clinic with a time of one minute and 19.51 seconds.

Swanson unleashed his signature flapping celebration before blasting through the bungees of the Slingshot in rapid fashion without taking a single break.

Not every veteran thrived in Cincinnati, as Tyler Yamauchi lost on the third obstacle in stunning fashion after qualifying for the last three national finals. However, most of the marquee names impressed in the Queen City, including Grant McCartney.

The Island Ninja made it through the five obstacles with ease and then became the first to clear the 18-foot Mega Wall and take home the $5,000 that comes with it. While the decision meant he sacrificed time and didn't have the chance to compete in the Power Tower competition, it was a notable feat for the longtime competitor who missed the national finals by one spot the past two years.

Elsewhere, veteran Jesse "Flex" Labreck hit the buzzer for a third straight year, which is more than fiance Chris DiGangi can say after falling on the Slingshot.

Only one competitor literally left blood and sweat on the course. Michelle Warnky hit her head on a ring and was bleeding near her eye as she competed, but that didn't stop her from powering through all five obstacles to make it through a qualifying course for the third time in her career.

Attention will eventually turn to Las Vegas and the national finals where ninjas will compete for $1 million, but some of the show's biggest names were on full display in the Cincinnati qualifiers.