Joe Moravsky (2024)

Joe Moravsky, Jr. is considered to be one of the strongest competitors on American Ninja Warrior. Moravsky grew up in the small town of Sherman, Connecticut. He is currently a weatherman and gymnastics/parkour coach. He coaches at a gym in Newtown, Connecticut called Vasi's International Gymnastics.

Since childhood, Joe loved two things: the weather and sports. Through elementary and high school, Joe participated in many sports, including basketball, baseball, soccer, and cross-country.

American Ninja Warrior

American Ninja Warrior 5

Moravsky first comepted in the Baltimore region on American Ninja Warrior 5. His run was digested, but it was shown that he finished the qualifying course in 6th place with a time of 1:25.96, the best of any rookie that night. In the city finals, he nearly ran out of energy on the Body Prop, but managed to hang on, flipping onto the platform below. He went on to clear the course in 2nd place with a time of 3:11.20, less than half of a second slower than Dan Galiczynski's time of 3:10.90.

In Las Vegas, Moravsky cleared Stage One with 36.23 seconds left. He then became one of seven to clear Stage Two, doing so with 17.70 seconds left. On Stage Three, he beat the first two obstacles easily, but failed the Floating Boards while transitioning to the fourth board. He finished second overall, surpassed only by Brian Arnold. This was the seventh best rookie performance ever on ANW, after Brent Steffensen in American Ninja Warrior 2, Ethan Bartnicki in American Ninja Warrior 14, Seth Rogers in American Ninja Warrior 11, Vance Walker in American Ninja Warrior 13, Matt D'Amico in American Ninja Warrior 14, and Kaden Lebsack in American Ninja Warrior 13.

American Ninja Warrir 6

Moravsky returned for his sophom*ore season, competing in the St. Louis region in American Ninja Warrior 6. He revealed that he felt overlooked because he wasn't selected as one of the five elite competitors to represent USA in the American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. Japan tournament. His desire to get noticed as an elite competitor only fueled his desires to achieve total victory.

Moravsky cleared the qualifying rounds with the fastest time of 1:04.14. In the city finals, he managed to get the fastest time again, with 3:40.48. However, he had a major scare on the Rumbling Dice, where he pulled the dice off and wedged it in between the track. This created controversy over the fact he was not disqualified for breaking the Rumbling Dice; it wouldn't matter as he was far enough, fast enough to qualify to Vegas anyway.

In the Vegas Finals, Joe easily completed Stage One with 29.79 seconds left. On Stage Two, he became the first out of two competitors to complete the stage, doing so with only 1.29 seconds left. On Stage Three, he got his revenge on the Floating Boards and destroyed the Ultimate Cliffhanger. He also managed to complete the new obstacle, the Propeller Bar. However, he wasn't able to get a proper footing on the Hang Climb and fell in the water. As Elet Hall, the only other person to make it to Stage Three, fell on the Floating Boards, Moravsky became the Last Man Standing.

USA vs. The World

Moravsky then got his wish and represented Team USA in the first ever American Ninja Warrior: USA vs The World competion. He competed in the first heat against Team Japan's Yamamoto Shingo and Team Europe's Vadym Kuvakin. Moravsky easily cleared Stage One, setting a speed record of 1:12.72, which was bested only by Tim Shieff, who cleared the course in 1:02:70 in the next heat.

On Stage Three, Moravsky went against Stefano Ghisolfi and Yusuke Morimoto. Just like in American Ninja Warrior 6, Joe easily cleared the first five obstacles. However, he lost his grip on the Hang Climb and fell into the water below. He eventually lost his heat to Ghisolfi, who completed the stage.

American Ninja Warrior 7

Moravsky returned to compete again in the Pittsburgh region in American Ninja Warrior 7. He finished the qualifying course with the second fastest time of 1:34.17, behind Elet Hall. In the city finals, Joe slowly but surely mastered the first nine obstacles. On the Invisible Ladder, Joe had a small stumble at the end, but still managed to complete the finals course. He was only one of two competitors to clear the course, the other being Geoff Britten. Joe achieved the second-fastest time once again, with a time of 7:28.92, completing the City Finals course and advancing to the National Finals for the third year in a row.

In the National Finals, Joe cleared Stage One with 35.31 seconds remaining. He then completed Stage Two with 20.41 seconds remaining, making it his third consecutive year completing the stage. On Stage Three, Joe was making great progress until he reached the newly modified Ultimate Cliffhanger. Joe was able to transverse the obstacle easily until he reached the gap towards the final ledge. Instead of facing the final ledge to leap, Joe decided to atempt the "Crazy Cliffhanger technique" from Japan. This involved the competitor swinging back and forth on the Cliffhanger ledge they would hang on while looking at the ledge they want to transfer to, which was placed opposite to the current ledge. They would then release on the backswing, turning their body 180 degrees midair and catching the Cliffhanger ledge. Joe did get both hands on the final ledge, but he lost his grip and failed. This shocked many, who expected Joe to clear Stage Three and achieve Total Victory.

USA vs. The World II

Moravsky was not expected to compete in the USA vs. the World 2 competition. However, he was an alternate competitor for Team USA, and got his chance to compete after Geoff Britten withdrew due to illness. Despite having little time to prepare, Joe easily completed Stage Two with a time of 1:23.69. However, he was beaten by Sean McColl who cleared with a time of 1:19.86. On Stage Three, Joe wanted revenge on the Ultimate Cliffhanger. He attempted the final jump with the "American technique", which involved the competitor using a reverse grip on the ledge they were on (facing the ledge they wanted to lache to), building up momentum by swinging back and forth, releasing on the frontswing, and catching the Cliffhanger ledge using a front grip. However, he still lost his grip on the final ledge and fell into the water. He ended up losing his heat to Stefano Ghisolfi, who failed the Flying Bar.

All-Stars

Joe competed in the first All-Stars Special in 2016, representing Team Matt in the Team Competition. Joe ran in the first heat on Stage Two, where he set a speed record of completing the course in 1:08:52, a record that still stands today. He also won the point for team Matt because his opponent, Brent Steffensen (representing Team Akbar). failed the Double Salmon Ladder.

In an digital exclusive run, Moravsky was shown to take on Stage Three, once again competing against Brent Steffensen. With Steffensen failing the Ultimate Cliffhanger, the onus was on Moravsky to complete the Floating Boards in a fast enough time to win the heat. He delivered, tearing through the first three obstacles in just over 30 seconds. He then went on to do what he couldn't do in American Ninja Warrior 7 and in American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World 2: clear the Ultimate Cliffhanger. He then went on to take on the Pole Grasper and Hang Climb. While he did reach the resting bar between the Hang Climb and Area 51, Moravsky was unable to hold on, and fell at the Hang Climb once again. In a current-day competition, Moravsky would have cleared the Hang Climb, as he did touch the resting bar that signified the midway point bewteen two obstacles.

In the skills competition, Joe was also one of four competitors that participated in the Supersized Mega Wall challenge. he made it all the way to the final round, where he failed to scale a 19-foot Warped Wall.

American Ninja Warrior 8

Prior to American Ninja Warrior 8, Joe's newborn daughter, Emily, was born in December 2015. As one of the favorites to win it all, Moravsky competed in the Philadelphia region. He completed the qualifying course with the third fastest time of 2:00.29, behind Anthony DeFranco and Jon Alexis Jr.

Joe then blazed through the first nine obstacles in the City Finals and became one of only two to conquer the Stair Hopper. Unfortunately, he had his first defeat outside of the Stage Three when he gassed out on the Invisible Ladder. There was some controversy, as some have noticed that the rings on the obstacle "bounced" more than in previous seasons rather than going straight up. He placed second overall and qualified for the National Finals for the fourth year in a row.

On Stage One, Joe finished the course with 4.10 seconds remaining, heading to Stage Two for the fourth time in his career. However, he was shockingly dealt his first Stage Two fail when he lost his grip on the Wave Runner.

American Ninja Warrior 9

As shocking news, Joe's uncle, Rob (the father of Rob Moravsky), suddenly passed away. As such, his death became Joe's main source of motivation. Joe returned to compete in Cleveland for American Ninja Warrior 9 and was able to complete the qualifying course with the second fastest time, once again behind Anthony DeFranco. In the city finals, Joe was only one of two competitors that cleared the Nail Clipper and the rest of the course, putting up the fastest time of the night (just knocking James McGrath from the top 15) and moved on to the national finals. Overall, Joe was one of just nine athletes that completed a city finals course that season.

Joe cruised through Stage One, marking the fifth consecutive season in which he did so. He finished with 42.76 seconds remaining and even celebrated by doing a high dive into the water. On Stage Two, Joe got revenge on the Wave Runner, defeated the dreaded Wingnut Alley, and finished Stage 2 with 25.66 seconds left on the clock. On Stage 3 he got his revenge on the Ultimate Cliffhanger, using the Crazy Cliffhanger transition on the final ledge. He also made it through the grueling Curved Body Prop, and the brand new Peg Cloud. However, he failed the Time Bomb as he lost his grip when he missed the hook with the ring. This is Joe's best performance to date, getting to the 7th obstacle of Stage 3, and he was Last Man Standing in that tournament.

American Ninja Warrior 10

Moravsky stated on social media that he was originally supposed to compete in Philadelphia for American Ninja Warrior 10. However, due to inclement weather, he was among a group of competitors who chose to compete in Minneapolis instead.

As expected, Moravsky blazed through the qualifying course. He was one of many to attempt the Mega Wall, but was not able to scale it. Though he was a bit disappointed, he still finished the qualifying course at the top of the leaderboard, placing 1st overall. He also finished the city finals course in 2nd place behind Jon Alexis Jr. and moved on to the national finals again.

In perhaps one of the biggest shocks of the season, Joe ended up falling on the third obstacle of Stage One, the Double Dipper, despite beating it the year before. In a post-run interview, Joe was extremely upset about his fall, as he had a hard time speaking to Kristine Leahy and was close to tears. Even though he fell on Stage One, he tested Stages Two & Three.

American Ninja Warrior 11

In American Ninja Warrior 11, Joe returned to compete in Baltimore (the same region that he competed in his first season in ANW 5). In the qualifying round, he started off strong by clearing the first five obstacles with little trouble. He was hoping to get up the Mega Wall after he failed on it last year. However, due to the wind and the course being very slippery, he failed all 3 attempts. This marked the first time that he failed on a qualifying course, breaking his streak of 6 straight qualifying buzzers. He still advanced to the city finals by placing 10th overall.

In the city finals, Joe became one of many to fail the blind catch on Angry Birds, missing the buzzer again, as well as making it the fifth time he failed anywhere other than Stage 3. He still advanced to the National Finals, as he placed 7th overall.

Joe's run on Stage One was digested for the first time since his debut run in the Baltimore qualifiers on ANW 5. He got revenge on the Double Dipper, which ended his run last year. Despite a small scare on Tire Run, Moravsky hit his first buzzer of the season, finishing Stage 1 with 19.81 seconds left on the clock. His success continued as he also cleared Stage Two for the fifth time in his career.

On Stage Three, Moravsky injured his hand on the Ultimate Cliffhanger but persevered and became the first person to clear the new fifth obstacle, Pipe Dream. He powered his way through Cane Lane, but surprisingly failed on the jump to the final rail, he jumped the bar on the wrong side of the rail and slid off of it. He stated in his post-run interview that he had enough energy to finish the stage but simply made a mistake.

American Ninja Warrior 12

Joe returned for American Ninja Warrior 12, bringing along competitors Will Schlageter and Jeshuah Lewis. Joe's qualifying run was one of the best of his career. Not only did he scale the Mega Wall after failing it in the previous two seasons, but he got the second fastest time, earning himself a spot on the Power Tower. Joe went on to edge out Michael Torres on the Power Tower, earning his teammates a spot in the semifinals. Joe was the final runner in the semifinals round. He earned the fastest time, beating Lucas Reale by one second.

In the finals, Joe was once again the final runner. He needed to get to the ninth obstacle, Dragonback, at a fast enough time or complete it altogether to earn a spot in the Power Tower playoffs. By the time he reached the eighth obstacle, Slam Dunk, he was in a position to move into the top 8 just by finishing it. However, in a huge shock, he missed the transition to the second ball. As it turns out, he grabbed the ball with his left hand but not his right, causing the ball to slip out of the cradle. He failed to reach the Power Tower playoffs, and it marked the first time in which Moravsky failed to move on to the next round via a leaderboard.

American Ninja Warrior 13

Joe returned to compete in the second round of qualifying of American Ninja Warrior 13. He put together a solid run in qualifying, being one of just seven competitors to finish V Formation and clear the course. Joe completed the Mega Wall for the second season in a row, earning him $10,000 and the third fastest time. He was the first competitor to complete the Mega Wall that season.

Joe was the final runner in the second semifinals episode. He barrelled through the course, taking on and beating Double Twister for the third time. He ended up finished the course with the 2nd fastest time, just behind his student Jay Lewis. In a master vs. student showdown, both raced each other on the Power Tower. Joe got off to an early lead by using his legs as he climbed the first set of bars. On the other hand, Jay used only his hands to climb, wasting valuable time. Joe ultimately won the race and the Safety Pass.

He was first shown as the final runner on night 1 of the National Finals, once again being shown after Kaden Lebsack's digested run. On Stage One, Joe was doing good on time as he flew through the first six obstacles. At Split Decision, he decided to hit the button to release the ring for The High Road. While he easily got past the Dipping Birds, he jumped to the moving ring early and crashed into the water. Joe was very angry as he tore his Safety Pass off his shorts and chucked it in the water, calling his fall “Pathetic!” On Joe's second chance, it was revealed that he was suffering from food poisoning. This time, he chose not to go for The High Road. He then completed Stage 1 with 30.24 seconds left.

However, in what was perhaps the biggest shock of the season, Joe went out on just the first obstacle of Stage Two, the Striding Steps. It is worth noting that Joe won the Striding Steps Challenge in Season 10's All-Stars special, making this an even bigger shock.

American Ninja Warrior 14

Joe returned to compete in the second episode of qualifying, once again as the last runner. Like always, he put up a solid run and cleared the course with the fourth fastest time. He also completed the Mega Wall for the third season in a row and got his 28th buzzer- more than any other ninja.

In the semifinals, Joe was the final runner of the first episode. Surprisingly, he failed to complete the course as his hands peeled off the bar mere feet from completing Dragonback. However, due to his fast time he still advanced to the national finals in 6th place, but this meant he would miss out on the Power Tower. In addition, it was only his third time failing in the semifinals/city finals round.

Unfortunately, after the taping of the Semifinals in Los Angeles, Joe’s wife, Stephanie, tested positive for COVID-19. Because of protocols surrounding COVID, Joe was not allowed to run the course, ending his worst season to date. He was ultimately replaced by James Sannella, due to him placing 16th in Joe's episode.

On social media, he confirmed that he will return in 2023.

Team Ninja Competitions

Joe competed on seasons 1 and 2 of ANW's team ninja spinoff, Team Ninja Warrior. He served as the team captain for Storm Team Moravsky (renamed as Storm Team for TNW 2). His team was crowned the champions of Team Ninja Warrior 2.

Trivia

• As of American Ninja Warrior 14, Joe is the only competitor who has attempted the Mega Wall in every season since its debut in American Ninja Warrior 10 (not including his attempts on the Rising Warped Wall Challenge on American Ninja Warrior: All Stars Special and American Ninja Warrior: All Stars Special 2)
  • He is also the first competitor who has cleared the Mega Wall in three consecutive seasons.
• He is the third ninja to use the Safety Pass on Stage 1 and finish it on his second try, after Flip Rodriguez and Drew Drechsel on American Ninja Warrior 11.
• He is currently tied with Drew Drechsel for the most appearances on Stage Two during the regular season, with 7.
• He holds the record for most buzzers hit by a ninja, with 28 buzzers.
• He was the first ninja to run the identical course three times; he ran Stage Two on American Ninja Warrior 7, American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World 2, and American Ninja Warrior: All Stars Special.
• He is the first ninja to clear three different versions of the Ultimate Cliffhanger: ANW6’s, ANW9’s, and ANW11’s.

Personal Life

Joe married his wife, Stephanie, in 2014. They currently have 3 kids.

Joe's cousin, Rob Moravsky Jr., competed on American Ninja Warrior in seasons 6 and 7.

Training Gyms

The gym he trains at includes obstacles such as the Warped Wall, Jumping Spider, Crazy Cliffhanger, Double Salmon Ladder, Unstable Bridge, Floating Boards, Chain See-Saw, Godantobi, and Balance Tank. He competes around the country at local events. One such event was held at Chris Wilczewski's gym, the Movement Lab, where he made it to the Stage Three before ultimately failing on the modified version of the Ultimate Cliffhanger.

Team Ninja Record

American Ninja Warrior Results

External Links