Vance Walker, the American Ninja Warrior with cerebral palsy, is the winner of season 15 of the popular show. Life began with struggle which was no less than an ordeal, he overcame all of it and came out victorious in front of the eyes of millions.
Find out more about the season 15 winner here while we bring you details about her height, net worth, girlfriend, and more.
Meet Vance Walker, American Ninja Warrior Season 15 Winner
Season 15 of American Ninja War just wrapped up after crowning Vance Walker as the winner of this season. Vance, was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as a child and was told that he would have to wear leg braces rest of his life and would never be an athlete.
Vance struggled with bullying in school because of his condition, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defined as a non-curable neurological disease caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects the muscles. At just 17 weeks pregnant, Vance’s mother experienced preterm labor. Before giving birth to her baby at 36 weeks, she spent months in the hospital.
Vance shared with Today that his witnessing “Kevin Bull doing a backflip off the Cannonball Alley” piqued his interest in the competition. Since then Vance has competed in several ANW competitions, including ANW Junior, ANW Season 13, and ANW Season 14.
In the Qualifying Rounds, competing Ninjas encountered a number of new challenges and rule changes, including a heightened 18.5-foot Mega Wall and the guarantee of $10,000 for any Ninja who could finish the course in under one minute. Vance bravely took on the challenge, showing signs of perseverance to come later in the race. The 18-year-old native Texan went into his Qualifying run with no margin for mistake.
Vance deftly navigated every challenge and scaled the Mega Wall to take the $10,000. Vance achieved the best course completion time among his fellow Ninjas on the night of the semifinals. He and Isaiah Thomas were dispatched to the Power Tower to compete for the coveted Safety Pass as a result of Vance’s victory.
Given the more challenging nature of Stages 1 and 2, the Safety Pass gave Ninjas a second opportunity if they fell during those rounds of the Finals. Vance won the Safety Pass by only a hair over Thomas in their head-to-head competition, giving the victorious Ninja a triumph that would change his life.
Because not one but two Ninjas were able to finish Stage 4 inside the allotted 30-second time restriction, season 15 of ANW kept the audience on their toes. With a final time of 00:27.99, seasoned competitor Daniel Gil finally won Total Victory, forever solidifying his ANW history. Vance, however, finished in a second faster than Daniel, clocking in at 00:26.75, earning him the title of Champion.
Speaking with Distractify Vance shared that he was clueless about what he was going to do with the prize money. He added, ” I’m 18 years old with a million dollars. And luckily, I’ve been raised to be good with my money. I’ve been big into investments my whole entire life. And I got into crypto early on in the game. So I think I’ll be investing a lot into that. And I’m pretty much just going to [keep] my money and try to turn it into as much as I can.”
After his historical win, Vance took to his IG and wrote, “Winning American Ninja Warrior has been my life’s focus for 8 years now, and to finally live out this dream is absolutely wild. I’m so lucky I got to do it with my best friends and training partners, @e.than_bartnicki @caleb_bergie @rjroams @nacssa_garemore and a Huge Congrats to @kingdom_ninja for achieving Total Victory as well.”
He also thanked very important people in his life who made it happen.
How Much Is Vance Walker Net Worth?
Vance Walker after his win has amassed a net worth that is under $1 million only at the age of 18. He is a student whose focus has been winning the show for more than 8 years.
Vance Walker Height
While Vance Walker’s profile on Ninja War fandom states that he is 5’6”, he jokes about standing tall at 6’2”.
How Old Is Vance Walker?
Born in 2004, Vance Walker is 18 years old.
Vance Walker Family
Vance Walker is the son of Stacey Walker and Kent Walker. Stacey, who was born in November 1973, is 49 years old. On the other hand, Kent turned 56 in November 2022. His birth year is 1966.
Both of Vance’s parents have shared publicly the struggle and success the season 15 winner has seen in his life. “I remember … watching the show with him and watching previous winners,” Kent told TODAY.com. “You could see him just dreaming that one day he would achieve that, never really thinking that he would but thinking that he could.”
Vance’s life started on the edge.
Speaking with the outlet, Stacey recalled, “For so many weeks (the doctors) would come in and say: ‘He’s not going to make it. He’s not going to make it. Starting at 20-something weeks, it was: ‘OK, he could make it, but he could have brain damage. He could be blinded.'”
At the age of 1, Kent and Stacey witnessed their son wasn’t walking. “Initially, it was just (the) fear of how it’s going to affect him … and his future,” Kent added. “It was about what we could do to help him feel ‘normal’ so that he has all the same opportunities that everyone else has.”
Bullies allegedly teased Vance at school for having braces or for the way he walked. While other students at his school were in groups with their buddies, Vance would walk around the track by himself. He ate lunch by himself.
“People would ask him: ‘What’s wrong with you?’ That was the biggest issue,” Stacey added. “I wanted to say to people: ‘There’s nothing wrong with him. That’s the way he was made.'”
Vance attributes his ability to survive those trying years of bullying to his parents’ encouragement and support. His parents permitted him to attend school online when he was 13 so that he could concentrate on his “American Ninja Warrior” training.
“I’ve been very grateful to have very supportive parents,” Vance told Today.com. “They’ve always been alongside me every step along the way, helping me to get the best support, best coaching, best physical therapy — just the best everything I could possibly have.”
In addition to Vance, Stacey and Kent also have a son named Braxton Walker. Braxton went to Lassiter High School, studied Environmental sciences at Georgia College & State University, and lives in Marietta, Georgia.
Vance’s paternal grandparents are called Robert and Kathy Walker. Robert passed away on 8 July 2021. He was married to Kathy for 39 years and shared five children Kyle and Shellie Walker, Amy and Tim Smith, Shanin and Rick Nunley, and Ronnie and Lissa Walker.
Vance Walker Girlfriend
It is unclear if Vance Walker has a girlfriend or not. He has remained tight-lipped when it comes to his dating life.
Related FAQs
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Where Does Vance Walker Live?
Vance Walker is originally from Houston, Texas, and lives in Marietta, Georgia.
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When Is Vance Walker Birthday?
Vance Walker’s birthday is in December.
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Is Vance Walker On Instagram And Facebook?
Of course, Vance Walker has a profile on several social media platforms. He is on Facebook and Instagram (@vance_walker_anw & @vancewalker16).
