Highlights
- Celebrities like Tony Danza, Cher, and Joe Jonas faced accusations of ego, along with claims about Taylor Swift’s rule.
- Flip Rodriguez initially came off as egotistical on
American Ninja Warrior,
but later transformed into an inspirational figure. - Rodriguez’s journey from egotism to philanthropy and growth showcases the power of dropping one’s ego for personal development.
As anyone who follows pop culture will know, many celebrities have been accused of being egotistical. For example, Tony Danza got flack for his red carpet behavior, Cher called David Letterman a jerk, and Joe Jonas’ ego may have led to the Jonas Brothers split. On top of that, some fans claimed Taylor Swift had an egotistical rule.
On the bright side, anyone can get over their ego. A perfect example of that is Flip Rodriguez from American Ninja Warrior, since he dropped his ego and became a hero.
American Ninja Warrior’s Flip Rodriguez Seemed Egotistical When He First Became Famous
From the moment that Flip Rodriguez began competing in American Ninja Warrior, it was clear he was an impressive athlete. Flip also made his mark by competing on the show while wearing a mask that covered from his chin to under his eyes.
Despite not being able to see most of Flip’s face, many fans began to feel like he came across as having a large ego. After all, Flip would carry himself like he thought that he didn’t have to take the early stages of the show seriously.
Flip also obviously focused on rushing through the course instead of taking his time with each obstacle. The way that Flip acted when he first competed in American Ninja Warriormade some of the show’s viewers dislike him.
In 2023, a user on the American Ninja Warrior subreddit asked fans an interesting question. The fan wanted to know “Who’s a ninja that you used to dislike, but now you like?”
When and where was Flip Rodriguez born, according to Famous Birthdays?
When was Flip Rodriguez born?: | May 4, 1989 |
|---|---|
Where is Flip Rodriguez’s home town?: | Miami, Florida |
How old is Flip Rodriguez as of August 2024?: | 35 years old |
In response to that question, the most-upvoted response pointed to Flip as the ANW athlete that the fans used to dislike. Not only that, the person who wrote the top response also explained that he didn’t like Flip because he seemed so egotistical.
“Flip. Seemed like such a cocky arrogant p***k in the early years.”
Related
What became the most annoying part of American Ninja Warrior?
As any American Ninja Warrior fan will already know, the show’s producers love it when athletes have a sob story background. While that certainly can make an athlete’s performance more interesting, it became a crutch for the show’s producers that became very annoying. After all, it began to feel like the only way an athlete could get on the show was if they had a sob story or if they were a celebrated athlete from a previous season.
While it was remarkable that the top-upvoted response was about him, so many people used to find Flip egotistical that they named him too. In fact, the 7th response named Flip and the 8th response explained why they used to dislike Flip.
“Flip Rodriguez: Used to think he was a big hot head back in the early days.”
The fact that three American Ninja Warrior fans who cared enough to respond to the Reddit thread named Flip says a lot. However, people who don’t know much about Flip should recognize that the Reddit response was more important than that.
After all, of all the people who were named as ANW athletes people used to dislike and then grew to like, Flip got the most upvotes. If that vote is truly representative of ANW’s wider fan base, a lot of people used to dislike Flip.
American Ninja Warrior’s Flip Rodriguez Has Become An Inspirational Figure Who Fans Of The Show Love
Years after Flip Rodriguez seemed self-centered, it now seems like his mindset has completely flipped. Instead of focusing on himself, Flip now spends a lot of his time trying to help kids who’ve been abused.
For example, in May 2021, People reported that Flip was partnering with the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. Flip worked with the center that featured him in an episode of a series called the FightChildAbuse.org’s Virtual Event Series.
Related
Why should more American Ninja Warrior athletes be like Jake Murray?
After the 10th American Ninja Warrior athlete in a row has a sob story, it quickly becomes tiresome. As a result, when an athlete like Jake Murray shows up, it is a breath of fresh air. After all, Jake loves having fun on the course and he combines that with being a truly impressive athlete. If more ANW athletes brought that kind of energy to the course, it would make the show a lot more fun for viewers to watch.
During his appearance in that series, Flip met virtually with some abused children and gave them advice on how to overcome their tragic backgrounds. The ANW athlete worked with the charity after previously revealing on social media that Flip was a victim of abuse growing up.
On top of that event, Flip has worked with the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center to help kids several other times. For example, Flip has taken part in Be A Hero 5k events to bring awareness to child abuse victims and raise funds for the center.
While speaking to People for the aforementioned article, Flip revealed why he felt it was important for him to help abused kids to learn the resources that are available to them.
“One of the biggest things for me was I didn’t have the resources. I didn’t know. There was no phone that I could type it in on Google. We’re talking about when I had dial-up internet and AOL… Don’t be afraid to ask for help. That’s a big thing. I was very scared. I was very fearful of asking for help, and if I would ask for help, I think it would have helped me tremendously. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing now.”
Related
Why should American Ninja Warrior’s top athletes be more famous?
Throughout American Ninja Warrior’s history, a slew of amazing people from all backgrounds have defeated incredibly difficult obstacles. Considering how athletic someone has to be to pull off those feats that almost seem superheroic, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that many of the ANW’s athletes also are extremely fit and attractive. Given what the athletes are capable of, how positive they tend to be, and how attractive they are, it is shocking that many of them aren’t bigger superstars.
In addition to taking part in those events, Flip has used his platform to help abused kids feel like they aren’t alone. For example, Flip released a memoir in which he shared his own life story.
One of the fascinating parts of Flip’s story for ANW fans is seeing how he has grown as a person. For example, Flip has also become inspirational because he dropped the ego he once was known for. Flip’s attitude seemed to change after he had a surprising fail on an ANW course.
Which underdog American Ninja Warrior athletes beat the odd and which overconfident ones failed, according to Screen Rant?
Athelete: | Underdog or Overconfident?: |
|---|---|
David “Flip” Rodriguez | Overconfident |
Daniel Gil | Underdog |
Jake Murray | Overconfident |
Jesse “Flex” Labreck | Underdog |
Grant McCartney | Overconfident |
Stephen Amell | Underdog |
Isaac Caldiero | Overconfident |
Najee Richardson | Underdog |
Geoff Britten | Overconfident |
Kacy Catanzaro | Underdog |
During the 6th season of American Ninja Warrior, Flip Rodriguez seemed ready to take the course and the sport by storm. After initially looking as though he thought he could win the whole season, things very quickly fell apart for Flip.
When Flip ran the qualifying course, everyone expected him to breeze through since nothing about it seemed like it would be difficult for him. However, Flip’s confidence at that moment led to him being careless as he tried to race along the course.
As he was trying to pass the Jump Hang, Flip was climbing down a net as quickly as possible. In his rush, Flip let his foot hang too low, and it skimmed the water and ended his chances during American Ninja Warrior 6.
After Flip Rodriguez revealed his tragic upbringing, he explained that he used to wear a mask on
American Ninja Warrior
as a security blanket. Realizing that inspired Flip to stop wearing the mask, but
he began wearing it before he competed in 2022
. He explained why to a writer for NBC’s website. “I’m wearing the mask at the start line to show the symbol of hope. And to be fearless. Twelve seasons in a row I’ve been on
American Ninja Warrior
. It reminds me of how far I’ve come. Whatever happens, there’s always hope.”
At that moment, Flip seemed deeply upset and shocked, but that may have been exactly what Flip needed. After all, when Flip returned to compete during the next season, his attitude seemed to have been transformed. Between no longer seeming egotistical and trying to help kids, it makes sense that Flip is someone that used to be disliked by ANW fans but now is loved.
