Alexio & Lucas Gomes are two Coral Springs guys with a lot in common. First and foremost is that they share Brazilian parents, Cleiton and Nancy, and an older sister, Kristen, 25. Born 16 months apart, the duo has always been athletic and involved in organized sports. When they got to high school they began wrestling on the team at nearby Monarch. “More than anything,” Alexio, 24, says, “We’ve always been best friends.”
Their journey onto the popular NBC show, American Ninja Warrior, began with its first season and Lucas, now 22, began getting intrigued about possibilities. He tells us, “This was something I really wanted to do, but I went to Alexio saying, ‘I’m excited about becoming an American Ninja Warrior, but I think we would do better as a team.'”
He says, “Competitors need to be 21, and I was 19 and a huge fan. I told Alexio, ‘Let’s start training for this show now!'”
Focused around a fitness craze called Parkour (also known as Free Running), in order for the brothers to prepare for competition, several things had to happen. Firstly, Lucas found special gyms dedicated to Parkour and did the research to engage the duo in other activities like rock climbing. Their fitness centered around upper body strength and core training. “We got into it because we loved watching the show,” Alexio relates. “We thought we could do that if we focused our training around our passion.”
Next, they had to send in an audition tape that would get them noticed. Lucas tells us, “There were 80,000 video applications for Season 7 and they chose 700 people. Some friends who are super creative in video helped us make something amazing. Because we are brothers, we came up with the name BraziBros. We knew the show liked family and diversity, so our video portrayed that.” Other competitors heard back with two to three months notice, so when they’d had no response, the Gomes’ thought they hadn’t made it. “Two weeks before the first show, they called us and asked us to compete in Orlando!” In that first season for them, the brothers competed at the city qualifiers in Orlando. Alexio moved on to the city finals but Lucas did not make it past the qualifying rounds. Alexio continued all the way to the first stage of the National finals in Las Vegas and Lucas, though disappointed at his own performance, is very proud of his brother. “He ended up as part of the top 100 in the country!”
Now part of American Ninja Warrior season 8, the BraziBros are not allowed to tell us how things have gone, but encourage everyone to start watching this season beginning June 1. Their initial appearance is on June 8th’s show. Though contracted to keep everything under wraps, Lucas does tell us, “I had to wait another year for redemption in the competition and I feel like I finally got it.” Is he the million dollar winner? We’ll have to watch to find out!
Lucas says, “A lot of people are curious about a rivalry, but we have always encouraged each other. We don’t have a rivalry. We always push each other to do better, and that’s part of our whole thing on the show.” He continues, “I don’t want to see myself do better than my brother, I just want to see us both do our best.”
With a huge fan base of tween and teen boys, both guys feel that how they handle challenges and success is key. Alexio, a full-time temp at a software company, says, “I never thought I would be an example, but it gives me an accountability when kids are looking up to me. I want to be someone they can admire not only because of my physical abilities, but the way I handle failure, the way I handle adversity, and the way I handle success.”
Musically gifted, Lucas is married to Jessica and works as a worship leader at Church by the Glades. “We grew up in Coral Springs and I love being able to work here, too. I love where I work! I love where I live!”
When asked how they differ, the BraziBros compare themselves lightheartedly, reflecting their love and respect for each other. Lucas begins, “We are very similar, best friends, and close in age, but we are also different in a lot of ways.” Alexio adds, “I just attack things with my gut instinct and enthusiasm. Lucas is a better planner and has a totally different approach which balances us out.” As though they share the same thought process, Lucas finishes by saying, “This show is all about the unknown. I believe that consistency will always beat out the more aggressive guy.”
Follow the BraziBros on Instagram, Twitter and on their Youtube channel.
Watch American Ninja Warrior starting on NBC June 1.
