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CrossFitters Battle for the Title on Season Finale of The Titan Games

August 9, 2020 by
Photo Credit: Steve Dietl (NBC)
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SPOILERS AHEAD

It comes down to this, almost five months after the actual competition came to a close, we will finally know which man and women will walk away from season two of NBC’s The Titan Games with the title of “Titan” and the $100,000 cash prize tonight at 8pm EST. The odds of a CrossFit athlete staking claim to that honor and prize is high, as four of the six athletes in the finale follow CrossFit as a methodology and have competed in CrossFit at a high level.

The Finals Format: The three Regional Champions for both the men and women will face off first in “Hammer Down” with the winner automatically earning a spot to compete on Mount Olympus. The remaining two athletes will then compete in one of the more grueling events, the “Herculean Pull” to earn the final spot on Mount Olympus.

Side Note and Spoiler: On Friday, NBC jumped the gun and released a clip on Instagram that appears to show finalist Margaux Alvarez defeating Courtney Rochelle in the “Herculean Pull,” presumably indicating that the women’s Mt. Olympus final will feature Alvarez versus Dani Speegle.

New obstacles and challenges will await the athletes on Mount Olympus unlike those they have seen in earlier episodes. This will allow no distinct advantages for either of the athletes besides the winner of “Hammer Down” competing in one less event and awarding them more rest and recovery.

The man and woman who conquers Mount Olympus and their opponent will be named champion.

Photo Credit: Steve Dietl (NBC)

The women’s division:

  • All three women finalists are CrossFitters as Dani Speegle (Central Region Titan) and Margaux Alvarez (West Region Titan) have each competed at the Games. Courtney Roselle, the newly crowned East Region Titan, is a former college basketball player who is a CrossFit coach and has competed at the Sanctional level.
  • All three women have yet to taste defeat during their time on The Titan Games. Alvarez has gone 5-0 in her events with Speegle and Roselle each 4-0.
  • Speegle is the favorite to win based on her dominant performances in the Central. The only event she had difficulty with was her 20 minute battle on “Lunar Impact” in the season premiere.
  • Alvarez has been just as dominant using her endless cardio and quickness to her advantage in the earlier qualifying events and on Mount Olympus. Alvarez had a tougher road to get to the finals, defeating a fellow CrossFit Games athlete in Kelly Stone in her opening match-up and then besting CrossFit Regional athlete Kelly Valdez not once but twice on Mount Olympus including in the Regional finals to punch her ticket to the finals.
  • Rochelle may be the underdog compared to Speegle and Alvarez but she has shown she belongs, displaying strength and determination to earn her spot. Her victory over Haley Johnson on Mount Olympus was a message to everyone that she is a force to be reckoned with.
  • None of the women have competed in the two events that stand in their way to get to Mount Olympus.
Photo Credit: Steve Dietl (NBC)

The men’s division:

  • Whereas the women’s division is dominated by CrossFitters, the men’s division boasts an eclectic difference in fitness methodology. Games legend Matt Chan (Central Region Titan) is the lone crossfitter of the trio which features obstacle course athlete Noah Palicia (West Region Titan) and the surprising Will Sutton (East Region Titan).
  • Chan by far has had the hardest road to get to the finals. He needed three events to defeat the powerhouse Bartley Weaver and eventually lost to Joe Thomas, a former NFL All-Pro offensive lineman on Mount Olympus. Chan is the only finalist to have earned his spot in the finals by going through the losers bracket. The six-time Games individual qualifier is 5-2 in Titan Games competition. With his background and being able to earn his spot through the tough Central Region he is the favorite to win. He also has the advantage of having participated in “Hammer Down” an event in which his firefighting background came to good use as he won that event.
  • If Chan is the favorite then Palicia is not far behind. The Air Force captain, like Chan, has tasted defeat in the Arena, losing his opening event to his older brother Eric before going on a tear and winning six-straight including going 4-0 on Mount Olympus. Like Chan, Palicia has familiarity in one of the final events, the “Herculean Pull”, on his side —  an epic battle with his brother that he ultimately won to earn his way to Mount Olympus.
  • Sutton has been labeled the underdog since stepping foot in The Titan Games Arena. The 26-year old high school teacher is perhaps the only athlete that falls under the “ordinary people” moniker that The Titan Games has marketed the competition around. He has truly dominated against athletes who on paper are better athletically including former UFC Champion Tyron Woodley and Army paratrooper Josh Porter. Billed as “Country Strong”, Sutton has reeled off six-straight wins since losing his opening event to CrossFit coach Kareem Brinson. He is a perfect 4-0 on Mount Olympus.

Worth noting:

  • None of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s hand-picked Titans, featuring professional athletes, made it to the finals. Only Thomas was able to defend Mount Olympus up till the Regional finals.
  • Last week saw The Titan Games once again rule Monday primetime TV, with over 3.7 million viewers.
  • The Titan Games also set a series record for total social activity with 971,100 Total Interactions. Activity for their episode last week was up +185% from the prior episode’s 340,200 Total Interactions, and up +420% versus to the Season 2 average of 186,600 Total Interactions.

The Titan Games Experience in their own words:

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