Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
The Rock heads battle of ‘titans’
Competition series debuts, features participants from South Florida.
When viewers tune into Dwayne Johnson’s new NBC competition series “The Titan Games,” they will see some South Florida athletes being put to the test.
Johnson is the host and executive producer of the show, which debuts Jan. 3 at 8 p.m.
In a preview, Johnson described it as “an athletic competition series that we developed for everyday people who are also extraordinary athletes.” He said he was inspired for the series by another NBC reality show “American Ninja Warrior” which airs during the summer.
The 10-episode series will pit 64 competitors in challenges that will test their endurance, mental ability and physical capacity. Johnson said the challenges are inspired by workouts he’s done, such as climbing a structure made of chains or lugging a large hammering ram.
Each episode will feature four men and four women going up against each other in an arena. The winners will then face off on “Mt. Olympus.” The grand prize is $100,000.
The competitors from South Florida include:
Chris Ruden, 27, a Coconut Creek native and resident. He was born with a congenital birth defect which resulted in having a short arm and two fingers in one hand. But that hasn’t stopped Ruden from powerlifting and sharing his story with young people who have disabilities.
DJ Townsel, 30, who grew up in Opa-locka and played for the Houston Texans. After his football career ended, he discovered yoga and is now an instructor.
Julie Dudley, 50, a Jupiter resident who is a firefighter and medic.
James Jean-Louis, 29, a truck driver and resident of North Miami Beach.
Johnson, the pro wrestler-turned-actor and former University of Miami football player, has credited sports for his success because it “really helped me through the best of times, the worst of times. It got me off the streets when I was getting arrested. It got me through depression.”
If you’d like to apply to be on the show, visit www.titangamescasting.com