Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
South Florida man wins NBC’s ‘The Titan Games’
South Florida has its own “titan.”
James Jean-Louis of North Miami Beach was crowned as one of the two winners of NBC’s “The Titan Games” on Thursday night. The other winner was Charity Witt from Atlanta.
“It means a lot to me. I was able to do it for my son,” the 30-year-old Budweiser truck driver said in an interview. “I stayed focused and I had this opportunity to prove to my [12-year-old son Semaj] that anything can happen.”
Movie star and former University of Miami football player Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson cre-
ated the show to feature some of the country’s everyday extraordinary athletes. Since its debut Jan. 3, four men and four women have competed each week in challenges modeled after Johnson’s fitness routines that test strength, speed, agility and endurance.
Contestants hammered a 350-pound ram through a giant door, pushed 150-pound gates up and scaled seven-foot-high walls on the so-called Mount Olympus on the set.
In the debut episode, Jean-Louis shared his story of being a single father who was arrested at age 23.
“I started hanging out with the wrong crowd and doing the wrong thing,’’ said Jean-Louis, a 2007 graduate of North Miami Senior High where he played football.
He became a father at 17. He said the arrest, which he didn’t want to talk about, was a wake-up call for him to be there for his son. Court records show the Broward Sheriff’s Office charged Jean-Louis with grand theft in 2013 and that he served probation.
“I knew I had to turn it
around completely,” said Jean-Louis.
Fitness led to a new calling. He began boxing, competed in body-building competitions and participated in tough mudder-type events. Jean-Louis also became a personal trainer and used his Instagram page to inspire others. Coincidentally, in 2013 he named his Instagram handle “bodyof_titan_” because he said “a titan is someone who overcomes obstacles.”
When a friend suggested he apply for Johnson’s “Titan” show, Jean-Louis recorded a quick video of himself.
“Rock, you need me on your show,” he recalled saying in the 45-second video. “With my hardship and dedication, I give everything that I got.”
It was Johnson who eventually called him to share the news that he had made it on the show.
Jean-Louis was one of 64 contestants — including four from South Florida — who were selected to compete from more than 100 athletes who tried out in Los Angeles.
A first generation Haitian-American, he quickly earned his nickname “the Haitian Sensation” on the
show.
In the inaugural episode, Jean-Louis, who is 5-feet-10½ and weighs 226 pounds, was named one of the first “titans” after winning the “Hammering Ram” competition.
On Feb. 21, he won again in the semifinals after hammering away at 350-pound concrete balls during the “Atlas Smash” challenge.
And during the finale — which was taped Sept. 20, also Jean-Louis’ birthday — he excelled in a challenge called “Uprising,” which involved sprinting with a rope tied to a heavy anvil.
“When you get that opportunity you have to give it your all, don’t leave anything behind, make sure you stop at nothing,” he said of winning.
With his $100,000 prize money, he plans to pay off some debt and set money aside for his son. He also said he wants to create a nonprofit for youth in Miami where they can workout and learn a trade that doesn’t require a college degree.
“People think there is nothing out there if you don’t have a college degree,” he said. “Many times, we don’t need a college degree to become what we want to be in life.”