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The fifth episode of the Titan Games was a family affair with fresh challenges

World, meet Vortex and Off The Rails.

By Nikki Lee
Vivian Zink/NBC

The fifth episode of The Titan Games brought two more new challenges into the mix. The fresh matches were both two-parters, meaning two tasks needed to be completed to take the win. The episode also turned the games into a family affair when two brothers planned on race one another on Mount Olympus.

Reigning Titans

Tyler Lucas: He planned to face his older brother, Kyle, in the final match. When Kyle was eliminate, Tyler took it upon himself to make sure his family stayed in the competition.

Jackie Wood: She had a close victory on the new challenge, Vortex. Her dogged determination to never back down also showed itself on Mount Olympus.

Can’t miss moments

The debut of Vortex

Julian Stewart and Tyler Lucas showed us one of The Titan Games’ new creations. The Vortex was an interesting mix of strength and strategy. Should a competitor use short, fast pulls, or longer, slower ones? Tyler gained his lead by staying low and using the power in his legs. On the chain tower climb, it looked to be a spider web. The exhausted competitors had every last ounce of strength sapped on the loose chains, leading to a very close finish for Tyler.

Vivian Zink/NBC

The debut of Off The Rails

Another new challenge was tested by Kyle Lucas and Matt Welbourn. Kyle actually knocked himself off his sled at first, but both he and Matt has zero issue hauling the sleds down the track. The difference came in the tactics on the way back. Kyle went for long tosses of the anchor. When he couldn’t land the hook, it took him a long time to reel it back for another try. Matt opted for small throws and scooted himself forward down the track. The decision gave him the win.

Vivian Zink/NBC

Full recap

An explanation of these challenges can be found at the bottom of this article.

Challenge one: Uprising

The competitors:

  • Brehanna Daniels: 24-year-old NASCAR tire changer who lost her mom at age 14 to breast cancer. She’s the first African American woman to have this job.
  • Gina Policastro: An Earth Science teacher who was married in her early 20’s. The controlling relationship prevented her from working out. She decided to push for the life she wanted.

Winner: Brehanna Daniels

Challenge two: Vortex

The competitors:

  • Tyler Lucas: A 25-year-old Air Force Sargent stationed in Germany. He’s taking part in the Titan Games with his older brother, Kyle. The two have always been competitive growing up.
  • Julian Stewart: 32-year-old with six jobs and four children. He’s sometimes up for more than 24 hours at a time and has to find ways to train without a gym, including a ladder propped on his house.

Winner: Tyler Lucas

Challenge Three: Vortex

Kelsey Horton: 28-year-old nurse, wife, and mother of two. She’s a powerlifter after her family has gone to bed.

Jackie Wood: A 30-year-old kids swim coach. She struggled with confidence and depression and her mom helped her out of her dark place.

Winner: Jackie Wood

Challenge Four: Off The Rails

Kyle Lucas: A 28-year-old Air Force Sargent who says he looks up to his little brother, Tyler. Both were football players at Penn State.

Matt Welbourn: 27-year-old weightlifter. His father as an Olympic Pole Vaulter and Kayaker. Matt was an elite track and field athlete before moving to weights.

Winner: Matt Welbourn

Mount Olympus

  • Jackie Woods vs Brehanna Daniels

After both struggled on Rolling Ascent, Jackie found her way to a lead. The distance between the two increased until Jackie claimed the title without contest from Brehanna.

Titan: Jackie Wood

On her very close win on Vortex:

“The moment that I realized that she was almost halfway up the cargo net and I was still on the ground, anybody could have just given up. Know that I’ve been in that situation before, where I have almost given up. To be back in that proves that I’m stronger today than I was four years ago. I want people to see that when they watch this. Perseverance will overcome anything.”

  • Tyler Lucas vs Matt Welbourn

Matt’s power might have been his undoing after he literally ripped through The Cliffs, slowing his climb. Tyler stuck to his race and won with a strong lead.

Titan: Tyler Lucas

On what you should know about him:

“I’m a competitor. I work hard. I go all out for what I do. Whether it’s an obstacle, work-wise. I like to give 110%. That’s something that was instilled in my brother and I’s heads at a young age from our dad. He was a go-getter and so are we.

I put a lot of pressure on myself. I expect to go all the way wand win this thing.”

Next episode: Thursday, February 7

Herculean Pull

Out leverage an opponent you can’t see. Athletes must yank out two, 100 lb silver poles that are each longer than a pickup truck. They then must try to remove the golden pole tug-of-war style, while bracing themselves nine feet off the ground.

Hammering Ram

Slam a 10 lb hammer against a metal plate until it triggers the release of a 350 lb ram. Use the ram to break through the giant doors and pull the handle first.

Uprising

Use your momentum and body weight to slam through five solid levels with a 40 lb anvil attached to the body by a harness and pulley. Get through all five levels to provide enough distance to pull the ring.

Power Vault

Use a pole to span five, 15 foot gaps. Push over weight equivalent to three washing machines to free the golden pole. Traverse back using that pole, and then climb the pole to the finishing handle.

Cyclone

Spin a 60 lb suspended wrecking ball over your head. Gain momentum to knock down five pillars that are nearly two stories tall.

Heavy Metal

Drag 350 lbs of chain up a 30 feet tall ramp. At the top, place the bar into a crank and lift a weight consistent with a ride-on mower about three stories in the air.

Lunar Impact

Athletes race to a ladder and climb to a platform 30 feet in the air. They must then slam into the sliding wall, pushing until one opponent is shoved off the edge.

Tower Drop

Competitors scale a 30 foot tower, pulling out seven, 15 foot long poles along the way. At the top, they must free the golden pole which is trapped under a 50 lb ball. Whoever drops the ball first, and pulls the chain at the top of their tower, wins.

Atlas Smash

Use a 10 lb hammer to smash chunks off two 350 lb stones. When the stones are light enough, use a rope to haul them 25 feet in the air.

Vortex

Use fluid motions, your legs and upper body, to pull chains that will raise a 24 foot chain tower into the air. After it’s up, climb the tower and be the first to pull the handle.

Off The Rails

Competitors pull themselves down a 60 foot rail on a 200 lb sled, collecting 50 lb rails along the way. By the time they reach the end, they’re pulling 600 lbs. They then must pull themselves back using a rope and anchor they have to toss over the ties to gain leverage.

Mount Olympus

Obstacles:

  • 1000 lb wall push
  • Gates of Olympus: Push 450 lbs worth of gate at a 25 degree angle
  • Rolling Ascent: Climb six spinning cylinders, each wider than a Redwood tree
  • The Cliffs: Punch and kick through a wall to build your own ladder to the top
  • Torch Crank: Churn a crank connected to a 600 lb tower until it lights
  • The Descent: Jump over three walls to access the slides behind them
  • Ball and chain: Drag a 250 lb boulder connected to a sledgehammer to the Titan Tomb. Use the hammer to smash open the tomb, find your relic and rush to fit it in its lock, where Johnson awaits.

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