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The Titans field was slashed to eight in merciless battles

If you doubted any of these athletes, they’ve more than proven themselves now.

By Nikki Lee
Vivian Zink/NBC

All of the action has led to this: The battle of the Titans. The entire field of 16 Titans returned to face one another and stay in the game. Tonight’s format was a little different from the previous episodes. We saw eight challenges instead of four. There were no Mount Olympus battles. Four men and four women advanced to next week’s season finale.

Reigning Titans

  • James Jean-Louis: The Budweiser delivery truck driver pulled off another powerful win in Atlas Smash.
  • Christiana Rugloski: After sharing the heartbreaking story of how she learned to value every day, Christiana showed steady focus in Cyclone.
  • Tyler Lucas: After his brother’s elimination from the competition, Tyler plans to carry the family name all the way to the end.
  • Jackie Wood: Her commanding win makes her someone to watch in the upcoming finale.
  • Jess Griffith: Jess gritted it out through Atlas Smash, digging incredibly deep to move one step closer to winning it all.
  • Bridger Buckley: He swiftly gained an advantage in Herculean Pull.
  • Charity Witt: She moved forward after an uncontested win in Herculean Pull.
  • Derik Scott: Derik managed a literal last-moment comeback to knock his way into the next round.

Can’t miss moments

Atlas Smash: Atlas Smash leaves us speechless whenever we see it. It just seems almost impossible in theory and downright draining to try to accomplishment. James Jean-Louis looked absolutely at home with the challenge. He moved around the boulder in circles, hammering away massive chunks. He raised the first stone when only its core remained. He performed the same magic on the second stone. James’ ferocity was a little terrifying to watch, in the good way. If we had to face him in the finale, we’d be worried.

Atlas Smash (Again): Sorry, but this was the first time we’d seen women take on this challenge and it was worth the wait. Jess Griffith and Ashley Hawkins charged in with similar strategies. Both tried to lift their boulders too early and had to move to more swings. Ashley finally locked her stone in first, with Jess a moment behind. Their exhaustion was palpable when they both looked back at the second stones with trepidation all over their faces. Dwayne Johnson walked down to the floor to yell encouragement to them both. Neither was oozing energy, but they weren’t backing down. Jess opted to try the lift first, and after putting her entire body into it, sealed the painful win.

Vivian Zink/NBC

Lunar Impact:

Lunar Impact likes to be an all-or-nothing challenge. It’s either a drawn out battle or a complete shut out. Cole Wadsworth and Derik Scott gave us an exciting fight. Both slammed the wall at the same time, creating an instant stalemate. After a moment, Cole gained ground and started pushing Derik back. Derik faced the edge of his side and the end of this competition. He was within, we’d say, six inches of getting pushed off when something in him just clicked on. Derik managed to jolt Cole slightly off balance and would not let up on the pressure. The wall swung back through the middle, putting Cole on the defense. But Cole lost all traction and actually fell to his knees, facing away from the door, with his ankles trapped under the bar. It left him in a hopeless position and Derik swept him off the platform.

Full recap

You can find an explanation of these challenges at the end of this article.

Challenge one: Atlas Smash

The Titans:

  • Christopher Watts: Previous win in Heavy Metal. Won Mount Olympus against Frank Sansonetti.
  • James Jean-Louis: Previous win in Hammering Ran. Won Mount Olympus against Anthony Fuhrman.

Winner: James Jean-Louis

Challenge two: Cyclone

  • Christiana Rugloski: Previous win in Herculean Pull. Won Mount Olympus against Nichole Root.
  • Nika Sedghi: Previous win in Tower Drop. Won Mount Olympus against Christina Luna.

Winner: Christiana Rugloski

Challenge three: Cyclone

  • Brad Schaeffer: Previous win in Tower Drop. Won Mount Olympus against Elisara Edwards.
  • Tyler Lucas: Previous win in Vortex. Won Mount Olympus against Matt Welbourn.

Winner: Tyler Lucas

Vivian Zink/NBC

Challenge four: Lunar Impact

  • Jackie Wood: Previous win in Vortex. Won Mount Olympus against Brehanna Daniels.
  • Emily Andzulis: Previous win in Herculean Pull. Won Mount Olympus against Julie Dudley.

Winner: Jackie Wood

Challenge five: Atlas Smash

  • Jess Griffith: Previous win in Heavy Metal. Won Mount Olympus against Jasmin Guinn.
  • Ashley Hawkins: Previous win in Hammering Ram. Won Mount Olympus against Alma Dwumfour.

Winner: Jess Griffith

Challenge six: Herculean Pull

Bridger Buckley: Previous win in Hammering Ram. Won Mount Olympus against Steven Hoppe.

DJ Townsel: Previous win in Vortex. Won Mount Olympus against Matt Cable.

Winner: Bridger Buckley

Challenge seven: Herculean Pull

  • Charity Witt: Previous win in Heavy Metal. Won Mount Olympus against Nikkie Neal.
  • Kara Lazauskas: Previous win in Off The Rails. Won Mount Olympus against Shannon Decker.

Winner: Charity Witt

Challenge eight: Lunar Impact

  • Cole Wadsworth: Previous win in Cyclone. Won Mount Olympus against Quinn Rivera.
  • Derik Scott: Previous win in Cyclone. Won Mount Olympus against Jack Kwan.

Winner: Derik Scott

Next week: Season one of The Titan Games comes to a close on Thursday, February 28. The final two Titans will be named.

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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