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If anything can strain a relationship, the unrelenting pressure of The Titan Games might just do it. Brothers and Servicemen Noah Palicia and Eric Palicia found this out the hard way when Dwyane Johnson pit them against one another in the first portion of the West Region’s competition.
But once younger brother Noah defeated his older sibling, he had his family’s support to take down the elite Titan Victor Cruz on Mount Olympus. American Ninja Warrior Jessie Graff made her debut as an elite Titan as well, facing challenger Kelly Valdez.
The Titans felt the pressure of the games for themselves. While both Victor and Jessie are legends in their own fields, this seemed to be unfamiliar ground. The West Region ended its first portion of the competition with two new Titans and two elite Titans looking to make a comeback in the regional finals.
Find out how it all went down!
It's show time! An all-new episode of The #TitanGames begins NOW! pic.twitter.com/brxNfduHLA
— The Titan Games (@nbctitangames) June 16, 2020
WEST REGION - PART ONE
The Titans: Super Bowl Champion Victor Cruz and American Ninja Warrior/Stunt Performer Jessie Graff
Game one - Chain Linked
The challengers: Noah Palicia vs Eric Palicia
The moment: In a straight-forward match, Eric had the lead from the start and outpaced his brother to the finish.
The winner: Eric Palicia
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Game two - Launch Pad
The challengers: Natalie Talbert vs Kelly Valdez
The moment: Natalie struck first, getting a pad down straight away, but Kelly closed the game down when she finished her last two pads in rapid succession.
The winner: Kelly Valdez
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Game three - Kick Out
The challengers: Noah Palicia vs Eric Palicia
The moment: Noah reached the golden piston first but was challenged by Eric shortly after. They shoved the piston back and forth like a tortuous teeter totter. The stalemate was broken when Eric lost his grip and fell. This allowed Noah to gain an edge that Eric couldn’t overcome once he’d clambered back into position.
The winner: Noah Palicia
Game four - Over the Edge
The challengers: Natalie Talbert vs Kelly Valdez
The moment: Natalie was able to make a stand against Kelly’s dominate launch to the challenge. But when Kelly threw the rope over her shoulder and walked away, the stone and the win were hers. She was through to Mount Olympus.
The winner: Kelly Valdez
#NatalieTalbert gave it a great TITAN effort, but just fell short during Over the Edge! pic.twitter.com/8weMsBzlNp
— The Titan Games (@nbctitangames) June 16, 2020
Game five - Herculean Pull - Tie breaker
The challengers: Noah Palicia vs Eric Palicia
Noah spent most of this challenge on the defense, with his whole body wrapped around a small section of the pole as Eric was inches from taking the win. The audience was shocked when he staged a comeback, hauling the pole to his side, just to lose ground to Eric again. The surprise was then compounded when Eric tumbled to the floor. Noah took the opportunity to gain an advantage that Eric couldn’t beat when when he returned to the game.
The winner: Noah Palicia
There was no way either of the Palicia Brothers were going to yield that easily! pic.twitter.com/qarVlgAMhe
— The Titan Games (@nbctitangames) June 16, 2020
Mount Olympus
- Jessie Graff vs Kelly Valdez
It looked like the spry Jessie would take the lead, but a struggle on the Log Lift put Kelly ahead of her. The game was nearly tied up on the Sky Bridge but then things started to fall apart for the Ninja Titan. Jessie entered Cage Crawl in the same lane as Kelly, meaning she couldn’t pass her. Kelly hit the arena floor first, with Jessie following. Jessie was unable to find a successful position to leverage the Ball and Chain, even falling at one point. Once Kelly broke open her tomb, it was clear who the Titan would be.
Titan: Kelly Valdez
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- Victor Cruz vs Noah Palicia
After a close start, Noah pulled ahead on Iron Ascent. Victor began slipping farther and farther behind with every obstacle. Noah was had an unsurmountable lead by the time he opened his Titan tomb.
Titan: Noah Palicia
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Next episode:
West Region - Part two
Monday, June 22 at 8pm EST/PST on NBC