The Titan Games recap: West Region challengers upend Mount Olympus

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!

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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

Steve Dietl/NBC

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

Steve Dietl/NBC

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

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

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

Steve Dietl/NBC

• 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

Steve Dietl/NBC

Next episode:
West Region - Part two
Monday, June 22 at 8pm EST/PST on NBC