Colorado is already after shipping dozens of contestants to such diverse series as “The Bachelor,” “American Idol,” “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” in recent years.
But with a dominant crew of “American Ninja Warrior” personalities also calling the state home, it makes sense that we would have a strong showing on the latest, greatest athletic competition from its producers.
“The Titan Games,” NBC’s “Ninja Warrior”-influenced new competition that debuts at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan 3, will feature four Colorado competitors to kick off the first episode. Hosted and produced by actor and former pro wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, along with “Ninja Warrior” producer A. Smith & Co., the show “inspires everyday people to push themselves to achieve the impossible.”
The 10-episode series, notable for its according to Men’s Health magazine, starts with 64 contestants and whittles its way down to a winner through “the most insane athletic competition ever devised,” as Johnson said in a preview clip.
While NBC is staying tight-lipped about who makes it out of the first episode, we’ve got a look at the quartet of Colorado contestants who will be pole-vaulting, swinging, pulling and pushing their way to glory on the flashy new series.
They include: Ashley Huhn, a 28-year-old special education teacher and soccer coach from Denver; Christina Luna, a 33-year-old dental hygienist, Air Force veteran and mom based in Colorado Springs; 28-year-old Kyle Lucas, another Colorado Springs-based contestant who currently serves in the Air Force as a satellite systems operator; and Matthew Welbourn, a 28-year-old bodybuilder who recently moved to the Denver metro area from Durango.
Welbourn may have the biggest leg (or, in this case, arm) up on the competition, being a competitive bodybuilder with a history of high-achieving athletic competition in his family.
“My dad was kind of an older dad growing up, and he’s actually 87 now,” Welbourn said over the phone this week. “But at one point he (Jerry Welbourn) was the number-three ranked pole vaulter in the world back in the 1950s, and he’s still in Ohio State’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He ended up blowing out his ankle, but 20 years later he made it on the Olympic team for flatwater kayaking. He’s a crazy dude.”
As he played basketball with his brother and borrowed his weights while growing up, Welbourn got serious about his competitive-athletic drive in junior high. But even with his background, Welbourn was still nervous about the prospect of appearing on TV with someone as imposing as The Rock.
“It was super intimidating, honestly,” he said. “There are so many people that are way better and way farther along than myself that it seemed like a long shot, but I still sent in an audition tape. And then I found out itap one of the most-auditioned-for shows in NBC’s history.”
Welbourn’s camera-ready physique and winning personality on video clips instantly caught producers’ eyes, so much so that they emailed him back the next day, eventually inviting him to Los Angeles to try out with a team of 100 other hopefuls.
“I didn’t get a chance to compare pecs or biceps with (The Rock), but I can pretty much assure you he’s got me beat in those departments,” Welbourn joked.
Welbourn isn’t allowed to say whether he made it past the first “Titan” episode, but even as he prepares for more bodybuilding competitions (next up: The Arnold Classic at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s eponymous Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 28-March 3) he continues to train at Wheat Ridge’s Armbrust Pro Gym and plans a move to Los Angeles for 2020.
“Competing in general is an adrenaline rush, but stepping into this big ‘Titan’ arena where you have just a massive audience cheering you on — and on top of that, you’re competing in front of The Rock on national TV — was literally addicting to me,” Welbourn said.
