The Titan Games 2019 Results, Highlights from Episode 1

The "physical manifestation of what it would look like if Mount Everest had a baby with Godzilla."

That is how Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson described the giant, ascending Mount Olympus obstacle course in Thursday's premiere episode of NBC's The Titan Games.

The WWE legend serves as the host and one of the executive producers of the show that pits what he deemed in the trailer "everyday people who are also extraordinary athletes" against each other.

Johnson and Cari Champion hosted the first episode, explaining that thousands of people tried out for the show that would test "mind, body and soul" as it discovered titans among the competitors.

Those who qualified had to earn their right to challenge Mount Olympus by prevailing in head-to-head competitions. The winners of the individual battles then faced off in the race to become a titan at Mount Olympus.

The first competition pitted physical therapist Ayonna Procter against massage therapist Emily Andzulis in the Herculean Pull, which was a "tug of war of the gods" where they were each elevated in the air on a pyramid and pulled against each other.

Andzulis, who lives with her sister Sharon to help with her nieces after her sister was diagnosed with bone cancer, demonstrated enough perseverance with a final pull to advance. 

That set the tone for what was to come, as truck driver James Jean-Louis defeated construction worker Mike Evans in the Hammering Ram. Each was asked to use a 10-pound hammer to trigger the release of a 350-pound hammering ram that they then used to break through a wooden door.

Jean-Louis broke through first and celebrated with his nine-year-old son, who he cited as his inspiration behind his second chance after he was arrested earlier in life.

The truck driver needed a challenger at Mount Olympus, and soldier Anthony Fuhrman answered the call by defeating Ben Afuvai in Uprising. Afuvai connected with Johnson during the tryout process because The Rock said he looked like he could be his cousin, but he didn't have enough power to compete with Fuhrman.

The soldier raised a 40-pound anvil to the top of a 30-foot tower, powering through the final two slab barriers in one head-turning move.

Fuhrman's power wasn't enough at Mount Olympus, as Jean-Louis seized an early lead and never looked back, far outpacing the competition in the grueling challenge that had competitors push over a 1,000-pound wall, push 450 pounds up an incline, climb rolling cylinders that were wider than redwood trees, climb "cliffs," slide down a descent littered with walls, conquer the torch crank and drag a 250-pound ball and chain.

Andzulis used the same formula and joined Jean-Louis as the first titans who defeated Mount Olympus, but only after firefighter and grandmother Julie Dudley wowed as her challenger. Dudley beat younger sheet-metal installer Tina Rivas in the same Hammering Ram competition Jean-Louis competed in and did so in impressive fashion.

She ran out of steam against Andzulis on Mount Olympus but not before she caught The Rock's attention.

Two titans were already in the books, but Thursday's double episode presented the opportunity for two more. Medical student Quinn Rivera and satellite engineer Thong La had their eyes set on joining the titans but first had to battle in the Power Vault.

Rivera navigated a course that asked him to use a silver pole to span five 15-foot gaps, push the equivalent of three washing machines off a golden pole and then use that to vault back quicker than La, taking advantage of a critical slip by the satellite engineer.

On the women's side, fitness model Nikkie Neal stressed how important it was for her to prove those in her field are actually strong, and she did exactly that when she defeated soldier and volunteer firefighter Marianne Sheehan in the Cyclone.

Neal whipped around a suspended 60-pound wrecking ball with a rope to knock over five pillars that were two stories high, while Sheehan could only manage three.

Farmer Cole Wadsworth must have taken notes from Neal because he prevailed in the Cyclone against veteran David Reid to set up a Mount Olympus showdown with Rivera.

Neal needed an opponent as well, and the showdown between world-class powerlifter Charity Witt, who has dealt with cardiac arrhythmia, and personal trainer and aspiring singer Mariah Counts on the Heavy Metal challenge was a marquee clash between two of the most qualified competitors.

They were asked to pull 350 pounds of chain up a 30-foot hill before turning a crank to lift the rest of the chain and a 100-pound concrete block three stories high. Witt was able to do so, setting up her battle with Neal.

The strength of each was on full display during Mount Olympus, as Neal used her quickness and agility to navigate the early portion of the challenge and establish a lead. However, Witt used her upper-body strength on the ball-and-chain portion to come from behind and stake her claim as a titan.

Wadsworth and Rivera finished the show with a nail-biter on Mount Olympus, as each reached the final stage around the same time.

The farmer ultimately prevailed, joining Andzulis, Jean-Louis and Witt as the first titans thanks to their dominance on Mount Olympus. They, as well as the titans who are crowned in future episodes, will return to battle each other in the race to become the titan champions.