Cari Champion is back on TV. After leaving ESPN earlier this year, the veteran sports journalist can now be seen in Season 2 of NBC‘s The Titan Games with Alex Mendez and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is also an executive producer. The first season of The Titan Games was a success, which leads to very high expectations for this season. And Champion reveals one big change in Season 2 fans have already noticed.
“This year, we’ve been able to put together a really great group of games that are a little more family-friendly, meaning people who are watching them know how to do it,” Champion exclusively told PopCulture.com. “That’s the best part of television when it can be interactive and entertaining. I think [Johnson] and the creators of the games did such a good job.”
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One of the other big changes fans noticed is the six Celebrity Titans looking to take home the $100,000 grand prize. Champion said all the Celebrity Titans stood out, but former NFL All-Pro offensive lineman Joe Thomas was the one that made the most noise. “He’s the best offensive lineman to play the game and he will be in the Hall of Fame,” she said. “As big as he is, his technique is very different. Every obstacle he did at his pace. He wasn’t worried about the person to the left. While he’s aware of them, he was playing his game. He was doing what he knew would work well.”
Thomas was dominant at the start but lost in the Central Regional Finals in a very close battle Matt Chan, a 42-year old CrossFit Games veteran who is one of the 36 regular competitors. When asked about the assessment of the competitors compared to last year’s group, Champion said: “You get inspired by people’s drive and passion for whatever is it they’re passionate for. These folks are very passionate competitors. They all have a platform they want to talk about. To me, that’s always inspiring to see people talk about something so passionately.”
Season 2 of The Titan Games is only three episodes in. However, if the series is renewed for a third season, Champion is all-in. “It’s a blast,” she said. “We have these long days that go super quickly. It’s a well-oiled machine. That’s the beauty when you do certain things. So it’s all good, we have no complaints.”
