WSU’s Bridger Buckley to compete in ‘The Titan Games’ finals Thursday

Week after week, challenge after challenge, and “The Titan Games” has all come down to this.

What started as 64 athletes from around the country has been whittled down to eight, including Washington State University student Bridger Buckley.

He’ll compete for a $100,000 prize in the finals Thursday at 8 p.m. on KHQ, channel 6.

“The Titan Games,” according to creator, actor and professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, are “the most insane athletic competition ever devised.”

In the semi-finals, which aired Feb. 21, Buckley faced off against yoga instructor DJ Townsel in an event called the Herculean Pull.

Buckley and Townsel each had to pull two giant silver poles from a structure, then have a tug-of-war to remove a single gold pole.

After learning he would be tested in the Herculean Pull, Buckley was excited to give it a shot.

“I talked to the people that did it before and they were like, ‘Pretty much, it’s all leg power,’ ” he said recently from Pullman. “Out of everyone there, I had one of the strongest set of legs, I think, so I was really excited to do that one.”

Both athletes removed their first silver pole at nearly the same time, then moved on to their second.

After removing his second pole, Buckley was the first to the gold pole, securing his place in “The Titan Games” finals.

One man and one woman will then be crowned the overall titans, taking home $100,000 each.

“I’m really excited for the last few events, to see how I stack up against the top people,” Buckley said.

Watching himself on TV every week has been fun for Buckley, who has begun to get recognized around campus, he said, especially at the gym.

He also has been approached by fitness companies interested in having him promote their products.

But the most rewarding part of his television experience is hearing from young viewers wondering how Buckley overcame challenges to get to where he is today.

“That’s probably the coolest part because I want to give back, whatever I can do to help a kid out,” he said.