EXCLUSIVE | 'Titan Games 2' star Shantal Athill says there are 'a lot more tough women out there than you know'
'The Titan Games' Season 2, hosted by Dwayne Johnson, is just a couple of days away. The first season had astronomically high ratings, so there's no doubt that the second will be just as enthralling for the viewers. In this season of the show, competitors will be pitted against world-class professional athletes, including NFL stars and UFC champions. The prize will be a staggering $100,000.
In an exclusive interview to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), firefighter Shantal Athill talks about her experience of being a participant on the show and the challenges she faced.
Talking about the overall experience on the show, Athill said that it was "dope." "We competed in different events, like obstacle courses, push-up tests. They tested different abilities. There were 80 of us there, but from that, they picked 36, 18 men and 18 women, who were selected for the show and flew us to Atlanta. I've never experienced anything like that. I've never done any type of TV or reality shows so, you know, I met the competitors, who were all amazing. They all come from different backgrounds, different jobs, so they all have their own businesses and cool stuff like that, so, even the networking part of it was great. It was really amazing overall. It was a really dope experience."
Speaking about the challenges she said, "I guess the most challenging part would honestly be just knowing that you are surrounded by a bunch of other amazing athletes. In their own profession, or in their own sport everyone's an athlete. Everyone has their own strength. You go in there knowing that. So you really have to push yourself and compete."
However, with the presence of her family and friends, Athill was able to overcome the challenges and nerves. "It was challenging, without a doubt, but with the crowd, family there and friends... that definitely helped me pushed past whatever I was feeling. Guys I had worked with had actually flown out there to watch me. You're able to block [nerves] out."
On how the whole idea of taking up the show came about, she said, "How did it come about? Someone reached out to me and asked if I heard about the show and if I was interested in applying. I actually had watched the first season and I did want to go for the second season, but I hadn't really heard much about it. So, you know, when they told me to give it a shot, I applied and gave all the information they needed and the ball got rolling really quickly. I tried to prep a little. I already work out every day. I knew some of the stuff they were going to be testing us on, so was on track. I was spending more at the gym to get ready for it. I wanted to make sure I was out there, giving it my all."
What did she learn from the show? "There's a lot more tough women out there, than I knew. Whenever I post videos, people say how I can do this. And then you're put in an arena with females who can do everything you can do, but better. You really have to go out there and prove yourself," she said.
Athill is immensely grateful for her supportive family. "My family was super. Yeah, my family was super excited. My dad has always been talking about this show and the challenges and what I would do, if I was on the show. So when they found out that I had made it, they kept asking me questions and I had to tell them that I didn't know as yet. But the support was very big with me."
Speaking about her experience of working with Dwayne Johnson, she said, "It was amazing working with Dwayne Johnson. I had to put my nerves to the side everytime I saw him. I was like, is it really him? The first time he spoke to us, was just to the whole group and briefly. When I actually competed, I got to talk to him more. He's a super cool guy, and super down-to-earth. It really made the experience worthwhile."
'Titan Games' will air on NBC, on May 25, at 8 pm.