Berkeley Native to Compete in NBC's ‘Titan Games'

Jasmin Guinn smelled what "The Rock" is cooking.

The 23-year-old Berkeley native and El Sobrante resident will be competing in NBC's new strength and agility competition, hosted by Dwayne Johnson in the "The Titan Games."

Guinn is currently a motion graphic designer but she also hits the gym every day. She is a former NCAA basketball player at Academy of Art University Athletics in San Francisco and she ran track at Berkeley High. That's what Johnson looked for: regular people with extraordinary physical abilities.

Guinn says she's competing for her grandmother, who is suffering with Alzheimer's. She was diagnosed with the progressive disease when Guinn was in college and Guinn became her grandmother's caretaker.

Her grandma was the person that encouraged her to be an artist and Guinn says that she's her greatest inspiration in life and her biggest supporter.

During Guinn's sernior year, she suffered a major injury and tore two ligaments and a tendon in her left foot, and thought she'd never be able to compete again.

Johnson said he was inspired by "American Ninja Warrior" and wanted to build a "platform that gave everyday people an opportunity to change their lives." Other competitors on the show so far include a firefighter, a veteran, a truck driver and a message therapist. 

Sixty-Four people across the country, including San Francisco resident Carla Miranda, compete to put their bodies on the line for the show that debuted on Jan. 3.

The show divides the competition between men and women who will use theirs strengths to complete head-to-head challenges, designed by Johnson. Winners advance to the ultimate challenge of Mt. Olympus, which athletes need to complete in order to get a change to return in the final episode and complete for a grand prize of $100,000.

On the day of its premiere, "The Titan Games" reached 6.5 million people, which was more than anything else on NBC prime-time last week except for the Golden Globes telecast, according to Nielsen.

The episode featuring Guinn airs Thursday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m.

Contact Us