CBS Tim Tebow with Matt "Money" Matthews and Maria Taylor.
From the executives producers of Big Brother and NBA All-Star LeBron James, CBS presents their newest competition reality series, Million Dollar Mile. Premiering on Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET, contestants will have the chance to win a $1 million prize by successfully running through five insanely difficult obstacle courses. Given a two-minute head start, as they jump off buildings, dive into pools, and navigate through mazes, the contestants are chased by world-class athletes trying to stop them from completing the course. And if they’re caught? Game over.
Filmed in front of a live audience in Los Angeles, the extreme athletic series is hosted by former NFL quarterback, Tim Tebow, who’s currently playing Triple-A baseball for the New York Mets. However, the 31-year-old Heisman Trophy winner is there to cheer on the athletes, not to compete. “There’s definitely a piece of me that would love to run that course,” he told CBS Sports. “We talked about it more than once… [but] it’s just in my wheelhouse – the competition, encouraging people, pushing people past their limits.”
Giving viewers updates on the action will be ESPN host and reporter, Maria Taylor, and Matt “Money” Smith, who’s known for doing the play-by-play for all the LA Chargers games.
There are 10 Defenders, 6 men and 4 women, whose job it is stop the contestants from taking home the $1 million prize. Merely reading their bios makes you wonder how the show got anyone to sign up to appear on the show in the first place. These are some of the most intimidating, American Gladiator-esque athletes in the world.
Producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan said in a statement,”We searched the globe to find the best athletes to defend the Million Dollar Mile. You may not know their names, but you’re about to. These ‘Defenders’ combine strength and speed with a level of endurance and mental toughness like you’ve never seen before.”
Here are the Million Dollar Mile ‘Defenders’:
Robert “The Captain” Killian
Robert is 37 years old from Charleston, South Carolina, but currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a Green Beret with 13 years of active-duty service and currently serves in the California National Guard. He earned the title of “Army Athlete of the Year” in 2010 for winning the military division of the Kona Ironman World Championships.
Robert has competed in Ironman triathlons, marathons, winter biathlons, international orienteering, and was part of the 2016 history-making Best Ranger Competition winning team. He holds the record for the most podium finishes in the Spartan Race World Championships.
Rebecca “The Harvard Hammer” Hammond
Rebecca is 26 years old from Winters, California, and currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. With brains and brawn, she is currently a fourth-year Harvard medical student and NCAA 1500 meter Track All American. This OCR prodigy recently took second place at both the Spartan American Championship and Spartan World Championships.
Isaiah “The Destroyer” Vidal
Isaiah is 25 years old from Marble Falls, Texas, and currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is the most decorated OCR athlete in the world, celebrating the most wins in the history of the sport. He has competed in over 150 races, stood on the podium more than 80 times and holds the title of the youngest competitor ever to be a two-time finisher of the Spartan Death Race.
He gained national attention in 2013 when he rode his bike from Austin, Texas to Killington, Vermont to compete in the Spartan World Championship. There, he placed top 10 in the world, and the next day, placed sixth in an Ultra Beast competition.
Emma “The Kiwi Killer” Chapman
Emma is 30 years old and from Christchurch, New Zealand, but currently lives in Richmond, Kentucky. She is the reigning Tough Mudder X World Champion and a former member of the New Zealand Women’s soccer national team. She has just qualified on a team for the 2019 CrossFit Games. Mixing uncanny power with speed and endurance, the self-proclaimed Killer Kiwi is a dominant figure in the CrossFit community.
Max “The Machine” Fennell
Max is 31 years old and from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, but currently lives in Menlo Park, California. He is the first African American professional triathlete, earning his pro card in 2014. The former college soccer star has competed in 54 triathlons and dominates his competition in cycling, swimming, and running.
Veejay “The Prodigy” Jones
Veejay is 26 years old from Terrace, California, and currently lives in Los Angeles. Since 2015, he has held the record as the youngest Spartan Race winner in history. This powerhouse, whose six-times-a-week workouts consist of running mountains, weight training, and bouldering, can run a sub-five-minute mile and deadlift twice his body weight.
Hunter “The Sheriff” McIntyre
Hunter is 29 years old from New York City and currently lives in Malibu, California. As a Malibu Pro Athlete and model, he is one of the most dominant athletes in the sport of OCR. He is the reigning Tough Mudder X World Champion (2017 and 2018), holds six world OCR titles, and is one of the highest paid obstacle course racers in the world
Erik “The Beast from the East” Mukhametshin
Erik is 28 years old from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, and currently lives in Los Angeles. Considered one of Russia’s leading stuntmen, he is one of the world’s most renowned free runners. He is celebrated as the Guinness World Record holder for both the furthest and highest wall flips and has placed at every event he has competed in since 2017.
Faye “The Canadian Crusher” Stenning
Faye is 29-years-old from Alberta, Canada, and currently lives in Manhattan. She is an elite athlete and OCR professional. She was #1 in the Global Ranking for Spartan Racing in 2016 and placed second in 2016 and 2018 in the Spartan U.S. Championships.
She has consistently placed at the Spartan World Championships, placing third in 2016 and fourth in 2017 and 2018. Faye was part of Team Canada who placed first in the 2018 Spartan Team World Championships.
Orla “The Vermaniac” Walsh
Orla is 32 year old from St. Albans, Vermont, and currently lives in Burlington, Vermont. The self-proclaimed “rough chick,” her speed, strength, and endurance helped earn her the childhood nickname “The Vermaniac” for devouring her competitors.
The Spartan Pro and CrossFit enthusiast is also a real-life hero who saves lives and helps others as a flight nurse.