This Meridian man just battled a 10-time NFL Pro Bowler on NBC. Here’s what happened.

Kaleb Redden made his debut a memorable one Monday on NBC’s athletic competition series, “The Titan Games.”

In episode 2 of season 2, the Meridian resident topped muscular opera singer Michael Hewitt easily in the first two games, “Chain Linked” and “Kick Out.” That meant Redden — a sports medicine physician for St. Luke’s Health — advanced to Mount Olympus.

That brought an even bigger challenge: 6-foot-6 Titan Joe Thomas.

As his wife and three children cheered him on, Redden offered the former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle all he could handle. Redden — nicknamed “Doc Thor” — jumped to a lead on the 10-time NFL Pro Bowler. But in the end, Thomas proved too strong. A mammoth of a man, Thomas dragged 250 pounds of sledgehammer and ball-and-chain right past Redden to win the game.

Thomas advanced as the men’s Titan for the Central Region finals next week.

As a runner-up on Mount Olympus, Redden is guaranteed another shot at the Titan title, too.

The Idaho doctor took defeat in stride. “If I lose to an NFL great,” he told host Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “I mean, I still feel like that’s a pretty all right deal.”

Besides, Redden’s family got to meet The Rock.

“How cool was your dad out there today?” Johnson asked the kids.

Pretty cool.

This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 11:56 AM.