September 5th

September 5th

September 5th

September 5th

AFTER MANY INTERVIEWS AND QUESTIONNAIRES, IT FINALLY HAPPENED… WE GOT CHOSEN TO COMPETE ON NBC'S HIT REALITY TELEVISION SHOW FEAR FACTOR! IT WAS LATE IN THE EVENING IN EARLY AUGUST WHEN MY CELL PHONE RANG AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. I NOTICED ON THE CALLER ID THAT IT WAS A CALIFORNIA AREA CODE AND MY HEART STOPPED. I KNEW THAT THIS WAS THE PHONE CALL. IN ABOUT 10 SECONDS I WOULD FIND OUT IF BUCK AND I WERE GOING TO BE GOING OUT TO CALIFORNIA FOR A CHANCE TO WIN FIFTY GRAND! I TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND ANSWERED THE PHONE. THE MAN ON THE OTHER END WORKED FOR THE CASTING DEPARTMENT AT FEAR FACTOR AND HE PROCEEDED TO TELL ME THAT UNFORTUNATELY WE WERE NOT CHOSEN TO BE ON FEAR FACTOR. AT THAT POINT, I WAS SO DISSAPOINTED THAT THE ONLY THING THAT I COULD THINK TO KEEP SAYING WAS "REALLY, ARE YOU SURE?" AFTER ABOUT 30 SECONDS OF MY MISERY HE FINALLY SAID, "JUST KIDING, PACK YOUR BAGS BECAUSE YOU AND "BUCK" ARE FLYING OUT TO CALIFORNIA IN TWO WEEKS!" WHEN HE SAID THAT, I STARTED TO FREAK OUT AND I ALMOST DROVE OFF THE ROAD! AS SOON AS I HUNG UP WITH HIM I CALLED BUCK TO TELL HIM THE GREAT NEWS.

FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS WE MUST HAVE GONE TO 97 SHOPPING MALLS TO FIND MATCHING OUTFITS TO WEAR ON THE SHOW, WHICH IS ONE OF FEAR FACTOR'S REQUIREMENTS. WHEN THE DAY FINALLY CAME TO GO OUT THERE I WAS SOOOO NERVOUS, BUCK ON THE OTHER HAND WAS COMPLETELY CALM, COOL AND CONFIDENT. HE WAS PREPARED TO EAT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IF IT CAME DOWN TO IT. EVEN THE OTHER CONTESTANTS WERE IMPRESSED AND MOST PROBABLY INTIMIDATED BY HIS WILLINGNESS AND DETERMINATION TO DO PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING.

THE FIRST DAY ON THE SET WAS REALLY, REALLY LONG. NONE OF US HAD ANY IDEA WHAT ACTUALLY WENT INTO FILMING A STUNT. THERE WERE CREW MEMBERS EVERYWHERE DOING SOMETHING. UNFORTUNATELY THOUGH, WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE ANYTHING BEFORE WE ACTUALLY HAD TO DO THE STUNT BECAUSE WE WERE BLINDFOLDED. THEY WANTED EVERYTHING TO BE A COMPLETE SURPRISE. AS SOON AS WE WERE PICKED UP FROM THE HOTEL BLINDFOLDS WERE PLACED ON US FOR THE DURATION OF THE CAR RIDE. AS SOON AS WE ARRIVED, WE WERE LED BLINDFOLDED INTO A TRAILER WITH NO WINDOWS.

THE TRAILER ITSELF WAS ABOUT AS BIG AS A WALK-IN CLOSET AND HAD ONE ITTY BITTY COUCH AND A BATHROOM WITH NO DOOR. THIS WAS EXTREMELY TIGHT LIVING QUARTERS FOR YOU, YOUR PARTNER AND SIX STRANGERS. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE ALL SO NERVOUS THAT IT DIDN'T SEEM TO MATTER TOO MUCH.

EACH DAY BEFORE A STUNT IS PERFORMED, THE PRODUCERS COME INTO THE TRAILER AND HAVE A PEP TALK WITH YOU. AFTER THAT, THEY PULL NAMES OUT OF HAT TO PICK THE ORDER FOR THAT DAY, TALK ABOUT NERVE WRECKING! AFTER THE ORDER IS CHOSEN, THE "SOUND GUY" COMES INTO THE TRAILER AND ATTACHES A HIDDEN MICROPHONE TO EVERYONE SO THAT WE CAN BE HEARD WHILE PERFORMING THE STUNTS. SOON AFTER ME ARE "MIC'D UP" THE BLINDFOLDS GO BACK ON AND WE ARE EACH LED OUT OF THE TRAILER TO PERFORM THE STUNT. NOTHING ON THE SHOW IS REHEARSED OR SCRIPTED, SO THE BLINDFOLDS ARE ESSENTIAL IN ORDER TO GET OUR INITIAL REACTION ON CAMERA TO SEEING THE ACTUAL STUNT. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE OUR FACES ON TELEVISION WHEN THEY SHOW OUR ALARMED RESPONSE TO THE STUNTS.

AFTER EACH STUNT ON FEAR FACTOR, A TOTAL OF THREE STUNTS, AN EX-COUPLE IS ELIMINATED. BY THE LAST DAY ONLY TWO EX-COUPLES REMAIN AND ONLY ONE EX-COUPLE GETS TO TAKE HOME THE FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. WERE WE THAT LUCKY EX-COUPLE?

TUNE IN SEPTEMBER 5TH, TUESDAY NIGHT AT 8PM ON NBC TO CHECK OUT OUR EPISODE, EX-COUPLES FEAR FACTOR!