Coldwell Banker Itildo Realtor Teddy Carlson-Brown spent the middle of August in a boat on Lake Michigan fishing for salmon. But it wasn't a vacation " it was the first in a series of challenges for an outdoor reality show called The Ultimate Sportsman.
"At first, it was strange having the cameras around you all the time, but after a while, you forgot they were there," said the 42-year-old Gardnerville resident. "Especially when reeling in a fish: That's all you focused on."
Carlson-Brown reeled in more than 120 pounds of salmon, steelhead and lake trout, earning the most points and winning the competition.
"It was a lot of fun and very challenging," she said.
Carlson-Brown grew up in Carson Valley camping, fishing and hunting. She and her husband travel around the world to hunt, and it was one of their former outfitters who notified them about the television show.
"I checked out the backgrounds of the producers to make sure the show was legitimate," she said. "One had made a lot of documentaries, and the other was a producer for Fox."
Carlson-Brown said the show will likely air on the Outdoor Life Network, but not until early 2010. For the rest of the year and throughout 2009, the show's 12 contestants, eight men and four women, will be flown every two months to a new location for an outdoor challenge.
Next up is pheasant hunting in South Dakota at the end of October.
"After every third competition, one person will be eliminated," Carlson-Brown said. "They told us at some point we will have the opportunity to vote someone off, but I don't know how exactly that will work."
Carlson-Brown decided to participate in the show because of its practical schedule. Although producers will not tell her specifics about the challenges, the duration of each trip is only a couple of days, making it easy for her to adjust her work schedule. Plus, all expenses are paid, and contestants get to keep the meat they fish and hunt for.
Despite the fun, Carlson-Brown said she struggled with being constantly filmed.
"One time, they told me to walk along the lake and kick the water, and that was kind of strange," she said. "We had to do interviews, and I was pretty uncomfortable during the first one, but after a while, I got better."