Gibsons resident, athlete and all-round tough girl Sarah Agnew has spent the last week getting sucker punched, ricocheting off big red bouncy balls and trying to avoid a three-metre plunge into muddy slop.
Agnew has been in front of the cameras in Argentina competing for $50,000 in the premiere episode of obstacle course reality TV show Wipeout Canada, which is set to air in the spring of 2011.
"I've packed my bags like five times today. I'm really excited," Agnew said in an interview before leaving for Argentina last week. "It's such an opportunity. It's a chance of a lifetime."
Angew learned she had been selected to be on the show, out of 46,000 applicants, last month, but had to stay tight-lipped about it until the show's producers had made everything official.
Agnew said producers have told her the show is going to look a little different from the popular American version of the show, including some never-before-seen obstacles and a change from the casting formula, which normally pits a broad array of contestants from all athletic abilities (or lack thereof).
"They just said they wanted to start off the season with a bang, and they were putting all their outgoing athletic people on first, which is good. I'm fine with that," she said.
Agnew said her nerves were good, and she had high expectations for her performance on the show.
"I'm pretty confident. When I talked to the producer the other day, she said that out of all the contestants, I'm the only one who seems pretty confident - which is cool, because I'm not scared yet. I don't know why. It's just made for me, I think," Agnew said. "I'm pretty prepared. I'm really active. I'm ready for this. I've been ready my whole life for this."
But you're going to have to wait until episode one of Wipeout Canada airs in the spring to find out just how well Agnew did. Agnew said she has already reached agreements with the Blackfish Pub and the Lighthouse Pub to host screening parties for her on the night the show airs.
"I'm sure a lot of people are going to want to have a good laugh at it," she said.
Agnew said her number one inspiration throughout the competition would be her brother.
"They asked me to have somebody to thank or dedicate it to, and that's my brother, for sure," she said. "He's the reason I like to beat boys so badly at everything I do, because we've always been competitive."
Before leaving for Argentina, Agnew was able to secure sponsorships for her shoes and uniform from Trail Bay Source for Sports, Dog's Ear T-shirts and Embroidery and Re/Max Realty.
