NBC has revealed the identities of the 10 teams who will be competing on Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls.
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Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls, a new extreme adventure reality competition that is being produced and headlined by former Man vs. Wild star and survivalist Bear Grylls, will premiere Monday, July 8 at 9PM ET and was ordered by NBC last fall.
Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls will test 10 two-person teams as they attempt to survive in the wild under extreme conditions as a group and avoid elimination.
Each week, Grylls will send home a team until only one remains -- the team he believes "has shown the most heart, courage, initiative, and resolve in their quest to 'get out alive,'" according to NBC. The winning pair will receive a $500,000 grand prize.
Below are the 10 teams participating in Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls and their NBC-supplied descriptions:
- Ryan Gwin and Madeline Mitchell
Ryan and Madeline are both 24-years-old. Ryan is from Mobile, AL. Madeline is from Russellville, AL and currently resides in Mobile, AL.
Gwin's father taught him to hunt and fish at a young age. He played football and ran track in high school and now works for Chevron, where he is a technical analyst. He thinks this experience will not only make him and his fiance a stronger couple, but will also allow them to be tested beyond their limits.
Mitchell grew up in a small town and was an all-star cheerleader, competitive pageant queen and an avid athlete. In 2008, she was involved in a nearly fatal car accident and was in intensive care for 16 days. After being told she may never walk again and then using a wheelchair for three months, Mitchell was named Miss Alabama before taking second place in the Miss USA competition. She currently teaches third grade and believes that with both her and her fiance's abilities and different talents, they will be undefeated.
- Canden Bliss Jackson and Donna Nettles Jackson
Canden is a 23-year-old from Fairhope, AL who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Donna is a 51-year-old from Baton Rouge, LA who currently resides in Fairhope, AL.
Canden grew up in a small Alabama town where she soon discovered a passion for horses and softball. To appease her female family members, she agreed to compete in the Miss Alabama Teen USA pageant in 2007 and won. Soon after, she decided to travel and take a year to study in Italy. Canden craves adventure and believes she can do well on the show, considering her high-level athletic ability as well as strong will and character. She currently works as an on-air host and is looking forward to spending quality time with her mother and working as a team.
Donna grew up in a family of four siblings and enjoyed a very privileged life. She eventually started modeling and in 1982 was crowned Miss Hemisphere. She hopes to push herself beyond what is comfortable, to grow along with her daughter, Canden Bliss, make her family proud and prove to the world that "50 can still kick ass!" Donna lives with her husband, Steve, a former NFL player football player as well as her son, who works as a fashion consultant. Adventure and relationship building are the reasons she looks forward to this wonderful opportunity.
- Austin Vach and Jim Vach
Austin is a 24-year-old from Maple Valley, WA. Jim is a 61-year-old from Fresno, CA who currently resides in Maple Valley, WA.
Austin is the fourth of five children and grew up in a very active household. While in school, he started his own business and was able to graduate college debt free by building websites for local nonprofits. He is currently single, living at home with his parents and working full-time as a technical accounting manager at Microsoft, while saving up for a house of his own. Austin did not get the same interaction with his dad, Jim, that his older brothers received and he hopes this experience will help create more bonding opportunities.
Jim and his wife have five children and seven grandchildren. He worked as a postal inspector for nearly 29 years where he investigated the largest sweepstakes fraud case in the U.S., the two largest mortgage frauds in the history of Washington, and served for seven years on the Seattle FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. He retired in 2007 and has since worked as a fraud analyst with the Postal Inspection Service. Jim feels that the experience and mental toughness that he and Austin share will give them an advantage in the competition.
- Wilson Sheppard and Robin Sheppard
Wilson is a 40-year-old from Baton Rouge, LA, while Robin is a 36-year-old from Washington, D.C. They both currently reside in Altadena, CA.
Wilson was introduced to hunting and fishing as a young boy, while also remaining an honors student. When Wilson and Robin started dating, she had never been boating or fishing. Together they joined a fishing club, regularly participating in club tournaments. In 2007, Wilson enrolled with the Mariner's School to earn his boat captain's license. Since then, he has operated a sport-fishing boat in Alaska, passenger ferries in Long Beach and private charter yachts in San Pedro. He sees this opportunity as a way to showcase their team skills and competitive nature.
Robin was very active in band and cheerleading throughout high school and graduated as president of her high school. Both of Robin's parents passed away right after retiring and never fulfilled their desire to travel, which inspired Robin and Wilson to travel as often as they could. Robin sees this opportunity as a way to increase her communication skills with Wilson and to sharpen her leadership and survival skills in corporate America. She currently serves as a district sales manager for a sales and marketing company.
- Andrew "Lucky" Larson and Andrea "Louie" Larson
Andrew is a 58-year-old who currently resides in Stillman Valley, IL. Andrea is a 24-year-old who currently resides in Chicago, IL. They are both from Stillman Valley, IL.
Lucky was born on Friday the 13th, hence the nickname. Growing up in rural Illinois, much of his time was spent driving tractors, milking cows and riding horses. He is a carpenter who specializes in recycling old buildings and used materials. As a rugged outdoorsman, Lucky always assumed he'd have sons and treated his daughters as if they were boys. He hopes that the outcome of this experience will give his daughter Louie more confidence in herself.
Louie grew up on a goat dairy farm where she spent much of her time outside with her father. Her father taught her how to hunt, trap, fish, skin an animal and care for the environment. Louie feels lucky to have grown up to be capable and tough, yet still having a girly edge. Lucky and Louie have been on several outdoor adventures together and she hopes this experience will allow them to grow their mutual respect.
- Alicia Berkwitt and Spencer Hill
Alicia is a 28-year-old from Phoenix, AZ who currently resides in Marina del Rey, CA. Spencer is a 35-year-old from Emporia, KS who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Growing up was difficult for Berkwitt, whose parents divorced when she was 17. Berkwitt moved to Southern California when she was 20 and started building her hair extensions business. She met Spencer a year ago and is excited about their future together. She hopes this opportunity will let her see him in extreme situations because she wants to see how he reacts under pressure.
Growing up, Hill played tennis, basketball and football. He has lived in Los Angeles for 12 years, working as a bartender and recently started his own clothing line. As he gets older, he definitely wants to get married and have a family. Hill views Get Out Alive as an opportunity to test to his relationship with Alicia and as a chance for them to get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses.
- Chris Winter and Jeff Powell
Chris is a 28-year-old from Rockwall, TX, while Jeff is a 29-year-old from Garland, TX. They both currently reside in Dallas, TX.
Winter is athletic but claims to be a giant geek. He works as a telecommunications field technician and met his best friend and teammate, Jeff, through video games. In his spare time, Winter enjoys a variety of outdoor activities that include long-boarding, golfing, hiking and snowboarding. He says this endeavor will be something that he and Jeff can look back on and reminisce when they are older.
Powell is a spontaneous adventurer who loves to travel and be challenged. Four months ago he was in a life-threatening motorcycle accident that left him hospitalized, with multiple broken bones and internal injuries. He has worked and trained diligently to recover his body back to normal, and one would never know that just short time ago he was unable to walk. Still not fully recovered from his accident, Powell believes he can do anything put before him. Powell is a natural leader and with this adventure, he hopes to put their teamwork to the test and accomplish something bigger than anything they have ever dreamed of.
- Royce Wadsworth and Kyle Krieger
Royce is a 25-year-old from Corcoran, CA, while Kyle is a 29-year-old from Washington, D.C. They both currently reside in West Hollywood, CA.
Wadsworth grew up as a competitive gymnast, and was very athletic in high school. An overachiever, Wadsworth was also the drum major of the marching band, class president and co-valedictorian. He graduated college from UCLA and now works in finance and human resources in the movie production industry. In his spare time he's involved with beach volleyball, snowboarding, lifting weights and is currently training for a half-ironman triathlon.
Krieger grew up playing soccer but as his sister's athleticism began to shine, Krieger felt very alone. Struggling to feel comfortable with his sexuality and hanging out in his sister's shadow, he turned to drugs and alcohol at a young age. During college, he came out to his friends and family as gay, allowing him to feel supported and tackle his addiction. Kyle has been clean and sober for six years and is a hairstylist at a top Beverly Hills salon. His newfound budding friendship with Royce will either flourish or break during this experience.
- Vanessa Vazquez and Erica Franklin
Vanessa is 23-years-old and Erica is 24-years-old. They are both from Chicago, IL.
Vazquez grew up in a low-income household where money was very tight, but the family bond was strong. She is the youngest of six children and being the only girl, knows how to hold her own among the boys. She is currently a college student studying biology and works as a waitress. She is ready to grow and evolve alongside her best friend, Erica, and is excited to test themselves as well as their friendship.
Franklin was constantly compared to her older sister growing up. She never felt like her own person until people took notice of her when she sang in her high school talent show. A vivacious and independent woman, she is always ready to surprise people. As a hairstylist, Franklin values and understands the importance of beauty, but can let her hair down when needed. She is ready to test her bond with Vanessa and, if they can make it, come out stronger on the other side.
- Esmeralda Depierro and Dominic Depierro
Esmeralda is a 25-year-old from Wilmington, NC. Dominic is a 26-year-old from Brooklyn, NY. They both currently reside in Miami Beach, FL.
Esmeralda was known as a military brat among her friends while growing up due to her father being in the U.S. Coast Guard. This girly yet tough Puerto Rican's top passion in life has always been to become a successful business owner, and recently started her own online business called "Love Your Locks Extensions." Esmeralda and her husband, Dominic, are currently trying to make the business a success. They have both been working so much that they have not taken any time to enjoy life and hope this opportunity will do the trick.
Dominic spent all his time in the kitchen with his parents carrying on Greek and Italian traditions and learned how to cook at a very early age. He picked up football in high school and quickly moved up to varsity. Dominic considers Esmeralda the love of his life. He hopes this opportunity will allow their relationship to get to the next level in a way that Esmeralda could finally trust Dominic to take care of her.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski