Print Version
E-mail This Story
Melissa resident Rick Henry did not enter a reality TV contest on his own accord.
It was while shopping at the Stonebriar Centre in Frisco in early July with wife, Jamye, when Henry became a sudden participant in the casting call for the new reality show “Tontine.”
“My wife made me do it,” Henry said. “We were going through the mall, and she grabbed my arm and said, ‘Don’t say a word.’ I said ‘I’m not going to do it.’”
Jamye had been shopping in the mall a few weeks earlier when she said she happened upon posters promoting the casting call.
“When I heard about it, it just fit him perfectly,” Jamye said. “Knowing who he is, he’s a risk-taker. He’s not your normal guy.”
Lucky for Henry, his wife’s instincts were correct. After submitting a home video of himself to YouTube.com, Henry was chosen as the winner of the $10,000 “Tontine” Video Contest. “Tontine” host and former “Survivor” contestant “Boston” Rob Mariano presented the prize to Henry at his home Friday afternoon.
Henry said he spent 100 hours in one week putting together his video, with the help of 20 children, some friends and Lon Lawson, who did the editing.
“It was the longest 100 hours of my life,” Henry said.
“Tontine,” which will air in fall 2008, will pit 15 contestants against each other in a series of physical and mental challenges in seven continents and lasting more than 100 days. The winner will receive $10 million, coming exclusively from the estates of the 14 losing contestants.
Henry, a fitness enthusiast, said he got into competition mode the day after the casting call.
“The next morning, I woke up at 5:30 in the morning,” Henry said. “I committed the day of the casting call.”
Henry said he is no stranger to challenging himself physically. He ran across the country in 1,000-mile races about seven years ago for different causes.
“When I ran across the country and ran the thousand-milers, I never won anything, never expected anything,” Henry said. “It was just to raise awareness. When I was running before, it was about kids with cancer, promoting healthy lifestyles.”
Mariano said Henry’s video not only was well-made, it also captured the spirit of the show and Henry.
“You could see his confidence and competitive nature,” Mariano said. “It captured you from the beginning, when he asked his boss for the time off.”
Though Henry has won the video contest, he is not guaranteed to be one of the contestants. Final contestants will not be chosen for another couple of weeks.
If Henry is chosen, Jamye said she will back her husband 100 percent, even though he might miss the birth of his first son and will have to put their assets on the line.
“If he has the chance, then I certainly couldn’t hold him back,” Jamye said.
As for the fitness buff, even if he isn’t chosen as a contestant, he has gotten a lot from “Tontine,” besides $10,000.
“It got my health back,” he said. “I dropped 50 pounds. I feel healthier. This has been a great thing.”
Contact staff writer Stefanie White at swhite@acnpapers.com. To post comments online, access this story at www.scntx.com.
