Shorewood grad on ABC Show "Wipeout" on Tuesday, June 22

2008 Shorewood grad Peet Montzingo is a contestant on the ABC reality gameshow Wipeout in the season premiere that will air Tuesday, June 22, at 8 pm, Channel 4.

Peet's account of his experience:

So it all started when I was home from college for about a weekend, and my mom was desperately trying to spend time with me because I'd always be out with friends. She gets me to sit down and watch a TV show with her... Called Wipeout! I honestly didn't care about it because it didn't appeal to me, but I sat down to make her happy. The first commercial in, she was like "Peet you should try out for that!" Obviously joking... But I took it as a challenge, and hop online to the audition page. A few weeks later, I am in Los Angeles living there for the summer, when I get a call about their audition. So I go and wait in line seriously for hours and then I made it past the first round, then the second round, then get a card to go in for an appointment. By this time my mom was freaking out telling me to stop with the audition process. Ha! No way mom, sorry!

During the appointment, I was so crazy. I haven't even seen myself act that crazy. I was in a room being videotaped with the cameraman, the producer, and the producer's assistant. I told him the funniest stories and he would just glance at his assistant with the awkwardest looks... But I didn't care... I was on a roll. This was my time to just be ridiculous. By the end, I had to sit down because I was so exhausted from the audition. Trying really hard not to laugh, he was telling me I was the funniest person he has seen audition (yay!) and that on the show I'd be the person he would root for. WOW! I was seriously so happy I was about to explode. He told me to wait in a secret room until I was done signing my life away with a hundred pages of documents... Once out of the room, the waiting began.

About a month later, I got a call that they wanted me on the show. I told my mom and she started begging me not to go. Oh mom! The days they were filming were October 25 and November 4 so I took a lot of school off to do this. But it was worth it. And of course my professors were excited too. This is when training began... Gym every day, all day. So by the time I was on the show I'd be in shape... and all the girls would want my number!

So first day of filming... Got there at 4 in the morning. My mom was already sobbing.... I wore a t-shirt that looked like a tux... Once all the 24 contestants showed up, we had a group shot next to the big balls. We had to have our back faced away from the course. We weren't allowed to see it... Next there were interviews will the Hostess Jill Wagner... Whom I literally will marry one day. The producers rated all the contestants most unique/entertaining from 1-24, the person who was the most unique would interview with Jill first. The least unique would interview last. But keep in mind every single person here was definitely unique... What number was I? ONE! The first person! And what was going through my mind?! Uhhh I must be insane!! 

So interviewing with Jill, they made me the "Zac Efron" guy. The "New Teen Idol". In one moment, Jill says "Hit it!" and I was thrown a basketball to sing a jingle "High School Musical Style". Which you will see in the show... If they put it in there... After the interviews the contestants signed a paper saying we read what the course was about. We didn't know what anything in the course did until we went through it.

When it was my turn to compete in the course, of course I fell and got muddy and wet, etc... But while competing, I had to remember only the fastest 12 times move onto the next course. Then after that it's the top 6, then the top 4, then the winner. I eventually finished the first course... And coughing up blood... It was literally the hardest thing I have ever done in my lifetime. 

I can't tell how the course went... Or what place I got... because otherwise I will be sued... But I CAN tell you I finished the first course and I lived... barely. I guess you'll have to wait until Tuesday to see exactly what happened.

But here I am, alive, and ready to watch the show. Time is going extremely slow waiting for Tuesday. Hopefully I won’t be in physical pain by just watching the show... Although I wouldn't be surprised if I were!

Photos courtesy Peet Montzingo