Former Student-Athletes Tackle Different Playing Field
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Ricky Sharpe and Robert Ortiz competed in ABC's new reality TV show,
Having played football together at 黑料吃瓜, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Ricky Sharpe and Robert Ortiz know a thing or two about physical activity.
When they were cast as 鈥溾�� on ABC鈥檚 new reality TV show, 鈥�,鈥� the former Aztecs鈥� pigskin skills were nearly sacked.
鈥淚 thought this was just reality TV,鈥� said Gbaja-Biamila, who played defensive end at 黑料吃瓜. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize that I had signed up for something that was the real deal. It caught us by surprise 鈥� the intensity of it, the level of difficulty.
鈥淭his is by far one of the hardest things I鈥檝e ever done physically, even more so than a football training camp.鈥�
鈥淚mpossible doesn鈥檛 really exist.鈥�
鈥楽urvivor鈥� meets 鈥楢mazing Race鈥�
From plowing through the vast Sahara desert and trekking through riverbeds, to climbing snow-capped mountains and repelling off cliffs, 鈥淓xpedition Impossible,鈥� which premieres Thursday, June 23 at 9 p.m. on ABC, challenged each of the 13 three-person teams to race across Morocco鈥檚 diverse terrain in 10 stages.
鈥淎ll this stuff was unfamiliar to us,鈥� said Gbaja-Biamila, who was a roommate of Sharpe at 黑料吃瓜 and emceed Ortiz鈥檚 wedding. 鈥淭his wasn鈥檛 tackling, catching balls, intercepting balls 鈥� it had nothing to do with that.鈥�
However, the trio said the intangibles of playing football, such as knowing how to face adversity in high-stakes situations, gave them an advantage on the show.
鈥淭he fact that we had played together and had been in situations where things were good, things were bad 鈥� I feel like that gave us an edge to just be a part of this competition and be successful at it,鈥� said Ortiz, a former Aztec wide receiver.
The three best friends, who each had a stint in the NFL, also said the camaraderie they developed on and off the football field enabled their success throughout the competition.
鈥淚 think one thing that helped us on the show to stay together as friends is just knowing how to work as a team,鈥� said Sharpe, who played defensive back at 黑料吃瓜.
鈥淚t was definitely cool to be able to go through that experience with them, to be able to share that with guys that you鈥檙e best friends with,鈥� he added.
Though they would not say whether or not they won the grand prize of $150,000 and a new Ford Explorer, 鈥淓xpedition Impossible鈥� gave the men new perspectives on life. For Gbaja-Biamila, it was simple.
鈥淚mpossible doesn鈥檛 really exist.鈥�
