A Warrenton High School graduate who grew up in the area appeared last Friday on TNT’s new television reality show, “72 Hours.”Van Becker, who lived in Warrenton with his family in the 1970s, made it through auditions to be selected by producers to compete on the show which was broadcast on TNT.Becker is a certified personal trainer at Wellbridge Athletic Club in Clayton.“This was one of the most challenging things I’ve done in my life,” said Becker, noting that his fitness career and rigorous hiking and backpacking experience as a Boy Scout played important roles in being selected for — and making it through — the adventure show.He also is a problem-solver and those skills were equally important in the adventure, he said.

Dropped Into the WildernessThe new competition series is hosted by Brandon Johnson from Disney’s “Shake It Up” and premiered June 6.Each week the show drops competing teams of strangers into the wilderness, leaving them with only a single bottle of water and a GPS tracking device as their guide.The teams then will have just three days to form bonds, hike across treacherous terrain, battle the elements and make difficult survival choices, all in a quest to be the first to find a hidden briefcase full of $100,000 cash.Becker said he got the tip about casting for the episode from a former colleague and then applied to the show with a resume of his qualifications.He participated in a Skype interview with show talent screeners, who recommended him to producers for the final cut.Episodes of “72 Hours” open with three teams comprised of three strangers who must traverse through a variety of challenging environments — jungle, mountain, desert — in search for the briefcase filled with money.The teams consist of three competitors from diverse backgrounds with each team member bringing his/her own unique survival skills, personality and motivations to the competition.Becker’s adventure took him to Flinders Island, off of the northeastern tip of Tasmania, Australia.He said his fit physical condition helped him with the challenges of hiking over rough terrain and camping, sometimes in tough weather conditions.His fitness coaching and studies at the University of Missouri also proved helpful. He has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a master’s degree in health and physical education with an emphasis in human performance.Earlier studies in physics also proved useful.Show producers note that even the most beautiful of these locations has obstacles that the teams must overcome, whether it is insect infestations, suffocating heat, dangerous wildlife, or inclement weather.The choices the teams make strategically and geographically are critical to how they finish in the competition.All three members of a team must find the money together in order to win, making any team member’s notion of quitting a drama-filled and sometimes confrontational decision.The first team to locate the briefcase of cash within the three-day time frame will win the $100,000 cash prize.For Becker, one of the biggest challenges was personal dynamics with his teammates, he said.“You have three complete strangers coming together, each with his/her own style, and emotions are flying high,” he said. “I’m a take-charge person, so I had to really rein things in to say what I needed to say without coming across as too headstrong.”Becker said he took his wife’s charm bracelet on the journey for good luck.“Every two or three years, I try to do something really crazy like this to challenge myself,” Becker said.One of his last pursuits was to compete in a triathlon.TNT’s “72 Hours” was created by the producers of “Extreme Makeover” and “The Apprentice.”

Van Becker