Reality shows make local connections

James “JT” Thomas Jr. always wanted to be on TV. Preston McCamy quit his job for the chance of a lifetime.

The former Wiregrass residents can be seen this week on the CBS reality shows “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race.”

“The actual reality show ‘Survivor’ itself was like the ultimate challenge I wanted to do,” Thomas said, adding his love of the outdoors drew him to the show. “ ... To be tossed out in the woods and have to survive, it sounds great to me. I love it.”

Thomas filled out an application his mother printed off the Internet. In June 2008, he did a walk-in casting call with personnel from the show. The Samson native, who now lives in Mobile, also sent in two home videos.

“From that, they chose me to come to a week-long interview process in California,” the 24-year-old Thomas said.

And then he was chosen to be among the 16 people on “Survivor: Tocantins” in Brazil.

“It’s definitely as hard as I thought it would be,” Thomas said. “I knew it would be hard, but I’ve never had to survive on my own in the wilderness.”

Preston McCamy lived in Dothan between the third and 12th grades. He now lives in Columbia, S.C., where he moved to be closer to girlfriend Jennifer Hopka. It was Hopka, 26, who had tried to get on the reality show “Survivor.” She never made it, but producers liked her and asked if she had someone she could team with for “The Amazing Race.”

Hopka, a nursing student by day and bartender by night, turned to McCamy, a 28-year-old software engineer. He agreed to give it a shot. The couple applied three or four times before finally getting on the show.

“I got to travel around the world with my girlfriend,” McCamy said. “ ... It’s something I couldn’t have afforded to do on my own.”

He even quit his job to do it because he couldn’t get enough time off work. McCamy said he has no regrets. The reality show experience, he said, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“You only get those chances so many times,” he said.

But McCamy said the couple, who have had their relationship ups and downs, were nervous about what the show would do to their relationship and if they would be able to work together 24-7 with camera crews around them all the time.

“We were pretty sure it was going to make it or break it,” McCamy said. “It was a little nerve-wracking.”

The details of what happened to both McCamy and Thomas during their reality show experience are not being shared publicly per their agreements with show producers.

Thomas, a fan of “Survivor” before appearing on the show, said he was initially worried about how he would react in front of cameras and constantly reminded himself that he would eventually be seen by millions of television viewers.

“I definitely loved the challenge,” Thomas said. “It is as hard as it looks.”

McCamy said he learned some things about himself — good and bad.

“I feel like I’m a lot more driven that I realized,” McCamy said. “ ... I feel more ignorant. It was humbling. I learned I had to work on my communication skills a lot more.”

——————————————
James “JT” Thomas Jr.
Reality show: “Survivor: Tocantins”
Premiere: Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. CST on CBS.
Age: 24
Hometown: Samson, Ala.
Current residence: Mobile, Ala.
Occupation: Manages a black angus cattle ranch in Mobile.
Other: Graduated Samson High School in Geneva County; Bachelor’s in business administration with an emphasis on marketing from Troy University.

Preston McCamy
Reality show: “The Amazing Race”
Premiere: Sunday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. CST on CBS.
Age: 28
Hometown: Born in Birmingham; moved to Dothan in the third grade.
Current residence: Columbia, S.C.
Occupation: Software engineer
Other: Graduated high school from Northside Methodist Academy before going to college. Eventually moved back to Birmingham and then relocated to Columbia, S.C.
Partner: McCamy’s teammate is Jennifer Hopka, 26, a nursing student.