Love him or hate him, there’s little doubt television producer Mark Burnett has the golden touch when it comes to hit TV shows. On a personal note, I can say that Burnett has a significant influence over my life as well. As a teenager, my wife Sari was mesmerized by Burnett’s annual Eco Challenge, a televised race that helped popularize both adventure racing and reality TV. Glued to the series every week, Sari idolized adventure racers like Ian Adamson and Mike Kloser, who she ended up racing with years later as part of Team Nike. Indirectly, you could say Mark Burnett single-handedly got my wife into endurance racing, and she in turn got me into suffering for long periods of time on my bike (for which I’m not sure if should I thank him or curse him).
But I digress.
About six months ago we were contacted by a producer at Expedition Impossible, Mark Burnett’s latest foray into TV after successful hits like Survivor, The Apprentice and The Voice. The producer was looking for gear for the show, which aims to be a cross between Eco Challenge, The Amazing Race and Survivor. Given Burnett’s resume (and my personal connection) we were happy to oblige.
So far there have been two episodes and we’ve been pleased to see lots of great shots of competitors wearing SmartWool and Teva. If you haven’t seen the show yet, check it out. We’re rooting for our friends from Boulder, Team No Limits, with blind climber and all-around nice guy Erik Weihenmayer, to win.
Competitors' SmartWool PhD Outdoor socks drying out after a tough day of racing
Team "Mom's Army" wearing SmartWool baselayers
Team Fisherman finishes a stage wearing the Teva Gnarkosi
Team Grandpa's Warrior's finishes wearing the Teva Forge Pro