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Last Updated: Oct 16th, 2008 - 13:33:17 |
Senior Andreas Sgourdos, 22, was nearing the fi nish
line of his college career as a theater major at Metro last
spring.
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Photo by Drew Jaynes/ajaynes1@mscd.edu
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Sometimes a missing credit or some other technicality
will derail a student in their fi nal semesters. For the
six-foot-one-inch, 175-pound Sgourdos, it was an opportunity.
He received an early-morning call at work from
a friend telling him he'd been selected to audition for
"American Gladiators," an NBC show pitting the network's
muscle-bound "gladiators" against contestants in
physical bouts.
"It was a show I watched when I was a little kid, so I
was very pumped about it," Sgourdos said.
The audition was at 9 a.m. in the campus recreation
center gymnasium at CU Boulder. Sgourdos arrived an
hour early in spite of a lack of sleep.
Even though the audition had gotten little press, the
line of hopefuls was immense.
Sgourdos stood in line not expecting a long wait, but
it wasn't until 12 hours later that he auditioned.
"I was going on an hour and half of sleep, I had about
four Red Bulls in my body, one Subway sandwich, and it
was the longest wait of my life," Sgourdos said.
He described the aura as nerve-racking, with each
potential competitor trying to size the others up. The anticipation
mounted as producers and casting directors
weaved through the audience outside.
When those auditioning arrived inside, it was time
to prove themselves with more than their mouths. The
physical tests went as follows: pushups, pull-ups, weaving
through ropes, running continuous lengths of the
basketball court, and more.
Sgourdos was confi dent and thought he would make
the show, but he knew there had to be something more
than physical prowess that the casting directors were
looking for.
"When I was in line I saw a lot of athletic people,
genetic freaks, and I'm an athletic person, but I thought
they were looking for a character, someone entertaining,"
Sgourdos said.
He thought the key must be the interview that was
conducted after the physical tests.
While in line, other people auditioning commented on how
Sgourdos resembled Tarzan. He decided to use that as his niche.
When it came time to go through the test, the guide asked Sgourdos
his name.
"I told her, 'Tarzan.'"
When she needed his real name, he gave it to her but asked
that she put "Tarzan" as well.
After he came to the last test, he collapsed in exhaustion.
Before the interviews began, Sgourdos iced his knees, drank
water and composed himself. The interviews were intimidating
and varied in length. Sgourdos made sure he wouldn't be forgotten.
"When they asked me to have a seat, I kicked down the chair
and said that I'd rather stand," he said.
The interviewer liked his attitude and told Sgourdos to expect
a call the following day.
Sure enough, the call came for an on-camera interview. This
one was longer and more arduous than the fi rst.
They made him take his shirt off in a room with photographers
everywhere snapping photos. He felt like they were shooting
a porno. Then they drilled him with questions on tape to send
to the producers who make the fi nal decision.
Sgourdos thought they took a liking to him from his interview,
but then learned there was yet another step. He had to
make a video of his family, friends, physical activities and even
his work within two days.
Sgourdos got e-mails and calls with nothing more
than general information. Weeks passed. He was told
not to cut his hair, to stay off drugs and that the producers
enjoyed him.
Finally, he received a call with the news that he
had made it on the show, and they would be fl ying
him out to Los Angeles the next day.
Sgourdos had to drop his six classes and pack his
bags on a moment's notice. He arrived at Los Angeles
International Airport and found a group of other
contestants for the show. The testing wasn't over as
the group practiced for the show and underwent
background checks.
The contestants weren't allowed to meet or interact
with the gladiators.
Two days before the fi lming began, Sgourdos
was wrestling another contestant in the event called
"earthquake." For the stunt, harnessed competitors
wrestle each other on a small platform 30 feet in the
air.
After winning the fi rst round, Sgourdos went back
into the second unconcerned. But when his opponent
spun him, his knee locked, and he heard a snap. Right
there, he knew something was wrong.
He was taken to the hospital, where he discovered
he had broken his fi bula and tibula, and torn a ligament
in his knee.
His fi ght to stay in the game was shattered when
the doctor told him that it would be a bad, even deadly,
idea to compete.
"I was on this high for three or four weeks, it was
the craziest adventure of my life, and all of a sudden,
it ended and I went back to reality," Sgourdos said.
Back in Denver, there was snow on the ground
when his mother picked him up from the airport. The
ride home was silent because Sgourdos said they both
knew it wasn't just the loss of the show they were
mourning, but a future fi lled with surgery, rehab and
physical therapy.
He wondered if what had happened was nothing
more than a wasted semester. Having dropped all of
his courses to take the opportunity, he feared his instructors
wouldn't want him back.
His depression was alleviated with calls from his
fellow contestants in Los Angeles. One friend actually
went on to win.
Today, Sgourdos has made it through surgery and rehab and
is hoping to work his leg back to its prior strength.
Of his appearance on the show, he said, "it was a roller
coaster ride, an experience I'll never forget." He is focused on
school at the moment and plans to graduate, but if the opportunity
to be on "American Gladiators" comes again, he'll
take it.
"This situation made me a stronger person, and I feel that
I came out on top," Sgourdos said.
Everything happens for a reason, he believes, and maybe
not being able to compete this time pushed him to get his degree
before the gladiators come for him again.
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