Claremont Resident Competes for Big Money on Reality Show

Think 40 is too old to tackle a hug adventure? One Claremont mom is out to show you age is nothing but a number.

And she’ll do it in front of large television audience. On Friday 44-year-old Cathy Hamm will be pushing her physical boundaries as a competitor TNT’s “72 Hours,” a reality show that “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,” according to the show’s website.

Working as a team, each group has three days to hike across treacherous terrain, battle the elements and be the first to find a hidden briefcase filled $100,000 cash, officials said.

“It was such a wonderful experience,” Hamm said recently in a phone interview. Mother to an 18-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, she said she stumbled across a listing calling for contestants. The idea intrigued her, she said.

“It turned out to be the adventure of a lifetime,” Hamm said.

Hamm had also hoped to win the money so she could help a neighbor in need who was battling cancer.

Hamm and her family have lived in Claremont for 15 years. She is a native of La Verne. A longtime runner and said that after being selected for the show she felt ready for almost any challenge.

“I knew I could rise up to the occasion,” she said. “I was just worried they would put me with snakes or have me leap out of a plane. They didn't but I was definitely pushed (physically) several times.”

“It was something for me I had to do,” Hamm said. “It was a way to show women out there what a 40-year-old can still do.”

Viewers will have to tune in at 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 5 to see how Hamm does. She is part of the “Red Team.” Check your local listings to find where TNT is on your channel listing.

In a news release, the show promoters described Friday’s show:

Stranded in the stunning heat and beauty of New Mexico's desert, three teams composed of three strangers must embark on a 36-mile adventure across soaring red rock mesas and steep river canyons in order to locate a briefcase full of cash in just 72 hours. All they have to accompany them in their quest for $100,000 are their teammates, the clothes on their backs, a GPS and one bottle of water. Brandon Johnson hosts.

Competitors:

RED TEAM

Andrew, 32, duck boat tour guide, Boston, Massachusetts

Breanna, 23, server, Chicago, Illinois

Cathy, 44, full-time mom, Claremont, California

BLUE TEAM

Daniel, 30, unemployed, Pekin Indiana

Lori, 24, account executive, Pioneer Louisiana

Peter, 24, personal trainer, Queens, New York

GREEN TEAM

Courtney, 26, stylist, St. Paul, Minnesota

Shawn, 41, financial consultant, Lyons, New York

Tony, 46, tattoo artist, Detroit, Michigan