Steve Helmkamp
Taking A Bite Out Of
Life His Way!
By
Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist
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| Steve Helmkamp (M&H Photo) |
The average working person gets up every morning,
five days a week, going to a boring dead end job that they hate. Most in that
position accept it as their fate without challenge but there are the exceptions
who ponder the question, what if I could take a break from work and the
obligations of life?
Los Angeles based actor and model Steven Helmkamp found
himself face-to-face with an opportunity to make a separation from the ordinary
via a new TV series. The new show is titled “Clean
Break” and airs Wednesday nights 8 & 11 PM ET/PT as a web series and TV
show on The Fuel-TV Network. The show
features three men who are plucked from their mundane and monotonous lives and
dropped into Hawaii’s most beautiful and remote locations to endure trying a
physical, adrenaline-pumping and emotional series of challenges and adventures.
The show’s motto says: “Sometimes you need to go outside to find out what’s
inside.” The men are tutored and guided by veteran, champion watermen and their
experiences made a visible and permanent impact on their attitudes and life.
.jpg) |
| Steve & Waterman Tamayo (Fuel TV Photo) |
Helmkamp, a Florida native, has spent his life loving the water but found himself in a rut with a job he couldn’t stand while being on call for acting gigs. Hoping to rekindle his motivation to find true happiness, Helmkamp reignited his love for adventure when the opportunity presented itself in the form of the TV show “Clean Break.” He is an avid fitness devotee, and frequently takes advantage of California’s outdoor lifestyle by surfing, hiking, running, and biking.
After getting stuck as a medical sales rep between acting gigs which he
hated, Helmkamp explains his jubilation when “Clean Break” came, saying “It was the perfect time and the perfect
adventure for me at this stage of my life. Soon after I did the show, I was
able to quit the medical sales job and since then a lot of other things have
taken off for me in acting and entertainment and it’s been the best decision of
my life.”
When he first found out about the show and what was involved, did he have reservations and trepidations about doing it? Helmkamp quips, “They told us it was going to be all extreme sports and there were going to be three guys. So when I got picked I immediately wanted to know who the other two guys were. I didn’t know if this was a competition, if the other two guys were world class athletes and they had mistaken me for one and I’d be going toe-to-toe with the other guys.”
Helmkamp voiced other concerns as well noting, “Also I was a little bit worried about the surfing aspect. I grew up surfing. I don’t surf every weekend but often and rip tides and currents can be really, really strong and you can get knocked in the head with your board and knock yourself out with huge waves that are out of your reach. Hawaii is known for that so that was definitely something to worry about. But once we got over there and I met the guys it wasn’t a competition at all. We really became like brothers and went through the whole thing together rather than against each other.” In fact, surfing experience was one of the requirements for landing the job.
When he first found out about the show and what was involved, did he have reservations and trepidations about doing it? Helmkamp quips, “They told us it was going to be all extreme sports and there were going to be three guys. So when I got picked I immediately wanted to know who the other two guys were. I didn’t know if this was a competition, if the other two guys were world class athletes and they had mistaken me for one and I’d be going toe-to-toe with the other guys.”
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| Chase Penny, Steve Helmkamp, Luke Rodgers (Fuel TV Photo) |
Helmkamp voiced other concerns as well noting, “Also I was a little bit worried about the surfing aspect. I grew up surfing. I don’t surf every weekend but often and rip tides and currents can be really, really strong and you can get knocked in the head with your board and knock yourself out with huge waves that are out of your reach. Hawaii is known for that so that was definitely something to worry about. But once we got over there and I met the guys it wasn’t a competition at all. We really became like brothers and went through the whole thing together rather than against each other.” In fact, surfing experience was one of the requirements for landing the job.
How did Helmkamp prepare physically for all of this? He laughs, “I’ve
been an athlete all my life. I grew up playing soccer as a young kid,
transitioned into basketball through high school and college but I’ve always been
on hiking, bike riding and working out doing Crawford training so I really love
staying up on my fitness game.” During the show, there was no preparation
except to have a pro waterman take them out for escort and tips. As Helmkemp
puts it, “We had a pro legend with us through almost every adventure that we
did, but there was no preparation for it. Just saying your prayers at night was
the only preparation I had.”
© 2012 Rych McCain Media/Syndication tm
(You DID Hear It From
Me!)
E-Mail: feedbackrych@sbcglobal.net
