Cd'A business owner wins reality TV event
<p>Derek Hutchison leads a group stretch Sept., 3 at an afternoon exercise class at Cross Fit Coeur d'Alene. Hutchison was the winner of Internet military reality show called Maximum Warrior.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - Former Marine Corps special forces and current CrossFit Coeur d'Alene owner Derek Hutchison won the fourth season of the online TV reality series competition "Maximum Warrior."
"The most memorable part was just being with the other guys and getting to know them," said Hutchison, who is also the head coach at CrossFit Coeur d'Alene.
The reality show took 10 special operations men from each branch of the military and put them through various challenges, including blasting targets, making cuts after each challenge.
The competition events ranged from 4 minutes to longer than one hour in duration, with obstacle courses, sprinting, climbing and crawling.
"We stayed in a small squad bay during the filming, and we never knew what was coming next or what order we were doing the next challenge in because the directors wanted to leave you in the dark and not give anyone an advantage," he said.
Hutchison said the group of men he competed against included some of the most humble, professional people he had ever worked with.
The show is sponsored by Maxim Magazine, and it was filmed outside Memphis, Tenn.
How did Hutchison win?
"If I had any advantage, it was my fitness background, and I can attribute that to the training I do at CrossFit Coeur d'Alene," he said. "Everyone there were outstanding shooters, they could all think on their feet and adapt, and they all had a much higher fitness level than the average person."
He's hoping the victory helps his business.
"I'm hoping that winning 'Maximum Warrior' will show people that CrossFit is useful for anyone," he said. "Sure, it's great that a fitness program can make someone better at their job in the military or if they're a firefighter, but it helps everyone else too."
Hutchison co-owns CrossFit Coeur d'Alene with Jonathan Burns.
Show sponsors gave the competitors gear for winning different challenges, he said. He walked away with some new toys as well as $10,000 for winning the last challenge.
He donated a chunk of his winnings to a charity for the children of veterans who've been killed in action. The Snowball Express foundation puts on a four-day event every year for the kids.
Hutchison has been to Iraq a dozen times between his military service and contract work.
For those curious to tune in and watch some of the online episodes, Hutchison promises they are all short and drama-free, unlike typical reality shows.
The final of the 10 episodes was posted Dec. 11 and all of the series' episodes can be viewed at www.maximumwarrior.com or on the "Maximum Warrior" YouTube page.