Area native wraps mind around TV’s ‘Broken Skull Challenge’ – The Free Lance
July 22, 2014 by admin
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Heather Hudson is the female version of Superman and his mild-mannered alter ego.
At least, that’s how former Washington Redskins wide receiver Gary Clark describes the Spotsylvania County woman, who was a star soccer player at Courtland High School and now plays for the Baltimore Charm all-women’s football team.
“Heather is very gentle and laid back off the field and this fiery take-charge person on the field,” Clark, a two-time Super Bowl winner who became head coach of the Charm in 2012, said in an email. “It’s like you see two different people. She’s our female version of Clark Kent and Superman.”
Expect to see Hudson’s Superman side when she appears on this coming Sunday’s episode of Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Challenge,” which airs at 8 p.m. on CMT.
The pre-taped episode features Hudson, 23, and seven other female athletes competing in a series of challenges until all but one is eliminated. The last woman standing will try to complete the grueling “Skullbuster” obstacle course for a $10,000 prize, which Hudson says she plans to use to help relatives in the Philippines recover from last year’s tsunami, according to CMT.
Austin, an actor and former professional wrestler, is the show’s host.
Hudson, who can’t reveal whether she won or lost the competition, says she’s “always doing random things.”
That includes competing in the Legends Football League—formerly the Lingerie Football League—in a uniform that looks like a bikini with shoulder pads. Hudson said she tried out for the Baltimore Charm in 2012 after a friend watched a game on TV and told her, “You could do that.”
So why not take a stab at reality TV, too?
“I’ve always been a competitive person so I just thought, ‘Oh what the heck, it doesn’t hurt to try and audition,’” said Hudson, who played varsity soccer for Courtland from 2005–09.
She seems comfortable in front of a camera.
A clip of the upcoming Broken Skull Challenge episode shows her talking trash about an older opponent. The two were about to face off in a game called “Snatch,” in which the first to grab a sandbag in the middle of a so-called “battlefield” and ring a bell is declared the winner.
“I’m gonna go in there, I’m gonna snatch that bag, I’m gonna ring that bell and send that old lady home!” Hudson, doing her best imitation of a professional wrestler, says in the clip.
Her opponent also has some choice words: “Heather, this ain’t no football field. You’re too young to know what old-school tough is.”
In keeping with the trash-talk theme, Clark—who played for the Redskins from 1985 until 1992—says Hudson’s opponents on the show don’t stand a chance. In fact, his prediction is that she “straight up kills it.”
“She is an athletic freak and will dominate” he wrote. “I could be wrong but who am I kidding I’m hardly ever wrong when it comes to judging talent.”
Spotsylvania resident Matt Cruz, an instructor at Cudgel Crossfit in Stafford County, said he started working out with Hudson two years ago. Hudson, who is becoming a certified Crossfit instructor herself, is a natural fit for the Broken Skull Challenge, he said.
“That’s the kind of stuff that she really enjoys doing,” Cruz said. “She enjoys having a few bruises to show off.”
Hudson, who is just 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 125 pounds, says she can bench press more than her weight and can squat a little more than 200 pounds. The self-described adrenaline junkie said it was exciting, not intimidating, to compete in front of a former pro wrestling champ whose nickname is “Stone Cold.”
“That whole experience was just surreal,” Hudson said. “It was cool just to see where I placed among . . .handpicked women that are really athletic.”
Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
jbranscome@freelancestar.com
WHEN TO WATCH
Spotsylvania County resident Heather Hudson will appear on this coming Sunday’s episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge. The one-hour show airs at 8 p.m. on CMT.
For more information, visit cmt.com/show/steve-austins-broken-skull-challenge/series.jhtml.
Hudson’s next game with the Baltimore Charm women’s football team is 8 p.m. Aug. 9 and will be shown on the Legends Football League’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/mylfl. The team, which is 1–1 this year, will play the Omaha Heart in Ralston, Neb.
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‘Ray Donovan’ is an ‘Uber’ fixer for everyone but himself
July 22, 2014 by admin
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Season 2 | Episode 2 | “Uber Ray” | Aired July 20, 2014
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After a brief dalliance in Mexico, Mickey is officially on his way back to LA. Ray has made sure of that, wrangling Mickey into his car and handcuffing him to the door for good measure. Ignoring the absurdity of their situation, Mickey waxes nostalgic about the only summer vacation the Donovans spent together. Ray is having none of it. Mickey, defensive, calls Ray his judge. He’s right—if Ray doesn’t judge Mickey (and vice versa), who will?
Cochran’s wife Holly, played by Twin Peaks alum Sherilyn Fenn, calms a nervous Cochran before his press conference. They’re an über—not to be confused with Uber—political power-couple. During the press conference, Cochran spins Sully’s death into a heroic FBI success story—after six to eight months in LA, Sully was found. In a shoot-out, Frank fired the killing shot. Back in Boston, a Tenacious Female Reporter calls out Cochran on his bulls— (literally) and immediately wants to fly out to L.A. to investigate.
Before Ray can hand Mickey over to Cochran, Mickey threatens to tell them where Ray buried the priest he killed. Ray reminds him that if he falls, all the brothers Donovan fall for their involvement. What do we know? Mickey loves his boys? What do we also know? Mickey loves himself more than anyone else. Ray’s counterthreat may not be strong enough if Mickey gets himself really into a bind.
Ray finally presents Mickey to Cochran. Cochran’s meteoric rise in the Bureau relies on Mickey and Ray staying quiet. He gives Mickey an ultimatum: parole for five years or prison…forever. Ray tries to warn Cochran about how loose a cannon Mickey really is, but Cochran doesn’t care. If Mickey messes up, Ray goes to prison with him. Then, the show will be renamed Orange Is the New Ray Donovan. Ray (and the camera) focuses pointedly on Cochran’s framed photo of Holly. Ray is prepared to “fix” his situation with Cochran every way he knows how.
Ray drops Mickey off at the Fite Club. As they enter, Ray warns, “If you go back to Mexico, you’ll end up dead.”
“Dead?” Mickey replies. “You’re … paranoid, Ray.” Prediction: Mickey ends up dead or mortally wounded by the season finale. It may seem premature—as Voight’s performance in the show is a major highlight—but I sense dark wings, dark words.
Tenacious Female Reporter is, in fact, Kate McPherson from the Boston Globe, although I think I prefer calling her “Tenacious Female Reporter.” She visits Sully’s mom at her new nursing home, who proceeds to tirade against Mickey. Then she visits the mother of Catherine, Sully’s girlfriend, getting the full scoop about Catherine and Sully’s road trip to California.
Back home, Ray has Frank look up parole officers in the area—he has a plan. He greets Abbie the same way he did in the premiere, forcefully and with another sort of plan. She fights him off, slapping him in the face to wake him up.
She finally confronts him on his less-than-consensual sexual advances and how she’s discussed with Dr. Finkel that it may be related to the confession he has yet to address again. Ray remains silent in the shower.
Stressed, Abbie falls asleep in yoga class. The instructor wakes her up after everyone else has left. She jumps him, they make out, and she runs away. That mini-make out session, a cigarette and new lingerie seem to be Abbie’s method of cheering herself up.
Ray finds Frances in his office. She asks him if he made Terry stalk her as an intimidation tactic so she wouldn’t say anything about the priest.
“Tell Terry to leave me alone,” she declares before walking out. Meanwhile, Terry is waiting for her outside. She screams, “Leave me the f— alone, Terry!” Oh Terry, ya done goofed. Frustrated and ready to project his anger, he clocks Ray looking for a fight. Ray’s not giving him one.
Sullied with parole, Mickey uses Conor as a prop to soften his parole officer. It also gives him the chance to teach his grandson a lesson on feeling bad when you’ve doing something wrong … but not telling anyone about it.
Oh hai, Bunk! Wendell Pierce is no longer good po-lice from Baltimore. On Ray Donovan, he’s an ornery L.A. parole officer with financial issues—perfect to be bought and controlled by Ray. It just takes a Daytona watch to make Ronald Keith Ray’s favorite parole officer.
Ray returns to the Fite Club and finds Mickey and Conor practicing in the ring. Conor refuses to leave with Ray, going into C-money mode. Then, Abbie shows up—C-money is back to Conor mode. She grabs him by the neck like a mother cat carrying her rogue kitten by the scruff.
Tenacious Female Reporter brings her intel back to her Exasperated Male Editor. He’s unconvinced and exasperated by her tenacity. Of course, she’s intent on continuing her investigation in L.A.
“I’m going Bob,” Kate says with tenacity.
“Kate,” Bob calls out as she walks out of his office. “You’re fired,” he adds to no one in particular, exasperated.
Ronald puts Mickey in a hole-in-the-wall apartment in a God-knows-where section of L.A. county and gives him a job doing God-knows-what.
As Mickey moves on down, Ray and Abbie are movin’ on up. Ray agrees to buy Abbie’s dream home in Truesdale. Abbie couldn’t be more relieved at this sign to Ray’s commitment to their marriage. She reveals her new lingerie and initiates (finally) consensual interaction. Despite fixing everything (at least for right now), Ray is the only person he can’t fix. Irony.
Stray bullets
- Where is the plotline with Ezra and Tasha Yar Deb going? Ezra can spout “Tikkun olam!” as much as he’d like, I’m still ambivalent by that whole subplot. Will we finally see the fearsome power Ezra has been eluded to wield?
- I have nothing wrong with tenacious reporters of any gender (trust me, I wish I was a more tenacious reporter!), but I’m so sick of the Lois Lane trope. She’s not even interesting enough to be an awful person like Zoe Barnes was. Over it.
- Frank may be a hapless FBI agent, but at least he has a companion (albeit of the canine variety) that enjoys booze just as much as he does.
- Cochran’s cover band outfit was less Bob Seger and more Bruce Springsteen circa Born in the USA.
- Bunchy got the job at the bike shop! Bunchy got long pants!
- Conor and Tommy Wheeler FaceTiming can’t end well.
- Why does Conor smile when he talks about pushing that kid down the stairs?
- Number of f-bombs dropped: 26
New episodes of Ray Donovan, rated TV-MA, air Sundays at 9 p.m. on Showtime.