WWE Tough Enough 3: An Interview with Chad Angeli

I have to admit that, unlike the interview with Nick, I wasn’t overly excited when I was given the opportunity to interview Chad Angeli. Chad was the first person cut from Tough Enough 3, and I wondered what he could possibly have to talk about. But I liked Chad on the show, and I wanted to hear about his experiences. This interview just goes to show, it doesn’t matter how long you’re on a show, what matters is the kind of person you are. I really enjoyed talking to Chad, as he has a great outlook on his time on TE and life in general.

Mike DeGeorge: Why did you try out for Tough Enough? Are you a wrestling fan?

Chad Angeli: It’s kind of funny to talk about that. My brother is a huge wrestling fan, he is very into TE and everything about the WWE product. He didn’t think he could do it physically, but he knew I had a lot of experience in front of the camera because I’d played basketball in college. He wanted to send in a tape of me. I was going to school to get my MBA, and I said hey, if you want to send in a tape, if that makes you happy, fine. So I let him do it. It’s kind of weird, we joke about it here, one day he’s putting together a tape, and the next thing I knew I’m on top of a hill and they’re telling me I’m one of the finalists!

I definitely WAS a wrestling fan when I was growing up. I loved the stuff. Then, as I got older, I didn’t stay in touch with it as much some people. I liked it, but I wasn’t over the top. I had to do TE to learn how great it was, and how much I missed it. I’m definitely a wrestling fan and a fan of the competition, probably not the same level as someone like Nick or Scott, but definitely over the top.

Mike: So you’re more of a fan NOW, than you were?

Chad: Oh, absolutely, without question. Having to do that, the experience, seeing how tough it is, it definitely makes you have a respect for it. Without question. How good Al, Bill, and Ivory are at that stuff it definitely makes you have a respect for what they do. I definitely have a lot of respect for it, I like it a lot. I try to watch it as much as possible now.

Mike: A couple of viewers emailed to tell me that you were on Elimidate. Getting a lot of reality show experience, aren’t you?

Chad: [laughs] Yeah, I did that this summer. I was in a bar in Milwaukee, the producers came to town and did some shows. It’s my little sister’s favorite show, her and my dad really love the show, so I was, like, “oh yeah, that’s the show they like.” So that’s why I did it. Actually the girl I was on there with, her name was Liz, we go to school together. We knew each other. It’s totally opposite of TE, when you’re not interacting with people they kinda spoon feed you what to say. It was fun, it was a neat life experience.

Mike: I heard you were the first one off, although I never saw it.

Chad: She axed everyone though, it was kind of a weird episode, she had some fun with it. It was just something fun to do. It was weird where I’m coming from: with basketball you really didn’t have time for different life experiences, it was always school, work, and basketball camp. Kind of like my last summer before I enter the real world, so to speak. I’m going for my Masters, so I figure what the hell, have a little fun, make an ass of yourself, no big deal. I look back on it and laugh.

Mike: So you’re not a reality show whore?

Chad: No, no, that was something that just found me. I was just sitting in a bar, and it was, “hey, you wanna be on a show?”

Mike: Going back to Tough Enough, you didn’t think you would be one of the final 13?

Chad: That’s tough, because as I said I figured all those other people must have such a passion, this is what they know what they want to do, I was doing it to be nice to my brother. Then again, when I got there, physically, I thought I was pretty good. I thought I was definitely one of the best they had as far as strength and size and moves, even though I wasn’t sure what they were looking for. I know that’s kind of a political answer. I guess I’d lean more towards no, because like I said, I don’t think I loved it as much as some of the other people did.

Mike: Do you think you had a good shot once you got into the house?

Chad: Actually, yes, because it just seemed like past episodes I felt like a lot of people got in trouble when they were goofing around with it and didn’t take it really seriously. Once I was there, I treated it with all the respect in the world. When we walked in to Trax each day, I was there to work, I was there to learn. I just tried to pay attention to what Al, Bill, and Ivory were saying. I was trying to pick it up. I think I picked up the wrestling stuff fine, I thought I was pretty good in the ring. It was the whole character development and personality side that was the crucial part. I wasn’t screwing around at all out there, physically.

Mike: You looked like you were trying your best, not just playing.

Chad: They really don’t show a lot of the athletic stuff we do, but on that last day on the final 25, when we biked up the hill and then ran two miles. It’s not easy to run two miles, but I was right there behind John and he finished first, so it’s not like I went in there giving no effort and wasn’t in shape.