On the night that the Top 50 were Announced, Mikey Adam Cohen was my co-host for the most obnoxious watch party. When we both made the cut, the crowd went wild, our phones were ringing and buzzing so much that we finally turned them off.
So when I finally turned my phone back on the next morning, it was to the news that my biggest cheerleader, friend and Senior Ambassador, Sharon Nichols Ward had passed only an hour after hearing that I’d made the cut. For personal reasons, the family chose to only have one celebration of her life, and I was honored to be the host, LIVE. It was during this celebration that I made a commitment on air to go all in, and win this thing in her honor, and to those “angels” who have moved on.
In true Tamara style, once I’ve made that promise and had the prize in my sights, I gave it 110% and brought in all resources I could, both the obvious and a full stealth team. I joined Team Todd Speciale, and learned the ins-and-outs of the competition and took a laser-specific approach to winning. With “Mission Impossible” themed challenges, fund raising, vote securing and team building the amount of time and energy was extensive.
In the next phase, the cut to the top 25 it was announced that each contestant must film and submit a short, “Hometown Video.” There was very little instruction given, except “Tell us where it all started”.