I don't understand why involvement in these sort of things are looked down on so much.

You get to challenge yourself, have an adventure and its not only on someone else's dime, but you get compensated for your time as well. I mean, I'm definitely not the target participant for a show like this, but I can see the appeal.

Sometimes I think we forget its okay to have fun, be adventurous and, yes, even push the boundaries of what we think we are capable of or what is "safe."
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Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck. Roald Amundsen