Ben Room for Destination X UK season one / BBC
Age: 42
Occupation: Surf School Director
From: South Wales
How did you prepare yourself mentally and physically to take part?
“Physically, I’ve just tried to maintain a level of fitness and not push too hard. I didn’t want to get any injuries. Mentally, I’ve been treating it as if I was going to prison. I’ll be cut off from everybody and have got to deal with new people and environments that might be testing and challenging. It’d be nicer to think I’m going to space as an astronaut.”
How far would you go to win the £100k and what would you spend it on?
“I’m excited to see what I’m capable of in that respect but my whole life I’ve put people first, above money. But there is that conundrum that the communities I support are constantly looking for funding so it would help. There’s a number of accessible bits of equipment I’d like to design and build, and that money would give me freedom to be able to make that happen.”
What assumptions will other players make about you?
“That maybe I’m getting on a bit and physically can’t do it. I’ve had a few breaks over the last few years and I’ve got a big metal plate in my shoulder butI have 20 years’ experience of doing some crazy activities.”
What brings out your competitive side?
“When I was younger, boxing was my bread and butter which is highly competitive. I moved into team sports as I got older and would do anything to win, put everything on the line. As an adult, it’s more of an intrinsic balancing of who I am. Pushing myself to my limit as opposed to trying to beat other people. It’s helped me develop and I use it as a medium to help other people teach their potential. I am competitive though. I’m not playing for fun.”
Do you have a strategy for how you are going to play the game?
“Not to think too hard about it. Sometimes I will overthink things to a point that I come up with the wrong answer. So I want to be myself, have fun with it and try to lead with my gut.”
Destination X continues Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One.
