NBC Reveals Contestants For LOVE IN THE WILD, Premiering 6/7

By: May. 04, 2012
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NBC's LOVE IN THE WILD announces the 14 original single men and women as well as the seven surprise men searching for "the one" on the Endemol produced adventure-dating series premiering Thursday, June 7 (8-10 p.m. ET). The show hosted this season by Jenny McCarthy, gets even wilder in its special two-hour premiere, by bringing in seven additional men, listed below, to pair up with the original couples to kick off the adventures as trios.

The singles navigating the tropical paradise of the Dominican Republic in their quest to find love are:

Original Guys:

TIM PARRISH (Age: 32) - hometown - Green Bay, Wis.; Resides in Chicago -- Do not be fooled by his good looks and charm; Parrish likes to play the field. He feels like there are a lot of great ladies out there, but there is only one of him to go around. He's not too worried though as he feels that this is the Year of The TiM. Parrish loves the ladies, but he loves winning even more. @timboparrish

JASON HOLMES (Age: 29) - hometown: Paso Robles, Calif.; Resides in North Hollywood, Calif. -- Holmes comes from a loving family; his parents have been together since high school. This personal trainer really wants to find a romance similar to his parents and hopes to find true love on the show. @jrobholmes

BENJAMIN CLARK (Age: 27) - hometown: Chesterfield, England; Resides in Monroe, N.C. --Born and raised in England, girls like Clark for the wrong reasons including just hearing his sexy British accent. However, his sheer charm is sure to win the hearts of the ladies and keep the men on their toes. The former pro soccer player says that people either love him or hate him. Regardless, he's hoping to find true love on the show. @clarkythetitan

AARON CHASE (Age: 28) - hometown: San Diego; Resides in Newport Beach, Calif. -- U.S. Marine Corps veteran Chase hopes that his training will allow him to dominate the adventures. He was once in a long-term serious relationship and had his heart broken before heading off to war in Iraq but has been living the single life for the past three years. He admits he's been holding out for someone worth dating, someone with a big heart. @AaronMChase

JESSE WILSON (Age: 33) - hometown: Oakdale, Calif.; Resides in Manhattan Beach, Calif. -- Wilson grew up in Oakdale, Calif., which happens to be affectionately known as "Cowboy Capital of the World." This small-town boy is looking for the perfect girl and already had the names picked out for his children. @swoop22

KENNETH BARRINGTON (Age: 33) - hometown: Peoria, Ill.; Resides in Miami Beach -- This sexy bachelor is ready to give up the Miami dating scene and share his life with someone special. The Cornell graduate and successful real estate developer also has a soft side and is a foster parent for his local animal shelter. @kabarrington

CHRISTIAN SEKLECKI (Age: 34) - hometown: August, Ga.; Resides in Atlanta, Ga. -- As a child, Seklecki's favorite game was Capture the Flag -- and now he hopes to capture a woman's heart in the wild. After a few failed online dating experiences, he is ready to find a genuine woman with whom he can spend the rest of his life. Seklecki has his hands full juggling all his interests but insists that he is not too busy for a relationship @roominelephant

Original Girls:

ALI LEITZA (Age: 33) - hometown: Little Rock, Ark.; Resides in North Little Rock, Ark. -- Leitza is a sexy, Southern belle who is not afraid to pull some pranks to find her Prince Charming. Many of her past dates lacked the capability to handle this strong-willed woman. Her dating requirements now include a man with a backbone, who can embrace her passions. @alileitza

SUMMER MACK (Age: 32) - hometown: Satellite Beach, Fla.; Resides in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. -- According to the all- American girl Mack, she's looking for a man that won't just buy her an alligator purse but will kill one, skin it and make a purse for her. An Olympic Trials finalist on the United States National Swimming Team, she developed her competitive nature early and will do just about anything to win. Her biggest regret is not marrying her first love. @summer_mack

SHAUNA DILLARD (Age: 28) - hometown: Kingsburg, Calif.; Resides in Hollywood, Calif. -- After recently getting out of a six-year relationship, Dillard is dedicated to finding true love and will not settle for anything less. Growing up on a farm prepared Dillard for getting down and dirty, which is exactly what she's willing to do to find the right guy. When this makeup artist and headband designer is not working, she's keeping busy with her favorite past time -- yoga. @shaunadillard

YANINA BECCARIA (Age: 33) - hometown: Rosario, Argentina; Resides in Chicago -- Former "Ice Girl" for the Chicago Blackhawks, Beccaria is sassy and competitive and she's not afraid to show it. Beccaria knows she's attractive and loves to flirt, but she's also willing to get rough-and-tumble. She used to play football until she tore her ACL. Even though she enjoys being single and having fun, she's feeling pressure to get married and start a family. @yaninabeccaria

TARA LOCKE (Age: 26) - hometown: Arlington Heights, Ill.; Resides in Miami Beach, Fla.-- Locke is a self-professed glamour girl and yachting, shopping, and clubbing activities are just a typical day in her life. Locke is looking for a great man to call her own and her strategy for this experience is to literally be "her amazing self." She admits that she is a professional flirt and will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. @Tara_Locke

CINA LUKS (Age: 22) - hometown: San Lorenzo, Calif.; Resides in San Lorenzo -- Luks is adventurous and is looking for a man who can share her enthusiasm for life. While she likes to dress up, she's not afraid to get dirty. A man will need to travel fast to keep up with her as she has her private pilot aviation certificate and a motorcycle permit. @cinaluks

JENNY BLATT (Age: 27) - hometown: Philadelphia; Resides in Philadelphia --After walking in on her boyfriend of five years with another woman, Blatt knows how it feels to be burned by love. Though it took some time, she has bounced back and is ready to meet her Mr. Right. While Blatt is highly competitive due to her years in professional gymnastics, she does not like bugs or getting dirty which might create difficulties in the wild. @jennyblatt

Surprise Guys:

JASON EWELL (Age: 25) - hometown: Dublin, Calif.; Resides in Dublin, Calif. -- Though Ewell cherishes his small town roots, he seeks out big adventures and larger thrills. Ewell loves to be in a relationship, and is not afraid to get in touch with his more sensitive side, even if it means shedding a few tears. He's looking for a partner in crime to join him skydiving, clay shooting and traveling the country. @jasonewell22

LEO BORRIELLO (Age: 27) - hometown: Windsor, Conn.; Resides in Philadelphia -- Borriello loves the ladies -- and they love his six-pack and contagious smile. He takes pride in his chiseled body, but there is more to this Italian financial analyst than just his good looks. He's looking for a woman that can keep up with him and is excited about a trip around the world and the possibility of finding a new love along the journey. @Ninjacowboy7

FRANKY ARRIOLA (Age: 31) - hometown: Miami; Resides in Miami -- The youngest of his Cuban American family, Arriola considers himself very assertive, ambitious and blessed to have such great looks. His select dating criteria include women who are caring, supportive, sweet, good-looking, athletic, and fun. Germaphobes and inked women need not apply. @frankyarriola

MIKE SWEET (Age: 30) - hometown: San Dimas, Calif.; Resides in Los Angeles -- As a lifeguard, surf instructor and water polo player, Sweet hopes to swim laps around his competitors and dive into the hearts of the single women in the wild. An active outdoorsman, Sweet's goal of becoming a professional beach volleyball player keeps him active and always at the beach. @TheMikeSweet

Ryan Smith (Age: 27) - hometown: Boise, Idaho; Resides in San Francisco -- Growing up with a basketball coach as a father, Smith had no choice but to be competitive. However, as much as Smith would like to win, he is more focused on finding his future wife. His other interests include wakeboarding, snowboarding, golf, tennis and people-watching. @Ryan_Prescott_

DARWIN ZOOK (Age: 32) - hometown: Boston; Resides in Boston -- Zook is an all-American stud and former basketball player who knows how to strategize -- and he plans to stop at nothing in order to crush the competition and find love. All he needs on a first date is a fun, relaxed atmosphere, music and free-flowing drinks. Zook is looking for the right woman and he will not settle. @darwinzook

QUAISON "Q" DODD (Age: 31) - hometown: New Haven, Conn.; Resides in Los Angeles --As a former football jock and college football champion, Quaison "Q" Dodd is not familiar with losing. Although physical fitness is as a top priority in his life as a personal trainer, finding the right woman is even more important. Dodd is looking to settle down and start a family and is counting on his winning streak to help him find a woman with whom he has true synergy. Dodd attended Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. @QuaisonDodd

"Love in the Wild" puts relationships to the ultimate test with exhilarating and wild adventures that push participants to the limit, both physically and emotionally. Single men and single women, all looking for love, will experience a romantic quest unlike anything they could have ever imagined. These singles have tried it all -- speed-dating, blind-dating, internet dating -- and now, they will journey to a tropical paradise to see if they can find that special someone for whom they've been looking.

During elimination, all of the couples will come together to reveal whether a connection has been formed with their current partner -- or if they would like to switch and get to know someone else. At the end of every episode, heartbroken singles are sent home. The series culminates with just one couple left standing. That couple will have completed the adventure of a lifetime and found the one thing they've been searching for -- "Love in the Wild."

"Love in the Wild" is produced by Endemol USA. Tom Shelly serves as executive producer.

Please follow us on http://www.facebook.com/loveinthewild and on Twitter @LoveInTheWild.

About NBC Entertainment:

NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network's primetime, late-night, and daytime schedules. NBC's quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards, and ratings success. NBC has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history. NBC's roster of popular scripted series includes such critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning comedies as "The Office" and "30 Rock," the latter starring Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. NBC's drama slate includes the veteran, award-winning series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and the popular first-year musical "Smash." Unscripted series for NBC include the vocal competition hit "The Voice" as well as "The Biggest Loser," "The Celebrity Apprentice" and "America's Got Talent." NBC's late-night story is highlighted by "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "Last Call with Carson Daly" and "Saturday Night Live." NBC Daytime's "Days of our Lives" consistently ranks among daytime's top programs in the valuable women 18-34 category. The five-time, Emmy Award-winning NBC.com streams full episodes and provides original content for NBC entertainment shows online and through apps for mobile and tablet devices. On Saturday mornings, the network broadcasts Qubo on NBC, a three-hour block that features fun, entertaining, and educational programming for kids, including the award-winning, 3-D animated series "Veggie Tales." For more information, visit www.nbc.com.

About Endemol USA:

Endemol USA is a leading producer of television and multi-platform programming for network and cable television. The company produces the mega hits "Big Brother," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Wipeout," "Jerseylicious" and "Fear Factor." Endemol USA is a division of the Endemol Group, a prominent international content developer, producer and distributor of television and online programming. The company, headquartered in the Netherlands, has subsidiaries and joint ventures in 26countries, including the major European markets, the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Endemol is owned by a consortium consisting of Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Mediaset Group and Cyrte Group.

Photo credit: Trae Patton/NBC



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