UCF student Ben Domian
says his Air Force background helped him on the reality show “Kicking & Screaming.”
Ben Domian, a University of Central Florida student from Oviedo, brings impressive credentials to the reality contest “Kicking & Screaming.”
Domian, 33, is a pre-med student who was an Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape specialist. His skills are tested when he’s paired with New York model Juliana Herz on the Fox show, which debuted March 9.
The show’s premise: Outdoor experts team with pampered novices in the wilds of Fiji for a shot at $500,000.
“I did the show because I love new experiences and adventure. It was also a great opportunity to test myself and the skills that I’ve learned as a SERE Specialist in the Air Force,” Domian said by email. His big takeaway? “I expected the novices to be worthless,” he said. “However, though they weren’t great with the outdoors, they were awesome in many other ways and had skills that I would never be good at.”
Domian and Herz have proved themselves in early episodes of the show, which airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays.
“I think we did well early on because Juliana and I were physically strong, and we worked well as a team,” Domian said.
“She’s more resilient than she looks and has a drive to succeed,” he said. “Positive mental attitude is the most important thing to have in survival. We had this as a team.”
Domian is on a leave of absence from UCF, where he’s a senior. He has been busy in recent weeks with non-commissioned officer training in Colorado Springs and training a rescue squadron in Idado.
He may be one of the best-prepared reality contestants ever. Domian, who is third-generation Air Force, has been deployed around the world three times. His parents are Brian and Joy Domian of Oviedo.
In April, Ben and two Air Force survival instructors will open Day One Survival school in Colorado and teach life-saving strategies.
He studied acting with Lisa Maile locally years ago.
“Ben’s extremely dedicated and hard-working in all he does,” said Maile of Lisa Maile Seminars & Coaching. “Ben’s remarkable at home in the jungle, jumping out of planes or training cadets/soldiers from around the world in survival skills.”
She said he’s a “super young man, quite accomplished and really humble.”
Domian said watching himself on TV is “an awesome experience.”
“I enjoy seeing my friends and family watching me most,” he added. “Being in Fiji was a great experience, and watching it through a different lens is a good reminder of how much fun I had.”