NBC.com

Michael "Spanky" Insalaco & James "Jim" Smith
Teams Winners

Why did you want to be on Fear Factor?

Jim: I really had no intention of going on the show. Went for a putt on the chopper with Spanky, and ended up at a casting call in Philly. I was just looking for a cheese steak.

Spanky: Well definitely the cash and the excitement of the rush of what you would do for the cash.

What was the toughest stunt and why?

Jim: The first stunt, getting shot out of a cannon was by far the most difficult. Growing up by the water, and having a “built in” life vest, (commonly referred to as fat!) I figured I had an advantage. Little did I realize that all those extra burgers caused too much drag in the water. By the time I was done swimming all over the Port of Los Angeles, or wherever the show had taken me, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

Spanky: Wow, I would say the first stunt, because in the cannon I did not know when it was going to shoot, and how hard I would hit the water and then swim to the boat.

Who annoyed you the most and why?

Jim: I have to say Joe Rogan. He had a habit of letting us know the blatantly obvious. We are fat…… we are out of shape…….. we are old….. it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out! But we won! Fluke or no fluke…two fat old bikers went to LA and came home with the cash.

Spanky: Okay it would have to be Bodene because she was too serious about winning and not having a good time, oh and constantly fixing her make-up.

How will you spend the cash?

Jim: Custom USMC wheels for my ride, is there anything else?

Spanky: I will be buying a 35th Anniversary Super-Glide from Harley. Okay you got me, I bought it as soon as I got back to NY lol.

Were you worried that Wes & Richie would eliminate you after the first stunt?

Jim: Richie and Wes were great guys, but I figured they’d keep us around……..to them, we were better looking than any of the women!

Spanky: No because while waiting for the stunt, we all agreed to let the couple go with the worst time.

How upsetting was it getting disqualified after braving the foul trash barrels?

Jim: All my fault, I take full responsibility for blowing $20,000.00 and the trip to Vegas. But what the heck…….the ballerina’s and cheerleaders had shown us that they were in tough and in contention for winning. I took a chance, I thought I had an edge. What could I do? Take it like a man and move on. If it were a Jesse James bike instead of a trip to Vegas…….the outcome would have been much different

Spanky: Ya know, we were there for the fun mostly, and riding our rented Harley's in California. But an extra 10 grand would have been fine.

Since you were a bit older than the competition, how much did you worry about being able to complete the physical stunts?

Jim: Going in, we definitely thought we were at a disadvantage, heck I have kids the age of some of the contestants! But when we saw the cannon, we knew we had a fighting chance…..…..we both LOOK like cannon balls, little did I realize I’d swim like one!

Spanky: We did not think about it because you dont know what the stunts are, physical or not physical.

Jim, how in the heck did you manage to stop on that finish line during the final stunt?!

Jim: I would like to think it was discipline garnered from my years in the Marine Corps, or sheer determination built from my disappointing showing in the previous stunts, but I think the reality is that fat causes more friction than muscle!