Milwaukie mom a victor in ‘American Gladiators’

Monica Carlson won $100,000 and will be one of the gladiators next season

By Ellen Spitaleri

The Clackamas Review, Feb 18, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

courtesy of NBC / Clackamas Review

Monica Carlson, left, with 'American Gladiators' host Laila Ali during an earlier taping of the show.

Viewers throughout the area watched Milwaukie’s Monica Carlson blow the competition out of the water in the preliminary round of competition and semi-finals of "American Gladiators," and on got to cheer as the Milwaukie resident won in the finals – winning $100,000 and guaranteeing her a slot as a gladiator in the next season of the hit TV show.

Now that she has won, the 32-year-old mother of twin girls said her overall feeling is one of relief.

"Now I'll be able to share it with people and talk about all the funny, quirky things that happened. And the kids can finally tell their teacher that I won," Carlson said on Sunday night, shortly after the show had run on the east coast and results were posted on the Web.

Carlson said her favorite event in the finals was the joust, partly because she went up against Crush, who was the undisputed champion of that event.

"I didn't beat her, but did as good as anybody and I didn't get taken too bad."

The experience was "one of the most exciting things that has happened thus far in my life," Carlson said.

She added, "From the minute I heard I was going to be on the show, I lit up with joy. I [found] the joy and fun and happiness in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"There were bumps and bruises, but I'm never going to look back and regret anything."

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