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Gary Quesenberry
 Personal information
Born

October 7, 1970[1][2]

Hometown

Cleveland, OH[1]

Occupation

Homeland Security Agent[1][3]

 Competition information
Season

Season Three
Season Five

Team
Place

3rd
3rd

Episode eliminated

"Season 3 Finale"
"Last Man Standing"

[Source]
"I would describe myself as very competitive and stubborn. I don't like to back down when there's a challenge in front of me."
―Gary Quesenberry[src]

Gary Quesenberry (born October 7, 1970; age 53) was a contestant of Top Shot that participated during Season Three and Season Five.

During Season Three, Gary was originally a member of the Red Team, but after making it to the final seven, joined the Green Team. He was eliminated after losing the second Elimination Challenge of the Season 3 Finale.

Gary was brought back for Season Five, but was eliminated during the Season Finale after losing the second Elimination Challenge.

Personal life[]

Gary is currently an agent for the United States Department of Homeland Security residing in Cleveland, Ohio. He has formerly served in the United States Army during Desert Storm and was a member of the Special Operations Response Team for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He completed the Triple Nickel Course of Fire and owns a triple nickel along with fellow Homeland Security Agent, Jarrett Grimes. At home, he has a wife and three children.[1]

Top Shot: Season 3[]

Week One[]

Gary vs Jarrett

Gary shooting against Jarrett Grimes.

Gary arrived for Top Shot along with the other fifteen contestants. Here, the host of the competition, Colby Donaldson, stated that each individual's placement would be determined by a Preliminary Challenge. In pairs, the contestants would shoot head-to-head using the Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum at three targets. Whichever of the two could hit all of the targets first would be victorious and become a member of the Blue Team, while the loser joined the Red Team.

Gary Quesenberry

Gary with the Red Team uniform

After the first pair competed, Colby called Gary and his friend/rival, Jarrett Grimes to shoot. Both men hit the first target simultaneously. Jarrett then hit the second target and third target, just before Gary managed to destroy the second. This resulted in the latter's defeat and spot on the Red Team. After the remaining pairs had competed, Colby allowed the contestants to head to the house they would be staying in during the competition. The Red Team arrived here first, claiming all of the bottom bunks of the bed before the Blue Team had any choice, to their satisfaction.

Gary Quesenberry 1st TC

Gary with the Larue.

The following day, the contestants arrived at the Shooting Range to participate in the first Team Challenge. Here, they noticed a number of platforms set up with targets in the distance. After the contestants got situated, Colby announced that for the challenge, two contestants would be assigned to one of the four platforms for their team. Once on these, they would each hit a target with the Larue Tactical OBR before proceeding to the next platform. He then stated that to get onto the platforms, the contestants would not be climbing the ladders built on, but a sixteen foot pole which had to be carried to each station. The team that finished first would be victorious. Before engaging in the challenge, the teams needed to decide on the shooting order, with the Red Team choosing Mark Schneider and Gary for the first station. After having struggles on the first two stations, the Red Team was behind at the third station. Once Gary and Mark got onto the third station, the latter began firing at his target, managing to hit it on his seventh shot. Mark passed the weapon to Gary, who was able to destroy his target on the second shot, finally giving Red Team a lead. After getting off the platform, Gary and Mark helped carry Red Team's pole to the final station. Amanda Hardin and Chris Collins made their way onto the platform, being closely followed by Alex Charvat and Mike Hughes of the Blue Team. Once she began firing, Amanda had struggles with hitting her target, finally managing to destroy it after numerous shots. As a result of this, Amanda and Chris had to reload the weapon, which gave the last shooter for Blue Team enough time to destroy the final target, resulting in Red Team's defeat.

When the Red Team returned to the house, they held a team meeting to decide who to send to the Elimination Challenge. Here, Amanda volunteered herself due to her performance at the Team Challenge. A few hours later, the Red Team arrived at the Nomination Range to vote two people into the Elimination Challenge. To cast their vote, the contestants had to shoot at the target of the person they would like to nominate. Gary, who was called to vote first, shot Amanda's target, stating that she has talent but can't apply it under pressure. After everybody, with an exception of Chris, had voted, it was declared that Amanda and Mark Schneider would have to compete in the upcoming Elimination Challenge for their spot in the competition.

The following day, the Red Team returned to the Shooting Range to witness the first Elimination Challenge. Here, Colby stated that while riding in a stagecoach, the contestants would shoot ten targets using the Winchester Model 1873 with a limit of ten rounds. Whichever of the two could hit more targets would be safe and receive a $2000 gift card. In the end, Mark was victorious, having shot a total of three targets in comparison to Amanda's one. Afterward, the Red Team returned to the house, where Mark nailed a red target bearing Amanda's name to the wall, in tribute to her.

Week Two[]

"Gary appears to be giving the most direction to the Red Team and starting off as their early leader."
―Craig Sawyer[src]

The morning following Amanda's elimination, the Blue Team did some walkthroughs to prepare themselves for the upcoming Team Challenge. Gary, along with fellow Red Team members, Chris Collins and Michael Marelli, watched this for entertainment and poked fun at it. A few hours later, the teams arrived at the Shooting Range to attend the first team Practice Session. Here, Colby announced that the contestants would be getting accustomed to shooting the AK-47 under guidance by expert, Craig Sawyer. The last time Gary claimed he used an AK-47 was during a familiarization class when he joined the army, which caused him a little concern at first, but despite not having fired it in years, Gary had done well with shooting it. After all of the Red Team members got familiar with the AK-47, they added a physical element to practice by running in pairs to the stations and shooting at the targets. In the end, Craig stated that he thought Gary did well with the practice due to having gave guidance to his fellow teammates.

Gary and Phil 2nd TC

Gary (back) at the Team Challenge.

The following day, the contestants returned to the Shooting Range to participate in the second Team Challenge. Here, four obstacles and stations were set up. The first was a narrow pipe that needed to be crawled through. Next was a pit of water, which was followed by a crawl through mud and then sand under barbed wire. Two contestants would be assigned to a station, with an exception of the final one, and endure the obstacles standing in their way. At these stations, each contestant had to destroy a target using the AK-47, with an exception of the final station, where one individual had to destroy two targets, before their team could proceed. Whichever team finished the course first would be victorious. Before participating in the challenge and deciding the shooting order, the Red Team had to pick somebody to sit out on the Blue Team, due to having one less member after Amanda's elimination. Gary decided to bench Jarrett, whose background he saw as a threat with this challenge. After this, the teams broke off to decide their shooting orders, with the Red Team choosing Phil Morden and Gary for the third station. After Drew Shprintz and Mark Schneider finished the second station, Gary and Phil crawled through their pipe and waded through the water pit to reach their teammates, grab the weapons, and proceed towards the next station. After crawling through the mud, Gary commenced firing at his target, managing to destroy it on his second shot. Phil then began shooting at his target, hitting it in one shot, which gave the Red Team a sizable lead. As soon as Chris, the last shooter for Red Team, made it to the third station, he took the AK-47 from either Gary or Phil and rushed towards the final station, with Blue Team member, Jake Zweig, close behind. Chris let off his last shots before Jake was able to fire at his targets, resulting in Red Team's victory.

After returning to the house, the Blue Team held a team meeting before heading to the Nomination Range. When they returned, it was revealed that Sara Ahrens and Dustin Ellermann had been sent to the second Elimination Challenge. News of Dustin being sent to the challenge shocked members of the Red Team, because he had performed flawlessly so far in the competition. The following day, the Blue Team departed once again to witness the Elimination Challenge. They returned later with Dustin, who nailed a blue target bearing Sara's name to the wall.

Gary Quesenberry green

Gary with the Green Team uniform

Week Two[]

Week Three[]

Week Four[]

Week Five[]

Week Six[]

Week Seven[]

Week Eight[]

Week Nine[]

Week Ten[]

Week Eleven[]

Week Twelve[]

Top Shot: Season 5[]

In 2013, it was announced that Gary would be a contestant in Season Five, Top Shot All-Stars.

Week One[]

Gary was placed last in the individual challenge. He later went up against Gregory Littlejohn and beat him.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Gary Quesenberry. (2011). The History Channel website. Retrieved 9:56, July 19, 2011, from http://www.history.com/shows/top-shot/bios/gary-quesenberry.
  2. Gary Quesenberry – Top Shot Season 3 — Facebook
  3. Top Shot: Behind the Bullet

External links[]


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