| Travis Marsh | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born |
May 11, 1973 |
| Hometown | |
| Occupation |
Environmental Business Project Manager |
| Competition information | |
| Season | |
| Team | |
| Place |
16th |
| Episode eliminated | |
| [Source] | |
Travis Marsh was a contestant of Top Shot Season Two and a member of the Blue Team.
Travis was eliminated during Week One, after losing an Elimination Challenge against Chris Tilley.
Personal life
Travis Marsh is a former U.S. Marine from Weatherford, Texas. He was also a 10-time National Junior Champ and member of the U.S. Shooting Team. The night before Olympic tryouts, Travis broke his arm in a bar fight losing the chance for a gold medal. Despite that, Travis has continued to compete winning eight state championships with running game targets. He is also an avid hunter and currently works as an Environmental Business Project Manager.
Top Shot
Week One
Travis shooting the Sharps rifle.
Travis and the fifteen other contestants chosen for Season Two were immediately given a challenge by Top Shot's host, Colby Donaldson upon reaching the shooting range. In a randomly selected order, the contestants would go up to the firing line and attempt to shoot as close to the bullseye of a target as possible using a Sharps rifle. The two individuals who fired the most accurate shots were given the opportunity to pick their teams. When Travis was up to shoot the Sharps, his shot hit a bit low, and wasn't any closer to the center of the target than a few other contestants' shots. In the end, Jay Lim and Chris Reed managed to pull off the most accurate shots, giving both men the right to pick their team members.
Once the Preliminary Challenge had ended, the contestants arrived at the house, settling in and determining where they would sleep. Jay Lim instantly began interviewing a few of the other contestants, including Travis, to help determine who we would pick for his team. The following day, the contestants returned to the shooting range, where the captains would pick the shooters for their teams. Individuals chosen by Jay became part of the Blue Team, and people chosen by Chris Reed joined the Red Team. Jay picked Travis to be one of the Blue Team's members, along with Chris Tilley, Daryl Parker, Ashley Spurlin, Jermaine Finks, Kyle Frasure, and Maggie Reese. Those chosen by Chris Reed were George Reinas, Joe Serafini, Brian Zins, John Guida, Eric Anderson, Jamie Franks, and Athena Lee.
Travis shooting in the Team Challenge.
Shortly after the team jerseys were handed out, Colby explained the rules of the competition, stating that the contestants would attend Team Challenges every few days, and that two selected members of the losing team of said challenge would be eligible to be eliminated through an Elimination Challenge, with the loser being sent home. After Colby was finished, the first Team Challenge began. At the shooting range, eight billiard balls were set on wooden posts with striped balls before them, and eight platforms bearing the number of a certain ball were laid a few yards from the balls. The teams would shoot one-at-a-time, and the contestants of each team would take turns shooting at the firing line in a sequential order. Once at the firing line, they would have one shot using the .45 Colt 1911 to attempt hitting a ball, and regardless of whether they missed or not, they would run back to the back of their team's lineup. Whichever team managed to hit all eight targets in ascending order in the quickest amount of time would be victorious. After the Red Team had finished the challenge, the Blue Team determined their lineup, choosing Travis as their last shooter. Once they began shooting, many team members, including Travis, were unable to hit their first target. Travis missed again while trying to hit the 5-ball for his team, and then again for the 6-ball, 7-ball, and 8-ball. Ultimately, Travis was unable to hit any targets during the challenge, to his disappointment. Once the Blue Team finished, Colby announced the times for each team; the Red Team managed to finish the course in 12 minutes and 26 seconds, and the Blue Team took a much longer time of 23 minutes and 15 seconds, resulting in their defeat.
- "I'm very pissed off at myself right now. I'm disappointed in the way I performed."
- ―Travis Marsh[src]
The teams then returned to the house, where the Blue Team immediately held their first meeting to decide who to send to elimination. Instantly, they decided that the four people who weren't able to hit a single target, Chris T., Kyle, Maggie, and Travis, were eligible candidates, based on their poor performances. Later in the meeting, Kyle suggested that, because they lost a pistol challenge where two pistol shooters, Chris T. and Maggie, didn't perform, that both be sent to the Elimination Challenge, and then added that either way, the team would return with a good pistol shooter. The Blue Team members appeared to have agreed with him, and a while later, they arrived at the Nomination Range to vote two members into the Elimination Challenge, where each individual would go up and vote by shooting a hole in the target of the person they want to nominate. By the time Travis was up to vote, it was already guaranteed that he'd be in the elimination challenge, having three bullet holes in his target, while Chris T. had two votes, and Kyle had one. He then voted for Chris, ensuring his spot in the Elimination Challenge as well. The results of the Nomination Range bothered Travis, who believed he did not deserve to go to Elimination.
Travis in the Elimination Challenge.
The following morning, Chris Tilley and Travis attended a Practice Session to prepare for the Elimination Challenge. Here, they would shoot the Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum at targets with help from expert Bill Davis. During Travis' practice, Bill noticed that he was shooting very quickly with the revolver, and believed he might have a shot at winning the upcoming challenge. Later that day, the Blue Team arrived at the Shooting Range to witness the first Elimination Challenge. Here, there were eight targets suspended on lines which would be moving towards the firing line. The targets would move towards the contestant at different speeds, and when one hit the stop on the line, the target would be out-of-play. Whoever managed to hit the most targets would be victorious, stay in the competition, and receive a $2000 gift card to Bass Pro Shops. Chris Tilley was the first to shoot, and during his run, Travis was told to move away from the course to ensure he wouldn't have an unfair advantage. Once Chris had finished his run, Travis was called back to the course and began firing at his targets once they started moving. He was able to hit three targets, but this didn't compare with the five Chris had hit, resulting in Travis' elimination. Before walking away from the course, Travis said goodbye to his teammates.
Post-competition
Once the remaining Blue Team members returned to the house, Chris Tilley nailed a blue target bearing Travis' name to the wall, in his honor. According to Season Two's Behind the Bullet, Travis started a junior shooting program in his community.
External links
- Travis Marsh Profile on History Channel
- Travis Marsh Interview for Cheaper Than Dirt
- Travis Marsh Interview for American Rifleman