I don't think there is a better city in this entire country to shoot a reality television show in than Hamilton.

The Hammer is filled with interesting and amazing people with all kinds of stories to tell. Maybe I kinda feel this way because I live so close by in Burlington or maybe it's because you just have to walk down the street for five or ten minutes before you meet a huge shirtless guy with long black hair walking towards you who happens to be an aspiring wrestler.

Whatever the reason, I just love this town! Looking for a television star on the streets of Hamilton was a riot. I could have picked any of about a dozen people I met but a real life aspiring wrestler in training to be the greatest wrestler of all time was a no brainier. This guy is already a star in his own mind so turning him into a reality TV star is just a matter of letting the cameras keep rolling.

I actually thought JR was not going to get away with it. There were a few times it could gone either way. Brilliant.

Hamilton is not the dump I imagined. Still there are some crazies there. I will personally thank Kevin Burton for stopping a smack head from attacking my rear.  JR casted "Kwan the Asian Nightmare." He was the only shirtless guy walking purposely down the street.  I think "Nightmare" refers to the general cleanliness of his apartment. Kwan teaches professional wrestling at night. It's very impressive to watch it this close. It's all choreographed and it'll hurt if someone miss their cue.

Asian Nightmare!!! Pro wrestler!! Do I really need to say more? This guy is the type of person you would notice in a crowd; arm muscles the size of foot balls. Ha-ha, JR had him doing jumping jacks on the street and pull-ups from street lights. It was great. Also, it was knee slapping material when he delivered lines to the camera telling everyone about how hardcore he was. I chilled with the Asian Nightmare for a bit. He was a cool dude. My favorite point of the day was the tail end when JR was trying to get the nightmare to say something along the lines of him being a chicken sandwich and he refused to do it. The chemistry between the host and star at that point created great material for the show. JR is awesome. ….chicken sandwich?

Who knew that Hamilton was a mecca for Canadian wrestlers? Not me. Even though I learned some wresting trade secrets (which I will never tell)… I still cringed every time the Asian Nightmare smashed someone’s face into the ring. YIKES!

Hamilton wasn’t as dirty as people say it is. Some of the characters on the other hand are a little loopy. Our STAR is a pro wrestler, wasn’t into this much. I was pretty tired on this day, just after getting back from Newfoundland the day before. Got to get into the ring, which got my blood going. The Asian Nightmare was a pretty cool guy and I think the whole crew got a fair bit of entertainment on this shoot.

Ahh, Hamilton.  I am originally from Western Canada, and I can tell you that as a Westerner I have never given Hamilton much thought.  After shooting downtown for an entire day, I believe the crew and JR really got the true Hamilton experience.

When you see a guy like the Asian Nightmare on the street, you never think to go up to talk to him and start an idle conversation.  Unless you are JR.