Lindsay Phenix was one of just two women in the starting line-up of Discovery’s gruelling survivalist show The Wheel — and has held her own against the men as the series progresses.
But who is Lindsay — and where did she get that inherent toughness?
Lindsay, 25, is a fitness model, professional stunt woman and massage therapist, but grew up in a military family so is no stranger to knowing what it’s like to be out of your comfort zone.
She credits her grandfather as her main inspiration when it comes to resilience, after he taught her to never give up. However, she says she got all her survival skills from her dad, who she describes as a “doomsday prepper”.
As a stuntwoman she worked as Kate Beckinsale’s stunt double in 2016 movie Underworld: Bloodwars, and she got an audition for The Wheel after appearing in a commercial for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s reality show The Runner, below.
Thanks to her modelling career, she was already well travelled before heading to South America for The Wheel. Despite her young age, she’s already visited more than 50 different countries around the world, and lived in six of them.
She absolutely loves nature and outdoor pursuits — taking part in Ironman triathlons and the Boston Marathon in the past. She is also a keen hiker and fisherman, and knows how to hunt and butcher animals.
Lindsay was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but now lives in Los Angeles, CA. She has also lived in Houston, TX, and Belgium in the past. As a model, she is represented by several agencies including Ford Chicago, Whilhelmina Miami, Muse NYC, Page Parkes Houston/Dallas, and Boom Models Milan.
She also has a growing social media following, with more than 6,000 followers on Instagram. On her Twitter she describes herself as a “stunt woman. athlete. model. wanderer. coffee snob.”
Lindsay is normally a Size 2 and is a vegetarian, but did her best to pile on the pounds before entering The Wheel, putting on 35-lb by eating as much as she could without working out.