ShareThisNick Peterson didn't find love on "The Bachelorette," but it may boost his career as a personal trainer.
Peterson spent five weeks as a contestant on the ABC reality show this year, vying for the affection of bachelorette Ashley Hebert. When he didn't get a rose, he returned home to Tampa, Fla., and started boot camps for brides-to-be.
The outdoor camps -- open to others, too -- run six days a week at Marjorie Park on Davis Islands. Peterson uses the natural terrain, sidewalks and park benches to run cardio and strengthening drills.
"Burn those quads! Come on, ladies! Get ready for that wedding dress."
Peterson, 27, started the classes in September. Not all of his clients are brides-to-be, but Peterson does his best to work in "The Bachelorette" angle whenever he can. It sets him apart and adds some celebrity cache to otherwise unglamorous workouts.
Patrons "really get a kick out of it and like to talk about it," he said of his reality show fame. "They always want the inside scoop."
Tampa "Bachelor" alum Lacey Garbelman came to a recent class with roses for the ladies. Garbelman, 28, appeared on last season of "The Bachelor" with Brad Womack but went home during the first rose ceremony. Minutes into Peterson's workout, she was sweating through her pink tank top with "Bachelorette" written in sequins.
"Is this what it takes to get married?" she joked in between lunges. "I hope I find a man who loves me just the way I am."
Garbelman has kept in touch with Peterson and other members of the "Bachelor/Bachelorette" family and talks to Shawntel Newton, a.k.a. funeral director girl from "The Bachelor," almost every day.
Newton happened to call during the ab workout, prompting Peterson to pick up Garbelman's pink iPhone and relay a message.
"Hi, Shantel, it's Nick. Can she call you back? She's in the middle of a boot camp class," he said, laughing and rolling his eyes.
For anyone who watches the show, it was a pretty cool dose of reality.
Peterson was most remembered on the "Bachelorette" for taking off his shirt in front of the other guys and taking a dip in the hot tub with Hebert. Everyone was jealous, especially J.P. Rosenbaum, who got the final rose. Another contestant, William Holman, said Peterson had the best body of anyone in the house and called him "Adonis."
Peterson grew up in Odessa and played baseball at the University of Tampa. He was drafted out of college in 2006 by the New York Yankees and played two years in the minors, followed by two years with independent teams. He graduated from UT in 2010 and founded Peety's Personal Training.
Peterson, who lives in South Tampa, went on "The Bachelorette" open-minded about finding a wife but says he wasn't heartbroken when he got the boot. He met a lot of people and got to travel overseas for the first time when the show went to Thailand.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)
Must credit St. Petersburg Times.
