MTV Stud Knows No Boundaries

Troy Hartman is "outdoorsy" alright. A world-ranked skysurfer, skier, snowboarder and X-Games champ, he's also done extreme stunts on MTV's Senseless Acts of Violence. So the 27-year-old Californian daredevil is perfect to host the WB's No Boundaries (debuting March 3).

Here's the sitch: With $100,000 and a brand new SUV at stake, 15 thrill-seeking strangers embark on a 30-day, 2000-mile trek to the Arctic Circle. Every 48 hours, the group designates a new leader — who not only navigates his or her team through the day's perils, but must also boot off one team member. "I hated to see any of them go," Hartman says. "It was always kind of a bummer."

That Survivor-esque twist aside, Hartman denies that No Boundaries will thrive on the typical villainy and treachery so common in reality TV. "It's really an upbeat, leadership, teamwork-positive sort of thing," he tells TV Guide Online. "The backstabbing aspect is sort of not important. The contestants found out real soon that there's no time for that kind of thing when you're trying to survive."

So how did Hartman land this rad gig? Take notes, kids. "After Senseless Acts was done, I put together a tape of every little bit where I said something to the camera." Next, he did some sly editing on his home computer: "All of a sudden, I had this great [demo] reel that looked like I was a host!"

Still, he cautions, be careful what you wish for. "I was a little nervous about the whole thing once I got hired," he grins. "The first week was pretty brutal, [but] I learned very fast."