This ‘Ultimate Fisherman’ is a woman named Georgia

Most contestants who participate on reality TV shows leave virtually empty-handed, walking away with little more than brief face time in front of a national audience.

Not Georgia McGuffey.

McGuffey, a 2003 McIntosh High school graduate and current student at Georgia State University in Atlanta, took first place on the Reality TV fishing show “The Catch: Costa Rica” in April, winning the grand prize of $50,000 and the title of “Ultimate Fisherman.”

She was among 12 contestants — six men, six women — vying for first place.

Helped by three fishing experts, the contestants, all of whom had limited fishing experience, were paired off into teams of two, and they squared off in deep sea fishing challenges in Costa Rica that lasted eight hours a day. They fished for two days, then had off two days.

The contestants chose whom to vote off at the conclusion of each round.

The final round came down to McGuffey and another female contestant. Fishing on separate boats, the pair squared off in a four-day challenge in which they had to catch as many fish as possible in the Osa Peninsula, located in southwestern Costa Rica. The focus was on catching marlin.

Each contestant received a certain number of points for the type of fish she caught. For example, sailfish were 75 points each, and dorado were 30 points each.

McGuffey failed to snag a marlin, but she did catch a number of sailfish and dorado.

“It was fun,” McGuffey said. “You can’t really will the fish to bite the hook. I waited and listened to the captain. It was a hard, long contest.”

After two days of impatiently waiting for the results — the judges needed time to review footage of the fish that were caught and tally the total amount of points accumulated — McGuffey found out that she had won by a couple of hundred points.

“I freaked out,” McGuffey said. “My competitor and I weren’t allowed to tell each other what fish we caught. We were allowed to in the other rounds. I prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. When I found out I won, I was stoked.”

It was an impressive victory, especially considering McGuffey was an inexperienced fisherman; prior to the show, McGuffey had been deep sea fishing only once, when she was 15 years old, with her grandfather in Destin, Fla. But she reeled in quite a catch in her lone fishing outing — a 15-pound king mackerel.

McGuffey’s fishing prowess paid off — literally. Unlike most college students, who are desperately scrounging for money underneath sofa cushions, McGuffey actually has some money in her pocket.

She put the vast majority of the money in a certificate of deposit. She has, however, spent some cash on a new computer and bed.

McGuffey also plans on giving her mother Terri — who has lived in Peachtree City for more than 30 years — 10 percent and donating another 10 percent to Just a Drop, a charity that, according to its website, raises money to build wells, install hand pumps and carry out health and sanitation programs to people in foreign countries, providing them with clean and accessible water.

Her future plans with her money include taking a trip to Italy to study abroad, as well.

“I’m just trying to be smart with my money,” McGuffey said.

One thing McGuffey won’t need to spend money on any time soon is a haircut.

Winning the fishing challenge came at a cost: a haircut that would make Mr. T proud.

“I made a bet with my cast-mates that I would shave my hair into a mohawk if I won the show,” McGuffey said. “So, when I got back to the states and all my friends and family saw me with a mohawk, they asked why and I couldn’t tell them. I just said that I lost a small bet on the show and that they would see it on the show.”

McGuffey said her experience in Costa Rica was a memorable one.

“It was amazing,” McGuffey said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I learned a lot. It was a whirlwind of fun.”

The first of 13 half-hour episodes of “The Catch: Costa Rica” aired at 10 p.m., July 4 on the Outdoor Channel. The season finale was Oct. 3 at 10 p.m.

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