Alex Nason of Lawson was all primed for the adventure of a lifetime.
But on Monday he discovered he'd narrowly missed out on spending five days in the Amazon rainforest next month in nothing but a pair of DTs (swimmers) and a can of Rid insect repellent.
Mr Nason had entered The Ultimate DT Challenge run by Rid Australia, his amusing video proclaiming why he should be going on the Amazon adventure placing him among the top six finalists.
The public were asked to vote for their favourite video, and Mr Nason narrowly lost to Sean England of Port Hedland, Western Australia.
Mr Nason congratulated the winner and "offered him the chance to tag out if he feels he isn't up to it!"
Friends nominated Mr Nason for the competition because "he's a crazy one."
"He's the type of guy willing to do anything. He reminded me of a young Russell Coight [from an Australian TV series featuring Glenn Robbins that parodied the travel-adventure genre]," said longtime friend Lauren Kenny.
Mr Nason had been hitting the gym in preparation, and is no stranger to labour-intensive work, the 28-year-old employed in the Mountains as a carpenter.
"I absolutely love being in the bush and love doing walks around the Blue Mountains," he said.
He doesn't mind a bit of "rough and tumble", and "roughed it" for six months in Morocco while studying alternative agriculture techniques. He lived in a tent without power and the closest source of running water was 4km away.
"I'm no stranger to dirty or rough situations," he said.
So while he's now avoided being eaten by a piranha in the Amazon, "though they would have had to be quick" he said with a laugh, he'll be hopping on a plane next month to Japan for a pre-booked holiday instead.
