After interviewing Amanda Liston & Ori Perl earlier this year, I wanted to interview someone whom I could relate to a little better. Todd Landree (Todd the Bod) came to mind, and it made for a very interesting interview....

Everyone on the show considers themselves a nerd. When did you first identify with being a nerd?

"In High School, my hometown got a Comic Book shop for the first time. I rushed there with my friend Corey, and a love was born. I was recommended some comics, and started playing a game called Heroclix, and fell in love. I spent hours upon hours and every cent to my name on new Heroclix and graphic novels so I could fully understand these characters. The first graphic novel that I read that hooked me forever is the Alex Ross classic, "Kingdom Come". Sadly, that shop closed down during my Junior year of High School, and I hit a lull when it came to comics, but they came rushing back to me later in life when I finally had the time to really delve into them and jump in from the start. The New 52 relaunch over 3 years ago allowed me to jump into every single comic book and immerse myself completely in the world of comics, and not feel like I was behind. It was the best thing that could have possibly happened for me."

That's cool. When I first saw King of the Nerds, I thought it was an entertaining show with a great concept. What interested you about TBS’s King of the Nerds television show?

"I loved the fact that it embraced being a nerd, and not in a derogatory way. Plus, I thought I could destroy everyone that I came across in Season 2. The challenges looked like a blast, and it just seemed natural for me to pursue that avenue on myself. When I worked at GameStop, Season 1 promos came on the TV constantly while working, and I kept thinking how much I wanted to try out for that."

Sounds like you are quite the competitor. Why did Todd the Bod want to be on this show?

"Look, as you may have noticed from the show, I have a brobdingnagian personality to go with this brobdingnagian body type. I wanted to prove my worth and show the world that Todd the Bod existed and deserved to be there just like everyone else. I wanted to prove to people wrong that you are allowed to be of a larger stature and go on National Television. People try putting the plus size down all of the time, and I was no different. The difference is, I wanted to fight back."

That's inspiring! How did you get cast?

"What a long process! The first thing I did was email them the moment they announced they were casting. I told them a great deal about myself. Two hours later, I got an email back saying I sounded perfect and had to create a video. I got immediately excited and motivated, and created an amazing audition video that was hysterical. They called me a day later, and said Todd, you are amazing, but you filmed the video in vertical camera angles, please reshoot it so we can show TBS how amazing you are! I chugged 64 ounces of sweet black tar Red Bull and went to work. The second audition video was even better. There was some minutia I had to finish before being flown out, but that audition video showed why they didn't want me on King of the Nerds, but why they NEEDED me."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXz5IVEijBg

That sounds like an exciting process! What was your favorite moment on the show?

"There are so many moments it is hard to pick a favorite. Some moments that popped up were introducing the Clockwork King to Team S.M.A.S.H., and the look on their faces because they had no idea what they were in store for. Meeting Curtis for the first time will always be a treasured memory. Getting Heather trashed in an elaborate card game was phenomenal. A nice behind-the-scenes secret is that my costume came undone during the judging of the cosplay contest, and I showed Tara Strong and Billy Boyd my kibbles and bits by accident, so that was a thing."

Haha, yes, great memories. I hope this show goes another season. Who was your favorite person to work with on the show, and why?

"On House Hooloovoo, Raychelle was my favorite to work with because we clicked so naturally. And even though Kaitlin is the terminator, she was fun to work with because she made you try harder to impress her. Plus, she showed me how to use a power drill!"

Two very interesting personalities. Raychelle was one of my favorites as well. I wonder if I could ask her a few questions...Are you still in contact with that person, or was that just while on the show?

"I am in contact with everyone from the show. I always message them every few weeks just to check in and say hello. We are a family now. Yes, some of us are more reclusive than others, but we always make time for each other. And yes, some talk more than others. You probably wouldn't believe it, but Heather and I are best friends now and talk multiple times daily about EVERYTHING. My relationships are the most important thing that came out of this experience."

That's awesome, Todd! Friendships are very important to me as well. You seem very confident in yourself. It’s great to see! What attributes contribute to that confidence?

"I am very confident. That goes back to High School. No, I was not popular in middle school, and I was kind of shy. And my mother was always so supportive of me and my weirdness. Suddenly, I said screw it, I am not going to be quiet and blend in with the wall, and kind of blossomed. I don't know why it clicked in my head, but I did. Again, have always been a big guy. Some people were very uncomfortable with me upsetting the status quo. I was loud, I was inappropriate, and I was amazing. I didn't let anyone tell me what to do and had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. That has all stuck with me.  With all of that being said, life gets rough. I have been beaten mentally over the years through trials and tribulations, and I need my friends to lean on during those times so I can bounce back to being who I want to be."

Sometimes you need a wakeup call to find your true self. We all have someone we want to be like. Who is your role model?

"This answer could change at any moment at any time, because it has. Kurt Angle and Mick Foley were big role models of mine growing up. Geoff Johns is a big role model of mine now. Throughout all of it, my mother has always been a role model. She is pretty much my rock. She has gone through so much over the past 15 years, but she has always put her kids first. Without her, I wouldn't be here today (See that works on multiple levels because, of course, I wouldn't be here since she had to spawn me first)."

Interesting choices, my mom is up there as well. Todd, you were part of Season 3, King of the Nerds, but unfortunately were on the losing end. If you could give it another go, would you change your approach?

"That is a very difficult question. I went out with a bang, and not necessarily a good bang. But you have no idea how you are going to play the game going in. Strategies change. These become your friends. One bad day can turn into the end. One bad geometry problem can spell doom for everything. So, the answer is yes and no. How can I change my approach without knowing all of the factors involved?"

Yes, you need to prepare yourself for any challenges in this show. Can you share something about yourself that people might not already know?

"I like to think I am like an open book and answer most questions. What you might not know is that I once competed on the State level for Culinary Arts. Oh! And I almost died when I was 17 while playing Uno with a 12-year-old Amish girl named Esther..... Oh, you probably want more detail? When I said Uno, my blood clot in my leg took that as the perfect opportunity to break off and rush to my lungs, causing me to have a Pulmonary Embolism and be rushed from one hospital to another. I have not played Uno since."

Wow, that's scary. I guess we aren't going to play Uno anytime soon. You have been quoted as “being able to beat your competition with wit.” Where did you go to school, and what did you study?

"I went to Johnson & Wales University in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina. I studied Sports/Entertainment & Event Management. I have always prided myself on being the first to say something between my friends to make them laugh or feel terrible."

Looks like a beautiful school. I'm sure it was a great experience in Woo, Charlotte. Get it? It says that you are from Pittsburgh. What is the coolest thing about your hometown? 

"I do currently live in Pittsburgh, but I am actually from a small town called Warren, Pennsylvania, which is 3 hours north of Pittsburgh near the New York border by Jamestown. Warren constructed most of the Gateway Arch that is in St. Louis. Oh! Also, most of the Louisville Slugger baseball bats are from trees that grow in Warren County."

That's very interesting, man. I didn't know that. You are seen in your promo holding a custom-made (Nerd) championship (really cool, by the way). Are you into wrestling? If so, do you have a favorite wrestler or match?

"I used to be HUGE into wrestling. SO MUCH INTO WRESTLING. I doubt I have any pictures anymore, but I would randomly go to school dressed as Mankind or Hurricane Helms. One of the highlights of my childhood was descending on Toronto and attending WrestleMania 17, where I got to see The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan. Mick Foley, Big Show, and Kurt Angle were all my favorites. We used to have a video store in Warren called TJ's Video that had wrestling VHS tapes, and I went and illegally copied my favorite matches onto an 8-hour tape that had all of my favorite matches.

Judging one match as my favorite is so tough. The first-ever TLC match between the Hardys, Dudleys, and Edge & Christian was phenomenal. Stone Cold vs. Kurt Angle. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H Hell in a Cell. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H I Quit Match. Steve Blackmon vs. Shane McMahon Hardcore Match. Shane McMahon vs. Kurt Angle at King of the Ring. The Gimmick Battle Royale with the Gobbledy Gooker. All fantastic matches for various reasons that popped into my mind, and I am sure there are a lot more, I just can't think of."

I could talk to you all day about wrestling. I would agree on a few of those choices. It must have been quite the experience attending WrestleMania. You consider yourself a gamer according to your #KOTN promo. What are your favorite games to play?

"So, I have worked at GameStop for the past 7 years off and on in various capacities. I like to consider myself a Hardcore Casual Gamer. I am not into Indie titles (other than Journey, which made me bawl), and love the big Triple A titles. I refused to touch a First-Person game forever because I hated all of them until I played Borderlands 2, which is one of the best multiplayer games of all time. In High School, I was an avid City of Heroes player and put so much time into it, especially when I was home from school, crippled. I spent hours upon hours building my characters and coming up with names and elaborate back stories."

I guess working at GameStop has taught you a lot about video games. Do you have a specific type of game you enjoy? 

"I am a sucker for Madden. I was a big Assassin's Creed fan until that garbage Assassin's Creed 3 came out. Then they sucked me back in with Assassin's Creed 4, then Unity came back, and I am not sure I want to try that series again. Borderlands 2 is one of my favorite games. Arkham City was my favorite game for so long. Super Smash Bros. is the best fighting game ever made. I am consistent with the fact that I am not consistent, other than my hatred for Call of Duty. I think all of my hatred for Call of Duty comes from working at GameStop for so long and the terrible cesspool of fans that only came into my store for Call of Duty. They were, generally, the worst people on the planet."

That's similar to my favorite games. I agree with you on Super Smash Bros. Such a fun game! I heard from the Johnny & Duce Happy Hour podcast that you are an avid comic book reader. How did you get into comic books?

"Comic books are the medium through which you can be engrossed in a story and awed by the art. They are long enough to keep your attention, but short enough that you don't have to spend hours upon hours reading one story. My dad, surprisingly enough, bought me my first comic book. It was a limited edition, variant Silver Surfer comic with a 3-D cover. I hated it. The cover was amazing, and the story was so bad. I bought a Flash/Green Lantern crossover the next day and LOVED IT. I ran to show my sister because Kyle Rainer made a polar bear construct and wanted everyone to know how amazing these two are. That is probably the reason Green Lantern and the Flash are my two favorites, and why I only wanted to read DC and never Marvel. I have always had this wild imagination, and comic books allowed my imagination to run even wilder, and I knew that other people could think of crazy things just like me."

Comic books tell great stories and also make some fun movies. What are some of your favorite comic books to read?

"It is a rough day in my life because I am ready for literally every single DC comic that comes out every month, and since Marvel is rebooting their universe, I decided to give that a try as well. Out of the New 52, my absolute favorite book was Earth 2. Such a great book to read. You never knew what was going to happen, and it was so fresh and original. Nicola Scott instantly became one of my favorite artists, and once Marguerite Bennet came onto the scene, she became one of my favorite writers. Anything Geoff Johns writes is generally gold. Aquaman quickly became one of my favorite superheroes, and Geoff Johns' run on Aquaman legitimized him so much in my mind. Midnighter just came out when they soft-rebooted the New 52, and Steve Orlando is just amazing. The fact that you have a gay man writing a gay character just makes sense, and Midnighter is SUCH A BADASS. If you have not given Midnighter a chance, you need to because it is a great read."

I know nothing about comic books, but I might check them out sometime. Everyone likes a good story. Can you tell us the story of how you became ‘Todd the Bod’?

"When I was walking home from 7th grade with my friends Corey and Taiji up Jackson Avenue in Warren, we were chatting about wrestling nicknames. I wanted a cool wrestling nickname. Andre the Giant. Jake the Snake. Jesse the Body Ventura. The best nicknames rhymed in my mind. Toddy the Body? No, that sounds corny. Why the hell would I want to be called Toddy? WAIT! TODD THE BOD! Taiji and Corey liked it; I loved it. It blew up when I got into 9th grade. I had such an attitude with the Seniors and would get in their face and yell back (I was 6'3 and 300 pounds as a Freshman). I was so outgoing, and everyone wanted to know who the hell this Freshman thought he was. In the cafeteria, some senior was being a terrible human being, and I yelled at him and he jumped up and said, "Who the hell do you think you are?!" to which I replied, "Oh, you don't know?! I AM TODD THE BOD!" and proceeded to rub my body like Goldust. Everyone knew who the hell I was after that, and it stuck."

That's quite a story. (laughing). Well, I would love to ask you more questions, but that is all the time we have. Thanks for your time, Todd. It was a pleasure! How can people connect with you?

"Thank you for allowing me to write these answers. You can follow me on Twitter with @ToddtheBod12, and you can find my fan page on Facebook, where I am Todd the Bod. Tweet at me, post things on my wall. Tell me you love me, or hate me, it will be fun! I have an Instagram as well (ToddtheBod12), but I have no idea why people follow me on there since I have only ever posted one thing."

Twitter: https://twitter.com/toddthebod12

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toddthebodkotn

Instagram: https://instagram.com/toddthebod12/

Thanks again!

Cheers,

Todd

Thanks for answering my questions, Todd! You seem like a very interesting person. Thanks again for your time! I hope you are enjoying your Summer!