Wan Janmee on her New Zealand challenge

Five weeks in a motorhome in New Zealand might sound like heaven but not when TV producers are dreaming up hellishly difficult tasks for you – including bungee jumping, white water rafting, glacier climbing, and canyoning.

“We did many extreme challenges and each one seemed to be difficult for me because I am not a fit and sporty girl,” says Wan Vongsakul, of Hollybush Row, Oxford.

“I am normally a lady and prefer not to do any difficult sport.”

Wan and her husband Mark, who with his family own and run a number of Thai restaurants including the Bangkok House in Hythe Bridge Street, were taking part in RV Rampage, a television show for the Travel Channel.

The series pits five international selected couples against each other to compete in a series of cultural and adrenalin-charged challenges as they explore the awe-inspiring countryside of New Zealand and compete for a prize of £5,000.

Throughout the trip they live and travel in the shared confines of RVs (motorhomes) and are given no information about where they are going and no clue to what challenges they will be undertaking along the way.

“I wasn’t fit so it was very hard for me to do some of the physical challenges but my mentality was just thinking that I would like to win,” says Wan. “To show the world a little Thai girl can do any challenge.”

Mark and Wan, who met three years ago when Wan was selling Chang beer to Mark’s restaurants, organised the Oxford Thai Food Festival at Botley Park last year and the show’s producers contacted them through the Oxford Thai food Facebook page.

After discussing it, they had a telephone interview and then travelled to London for a video casting. “We just showed our natural personalities, giving facts and answers. We enjoyed it a lot,” says Wan.

“I think at the beginning I was more excited about going but later, when both of us got more involved with the program, we were both equally keen. It seem to be very fun and it would be a once in the life time opportunity.”

But it wasn’t easy going.

Challenges included a ledge walk 54 stories up at the top of Auckland’s Sky Tower; learning a traditional Haka in half an hour and performing it for Maori judges;a 15,000ft skydive and shearing sheep’s bottoms.

“I think the hardest challenge was kayaking because you need to be strong to paddle three kilometres around an island – and at the same time you need to have good team work too,” says Wan, admitting: “Both of us were rubbish at this challenge.”

The pace of the five-week shoot was gruelling too.

“We woke up early to get ready for challenges and when I got back I was so exhausted almost every day,” says Wan, 42.

They shared the RV with another team and took turns driving to travel around the North Island and South Island.

There was just one day off each week “for laundry, relaxing and to party”.

They even thought about quitting.

“But my strong heart told me that I needed to get through it,” says Wan.

“We were proud of ourselves for being selected to represent the Asian region for the competition and the ability to control our fears of the challenges.

“We did everything really well.”

Wan and her husband Mark

Wan, who was brought up in Thailand and moved to Britain eight years ago said she was more competitive than Mark, 34, who was born in Britain to Thai parents.

“I mostly controlled game plans but we always supported each other.”

It led to a little friction at times.

“As we were the only husband and wife team, of course sometimes we had arguments when game plans didn’t go as well as we expected but in the end we still love each other.

“Nothing can affect you if you know each other very well.”

She has seen a preview and thinks it might feature in some of the episodes.

“I am excited how the production team will present me on TV but it might look like I control my husband,” she says.

Despite that, the couple thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“The crew were very friendly and we got on well with the team. As we are from the restaurant background I did a Thai food party for the crew too.

“When filming I didn’t think about cameras I just did it naturally.”

The couple’s highlights were travelling around the New Zealand (“without expenses”), getting to know new people, taking on challenges they would never of dreamed of doing and generally doing “different things from normal life”.

“It was a fantastic experience and I found out that I was more competitive than I realised”, says Wan.

You can find out how Wan coped with the sporty challenges when the RV Rampage series begins on Monday at 9pm on the Travel Channel