PHOTO PROVIDED Williamsport native Dakota McGee competes in a variety of challenges on “99 to Beat,” which he describes as “refreshing” and “a big adventure.”

The journey to million dollar prize has ended for Williamsport native Dakota Michael McGee, after he came in at 14th place on Fox’s gameshow 99 to Beat.

But despite falling short, McGee remains as optimistic as ever.

“It was a fantastic experience,” he said.

“I definitely seized the day, grabbed the bull by the horns, fought for my place and I deserved it,” McGee said.

“This show definitely opened so many doors for me, and not just like in reality shows, but it also opened the door for the friendships that I made because you want friends who keep you motivated to be the best that you can be, and with Carl, Maria and Miranda, I found people that were so like-minded that understood me without having to say things, it was so, so refreshing to be able to shine, and to have my friends shine too,” he said.

“To be able to have that competitive nature where we would trash talk each other, and then break bread during the day or after the games, we maintained a friendship, but we also understood that, ‘I’m winning this game,” McGee said, noting that himself, Carl and Maria share a birthday and will be taking a trip to celebrate in May.

Contrary to how it appears when cut for television, McGee said that many of the challenges took much longer than viewers saw, including one of the most difficult, the t-shirt challenge, which he described as a “luck game.”

“I definitely struggled with any of the luck because I don’t rely on luck. I make things happen for myself. I don’t sit down and wait for things to happen, so it was really hard to give that control up,” he said.

His feeling on the team-up challenges is much the same, calling the predetermined team-ups “scary.”

“I can lose for myself. I don’t need anyone else to lose for me. The worst part was knowing that only one person can win, there’s no trophy at the end of this. It’s a million dollars, and to be put into teams and have to rely on people you’re still fighting for that money with is a hard thing to ask of people,” McGee said.

“But I can’t necessarily say any games were extremely difficult. I think it was just a psychological effect of what certain games meant,” he added.

And while liking many of his fellow competitors, McGee stressed that each one was in it to win for themselves.

“It would have been nice to win, and for me, it was a desire, a necessity, and it was desperation to support myself and my family, and to create a better life for us, and there’s no apology ever coming from my mouth for that,” he said, adding “they’re great people, but they’re not worth a million dollars.”

But McGee stressed that after finishing his challenges, he would run to the sidelines to encourage his competitors.

Unsurprisingly, McGee’s favorite games were those that required physical skill, which ironically included the game his show run ended on, the blow dryer game.

“I loved that game because it was so easy for me. That was a fun game because it was a chance to show more of an actual skill asset, instead of it being just up to chance,” he said.

Some other highlights for McGee included the money drop and bowling games.

“The twerking disc was hysterical. Carl, Maria and I were just sitting there chuckling the whole time we were twerking,” McGee added.

But the dryer game was also one of the most endurance-testing games, he said.

“It was a race and it was an obstacle course. There was no hiding our skill sets anymore, either you were a competitor or you weren’t. It was one of those games where you actually had to fight and be better than everybody else,” McGee said.

Though this was the end of the line for McGee, he finds solace in the fact that he was consistently viewed as the biggest threat to some of his other competitors, including previous Survivor winner Sandra Diaz-Twine and Danni Boatwright acknowledging him as such.

“I had a survivor winner saying I was a threat. That’s a big deal in my eyes,” he said.

With 99 to Beat under his belt, McGee is looking for his next big adventure.

“I think what’s on the horizon next for me is just the way to line my pockets with a million dollars,” he said.

“I would love to be on Big Brother, Survivor, The Challenge, any kind of show that is competitive, I’m your guy, I’m there and I’m ready,” McGee said.

“This wasn’t my time for a million dollars, but I’m still one step closer to a million dollars. It’s a part of my journey. I guarantee, you give me a year, I’ll be on something different,” he said.

McGee’s advice for anyone considering trying their luck at anything is to have confidence and just go for it.

“Being from such a small town was a big motivation for me, because I was like, ‘Dakota, you will not be a big fish in a small pond. You are going to be a big fish in an even bigger pond, and you’re going to thrive in it until you come out on top. I don’t believe in limitations on myself, and I will break the mold,” he said.

“My advice would be, embarrass yourself, scare yourself, question everything you’re doing. Now is the time in everyone’s life to go after what they want and never wait for the opportunity to arise,” he urged.

“There’s something so magical about creating a journey for yourself, a road, and sticking to it, and seeing where that takes you, but also knowing that you’re the one guiding that road. The journey is the fun part. Getting there is just the reward,” McGee said.

“If you think you have what it takes, if you think that you can beat the other 99, apply for 99 to Beat next year and put your money where your mouth is,” he said.