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Daniela Bustamante
Daniela
Information
Full name

Daniela Esthor Bustamante

Endurance: Tehachapi, 2nd place
Hometown

Boca Raton, FL

Age

14

Team

Purple Team

Partner

Jonathan Lebowitz

Arrived

Hang Glide

Left

Finale

"I'm a huge Endurance fan; I'm really determined, so like, anything it takes, like, I'll do anything; hold on no matter what happens."
— Daniela in Hang Glide

Daniela Esthor Bustamante (born October 29, 1990) is a former contestant and finalist on Endurance: Tehachapi. She competed alongside Jonathan Lebowitz as the Purple Team.

Endurance[]

This die-hard Endurance fan knew she had to be on the series from the first time she saw it. She watches the show every day — even the reruns! She’s captain of her softball team. Even though she’s the shortest player, she’s a good outfielder and her best position is catcher. In her spare time, this straight-A student loves to tool around on her scooter.

—DiscoveryKids.com bio

Daniela was one of the contestants that made it through the Right to Stay. In the partner selection, she originally wanted Michael , because of their close bond together. Chris however put her with Jonathan as mistakenly thought they wanted to be a pair. At first, Daniela was very upset, but soon overcame it. The Purple Team made an alliance with the Green Team; though Daniela was friends with Jeszie, she was also close with Erika and Kylie--making her role even smaller.

By the next episode, Daniela claims everything got better since the partner selection, though she still doesn't sound convinced. The Purple Team lost Blocked, because they didn't have good teamwork. However, the next day, they won Raft Pull, and Daniela was happy about winning because everyone thought of them as the underdogs. She decided to keep the decision on who was going to Temple secret, and liked having power because everyone was crowding around her, wondering if they were going to stay. They then decided to send Blue and Gray up to the Temple of Fate.

Daniela was the second person to fall in Drop Out, and the Purple Team was put on the "weak" Superteam with Orange and Blue. However, because of an erroneous mistake by the Red-Yellow-Green Superteam in Super Stumped, the underdog team roared on to victory.

Things took a turn for the worst for Purple the next day, as they lost Waterworks; because they placed last, they would automatically be sent to the Temple of Fate. It was a crushing blow for Daniela, as she was a determined contestant and wanted to win Endurance. There was some hope though as Purple would be spared from temple if they won the following temple mission. Isaac also vowed to do what he can to help Purple. This played a big factor in Green's decision to give the samadhi to Red.

Being the biggest Endurance fan, she notes the next day's challenge, which was the most popular challenge on Endurance: Fireball. Sadly, the Purple Team lost in the very first round as Orange decided to eliminate them, sealing their fate. Daniela was shown crying and being comforted by Amelia afterwards. Green would end up winning the challenge and they sent Orange. Despite being sent to Temple, they managed to beat the Orange Team and come back.

In Hang 5, J.D. commented at the beginning of the episode that he wasn't sure if he was going to see Daniela smile again the previous night. She took notice on how Isaac and Amelia are really close, but unlike Jeszie, she doesn't want them separated. The Purple Team did what Jonathan called "second best" in the challenge. However, in the Isaac-Jeszie conflict on who to give the Samadhi to, she was shown watching from the background, but didn't intervene. Nor did she ask the Green Team to give them the Samadhi.

Before the challenge in Cubed, Daniela wanted the mission to be a puzzle, based on the Samadhi the Red Team was given the previous night. It happened to be a puzzle, and the Purple Team finished in 51 seconds, winning the mission and giving them a spot in the final three. However, they also had to send two teams to the Temple of Fate. Daniela argued that Green should go to Temple along with Red, because they were the two strongest teams and they were closer to the end of the competiton. She then states that if one of them were to leave that night, they would have a good chance of winning. However, Jonathan vetoed her idea, and Green didn't go.

In Create Your Own Game, Purple, along with everyone else, got to create their own game, and Daniela read out the rules. Purple ended up winning, and Daniela was happy, because they got a piece, and states that pieces are important in the end. She wanted to give the Samadhi to Green, because they were the strongest team and were in the final three, so they couldn't save each other anymore. Before they made their decision on the Hill, J.D. mentions how Daniela was the biggest Endurance fan, and asks her how would it feel walking down the street and someone knew she was Endurance Champion, and she responded it would feel good. Like agreed, Purple decided to give the Samadhi to their allies, the Green Team.

In Circle of Trust, Daniela was one of the last two people hanging on, where she faced off against Erika. She kept complaining about her hands and begged Jonathan to let her go, but Jonathan, along with Isaac, kept telling her not to, because they wanted Purple and Green to make it to the end together. Despite trying to hang on for as long as possible, she eventually let go, giving Erika the win. She then regrets on how she held on, but didn't win. As a result, Purple and Green would be sent up to the Temple of Fate, where Purple won and made it to the finale, but it would be bittersweet as their allies on Green would be eliminated.

In Spin Fly, Daniela mentions if they lose, she would be happy, but she wanted to be Endurance Champion. Like the other three contestants, she got to paint the five poles representing the fallen teams. During the challenge, she got one piece, Leadership, and almost had Teamwork, which bounced out. Purple eventually got more pieces than Red in the mission: 4-3. This improved Purple's piece standing going into the final temple visit though Red, who now had 7 pieces, still had a slim lead over Purple's now six pieces.

During the Finale, J.D. mentions how Purple was the underdogs, and people thought they wouldn't get along. Daniela denies it, and says she initially wanted Michael, but got Jonathan. Later on, she admits that the best part was having Jonathan for a partner, and she would get teary up at Temple. In the final challenge, Purple would take the lead in the beginning, but trailed the rest of the way, until round four, where they risked their final two pieces and got back in the game. That would be futile, however, as they would eventually lose to the Red Team. Daniela looked a bit sad when the game was over, but smiled.

Portrayal & Relationships[]

Daniela was depicted as a contestant who was very determined to make it to the end. This was famously demonstrated in Circle of Trust, where Daniela hung on despite her desire to let go. It was also a huge improvement from Power Play and Drop Out , where she would be the second person to let go in both cases. She was not ruthless competitor, despite her desire to win, and didn't want to hurt anyone.

She was generally friendly with everybody; she was especially close to Jeszie and Erika. She had a smaller role in the Purple-Green Alliance, and claimed Green was only their friends. Daniela even tried to persuade Jonathan in Cubed to send Green up, because they were the strongest team. She was good friends with Michael, and wanted him as a partner, but was disappointed when she was paired with Jonathan. As a result, they had poor teamwork in the beginning. But as time went on and Purple became stronger, they got along better and Daniela was happy she got Jonathan as a partner.

Quotes[]

  • "I'm a huge Endurance fan; I'm really determined, so like, anything it takes, like, I'll do anything; hold on no matter what happens." (before the Right to Stay) --Hang Glide
  • "Everyone underestimated us, and gave us two little sandbags, and guess what we did--we won. Who's in charge now?" (confessional after winning Raft Pull)
  • "You guys will never know; I could twist it and be like, Green and Yellow." --Raft Pull
  • "Today's mission's puzzle!" --Cubed
  • "All the pieces fit in one second we got it, in 51 seconds. It was so awesome, so good, we're in the final three, it's so awesome." (confessional after winning Cubed)
  • "First Temple Mission, we won. Second Temple Mission, superteams, we won. Third Temple Mission, we were automatically in the Temple, so it's not like [Green Team] helped us in any way." (to Jonathan) --Cubed
  • "We just came from the mission, and I did this for absolutely no reason, because I had to let go. And I'm going to Temple...I'm so mad." (confessional after Circle of Trust)
  • "Did I get paint on my face?"
    • Jonathan: "Yes."
    • Franke: "It looks beautiful, keep it there." --Spin Fly
  • "I think we proved everybody wrong. I definitely know how everybody thought we were the weakest team when we were all here. Being in the final two and winning so many missions people can't be like they're not strong." --Spin Fly
  • "No, it's not true. I wanted Michael, no, not anymore." --Finale
  • "I think the best thing that happened here, was getting Jonathan as a partner. I think that Jonathan has a lot of heart going into the game. He always tried his best, I learned a lot from him, and I think he's just a great partner." --Finale
  • "If we win, I'll be so happy. To think back, when all 20 contestants were here and J.D. saying, 'Two of you are Endurance Champions. We just got to find out which ones'. It's just really cool how you win, like, those two people were you."

Post Endurance[]

Daniela attended Central Florida University. She currently works as an occupational therapist in Florida.

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

Please do not upload personal images of the contestant unless you have received permission.

External Links[]

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