Ask Heather – A PunchDrunkGamer Feature with Heather Shanholtz – Halloween Hangover Edition
By PDG Staff
Always looking to tip the scales, PunchDrunkGamer has teamed up with Maxim, FHM, Muscle Mag, The Ring, TapouT and American Curves model, Ring Card Girl, Stunt-woman and all-around stunner Heather Shanholtz! Heather will be doing a weekly “Ask Heather” feature for PunchDrunkGamer, taking questions from her fans and the PDG readers.
During her short career, Heather has accomplished every goal she had set for herself but that doesn’t stop her from wanting more. Heather has been featured in over 45 national magazines including Maxim, FHM and Muscle Mag. Heather is also very well know in the MMA world with her being a spokesmodel for Tito Ortiz for his clothing line Punishment Athletics and countless features in all of the MMA related magazines and websites. Heather is also the spokesmodel for a company called Flying Pasties. The company invented special pasties to wear under your clothes when entering body scanners at the airport.
Heather has done countless appearances, car shows and radio interviews. Recently Heather has found her new love, acting. Heather is to appear with feature roles on the shows Graceland (to air this summer on the USA network) and The Glades to air sometime this year. Last year Heather also accomplished one of her other goals and attended International Stunt School where she became a certified stunt woman. She jumped from buildings, was lit on fire, did combat and knife fights and also driving stunts. With receiving countless awards and recognition in the modeling industry she is ready to accomplish her next set of goals. So welcome Heather to PunchDrunkGamer and keep sending in great questions!
Here are some of your questions submitted this week, enjoy!
1. Did you attend Dr. Lenny Hochstein’s Halloween Party in Miami? how was it and what did you finally choose for a costume? Also, I imagine the party was over the weekend, so how did you spend Halloween?
Heather Shanholtz – I actually spent my Halloween catching up on much needed rest and was a bum all day long just hanging around the house. Dr. Hochstein’s party is actually tonight (Friday-November 1) and I’m literally on the treadmill as I’m writing this lol! I’m definitely a hard worker. Even when I’m getting my pedicures I have my laptop on hand. My girl Kair Bear and I have matching costumes so you will have to wait until next week and come back to check them out 🙂
2. You seem to have a rather big and close knit family, are any of your relatives also in the modeling/ring girl/actor business and would you recommend the business to a family member?
Heather Shanholtz – My family is huge! I am very close with them. My little sister Ashley gave birth to my beautiful niece last year and then she got into the health and fitness. She recently did a fitness shoot and I think it will escalate into the fitness world. Since she is a mommy now she’s not into the glamour type of stuff that I do. I definitely see her getting into the fitness industry though. We have talked about releasing some workout videos so we will see what happens. I would recommend it to my family but it is a lot of work to get into it. I work way more than someone with a normal 9-5 job. Check out my sister on Instagram: @ash_mcaree and follow her, you won’t be disappointed.
3. Your friend Tito Ortiz recently suffered another neck injury that forced the cancellation of his fight with Rampage Jackson at Bellator 106 this weekend. Have you spoken with him and at the age of 38 do you think he will be able to make a comeback and fight again?
Heather Shanholtz – I have not spoken with him but I’m sure he could get back into it. If he wants it that bad he will prove everyone wrong. It’s hard to stop someone with so much drive and ambition. We hit our downfalls like everyone else but what doesn’t kill you definitely makes you stronger. I have faith in him, he is “The People’s Champion”. 🙂
4. I saw you posted a map of what appears to be a trip from Florida to the backwoods of Tennessee. Did you have a good trip/vacation and did you meet any hillbillies?
Heather Shanholtz – I had an amazing time! I surprised my Aunt Dot with a trip to Ellijay, GA. She wanted to go up there to see the fall season and pick apples. We got a beautiful log cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere on top of a mountain. Aunt Dot was terrified by the roads as we reached the top with cliffs all around us but she calmed down eventually. My cousin Heather, Aunt Dot, Aunt Dot’s best friend Ally, my Aunt Rose & Aunt Lisa all went. It was a fun family girls trip. We picked apples, went to a pumpkin patch, took a train ride, went shopping, hiked through the mountains to see the waterfalls, had a campfire and made s’mores, and had some amazing meals and really great times. It was definitely a trip to remember. As far as “Hillbillies”, we definitely met some interesting folks but they were all nice for the most part, it wasn’t anything like that old movie “Deliverance” starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds.
5. With Halloween being this week, I have a somewhat strange question. If you had to pick either Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees as your bodyguard, who would it be and why?
Heather Shanholtz – Freddy Krueger. I think he’s the creepiest and the scariest but I also dig his fashion. Lol!
6. How much money would Playboy have to pay you for a nude shoot? Also, would you change your stance on nudity if it involved being in a feature film that had some big name actors in it?
Heather Shanholtz – Nope, I won’t ever pose nude. It’s a choice that I’ve made for myself. I don’t know where my life will take me and out of respect for my family I just can’t and won’t do it. Plus, I wouldn’t want it to come back and bite myself in the ass like I’ve seen it happen to other girls. Maybe I would do Playboy but they would have to offer me at least $200k and that would never happen, so I don’t have to worry about it.
7. It always seems like you are non-stop work and travel, was it any different this past week?
Heather Shanholtz – Very hectic, busy and fun! Like I mentioned earlier, I went to GA on a road trip with the family. It was an 11 hour drive but we had to stop a lot for bathroom breaks and also to eat and rest so we broke it up into 2 days of travel. As soon as I got back one of my close friends and also a model, Kriss Cunningham came to visit me from Seattle. So we’ve been having a blast. We did a shoot with Kenny Roland and then today we did another shoot with Alex Manfredini. Both awesome photographers! Tomorrow we are doing a photo shoot with Oscar Rabeiro and then are being body painted for an event with MK Arts. (I’ll be sure to post photos from that next week)
Sunday we are being body painted again by MK Arts and doing a shoot with Go Cover Girls. She’s going to play the angelic one and I’m going to play the bad girl and we are doing a fighting scene. It will all be done through graphics in Photoshop with lots of post production effects. (Also, images will be posted next week from that). We have been very busy and have been having a blast! Check out some of our behind the scenes shots from Alex Manfredini below and also some of our shots from Kenny Roland.
8. Since you have worked in the fight industry for years, what is your take on head injuries associated with contact sports (football, MMA, boxing, etc.) and would you allow your kids to play those sports despite the injury risks?
Heather Shanholtz – Head injuries are one of the most extreme injuries you can have. If I had kids and they wanted to do a sport that involved something like that I would make sure they knew all of the risks before getting into it and I would make sure they went to the best training and someone I felt comfortable with. Yea I’d be scared but if it’s something that a kid really dreams of why not. There are tons of things out there that could cause injuries at any given time. Life is all about calculated risk.
9. You wrote that you like drinking wine. Are you a white or red woman and do you have any recommendations that I could get for my girlfriend to try out? Maybe you could also recommend a dinner dish and recipe to go with it. Thanks!
Heather Shanholtz – Decoy by Duckhorn ( it’s a really tasty red blend) it’s also my bestie Eva’s favorite, she turned me onto it. It’s best with lamb chops.
Here’s my favorite recipe – Rosemary Lamb Chops
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 2 to 3.
In this recipe we are working with lamb rib chops, with two ribs per chop. This yields a thicker piece of meat than if we had single rib chops, and is more forgiving with cooking time if you like your lamb rare or medium rare. If you have single rib chops, which are thinner pieces, you’ll have to pay closer attention, and sear quickly, to not overcook the chops. Note that 1 pound of lamb rib chops is about 4 double-rib chops, which serves 2 to 3 people. You can also use lamb loin chops in lieu of rib chops for this recipe.
Lamb chops are best eaten on the rare side. Error on less cooking time than you would expect, that way you can always cook them further if you want them more well done.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lamb chops (lamb rib chops are what are pictured here)
2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
METHOD:
Before you start, decide if you want your lamb chops rare or medium. If you want your lamb chops rare in the center, you can cook them entirely on the stovetop. If you want them a bit more cooked, and you have double rib chops (2 ribs per piece of meat, each piece of meat about 1/4 of a pound), you will want to finish them in the oven, at 400°F for a few minutes. Or you can cover the pan and remove from the heat and just let sit for a few minutes.
1 In a small bowl, mix the rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together. Coat the lamb chops with the mixture, massaging it into the meat with your fingers. If you are working with double rib chops, cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. (If you are working with single rib chops, and you want the result to be rare, let the chops sit in the rub in the refrigerator, do not let come to room temp or the thin ribs will easily overcook when you sear them in the next step.)
2 Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in an oven-proof sauté pan over high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot, sear the lamb chops on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. (If you are working with single rib chops, sear only on two sides, and only a minute or so on each side if you want the result to be rare or medium rare.)
3 At this point, if you want your lamb chops rare, they are likely cooked enough. Remove them from the pan, cover them with foil and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. If you would like your chops more cooked, you can put them in a 400°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or keep them in the hot pan, remove from heat, and cover the pan for a few minutes. Then remove from the pan to a plate or cutting board, cover with foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy 🙂
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Follow Heather:
Instagram: @HShanholtz
Be sure to check out Tito Ortiz’s clothing line Punishment Athletics – www.punishment.com
To submit your question to Heather, either post them below or email it to admin@punchdrunkgamer.com Keep it classy and we’ll see you next week with more Q&A and more photos!
