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It's hard to imagine Dr. Travis Stork of "The Doctors" as anything but one of America's most-trusted TV doctors.
Yet, he nearly missed his calling.
Born in Colorado, he grew up in cities across the Midwest thanks to his dad's job as a salesman, which kept the family on the move every few years. By the time he landed at Duke University, he was majoring in math and economics - not medicine.
"I had no intention of being a doctor," he shares, "because I didn't come from a family of doctors, and I didn't know any doctors growing up."
Instead, he became an actuary scientist, focusing on financial forecasting. But it wasn't a perfect fit.
"It missed the elements of human interaction," he says.
He moved to Washington, D.C., and, after a few years, debated whether to apply to grad school for a master's degree in business administration or continue on the actuary route. Then, he experienced an awakening while volunteering at a free clinic.
"It just ended up being one of those unique moments in life where I saw the doctors interacting with patients," he says. "It was the perfect blend of science and the true beauty of human interaction. One thing led to another, and I started a deep dive into what a career in medicine would look like."
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He became so driven that he began taking pre-med classes at night while continuing his day job and ended up going to medical school at the University of Virginia five years after college.
"Obviously," he notes, "I ended up taking a different route than most."
His path grew even more unique following a meal with friends while completing his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
"I went to dinner with some ER colleagues on a Friday night, and there ended up being a casting director for 'The Bachelor' nearby who came over and started chatting up our group," he says.
Not long after, he was offered the lead on the hit ABC reality series. At first, he turned it down, citing his responsibilities at the hospital. Surprisingly, however, his coworkers supported the notion.
"My entire department really got behind the idea, and, the next thing you know, I'm on a plane to Paris."
After several whirlwind weeks of taping "The Bachelor" season eight, Dr. Stork didn't propose - but he did end up handing his final rose to fellow Tennessee resident Sarah Stone. However, the two split shortly after the season aired in early 2006.
"It was an overwhelming experience," he says. "We were both from Nashville and had a lot of mutual friends, and we had to keep the whole thing secret while the show aired. It's a difficult thing to get through, and we were both very level-headed about it, but it was a matter of too quick, too soon with the relationship. We remained friends."
It is rumored that he dated megastar Carrie Underwood in 2008. He was later married to pediatrician Charlotte Brown for three years. The two divorced in 2015.
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Dr. Stork looks back on his "Bachelor" experience fondly.
"I always say I'm not defined by 'The Bachelor.' It's an adventure I went on."
It's one that granted him instant international fame. Once the show aired, Dr. Stork was recognized everywhere from New York City to Africa.
"Working at the hospital all the time, I had no idea how big the show was," he states. "It made me realize the power of television and how invested people are in it."
His newfound fame followed him to the Colorado mountains, where he moved after the show to resume his career as an ER physician. Patients, he says, would recognize him constantly. Dr. Stork took it in stride.
"I treated it as an opportunity. If a patient feels like they know me from television and that helps put them at ease, then I try to embrace that part of it. I've always been authentic on TV; I've always been myself. So, when people see me in the ER, they're seeing the same person they've seen on TV."
He didn't stay behind the scenes for long, however. He received a call from Jay McGraw, the son of TV personality Dr. Phil. The "Dr. Phil" show, McGraw explained, was getting an overflow of medical questions from viewers. Dr. Stork was asked to appear on the show to help answer them.
"Very quickly, they realized an entire hour on this could work," he explains. "Which is how we were able to successfully shoot a pilot for 'The Doctors.'"
Dr. Stork's background perfectly suited the needs of the syndicated show.
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"Being an ER doctor, we call ourselves a jack-of-all-trades," he says. "You literally have to be able to take care of any patient at any time. You're not only seeing every type of medical illness, you're also dealing with social issues. It helped equip me with a lot of the types of topics we cover on the show."
More than a decade later, "The Doctors," which first aired in 2008, is still going strong.
"When we started, I was in my 30s, and now I'm 46," Dr. Stork says. "It's been such a great journey because my passion truly is helping others. It's been fun to watch the show evolve."
He remains as dedicated to the show and its concept as ever.
"Over the years, we've probably done tens of thousands of segments where you meet people who are persevering through medical problems," he says. "It's really powerful stuff. I think it offers a lot of hope and inspiration. A lot of people we have on the show feel like they're on their last Hail Mary, and they've almost given up. It's really amazing to watch them persevere. That's what keeps you going."
On a lighter note, he also enjoys separating fact from fiction when it comes to topics like fitness and diet fads.
Says Dr. Stork: "We offer our opinion on things that are buzzworthy, which I love. It's just like, take it or leave it, this is what I think."
When pressed for his No. 1 health tip, he's quick to answer: "We have a problem in this country in terms of getting enough fiber. So my advice would be to throw out any white bread, any white pasta, any white food. Bring in whole grain, whole wheat. The time we live in, it's remarkable how many choices we have."
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Nutrition is an area he feels strongly about.
"Over 70 percent of people in this country are overweight or obese," he continues. "People are so confused about the science behind nutrition and obesity. They want answers, but, unfortunately, it's hard to keep up with a lot of the marketing out there, which offers what I call false hope. My passion is trying to inform people that food is your medicine. The first step is to stop letting food act as a poison, and then you can flip the script and use it as medicine."
These days, Dr. Stork divides his time between Tennessee, where he has lived on and off for the past 15 years, and Los Angeles, where he tapes "The Doctors."
"Usually, I'll fly out to LA on a Tuesday or Wednesday, then fly back to Tennessee on the weekends. No two weeks really look alike, which I've tried to embrace." Given his hectic, cross-country schedule, is there room for romance? Dr. Stork isn't saying. "The one thing I will say 'The Bachelor' has taught me is to keep my personal life private," he says with a laugh. "I've learned the best thing for me is to just lay low."
His career, in the meantime, is soaring. In addition to his ER work and his hit television show, the New York Times best-selling author has also started working on his seventh book, which will focus on his mantra of food as medicine.
Clearly, it's been a whirlwind ride for Dr. Stork, but he isn't hanging up his scrubs anytime soon.
"This whole journey," he says, "has been unexpected, but I wouldn't change a thing." O