MILWAUKIE, Ore. - Being a wife and a working mother can be quite a struggle on its own but a local woman has done all that and taken on some of the strongest women in the world on national TV.

Monica Carlson grew up watching the old American Gladiators show with her family and jumped at the chance to become one of the show's regulars.

But after the interview, show producers didn't feel that Carlson had the physical tools to fill the role on NBC's competitive show.

"They were thinking that I was a little bit too small but that they'd love to have me as a contender," she said.

So the former Trail Blazers dancer and mother of 8-year-old twin daughters took the challenge and went off to compete for the $100,000 prize. 

"As I left, my husband said 'don't even think about coming back unless you win the money,'" she said.

Carlson did not disappoint.  With millions watching, the 32-year-old battled her way to the championship.

The American Gladiators show was actually shot and finished in December but the final episode didn't air until last Sunday. 

That meant that Carlson, and family members who attended the taping, could not tell anyone that she won or else she would have to forfeit the $100,000 prize.  Plus, according to the agreement, she would have to pay a $1 million penalty.

Keeping the secret was hard for Carlson and her husband, and even tougher on her young daughters.

Carlson didn't just win money.  As the champion, she will now be a gladiator on next season's show.

"This is a dream come true for me," she said.  "It's more than I have ever imagined and more than I can ever ask for."

Carlson will need a cool gladiator name for next season and while she has some ideas, she has decided to let fans pick the name.  Shooting for season two is expected to begin this spring.