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EXTREME DODGEBALL Returns on GSN With a New League, Celebrity Captains and More Intense Action
Third Season Opens With Jeremiah Trotter, Kerri Walsh, Hal Sparks, Mario
Lopez, Mia St. John and Tara Dakides Leading Teams Representing
Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Denver
Rip Torn Named Commissioner as a New Playing Format and Arena
are Unveiled on July 19
SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 14 -- The game that everyone grew
up playing on the playgrounds continues to grow in popularity and GSN is
bringing it home to viewers with an exciting new format as season three of
EXTREME DODGEBALL premieres on Tuesday, July 19 at 10 PM ET/PT.
Celebrity actors and world class athletes are getting in on the fun this
season. Each of the new six teams in the league feature a celebrity player
captain. Jeremiah Trotter (Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro linebacker), Hal
Sparks ("Queer as Folk"), Kerri Walsh (Olympic Gold Medalist and #1 on the AVP
Beach Volleyball Tour), Mario Lopez ("The Other Half"), Tara Dakides (World
Class snowboarder, Gold Medalist in 2000 & 2001 X-Games Big Air competition)
and Mia St. John (IFBA Lightweight World Champion Boxer) lead their respective
teams throughout the season on GSN.
Helming the new EXTREME DODGEBALL teams as player-captains are Trotter for
the Philadelphia Benjamins; Sparks for the Chicago Hitmen; Dakides for the
Denver Hurlers; Walsh for the Detroit Spoilers; Lopez for the L.A. Armed
Response and St. John for the New York Bling. Each team is comprised of seven
players; five men and two women.
EXTREME DODGEBALL has also named a new commissioner to help viewers with
the new format. Rip Torn, the veteran actor who was featured in the movie
"Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" is the new GSN EXTREME DODGEBALL version
of David Stern, Paul Tagliabue and Bud Selig.
The season long competition culminates with the semi-finals and
championship match as the teams compete for $170,000 in prize money.
"In the past year, dodgeball has become the hot new coed game at colleges,
fitness centers and in gymnasiums across America," said Rich Cronin, President
and CEO of GSN. "GSN's EXTREME DODGEBALL series will build the game's
popularity and attract viewers with a combination of real competition and
comedy entertainment. From our new commissioner, Rip Torn, to our new
celebrity captains to hosts Bil Dwyer, Zach Selwyn and Michele Merkin, this
season's EXTREME DODGEBALL is more compelling than ever. We even have our own
outrageous mascot, Dodgy! What other summer series can offer all this?"
Also new for the season is a redesigned, state-of-the-art Dodgeball arena
with curved back walls. The rules were restructured to feature four quarters,
adding a time clock and a point-based scoring system. A penalty throw was a
new addition this year for those athletes receiving yellow or red card
infractions. EXTREME DODGEBALL continues to use two balls in competition in
addition to a big ball used for increased scoring in the second quarter.
"We spent a lot of time in the off season working to make EXTREME
DODGEBALL more exciting for the viewers and the players," said Ian Valentine,
SVP of Programming, GSN. "The new time and scoring formats combined with a
no-out-of-bounds arena have really upped the drama of the game. We think our
audience will love it."
The basic format for each game is as follows: There are four quarters
featuring six-minutes of extreme dodgeball action. Points are awarded each
time a player catches a ball and/or hits an opponent. The team earning the
most points at the end of the game is the winner of that match. At the end of
the regular season each team will have played 10 games. The top four teams in
the league will compete in the play-offs. The two teams that win their
playoff games will face off for the championship.
Bil Dwyer ("Battlebots") and Zach Selwyn ("Dream Job") return as the
play-by-play announcer and color commentator, respectively. Joining the
announcing crew this year is Michele Merkin ("E!"), who provides on-court
commentary and interviews.
As with any major sport, EXTREME DODGEBALL would not be complete without a
mascot. GSN introduces "Dodgy" to the fans at the arena and at home in this
new season of fun and games.
EXTREME DODGEBALL first premiered on GSN in June of 2004. It is executive
produced by Mark Cronin and James Rowley of Mindless Entertainment, producers
of CRAM, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S GREEK GAMES and WHO WANTS TO BE GOVERNOR OF
CALIFORNIA? THE DEBATING GAME for GSN, as well as "The Surreal Life" and
"Strange Love", "America's Most Talented Kids", and "The Ultimate Film
Fanatic".
SOURCE GSN
Web Site: http://www.gsn.com
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