SYFY'S HIT "TOTAL BLACKOUT" - CHANNEL'S MOST WATCHED NEW SERIES OF YEAR - RETURNS FOR SECOND SEASON BEGINNING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30 AT 10PM

HOSTED BY JALEEL WHITE (FAMILY MATTERS, DANCING WITH THE STARS)

NEW YORK - October 18, 2012 - Syfy's hit unscripted competition series Total Blackout - the channel's highest rated new program of 2012 - will return for a second season beginning Tuesday, October 30 at 10PM (ET/PT). The series premiere of Syfy's newest competition show Viral Video Showdown will follow at 10:30PM (ET/PT).

The new season of Total Blackout will kick off with a couples competition entitled "Don't Burst Your Bubble Helmet." In the premiere episode, teams are confronted with a mind-blowing challenge: guessing the weight of a variety of very surprising animals. Those who survive elimination must then identify items placed around their heads inside a restrictive bubble helmet. Finally, the two teams that guess best move onto a mouse trap-laden maze for a chance to win $5,000.

In its first season Total Blackout, hosted by Jaleel White (Family Matters, Dancing with the Stars), averaged 1.2 million total viewers.

Total Blackout is a half-hour, extreme game show in which contestants battle each other and their fears in a series of challenges played in complete darkness. There are no lights, no blindfolds and no-holds-barred as the players face their anxieties and unexpected surprises in a series of nerve-wracking games.

The international hit series is produced by FremantleMedia North America (American Idol, The X Factor) and was created by Henrik Nielsen (Can You Duet?, Danish versions of The X Factor, Got Talent and Pop Idol). Nielsen and Scott St. John (Deal or No Deal, America's Got Talent, The Choice) are executive producers and Noah Bonnett (101 Ways to Leave a Game Show, BrainSurge) is co-executive producer.

About FremantleMedia North America

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon American Idol (FOX), The X Factor (FOX), America's Got Talent (NBC), Family Feud (syndicated), The Price Is Right (CBS), Let's Make A Deal (CBS), Total Blackout (Syfy), The Pet Collective (YouTube) and the first scripted series Wedding Band (TBS).

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)