JOE SCHMO RETURNS!!!!!

Spike Brings Back the Audacious Faux Reality Show Where Only One Contestant is Real

"The Joe Schmo Show" Premieres Tuesday, January 8 at 10 PM, ET/PT

New York, NY, December 10, 2012 - Spike has once again turned the tables on the reality show genre with "The Joe Schmo Show." The one-hour, 10-episode series features one real guy who believes he is on a new, over-the-top reality show looking for America's next bounty hunter, but in reality is actually surrounded entirely by actors. His cast-mates are a motley crew of reality show clichés including Lorenzo Lamas, playing himself, who must do their best under these unusual circumstances to follow a pre-determined outline. "The Joe Schmo Show" premieres on Spike with two back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, January 8 from 10 PM - midnight, ET/PT.

One of television's biggest and riskiest experiments once again looks to discover how a reality contestant would react to encountering a show filled with every outlandish element reality television has showcased. How far can producers push this 'reality,' and the ensuing ridiculous competitions? And of course, will the actors be convincing enough or will the unsuspecting "contestant" figure it all out?

The true hero of the show undoubtedly is the "Joe," Chase Rogan, who demonstrates a keen sense of integrity and humanity, even under duress from the absurd predicaments he finds himself in.

Chase Rogan is an all around good guy. This 28-year-old Pennsylvania native and sports fanatic lives in Pittsburgh with his wife. A certified professional agronomist, he owns and operates his own business, PureTurf Consulting, LLC. Always up for a good time and adventure, Chase willingly submitted a casting video of himself to be on a new competition reality show.

In this installment, Chase believes he has been cast as one of several contestants in a new reality-competition series where the winner will become a bounty hunter. He'll face an assortment of bounty hunting-related challenges, from learning how to defuse a bomb to interrogating a hostile witness, totally oblivious to the fact that all the crazy situations he is placed in are scripted. Ralph Garman reprises his role from the first two "Joe Schmo" seasons as the show "host" along with a cast that showcases stereotypical reality show participants, ranging from a ditsy model to the self-absorbed, attention-grabbing jerk and from a classic overachiever to an ex-con whose found God.

Fans are encouraged to join in the "The Joe Schmo Show" conversation by following @SPIKETV on Twitter and using #JoeSchmo. Character and actor biographies, photo galleries, blog posts, full episodes and video exclusives can be found on Spike's dedicated "Joe Schmo" destination online at joeschmo.spike.com.

The original season of "The Joe Schmo Show" debuted on Spike in September 2003 and was among television's first faux reality series. One of the highest rated series in the history of Spike, the finale drew 3.4 million viewers.

"The Joe Schmo Show" is produced by Barry Poznick and John Stevens of Zoo Productions, an All3 media company. J. Holland Moore serves as Executive Producer.

Sharon Levy is Spike's Executive Vice President, Original Series and Jeff Savaiano serves as Executive in Charge of Production, Spike.

Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike's Internet address is www.spike.com.