NFL Legend Michael Strahan and Acclaimed NFL Journalist Jay Glazer to Host New Season of Spike TV's 'Pros vs. Joes'
NEW YORK, Jan. 29 -- Michael Strahan, a future NFL
hall-of-famer and current television personality, joins well-respected veteran
NFL journalist Jay Glazer as hosts of Spike TV's fourth season of its hit
series, "Pros vs. Joes." The new season, entitled "Pros vs. Joes 4: All
Stars," goes into production in sports venues around Los Angeles in February
2009 and launches in the spring.
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Utilizing their solid sports background and sterling track record of
delivering high quality unscripted hits, A. Smith & Co. Productions' Arthur
Smith and Kent Weed ("Trading Spaces," "Hell's Kitchen") serve as executive
producers of "Pros vs. Joes 4: All Stars" along with Michael Yudin, President
of MY Entertainment and Joe Townley, COO of MY Entertainment. Smith is CEO of
A. Smith & Co., and helped launch the successful Fox Sports Net in the late
1990's as its Head of Programming and Production.
Spike TV's "Pros vs. Joes 4: All Stars" will consist of eight episodes
with each installment featuring three former notable professional athletes
going head-to-head against three regular Joes. The roster of athletes will be
announced at a later date.
The new twist this season is there will only be one sport showcased in
each episode instead of the variety of sports in previous seasons. Each
episode features three skills competitions and a three-on-three scrimmage
pitting the Pros against the Joes. The sports featured this season will be
football (4 episodes) and basketball (4 episodes).
Strahan spent 15 seasons with the New York Giants at defensive end,
culminating with a Super Bowl victory in 2008. Named to seven Pro Bowls, he
set the NFL single season sack-record with 22.5 in 2001 and was named the
Defensive Player of the Year. The likely first ballot hall-of-famer currently
serves as a studio analyst for FOX Sports' Emmy Award-winning pregame show,
FOX NFL SUNDAY.
Glazer is considered to be the top "Insider" in the National Football
League and currently serves in that role for FOX NFL SUNDAY where he has three
segments on the show, breaking in with exclusives, late-breaking updates and
injury news. He hosts FSN's "Pro Football Preview" show, which airs every
Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Glazer is also a former mixed martial arts
fighter who has hosted and served as color commentator for PRIDE Fighting
Championships on FSN and other televised events for various MMA organizations.
"Pros vs. Joes 4: All Stars" is sponsored by Dunkin Donuts, Snickers and
2K Sports.
Sharon Levy and Tim Duffy are executives in charge of production for Spike
TV.
Visit Spike.com for full episodes of all of last season's shows in high
definition, as well as clips and other extended footage. Spike.com will be
hosting the same exclusive access and full episode content for "Pros vs. Joes
4: All Stars."
Spike TV is available in 97.7 million homes and is a division of MTV
Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the
world's leading creators of programming and content across all media
platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com and for
up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike
TV's press site at www.spike.com/press.
Founded by Arthur Smith and Kent Weed in 2000, A. Smith & Co. Productions
generates some of the most innovative, highly-rated and high quality
unscripted programming for the domestic and international television
marketplace. Since its launch the company has created over 500 hours of
programming and developed and produced the number one show in America an
astonishing 12 times and a top 5 show over 50 times. The company's current
production slate includes the Emmy® nominated hit show "Hell's Kitchen" as
well as "Kitchen Nightmares" with Chef Gordon Ramsay, "I Survived a Japanese
Game Show," "Trading Spaces" with host Paige Davis, the critically acclaimed
documentary series "American Gangster" and "UFC Countdown."
SOURCE Spike TV
CONTACT:
David Schwarz of Spike TV, +1-212-767-8639
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