ABC Announces New Series "Masters of Champions"  6/12/06

"MASTER OF CHAMPIONS," A ONE-HOUR WEEKLY EXTREME CHALLENGE COMPETITION, PREMIERES THURSDAY, JUNE 22 ON ABC

Steve Garvey, Oksana Baiul and Jonny Moseley Will Serve as the Panel of Champions

"Master of Champions," a one-hour weekly game show competition where only one contestant has unique skills, passion and determination sufficient to win the ultimate title -- Master of Champions -- will premiere THURSDAY, JUNE 22 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Editors please note: If the NBA Finals go to a Game 7 on June 22, "Master of Champions" will premiere the following week, Thursday, June 29, from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET.

Chris Leary, syndicated radio show host and sports reporter and commentator, is host, and Lisa Dergan-Podsednik is co-host. Baseball legend Steve Garvey and Olympic Gold Medalists Oksana Baiul and Jonny Moseley will make up the Panel of Champions.

Each week six competitors with some of the world's most unique talents face off in this one-hour competition to determine who is the best of the best. Our studio audience will pare the contestants down to three, who will then face the Panel of Champions for the final selection of one as the next Master of Champions! Contestants will participate in such unique and extreme challenges as the International Human Fireworks, Interpretive Pizza Tossing, Blind-folded Foot Archery, the Extreme Unicycle Obstacle Course and Amazing Drift Driving. The fearless competitors range in ages from ten up.

In some contests, two competitors perform the same stunt. In others, competitors perform different and unique tasks. The studio audience will score them first, and the last three standing will face the Panel of Champions for the final judgment. The winner will earn the title of Master of Champions and have his or her name permanently inscribed on the Wall of Masters.

We'll see amazing stunts including: Two drivers, each with a cheese grater attached to the front of the car, using controlled, precision spins to grate a wheel of cheese; fifteen paintball pros creating art as the multi-colored paintballs explode on an enormous canvas -- and a recognizable image appears; and two X-treme unicyclists tackling a dangerously difficult obstacle course with never-before-seen freestyle tricks.

"Master of Champions" is based on the format World Records by NTV from Japan. Executive producers are Tim Crescenti, Yoshiro Yasuoka and Isao Zaitsu for Nippon Television. Jonas Larsen and Anthony Ross are executive producers for Y27 Entertainment.