By Courtney Potter
Beginning in the early 1960s (and for three decades’ total), ABC’s legendary Wide World of Sports was known for “spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat!” Sure, we witnessed truly historic moments, from soccer great Pele’s final game to Muhammad Ali knocking out George Foreman during 1974’s celebrated “Rumble in the Jungle.” But ABC’s commitment to chronicling memorable sporting events didn’t stop there… for in November 1976, ABC aired the first Battle of the Network Stars! Just as its name implies, the series featured TV actors from ABC, CBS, and NBC (the “big three” networks of the day) as they competed in athletic games including archery, kayak relay, tug-o-war, and even an obstacle course. Hosted by famed sports commentator Howard Cosell, it quickly became a veritable pop culture phenomenon and continued airing through the late ‘80s. And now, just in time for summer, it’s back where it all started.
Check out a sneak peek below!
ABC’s revival of Battle of the Network Stars kicks off tonight, Thursday, June 29, and will feature a whopping 100 TV stars, from 14 different networks and cable companies, searching hilariously for their own “thrill of victory”! The 10-episode summer event—filmed on location at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, the location of the original series—pits current and classic TV stars from multiple eras and different genres against one another… and in fun groups based on the TV characters viewers have loved over the years, up to the present day. Tonight’s series premiere pits “TV Kids” (below left) Joey Lawrence (Blossom, Melissa and Joey), The Facts of Life stars Lisa Whelchel and Kim Fields, Corbin Bleu (High School Musical), and Nolan Gould (ABC’s Modern Family) against “TV Sitcom” (below right) celebs AJ Michalka (The Goldbergs), Tracey Gold (Growing Pains), Dave Coulier (Full House and Fuller House), Bronson Pinchot (Perfect Strangers), and Tom Arnold (Roseanne).
Later episodes will feature an awesomely diverse array of stars, spanning the ’70s through today:
Primetime Soaps (Ian Ziering, Josh Henderson, Gabrielle Carteris, Donna Mills, Mischa Barton) vs. ABC Stars (pictured above) (Shari Belafonte, Michael Fishman, Anson Williams, Olivia d’Abo, Jason Hervey)
Variety (Joanna Krupa, Nick Lachey, Vanessa Lachey, Gilles Marini, Jack Osbourne) vs. TV Sex Symbols (pictured above) (Brant Daugherty, Keegan Allen, Rosa Blasi, Galen Gering, Traci Bingham)
Cops (pictured above) (Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Erik Estrada, Kelly Hu, Lorenzo Lamas, Larry Wilcox) vs. TV Sitcoms (Todd Bridges, Leigh-Allyn Baker, Dave Foley, Willie Garson, Jenna von Oy)
White House (Cornelius Smith Jr., Marlee Matlin, Joshua Malina, LaMonica Garrett, Mary McCormack) vs. Lawyers (pictured above) (Elisabeth Rohm, Corbin Bernsen, Catherine Bell, Matt McGorry, Romi Dias)
TV Moms & Dads (Chad Lowe, Greg Evigan, Ted McGinley, Lesley Fera, Jackee Harry) vs. TV Kids (pictured above) (Jimmie Walker, Jeremy Miller, Mackenzie Phillips, Krista Marie Yu, Jonathan Lipnicki)
Famous TV Families (Danny Bonaduce, Barry Williams, Beverley Mitchell, Willie Aames, Charlene Tilton) vs. Doctors (pictured above) (Taye Diggs, Rachelle Lefevre, Benjamin Hollingsworth, *Deidre Hall, Thomas Calabro)
Troublemakers (pictured above) (Julie Benz, John Barrowman, Vivica A. Fox, Catherine Bach, Paul Johansson) vs. TV Lifeguards (David Chokachi, Brande Roderick, Parker Stevenson, Nicole Eggert, Gena Lee Nolin)
ABC Stars (pictured above) (Joely Fisher, Troy Gentile, Ted Lange, Jill Whelan, Denise Richards) vs. Variety (Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Adrienne Houghton, Cameron Mathison, Kelly Osbourne)
Cops (Marisol Nichols, Roma Maffia, Adrian Zmed, Fred Dryer, Ryan Paevey) vs. Sci-Fi Fantasy (pictured above) (Lou Ferrigno, Charisma Carpenter, Kevin Sorbo, Jill Wagner, Vinnie Jones)
… And each team that competes will be captained by two of today’s biggest sports heroes: Super Bowl 50 winner DeMarcus Ware (above left), and MMA fighter/Olympian/actress Ronda Rousey (above right).
Hosted by ESPN’s Mike Greenberg (above left) and Joe Tessitore (above right)—both wearing the traditional Howard Cosell-esque 1970s yellow blazer—with sideline reporting by Cassidy Hubbarth and Cari Champion, Battle of the Network Stars airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. EDT, only on ABC!
