You may be too young to have caught the original airings of the popular ABC TV show Battle of the Network Stars, which first aired back in 1976. But there’s good news for all you millennials who missed the boat: ABC has announced it will bring back the classic show with a slew of new celebrities.
While the premise is primarily the same, the new version of Battle of the Network Stars will span the decades for its team talent. According to ESPN MediaZone, the show will pit teams of current and classic TV stars from different eras against one another in a variety of entertaining physical competitions, including tug of war, kayak relay, the obstacle course, and the always-entertaining dunk tank.
Leading the charge as team captains will be MMA Champion Ronda Rousey and Super Bowl Champion DeMarcus Ware. And while we’re not certain about Rousey’s return to the Octagon—after her stunning, second straight knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207—we do expect to see more of her on the small screen, and look forward to her taking charge during Battle of the Network Stars 10 scheduled episodes.
Teams will be comprised of 100 TV stars (to be announced at a later time) from 14 different networks across different genres, including sit-coms and reality shows. The first episode is scheduled to air June 29 at 9 p.m. ET.
Battle of the Network Stars is being produced by Glassman Media and IMG. WME-IMG represents Rousey and owns the UFC.
