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GSN Orders Billiards Series 'NO LIMIT 9 BALL'
Winner-Takes-All Format Offers $20,000 per Episode
Series Will Begin Taping in March and Feature Two Celebrity Episodes
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 14 -- GSN, the network for
games, has ordered series production of NO LIMIT 9 BALL, a 9-ball pool series
featuring top pool sharks who will participate in winner-takes-all episodes
for $20,000. Scheduled for a 13-week run and hosted by Sal Masekela
(X Games), the series will also include two celebrity episodes with some of
Hollywood's top pool players competing to earn money for their favorite
charity. The announcement was made today at the network's Television Critics
Association presentation by Ian Valentine, Senior Vice President of
Programming, GSN.
"We think pool is ripe for the same kind of renaissance that Poker has
experienced," Valentine said, "and we believe the addition of a 'hustling'
element enhances the game's fundamental drama."
With four players per episode, each participant will begin with a
"bankroll" to challenge the competition throughout their episode. A player is
eliminated when he/she has lost his/her entire bankroll. The player who
defeats the competition and leaves all of the other players broke will walk
away with $20,000.
NO LIMIT 9 BALL is a game where no player can deny a challenge from
another player. Once a challenge is levied, both players will place cash on
the table. The two players will then play one game of 9-ball for all the
money on the table while they and the non-competing players engage in side
betting on the current match. The player who leaves his opponents penniless
will therefore have to compare billiard skill with the guts to bet big on
themselves and the ability to analyze the relative skills of his other
opponents. That is, who is the ultimate "hustler."
The rules of 9-Ball: Nine ball is played with the one through nine balls
and a cue ball. The object is to sink the nine ball; however, on each shot
the first ball that the cue ball contacts must be the lowest-numbered ball on
the table. If a player pockets any ball on a legal shot, he remains at the
table for another shot, and continues until he misses, fouls, or wins the game
by pocketing the 9-ball. After a miss, the incoming player must shoot from
the position left by the previous player, but after any foul the incoming
player may start with the cue ball anywhere on the table.
NO LIMIT 9 BALL is produced by SokoLobl Entertainment and executive
produced by Sam Sokolow and Rob Lobl. The duo has also executive produced
"Taildaters" for MTV, "Ultimatum" for Style Channel and "Vegas Weddings
Unveiled" for GSN, among others. In addition, NO LIMIT 9 BALL is co-executive
produced by Mars Callahan, a legendary Hollywood pool shark and top amateur
player who has won nearly $500,000 in cash and prizes from tournament play,
and who co-wrote, directed and starred in the film "Pool Hall Junkies."
GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated
to game-related programming and interactive game playing. The network
features game shows, reality series, documentaries, video game programs and
casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features 84 hours
per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win
prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via gsn.com. Reaching
55 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major
cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony
Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media
information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com.
SOURCE GSN
Web Site: http://www.gsn.com
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