Spike TV Announces the Pickup of Original, Non-Scripted Series '1000 Ways To Die'

Thom Beers' Original Productions To Produce 10-Episode Series On The Heels Of Ratings Success Of Two-Part Special

Series Set To Premiere In Fall 2008

LOS ANGELES, July 31 -- Spike TV has ordered ten 30-minute episodes of "1000 Ways to Die," the visually shocking series that explores the many different and bizarre ways one can meet their maker. The series is executive produced by Thom Beers, the same creative mind who brought viewers the critically-acclaimed hits "Deadliest Catch," "Ice Road Truckers" and "Ax Men," and is scheduled to premiere in Fall 2008.

"1000 Ways to Die" showcases some of the most outrageously true stories about those who succumbed to the grim reaper in the most unorthodox styles. Each case takes you through a fast-paced full reenactment interlaced with dramatic witness testimonials, fun historical tidbits, scientific expert explanations and vibrant CGI effects reminiscent of classic comic books. Playing off the commonly misconceived notion, "that could never happen to me," "1000 Ways to Die" works to dispel that myth in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, highlighting the comedic irony in all the crazy ways people can get themselves killed.

Originally a two-part special, the May premiere of "1000 Ways to Die" performed well in its timeslot, averaging a robust 0.9 rating in M18-34 and an average audience of 1.0 million viewers. Compared to the ratings in the timeslot the previous year, "1,000 Ways to Die" was up +133% among M18-49 +104% in M18-34.

"We are thrilled to be in the Thom Beers business," says Sharon Levy, senior vice president, original series at Spike TV. "We loved the special and Thom's vision for the series combines all the things our audience wants -- outrageousness, water cooler facts and a never-before-seen-on-TV quality."

"We may not readily admit it, but we all have a strange fascination with death, particularly all the gruesome details of how it occurs," says Beers. "The bizarre humor in some of these cases is undeniable."

Some of the more outlandish cases this season include death from eating a jalapeno pepper, a simple scrape-turned-flesh-eating virus and a case of a man trapped in an avalanche with plenty of food and water, only to succumb to methane poisoning from too much of his own gas.

Thom Beers is CEO and executive producer for Original Productions, the television production company responsible for a myriad of hit television series, including "Monster Garage," "Ax Men," and the 2008 Primetime Emmy(R) nominees, "Deadliest Catch" and "Ice Road Truckers," with a combined total of six nominations. Among them is a nomination for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series for "The Deadliest Catch." The company has a remarkable cable track record and received special recognition in 2006 and 2007 as one of the most notable production companies in Realscreen magazine's Global 100.

Thom Beers and Philip Segal will serve as executive producers for "1000 Ways to Die." Sharon Levy is Spike TV's senior vice president of original series. Tim Duffy and Wayne Sampson are executives in charge of production for Spike TV.

Spike TV is available in 96.1 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 http://www.spike.com.