FOX SPORTS 1 TAKES VIEWERS INTO THE "BACK OF THE SHOP"

New Series Captures Candid Barbershop Conversations between Current And Former Athletes and Entertainment Stars

Snoop Dogg, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Dez Bryant, Robinson Cano and Many More Take Turns in Jordan's Chair

New York - Since the 19th Century, the barbershop has been the quintessential American sanctuary for men to gather, get a haircut, get pampered, philosophize, gossip and talk sports. Floyd's Barbershop in the 1960s TV hit The Andy Griffith Show, the hilarious barbershop scene in Coming to America, the 1988 comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, and the 2002 movie Barbershop featuring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer are all fictional depictions of barbershops that come to mind for different generations.

Later this month, FOX Sports 1 lifts the curtain on the BACK OF THE SHOP, where this generation's superstar athletes talk smack, let their opinions fly, share hilarious stories and recount tales of past glory with some very special friends and a very special barber. BACK OF THE SHOP is a weekly half-hour series featuring some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment in a relaxed, casual and, until now, private atmosphere. The new series from FOX Sports Originals and Relativity Media is filmed at Jordan Sport Barbershop, located in the Bronx within a tape measure home run of Yankee Stadium, and is loaded with conversation like you've never heard before. The series premieres Saturday, May 24 (7:00 PM ET) on FOX Sports 1 before moving to its regular time slot on Tuesdays at 8:30 PM ET on May 27, airing each week as part of a block with THE PECOS LEAGUE (9:30 PM ET), another series from FOX Sports Originals.

Each episode of BACK OF THE SHOP is 30 minutes of unfiltered dialogue between friends, who just happen to be some of the hottest stars in their fields, taking place over a trim and a shave. Whether it's Big Papi lamenting the loss of beer and chicken in the clubhouse or Gary Sheffield congratulating Albert Pujols on joining Major League Baseball's 500 home run club, the discussion is honest, real and offered without benefit of a host. Additional footage and full episodes are available on FOXSports.com after their weekly FOX Sports 1 premieres, and the full pilot episode will also be available online in the days leading up to its official television debut on May 24.

"BACK OF THE SHOP is a natural place for unfiltered, insightful and unique conversations that sports fans have only dreamed of being a part of," FOX Sports Vice President, Original Programming Michael Bloom said. "There's no host or reporter's agenda, so our guests don't fall back on their media training for canned answers. BACK OF THE SHOP is a sports talk show driven by today's superstars. Our guests drop their guard and talk frankly about sports, life and really, everything."

"BACK OF THE SHOP demonstrates our ability to capitalize on the unique Relativity business model and leverage the relationship between our sports agency and television studio," Relativity Co-Chief Operating Officer and Relativity Sports CEO Happy Walters said. "Tom Forman and I are thrilled to have found a partner in FOX Sports that brings audiences out of the stands and into the barbershop."

The premiere episode features Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, Yankees outfielder Alfonso Soriano, New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert and NBA Legend Larry Johnson. In addition to Ortiz saying a clubhouse without chicken and beer is "like a game without a baseball bat," Shumpert and Johnson admit they'd be afraid of getting hit by a pitch, Soriano talks about hitting his 400th career home run in Yankee Stadium, and Johnson tells the younger players that when he came up, players smoked cigarettes in the locker room at halftime.

Other guests appearing on BACK OF THE SHOP include rapper Snoop Dogg, Seattle Mariners star Robinson Cano, New York Knicks All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant. The guests all sit in the chair manned by Jose Moises "Jordan" Lopez, owner of Jordan Sport Barbershop and the official team barber of both the New York Yankees and Mets. Lopez, who has made the rounds at Spring Training throughout the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, learned to cut hair from his mother before purchasing his own shop over a decade ago. Since Luis Castillo became the first athlete to sit in his chair, Lopez has been the go-to barber for MLB players, as well as other athletes, when they come to New York City.

BACK OF THE SHOP is produced by Relativity Television, Relativity Sports, MediaWeaver Entertainment, Boardwalk Pictures and FOX Sports Originals. Tom Forman, Happy Walters, Brad Bishop, Matthew Weaver, Fernando Cuza and Andrew Fried serve as Executive Producers. Michael Bloom is Senior Vice President, Original Programming, FOX Sports.

Relativity Television has quickly become one of the country's largest suppliers of unscripted television and has recently expanded into scripted programming. Relativity Sports is the industry's fastest growing sports agency, providing more than 300 NBA, NFL and MLB athletes with services ranging from contract negotiation to custom film and television content production.

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About FOX Sports 1

FOX Sports 1 is America's new national multi-sport channel that launched on August 17 in approximately 90 million homes and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has several pillar sports: college basketball and football, MLB (in 2014), NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), international soccer, UFC and Golden Boy boxing, and adds USGA events, including the U.S. Open, and FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015. FOX SPORTS LIVE is FOX Sports 1's flagship 24/7 news, opinion and highlights program, providing around the clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information rich ticker. Original programs include: FOX FOOTBALL DAILY; NASCAR RACE HUB; FOX SOCCER DAILY; CROWD GOES WILD, a new live sports entertainment talk show hosted by Regis Philbin; and the groundbreaking BEING: documentary franchise. FOX Sports GO, a new authenticated mobile sports experience for iPhone, iPad, Android devices and the web, serves as the channel's digital extension. The app offers more than 1,100 live games and events from cross FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports' 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats and analysis. For more information visit www.FOXSports.com/FOXSports1.