or


[06/12/15 - 01:10 PM]
Amateur Competitors Try to Beat World-Class Athletes on All-New Special "Beat The Champions" Airing Tuesday, June 30, on FOX
Among the participants: four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin, Super Bowl champ superstar Rob Gronkowski and six-time NBA champ Scottie Pippen.

[via press release from FOX]

AMATEUR COMPETITORS TRY TO BEAT WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES ON ALL-NEW SPECIAL "BEAT THE CHAMPIONS" AIRING TUESDAY, JUNE 30, ON FOX

Amateurs to Compete Against Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin, New England Patriot and Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkowski and NBA Champ Scottie Pippen

Comedian Finesse Mitchell Set To Host

The fun and games have just begun as FOX gives amateur athletes with big egos and big dreams the chance to BEAT THE CHAMPIONS, a new competition special in which everyday athletes are epically mismatched against some of the world's best athletes - four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin, Super Bowl champ superstar Rob Gronkowski and six-time NBA champ Scottie Pippen.

To level the playing field, the champs will be faced with increasingly absurd and hilarious handicaps, while the amateurs will be given increasing levels of assistance to beat their elite competition - whether in the water, on the line of scrimmage or on the hardwood. The greater the assist needed by the contestant, however, the less prize money awarded. Over the course of three rounds, competitors will have a chance to win more than $100,000.

Will these disadvantages be enough for the amateurs to BEAT THE CHAMPIONS? Find out when the one-hour special, hosted by comedian Finesse Mitchell, airs Tuesday, June 30 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Watch/Share a short video of Rob Gronkowski, Missy Franklin and Scottie Pippen introducing BEAT THE CHAMPIONS here: https://youtu.be/Z-3oICrpsLU

With his record-breaking talent on the field, and larger-than-life personality off the field, Rob Gronkowski has become one of the biggest names in football. After setting the school tight end records for single game, single-season and career receptions, yards and touchdowns at the University of Arizona, he was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. In an unprecedented 2011 season, he set the all-time records for Most Touchdown Receptions and Receiving Yards by a Tight End in one season with 17 TDs and 1,327 yards. After an injury-plagued 2013 season, Gronkowski has returned to form as one of the NFL's elite tight ends. In the 2014 regular season, he had 1,124 yards, which lead all NFL tight ends, and his 12 touchdowns (tied for most among NFL TEs) helped lead the Patriots to a 12-4 season (Best in the AFC). His stellar season continued into the postseason, during which Gronkowski officially captured his first Super Bowl Championship after he went for 68 yards and a touchdown. Off the field, Gronkowski is known as a fun-loving and friendly figure with a generous heart. Through the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, he and his brothers host events in order to raise money for the benefit of various youth charities.

Missy Franklin is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and multiple-world-record-holder in the sport of swimming. She became a household name during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where she won four gold medals and one bronze medal. She followed her Olympic success by winning six gold medals at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, becoming the most-decorated female swimmer in history at a single World Championships. In her two years competing at the University of California Berkeley, Franklin earned four individual NCAA titles and helped the school win the 2015 NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Team Championship. In 2015, she was also named a Global Ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which utilizes the power of sport to address social problems through a global program of sports-related community development initiatives.

Considered one of the best small forwards of all time, Scottie Pippen was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight consecutive times and the All-NBA First Team three times. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star and was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1994. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history during the 1996-97 season, and is one of four players to have his jersey retired by the Chicago Bulls. He played a key role on both the 1992 Chicago Bulls Championship team and the1996 Chicago Bulls Championship, team which were selected as two of the greatest teams in NBA history. During his 17-year career, he played 12 seasons with the Bulls, one with the Houston Rockets and four with the Portland Trail Blazers, making the postseason 16 straight times. Pippen is also the only person to have won an NBA title and Olympic gold medal in the same year twice (1992, 1996). He was a part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic "Dream Team," which beat its opponents by an average of 44 points. Pippen was also a key figure in the 1996 Olympic team. He is a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (for his individual career, and as a member of the "Dream Team"). The Chicago Bulls retired his number, #33. His college, University of Central Arkansas, retired his number, #33, as well.

"Saturday Night Live" alumnus Finesse Mitchell will next be seen in the cable comedy series "Brothers In Atlanta." He recently appeared in "Ron White's Comedy Salute to the Troops," with all proceeds benefiting the Armed Forces Foundation. He also was a member of the "2013 Shaq All-Star Comedy Jam" tour. Mitchell has made numerous television appearances, including "A.N.T. Farm" and "Centric's According To Him & Her." Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Mitchell graduated from the University of Miami and is a distinguished member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. He is a former student-athlete who was a walk-on for the University of Miami's national champion football team, Miami Hurricanes.

BEAT THE CHAMPIONS is produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions. Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, Frank Sinton and Jonathan Singer serve as executive producers. Like BEAT THE CHAMPIONS on Facebook at facebook.com/BeatTheChampions. Follow the series on Twitter @BeatTheChamps and join the discussion using #beatthechampions. See photos and videos on Instagram by following @BeatTheChamps. For more information on BEAT THE CHAMPIONS, please visit fox.com/beat-the-champions.

About A. Smith & Co. Productions

A. Smith & Co. Productions creates some of the most innovative, highly rated and high-quality programming for the domestic and international television marketplace. The company has produced more than 2,500 hours of award-winning programming. Current productions include such hits as HELL'S KITCHEN, "Kitchen Nightmares," "American Ninja Warrior," "Ellen's Design Challenge," "Wizard Wars," "Unsung," "Full Throttle Saloon," "Celebrity Crime Files," "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura," "Too Young to Marry?," "Save Our Business," "UFC Countdown," "Joe Rogan Questions Everything" and many others. A. Smith & Co.'s library of programming includes hit shows such as "Paradise Hotel," "I Survived a Japanese Game Show," "The Swan," "Trading Spaces," "Pros vs. Joes," and "Skating with Celebrities." A. Smith & Co. has developed and produced the No. 1 show in America 25 times and a Top 10 show more than 250 times, producing programs with budgets totaling over one billion dollars for more than 44 broadcast and cable networks. For more information, visit www.asmithco.com.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: BEAT THE CHAMPIONS will air immediately following FOX Sports' coverage of the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP on the East Coast and Central Time zones.]





  [june 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[10/21/26 - 04:01 PM]
USA Sports' Coverage of Dream-Valkyries Game 2 Is Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 2 Ever on Cable
Monday night's coverage averaged 1.33 million viewers across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network, CNBC and E!).

[10/21/26 - 03:31 PM]
BET Renews "ComicView: Rooftop Series" for a Second Season
The 20-episode order puts 60 comedians on the Hollywood rooftop and cements the series as an anchor of the network's Comedy Fun Night.

[10/21/26 - 03:15 PM]
It's Back to School at "Abbott Elementary" as Show Returns with Over 6 Million Total Viewers
The premiere episode scored the show's best streaming performance since Season 4, based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[10/21/26 - 02:31 PM]
Commanders-49ers on "Monday Night Football" Delivers 17.9 Million Viewers
Six weeks into ESPN's Super Bowl LXI season, "Monday Night Football" is up 23% compared to the same point in 2025, averaging 19 million viewers.

[10/21/26 - 11:31 AM]
"Tyler Perry's Beauty In Black" Season 4 Kicks Off Production in Atlanta
"'Beauty in Black' is back for Season 4 and the Bellarie family's story is far from finished," said Perry.

[10/21/26 - 11:30 AM]
Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya to Star in "Fourth Wing" on Prime Video
McGregor will play the fiercely intelligent and often underestimated Violet Sorrengail; while Sakraya will play the enigmatic and ruthless Xaden Riorson.

[10/21/26 - 11:21 AM]
"Blue Lights" Season Four Chronicles a Changing Belfast as the Acclaimed Drama Returns to BritBox
Other November highlights include the return of "Death Valley" on November 17.

[10/21/26 - 11:06 AM]
Sabine Grace, Logan Kim, Marin Ireland and Intae Kim Have Joined the Cast of "Pagans," Alongside Steven Yeun
A father becomes the sole caretaker of his two children after the tragic loss of his wife. What starts as a strained father-daughter relationship soon evolves into something far more sinister.

[10/21/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 12
"Carrie," "Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," and "Sterling Point" led all original series worldwide.

[10/21/26 - 10:01 AM]
Hulu Announces Tinx as Host of "The Circle," Featuring Celebrity Contestants and Audience Voting
Beginning November 17, "The Circle" will debut three new episodes weekly, airing Tuesday through Thursday for five weeks, culminating in the season finale on Friday, December 18.

[10/21/26 - 09:30 AM]
Video: It Has All Led to This - Forging The One Ring to Rule Them All in Season 3 Trailer for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" from Prime Video
The first four episodes of season three will premiere on November 11, 2026.

[10/21/26 - 09:07 AM]
FOX Sports Expands Year-Round Horse Racing Coverage with Gulfstream Park Championship Meet
As part of the agreement, the $1 million EquiTrack Florida Derby will air live on FOX broadcast network on March 27, 2027.

[10/21/26 - 09:00 AM]
Versant Announces Licensing Agreement to Stream E!'s "The Golden Life" on Hulu
The first two episodes will be available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. beginning November 3, with remaining episodes available seven days after premiering on E!.

[10/21/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Avedon" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The life and work of legendary photographer Richard Avedon come into focus through archival footage and new interviews in this intimate documentary.

[10/21/26 - 08:30 AM]
Prime Video Unveils Key Art and Premiere Date for Docuseries "The Boy Who Stole Billions?" Premiering November 30
The series delves into one of the biggest frauds in U.S. history with unprecedented access and exclusive firsthand accounts from Sam Bankman-Fried himself from prison.