TRAVEL CHANNEL'S "50/50" HOSTS SAMANTHA BROWN AND CHRIS GRUNDY TAKE SPONTANEOUS COUPLES ON A 50-HOUR GETAWAY WORTH $50,000

Series Premieres Sunday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT and Kicks Off with TODAY Show Host Al Roker and Two TODAY Fans on a Choice-Filled Adventure to Abu Dhabi

CHEVY CHASE, MD (August 19, 2015) - "50/50" is an action-packed, 50-hour getaway worth $50,000 that starts when two Travel Channel hosts find unsuspecting people on the street and ask a simple question -- can you leave right now? In Travel Channel's new original series, premiering on Sunday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, travel expert Samantha Brown and her up-for-anything pal Chris Grundy are doing the asking and whisking an impulsive couple on an unforgettable two-day getaway where they are presented with extravagant and excruciatingly awesome choices every step of the way: where to go, what to do, when to eat and should they take time out to sleep. But, the intrepid travelers must drop everything and leave right now! The series is comprised of six one-hour episodes and two half-hour pilots.

This morning, Brown and Grundy hit New York City and made a beeline for the TODAY show plaza, where they hunted for unsuspecting TODAY fans willing to compete for the chance to jet away on a 50-hour, $50,000 adventure. TODAY host (and travel junkie) Al Roker joined the travel-ambushing-action with Brown and Grundy and found three pairs of travelers willing to compete to drop everything and join the trio on an amazing trip of a lifetime. In this special episode, after a fierce travel-centric competition between battling teams, one spontaneous pair is racing home to quickly pack and then climb into a limo with Roker, Brown and Grundy, where they'll head immediately to the airport, bound for Abu Dhabi.

In the premiere episode, the travelers plucked from the TODAY show plaza will get to make all sorts of choices as they spend 50 hours and 50 grand in Abu Dhabi. Eat traditional Emirati majboos or a 24k gold camel burger? Stay at the 7-star Emirates Palace in the Royal Suite or the Palace Suite? Will they choose racing 4x4s up one of the highest dunes in the world, or camel racing on a desert track with robot jockeys? TODAY show host Al Roker flies across the world with the couple and then meets up with them throughout the episode as they make fun-filled decisions while the clock ticks down and the money gets spent.

"For over a decade, people have watched me travel all over the world," says Brown. "Now, with '50/50' I get to take them with me. I get to show people how, in even two days, travel can change your life."

Throughout the season, the travelers picked for each episode's journey will be crafting their own adventure at every turn. It's a race to spend $50,000 in 50 hours (time in the air doesn't count), but no choice is wrong. Our travelers are going to be making some very difficult decisions: choosing between exotic adventures in the islands of the Philippines or Nicaragua, the "Land of Lakes and Volcanoes;" tasting the world-famous New England whoopie pies or dining on trout and eggs from a James Beard award-winning Jackson Hole favorite; and opting to scuba dive in Phuket or rappel down Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain.

"50/50" is produced by Big Table Media. For Big Table Media, the executive producers are Peter Holmes, Bill Swan and Geoff Davis. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Dale Roy Robinson.

VISIT TRAVELCHANNEL.COM FOR MORE ON "50/50"

Go to the "50/50" show page on TC.com for additional content from Samantha Brown, including travel tips plus show-related content such as video and photos. Then follow Travel Channel on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to join the conversation around #50/50. Follow hosts Samantha Brown and Chris Grundy on Twitter: @SamanthaBrown and @thechrisgrundy

TRAVEL CHANNEL is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it's around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world's leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, Md., and New York, N.Y. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.