Extreme Dodgeball
A game show based on dodgeball, created to accompany the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.
Extreme Dodgeball was an American game show adaptation of the playground game, airing on Game Show Network from June 2004 to November 2005. Created by Rich Cronin and produced by Mindless Entertainment, it was designed to tie in with the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. The show ran for three seasons, each featuring six to eight teams of five to seven players. The first season used gimmick teams like sumo wrestlers and jockeys, which evolved by the third season into franchise-style teams representing cities. Bil Dwyer and Zach Selwyn hosted all three seasons.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Game show
- Creator
- Rich Cronin
- Inspired by
- Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
- Developer
- Mark Cronin, James Rowley
- Director
- Tom Maguire
- Presenter
- Bil Dwyer
- Zach Selwyn
- Jerri Manthey (Season 1)
- Mary Strong (Season 2)
- Michele Merkin (Season 3)
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Standard rules
Extreme Dodgeball is a variation of the standard schoolyard game, where players try to hit opponents with balls to eliminate them while staying on their own side of the court. During the first two seasons, matches featured two teams of five players competing in a best-of-three format, with each round ending when one team had all its members eliminated. The opening round used two standard dodgeballs. The second round, called the "Big Ball Round," introduced a third ball that was twice as large, often used for deflecting incoming throws. The third round, known as "Dead Man Walking," removed the big ball and instead gave one player on each team an orange headband, designating them as the Dead Man Walking. In those early seasons, if that player was eliminated for any reason, his team instantly lost the round and the match. Players could be sent to the sideline for several reasons: being struck by a ball, having their throw caught by an opponent (which also allowed a previously eliminated teammate to return, as long as the team did not exceed five players on the court), dropping a ball while trying to deflect a throw, or stepping over the center line or outside the court boundaries in seasons one and two. There were two ways to return after elimination. The first was when a teammate caught a ball, bringing one player back. The second was a "regeneration." In season one, if only one player remained, he could hit a regeneration target before being eliminated to bring back his entire team. In season two, the last player simply had to survive for 20 seconds. In both cases, a team could only regenerate once per round. For season three, this changed again: if the last player survived 30 seconds, only one teammate returned, but if he was eliminated, four teammates came back. This could happen any number of times. Season three also saw teams grow to seven players, though only five could be on the court at once, with substitutes rotating in. Matches shifted from best-of-three rounds to four six-minute quarters, with victory going to the team with the most points. Eliminating an opponent earned one point, and wiping out the entire opposing team earned a bonus point.
Teams
Each team in Extreme Dodgeball had a gimmick, often reflecting a common profession as indicated by the team name. In the first season, teams wore clothing matching their gimmick, such as vests and neckties for the CPA or racing silks for the Stallion Battalion. In later seasons, all teams wore uniforms similar to basketball jerseys in team colors. The CPA, or Certified Public Assassins, were Certified Public Accountants and became Season 1 Champions, winning the $10,000 grand prize while going undefeated. Key CPA members included Tobias 'The Sniper' McKinney, creator of the 'Suicide Leap'; Michael 'Handsome' Constanza, named MVP with the fastest throwing speed at 82 MPH; and Mandy 'Sunshine' Sommers, known for catching almost any ball. Other teams included Armed Response (security guards), Ink, Incorporated (tattoo artists who hated the Mimes), Curves of Steel (female bodybuilders with a male trainer), Silent But Deadly Mimes (mime artists), Stallion Battalion (jockeys), and Sumo Storm (sumo wrestlers, who lost all six matches).
Other rule changes and amendments
For the second season, there were two more main changes. Firstly, there was a 5-second delay of game warning. If a team held more than one ball for over 5 seconds, one of its players would be issued a "yellow card" and ejected from the court. The second rule stated that if a player, in the opinion of the referee, was impeding the flow of play of the game by stalling, refusing to throw the ball, or attempting to force a play on the opposing team, the referee(s) could give that player a "yellow card". Two yellow cards meant that the player in question was ejected from the rest of the match. This second rule was introduced early in the second season and was called the "Benedetto Amendment" after player David Benedetto, who deliberately placed two balls immediately on his opponents' side of the court, forcing the opponents - in compliance with the above-stated five-second-rule - to approach the balls and allowing him to hit them at point blank range, a tactic which was deemed unfair by the show's producers. Although Michael 'Handsome' Constanza had used this same tactic in an Episode 3 game of Season 1, there was no five-second rule back then, so it was not as abusive. In the third season, many significant changes were made to the rules. First, the teams would add two players each, increasing the number of players from five to seven. Still however, only five members of the team would be allowed on the court at any given time. The main change in this season was the format of the matches. Instead of 3 rounds which ended when all of the players on one of the teams were eliminated, the matches would be divided into four six-minute quarters, leading to a total of 24 minutes per match. The victor would not be decided by the fastest elimination of an entire team, but rather, the team with the most points at the end of the match. Eliminating an opposing player in any way granted the team one point. A bonus point was awarded for wiping out the entire opposing team. Other small changes were added. For example, if a player received a yellow card for yelling at the referee, holding a ball for too long, disobeying the instructions given, etc., he would have to stand in a small square while a player on the other team would be given a free shot at him. If the penalized player was hit, the opposing team scored a point, but if that player left the square's boundaries, two points were awarded. Another small change was in the court itself. In previous seasons, the boundaries had been on the left, right, and front for each team. In this season, the left and right boundaries were replaced by walls, making the court more similar to that of many indoor sports, such as indoor soccer or ice hockey. In the second quarter, the Big Ball was put in play, similarly to the first two seasons. Since the big ball was used mainly for defending and was difficult to throw, two bonus points were awarded for a kill with the big ball throw. In the third and fourth quarters, the teams were on the side opposite of that on which they started. In the fourth quarter, the orange Dead Man Walking headbands came into play. One player on each team would be required to wear the headband at all times. Every time a Dead Man Walking was eliminated, the other team gained two bonus points, but the headband was simply transferred to a teammate. When two minutes remained in this quarter, there would be a break in the game where the teams were allowed to switch players on the court with ones on the bench (but each team retains the same number of players that were on the court before). At the end of the fourth quarter, the team with the most points would be declared the victor and win $5,000. If after the fourth quarter, a tie was reached, the game went into overtime, in which each team chose three players to represent them on the court. There were no regenerations, and catching a ball would not bring in a new player—once a player was out, he stayed out for good. The team which could outlast the opposition was declared the winner of the match. In the third season, referees were able to give players red cards, much like in soccer. If a player was given a red card, he would be out for the rest of the game. Players were given red cards if they behaved in a particularly improper manner too serious for a yellow card, such as physical contact with an opponent in a harsh manner. Red cards were uncommon, but had been given multiple times. One player, Brian DeCato, was even suspended for the season for repeated offenses.
Tournament format and prize structure
In season 1, each team played 5 matches; afterwards all 8 competed in the playoffs with 1st facing 8th, 2nd facing 7th, etc. The winners of these playoffs won $10,000. In season 2, each team played 10 matches, and the top 3 teams from each division advanced to the playoffs. In the first round, the #2 and #3 seed in each division faced off against each other. The winner of these matches faced the #1 seed of their respective division (who earned a bye in round 1) in a playoff match for $5,000. Then the 2 division winners would face off in the championship match for an additional $20,000 ($25,000 total). In season 3, each team played 10 matches as in the previous season, with the winners of each match receiving the prize money of $5,000. The four teams with the best records advanced to the playoffs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Extreme Dodgeball are there?
Extreme Dodgeball has 38 episodes across 3 seasons.
When did Extreme Dodgeball first air?
Extreme Dodgeball first aired on 15 June 2004.
When did Extreme Dodgeball end?
Extreme Dodgeball last aired on 22 November 2005.
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