Reality Rumors

A teen motorist in Florida lost control of his car while trying to switch lanes and crashed into a vehicle driven by Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke, police said.

No one was injured and no charges have been filed in connection with the collision in Clearwater, WKMG-TV, Orlando, Fla. reported Monday.

Brooke Bollea’s accident came just weeks after Nick Bollea, Hogan’s 17-year-old son, was sentenced to eight months in prison after he pleaded no contest to felony reckless driving, stemming from a November 2007 car crash that seriously hurt his best friend,John Graziano.

Hogan, the current American Gladiators host born Terry Bollea, was at the scene of Sunday’s accident, but had not been in the vehicle his daughter was driving, WKMG said.

The accident caused the northbound lanes of the Bayside Bridge to be closed for several hours.

NBC has announced its recently ordered second installment of American Gladiators will air this summer prior to the network’s coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

In addition, NBC confirmed Hogan Knows Best patriarch and wrestling star Terrence “Hulk Hogan” Bollea and professional boxer and Dancing with the Stars fourth-season celebrity participant Laila Ali will reprise their co-hosting duties for American Gladiators’ second edition.

NBC and American Gladiators’ MGM Television and Reveille production companies are currently organizing a nationwide American Idol-like casting tour to find the next batch of amateurs who will compete on the show’s second installment.

NBC’s primetime revival of American Gladiators premiered with a special two-hour broadcast on Sunday, January 6 that averaged 12.1 million total viewers and scored a 5.9/14 rating/share in the Adults 18-49 demographic. At the time of its premiere, American Gladiators’ debut had represented the highest Adults 18-49 rating of any new-show premiere on any network so far this season (Sunday night’s premiere of Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has since surpassed it).

American Gladiators currently airs one-hour episodes in its regular time period of Mondays at 8PM ET/PT. Its January 7 time slot premiere averaged 10.9 million total viewers and scoring a 4.8/12 rating/share among Adults 18-49.

NBC announced Monday it has picked up a second season of the hit U.S. TV competition series “American Gladiators.”

“‘American Gladiators’ has delivered everything we were hoping for and has come out of the gate as a top contender,” NBC’s Craig Plestis said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the audience reaction to this top-notch show all ages can enjoy.”

“Reveille and MGM are so thrilled that America has responded to our reinvention of ‘American Gladiators,’” said executive producer Howard T. Owens, managing director of Reveille LLC.

As in MGM’s original “American Gladiators,” amateur athletes compete against the Gladiators in contests of physical strength and endurance.

The 24 male and female contenders compete in three rounds of challenges where the final man and woman left standing win a $100,000 top prize and go on to become Gladiators the following season.

All contenders have a unique story to tell and a compelling reason why they need to win, NBC noted.

NBC has announced that Laila Ali will join Hulk Hogan as co-host of the new edition of the U.S. competition series, “American Gladiators.”

“Laila is a gladiator in her own right,” Craig Plestis, of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. “Her fierceness in the ring is matched only by her charisma and authenticity. There is no competitor — male or female — who she can not relate to on a personal and competitive level.”

“It’s an honor to be reintroducing this American classic to a new generation of fans,” Ali added.

Currently the undefeated Super Middleweight Boxing Champion of the world with a 24-0 record and 21 knock-outs, Ali’s became a household name when she starred in the TV show, “Dancing with the Stars.”

This show marks the first time Ali will help moderate a televised competition series.

NBC has announced Dancing with the Stars fourth-season professional boxer Laila Ali will serve as co-host of the network’s primetime revival of American Gladiators when it premieres later this season.

Ali, who finished third during Dancing with the Stars 4 with professional partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, will co-host American Gladiators alongside Hogan Knows Best patriarch and wrestling star Terrence “Hulk Hogan” Bollea.

“Laila is a Gladiator in her own right,” said Craig Plestis, NBC’s executive vice president of alternative programming. “Her fierceness in the ring is matched only by her charisma and authenticity. There is no competitor — male or female — who she can not relate to on a personal and competitive level.”

Similar to the original American Gladiators franchise, which aired on syndication in the U.S. from 1989 to 1996, NBC’s reinvention of the show will feature amateur male and female contenders pitted against eight new gladiator professionals.

Classic American Gladiators challenges including The Joust, The Wall, HangTough, and of course, the Eliminator, will all be upgraded and featured in the reinvented version of the show, along with a mixture of new competitions designed to test physical strength and endurance.

“It’s an honor to be reintroducing this American classic to a new generation of fans,” said Ali.

Ali married retired NFL wide receiver Curtis Conway over the summer, and American Gladiators represents her first foray into television hosting.

NBC has announced open casting calls seeking amateur athletes for its upcoming American Gladiators revival.

Casting calls are scheduled to take place throughout September, with stops in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Chicago, Miami and Dallas.

Interested applicants must be at least 18-years-old as well as a legal U.S. resident, and are also being asked to attend the casting calls wearing workout attire and the appropriate footwear to be tested on strength, speed, balance and agility. Additional information is available via NBC’s website.

Similar to the original American Gladiators franchise, which aired on syndication in the U.S. from 1989 to 1996, NBC’s reinvention of the show will feature amateur male and female contenders pitted against gladiator professionals.

Classic American Gladiators challenges including The Joust, The Wall, Hang Tough, and of course, the Eliminator, will all be upgraded and featured in the reinvented version of the show, along with a mixture of new competitions designed to test physical strength and endurance.

NBC plans to begin broadcasting new episodes of American Gladiators midseason in primetime.

The American Gladiators casting call dates and locations are:

Saturday, September 8
9AM - 5PM
Gold’s Gym
360 Hampton Drive
Venice, CA 90291

Saturday, September 15
10AM - 3PM
Paerdegat Athletic Club
Sports Field
1510 Paerdegat Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY 11236

Sunday, September 16
9AM - 5PM
Windy City Fieldhouse
2367 W. Logan Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60647

Saturday, September 22
10AM - 3PM
The Ice Palace Film Studios
Stage 1
1400 North Miami Ave
Miami, Florida 33136

Saturday, September 22
10AM - 6PM
Arlington Courts
2500 E. Mayfield Rd.
Arlington, TX 76014