Ronda Rousey will be a coach on the revived Battle of the Network Stars, which debuts June 29 on ABC.
Rousey, a former UFC female bantamweight champion, will be one permanent coach along with DeMarcus Ware. Mike Greenberg is set to host with Joe Tessitore, while Cassidy Hubbarth and Cari Champion provide sideline analysis.
The series, which became a pop-culture classic in the 1970s and 80s, will span 10 episodes and pit teams of current and classic TV stars from different eras against one another in games such as Tug of War, Archery, Kayak Relay, the Obstacle Course and the Dunk Tank.
“We believe there is no format which is a better time machine than Battle of the Network Stars, plus the name itself fills you with nostalgia and a sense of positive energy – like the beach party you really want to be invited to with your favorite people from TV,” Executive Producer Andrew Glassman said. “For this new version, the network vs. network format didn’t make as much sense as fielding teams based on the characters people love from over the years to the current day – Cops vs. TV Sitcoms, White House vs. Lawyers, TV Moms & Dads vs. TV Kids, etc. In this way, we’ll get to see everyone’s favorites from over the years, even if they spanned different networks at the time.”
The first episode airs June 29 at 9 p.m. ET.
