Sunrise, FL (March 22, 2000) Are you a sports genius? Now, you can prove it beginning next Monday, March 27th when FOX Sports Net premieres SPORTS GENIUSES, a new high-energy sports game show that challenges studio contestants, viewers at home and Internet participants with intriguing sports trivia in a lively, pressure packed original format. FOX Sports Net will premiere SPORTS GENIUSES on Monday, March 27th at 6:00pm, with an encore showing at 11:00pm. Hosting the show is fast-rising sports personality Matt Vasgersian, who is joined by co-host Lisa Guerrero.
Most weeknights, Vasgersian and Guerrero are assisted by some of the biggest names in sports, like Cal Ripken Jr., Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Eric Dickerson, Nadia Comaneci, Carl Lewis, Pete Rose, Ernie Banks, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jim Harbaugh, and many more.
The fast-paced, action-packed contest features three players going head-to-head through two rounds of questions. Then, the top two scorers battle in the winner-take-all “Face-Off” round. The first round features an intense competition during which contestants are not penalized for wrong answers. Players initially answer five questions taken from four different sports categories and the round concludes with a “30 Second Blitz” segment. Values for questions in the second round or “Elimination Round” are doubled and contestants are now penalized for wrong answers. In an attempt to make ground, the player in third place may use “The Shaft,” a prop resembling an inverted baseball bat, to force an opponent to answer an undesirable question.
In the final Face-Off round for example, Vasgersian might order the remaining players to name all the members of the 1998 World Champion New York Yankees. Contestants then go back-and-forth, each providing correct answers until an incorrect answer is given. The points build up with correct answers and the winner of each question gets all the points. Face-Off continues until the final bell sounds and the contestant with the most points is declared the championor genius.
Vasgersian is one of Major League Baseball’s bright new play-by-play announcers. He’s currently in his fourth year in the broadcast booth for the Milwaukee Brewers. His energetic and creative home run calls have become staples for sportscasts nationwide. Vasgersian brings a keen knowledge of sports and an edgy sense of humor to each episode of SPORTS GENIUSES. In addition to hosting SPORTS GENIUSES and his baseball work, he has called baseball games for FX and FOX Sports Net and last season he hosted FX’s “Toughman World Champions” series.
The versatile Guerrrero, a former model and actress, has quickly established herself as a critically acclaimed sports reporter in the Los Angeles area. She is a weekend sports reporter for KTTV FOX 11 in Los Angeles, and she has also worked on sports radio and television shows for outlets in Boston prior to moving to Southern California. She has recently been cited in Sports Illustrated and the Los Angeles Daily News for her sports reporting.
SPORTS GENIUSES was created by Gregory V. Sherman, an Emmy Award-winning game show producer and is also the show’s Executive Producer.
There will be a media conference call today, Wednesday, March 22nd at 4pm EST. Call 1-800-289-0436 and ask for the “FOX cable baseball call.”
Contact:
Michelle Stevens
Communications Manager
954-845-9994