Dhani Tackles the Globe


Dhani Tackles the Globe is an American documentary television series hosted by former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones of the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles, that aired on the Travel Channel. The series follows Jones around the globe as he learns how to play international sports and simultaneously explores the culture of each location. It was cancelled after two seasons.

Episodes

Season One

Season Two

  • Italy – First aired on April 19, 2010. Dhani travels to Italy to compete in a local cycling race in the Italian Alps. Dhani trains with a stage winner of the Giro d'Italia and learns more about the local culture in Northern Italy. Given his substantial upper body when compared to a typical cyclist, Dhani struggled with the initial climb of this race, and comes in several hours behind the winners. It was one of the few events where Dhani himself noted he "didn't have a chance to win". Nevertheless, he finished and gained a newfound respect for the grueling aspects of this sport.
  • Senegal – First aired on April 26, 2010. Dhani travels to Senegal to train and compete in the Senegalese wrestling style known as Lutte. Dhani is matched with a revered Senegalese wrestler, known as "Bombardier", who trains him and introduces him to aspects of Senegalese culture. Relying on his high school wrestling skills as well as new techniques taught by his coach, Dhani won his lone match.
  • Iceland – First aired on May 3, 2010. Dhani visits Iceland and competes in a strongman competition. The competition consists of several events testing the participant's strength and endurance. Dhani generally does well in training and seems to impress his coaches. After visiting a few sites, Dhani competes in a local event. Despite his lack of training and experience, he is one of the few contestants to complete every event and ends up in second place out of a dozen or more competitors.
  • Jamaica – First aired on May 10, 2010. Dhani visits Jamaica and learns how to play cricket. As many Americans who grew up playing baseball, he initially has problems with fundamentals. However he eventually gets the hang of it to take a couple of wickets and make some bowling and fielding plays.
  • Croatia – First aired on May 17, 2010. Dhani travels to the port city of Dubrovnik, Croatia to learn water polo. Although a strong swimmer, Dhani appears exhausted by the training regimen of the local water polo club. While there, he takes in the cultural scene, traveling to a nearby village where shellfish are harvested, and he visits the oldest continuously operated pharmacy in the world. Being an enthusiast of bow ties, he shops at what is believed to be the first shop to produce neckties,. In his single water polo match, Dhani sees some action on defense and scores a goal on offense.
  • South Africa – First aired on May 24, 2010. In celebration of the 2010 World Cup Dhani travels to South Africa to learn soccer. In addition to training with a local club team, he gets to go cage diving and get face to face with great white sharks. In the lone match, Dhani plays the majority of the game on defense. However he was called upon to take a penalty kick and scored a goal for his team.
  • Mexico – First aired June 14, 2010. In his most outrageous show to date Dhani travels to Mexico City, Mexico to become a lucha libre wrestler. The show begins where he and his interpreter are sitting ringside, when Máscara Año 2000, Jr. is tossed out of the ring in front of them. Words are exchanged between Máscara Año 2000, Jr. and the interpreter, and Dhani intervenes on behalf of his guide. After security separates them, Máscara Año 2000, Jr. and Dhani each announce to the crowd that they will wrestle next week to "settle" their dispute. After engaging in some cultural activities, the real action takes place when Dhani practices the full panoply of high-flying moves that make lucha libre entertaining. The match between Dhani and Máscara Año 2000, Jr. is action packed, and after a long battle, Dhani pins his opponent. However, Dhani is later disqualified for a low blow to his opponent.
  • ScotlandHighland Games
  • BrazilBeach volleyball
  • NepalEverest Base Camp