Pros vs. Joes


Pros vs. Joes is an American physical reality game show that aired on Spike from 2006 to 2010. The show featured male amateur contestants matching themselves against professional athletes in a series of athletic feats related to the expertise sport of the Pro they are facing. For its first three seasons, the show was hosted by Petros Papadakis. In the last two seasons, it was co-hosted by Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer. The first two seasons were filmed at Carson, California's Home Depot Center, which was referenced in aerial shots. Repeats can currently be seen on the El Rey Network.

Professional participants

Season One

Each of the first nine episodes of Pros vs. Joes consisted of a team of five professional athletes, distinguished by their uniform color on the show. Each team, other than the Red Team, appeared in two episodes. A special, "all-star", six-member Orange Team was put together for the season finale.

Red Team

Winner: Charlie Brenneman
Each of the second-season episodes of Pros vs. Joes consisted of a team of four professional athletes, distinguished by their uniform color on the show. Unlike the first season, returning teams wore different colored uniforms upon their return. Like the previous season, the teams on the season opener and finale wore red and orange uniforms respectively. The Season Two winner was US Army Veteran SGT Jay McKeown.

Red Team

Winner - Jay McKeown
For Season Three, the format was changed to a "Last Man Standing" format, akin to the NCAA Division I [men's basketball tournament] with regionals held at the now demolished Miami Orange Bowl, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where the finals were also held. The format now featured eight "Joes" in the opening round that tests them in a contest that will eliminate two of the Joes from contest. Those six remaining Joes were then ranked from one through six with the top seed taking on number six, number two against number five and number three against number four in a home sport of one of the pros, with the top two seeds choosing from the three pros. The winners advance to overtime, but now includes a bench where the Joes change from one uniform into another. Again the fastest among the three advanced to the finals. Gabriel Canape, a wireless rep from Lebanon, Missouri, was the winner.
As in past seasons, the pros are designated by the color of their uniforms.

Green Team (South Regional I)

Sudden death: Wrestling battle royal
Joes: Eddie Dubose, Brent Allen, Jason Vogel, Matt Hill, Dallas Robinson, Steve Ruff
Winner: Jason Vogel

Purple Team (Northeast Regional I)

sudden death: Punt Return for TD
Joe: "Iron" Mike Hall, Robert Foster, Mark Rohling, Donnie Frazier, Faheem Hammett, and Kevin Witt
Winner: Donnie Frazier

Light Blue Team (Central Regional I)

Sudden Death: rebounding
Joes: Jay Williams, Micheal Martin, Chris Rich, Tony Railing, Derek Schafer, Will Hunter
Winner: Derek Schafer

Red Team (Northeast Regional II)

Sudden Death: onside kicks
Joes: Mike Kotsch, Pablo Healing, Rahul Soni, Jermaine Reid, Joe Goodwin, John Grkovic
Winner: Joe Goodwin

Dark Green Team (West Regional I)

Sudden Death: TD Returns
Joes: Terrius Moseby, Dave Hubert, Dan Falkner, Jerry Lehman, Carvel Gardner, David Ortiz Jr
Winner: David Ortiz Jr

Royal Blue Team (South Regional II)

Sudden Death: scoop and score
Joes: Clayton Monte, Greg Macaluso, Brian Peters, Mark Kilibarda, Art Miller, Devon Tilly
Winner: Clayton Monte

Yellow Team (West Regional II)

Sudden Death: intercept the ball
Joes: Dion Santo, Clarence Chaney, Adam Wasserman, Justin Simonsen, Micheal Stange, Trent Madsen
Winner: Trent Madsen

Gold Team (Central Regional II)

Sudden Death: strip the dummy
Joes: Red Simmons, Gabriel Canape, Cory Driggs, Cakvin Lafiton, Tim Fritz, Kirby Sykes
Winner: Gabriel Canape

Purple Team (Semi-Final)

Winner Gabe canape

Maroon Team (Finals)

Winner Gabe Canape.

Season Four: Pros vs. Joes: All Stars

For the fourth season, which premiered April 27, 2009 at 11 pm ET/PT, the new hosts are FOX Sports Fox [NFL Sunday|NFL Sunday] regulars Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer, and is titled "Pros vs. Joes All Stars". In addition, the format changed to a 3-on-3 competition between teams made up of three pros and three joes in three separate skill events and an end game between the teams. If the Joes beat the Pros, they get $10,000.

Basketball I