Television viewers of the late seventies who starve a combining of amateur athletics plus fame pelt ( mix together with more tall mallow than a Wisconsin souvenir shop ) had to reckon no further thanBattle of the internet Stars . inspire somewhat by ABC ’s popularWide World of Sports adept — an yearly competition of professional athletes competing in a series of 10 different outcome unrelated to their own mutation — the electronic connection set up a bi - one-year “ sporting ” competition between various player from serial on the three major networks . The first installment air in 1976 and garnered enough of a following that the series continued until 1985 .
As the stars ofWelcome Back , Kotter , CHiPs , Happy Daysand other hits of the day fought it out in electrical relay races , the obstacle course of study , the dunk tank car , and Simon Says , veteran sports commentator Howard Cosell render color commentary with the gravity usually reserved for an Ali - Frazier trophy fight . But why would a telly ace participate in such a spectacle , risking hurt and mussed hair during their hiatus ? One answer might be that they embraced the human play of athletic competition . Another might be that this was a time when episodic television system did n’t have million - dollar salaries , andBattleoffered some nice dirty money money : Each member of the gain team on the first appearance sequence collected $ 20,000 ( the Pittsburgh Steelers only earned $ 15,000 each for win the Super Bowl that year ) . Join us , wo n’t you , for the thrill of triumph , the agony of licking , the political wrongness of the geological era , and some costless bathing costume shots … .
I Protest!
Freestyle or Breaststroke?
Adrienne Barbeau and Lynda Carter were a piddling unquiet — but buoyant with hope — as they step onto the starting blocks for the swimming competition . Once they hit the weewee they lost that deer - in - the - headlights looking and went for the jugular . Perhaps it was a little tit - for - tackiness after that contentious relay wash , but it was clear that neither woman want to ensconce for the booby prize . Luckily they had plenty of support — just listen to those “ yahoos ! ” from the snout and hollerers in the hearing !
What It Was, Was Football
Not to say that any of the other contests were necessarily frivolous , but one event that was play very severely was the 3 - on-3 football competition . Maybe it was because many of the male TV actors had play some ball back in the day and were eager to relive their wonderment years . Whatever the reason , the men actually take the metre to design some game strategy and play with the fervor of erstwhile college pals lock in a “ well-disposed ” competition at a reunification . Just watch Richard Hatch ( theBattlestar Gallacticaguy , not theSurvivorguy ) and Joseph Bottoms risk injury while take a shit some very striking catches in this clip and see if they ’re not envisioning themselves on the grid at the Rose Bowl .
“High and Dry, I Need a Ball Player…”
Believe it or not , the Dunk Tank was an actual “ gymnastic ” issue inBOTNS . Athletic is in quotation marks because there was some controversy as to the truth of the dip chemical mechanism . Skeptical TV viewers take note that the more comely the dunkee , the less precise the dunker had to be when arrive at the target . note how a pre - Mad About YouHelen Hunt barely nick the mark but yet manages to charge hunky Dean Butler swim .
Meanwhile , Tom Selleck claim whole too long to strip down to his swimsuit . ( Preen much ? ) And Judy Norton - Taylor ( eldestWaltonsdaughter ) boasts some impressive biceps that even Michelle Obama would envy .
Let No Obstacle Block Your Path
Much like on baby showThe Superstars , the Obstacle Course was a devotee favorite and a deal - breakers for the competition involved here . Younger stars like Scott Baio and Kristy McNichol seemed to have an obvious advantage , but when similarly - mature celebs like Melissa Gilbert placed further back in the standings than worker twice their years , it gave viewers hope . Maybe spring chicken was n’t the be - all , end - all when it came to physical fittingness … Perhaps if we elder statesmen watch our dieting and exercised on a regular basis we could compete with the proficient of them … Before you run off to the gymnasium , here is Kristy versus Melissa :
Billy Crystal versus David Letterman :
And Penny Marshall versus Mackenzie Phillips :
For All the wits
The ultimate , determination - making consequence onBOTNSwas the Tug of War . After all the preliminary rivalry , the two teams with the most points went on to compete in this last upshot . The captain of each team decide who would flirt and in which ordering on the rophy ( there was a maximal weight unit limit of 900 lbs . on each side ) . Watch the fierceness of play imply in this event and you ’ll see that tug of warfare can really be grievous ( there have been contest in the past where players have lost a finger or two during play ) , which is why it has been banish as an upshot in many professional competitions .
If you ’ve ever watchedBattle of the web Stars , here is the position to share your memories . If you ’ve never seen this show ( or even if you have ) , what current television wizard would you care to see scar against one another in sweaty , bouncy athletic challenger ?
