Spike brings back multiplatform “Deadliest Warrior”

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Two guys are sitting at a bar. One says, “I’d bet you that the Jesse James Gang could beat Al Capone’s Gang.” The other, who happens to be a Chicagoan, says, “No way. Capone’s Gang was tougher.” But how would you settle such a bet? Spike TV has made that into a multiplatform series, which is coming back for a second season.  


“The runaway success of the first season sparked endless debate among fans,” the network noted, and now Spike TV is back to fuel the flames with more legendary combatants going head-to-head in a fight to the bloody finish. Spike TV’s “Deadliest Warrior,” the non-scripted original hit series that pits history’s greatest warriors against one another to determine who reigns supreme, returns for a second season of 13 one-hour episodes with all new warriors, bigger tests, deadlier weapons and more unprecedented matchups, beginning Tuesday, April 20 (10-11 pm, ET/PT) on Spike TV.

The debut episode, “SWAT vs. GSG-9,” features SWAT, the elite Special Forces of US law enforcement who tackle missions considered too dangerous for any other squads, squaring off against GSG-9, the top secret paramilitary arm of the German Police, whose unsurpassed urban assault skills have earned them a reputation as the most lethal and efficient counter-terrorism squad in the world. Other highly-anticipated matchups this season include: Attila the Hun vs. Alexander the Great, Aztec Jaguar vs. Zande Warrior, Jesse James Gang vs. Al Capone Gang, Persian Immortal vs. Celt, Roman Centurion vs. India’s Rajput Warrior, Somali Pirate vs. Medellin Cartel, Nazi SS vs. Viet Cong, KGB vs. CIA, Vlad the Impaler vs. Sun Tzu, Ming Warrior vs. Musketeer, Comanche vs. Mongol and Navy Seal vs. Israeli Commando.

Leading into the big premiere, Spike TV debuts a 90-minute special, “Deadliest Warrior Season 1: Back for Blood,” on Tuesday, April 20 (8:30-10:00 pm, ET/PT). The special features four winning warriors and fan favorites from season one – two ancient and two modern – going up against new opponents. The two new matchups, Spartan vs. Samurai and IRA vs. Spetznaz, will be complete with all new tests and ultimate final battles to determine THE deadliest two warriors from season one.

On Tuesday, May 11, “Deadliest Warrior” Season One DVD will be released nationwide by Spike TV Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. Bonus material includes “Deadliest Warrior: The Aftermath” post-fight analyses for each episode, producers’ roundtables and a season one wrap-up.

“Deadliest Warrior” pits history’s greatest warriors against one another to determine, once and for all, who reigns supreme. To collect data on these legends of combat, the series features a fight club that consists of series regulars Geoff Desmoulin, a biomedical engineer and karate black belt who uses high-tech sensors to collect the data; ER doctor and MMA physician, Dr. Armand Dorian, who analyzes the lethal potential of each attack on the human body; and computer whiz, Max Geiger, who tracks all the test findings to ultimately run in a battle simulation program. Along with the use of 21st century science and the latest in CGI technology, the series enlists warrior-specific, world-class fighters and experts to provide insight into what makes these combatants tick, analyzing every facet of their unique skills of destruction, culminating in a head-to-head final fight between two legends of the battlefield that will produce the deadliest warrior.

Spike.com will feature exclusive “Deadliest Warrior” content, including the Web show “Deadliest Warrior – The Aftermath” – an online round table discussion following each on-air premiere of the “Deadliest Warrior,” as well as special videos and past season matchups. Additionally, users can sign up for the Warrior’s Den at warrior.spike.com and follow @Warriors_Den and @Spike_TV on Twitter to get additional content, spoilers and information for the new season.

Fans will have new ways to experience the show through two games: “Deadliest Warrior: Defend and Conquer” available now on Spike.com, Facebook and iPhone and iPod Touch, and “Deadliest Warrior: The Game,” available on Xbox LIVE Arcade. “Deadliest Warrior: Defend and Conquer” is a tower defense game that allows players to be the first to decide how battles can be won against all new Season 2 enemies, including the Huns and the Mongols. “Deadliest Warrior: The Game” throws players directly into combat, where fans will be able to select from an array of characters and weapons while using a variety of attacks to see who will ultimately prevail as the Deadliest Warrior.

Each new episode of “Deadliest Warrior” will be made available in HD for download-to-own the day after the episode premieres on iTunes, xBox Live, Zune Live Marketplace, Sony Playstation Network and Amazon Video On Demand.

“Deadliest Warrior” is produced for Spike TV by Morningstar Entertainment. The series is executive produced by Gary Tarpinian and Paninee Theeranuntawat. Sharon Levy and Tim Duffy are Spike TV’s executives in charge of production.

Spike TV is available in 98 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks, owned by Viacom.