An April 10 premier opens the second of season of I Bet You on MOJO HD TV, an exclusive channel to High Def cable TV subscribers (satellite viewers are SOL). Tune in at 9:30 pm ET/PT for the first of fourteen original shows starring poker pros, Antonio “Magician” Esfandiari and Phill “Unabomber ” Laak, two poker guys proving once again that traveling around the country doing nothing more than hanging out with celebrities and betting on anything and everything in sigh is a lot of fun; and, I’m talking about the stuff you don’t see, the side wagers that happens when the cameras are off. You’ll see the production set-ups of “I’m bigger, faster, better, longer, smarter, harder and can be slickly packaged up for a TV time slot… and best of all, I’ve got xxx $’s that sez so.”
This season the shows will include an invited celebrity or a poker professional to join in and take part of the action. Scheduled to appear are Elizabeth Shannon, Jennifer Tilly, Lance Burton, George Segal, Frank Stallone, Richard Carn and more.
Season II episodes synopsis after the jump…
Upcoming I Bet You episodes:
Sperm Bank (Miami): Who’s the more “manly” man when it comes to sperm motility, quantity, lifespan and fertility potential? Also, which of our guys can best wrestle an alligator (and maintain all limbs) and talk to a paint salesman for five minutes about everything except paint.
Modeling (Miami): Taking direction from two beautiful runway models, which of our illustrious gentlemen can excel on the catwalk? Under water, which man can hold his breath the longest?
Firefighters (Miami): Will Phil or Antonio make a better fireman? Competitions include lifting, dragging and rescuing victims alongside the Miami-Dade Fire Department during drills. Also, can Phil get a stranger to photograph him five times and can Antonio get a beautiful woman to give him her phone number?
Air Combat (Los Angeles): Antonio and Phil team up with air combat instructors and learn how to dogfight. Who will be shooting who out of the air? Also, Jennifer Tilly plays charades and poker with our fearless competitors.
Songwriting (Los Angeles): With a little help from Frank Stallone (“Staying Alive”) and Tiffany (“I Think We’re Alone Now”), our itinerant gamblers each write and perform a song. Who’s got the stuff to climb the charts? Also, E’s! Joel McHale joins our gentlemen in an amusement park, betting to see who the best “ride” champion is.
Camping (Nashville): Out in the Nashville woods, there’s fishing (who’ll catch the first one), rock climbing (who’ll climb higher) and fire building (one guy can’t even ignite). Which guy will come out on top? Also, who’s more attractive to puppies and who can fit more marshmallows in his mouth?
Demolition Derby (Nashville): Phil starts the day with a broken toe and Chris, from the production group, substitutes for him in head-to-head automotive smash-ups against Antonio.
Formula One Racing (Las Vegas): Ready, get set, go! Phil and Antonio go around the track at the Mario Andretti Racing School to see who the fastest and most adept driver is. Also, fellow poker pros Howard “The Professor” Lederer and Eli Elezra join the guys to play poker and bet on a phone sex operator’s knowledge of politics.
Murder Mystery (Los Angeles): Somebody’s dead (not really) and Phil and Antonio play detective to guess which fictional character has been up to no good. They bet on the outcome.
Fencing: En garde! When the boys draw foils, there’s a point and parry to be made. Who walks away the winner and who just gets stuck? Also, celebrities George Segal, Richard Karn, Charles Durning, Tony Denison and Lance Burton join together to play poker with Phil and Antonio–but who bluffs better than our boys?
Loveline Radio Show (San Francisco): Antonio and Phil host a radio show and bet on who’s the best host. Also, they build ice sculptures and race mice through a maze with special guest Shannon Elizabeth.
Ballet’s the Thing (San Francisco): Our gentlemen wager on who can be taught to be the best ballet dancer (with a little instruction from professionals). They also compete in jousting and sumo wrestling.
Welcome to the Circus (San Francisco): Who’s the better circus performer–trapeze artist, clown and/or “somersaulter”? Also, an I Bet You contest winner pits Antonio and Phil against each other to sell the most lemonade.
Viva Las Vegas: Who’s the better pole dancer? And the biggest bet of all: the $20,000 coin toss–no whining allowed.
BIO: Antonio Esfandiari, nicknamed “The Magician” because he began performing magic professionally at age 21, hails from Iran where, ironically, playing cards is outlawed. Only 29, Antonio is characterized by his entrepreneurial spirit. At age 25, Antonio won $1.4 million at the World Poker Tour® (WPT) Los Angeles Poker Classic, making him the youngest million dollar prize winner and the youngest WPT Champion in poker history at the time. Less than 5 months later he went on to beat 356 players to win his first bracelet at the World Series of Poker. His poker winnings exceed 2.7 million. Last month, WPT announced that Antonio will officially represent the company in land-base and online tournaments as the face of the WPT Poker-Made Millionaire(tm) (the group of players who have won at least $1 million on the WPT). He is known for his networking powers and was recently voted by Bluff Magazine as King of Nightlife in Las Vegas.
BIO: Phil Laak, nicknamed “The Unabomber” because of his trademark hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses, is a championship poker player. Phil won the 2004 World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational, placed 2nd in the 2005 World Series of Poker Pot Limit Hold ‘Em Event, and took home £150,000 (more than $290,000) in London’s first annual William Hill Poker Grand Prix. He has made six WPT final tables and 6 WSOP cashes since 2003. A regular on GSN’s “High Stakes Poker”, he is well known for his unique personality and entertaining antics. In 2007 Phil and another pro narrowly beat the world’s leading poker computer program – Polaris for the second time. Leaving his engineering degree behind, he made the move to games and there is no turning back for him.