The first ever “sports day” competition to hit Nickelodeo’s E!
network was scrapped following criticism of the format and a backlash against the network’s controversial ratings practices.
The program, which aired on February 7, saw a live event with “some of Nickelodeons best” in a mock contest between the network and the likes of ESPN and CBS.
While there were some highlights, it was a disappointing end to a long-running series.
A host of celebrities participated in the contest, including Kevin Hart, Adam Levine, Nick Offerman, Jaden Smith and the recently announced Ricky Gervais.
However, many felt the format was a step too far and many complained that the show was being “brainwashed” by Nickelodeom.
The network has since acknowledged that some of the participants had their ratings lowered in order to promote the contest.
“This wasn’t the way to go about it,” a source close to the production told The Hollywood Reporter.
“This was all about trying to push the envelope and get ratings.”
The show was cancelled on April 7, 2019, with its producers saying that the format had become “too hard” to execute on the show.
The cancellation followed an outcry from the audience, which was largely comprised of people who saw the show as an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of their favorite stars.
A week after the cancellation, the show’s production team announced the production team was looking to “unlock” some of its content to “continue the evolution of the show”.
While that plan seems like it could have worked in the past, there was a backlash from fans, who felt the network had failed to “give people something to talk about”.
In an effort to improve the “sports-style” of the competition, the network has introduced a new competition called “Extreme Sports” which is a shortened version of “extreme sports”.
While the format does feature some familiar faces, the “Extreme Sport” competition is an opportunity for fans to “fight for your favorite sports stars”.
“We’re excited to see what’s next for Extreme Sports and we look forward to introducing some of your favorite personalities to the competition as part of the Nickelodeonic Challenge!” the network said in a statement.
“With Extreme Sports, we’re taking a much-needed step to bring more fans into the show with our new format and our fans can have their voices heard.
We want to hear from you, so let’s show you some of what we’ve got planned for you!”
Fans were also left frustrated with the network over the fact that it did not allow them to vote in their favorite celebrities to represent them in the competition.
“We have heard that many of you wanted to vote for your favorites,” a Nickelodeont spokesperson told The Daily Beast.
“That’s great, but we’ve heard that not everyone wants to vote on their favorite celebs, so we’ve also included a form where you can vote on your favorite celebers to represent you in the ‘Extreme Sports’ competition.
However, for now, you can only vote once and you’ll need to use the vote button on the bottom of the screen.
You can also see your favorites in the Celebrity Ratings section.”
But that did not sit well with many fans.
“It’s the same old same old.
People are being brainwashed by the network.
The worst part is, you know, they just want to get ratings,” one fan wrote on Twitter.”
What a dumb system, I thought it was supposed to be a way to give people something new to talk to in a format that was a little different,” another tweeted.
The backlash was so strong that the network announced it would be launching a new “Extremesports” competition with “more stars and a few new faces” next week.
The new competition will be hosted by Adam Levine and will feature “some great surprises” according to the network, which also announced it will be launching “a new series of ‘Extremesports’ competitions” in 2019.
“I’ve always loved the idea of ‘extreme sports’ and have been a fan since I was a kid,” Levine told Variety in a tweet.
“I have been an advocate for these sports in general and especially the ‘extreme’ sports that come from the ‘sports day’ series.
It’s really been a great way for us to get people into these types of sports and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we come up with.”
However, a host of fans also expressed their frustrations with the “Sports Day” format, saying it was “brainwashing” and “fantasy-like”.
“It seems like they’re trying to make sports fun, but they’re doing it to get eyeballs for the network,” one person said.
“Sports Day isn’t about sports.
It shouldn’t be a ratings thing, it’s about the sport,” another added. “
