CBS announced the eight celebrity teams competing in the new two-hour sports comedy special Pickled. The pickleball tournament, produced by Stephen Colbert’s Spartina, Funny Or Die and CBS Studios, will air Thursday, Nov. 17 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*. Stephen Colbert of The Late Show hosts the pickleball competition.
Meet the teams playing to benefit the non-profit Comic Relief US and ultimately win the coveted totem of excellence: The Colbert Cup!
American Idol and DWTS alum, Jimmie Allen, who has never met a reality show he didn’t like, is on a team with Max Greenfield. Currently, Jimmie is a Battle Round advisor for Blake Shelton on The Voice. And he just appeared on the ABC scripted series, The Connors, playing a newspaper reporter.
TEAM: DINK FLOYD
CELEBRITIES: Kelly Rowland and Murray Bartlett
TEAM: PARTY ‘TIL YOU CUKE
CELEBRITIES: Tig Notaro and “Mystery Player”
TEAM: THE PADDLE SNAKES
CELEBRITIES: June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer
TEAM: TAKE THIS LOB AND SHOVE IT
CELEBRITIES: Jaime Camil and Aisha Tyler
TEAM: THE VOLLEY RANCHERS
CELEBRITIES: Sugar Ray Leonard and Emma Watson
TEAM: DANIEL DAE LUIS
CELEBRITIES: Luis Guzmán and Daniel Dae Kim
TEAM: DILL-I-AM
CELEBRITIES: Jimmie Allen and Max Greenfield
TEAM: WHEN HARRY NET RALLY
CELEBRITIES: Dierks Bentley and Phil Keoghan
All-star announcers, including Cari Champion, John Michael Higgins and Bill Raftery, add color and commentary to the matches. After the national anthem is performed as a duet by singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins and Stephen Colbert, the eight celebrity teams take to the court to battle for the honor of being named the Pickled champions.
Stephen Colbert’s Spartina, Funny Or Die and CBS are joining forces with Comic Relief to re-ignite the magic of creating change through comedy with PICKLED. Calls to action during the broadcast will raise funds to support Comic Relief’s safety programs, which address the life-altering impact of homelessness, rootlessness and lack of safety often experienced by children and families living in poverty.In addition to funds raised from the broadcast event and at ComicRelief.org/pickled, Comic Relief will also be engaging pickleball leagues, lovers and communities across the U.S. to get in on the fun to help children and families experiencing homelessness.
