Dierks Bentley and Jimmie Allen Slated For CBS Pickleball Tournament
Dierks Bentley and Jimmie Allen will represent country music in a CBS special called Pickled, hosted by late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert. Pickled will feature 16 celebrities competing for a…
Dierks Bentley and Jimmie Allen will represent country music in a CBS special called Pickled, hosted by late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert. Pickled will feature 16 celebrities competing for a coveted "Colbert Cup" and benefit the non-profit Comic Relief U.S. Stephen said in a press release, "If you love pickleball and you love celebrities, and you love helping people, you're going to love watching these celebrities help people by playing pickleball." Pickled will debut on Thursday, November 17, at 9 PM ET on CBS.
Other Celebrities taking part in Pickled include Murray Bartlett, Jaime Camil, Will Ferrell, Max Greenfield, Luis Guzman, Phil Keoghan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tig Notaro, June Diane Raphael, Kelly Rowland, Paul Scheer, Aisha Tyler, and Emma Watson. Cari Champion, John Michael Higgins, and Bill Raftery serve as announcers and add commentary.
Pickleball has become a national craze. More than 4.8 million people in the U.S. play the sport — the latest in racket games — which has seen a growth of 39.3%.
According to an official USA Pickleball website, Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, Washington. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum — whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities — are credited for creating a game. Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the U.S. and Canada. The game is also growing internationally, with many European and Asian countries adding courts.
Jimmie posted the show's promo on his Instagram, writing, "GAME TIME!! Get ready to get PICKLED. November 17 on @cbstv."
Several fans reacted to the post, including one who said, it's easier than (bowling emoji), haha." Another fan responded, "We love Pickleball -it's so fun!" One more wrote, "Man, you are on every sport. Nice!"
Allen, currently working on NBC's The Voice as a "Battle Advisor" for Blake Shelton's team, recently hosted a bowling tournament in Nashville, with proceeds going to charity.
Country music has a long history of great beards. In this gallery on National Beard day, we share some of country music's best beards from today and yesterday.
Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesAmerican singer, songwriter, and musician Waylon Jennings (1937 - 2002) performing live, 14th October 1983. (Photo by John Minihan/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Taylor Hill/Getty ImagesST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 04: Willie Nelson performs during Farm Aid 2009 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on October 4, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Christopher Polk/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Recording artist Chris Stapleton performs onstage during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesNASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 14: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Singer-songwriter Jordan Davis attends the 52nd annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 14, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesNASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 07: Singer-songwriter Sam Hunt attends the 2017 CMT Music Awards at the Music City Center on June 7, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images For CMT)
Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesLOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 09: Thomas Rhett attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on October 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images For dcp)
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesNASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 06: Singer-songwriter Dierks Bentley attends the 55th annual ASCAP Country Music awards at the Ryman Auditorium on November 6, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesNASHVILLE, TN - AUGUST 23: Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley attend the 11th Annual ACM Honors at the Ryman Auditorium on August 23, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for ACM)
Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesLOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Garth Brooks performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesNASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 16: Brantley Gilbert, Tim McGraw and Kris Kristofferson backstage at Keith Urban's Fourth annual We're All For The Hall benefit concert at Bridgestone Arena on April 16, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
