Spike TV's Pros vs. Joes gets Amp-ed up for new season

 If you were mixing it up with Terrell Owens, Donovan McNabb and Hakeem Olajuwon, you'd probably need an Amp energy drink, too. In this season of Spike TV's Pros vs. Joes, the caffeine-spiked beverage will be littered around the set as regular guys compete against sports legends. (They probably won't have to be persuaded to drink up). Amp gets product integration, along with various on-screen signage, as part of its advertising deal with the popular show, which just launched its fifth season. Other sponsors include Subway, with its endorser Michael Strahan returning as host of the series, and vignettes themed to its "fresh" message. (Fresh Buzz will feature interviews and audition tapes from the Joes; and Fresh Take of the Week will showcase a notable play from the Joes). The U.S. Marines have in-show branding, and Verizon has bought out commercial pods in select episodes. The pro athletes and weekend warriors square off in three-on-three contests in football and basketball this season. Catch the show on Wednesday nights.

Coors Light and Spike TV vow to make cooking easier for guys

Not getting enough liquor in your diet? Spike TV and Coors Light can help you with that. A collaboration between the rough-and-tumble guy's network and the beer marketer will infuse recipes and meals with liberal amounts of branded hops and barley in an original Web series, "Food Dude on the Road." The Food Dude is comedian Will Greenberg, whose culinary specialties include dishes like "Stir-Fry Ramen Delight." He'll whip up the brewski-themed creations, billed as so easy "any guy can tackle," on a five-city tour. Footage from those events in New York, L.A., Miami, Philadelphia and Austin, Texas, will air on both partners' Web sites. Promotion for the webisodes will span online, mobile apps, Twitter and Facebook. Coors Light will have its stamp on nearly every inch of the videos, from in-shot graphics and animated intros to the drink of choice to wash down the dinners. A hub on Spike Mobile and an interactive map app will allow fans to follow Food Dude around the country. Those in the host cities are invited to the show. Eat/drink up!

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

Spike TV knows all of recorded history is one humongous battle

It's 300 meets Human Weapon meets Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed with The History Channel.
  Honestly, why even bother marketing Deadliest Warrior, the new series premiering April 7 on Spike? The show sells itself. It features fighters from various centuries going toe-to-toe to see who'd be left standing if they ever actually grappled. The special effects aren't exactly Benjamin Button-esque, but with "the use of 21st century science," they pit Spartans against Japanese ninjas and Apaches against Roman gladiators for showdowns with "no rules, no safety and no tapouts."
  Not surprisingly, guys like UFC's Chuck Liddell will be on hand as "combat experts" to determine who's the baddest of the bad: the Navy SEALs or Genghis Khan's Mongol barbarians.
  Hey, isn't that an old bar bet?

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

Spike TV brings together German liqueur, all-American cowboys

Jägermeister is officially the presenting sponsor of Spike TV's Toughest Cowboy national tour and reality TV series. The 12 competitors will need a shot of the nasty stuff as they participate in the cowboy version of a triathlon. First, they have to ride a bronco bareback, then in the saddle, and finally they get to ride a raging bull. Eight Toughest Cowboy one-hour shows, produced by Mark "Survivor" Burnett, will air on Spike beginning Jan. 29. One competitor is knocked out each week. Well, at least he'll have some purple, herbal booze in which to drown his sorrows at the "Party in the Dirt," held following the live events. The winner gets a ranch in Wyoming, where he can go ice his balls in peace.

—Posted by Kenneth Hein