CBS ANNOUNCES THE NEW ONE-HOUR SPECIAL “MVP: MOST VALUABLE PERFORMER,” TO BE BROADCAST LIVE THURSDAY, JAN. 25

CBS ANNOUNCES THE NEW ONE-HOUR SPECIAL “MVP: MOST VALUABLE PERFORMER,” TO BE BROADCAST LIVE THURSDAY, JAN. 25

An Interactive Talent Show to Find the Professional Football Player

with the Best Talent off the Field

Voting Is Now Open Online at si.com/mvp for the 32 Participating Players

Finalists Will Be Matched with Celebrity Mentors

Who Specialize in Their Talent

During the Jan. 25 Broadcast, Viewers Can Vote for the Final Two

on CBS.com, with the Winner Revealed Live 

CBS announced today the new one-hour special MVP: MOST VALUABLE PERFORMER, an interactive talent show to find the pro football player with the best off-the-field talent, to be broadcast live from the Avalon Hollywood, Thursday, Jan. 25 (9:00-10:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

The MVP contest begins today with the first videos of the 32 participating players available online at si.com/mvp for fans to watch and vote for their favorite performer. The videos showcase various unique talents, such as Irish step dancing, rapping and archery, among others. Each week, a new group of players’ auditions will be available online for fan voting during December. The finalists will be announced in January.

“While we knew pro football players had talents off the field, we had no idea how deep their talents go,” said Robert Horowitz, JUMA Entertainment President. “The focus, discipline and competitive fire that serve them so well on the field will be on full display as they step into the MVP spotlight. Watching many of these players perform their skills, it quickly becomes apparent that, if they had picked up a violin when they were 5, they probably would have ended up a concert violinist. Also, just know for any finalist whose day job might take them to the Super Bowl and prohibit them from appearing live on the show, we still plan to honor and call attention to their talent.”

Players who have entered the contest include Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers (Piano); AJ Green, Cincinnati Bengals (Juggling); Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers (Archery); Juju Smith-Shuster, Pittsburgh Steelers (Cooking); Domata Peko, Denver Broncos (Guitar); and Miles Killebrew, Detroit Lions (Drums). The complete list is below.

The top finalists will advance to the live show and be assisted by an entertainer who will mentor them and enhance their performances. During the show, a panel of celebrity judges will critique each player’s performance before viewers vote live online at CBS.com to determine the MVP: MOST VALUABLE PERFORMER. The winner will be revealed at the end of the show.

Additional information will be available closer to air.

The following is the current list of pro football players who have entered the MVP competition.

Ameer Abdullah	Detroit Lions	Acro-Yoga
Prince Amukamara	Chicago Bears	Dancing
Joe Barksdale	Los Angeles Chargers	Guitar
Justin Bethel	Arizona Cardinals	Drums
Patrick Chung	New England Patriots	Cooking
Alex Collins	Baltimore Ravens	Irish Step Dancing
Fletcher Cox	Philadelphia Eagles	Archery
Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	Archery
John Denney	Miami Dolphins	Violin
Max Garcia	Denver Broncos	Singing
Robert McClain	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Artist
AJ Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Juggling
Jacob and Cody Hollister	New England Patriots	Singing/Guitar
Miles Killebrew	Detroit Lions	Saxophone
Marquette King	Oakland Raiders	Piano
Christian Kirksey	Cleveland Browns	Drums
Bennie Logan	Kansas City Chiefs	Archery
Greg Mabin	San Francisco 49ers	Rap
Arthur Moats	Pittsburgh Steelers	Piano
Corey Nelson	Denver Broncos	Poetry
Robert Nkemdiche	Arizona Cardinals	Saxophone
Pat O’Donnell	Chicago Bears	Trick Shots
Domata Peko	Denver Broncos	Guitar
Juju Smith-Schuster	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cooking
Jonathan Stewart	Carolina Panthers	Piano
Joe Thuney	New England Patriots	Rubik’s Cube
Dalvin Tomlinson	New York Giants	Artist
Stephon Tuitt	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cooking
Brandon Williams	Baltimore Ravens	Singing
Eddie Yarbrough	Buffalo Bills	Ukulele/Singing
Kevin Zeitler	Cleveland Browns	Dog Tricks

MVP: MOST VALUABLE PERFORMER is produced by JUMA Entertainment in conjunction with ACE Media, the content arm of the NFL Players Association. Robert Horowitz and Josh Greenberg of JUMA are the executive producers along with Scott Langerman of ACE. Michael Simon will direct.

RATING: To Be Announced