SPIKE DELVES INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA IN SEARCH OF RICHES UNTOLD IN NEW ORIGINAL SERIES "DIAMOND DIVERS," PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 AT 10PM ET/PT
Unscripted Series Follows Courageous Crew of Divers and Sailors on the Hunt for
Elusive Diamonds off the Perilous Coast of South Africa
New York, NY - May 14, 2012 - Billions of dollars worth of diamonds lie undiscovered at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to change the lives of those with enough guts and skill to claim them. Spike TV's new unscripted original series, "Diamond Divers," captures the epic journey of the fearless Captain John and his tough nautical crew as they put everything on the line to battle the treacherous seas of South Africa in search of buried diamonds under the sea. Six one-hour episodes of "Diamond Divers" premiere starting Wednesday, June 20 at 10PM ET/PT on Spike TV.
"Diamond Divers" chronicles the dangerous expedition of this enterprising maritime crew as they trek halfway around the world, from Washington State to the infamous Skeleton Coast off the dangerous coast of South Africa, an area renowned for shipwrecks and legendary storms, to mine for diamonds. Meeting them in South Africa are two young, hotshot divers from Houston, TX, who will need to adjust to having to report to Captain John. They will target what is believed to be the original mouth of the Groen River, a coveted spot thought to have an untouched jackpot of diamonds hidden deep in the trenches of the ocean floor. The crew is contracted by the international company Panda Marine, a diamond mining and exploration company specializing in marine mining.
Battling 50 foot waves in some of the roughest waters on earth with the ever-looming danger of sharks, poachers and unpredictable weather, the crew will literally risk life and limb with every voyage to find treasure. Fortunately, the experienced captain and crew are well-equipped for the daunting mission. Cinematically shot, "Diamond Divers" captures the immense danger the men willingly face, knowing their efforts could mean the difference between going home empty-handed or scoring a million dollar payday, and documents the drama that unfolds along the way.
The crew is led by Captain John, a big-game hunting, Harley-Davidson riding, hardscrabble, financially-ambitious boat captain. The other crew members include Jason, the captain's son and able-bodied seaman, whose hot headed temper is a constant source of tension and infighting with his similarly tempered father; J.R., the master mechanic and ex-Marine who can build anything and serves as the first mate; Marty, the high-energy, mohawked-expert diver who has problems with authority; Sam, Marty's best friend and fellow expert diver; and Doc, the oldest and wildest member of the group, who will serve as ship medic and cook.
Viewers can join in the conversation about "Diamond Divers" by following @SPIKE_TV on Twitter and using #DiamondDivers. Biographies, photo galleries, sneak peeks of upcoming episodes and more can be found on Spike.com's dedicated "Diamond Divers" destination, divers.spike.com. Content will be updated regularly throughout the season, including full episodes, video clips and blog posts.
"Diamond Divers" is created and produced by Studio Lambert ("Undercover Boss" and "The Pitch") and American Chainsaws Entertainment. Eli Holzman serves as Executive Producer along with Stephen Lambert, CEO, Studio Lambert; Liz Bronstein, President, The Lizard Trading Company; and Duke Straub, Colt Straub and Royal Malloy of American Chainsaws. Sharon Levy is Spike TV's Executive Vice President of Original Programming. Chris Rantamaki, Vice President of Original Series, serves as the network's Executive in Charge of Production.
About Studio Lambert
Studio Lambert is a fast-growing independent television production company based in London and Los Angeles. It specializes in creating and producing entertaining, non-scripted programs for the UK, US and international markets. It produces programs for a wide range of American and British networks including the Emmy-nominated worldwide hit, "Undercover Boss." Chief Executive Stephen Lambert is responsible for creating ground-breaking programs in Britain and America, such as "Wife Swap," "The Secret Millionaire," "Faking It" and, most recently, "Undercover Boss." The US team is led by Eli Holzman, the former head and co-founder of Miramax Television, who created the award-winning hit "Project Runway." Eli also developed and launched "Beauty & the Geek" and co-created Bravo's "Work of Art: America's Next Great Artist." Studio Lambert is backed by All3Media, a global group of production companies and an international distribution company.
About American Chainsaws Entertainment
American Chainsaws Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based production company that creates loud, personality-centric, unscripted television. Their partners were responsible for creating and producing Spike TV's outrageous wrestling series, "Half Pint Brawlers," Spike TV's upcoming swamp-rat hunting series, "Rat Bastards" and Food Network's Italian family feud series, "Family Style," in addition to creating and selling shows to MTV, BET, Tru TV and G4. They are represented by ICM and financed by Rocodok Inc.
About Spike TV
Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com.
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