2009 American TV series or program
Dhani Tackles the Globe is an Americandocumentary television series hosted by formerNFL linebackerDhani Jones of theCincinnati Bengals andPhiladelphia Eagles, that aired on theTravel Channel. The series follows Jones around the globe as he learns how to play international sports and simultaneously explores the culture of each location. It was cancelled after two seasons.[1]
- Thailand – Dhani travels Thailand to train as amuay Thai kick boxer and learn about Thai culture. In his lone match, he defeats his Thai opponent with a second-round knockout using leg kicks.
- Switzerland – Dhani travels to Switzerland to train in the Swiss sport ofschwingen. Relying on his high school wrestling skills, as well as new techniques taught by his Swiss coach, Dhani won 2 of 4 matches against Swiss opponents in the first round, before bowing out in the single elimination final round.
- England – In January 2008 Dhani played in arugby union match in England forBlackheath R.C. in theEDF Energy Trophy againstLaunceston RUFC and wentfox hunting in the English countryside.
- Singapore – Dhani travels to Singapore to compete in the sport ofdragon boat racing. Dhani trains with the Singapore and American teams and competes as part of the American team, which wins its preliminary heat, but loses in the second round to Singapore. Cultural activities include getting a pedicure from live sucker fish, eating frog's legs porridge, and the dreadedDurian fruit.
- Spain – Dhani travels to theBasque region of Spain to learn to playjai alai. Unlike prior shows where the training was more intense, the focus for this episode is the cultural aspects (food, wine, etc.) of the Basque region. In his sole match, Dhani and his coach (one of the top jai alai players in Spain) defeated their opponents.
- Cambodia – Dhani travels toPhnom Penh, Cambodia where he learnspradal serey with Kru Long Salavorn. He also travels toAngkor and takes in some Cambodian culture, including a youthbreak dancing center. At theCambodian Television Network boxing stadium, he wins a three-round decision over his opponent.
- Australia – Dhani trains for and participates in asurf lifesaving competition.
- New Zealand – As part of his tour Dhani visits severalsailing syndicates in New Zealand competing for theLouis Vuitton Pacific Series. He works as a grinder onTeam New Zealand's yacht and sails as the 18th man withTeam Origin.
- Ireland – Dhani travels to Ireland to playhurling. He also visits theGuinness brewery.
- Russia – Dhani travels toSt. Petersburg, Russia and practices the Russian military sport ofsambo. He also visits a Russian military base outside of the city.
- Italy – First aired on April 19, 2010. Dhani travels to Italy to compete in a localcycling race in theItalian Alps. Dhani trains with a stage winner of theGiro d'Italia and learns more about the local culture in Northern Italy. Given his substantial upper body when compared to a typical cyclist, Dhani struggled with the initial climb of this race, and comes in several hours behind the winners. It was one of the few events where Dhani himself noted he "didn't have a chance to win". Nevertheless, he finished and gained a newfound respect for the grueling aspects of this sport.
- Senegal – First aired on April 26, 2010. Dhani travels to Senegal to train and compete in theSenegalese wrestling style known as Lutte. Dhani is matched with a revered Senegalese wrestler, known as "Bombardier", who trains him and introduces him to aspects of Senegalese culture. Relying on his high school wrestling skills as well as new techniques taught by his coach, Dhani won his lone match.
- Iceland – First aired on May 3, 2010. Dhani visits Iceland and competes in astrongman competition. The competition consists of several events testing the participant's strength and endurance. Dhani generally does well in training and seems to impress his coaches. After visiting a few sites, Dhani competes in a local event. Despite his lack of training and experience, he is one of the few contestants to complete every event and ends up in second place out of a dozen or more competitors.
- Jamaica – First aired on May 10, 2010. Dhani visits Jamaica and learns how to playcricket. As many Americans who grew up playingbaseball, he initially has problems with fundamentals (i.e. dropping the bat as one would do in baseball but not in cricket). However he eventually gets the hang of it to take a couple of wickets and make some bowling and fielding plays.
- Croatia – First aired on May 17, 2010. Dhani travels to the port city ofDubrovnik, Croatia to learnwater polo. Although a strong swimmer, Dhani appears exhausted by the training regimen of the local water polo club. While there, he takes in the cultural scene, traveling to a nearby village whereshellfish are harvested, and he visits the oldest continuously operated pharmacy in the world. Being an enthusiast ofbow ties, he shops at what is believed to be the first shop to produce neckties, (known originally as thecravat). In his single water polo match, Dhani sees some action on defense and scores a goal on offense.
- South Africa – First aired on May 24, 2010. In celebration of the2010 World Cup Dhani travels to South Africa to learnsoccer. In addition to training with a local club team, he gets to go cage diving and get face to face withgreat white sharks. In the lone match, Dhani plays the majority of the game on defense. However he was called upon to take a penalty kick and scored a goal for his team.
- Mexico – First aired June 14, 2010. In his most outrageous show to date Dhani travels toMexico City, Mexico to become alucha libre wrestler. The show begins where he and his interpreter are sitting ringside, whenMáscara Año 2000, Jr. is tossed out of the ring in front of them. Words are exchanged between Máscara Año 2000, Jr. and the interpreter, and Dhani intervenes on behalf of his guide. After security separates them, Máscara Año 2000, Jr. and Dhani each announce to the crowd that they will wrestle next week to "settle" their dispute. After engaging in some cultural activities, the real action takes place when Dhani practices the full panoply ofhigh-flying moves that make lucha libre entertaining. The match between Dhani and Máscara Año 2000, Jr. is action packed, and after a long battle, Dhani pins his opponent. However, Dhani is later disqualified for a low blow to his opponent.
- Scotland –Highland Games
- Brazil –Beach volleyball
- Nepal –Everest Base Camp
- Last Man Standing, UK series in which competitors travel the world and participate in traditional sports
