It was only a matter of time before celebrity pickleball became a TV thing, and here we are. Stephen Colbert’s Spartina, Funny or Die and CBS Studios are lobbing up Pickled, a two-hour primetime special to air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ this year.
The all-the-rage sport will get its close-up with a tournament of all-star teams battling it out for charity — and a chance to win the coveted Golden Gherkin.
“I love hosting The Late Show, but at the end of the day – and I’m specifically talking about the hours between 8 and 10 p.m. Eastern – I see Pickled as a chance to bring lots of different people together for something playful and unpredictable,” Colbert said. “And since the supply chain snarl has delayed delivery of my Margaritaville™ Frozen Drink Machine, I find myself with some free time.”
For the uninitiated, CBS describes pickleball thusly: “The buzziest new sport in a generation is a classic American cocktail – mix one part tennis, a splash of badminton, muddle in some pingpong, toss a couple of ibuprofens in there just in case, and add a heaping scoop of passion. Shake vigorously, then pour yourself a tall glass of fun.”
More details about the special and celebrity competitors are TBA.
Pickled is produced by Funny or Die in association with Spartina and CBS Studios. FoD’s Mike Farah, Joe Farrell and Henry R. Muñoz III executive produce along with Spartina’s Colbert, Carrie Byalick, Evelyn McGee Colbert and Tom Purcell.