Madden Nation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Madden Nation | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality TV |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 32 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Min. |
| Original release | |
| Network | ESPN2 |
| Release | December 6, 2005 |
Madden Nation is an American reality television series, created as a joint effort between EA Sports and ESPN Original Entertainment to take viewers inside the world of Madden NFL, a popular video game with over 10 million players worldwide. The series premiered on December 6, 2005 and is currently off the air.
The eight episode series featured the nation's top Madden NFL gamers—along with real-life NFL player sponsors— playing against each other in elimination-style tournaments. Throughout the competition, the players traveled across the country in the Madden Nation Bus making their way to New York City for the tournament finals and a chance to win the $100,000 grand prize. The final game of every season was held in Times Square on the ABC Super Sign.
Coach Cam is a mechanic used during Madden Nation as a tool to provide insights into the minds of the players. Before certain plays, the gamers would reveal play selection to the television audience. Often, this mechanic would set expectations and provide a deeper understanding of the players’ strategies for the viewer.
Season 1
Madden Nation season 1 debuted on December 6, 2005 and ran for 8 episodes. Rob Taylor, a.k.a. Duka (d. July 2, 2007). defeated Sherman Jameson a.k.a. Sherm Sticky to become the champion of Madden Nation Season 1.
Format
The competition started in San Francisco, California where EA hand picked eight of the country's best Madden 06 players to play for a grand prize of $100,000. These elite gamers were not alone. Each one represented an NFL superstar that had their back. The gamers traveled city to city on a tour bus playing against each other in Madden competitions with two people losing their way into the jeopardy game. The loser of the jeopardy game must then play a free agent-gamer for the right to remain on the bus. In the end, the two best gamers of the bus played one game on the big screen in Times Square for $100,000.
Contestants
| Contestant | Nickname | Gamer Tag | NFL Representative | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rod Lane 37, Dover, NJ |
NJ Madden baller | ROD79 | Jevon Kearse | Eliminated in episode 1 |
| Christopher Jackson 20, Atlanta |
ActionJackson | Byron Leftwich | Eliminated in episode 2 | |
| Raymond Goode 33, Waldorf, MD |
Shopmaster | Shopmaster | Shaun Alexander | Eliminated in episode 3 |
| Eugene Williams 21, Philadelphia, PA |
Big Gene | Ahman Green | Didn't show up for free agent game | |
| Rod Wynn 29, Ingelewood, CA |
Reality | RealityWynn | Dwight Freeney | Free agent;eliminated in free agent game |
| Daniel Grundei 27, Cincinnati, OH |
Clark Kent | Ben Roethlisberger | Eliminated in episode 6 | |
| Justin Chow 20, Great Falls, VA |
Chow | Tony Gonzalez | Eliminated in episode 7 | |
| Kyle Hustek 24, Detroit, MI |
The Gift | Roy Williams | Eliminated in episode 7 (disqualified) | |
| Charles Smith 25, San Diego, CA |
Solution | Donnie Edwards | Eliminated in episode 7, got on the bus Episode 1 | |
| Dan Bertholomey 40, Portland, OR |
Packwolf | Packwolf | Ashley Lelie | Got on the bus in episode 3, eliminated in episode 7 |
| Antoin Williams 23, San Antonio, TX |
Pretty Boy | Larry Fitzgerald | Got on the bus in episode 2, eliminated in episode 8 during the semi-finals | |
| David Grant 26, St. Petersburg, FL |
Dred | Michael Vick | Eliminated in episode 8 during the semi-finals | |
| Sherman Jameson 20, Midland, TX |
Sherm Sticky | Chad Johnson | Lost to Duka in the finals during episode 8 | |
| Rob Taylor 24, Youngstown, OH |
Duka | Ed Reed | Champion; Got on the bus in episode 6 |
Season 2
Billy Wolf, a.k.a. Da Secret, defeated Frederick Amponsem, a.k.a. Fred Dizzle, to become the champion of Madden Nation Season 2.
Format
In its second season, Madden Nation once again documented the high drama of eight professional Madden NFL 07 players as they competed for a cash prize of $100,000. Again, each player represented an NFL superstar, but this time, the gamers began their journey at the EA Sports studios in Orlando. Unlike last year the contestants were paired in teams and forced to support each other or face elimination. On the 12-city tour, they battled each other for the right to stay in the game until the ultimate finale in Times Square, New York City.
Contestants
| Contestant | Nickname | Gamer Tag | NFL representative | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Thomas 30, Brooklyn, NY |
DJ Rhude | DJRhudeRT30 | Michael Strahan | Left in episode 2 due to family matters |
| Federico Williams 29, Wilmington, DE |
Rico/Rico Hollywood | RicoHollywood | Vince Young | Walked off in episode 2 |
| Michael Southam 29, Adelaide, South Australia |
Aussie | Blotto Otto | Antonio Gates | Eliminated in episode 3, replaced Young Jarvis in episode 4, eliminated again in episode 5 |
| Thomas Tsanadis 25, Orlando, FL |
UCF Champ | UCF Champ | Alex Smith(Tampa Bay) | Free agent; eliminated in free agent game (episode 1) |
| Troy Brown 22, Houston, TX |
T-Roy | ALLWORKNOPLAY | Edgerrin James | Eliminated from the final 8 |
| Robert Warren 18, District Heights, MD |
RJ | PeteSlash | Mario Williams | Eliminated from the final 8 |
| Steven White 27, Washington D.C. |
Steve O Baby | SHAAAWTY | Joey Porter | Free agent; eliminated in free agent game (episode 4) |
| Mukala Sikyala Jr. 28, Riverdale, MD |
Coach Muk | COACHMUK | Clinton Portis | Got on the bus in episode 5; eliminated from the final 8 |
| Michael McAnany 22, Rochester, NY |
Mad Dog | MIKEMAC2001 | Vince Young | Replaced Rico Hollywood in episode 2; eliminated from the final 8 |
| Jarvis Thomas 19, Upper Marlboro, MD |
Young Jarvis | HUSTLE247 | DeAngelo Hall | Replaced DJ Rhude in episode 2; disqualified in episode 3 for punching Mad Dog |
| Tommie Hill 22, Brooklyn Park, MN |
Therapist | TommyBears | Reggie Bush | Eliminated from the final 4 |
| Donald Mazzola 21, Bellevue, WA |
DJ | THE DJ LAB | Carson Palmer | Got on the bus in episode 3, eliminated from the final 4 |
| Frederick Amponsem 22, Washington, D.C. |
Fred Dizzle | FredDIZ | Randy Moss | Lost to Da Secret in the finals |
| Billy Wolf 19, Tampa, FL |
DaSecret | DaSecret | Willis McGahee | Champion |