One of the world's strongest umbrellas faces off against a hurricane-strength wind turbine. An impenetrable safe tries to withstand a beating from a two-story pneumatic jackhammer. A supersized fire truck battles the heat from a 3,500-degree flamethrower. In the arena of innovation, this is the ultimate test. Inventors and entrepreneurs stand tall behind their products and put their reputations at stake. But what happens when the indestructible is put in a death match with the destructor?
On Friday, April 4, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT,
National Geographic Channel enters a battle royale, pitting entrepreneurs and their innovations against each other in Showdown of the Unbeatables. Television personalities Brian Unger ( @IAmBrianUnger - "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "The Daily Show") and Zane Lamprey ( @zanelamprey - "Three Sheets"; "Have Fork, Will Travel") align themselves with opposing companies that are readying for battle with their prized products. In each showdown, only one will walk away victorious. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com and follow us on Twitter at @NGC_PR.
Showdown of the Unbeatables showcases three product match-ups per episode. The companies that designed them are as varied as the inventions: some are mom-and-pop shops with one killer product while others are multimillion-dollar corporations with extensive resources. What they all share is a passion for their product and the unshakeable belief that it can't be beaten. Ever.
Hosts Unger and Lamprey align themselves with opposing products, getting to know how they work, learning the backstory from engineers who created them and then seeing them in action. And we don't just mean everyday items lying around the house. The engineers demonstrate the innovations in jaw-dropping ways. Can a brick-wall-busting air cannon penetrate a revolutionary bombproof wall coating? Will one of the world's hottest blowtorches outperform a chainsaw capable of chewing through rocks and steel? And will micro-suction adhesive pads hold their own against the granddaddy of all tree shakers?
The series explains the fascinating
Science behind the inventions, but above all it delivers incredible, logic-defying visuals. Viewers will be left scratching their heads wondering who is going to win. When the dueling companies meet for the first time, it's a mixture of fear, bravado and genuine readiness just like a pre-match meet in boxing. The players size each other up. The rules are drawn up and agreed upon. The supporters take their places. And the showdown begins.
Each inventor believes that theirs is the most UNBEATABLE product in the world. But when the match is over, only one is left with bragging rights. It's more than just a battle for pride. It's a showdown to the finish. The results will be clear and unequivocal: two companies, two products, only one winner what could be more American than a Showdown of the Unbeatables?
Premiere Episodes Include:
Showdown of the Unbeatables: Excavator vs. Safe Premieres Friday, April 4, 2014, 9:00 PM ET/PT Hosts Brian Unger and Zane Lamprey officiate the ultimate showdown between the world's most unique and ingenious inventions. The premiere episode kicks off with a battle pitting a practically impenetrable Brown safe lined with cement and ballistic steel against the Chicago Pneumatic Breaker - a two-story-tall superjackhammer. In the second matchup, Chief AJ - a champion slingshot marksman - uses his custom-designed HFX slingshot to
Face Off against the Real Sentry Turret Gun, a semi-automatic, motion-detecting paint gun. In the final showdown, the BCB "Wall Breaker" cannon, which can smash through brick walls using a 5-gallon watercooler bottle hurled at 200 mph, takes aim at opponent Line-X, a super-strength polyurea coating used on buildings for bomb blast mitigation.
Showdown of the Unbeatables: Flamethrower vs. Fire Truck Premieres Friday, April 11, 2014, 9:00 PM ET/PT It's a classic battle of man versus machine when the Brokk 100, a remote-controlled robot that can demolish concrete and lift 1,000 pounds, takes on the world's strongest man, Brian Shaw, who at 6 feet 8 inches tall, is able to deadlift 975 pounds. Next up, fire and water go head-to-head when the E-One Titan Force supersized fire truck takes on Charlie Hobson and his M9 flamethrower, which expels 3,500-degree flames. At the other end of the thermometer, Cold Jet's innovative ice-blasting machine can clean even the toughest surfaces by quickly bringing its temperature down to negative 109 degrees Fahrenheit, but may have met its impenetrable match when it battles Tuff-N-Lite - a cut-, slash- and abrasion-resistant fabric with twice the strength of Kevlar.
Showdown of the Unbeatables: Rifle vs. Drone Premieres Friday, April 18, 2014, 9:00 PM ET/PT The TrackingPoint Rifle, one of the most accurate firearms on the market, shoots a laser beam to track its target - there is virtually no way this gun will miss. But when pitted against the ATI drone - an agile eight-rotor, unmanned flying octo-copter - the winner of this showdown is anything but certain. Next, the ultimate weather shield battles the mother of all wind turbines when the Blunt Umbrella, which can withstand massive hailstones and gale-force winds, tries to resist the Buffalo Turbine Mega Blower, which produces wind force equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. Finally, EverSTIK reusable adhesive pads use micro-suction cups to form incredibly strong bonds to any smooth flat surface, but their sticking power is rattled by the Coe M7 Monoboom - one of the most powerful tree shakers in the world, used for harvesting commercial nut crops like almonds, pecans and walnuts.
Showdown of the Unbeatables is produced by GRB Entertainment for National Geographic Channel. For GRB Entertainment, executive producers are Gary R. Benz, Michael Branton and Nathaniel Grouille. For National Geographic Channel, executive producer is Michael Welsh;
Vice president, production & development is Kevin Mohs; senior
Vice president, production & development is Noel Siegel; executive in charge of production is Heather Moran; and president is Howard T. Owens.
National Geographic Channels
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and
FOX Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001,
National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel
NAT GEO WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in over 85 million U.S. homes. Globally,
National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.
