WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2006
DISCOVERY HEALTH FIRST QUARTER 2007 HIGHLIGHTS
All times ET/PT unless otherwise noted. The marking "(wt)" designates a working title and may be subject to change.
**Denotes programs with artwork available for download at www.press.discovery.com.
SPECIALS
ACTION HERO MAKEOVER (wt) (TV-PG)
Premieres Wednesday, January 10, at 10pm
Gil Gerard, former Hollywood heartthrob and TV star, makes the difficult decision to undergo a controversial new gastric bypass procedure in order to reclaim his health and restart his career. Best known to TV audiences as hero Buck Rogers, Gil Gerard has fought one particular battle for almost 40 years: his weight. Now at 353 pounds, with his health deteriorating, Gil accepts that he cannot lose weight on his own. Once radically opposed to bariatric surgery, he now looks to it as his last hope. And the transformation is a true testament to his heroic determination to lose weight and regain his health.
NATIONAL BODY CHALLENGE 2007 **
Premieres Sunday, January 14 at 8pm
Discovery Health's NATIONAL BODY CHALLENGE is a free, eight-week, comprehensive fitness and weight-loss challenge that provides the tools and inspiration, online and on TV, to get in shape, shed extra pounds and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Discovery Health will air two nights of special NATIONAL BODY CHALLENGE programming, along with top-notch health and workout programming to inspire participants throughout January.
MEAT-EATERS VS. VEGETARIANS ** (TV-G)
Premieres Sunday, January 14, 8-10pm
Meet two overweight families with the same goal of learning healthy habits in just 10 weeks -the meat-eating Ewing family and the vegetarian Holmes family. Can they go from fat to fit in just ten weeks? At age 15, Zack Ewing, is just one of 9 million teens in the U.S. who are overweight. Along with his dad, stepmother, and two little sisters, Zack is determined to tackle the NATIONAL BODY CHALLENGE. At the Holmes abode, the popcorn's popping, cookies are baking and there are plenty of chips for munching -but you won't find any roast beef or pork in this household. Kids Khamalli, age 11, and India, age 13, along with their mom and grandma make up three generations of Holmes family vegetarians. But this close-knit family is on the brink of obesity and needs experts to transform their low-energy, high-sugar lifestyle into a more active fat-burning way of life.
PORTION DISTORTION ** (TV-G)
Premieres Monday, January 15, at 8pm
There's no hiding the fact that the Cureton family is overweight: 34-year-old Clay, 31-year-old Vivian, their seven-year-old son Kaymen and 18-year-old niece Elyse are ready for a change. The Curetons have no clue how much their fat-filled lives will be transformed when Dr. Lydie Hazan, who specializes in childhood obesity, and Dr. Pamela Peeke, an expert on nutrition and fitness, take charge. For 10 weeks, the doctors moved, motivated, pushed and prodded the family to a thinner, healthier lifestyle.
LOSERS NEVER QUIT ** (TV-G)
Premieres Monday, January 15, at 9pm
When viewers first met the Whites during last year's NATIONAL BODY CHALLENGE, every member of this close-knit family was overweight, some dangerously. Thirty-six-year-old Jeff White weighed almost 400 pounds and was so big he stopped doing things he loved with his family. Thirty-three-year-old Jennifer White had struggled with her weight all her life and was facing dangerously high blood pressure. Twelve-year-old Gage was embarrassed about always being the slowest kid in gym class, and 10-year old Blair was already wearing women's-sized clothes. This family was in serious trouble, but faced with a future of obesity and health problems, they took on the NATIONAL BODY CHALLENGE whole-heartedly. Their initial results were inspirational, but it was only the beginning. The Whites still had a huge challenge in front of them. In this year-long journey, the Whites face disappointment and heartache as they struggle to stay on course, while also experiencing the thrill of individual victories.
OZ-A-THON ** (TV-G)
Airs Saturday, January 20, from 2 to 8pm
This special programming stunt features Dr. Mehmet Oz, Discovery Health's senior medical contributor and world-renowned heart surgeon and best-selling author, in the top rated specials, YOU: THE OWNER'S MANUAL and YOU: ON A DIET. Viewers are guided through an offbeat journey through the human body while learning proven and critically important tips on restoring and maintaining health in YOU: THE OWNER'S MANUAL. Then, Dr. Oz bypasses the battle of the bulge and offers viewers real-world tips for smarter health and nutrition in YOU: ON A DIET.
ALL STAR WORKOUTS ** (TV-G)
Airs Weekdays at 7am and Weekends at 8am (Monday, January 15, through Sunday, March 11)
To help NATIONAL BODY CHALLENGE participants stay motivated, Discovery Health will air FitTV's ALL STAR WORKOUTS every morning at 7am. From hip-hop dance to body sculpting and hybrid classes, this instructional series allows viewers to try new routines, exercises, styles and instructors. Whether it's the latest yoga, weight training, aerobics or martial arts trend, the objective is the same: to tone, tighten and make you feel terrific. These routines benefit everyone from beginners to the most avid fitness buff.
SEXTUPLETS AND TWINS: ONE YEAR LATER ** (TV-G)
Premieres Tuesday, January 23, at 10pm
Like many young married couples, Jon and Kate Gosselin planned on having children, but eight children, all under the age of five, was not exactly part of their plan. After finding out that Kate suffered from polycystic ovarian syndrome, which prevents normal ovulation, the couple turned to fertility treatment and quickly became pregnant with twin girls. Then, wanting to add one more child to their family, Jon and Kate went through another round of fertility treatment, resulting in sextuplets! There is never a dull moment for this family of 10, but now that the twins are in kindergarten and the sextuplets are terribly two, life just keeps getting more exciting. Now Kate's stretched-out post-pregnancy belly is going to get a tummy tuck, courtesy of one very generous viewer. Experience a day in the life of Jon and Kate as they endure the everyday joys, chaos and challenges of raising eight young children.
NEW SERIES
GET FRESH WITH SARA SNOW ** (TV-G)
Premieres Thursday, January 4, at 8 and 8:30pm
In the new primetime series, GET FRESH WITH SARA SNOW, Discovery Health introduces its resident natural living expert, Sara Snow, who shows accessible ways to make natural living everyday living through the food you buy, the clothes you wear and the products you use. Sara's philosophy focuses on the small things you can do to create a healthier life for you, your family and for generations to come. Inspiring viewers to make healthier choices in food, cleaning products and transportation, Sara empowers individuals to create more sustainable lives for themselves, their families and the environment. Sara shares the importance and benefits of these natural living choices by using tangible examples and quick tips to reveal just how easy, healthy and rewarding it is.
THE DAN HO SHOW ** (TV-G)
Premieres Thursday, January 4, at 9 and 9:30pm
Now more than ever, Americans seek to lead healthier, happier, and more responsible lives. Whether it's exercising regularly, being more socially conscious or simplifying daily activities, people are looking for information to better their physical, mental and social well-being. Enter Dan Ho, Discovery Health's quirky new lifestyle guru, who helps demonstrate how simplification can lead to a healthy body and soul in his new pri
metime series, THE DAN HO SHOW (World Premiere: Thursday, January 4 at 9pm ET/PT). Author of the new book, RESCUE FROM DOMESTIC PERFECTION: The Not-So Secrets of Balancing Life and Style (Bulfinch, October 2006), Dan's core philosophy is "gai," meaning your spirit is your style. In THE DAN HO SHOW, Dan guides viewers on how to create style from your inner spirit.
MYSTERY ER (TV-PG)
Mini-Series Premieres Friday, January 26, at 10pm
The patient is dying. The doctors are baffled. Nothing is what it seems. Clues and symptoms lead nowhere. The clock is ticking. These are real life stories, the most baffling medical mysteries straight from the Emergency Room. Weaving together interviews and re-enactments, MYSTERY ER follows doctors and investigators as they attempt to unravel the most unusual cases of their lives.
SEASON PREMIERES
RUNWAY MOMS ** (TV-G)
Season Two Premieres Monday, January 8, at 4pm
RUNWAY MOMS follows the work of Liza Elliott-Ramirez, founder of Expecting Models, the only professional agency for pregnant and nursing models. The series captures the stories of expecting models from the catwalk to doctor visits to labor and delivery, while providing important information about a healthy pregnancy. Each episode profiles these busy mothers-to-be as they balance their careers with the dramatic changes they experience throughout pregnancy.
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR (TV-PG)
Season Two Premieres Saturday, January 27, at 9pm
We have all seen tragic accidents along the highway, plane crash scenes in movies and train collisions on the evening news. This series introduces viewers to Rusty Haight, a renowned accident investigator who takes viewers behind the yellow tape as he uses the art of investigation and the laws of physics to unravel the mystery behind each accident.
PLASTIC SURGERY: BEFORE & AFTER (TV-PG)
Season Five Premieres Sunday, January 14, at 10pm
Hosted by renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Jan Adams, who practices privately in Beverly Hills, each episode walks viewers through the different types of plastic surgery-both reconstructive and cosmetic. Dr. Jan breaks down the complex surgeries and unique situations, explaining cutting-edge concepts in a clear way. With a growing number of reality shows as well as fictional television shows about cosmetic surgery, PLASTIC SURGERY: BEFORE & AFTER sets itself apart from others in its genre by showing how surgery can transform the individual not only physically but emotionally as well.
ON-GOING SERIES
MEDICAL INCREDIBLE (TV-PG)
Mondays, 9-10pm
The most incredible species on the planet is human. MEDICAL INCREDIBLE explores the extremes of the human body, new and unusual breakthroughs in medical technology and incredible stories of survival. Meet people who have overcome impossible odds to endure the most extreme and unusual medical conditions.
MYSTERY DIAGNOSIS (TV-G)
Mondays, 10-11pm
Every year, millions of Americans suffer from real-life medical mysteries - ailments that go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years. They experience pain, confusion and frustration because their conditions are rare and elusive. This series profiles individuals and their physicians in their struggle to understand these baffling conditions.
DR. G: MEDICAL EXAMINER** (TV-PG)
Fridays, 9-10pm
In each episode of DR. G: MEDICAL EXAMINER, Dr. G takes viewers on an investigative journey as she examines authentic cases that come through her morgue. She explains how the body functions and discusses the various telltale signs that help her determine cause and manner of death. The series explores disease-induced, crime-related and natural death and reveals that knowing and understanding the truth often brings a sense of closure to family members of the deceased.
SKELETON STORIES (TV-PG)
Fridays, 10-11pm
A dry desert murder. A fiery auto accident. A family secret in a shallow grave. Sometimes all that's left of a person's remains are a set of bones. No soft tissue to autopsy, no recognizable face to I.D. or fingerprints to match. SKELETON STORIES picks up where DR. G: MEDICAL EXAMINER leaves off. These are the cases that can only be solved by the intimate stories found locked into the bones themselves. Unlocking the story and unraveling the clues is the job of a forensic anthropologist.
THE CRITICAL HOUR (TV-PG)
Saturdays, 10-11pm
Witness the dramatic efforts of the emergency medical team from Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital as they deal with trauma situations and understand the crucial role they play in our lives. Follow the personal and emotional stories of families and hospital staff dealing with real life challenges, and watch as these emergency medical teams fight to save lives against often-formidable odds. Every second counts.
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