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PUNKIN CHUNKIN RETURNS FOR THIRD YEAR OF HIGH-FLYING PUMPKIN LAUNCHING ON THANKSGIVING DAY WITH MYTHBUSTERS HOSTS

PUNKIN CHUNKIN to Simulcast on Discovery Channel and Science Channel at 8PM (ET/PT)

November 4, 2010

Contact - Paul Schur
Group VP, Communications
212.548.5588

Fresh off last year's high-flying, nail-biting and explosive competition, PUNKIN CHUNKIN will air this Thanksgiving on Discovery Channel.  Hosted by MYTHBUSTERS' Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, the show celebrates 25 years of this Delaware-based tradition, hosted by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA). This year's excitement will be extended over two days, beginning with THE ROAD TO PUNKIN CHUNKIN on Science Channel on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 10PM (ET/PT), and a  PUNKIN CHUNKIN simulcast on Discovery Channel and Science Channel on Thursday, November 25, 2010 (Thanksgiving Day) at 8PM (ET/PT).

 "Next to football games, turkey and pumpkin pie, PUNKIN CHUNKIN is a national Thanksgiving tradition that showcases our country's thriving ingenuity, innovation and talent." said Clark Bunting, president and general manager, Discovery Channel, president of Science Channel. "Americans have big personalities and big passions, and both are hard at play in PUNKIN CHUNKIN."  

 "PUNKIN CHUNKIN is a lot of fun, and we want to bring it to as many viewers as possible," said Debbie Myers, general manager and executive vice president of programming for Science Channel. "We're excited to see if this special anniversary year of PUNKIN CHUNKIN will be the year a pumpkin is chunked more than a mile and breaks the record."

 "World Champion Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA) is extremely pleased to continue our relationship with Discovery Channel and Science Channel, and to put on the greatest show ever for our 25th anniversary," said John Huber, president of WCPCA.

 With 110 teams and 30,000 spectators, PUNKIN CHUNKIN celebrates a piece of Americana steeped in engineering and science.  Will last year's winners, Team "Big 10 Inch," reclaim their title as Top Chunker?  Or will a new team take the top spot and achieve the world record and Holy Grail of Punkin Chunkin: launching a pumpkin one mile?

Visitors to discovery.com/punkinchunkin will find exclusive video tours of some of the best machines with commentary from team members, as well as a unique look at the other events - chili cook-off, beauty contest and concerts, all happening throughout the PUNKIN CHUNKIN

weekend.  The website also will feature exclusive interviews with select contestants, judges and spectators; interactive games, quizzes and puzzles; photos and biographical information about some of the top teams; information on the rules and history of Punkin Chunkin; and exclusive, behind-the-scenes video from all three days of the competition.

 

PUNKIN CHUNKIN is produced by Sharp Entertainment.  Matt Sharp is executive producer for Sharp Entertainment.  For Science Channel, Michael Sorensen is executive producer, Debbie Myers is general manager, and Clark Bunting is president. 

 

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 180 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Planet Green and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

 About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel (DSC) is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which reaches 98.1 million viewers in the US, can be seen in over 170 countries, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

 

About Science Channel

Science Channel, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), is broadcast 24 hours a day and seven days a week to more than 66 million U.S. homes and simulcast on Science Channel HD. We immerse viewers in the incredible possibilities of science, from string theory and futuristic cities to accidental discoveries and outrageous inventions. We take things apart, peer inside and put things together in new and unexpected ways. We celebrate the trials, errors and brinking moments that change our lives forever. To find out more, go to sciencechannel.com.

 About The WCPCA

WCPCA is a non-profit association started in 1986 that benefits the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Childhelp® organizations.  Since 1986, Sussex County, Delaware has been home to the annual Punkin Chunkin World Championships-a three-day festival where hardcore engineers and backyard tinkerers trailer their gigantic, homebuilt contraptions with one common goal: to launch eight to ten pound pumpkins as far as mechanically possible.  The competition is divided into seven categories defined by the type of machine used-motorized, centrifugal spinners, and the mighty air cannons.  Bringing the sport of pumpkin hurling to ever greater distances of chunkin, the heated competitions have created a current world record of 4,483 feet, approximately 800 feet short of a mile.  Could this be the year that one team hits the coveted one-mile mark and is crowned the greatest chunker ever?

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For more information log on to http://press.discovery.com/us/sci/programs/punkin-chunkin/

 

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