Battle of The Network Stars 2020 Edition

One of my favorite things to watch on ESPN Classic(before DirecTV stopped carrying)was Battle of the Network Stars, the famous athletic competition which featured stars from TV shows across the networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC.
ABC tried a reboot of the show in the summer of 2017 but it didn't work primarily because it didn't use very many current TV stars but instead former TV stars that participated in the original version.
But what if there was a Battle of the Network Stars with stars from current TV shows?
That is what I have done with this list of TV stars that would compete on BOTNS featuring the classic format which featured relays of swimming, kayaking, running, and bike riding as well as an obstacle course, a game of 3-on-3 football, the famous dunk tank, and the tug-of-war to determine the winner.
For this fantasy edition, I kept to the five TV broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW) and celebrities were chosen based on what type of athletic background they had or name recognition to bring in viewers.
Anyway, here is my list of the teams that would be used if Battle of the Network Stars existed in the year 2020:
ABC
Chris Carmack, Grey's Anatomy

In his second season as Dr. Atticus Lincoln on Grey's Anatomy, Carmack qualifies for the ABC team thanks to his days at Colonel Zadok Magruder High School just outside of Washington D.C. where he played football, baseball, basketball, and wrestling.

Michael Fishman, The Conners

Fishman played independent baseball in Mexico and Japan in between the end of Roseanne's first run in 1997 and its revival in the spring of 2018, before the show morphed into The Conners over a year ago.
Fishman is still involved in baseball as he coaches baseball and softball clinics for under privileged youths.
Jason George, Station 19

George is an natural selection for the ABC team as he enjoys to run track and and play football, which are two sports that would be played in the BOTNS, plus is trained in stage combat and fight choreography.
Chris Harrison, The Bachelor/Bachelorette

Harrison attended Oklahoma City University on a soccer scholarship, before transiting his career into broadcasting, but still maintains an athletic spirit as he plays golf and has competed in triathlons.

Leighton Meester, Single Parents

The former Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl who now plays single mother Angie D'Amato on the second-year sitcom Single Parents could perform very well in this competition as her workout routine includes cycling and swimming and has been taking surfing lessons from her husband Adam Brody.

AJ Michalka, Schooled

While Michalka does list mountain biking as one of her hobbies, the main reason she earns a spot on the ABC team is that she did participate in an episode of the BOTNS reboot back in 2017.
Cobie Smulders, Stumptown

Smulders, who now plays a private investigator on the first-year show Stumptown, would be one of the most versatile female athletes in the competition as she spent her high school days playing tennis, soccer, and swimming.
She is also a certified scuba diver, which means she would be one of the better swimmers in the swimming relay.
Ariel Winter, Modern Family

Winter has made headlines on TMZ and other celebrity gossip websites for her recent weight loss, but the reason for the actress who plays Alex Dunphy is on this team is that she has a purple belt in taekwondo which means she would be one of the most highly trained athletes in the competition.
CBS
Beth Behrs, The Neighborhood

Before moving to California with her family when she was 15 to pursue a career in acting, Behrs played soccer for nine years, even traveling up and down the East Coast to play in tournaments.
Mike Colter, Evil

Though he now plays a priest in training on the supernatural drama Evil, Colter is most well known by some for his role as Luke Cage on three different Netflix shows set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe(Jessica Jones, The Defenders, Luke Cage), for which he got in serious shape to play the bullet-proof hero from 2015-19.
Colter also trained with famous boxing trainer Martin Snow for his role in the Academy Award winning movie Million Dollar Baby.
Vanessa Ferlito, NCIS: New Orelans

Ferlito is known for playing tough girl roles such as Arlene in the Quentin Tarantino movie Death Proof and in her current role as Special Agent Tammy Gregorio on NCIS: New Orleans so it would be interesting to see if that translates on to BOTNS field.
Kellan Lutz, FBI: Most Wanted

Lutz is most famous for his role as Emmett Cullen in the Twlight movies, but is now currently playing Kenny Crosby on the spin-off of the hit show FBI.
Anyway, Lutz earns a spot on this team for his training in Jujitsu and Muay Thai plus performing many of his own stunts which allow to stay in great shape.
Simone Messick, All Rise

Messick would be joining her former Luke Cage colleague Colter on the CBS team as Messick, who now plays judge Lola Carmichael on the courtroom drama All Rise, was the captain of the girls' varsity basketball team at Renaissance High School in Detroit back in 1999.

Alex O'Loughlin, Hawaii Five-O

The man who brought Steve McGarrett into the 21st century(Hawaii Five-O was originally a crime drama during the 1970s in case you didn't know, O' Loughlin should be one of the stronger athletes on this show as he does many of his own stunts on the new Hawaii Five-O and has a background in kung fu and tai chi, plus likes to go rock climbing in his spare time.

Eric Christian Olsen, NCIS: Los Angeles

Olsen was an all-star player at Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa and has been able to keep in shape thanks to his older brother, David Paul, who is an former Navy SEAL and acts as Eric's stunt double on NCIS: LA.

Perdita Weeks, Magnum P.I.

Weeks who plays Higgins on the new version of Magnum P.I.(Yes, Higgins is a woman on this version) would be an asset to the CBS team on the relay portion as she likes to run cross country to stay in shape while doing yoga and bodyweight training when she goes to the gym.

NBC

Freema Agyeman, New Amsterdam

The former Doctor Who companion during the David Tennant years(2006-10), Agyeman now plays Dr. Helen Sharpe on the medical drama New Amsterdam.
Agyeman qualifies for this team because of her childhood hobbies which included martial arts, gymnastics, and studying dance which allowed her to perform many of the action scenes during years on Doctor Who.

Terry Crews, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Crews was an defensive end for the Western Michigan Broncos, earning all-conference honors in helping the Broncos win the 1988 Mid-American Conference Championship and was able to make it to the National Football League where he played 32 games for three different teams(Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Philadelphia Eagles) before pursuing a career in acting.

Justin Hartley, This Is Us

The man who played Green Arrow on Smallville and now plays present-day Kevin Pearson on This is Us, Hartley was a versatile athlete at Carl Sundberg High School outside of Chicago as he played basketball, baseball, and soccer, and is said to still be an avid basketball player.

Christina Hendricks, Good Girls

Okay, this choice is purely for the sake of eye candy as Hendricks has no background in sports or in musical theater and is chosen for the hope that someone would put in the water during the dunk tank portion.

Who knows, she might actually excel in the other portions of the competition.

Jane Levy, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Before transitioning into an acting career which has landed the lead role on the new musical show Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Levy was an avid soccer player as she played from age five up-through college where she played one year for Division III Goucher College's varsity team after captaining her high school team at Sir Francis High School in San Anselmo, California.

Miranda Rae Mayo, Chicago Fire

Currently in her fourth season as firefighter Stella Kidd on Chicago Fire, Mayo earns a spot on this team thanks to her workout routine which includes running and cycling, which are two sports that would be included on this hypothetical BOTNS.

Jesse Lee Soffer, Chicago P.D.

In between his career where Soffer played Bobby Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel and his current role as police detective Jay Halstead on Chicago P.D., Soffer played soccer up through high school, even being named an all-star his senior year at The Gunnery in 2003.

Brian Tee, Chicago Med

Tee, who plays Dr. Ethan Choi on Chicago Med, was captain of his high school football team during his time at Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, California, which is about 20 miles outside of Los Angeles.
FOX
Nick Cannon, The Masked Singer

Before beginning a stand-up career that would led him to his current hosting duties on the musical competition show The Masked Singer, Cannon was a track and field athlete when he was a student at Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley, California, just outside of San Diego.
Kenneth Choi, 911

The man who plays Los Angeles fireman Howie "Chimney" Han was once a gymnast at Homewood-Flossmoor High School outside of Chicago where as a sophomore he set for highest score on the pommel horse.
Choi also ran cross-country during his time at Homewood-Flossmoor which make him an easy selection for the relay and obstacle course portions.
Matt Czurchy, The Resident

Czuchry was a former college athlete as he was captain of the tennis team at the College of Charleston.
While tennis would not be included in this fantasy edition of BOTNS, Czuchry's background in tennis would still make him one of the stronger athletes in the competition.
Finesse Mitchell, Outmatched

The former Saturday Night Live cast member was a walk-on football player at the University of Miami, playing alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson amongst others, before going into comedy which would lead him to his current role as Jason Biggs' best friend on the new comedy Outmatched.

Serayah, Empire

Serayah played for the Taft County High School girls' basketball team as recently as 2013 which means there shouldn't be too much if any drop off from her athleticism.
Bex Taylor-Klaus, Deputy

Taylor-Klaus played third base and catcher on high school's varsity softball team before setting on acting which has led her to her role as deputy Brianna Bishop on the modern-day western Deputy.
Liv Tyler, 911: Lone Star

Tyler might be the biggest star on this fantasy edition of Battle of the Network Stars with her nearly 25-year acting career which have included roles in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Incredible Hulk movie to go along with being the daughter of former Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
But Tyler could be a very strong competitor as fitness is very important as she has trained with Mary Helen Bowers, a ballerina who helped train Natalie Portman for her Oscar-winning role in Black Swan and David Kirsch, a famous celebrity trainer who has helped Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum stay in shape.
Krista Marie Yu, Last Man Standing

Yu, who plays foreign exchange student Jen on the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing, spent most of her childhood taking ballet lessons and figure skating, trying to be the next Kristi Yamgouchi.
While skating and ballet would not be any of the sports used in this fantasy BOTNS, the skating and ballet lessons should pay off for Yu for the obstacle course portion.
CW
Jensen Ackles, Supernatural

Before becoming an actor, Ackles was a sports junkie as he played on the baseball and lacrosse teams at LV Berkner High School  just outside of Dallas, Texas and is a huge Dallas Cowboys fan as well as a fan of basketball.
Melissa Benoist, Supergirl

To get in shape to play the Girl of Steel, Benoist works out 3-6 days a week  doing yoga, Pilates, boxing, and running as well as riding a bike.
Plus, Benoist has a background in dancing as she started taking dance classes when she was she three years old in jazz, ballet, and tap.
Daniel Ezra, All American

Ezra stars on the football drama series All American, so it would be interesting to see if Ezra could translate what he has learned to play the role of wide receiver Spencer James would translate to this hypothetical BOTNS.
Grant Gustin, The Flash

The Scarlet Speedster makes the team thanks to his workout routine where he works out with an Olympic running trainer to get in shape.
Also, Gustin is an classically trained tap dancer as he took up the art when he was 10 years old.
Lucy Hale, Katy Keene

Hale's selection is based mainly on name recognition as Hale is best known for her role on the show Pretty Little Liars which lasted from 2010-2017 and now plays the title role in the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene which features Hale showing off her musical prowess as he often sings in the show.
Caity Lotz, Legends of Tomorrow

Lotz performs her own stunts in her role as the White Canary on Legends of Tomorrow and was a backup dancer in music videos for Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez among others.
She also is a martial arts enthusiast as she practices taekwondo as well as wushu.
Robert Christopher Riley, Dynasty

Riley played football for Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn, New York which lead him to being recruited by Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where he played one year before quitting to focus on acting which lead him to the role of Michael Culhane on the CW's reboot of the famous 1980s ABC primetime soap opera Dynasty.
Ruby Rose, Batwoman

Rose made headlines in the fall of 2019 when he she had to have surgery on two herniated discs in her back which she injured during one of her stunts for her role as Batwoman which Rose says could have left paralyzed.
Still, Rose would be a formidable force in this hypothetical competition as she was an amateur boxer and is the goddaughter of the late Lionel Rose, the first Australian boxer to win a world boxing championship.

10 Best Drivers Never To Win Daytona 500

For every NASCAR driver, their dream is to win the Daytona 500.
Many of the sport's legends like Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Jeff Gordon won it multiple times while others like Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, and David Pearson had to wait several years to capture the checkered flag in the "Great American Race".
Then there are those other legends who never got to achieve that dream of driving to victory lane after NASCAR's Super Bowl, which has complied me to come up with a list of the 10 greatest drivers who never won the Daytona 500.
Before the countdown, a few ground rules: First, the driver can't be still racing, so drivers like Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski are not included on the list; Second, the driver must have competed in multiple Daytona 500s and had the bulk of his career success from 1959, when the inaugural race was held, onward so drivers like Tim Flock and Herb Thomas are not included on this list.
With that explained, here now are the 10 best drivers to never to win the Daytona 500(though it's actually 11):
 10. Ricky Rudd

"The Rooster" won 23 Cup races over his three-decade career, but none of them were to victory lane in Daytona.
Rudd raced in 30 Daytona 500s, finishing in the top-10 ten times, with those four of those coming in the top 5.
Rudd's best career finish in the 500 was a third-place finish in 1981, but his most memorable effort came in 1984 where he finished 8th as he raced with tape on his face to open his swollen eyes and a flat jacket after suffering torn cartilage in his rib cage after a crash one week before in the Busch Clash.

9. Carl Edwards

Twenty-eight times in his career, Edwards did a backflip in celebration after a Cup win, but he never got to perform his signature celebration at Daytona.
Edwards ran in the Daytona 500 every year from 2005 to 2016, with his best career finish coming in 2011 when he finished 2nd to 20-year-old rookie Trevor Bayne.
8. Rex White

White was one of top drivers in NASCAR in the late 1950s and early 1960s as he won 28 races in a five-year span from 1958-1962 and won the 1960 Cup championship.
White participated in the first five Daytona 500s with his best finish being eighth in 1963, which was his last 500 as he would retire from the sport one year later.
7. Joe Weatherly

Like White, Weatherly was one of the best drivers in the NASCAR Cup series in the early 1960s as he would win 25 races and back-to-back championships in 1962 + 63.
And just like White, Weatherly raced in the first five Daytona 500s, complying three top-5s as he finished 5th in 1959, 3rd in 1962, and a career best in 1961.
Weatherly seemed destined to be a favorite for the 1964 Daytona 500, but was tragically killed in a accident during the race  at Riverside International Raceway on January 19, 1964, one month before that year's Daytona 500.
6. Terry + Bobby Labonte

The Labonte brothers were so good that I decided to combine them as one to put on this list.
Terry and his younger brother Bobby combined to win 43 Cup races(Terry-22, Bobby-21) and three championships(Terry-1984 + 96, Bobby-2000) but neither one made it to victory lane at Daytona.
Terry raced in 32 Daytona 500s finishing 2nd three times(1986, 1990, 1997) while Bobby raced in 22 finishing 2nd in 1998 to Dale Earnhardt.
5. Bobby Isaac

Along with Richard Petty and David Pearson, Bobby Isaac was one of the top drivers in NASCAR in the late 1960s and early 1970s as he amassed 35 career wins and the 1970 Cup Championship.
Isaac had success at Daytona winning four times in the qualifying races for the 500 and the 1971 Firecracker 400, but never in the 500.
Isaac qualified on the front row three times for the 500, including starting on the pole in 1972, but could not capture checkered flag in the Great American Race as his best career finish would come in 1973 when he finished 2nd to Petty.
4. Mark Martin

Martin is considered the best driver in NASCAR history to never win a Cup championship as he finished 2nd in points five times over his long career which featured 40 Cup wins.
Martin participated in 29 Daytona 500s, including every one from 1988-2013, where he amassed seven top-5 finishes and 12 top-10 finishes, with his best finish being a close 2nd in 2007 where he was beat out by a few feet by Kevin Harvick.

3. Rusty Wallace

Rusty is the winningest driver to never win the Daytona 500 as he notched 55 wins over his career and won the 1989 Cup championship.

However, the 500 eluded him in his 23 tries which included a frightening crash in the 1993 race.

Wallace finished with three top-5s and eight top-10 finishes in his Daytona 500 career, with his closest call coming in 1999 when he finished 8th after leading a race-high 104 laps, only to be passed by Jeff Gordon with 11 laps to go.

2. Ned Jarrett

"Gentlemen Ned" was a 2-time Cup champion(1961 + 65) and won 50 Cup races but none of them came in the Great American Race.
Jarrett ran in seven Daytona 500s finishing in the top 10 in all but one and finishing in the top five twice, with best showing coming in 1963 when he came in 3rd place and led 26 laps.
While Ned never won the 500, he was in the broadcast booth for all three of his son Dale's wins, including the memorable 1993 500 when Jarrett passed Dale Earnhardt on the final lap.

1. Tony Stewart

Stewart was one of the best drivers in NASCAR history as he won 49 Cup races and three championships during his Hall-of-Fame career.
But "Smoke" never got the win in NASCAR's Super Bowl despite 17 career wins at Daytona(7 Xfinity Series wins, 4 400-mile wins, 3 qualifying race wins, and 3 Busch Clashes)and some notable close calls.
In 2004, Stewart finished 2nd after he was passed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 20 laps to go after leading a race-high 98 laps.
The following year, Stewart would once again lead the most laps, this time leading 107 laps, only to be passed by Earnhardt Jr with five laps to go as Jeff Gordon would go on to win the race while Stewart faded to a 7th-place finish.
After a 5th place finish in 2006, Stewart seemed poised to finally grab his first career Daytona 500 in 2007 as he was leading the race on lap 152 when his car got loose and crashed in turn 4, knocking him out of the race.

Then in 2008, Stewart grabbed the lead with three laps to go and was leading on the final lap only to be passed by Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch on the backstretch as Newman would go on to win while Stewart finished 3rd.

Stewart would never get this close again as he would finish outside of the top 10 in last six Daytona 500s from 2010-2015, though he did got to experience a Daytona 500 win as a car owner as Kurt Busch drove to victory in 2017 driving for Stewart.