LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stephen Curry, Serena Williams, Russell Westbrook, Odell Beckham Jr., Simone Biles, Kevin Durant, Laurie Hernandez, Keala Kennelly, Claressa Shields, Usain Bolt and this year’s host Russell Wilson took home a coveted orange mohawked blimp at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2017, the only show where kids celebrate their favorite athletes and the year’s most unforgettable sports moments. Helmed for a third straight year by Seattle Seahawks franchise quarterback and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson, Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 was taped live Thursday, July 13, from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, and will premiere Sunday, July 16, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) as a simulcast on Nickelodeon, TeenNick and Nicktoons.
American competitive swimmer Michael Phelps was honored with the Legend Award at this year’s show in recognition of his world record-breaking achievements, unrivaled talent and outstanding sportsmanship in and out of the pool. Upon receiving his golden mohawked award, Phelps was doused from head to toe in glistening gold slime.
Throughout the show, three kids competed in Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 “Triple Shot Challenge” for an opportunity to each win $50,000. Klay Thompson, Abby Wambach and Dak Prescott served as coaches while fans cheered on Nate Simon, of Riverside, Calif., Evelyn Briggs of Woodinville, Wash., and Austin Fernandes, of Kent, Wash., as they each attempted to make their shot across basketball, soccer and football challenges.
The slimed-filled celebration also featured five grand-scale, sports-themed challenges:
- DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond scaled Slime Mountain, battled obstacles and slid their way to victory and the Kids’ Choice Sports gold medal;
- In the Nick Cannon-hosted Beats ‘N Seats challenge, Lindsey Vonn, P.K. Subban, Prince Fielder, Breanna Stewart and Gabby Douglas competed in the ultimate game of musical chairs;
- In the Pedal Pop challenge, Von Miller, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Shaun White went head-to-head to see who can pedal the fastest and inflate a large slime-filled balloon until it pops;
- Simone Biles, Emmanuel Sanders, Landon Collins, Aly Raisman, Cree Cicchino, Ella Anderson, Madisyn Shipman and Riele Downs participated in the KCS Relay, an obstacle-ridden race throughout the entire venue led by team captains Russell Wilson and Michael Strahan;
- And Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Kel Mitchell and Tony Cavalero faced off in the High Hoops challenge, a five-shot three-point contest that featured human basketball nets on wires.
In a special moment during Kids’ Choice Sports 2017, Nickelodeon presented two-time Olympic Gold medalist Simone Manuel with the first-ever #SeeHer Award, honoring her inspirational achievements which have broken down multiple barriers for women and girls. The #SeeHer movement aims to eliminate all gender bias by recognizing the importance of accurately portraying girls and women in television and advertising.
Nickelodeon will have a robust digital offering for Kids’ Choice Sports 2017, supplying content before, during and after the big show on Nick.com/kids-choice-sports/ , the Nick App on iOS and Android devices, as well as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Kids and families from around the country showed their support for their favorite athletes, teams and sports moments by voting in 12 categories from May 31-July 10.
On Sunday, July 16, kids will be able to play along throughout the broadcast by casting their votes to impact the show, taking polls to root for their favorite athletes, creating memes and engaging with photos and videos from the event. Nick.com/kids-choice-sports/ will provide the exclusive access to all the stars and athletes all night long.
Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 will encore Sunday, July 16, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) and Monday, July 17, at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon; Tuesday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on TeenNick; and Friday, July 21, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nicktoons. The telecast will also be available via Nickelodeon on Demand beginning Monday, July 17.
The following are Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 winners:
FAVORITE MALE ATHLETE
Stephen
Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors)
FAVORITE FEMALE ATHLETE
Simone
Biles (Professional Artistic Gymnast)
KING OF SWAG
Russell Wilson
(NFL, Seattle Seahawks)
QUEEN OF SWAG
Serena Williams
(WTA)
BEST CANNON
Serena Williams
(WTA)
BIGGEST POWERHOUSE
Claressa
Shields (Professional Boxer)
CLUTCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Russell
Westbrook (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME
Keala
Kennelly (Professional Surfer)
FAVORITE NEWCOMER
Laurie
Hernandez (Professional Artistic Gymnast)
HANDS OF GOLD
Odell Beckham
Jr. (NFL, New York Giants)
NEED FOR SPEED
Usain Bolt
(Professional Track & Field Athlete)
SICKEST MOVES
Kevin Durant
(NBA, Golden State Warriors)
Sponsors of Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 include Airheads®, Capri Sun, Chrysler Pacifica, Crest®, Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen®, Popsicle® and Verizon.
Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 is produced by Done and Dusted in association with Nickelodeon Productions. Jay Schmalholz and Shelly Sumpter Gillyard are executive producers. Constance Schwartz and Michael Strahan of SMAC Entertainment will serve as executive producers, alongside Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton of Done and Dusted with Hamilton also serving as director of the show.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 38th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
