The pickleball craze is coming to TV on November 17, as CBS hosts Pickled, a celebrity pickleball tournament supporting Comic Relief US. The trendy sport has became a favorite pastime for all different kinds of people, and this sport special brings together an eclectic group of actors, musicians and athletes to compete on teams as part of the Pickled cast.
There are eight teams of two set to compete, but only one can claim the Colbert Cup, named for The Late Show's Stephen Colbert, who is hosting the event and is tapped with singing the national anthem with none other than Kenny Loggins.
You can watch Pickled on November 17 at 9 pm ET/PT, but before you do, get to know the teams competing, all of which feature some really fun and creative team names.
Murray Bartlett and Kelly Rowland, Dink Floyd
Right off the bat, we’ll say that most of these teams don’t seem to have an easily spotted connection, but they’re fun pairings nonetheless, including the on for Dink Floyd, which sees Emmy-winning actor Murray Bartlett pair with Grammy-winner Kelly Rowland.
Bartlett is best known for his role on The White Lotus season 1 (for which he picked up his Emmy), but he has also been on popular shows like Looking, Iron Fist and Physical. Upcoming projects include Welcome to Chippendales and The Last of Us.
Rowland, meanwhile, was an original member of Destiny’s Child and has since had her own solo career. Though she is primarily known as a musician, Rowland has acted in a handful of projects, including 2022's The Curse of Bridge Hollow and Fantasy Football, as well as appearances in TV shows like Empire and American Soul.
June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer, The Paddle Snakes
The pairing for The Paddle Snakes is one that makes sense, as June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer are husband and wife.
Raphael’s credits include Grace & Frankie, Big Mouth, Long Shot, Burning Love and more. Scheer is best known for his role on The League, but has also starred in Star Trek: Lower Decks, Black Monday, Fresh Off the Boat and guest spots in Veep and The Good Place. The couple also host the very popular podcast How Did This Get Made together.
Jaime Camil and Aisha Tyler, Take This Lob and Shove It
Rogelio De La Vega from Jane the Virgin and Dr. Tara Lewis from Criminal Minds — otherwise known as Jaime Camil and Aisha Tyler — are teaming up to show off their athletic prowess in Pickled.
Camil, as mentioned, starred in Jane the Virgin alongside Gina Rodriguez but has also had roles in BoJack Horseman, El Rey, Vicente Fernández and Schmigadoon!
Tyler’s credits include the animated spy comedy Archer, a guest arc on Friends and the aforementioned Criminal Minds; she reprises her role in the Paramount Plus continuation of the crime series, Criminal Minds: Evolution. She also is one of the hosts on the daytime talk show The Talk, the host on Whose Line Is It Anyway? and recently competed on Celebrity Jeopardy!
Sugar Ray Leonard and Emma Watson, The Volley Ranchers
Chalk this one up as one of the stranger pairings, but we can't help but be excited to see boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard team up with Harry Potter star Emma Watson.
Leonard is considered among one of the best boxers of all time, having won world titles in five different weight classes throughout his 20 year career in the ring. He has appeared as himself in some classic TV shows and movies, including Married with Children, The Larry Sanders Show and The Fighter.
Watson, meanwhile, is best known for playing Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter franchise. She’s also starred in movies like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring and the live-action Beauty and the Beast.
Luis Guzmán and Daniel Dae Kim, Daniel Dae Luis
While many of the team names are a lot of fun, we have to give a shoutout to Daniel Dae Luis. It’s just the two of their names but the fact that it's also a reference to one of the greatest living actors, fantastic.
Luis Guzmán is a long-time character that you have undoubtedly seen in two or three of your favorite movies and TV shows. Some of his most notable roles came in Traffic, Boogie Nights, Waiting, Code Black and Anger Management. He also stars in the upcoming Netflix series Wednesday.
Daniel Dae Kim is best known for his role on Lost as Jin-Soo Kwon, but has also starred in The Divergent series, Hawaii Five-0 and Raya and the Last Dragon. He is also going to be a part of the new Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series.
Jimmie Allen and Max Greenfield, Dill-I-Am
Country music star Jimmie Allen is teaming up with New Girl alum Max Greenfield to try and take the Colbert Cup.
Allen broke out in 2018 with his single "Best Shot," with some of his other hits including "Make Me Want To," "This Is Us" and "Freedom Was a Highway." He became the first Black solo performer to win New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards in 2021.
Greenfield rose to fame with his role as Schmidt on New Girl, but is also known for his work on Veronica Mars and The Neighborhood on TV, while appearing in popular movies like The Big Short and Promising Young Woman.
Dierks Bentley and Phil Keoghan, When Harry Net Rally
Apparently country music stars are big fans of pickleball, as Dierks Bentley is teaming up with reality TV host Phil Keoghan for this celebrity tournament.
Bentley has been one of the biggest country music stars working today, with hits like "Free and Easy," "What Was I Thinkin," "Say You Do" and "Living." Bentley is a 14-time Grammy nominee, while he has three CMA Awards to his credit.
Keoghan is right at home on CBS, as he has been the long-time host of the network’s hit reality series The Amazing Race. He has also hosted Tough as Nails on the network.
Tig Notaro and Will Ferrell, Party 'Til You Cuke
Tig Notaro makes up half of the eighth team for the tournament, but her partner was being kept a mystery pre broadcast. But very quickly we learned that it was Ron Burgundy himself, Will Ferrell.
Notaro is a stand-up comedian who has also starred in TV shows and movies, including One Mississippi, Army of the Dead, Instant Family and Star Trek: Discovery.
Pickled announcers
While the players are the big stars of Pickled, you can't have a sporting event without announcers. CBS has lined up Cari Champion, John Michael Higgins and Bill Raftery to call the action.
Champion is a sports broadcaster and journalist, while Bill Raftery has been a long-time color commentator for CBS, covering events like March Madness. John Michael Higgins is an actor best known for his roles in Pitch Perfect and Saved by the Bell.
Pickled airs on November 17 at 9 pm ET/PT on CBS. Eligible subscribers can stream it live on Paramount Plus or watch it on-demand the next day.
