NBC Heads-Up News: Leeann Tweeden Replaces Shana Hiatt Who is Pregnant
NBC confirmed in a press release today that model/TV personality Leeann Tweeden (at right) will be the new sideline reporter for this year's National Heads-Up Poker Championship, scheduled for February 28 - March 2 at Caesars Palace. WCP fave Shana Hiatt, who is pregnant,
has handled the reporting duties the past three years last year.
NBC Heads-Up will be the second televised poker tournament Tweeden has hosted, with her first being the Poker Dome Challenge.
Heading to the tables for the 4th annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship are defending champions Paul Wasicka (2007), Ted Forrest (2006) and Phil Hellmuth (2005). Others include Chad Brown, Johnny Chan, Jamie Gold, Joe Hachem, Gus Hansen, Phil Laak, Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, Gavin Smith and 2007 WSOP Champion Jerry Yang, among many others.
Celebrities include Jason Alexander, Don "F-ing" Cheadle, Orel Hershiser, Jennifer Tilly and Shannon Elizabeth.
For a complete list of players, click here.
The tournament will be aired on NBC over seven consecutive Sundays in April and May, beginning on April 13. Brackets will be set during the tournament’s draw party held at PURE Nightclub Thursday, Feb. 28th.
A Shana Hiatt fixing below . . .
Shana Hiatt is Still Sexy Cute
Shana Hiat in Stuff
WPT Screws Shana Hiatt From Going to NBC's Heads-Up Poker Championship
Why Hiatt Left WPT and Other Things Steve Lipscomb Doesn't Want You to Know
The field, in alphabetical order, follows:
Alexander, Jason
Antonius, Patrik
Bellande, Jean-Robert
Benyamine, David
Brown, Chad
Brunson, Doyle
Brunson, Todd
Chan, Johnny
Cheadle, Don
Clements, Scott
Cloutier, T.J.
Cunningham, Allen
Deeb, Freddy
Duke, Annie
Dwan, Tom
Edler, Bill
Elezra, Eli
Elizabeth, Shannon
Esfandiari, Antonio
Farha, Sam
Ferguson, Chris
Fischman, Scott
Forrest, Ted
Gold, Jamie
Gowen, Clonie
Greenstein, Barry
Grizzle, Sam
Hachem, Joe
Hansen, Gus
Harman, Jennifer
Hellmuth, Phil
Hershiser, Orel
Ivey, Phil
Juanda, John
Kaplan, Gabe
Laak, Phil
Lederer, Howard
Lindgren, Erick
Little, Jonathan
Matusow, Mike
Moneymaker, Chris
Mizrachi, Michael
Negreanu, Daniel
Nguyen, Scotty
Pham, David
Raymer, Greg
Rousso, Vanessa
Schneider, Tom
Schreiber, Daniel
Seed, Huck
Seidel, Erik
Singer, David
Smith, Gavin
Tilly, Jennifer
Townsend, Brian
Tran, J.C.
Tran, Kenny
Wasicka, Paul
Williams, David
Yang, Jerry
Thomas Kelly (Caesars Palace Qualifier 1)
Hooman Nikzad (Caesars Palace Qualifier 2)
TBD (Online Qualifier)
TBD (additional player)
Thanks BJ, not a nitpick at all...it was just last year I believe as the Peacock-blocking was in Sept of 2006 so it wouldn't have been in 2006 either.
Posted by: snake | February 20, 2008 at 05:16 PM
This is a minor, minor nitpick, but Shana Hiatt wasn't involved with the original NBC Heads-Up Championship in 2005 -- she was still working for the World Poker Tour at that time.
Shana didn't host the NBC Heads-Up until 2006 or 2007. I don't remember her being there in 2006, but I could be mistaken.
Posted by: BJ Nemeth | February 20, 2008 at 04:31 PM