Pokerstars.net Million Dollar Challenge Returns to FOX

The PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge is set to air a new season, beginning this Sunday (September 19) on FOX. The second season will feature seven episodes and the same familiar format featured in Season One.

The show gives players a chance to win up to $1 million by winning a series of heads-up poker matches against different kinds of players. In the first round, each contestant gets to take on a celebrity player, who could be anyone: a television star, an athlete, or someone like Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood. Daniel Negreanu is at the table to give the player helpful advice during the match.

Winning that first match wins the contestant an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas. More importantly, it allows the player to take on a professional poker player from Team PokerStars in the second round. During this round, the player still has the advantage of getting advice from Negreanu, who now observes the action from a soundproof booth. Should they win this round, they take home $25,000 in addition to the trip.

If the player makes it this far, they’re now faced with a decision. The player may choose to stop and keep their $25,000, or they may risk it for a chance at $100,000. To win the $100,000 prize, the player must defeat Negreanu in a heads up match.

This format is followed for the first six episodes of the season. In the final episode, winners return to face off for a chance to play against Negreanu one last time. If the ultimate winner can defeat Negreanu in the final episode, they’ll win the $1 million prize. Just this happened in the first season, when Mike Kosowski – a retired officer in the NYPD – defeated Negreanu to take home the grand prize.

The Million Dollar Challenge will air on Sundays, during weeks in which FOX is not broadcasting an NFL football doubleheader. Showtimes will vary locally, as it will air when football is not being broadcast. The grand finale episode will air on December 12.

Several prominent celebrities have been lined up as opponents for the second season. They include the aforementioned Underwood, NFL stars John Elways and Barry Sanders, NBA star Gary Payton, and Dancing with the Stars host Brooke Burke.