'TY MURRAY'S CELEBRITY BULL RIDING CHALLENGE' Premieres Friday, August 10 on CMT

LOS ANGELES, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine celebrities learn that the cutthroat world of Hollywood is nothing compared to the real life thrills of professional bull riding in the six-episode series, TY MURRAY'S CELEBRITY BULL RIDING CHALLENGE, premiering Friday, August 10 at 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT. Hosted by accomplished rodeo athlete and nine-time All-Around World Champion, Ty Murray, CMT's TY MURRAY'S CELEBRITY BULL RIDING CHALLENGE follows a group of high-profile city slickers as they travel to Murray's ranch in Stephenville, Texas to tackle the dangerous and fascinating sport of bull riding in less than two weeks.

The cast features stars from different walks of life and realms of entertainment and sports, including:

* Vanilla Ice (Rob Van Winkle) -Rapper/ Musician * Leif Garrett -Actor/ Musician * Stephen Baldwin -Actor/Writer/Producer * "Rocket" Raghib Ismail -Former NFL Football Player * "Cowboy" Kenny Bartram -Motocross Rider, X-Games * "Nitro" Dan Clark -Actor/ "American Gladiator" * Jonny "Fairplay" Dalton -Reality Star ("Survivor") * Josh Haynes -UFC Fighter * Francesco Quinn -Actor ("Platoon," "24")

Murray leads each episode with daily tutorials where cast members are taught how to mount a bull in the chute, take major falls, practice extreme mental concentration and survive the most intense eight seconds in sports, and perhaps their lives. As their time on the ranch progresses, the stress is amplified as the bulls become increasingly more intense.

After long days of training and riding, the cast finds their own ways to unwind: Murray and girlfriend, Jewel, host a BBQ at their home that transitions into open mic night at the ranch; Rapper Vanilla Ice pays homage to Ty Murray in the form of a new tattoo; former wide receiver, "Rocket" Ismail, accepts an impromptu race challenge issued by a local resident; and Jonny Fairplay entertains a crowd at a bar in the town square.

Those who survive the work, and the play, will compete at an official Professional Bull Riders event in Nashville, Tenn. where they will ride for a final time in front of a stadium full of fans, alongside bull riders who have trained for years. With the help of Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame member Cody Lambert and other guest bull riders, Murray is bound to determine the weak from the strong in this uniquely demanding challenge.

For exclusive extended coverage of the series, visit CMT Loaded on CMT.com and CMT Mobile. CMT.com also features an enhanced Web site with photo galleries, message boards, extended clips, deleted scenes and exclusive outtakes.

TY MURRAY'S CELEBRITY BULL RIDING CHALLENGE is produced by Scott Messick at Mess Media. Bob Kusbit and Melanie Moreau will serve as executive producers for CMT.

For more information, visit http://www.press.mtvn.com/tcajuly07.

Visit CMT's press-only Web site http://www.cmtpress.com/ for more information and downloadable photos on all of CMT's programming.

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks , is the leading television and digital authority on country music and Heartland entertainment, reaching more than 84 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT's broadband channel, CMT Loaded.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom , is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with 137 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.