The series debut of ABC’s “Shaq Vs” earned a 2.7/5 overnight Nielsen rating and an average audience of 4.3 million viewers from 9:00-10:00pm ET last night. The show produced ABC’s strongest summer numbers in the hour with regular programming since August 5, 2008 ( THE DAILY ). In L.A., Diane Pucin writes while there were "some good things" about the episode, the "hour-long-show, frankly, dragged." O'Neal played Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in a football game, and Pucin writes, "I think the quarterback won 21-14 but my attention had long started wandering." There "wasn't much drama" during the show, and the actual football was "dull as dirt." Also, it was a "bad, bad idea" to give as much screen time to hosts Mike Goldberg and Pat Tomasulo and sideline reporter Charissa Thompson, who Pucin called a "low-rent version of Erin Andrews." Pucin writes if one is "looking for an athlete-flavored reality show that's not as trainwrecky as the T.O. show, I vote for Keyshawn Johnson's design show on A&E" ( LATIMES.com, 8/19 ). In Cleveland, Mark Dawidziak writes "Shaq Vs." is "not much of a show," as there is "about a half-hour worth of concept here." The show's packaging also is "cheesy in the extreme, with over-earnest hosts" ( Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/19 ). However, THE BIG LEAD writes, "Intended to watch for a few seconds, find the show highly mockable and then change the channel. Ended up getting hooked because Shaq has the gravitational pull of the Death Star. ... The game of HORSE between Shaq and Big Ben was pretty funny" ( THEBIGLEAD.com, 8/19 ). THE WORLD IS MINE : O'Neal during last night's episode attended a camp with NFL Network's Mike Mayock for "NFL hopefuls" who were training for the scouting combine. Roethlisberger said of O'Neal's 40-yard dash: "You'd probably be the lowest guy in the history of the combine." Earlier in the show, O'Neal said to Roethlisberger during the episode, "I'm one of those couch potato fans that thinks he can do what everybody else does so I came up with the idea. I want to compete against all the best in the world. A lot of people ask me why I'm doing it. It's the ultimate cross-training" ( "Shaq Vs.," ABC, 8/18 ). FIGHT NIGHT: In Las Vegas, Case Keefer reports O'Neal was in Las Vegas yesterday to promote an upcoming five-round boxing match with Oscar De La Hoya that will air on the show September 15. De La Hoya said that as "soon as he received a call from ABC asking to participate in the show a few months ago, he knew he had to do it." De La Hoya: "If he hits me one time, it could be over. ... It's going to be fun, but at the same time very competitive" ( LAS VEGAS SUN, 8/19 ). Meanwhile, O'Neal and Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps on Sunday will film an episode at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club where they compete in a swim race. No air date has been set for that episode ( BALTIMORESUN.com, 8/19 ).
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