GSN created waves in the poker world when they decided to do away with one half of the High Stakes Poker broadcasting duo after firing A.J. Benza.  The move was not only a shock to Benza who publicly complained on his blog about it, but it was also a shock to fans of the show since Benza and fellow co-host Gabe Kaplan played quite well off each other.

According to many sources, GSN dumped Benza because they were looking to bring in an attractive female co-hostess.  At the time, rumors were swirling that poker pro Vanessa Rousso was the first choice by the network to fill Benza’s shoes.  Eventually, GSN would state that Rousso was not going to host HSP so former World Poker Tour hostess Shana Hiatt become another name thrown into the mix.

However, we now know that Hiatt won’t be the hostess either since it has been reported that poker pro Kara Scott will become the new commentator on High Stakes Poker.  Scott is one of the rising female professional players since she has earned $453,000 of her $500,000 career winnings in the last years and she’s also finished within the top 250 players in the last two WSOP Main Events.  In addition to her playing exploits, Scott has also done broadcasting work for the European Poker Tour and Poker Night Live.

The only thing that is standing in the way of Kara Scott being officially announced as the new HSP hostess is that she needs to obtain a permit which would allow her to work in the United States.  Without this permit, it would be illegal for Scott to work as the new HSP hostess according to US laws.  But it’s almost a given that Kara Scott will be able to get this permit since GSN is counting on it.

Reality TV Update!

The bubble has burst for Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho in the Amazing Race. The girls were eliminated in The Netherlands, cutting the field of competitors down to 5 teams.

Ho and Michelle were eliminated when they failed to make it through a series of Dutch challenges that involved a strength testing carnival game (72 unsuccessful attempts for the girls while most teams did it in 1) and a par-8 version of clog golfing.

At the end of the competition, the girls didn’t finish that leg of the race and were eliminated by host, Phil Keoghan.

Ho and Michelle started this leg of the race in 2nd place, but had these ominous words to say before it began:

“Second place is awesome, but we’ve learned from poker that it’s really easy to get comfortable and get involved in pots that you shouldn’t.”

Foreshadowing! I guess that clog-golf was a pot that the girls should have stayed away from.

With the girls eliminated, I’ll probably stop posting about The Amazing Race, but I will continue watching it… only for the Globetrotters. Those guys are awesome.

Of all the poker shows that have been created in the past couple of years, High Stakes Poker has definitely got to be considered one of the most successful.  High Stakes has used the cash game format during its successful run along with the broadcasting skills of A.J. Benza and Gabe Kaplan to survive for five eventful seasons.  The show has been so successful that the Game Show Network has decided to bring it back for a 6th season.

However, one key ingredient which won’t be returning for season 6 is A.J. Benza who was informed by Game Show Network representatives that his services will no be needed.  Going even further, GSN has decided to get rid of Benza so that they can add a younger female host to go along with Kaplan.  There has been no official word as to who this younger female host will be as of yet.

Regardless of whom the woman host turns out to be, Benza is definitely not happy about the decision and has let his opinion be known.  Benza made a good point on his blog (where he was talking about a conversation he had with GSN suits) when he said, “if you got the best pizza in town for 5 seasons, why try and add licorice to it?”  Benza’s argument is definitely a good point since him and Kaplan were an excellent announcing duo throughout the first 5 seasons of High Stakes Poker.

Now everything is up in the air for High Stakes Poker with a potentially much younger, model-like host being brought to the table.  Sure GSN is banking on the move attracting a wider audience, but they could lose some of the existing audience too.  If things don’t work out, then there is definitely the possibility of Benza coming back.  A.J. put this into perspective when he said, “And look on the bright side: if she stinks….I might be back for HSP 7”

Poker After Dark has no doubt been one of the most successful poker television shows in history.  The hour-long NBC show, which first made its debut on January of 2007, has already lasted 5 seasons and doesn’t look to slow down any time soon.  Poker After Dark has started a new season which will feature 12 episodes.

The 12 brand new episodes which comprise season 6 will center on high stakes cash games between some of the best poker players in the world.  Phil Ivey, Eli Elezra, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Howard Lederer, and llari “Zigmund” Sahamies will all participate in the new season of Poker After Dark.

Besides being accepted by invitation, players also needed to buy into the show with $100,000; the blinds will be set at $200/$400.  What’s interesting is that the seemingly low blinds (for the caliber of players involved) will be moving up as the show advances with the blinds expected to triple towards the end.  This means that the blinds will eventually reach $600/$1,200 which is more accustomed to what many of the show’s contestants are used to playing for.

All of the players in season 6 of Poker After Dark have been involved with other poker TV shows in the past with the exception of llari “Zigmund” Sahamies.  Sahamies has made a name for himself through his online exploits and has come into even bigger fame recently when he made the final table of the WSOP Main Event.

For those wondering when they’ll get to see Sahamies, as well as the other players on Poker After Dark, episodes will air every night on NBC at 2:05 am.  The special Director’s Cut will air every Saturday after Saturday Night Live while people can also catch episodes by going to nbcsports.com as well.