Information about Who Wants To Be A Superhero?

Who Wants to Be a Superhero?
The contestants of Season 2
Created by	Stan Lee
Starring	Stan Lee Aja De Coudreaux Crystal Clark Jarret Crippin Melody Mooney John Stork Phillip Allen "Sir Ivan" Wilzig Trisha Paytas Dan Williams Paula Thomas
Narrated by	Stan Lee
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	Season 1 6 Season 2 8
Production
Executive producer(s)	Stan Lee Bruce Nash Scott Satin Gill Champion
Running time	60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Sci Fi Channel
Original run	July 27, 2006 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Who Wants to Be a Superhero? is a reality show hosted by Stan Lee. Contestants dress up as comic book superheroes of their own invention. Each week, Lee challenges the contestants to represent what "superheroes are all about." One or more of the superheroes deemed the least deserving is eliminated per episode. The grand prize for the winning superhero is to have his or her character star in a Dark Horse Comics comic book written by Lee and appear in an original movie to be aired on Sci Fi Channel. The winner also receives a trip for two to Universal Studios Florida to participate in the park's Parade of Superheroes.

Season 1 premiered on July 27 2006 on the Sci Fi Channel. Season 2 premiered on July 26, 2007.^[1] Rumors of a third season abound, though Stan Lee (and his POW! partner, Gil Champion) have refused to confirm or deny them. Champion, in their shared interview with iF Magazine, stated "I guess it’s a little early."[1]

Season 1

Main article: Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (Season 1)

The eleven-heroes (and one-villain) cast of contestants for the first season was:

• Feedback (aka Matthew Atherton) (Las Cruces, NM) - Dubbed "the next great superhero" by Stan Lee.
• Rotiart (aka Jonathan Finestone) (Los Angeles, CA) - Was a spy planted by Stan Lee to help weed out the least worthy superheroes. Stated that his name backwards is "Traitor" and left on his own (because he wasn't an actual contestant) in Episode One.
• Levity (aka Tobias Trost) (Lakeside, MT) - Eliminated in Episode One for discussing profitability of his character for his toy business. In his exit interview, he says that Rotiart manipulated their discussion.
• Nitro G (aka Darren Passarello) (Staten Island, NY) - Eliminated in Episode One for failing the first challenge, 'Quick Change', by changing in plain sight and bypassing a girl in distress.
• Cell Phone Girl (aka Chelsea Weld) (La Crescenta, CA) - Eliminated in Episode Two for failing the courage-oriented challenge by quitting in only four seconds, explaining that a headache was the problem.
• The Iron Enforcer (aka Steel Chambers) (Brooklyn, NY) - Eliminated in Episode Two for not demonstrating Lee's ideas regarding a hero's behavior and values. Recruited by Stan to return as a supervillain, The Dark Enforcer.
• Monkey Woman (aka Mary Votava) (Seattle, WA) - Eliminated in Episode Three for giving away her secret identity without being asked and for concealing being an actress during her audition.
• Ty'Veculus (aka E. Quincy Sloan) (Bakersfield, CA) - Eliminated in Episode Three for failing the self-sacrifice challenge by recommending Lemuria for elimination, questioning her motives and reasons for being on the show.
• Creature (aka Tonya Kay) (Coldwater, MI) - Eliminated in Episode Four following the revelation of her past as a litterbug and for jay-walking on the show.
• Lemuria (aka Tonatzin Mondragon) (Los Angeles, CA) - Eliminated in Episode Four for being the only hero to fail the prisoner challenge.
• Major Victory (aka Chris Watters) (San Francisco, CA) - Eliminated in Episode Five because of Stan Lee's concern that he was becoming a "parody of a superhero."
• Fat Momma (aka Nell Wilson) (Los Angeles, CA) - The final superhero asked to turn in her costume, in Episode Six. She came in second place.

Season 2

Main article: Who Wants to Be a Superhero? (Season 2)

The ten-hero cast (and character descriptions) of the second season was:

• The Defuser (aka Jarrett Crippen / Austin, TX) and winner of Season 2 is an expert paramilitary superhero who uses non-lethal weaponry to stop villains.^[2] He has the unique ability to function at 110 percent. On September 6, 2007, in a two-hour special on the SciFi Channel, Stan Lee chose the Defuser as "the next great superhero."
• Braid (aka Crystal Clark / Bloomington, IL) makes herself any age, race, or gender ^[2] and can turn her hair into crime-busting tentacles. She was eliminated in episode one for failing to gather information from a crime scene, and for being laid back in most challenges rather than taking action, in addition to caring more about explaining her powers than aiding the victim.
• Mindset (aka Phillip Allen / Coral Springs, FL) is a telekinetic time traveler ^[2] on a mission to end all war. Originally named Omnicron, Mindset is the viewers' choice on the show winning his place by Internet voters earlier this year. Eliminated in episode two for putting himself ahead of his fellow superheroes, hurting Limelight's feelings by accusing her of putting on an act, and refusing to play Bee Sting's rules in her spelling bee.
• Mr. Mitzvah (aka "Sir Ivan" Wilzig / Miami, FL and New York City) is a real-life Bruce Wayne who lives in a castle. This multi-millionaire's mission, under the guise of Mr. Mitzvah, is to save the lives of children. He sports a Star of David paddle, which is able to deflect any attack.^[2] Season 2 premiered in his castle. He was eliminated in episode three for failing to show courage for a second time and secluding himself from the other heroes.
• Ms. Limelight (aka Trisha Paytas / Byron, IL and Los Angeles, CA) is a caped-crusader who absorbs the powers of action stars on TV and in movies.^[2] She sports a mirror used to distract her enemies, and she developed night vision from the large amount of time she spent in dark theaters. She was also eliminated in episode three for being unable to perform under pressure for two episodes in a row.
• Basura (aka Aja De Coudreaux / Oakland, CA) uses her mystical powers to turn trash into treasures. She enlists the help of all bugs everywhere and can tell how an object was made by merely touching it.^[2] She was eliminated in episode four for not being assertive enough, as well as her hesitancy to help a mother look for her child.
• Whip-Snap (aka Paula Thomas / Dallas, TX and Los Angeles, CA) was raised in Texas, and has a mastery of the whip. Due to her time spent on the streets, she has also developed a sixth sense that alerts her to danger, and if her bare skin touches a villain, that villain is turned into sand. When asked about her character, Paula moved Stan Lee by telling him she based much of her character's hard past on her real life. She was eliminated in episode five due to her own self-doubt.
• Parthenon (aka Dan Williams / Orlando, FL) is an archaeologist who gets his mystical powers from an ancient gauntlet called the Armaguard, which he discovered in Greece.^[2] He has referred to himself not as a "gay superhero," but rather a superhero who "happen[s] to be gay," and has said that he sees himself as a gay role model.^[3][4] He was eliminated in episode six for failing to bond with the children featured in the episode.
• Hygena (aka Melody Mooney / Sherman Oaks, CA) fights crime and grime, making weapons from all types of cleaning utensils.^[2] She tied for second place in the season finale.
• Hyper-Strike (aka John Stork / Plainfield, VT and Chicago, IL) is a martial arts expert with super strength and agility and, as his name suggests, superhuman speed. He can manipulate his Chi (life force) and that of others. He also possesses the unique ability of using his sweat as a weapon.^[2] He tied for second place in the season finale.

A spinoff series, The Superhero After Show, premiered on the Sci Fi Pulse broadband network immediately following the Eastern Time Zone broadcast of the first episode. The series was hosted by Feedback (Matthew Atherton) and is shown on Sci Fi Pulse. Feedback interviews Superhero contestants as they depart the show; each departing challenger shares reflections on his or her show experience and plans for the future. In the final installment, Feedback interviews Stan Lee about the season as a whole.

Season DVDS & action figures

A 2-disc DVD set of season 1 came out on September 21, 2006 and is available from the NBC Universal Store. Season 2 is scheduled to be released on October 18, 2007.^[5]

On June 18, 2007, Shocker Toys announced that the second-season winner of Who Wants to Be a Superhero will be awarded with their own action figure. The company will also be creating and selling figures of first season winner Feedback ^[6], along with figures of runners-up Major Victory and Fat Momma. Geoff Beckett, head of Shocker Toys, stated: "As a fan of Who Wants to be a Superhero? on SCI FI, I'm excited to be working closely with the creators of the show to create this action figure line in a way that celebrates the true spirit of superheroes." ^[7]

International broadcasts

The UK Premiere was shown during a 2007 bank holiday special on May 5th, 6th, and 7th. While UK viewers could not compete in the show, a competition was launched by SCI FI for fans to submit a video of themselves as a superhero. Prizes included the winners footage being included on the DVD.^[8] The show continued to run every Monday, the last of season 1 being broadcast on June 18 2007.

The Sci Fi Channel Australia premiered Season 1 of the show on May 10, 2007; while Season 2 premiered on September 24, 2007. It was also exhibited in Latin America through the cable TV station Sony Entertainment Television, with Spanish subtitles.

It also aired in Canada on IFC and in Asia on Star World.

References

External links

Show sites

• Official site
• Sci Fi Channel's site
• Who Wants to be a Superhero on Internet Movie Database
• The Bebo page for the UK premiere
• The Heroes Lair - Unofficial Season 2 Website run by Dan Williams (Parthenon)
• Location of the Lair courtesy of Google Maps
• Interviews with reality stars on VH1, MTV, and SciFi
• Video of the "Who Wants To Be A Superhero?" Season 2 Premiere Party at Sir Ivan Wilzig's ("Mr. Mitzvah") Castle

Comic book site

• Page for the Dark Horse comic book
• Review of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? characters on Dark Horse Comics Page

Contestant sites

Season One Cell Phone Girl (Chelsea Weld) Cellphone Girl at MySpace Chelsea Weld at MySpace Creature (Tonya Kay) Official Site Tonya Kay at MySpace Tonya Kay on Wikipedia Fat Momma (Nell Wilson) Official Site Fat Momma at MySpace Feedback (Matthew Atherton) Official Site Feedback at MySpace Iron/Dark Enforcer (Steel Chambers) Official Site Iron/Dark Enforcer at MySpace Lemuria (Tonatzin Mondragon) Lemuria at MySpace Levity (Tobias Trost) Official Site Tobias Trost at MySpace Levity at MySpace Major Victory (Chris Watters) Major Victory's Official Site Chris Watters' Official Site Major Victory at MySpace Chris Watters at MySpace Monkey Woman (Mary Votava) Mary Votava's Official Site Monkey Woman's Official Site Mary Votava at MySpace Monkey Woman at MySpace Nitro G (Darren Passarello) Official Site Nitro at MySpace Ty'Veculus (E. Quincy Sloan) Official Site Ty'Veculus at MySpace

*Season Two

• * Basura (Aja De Coudreaux)
• Aja at MySpace
• Basura at MySpace
• Braid (Crystal Clark)
• Braid at MySpace
• The Defuser (Jarrett Crippen)
• Defuser at MySpace
• Hygena (Melody Mooney)
• Hygena at MySpace
• Melody Mooney at MySpace
• Hyper-Strike (John Stork)
• Hyper-Strike at MySpace
• Mr. Mitzvah ("Sir Ivan" Wilzig)
• Sir Ivan's Official Site
• Sir Ivan at MySpace
• Mindset (Phillip Allen)
• Mindset at MySpace
• Ms. Limelight (Trisha Paytas)
• Trisha Paytas at MySpace
• Parthenon (Dan Williams)
• Dan Williams at MySpace
• Parthenon at MySpace
• Whip-Snap (Paula Thomas)
• Whip-Snap at MySpace