J. Sanchez, executive producer of the FIREBALL RUN adventurally series has confirmed 4 astronauts, The Queen of Versailles and first winner of America’s Next Top Model amongst other celebrities.
By Kaleb Quast
Adrenaline Partnership, an Orlando-based Production Company, seeks to make history by sending several international astronauts on a journey across America’s East Coast.
A 13-episode entertainment series, the FIREBALL RUN is the story of 40 teams as they compete in a legendary 8-day, 2,000-mile, life-sized trivial pursuit game, all while aiding to recover America’s missing children. The series story and game centers on eight featured destinations by integrating area history, culture, points of interest, museums, notable people and places.
To compete, driving teams are presented mission clues, which when solved lead to a location. While at the location, they must complete a challenge to achieve points needed to win. Now in its ninth season, the upcoming show adds four international astronaut teams to the 40 driving teams for a Space Race-themed Adventurally competition. The Astronauts include: Team France featuring Major General Jean-Loup Chretien, Team Brazil featuring Lieutenant Colonel Marcos Pontes, Team India featuring Commander Rakesh Sharma, and Team USA featuring Captain Jon McBride. The 8-day journey will mark the longest time four international astronauts have been together either on earth or in space.
There will also be a contingent of celebrities participating. Jacqueline Siegel, an Orlando resident and focus of the Sundance award winning 2012 documentary “The Queen of Versailles”, Adrianne Curry – the first winner of America’s Next Top Model, Speed Channel’s Ray McClelland and electronics expert Grant Imahara…who has worked on films like Jurassic Park, The Matrix and Star Wars will also lead a celebrity team.
The production launched a Kickstarter campaign to outfit the Astronaut drivers with everything needed to complete the journey. Producers took a humorous approach to their video presentation which also features a charismatic Astronaut Jon McBride.
In addition to raising awareness for missing children, Producers hope Season 9 of the FIREBALL RUN: Space Race and the astronaut teams will draw attention to the need to continue space exploration.
“FIREBALL RUN is family-friendly, entertaining and educational. It would be great if this season inspired even one person to enter the aerospace industry,” noted Series Executive Producer, J. Sanchez. “We’re thrilled that this show’s live grand finale coincides with the 30th anniversary of Shuttle Atlantis’ first space flight, on October 3, 2015.”
Since 2007, the FIREBALL RUN has been a popular, independently produced, online series. Its philanthropic Race to Recover America’s Missing Children has since aided in 44 missing children. J. Sanchez, the show’s executive producer, said at a recent press conference that the show has an audience of 1.7 million viewers worldwide. He said those viewers are primarily educated, affluent and interested in traveling. Along with the viewers, the people who participate in the race tend to have money to spend. He noted they spend on average $1,700 per team at each destination. Furthermore, they tend to be the kind of people who can “relocate companies” or who are searching for their “second or third vacation home,” he said.
The series will start on September 25th in Hartford, Connecticut and end on October 4th in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
You can learn more about the series by clicking here.
Kaleb is a senior in the Creative Writing & Journalism program at the University of Central Florida. Quast previously served as an editing intern and writer for the Orlando Weekly in 2014 before joining the East Orlando Post. Kaleb also serves as an editor for UCF’s literary magazine and worked as a staffer for the Florida Democratic Party in the 2014 election cycle. In his spare time, he makes black out astrology and is growing an avocado tree.
