ABC’s ‘Splash’ Celebrity Diving Competition Announces First Round of Celebrities

ABC announces the first round of celebrities to join the cast of ‘Splash’ (formerly titled ‘Celebrity Diving’). From one of the most beautiful women on the planet to a legendary athlete and a larger-than-life comedian, these celebrities will look fear in the face as they leap off the 10-meter high dive, pair off to complete synchronized stunts, and flip, twist and spin into the depths of the pool below. Each week the competition will get stiffer as the dives and challenges increase in difficulty.

‘Splash’ marks the first time 10 celebrities will train and compete in regulation platform and springboard diving at dizzying heights in front of a weekly poolside audience. Leading up to the competition, the world’s most decorated and medaled diving legend, Greg Louganis, will give each celebrity weeks of training. Each dive will be critiqued by the judges, London Olympic U.S. Gold medalist David Boudia and Australian Olympic athlete and USA Dive Team director Steve Foley. The final two celebrities joining the cast will be announced closer to premiere. ‘Splash’ premieres Tuesday, March 19 at 8:00 pm ET/PT on the ABC Television Network.

Eight of the ten celebrities joining the ‘Splash’ cast, in alphabetical order, are:

LOUIE ANDERSON — Emmy Award-winning comedian Louie Anderson is one of the most versatile and successful comedians working in Hollywood today. Sharing the ups and downs of his childhood experiences as one of 11 children in Minnesota, Louie crafted comedy routines that rang true for his early club audiences, while reducing them to helpless fits of laughter. Johnny Carson invited Louie to make his national television debut on the ‘The Tonight Show’ in 1984, and the rest is history. ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,’ ‘The Late Show with David Letterman,’ ‘The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,’ ‘Comic Relief’ and Showtime and HBO specials followed, making Louie a household name. He has guest-starred in numerous sitcoms and dramas on television, and has had memorable feature film roles in Coming to America, opposite Eddie Murphy, and the classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In 1995 Louie put his creative energies to work on the Saturday morning award winning animated series, ‘Life with Louie.’ The long-running series, based on Louie’s own childhood, won three Humanitas Prizes for writing on a children’s animated series, making him the only three-time recipient of this award. It also earned a Genesis Award for its depiction of the humane treatment of animals and, most significantly, two Emmy Awards. His bestselling books include Dear Dad – Letters from an Adult Child, a collection of alternately touching and outrageous letters from Louie to his late father; and Good-bye Jumbo…Hello Cruel World, self-help for those who struggle with self-esteem issues, as only an award-winning comedian could write it. Louie recently finished writing his newest installment on family, The F Word, How to Survive Your Family, and starred on his own standup special, ‘Big Baby Boomer,’ on CMT.

DRAKE BELL — Since becoming a household name via the hit Nickelodeon series ‘Drake & Josh,’ Drake Bell has evolved into an international music, television and film star. He was most recently seen paying homage to the network that launched his career as star of Nickelodeon’s live-action/CG adaptation of ‘The Fairly Odd Parents,’ ‘A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!,’ opposite Daniella Monet, and is currently starring as Peter Parker in Disney XD’s new animated series ‘Ultimate Spider-Man.’ His 10 U.S. and International Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice and Teen Choice Awards have proven Drake a fan favorite over the years in both acting and music. As a musician with two successful albums under his belt — the indie release ‘Telegraph’ and ‘It’s Only Time’ — a chart-topping single, ‘I Know,’ and past tour sell-outs of 3,000-8,000 seat venues, Drake released a new independent EP, ‘A Reminder,’ last June, which became a Top 5 release on iTunes. This last fall he was also able to mix both his love of acting and his love of music in his first ever Broadway endeavor; he performed as the lead in the theatrical workshop production of ‘A Moment in Time,’ the new musical from five-time Tony Award-winning producer Stewart F. Lane. Drake’s other acting credits include playing John Cusack’s son in the HBO film The Jack Bull, as well as his memorable role in Jerry Maguire as the son of a hospitalized hockey player client of Tom Cruise’s sports agent. He then went on to roles in the feature films High Fidelity and Yours, Mine and Ours, as well as on the TV series ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘The Drew Carey Show,’ ‘The Pretender’ and ‘Home Improvement.’ Since 2009, Drake has also supported The Thirst Project, a non-profit organization that exists to raise awareness of and bring solutions to the clean water crisis globally through educational outreach and fundraising initiatives.

CHUY BRAVO — Launched into the limelight five years ago as the personal assistant to TV hostess Chelsea Handler, Chuy Bravo has come far, but his journey to Hollywood stardom was long. As Chelsea’s sidekick on E!’s No. 1-rated show, ‘Chelsea Lately,’ Chuy is the first Latino talk show sidekick ever, and his one-liners have become a favorite staple on the hit show he now calls home. The youngest of seven brothers and sisters, Chuy moved with his family to the U.S. from Mexico at the age of 15. Bitten by the Hollywood bug, he was determined to pursue his dream of big-screen stardom. He landed his first role in ‘Austin Powers 3: Goldmember,’ and can also be seen in ‘The Rundown,’ starring The Rock, and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.’ In April 2010, Chuy added another hat to his collection, that of published author. His first book, Little Nuggets of Wisdom, has shown how anyone can live and love the Chuy Bravo way thanks to his bite sized advice covering family, finances, friendship, fashion, travel, food, fitness and more. His next adventures are the launch of his national comedy tour in April, a signature line of chips and salsa in the fall, and a new line of merchandise available soon on chuybravo.com. He also decided this year to take his health seriously, and on a $10k bet with Chelsea, is hoping to shed those extra pounds. He has hired a nutritionist to help with this task. If he is successful, he will donate the money to various charities and hopes to motivate others.

NICOLE EGGERT — Born in Southern California, Nicole Eggert was Miss Universe in the petite division at age 5, which landed her in a Johnson’s & Johnson’s television commercial, one of many to come. In 1980 Nicole, only eight at the time, landed a role in the movie ‘Rich and Famous,’ opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen, playing a young Meg Ryan, directed by George Cukor. She also co-starred with Darryl Hannah in ‘Clan of the Cave Bear,’ directed by Michael Chapman. After re-occurring roles in both hit TV shows ‘TJ Hooker’ and ‘Who’s The Boss,’ she appeared as a regular on the hit television show ‘Charles in Charge’ as Jamie Powell, when it was syndicated for five years between 1987 to 1992. After the show ended, Nicole went on to star as Lifeguard Summer Quinn on Seasons 1 and 2 on ‘Baywatch,’ at the height of its popularity between 1992 and 1994. She has appeared in numerous films for television and the big screen, including the Lifetime TV hit ‘Holiday Switch’ and ‘National Lampoon’s Cattle Call.’ She has also guest starred on such series as ‘Gilmore Girls,’ ‘The Outer Limits’ and ‘Boy Meets World.’ Today Nicole is enjoying raising her two daughters, and has recently been in the media for her struggle with weight loss, for which she created a ‘Funny or Die’ spoof that received millions of hits and was voted as one of the funniest ‘Funny or Die’ videos ever, making her a great role model for the ‘real’ women in the world.

KESHIA KNIGHT PULLIAM — Keshia Knight Pulliam began her career at the age of nine months in a national print ad for Johnson’s & Johnson’s baby products. By the age of four, Keshia appeared in several national commercials, was a regular on ‘Sesame Street’ and had the feature film the ‘Last Dragon’ on her resume. It was at the age of four that she landed the role of Rudy Huxtable, the youngest daughter of Clair and Cliff Huxtable, on the iconic television series ‘The Cosby Show.’ For her work on ‘The Cosby Show,’ Keshia received several NAACP Image Awards, Young Artist Awards, a People’s Choice Award, a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award and a host of other honors. To date, she is the youngest actress ever nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Emmy Award. During the run of ‘The Cosby Show,’ Keshia also starred in a host of TV movies, including the period holiday drama ‘The Little Match Girl,’ the Mark Twain update ‘A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,’ Debbie Allen’s musical version of Pollyanna, ‘Polly,’ and the sequel, ‘Polly: Comin’ Home!’ After ‘The Cosby Show’ wrapped, Keshia took several years away from acting to concentrate on school. In 2001 she graduated with honors from Spelman College with a B.A. in sociology and a concentration in film. Since graduating, she has resumed her acting career in both television and film. She co-starred alongside Queen Latifah in ‘Beauty Shop,’ with Boris Kodjoe and Idris Elba in ‘The Gospel,’ and most recently starred with Tyler Perry and Derek Luke as the female lead Candace in ‘Madea Goes to Jail.’ Currently, Keshia stars as Miranda on the TBS sitcom ‘The House of Payne,’ which is entering its 5th year of production. For her work on ‘The House of Payne’ she has won three NAACP Image Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Additionally she has an Atlanta-based production company, Kizzy Productions, and the non-profit organization Kamp Kizzy. Keshia divides her time between her suburban Atlanta home and her LA residence.

NDAMUKONG SUH — Ndamukong Suh was born on January 6th, 1987 to a Jamaican mother, Bernadette, and a Cameroonian father, Michael. In the Ngema tribe in Cameroon, Ndamukong means ‘House of Spears.’ At Grant High School in Portland, Suh was a two-way star on the football team, earning Parade Magazine All-American honors and Portland Interscholastic League Defensive Player of the Year. Considered among the nation’s best defensive tackle prospects, he chose to attend the University of Nebraska to study Engineering. During his junior year at Nebraska, he was the first Nebraska defensive lineman to lead the team in tackles since 1973. In 2009, his senior year, he registered 82 tackles, 12 sacks and helped lead the Cornhuskers to the top ranking scoring defense in the nation – yielding only 10.4 points per game. Upon his graduation, Suh donated $2.6 million to the University of Nebraska, including $600K towards an endowed engineering scholarship. In the 2010 NFL draft, he was selected second overall by the Detroit Lions. His rare combination of strength, agility and speed made him an instant force in the NFL. He was selected Rookie of the Year and named to the NFL’s All-Pro team. Suh was also voted a Pro-Bowl starter, which was the first time for a rookie defensive player in NFL history. In 2011 he helped lead the Detroit Lions to their first playoff appearance since 1999. After the 2012 season, he was named to the NFL’s All-Pro team, and will represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl for his second time in three seasons. In addition to making an to making an impact on the field, Suh has made his presence felt in the local community, including partnering with the Detroit Medical Center and adopting a school in Cameroon, Africa, through his foundation, The Suh Family Foundation.

KATHERINE WEBB — Katherine Webb was born in Montgomery, Alabama and recently graduated from Auburn University with a degree in business management and administration. In 2007 Katherine ranked in the Top 15 for the title of Miss Georgia USA. She was crowned Miss Alabama USA in 2012, and then went on to finish in the Top 10 of the Miss USA 2012 competition. She recently gained national attention during the 2013 BCS National Championship Game telecast in which she was supporting boyfriend and University of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron. Since captivating the spotlight, Katherine has signed on to multiple projects, including shooting for Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition, as well as covering 2013′s Super Bowl XLVII for the entertainment news program ‘Inside Edition.’ She is also heavily involved in Rebuilding Together New Orleans, which helps to restore that city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

KENDRA WILKINSON — Television personality and glamour girl Kendra Wilkinson is best known from her self-titled E! hit reality series, ‘Kendra,’ previously from E!’s ‘The Girls Next Door,’ and currently from her series on WE TV, ‘Kendra on Top.’ The new series follows Kendra, NFL player husband Hank Baskett and son Hank IV through their crazy lives as they balance celebrity life with everyday parenting. Kendra got her start on one of E! Entertainment’s highest rated television shows, ‘The Girls Next Door.’ She co-starred on the reality hit for five seasons, until 2009, when she closed that chapter in her life and opened a new one: that year she got married, welcomed the birth of her son, Hank IV, and of course debuted her show, ‘Kendra.’ Originally from San Diego, Kendra knew little about the world of Playboy before her move to Los Angeles, but she quickly found herself attracted to the carefree, frolicking lifestyle that it offers. She first met Hef while being body painted for his 78th birthday party at the Playboy Mansion. Hef asked Kendra to move in and live as one of his girlfriends. Since the debut of ‘The Girls Next Door,’ Kendra has appeared on the cover of numerous magazines and has enjoyed everything from television to movie appearances. Most recently she was part of the cast of the popular ABC show ‘Dancing with the Stars’ with professional dance partner Louis Van Amstel. Her first book, Sliding in to Home, debuted at No 4 on the New York Times Bestseller list when released in 2010, and her follow-up, Being Kendra, was released in September 2011, also becoming a bestseller.

‘Splash’ is from Eyeworks USA and is based on the breakout hit and Dutch format, ‘Celebrity Splash.’ The series is executive-produced by JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson, Brant Pinvidic and Josh Greenberg.