ANYTHING TO WIN Presents THE ALL-AMERICAN SOAP BOX DERBY SCANDAL on February 21

ANYTHING TO WIN Presents THE ALL-AMERICAN SOAP BOX DERBY SCANDAL on February 21

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- GSN's documentary series, ANYTHING TO WIN, tackles a competition rarely covered -- the soap box derby -- in a special installment on Tuesday, February 21 (9:00 - 10:00 PM ET/PT). ANYTHING TO WIN: THE ALL-AMERICAN SOAP BOX DERBY SCANDAL reviews the lengths competitors have gone to -- legal and illegal -- to win the event.

An "All-American" institution lost its innocence in 1973, when 14-year-old Jimmy Gronen was disqualified from the 36th annual Soap Box Derby. Official x-rays of the winning vehicle revealed improper modifications -- an elaborate electromagnetic system that gave Gronen an edge. It was a scandal that nearly ended a sport that has bred several NASCAR champions.

Interviews with longtime Soap Box Derby director Jeff Iula, author Melanie Payne, the real winner Bret Yarborough, race officials and several witnesses reveal a secret world where it seems people have been doing "anything to win" for years.

"The soap box derby was pure. It flabbergasted me that someone would go to that length to cheat in the soap box derby. This was as basic as apple pie, baseball and mom," said Jim Clemente, Southwestern United States Regional Director for the All-American Soap Box Derby.

Gronen was the first winner in the history of the race ever to be disqualified, but he wouldn't be the last. The show will also feature a test to demonstrate how much a magnet can affect the outcome of a race.

ANYTHING TO WIN is produced by Creative Differences and Asylum Entertainment. Erik Nelson, Dave Harding and Frank Sinton serve as executive producers. Nelson and Harding, the team behind BIG BUCKS: THE PRESS YOUR LUCK SCANDAL, GSN's first and highly successful documentary special, have produced more than 400 hours of programming for 12 different networks. Recently, Nelson also produced his first theatrical documentary: Werner Herzog's critically acclaimed "Grizzly Man." Asylum Entertainment, founded in 2000, created the 10-time Emmy nominated series "Beyond the Glory" and the Emmy nominated series "Fearless."

GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN has allowed viewers to play-along with on-air programming via their computers and GSN.com since 2002. Reaching more than 57 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com.

-GSN-

Source: GSN

CONTACT: Dennis Johnson, +1-310-255-6935, djohnson@gsn.com, or Shannon
Peterson, +1-310-255-6937, speterson@gsn.com, both of GSN

Web site: http://corp.gsn.com/

Web site: http://gsn.com/

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