Parents' Guide to

Pros vs. Joes

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Sexism, bad sportsmanship tinge tense showdowns.

TV Spike Reality TV 2006
Pros vs. Joes Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

In PROS VS. JOES, amateur athletes get a chance to compete against their sports idols. In each episode, three male \"Joes\" take on retired or aging professionals like baseball star Jose Canseco and football master Michael Irvin in their own areas of expertise, competing for bragging rights and a place in the show's championship match. The competition is full of nail-biting tension and impressive athletic performances. In one episode, for example, the Joes take on professional fighter Randy Couture, who subjects his opponents to relentless physical punishment, yanking one's shoulder out of its socket twice. One of the players, who's a hand-to-hand combat instructor in the military, holds his own quite well against his powerful match, but he still goes down without making a dent in the pro.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Full of stereotypically macho showboating and sissy jokes, Pros vs. Joes is definitely targeting male viewers. Though female pros occasionally appear, the roster is almost exclusively male. Players casually grab their crotches and, in at least one episode, a pro football player teases his amateur opponent by aggressively grabbing his butt.

Watching the amateurs take on their idols makes for good entertainment, especially when a contestant displays a level of skill that comes anywhere close to the professionals'. But with all the trash-talking (which includes plenty of foul language), parents will want younger viewers to stay away and may want to check in with teens about the athletes' all-too-frequent unsportsmanlike behavior.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about athletes' behavior. Have you seen or experienced the kind of trash-talking seen on the show in your own life? What motivates it? How much of this type of behavior is just harmless fun, and what's completely uncool? Are certain sports more competitive than others? Do some come with a harsher attitude than others? Why?

TV Details

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