Tuesday, Mar 30, 2010    Text size: 

LOS ANGELES — Playboy TV announced a new reality series today that will have top photographers and models compete for a photo feature in Playboy magazine.

The “Playboy Shootout” competition begins with the series premiere on April 3, at 10 p.m. EST on Playboy TV.

The new series is being produced by America’s Next Top Model director Claudia Frank and hosted by The Celebrity Apprentice 2 contender and 2001 Playmate of the Year, Brande Roderick.

“To be featured in Playboy magazine is the ultimate accomplishment for a photographer or model,” said Playboy editorial director and chief content officer Jimmy Jellinek.

“For one of the first times ever, we are affording that opportunity through a competition. It won’t be easy; competition will be stiff, and only photos that live up to Playboy’s highest standards of class, sex appeal, and style will be considered for the magazine.”

In each of the series’ 10 episodes, two teams are charged with one sexy photo shoot assignment and given a chance to impress Shootout’s panel of judges, comprised of celebrities and Playboy Playmates and photographers. During the photo shoots, competing photographers and models receive guidance from longtime Playboy Senior Contributing Photographer Arny Freytag, who has spent years shooting celebrity pictorials and Playmate Centerfolds for the magazine.

Playboy said that following the photo shoots — with themes ranging from “boudoir” to “Centerfold” — the two teams are evaluated and only one survives.

The final two teams compete but only one goes on to grace the pages of Playboy magazine. That pair will be chosen by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

In Shootout’s penultimate episode, the stars of The Girls Next Door will hand-deliver Hefner's final decision, sealing the fate of the final two teams. The season finale will document the winning model and photographer pair shooting their Playboy pictorial.

The special one-hour series premiere of Playboy Shootout is part of Playboy TV’s Date Night — a special lineup of original Playboy TV programming created specifically for couples to enjoy together. New 30-minute episodes will air every Saturday during the Date Night lineup until the season finale on June 5, the company said.

Exclusive extras will be available at PlayboyTV.

For information visit PlayboyTV or contact your cable or satellite provider.