Dhani Tackles the Globe
Encyclopedia
Dhani Tackles the Globe is an American documentary television series
hosted by NFL
linebacker Dhani Jones
of the Cincinnati Bengals
, currently airing on the Travel Channel
; the series follows Jones around the globe as he learns how to play international sports and simultaneously explores the culture of each location.
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
hosted by NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
linebacker Dhani Jones
Dhani Jones
Dhani Makalani Jones is a former American football linebacker who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, earning All-Big Ten honors for three straight seasons. He was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of...
of the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, currently airing on the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
; the series follows Jones around the globe as he learns how to play international sports and simultaneously explores the culture of each location.
Episodes - Season One
- ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
– Dhani travels Thailand to train as a muay ThaiMuay ThaiMuay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
kick boxer and learn about Thai culture. In his lone match, he defeats his Thai opponent with a second round knockout using leg kicks. - SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
– Dhani travels to Switzerland to train in the Swiss sport of schwingenSchwingen' , also known as Swiss wrestling and natively as , is a style of folk wrestling native to Switzerland, more specifically the pre-alpine parts of German-speaking Switzerland.Wrestlers wear with belts that are used for taking holds...
. Relying on his high school wrestling skills, as well as new techniques taught by his Swiss coach, Dhani won 2 of 4 matches against Swiss opponents in the first round, before bowing out in the single elimination final round. - EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
– In January 2008 Dhani played in a rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
match in England for Blackheath R.C.Blackheath R.C.Blackheath Football Club is a rugby football club based in Blackheath in south-east London, now playing at the Rectory Field . It was founded in 1858 and is the oldest open rugby club in the world...
in the EDF Energy Trophy against Launceston RUFCLaunceston RUFCLaunceston Rugby Club are a Cornish rugby club who play in National League 2 South of the English rugby union leagues.-History:The club was founded in 1948 after an inaugural meeting chaired by the then Headmaster of Launceston College, Mr Spencer Toy with Gordon Reeve, Eric Smith and Arthur...
and went fox huntingFox huntingFox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
in the English countryside. - SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
– Dhani travels to Singapore to compete in the sport of dragon boatDragon boatA dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
racing. Dhani trains with the Singapore and American teams and competes as part of the American team, which wins its preliminary heat, but loses in the second round to Singapore. Cultural activities include getting a pedicure from live sucker fish, eating frog's legs porridge, and the dreaded DurianDurianThe durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...
fruit. - SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
– Dhani travels to the BasqueBasque Country (autonomous community)The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
region of Spain to learn to play jai alaiJai alaiJai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space. It is a variety of Basque Pelota. The term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton where the sport is played...
. Unlike prior shows where the training was more intense, the focus for this episode is the cultural aspects (food, wine, etc.) of the Basque region. In his sole match, Dhani and his coach (one of the top jai alai players in Spain) defeated their opponents. - CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
– Dhani travels to Phnom PenhPhnom PenhPhnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
, Cambodia where he learns pradal sereyPradal SereyPradal serey is an unarmed martial art from Cambodia. In Khmer the word pradal means fighting or boxing and serey means free. Originally used for warfare, pradal serey is now one of Cambodia's national sports...
with Kru Long Salavorn. He also travels to AngkorAngkorAngkor is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. The word Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit nagara , meaning "city"...
and takes in some Cambodian culture, including a youth break dancing center. At the Cambodian Television NetworkCambodian Television NetworkCambodian Television Network was launched in March 2003 as a joint venture between local conglomerate the The Royal Group and Stockholm-based Modern Times Group, this free-to-air terrestrial television channel Cambodian Television Network is now part of Mobitel...
boxing stadium, he wins a three-round decision over his opponent. - AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
– Dhani trains for and participates in a surf lifesaving competition. - New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
– As part of his tour Dhani visits several sailingSailingSailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
syndicates in New Zealand competing for the Louis Vuitton Pacific SeriesLouis Vuitton Pacific SeriesThe Louis Vuitton Pacific Series was a match race regatta in America's Cup Class yachts in Auckland, New Zealand during January and February 2009. Racing started on 30 January. The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series was organised in association with the New Zealand Government, Emirates Team New Zealand,...
. He works as a grinder on Team New ZealandTeam New ZealandTeam New Zealand is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.Team New Zealand has become a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup in 1995 and 2000...
's yacht and sails as the 18th man with Team OriginTeam OriginTeam Origin is Great Britain's bid to compete in the 33rd and 34th America's Cups. The syndicate was founded by Sir Keith Mills, the man behind London's successful 2012 Olympic bid...
. - IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
– Dhani travels to Ireland to play hurlingHurlingHurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
. He also visits the GuinnessGuinnessGuinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
brewery. - RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
– Dhani travels to St. Petersburg, Russia and practices the Russian military sport of samboSambo (martial art)Sambo is a Russian martial art and combat sport. The word "SAMBO" is an acronym for SAMooborona Bez Oruzhiya, which literally translates as "self-defense without weapons". Sambo is relatively modern since its development began in the early 1920s by the Soviet Red Army to improve their hand to hand...
. He also visits a Russian military base outside of the city.
Episodes - Season Two
- ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
– First aired on April 19, 2010. Dhani travels to Italy to compete in a local cyclingCyclingCycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
race in the Italian Alps. Dhani trains with a stage winner of the Giro D'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
and learns more about the local culture in Northern Italy. Given his substantial upper body when compared to a typical cyclist, Dhani struggled with the initial climb of this race, and comes in several hours behind the winners. It was one of the few events where Dhani himself noted he "didn't have a chance to win". Nevertheless, he finished and gained a newfound respect for the grueling aspects of this sport. - SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
– First aired on April 26, 2010. Dhani travels to Senegal to train and compete in the Senegalese wrestlingSenegalese wrestlingSenegalese wrestling is a type of Folk wrestling traditional performed by the Serer people and now a national sport in Senegal and parts of The Gambia, and is part of a larger West African form of traditional wrestling...
style known as Lutte. Dhani is matched with a revered Senegalese wrestler, known as "Bombardier", who trains him and introduces him to aspects of Senegalese culture. Relying on his high school wrestling skills as well as new techniques taught by his coach, Dhani won his lone match. - IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
– First aired on May 3, 2010. Dhani visits Iceland and competes in a strongmanStrongman (strength athlete)In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
competition. The competition consists of several events testing the participant's strength and endurance. Dhani generally does well in training and seems to impress his coaches. After visiting a few sites, Dhani competes in a local event. Despite his lack of training and experience, he is one of the few contestants to complete every event and ends up in second place out of a dozen or more competitors. - JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
– First aired on May 10, 2010. Dhani visits Jamaica and learns how to play cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. As many Americans who grew up playing baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, he initially has problems with fundamentals (i.e. dropping the bat as one would do in baseball but not in cricket). However he eventually gets the hang of it to score a couple of wickets and make some bowling and fielding plays. - CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
- First aired on May 17, 2010. Dhani travels to the port city of DubrovnikDubrovnikDubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, Croatia to learn water poloWater poloWater polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
. Although a strong swimmer, Dhani appears exhausted by the training regimen of the local water polo club. While there, he takes in the cultural scene, traveling to a nearby village where shellfishShellfishShellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
are harvested, and he visits the oldest continuously operated pharmacy in the world. Being an enthusiast of bow ties, he shops at what is believed to be the first shop to produce neckties, (known originally as the cravatCravatThe cravat is a neckband, the forerunner of the modern tailored necktie and bow tie, originating from 17th-century Croatia.From the end of the 16th century, the term band applied to any long-strip neckcloth that was not a ruff...
). In his single water polo match, Dhani sees some action on defense and scores a goal on offense. - South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- First aired on May 24, 2010. In celebration of the 2010 World Cup Dhani travels to South Africa to learn soccer. In addition to training with a local club team, he gets to go cage diving and get face to face with great white sharks. In the lone match, Dhani plays the majority of the game on defense. However he was called upon to take a penalty kick and scored a goal for his team. - MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- First aired June 14, 2010. In his most outrageous show to date Dhani travels to Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico to become a lucha libreLucha libreLucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...
wrestler. The show begins where he and his interpreter are sitting ringside, when Máscara Año 2000, Jr.Máscara Año 2000, Jr.Máscara Año 2000, Jr. is a Mexican Luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler currently working for International Wrestling Revolution Group . Máscara Año 2000, Jr.'s real name is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico where their private...
is tossed out of the ring in front of them. Words are exchanged between Máscara Año 2000, Jr. and the interpreter, and Dhani intervenes on behalf of his guide. After security separates them, Máscara Año 2000, Jr. and Dhani each announce to the crowd that they will wrestle next week to "settle" their dispute. After engaging in some cultural activities, the real action takes place when Dhani practices the full panoply of high-flying movesProfessional wrestling aerial techniquesAerial techniques are maneuvers, using the ring and its posts and ropes as aids, used in professional wrestling to show off the speed and agility of a wrestler. These moves are mainly done by smaller, quicker wrestlers who are unable to do most of the power moves. There is a wide variety of aerial...
that make lucha libre entertaining. The match between Dhani and Máscara Año 2000, Jr. is action packed, and after a long battle, Dhani pins his opponent. However, Dhani is later disqualified for a low blow to his opponent. - ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- Caber tossCaber tossThe caber toss is a traditional Irish athletic event practised at the Irish Highland Games involving the tossing of a large wooden pole called a caber. It is said to have developed from the need to toss logs across narrow chasms to cross them. In Irishtown the caber is usually made from a Larch tree... - BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- Beach volleyballBeach volleyballBeach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent.... - NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
- Everest Base CampEverest Base CampThere are two base camps on opposite sides of Mount Everest. South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of , and North Base Camp is in Tibet at ). These camps are rudimentary campsites on Mount Everest that are used by mountain climbers during their ascent and descent...
See also
- Last Man StandingLast Man Standing (UK TV series)Last Man Standing and latterly Last Woman Standing is a BBC reality TV show that was first aired on 26 June 2007...
, UK series in which competitors travel the world and participate in traditional sports