Palin to host new outdoors lifestyle show 'Amazing America'
Sarah Palin is giving unscripted cable television another chance. Or perhaps it's the other way around.
The Sportsman Channel announced on Monday that the former Alaska governor and current Fox News paid contributor will be the host of "Amazing America," a weekly outdoors series with the patriotic tagline "Red, Wild and Blue."
"Whether it is celebrities living the sportsman dream or equally enthusiastic everymen," a description of the show reads, "Mrs. Palin will take us nationwide to find the people and places that share and reflect her passion for what makes our country amazing."
The series is scheduled to begin in April.
"The network showcases a lifestyle that I love and celebrate every day," Palin said in a statement. "And it's great to be a part of their team."
"A grizzly is unpredictable," a promotional ad for Palin's arrival reads. "And we've got the mother of them all."
The network, which ordered 12 episodes of Palin's show, is available in 32 million U.S. homes, or less than a third of the country.
"It's very important to have somebody of her stature as a personality on Sportsman because it validates the whole category for everybody," CEO Gavin Harvey told the Associated Press.
Palin, a tea party favorite, has tried — and failed — at nonpolitical programming before. In 2010, she starred in a short-lived TLC documentary series, "Sarah Palin's Alaska," about life in her home state. (The show, produced by Mark Burnett, lasted only eight episodes.)
And she's also not always as smooth on live television as her pedigree might suggest. In November 2008, following her failed vice presidential bid, Palin, then governor, took part in a symbolic Thanksgiving turkey pardon at a local farm. But during a photo op, Palin conducted an awkward on-camera interview in front of turkeys being slaughtered by a hatchery employee covered in blood.
At Sportsman, Palin won't be the only conservative voice. The network already boasts two shows sponsored by the National Rifle Association ("NRA News, Cam & Co." and "NRA Guns & Gold") and one featuring rocker-turned-activist Ted Nugent.
