Viacom : Nickelodeon and WWE Superstar John Cena Prep Three Projects for 2018, Including Host of the 2018 Kids' Choice Awards

January 11, 2018

Additional Projects Include: Cena Giving Voice to Original Villainous Role in Newly Reimagined Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; and Executive Producing New, Innovative Competition Series, Keep It Spotless

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BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nickelodeon announced today that WWE Superstar John Cena is returning to host the 2018Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for the second time, while also breaking new ground at the network with two firsts: Cena will get into character by lending his voice to an original villain named Baron Draxum in the brand-new 2D animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, premiering late 2018; and is executive producing the brand-new competition series, Keep It Spotless, where teams of kids go head-to-head in a battle to stay clean.

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'John Cena is one of the biggest stars in the world. Kids just love him, which makes him the perfect partner for these upcoming projects,' said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Group. 'His blend of humor and originality brings a fresh voice to Nickelodeon both in front of the camera and behind.'

Said Cena, 'I'm thrilled to partner with Nickelodeon on three big projects that run the range of what kids love--slime-filled live events, awesomely cool animation and competition shows where kids take their shot at being the best.'

He continued, 'It's an honor to come back a second time to host the biggest, slimiest party of the year, the Kids' Choice Awards. Not only do I get to be a cartoon character in the new Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, but I get to be a villain, too. And to top it all off, I'm stepping behind the camera to executive produce Nick's new competition series Keep It Spotless, which gives a whole new meaning to staying clean.'

Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards airs live on March 24, from 8-9:30 p.m. (ET/PT), and celebrates kids' favorites from across the worlds of film, television, music, pop culture, animation and more. With stunts and surprises at every turn, the show will return to the 'Fabulous' Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and will be seen by kids around the globe on Nickelodeon channels in more than 170 countries and territories. Additional Kids' Choice Awards news, including categories and presenters, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' newest villain, Baron Draxum, will be voiced by Cena. Baron Draxum is an alchemist warrior mutant who seeks to turn all of humanity into mutants. Cena's reoccurring character will appear in the premiere episode and throughout the series, which follows the band of brothers as they encounter new mutants and villains and discover a mystical world they never knew existed beneath the streets of New York City. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will bow later this year.

Keep It Spotless, Nickelodeon's new competition series, is executive produced by Cena and features kids competing in a variety of physical and paint-filled challenges designed with one goal in mind--to stay as clean as possible. After each game, a 360 degree scanner will measure each teams' mess to determine just how spotless they really are. The winning team will face The Gauntlet, a multiple-challenge obstacle course, where they can turn their cleanliness into cold hard cash. Keep It Spotless is produced by ITV Entertainment and Hard Nocks South Productions, based on a UK format from Possessed, and scheduled to premiere later this year.

Sponsors of Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards include Barbie®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch ™, Swiffer® and Toyota.

The presenting International sponsor for the 2018Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards is Heelys.

Nickelodeon's 2018 Kids' Choice Awards is produced by Nickelodeon Productions. Elizabeth Kelly, Michael Dempsey, Shelly Sumpter Gillyard and Jay Schmalholz are executive producers.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is co-executive produced by Andy Suriano (character designer, Samurai Jack) and Ant Ward (supervising producer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) at Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif. Veteran animation industry voice actor Rob Paulsen is voice directing the series.

Keep It Spotless is produced by ITV Entertainment and Hard Nocks South Productions, based on a UK format from Possessed. David Eilenberg, David George, John Cena, Jason Carey and Shye Sutherland all serve as executive producers.

Nickelodeon, now in its 38^th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids' basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

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NickelodeonAriana Urbont, 310-752-8079
ariana.urbont@nick.com
orKatelyn Balach, 818-736-3517
katelyn.balach@nick.com

Source: Nickelodeon

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