| News - Friday, February 8, 2008
Pleasanton father and son to be in new reality show
'My Dad is Better Than Your Dad' to debut Feb. 18 on NBC
by Janet Pelletier
Set your TiVo or prepare to plop in front of the television at 9 p.m. Feb. 18 because that's when you'll see a Pleasanton father and son compete in a new NBC reality show.
Called "My Dad is Better Than Your Dad," the game show pits dads against each other in a battle of intelligence, speed and strength.
Dustin Avila, 13, and his dad Rick will be featured on the premiere episode of the new series. The opportunity came after Dustin's casting agent told him that NBC would be holding an open casting call in San Francisco.
The pair joined a thousand other hopefuls and were called back for a second interview. Then, NBC flew father and son to Los Angeles to meet with head executives, where they were chosen to be on the show. The game show was developed by Mark Burnett, of "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" fame.
"This is going to be big; the kids are going to love it when they see the show," said mother and wife, Sandra Avila. "I think adults are going to love it, too, because it's about the dads doing most of the stunts and the kids assisting."
The show was an easy choice for Dustin, who said there's nothing he'd rather do than spend time with his dad.
"I think he's better than all the dads," the Harvest Park Middle School seventh-grader said. "He's funny, easygoing and there's not really a boring time with him. We do all sorts of stuff together--build stuff, work out--you name it, we'll do it. We both are math geeks and we both like to fly our little airplanes and ride our bikes."
And Dustin, an only child, didn't exactly have to twist his dad's arm to participate either.
"My dad wanted to try it out because he's always thought he was the best dad, so he has a chance to prove it," Dustin said.
While the details of what the Avilas do on the show and how well they do it have to be kept under wraps under strict orders by NBC, Dustin said there will be mental and physical challenges--a sort of battle of the brains and brawn--and there's money involved.
The Avilas plan to throw a big viewing party at their house and Dustin hopes this will be the first of many future entertainment opportunities.
"I'd like to get into a movie and a comedy movie, so I guess that would be pretty cool if I got to do that," he said.
"My Dad is Better Than Your Dad" airs at 9 p.m. Feb. 18 on NBC, following hit game show "Deal or No Deal."
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