Old Spice embraces the funny and quirky, so it’s no surprise that the brand is back to present Laugh Out Loud's comedy series from Kevin Hart, Cold as Balls, which returns with an all new season and another sponsor – Mountain Dew Kickstart.
The prolific comic, who promotes plenty of products, from sports technology to underwear, is at home in the second season of his wildly popular comedy interview series, and it’s one that finds him branching out to new personalities.
This time around, Hart sits in ice baths in a locker room setting (thus, the chilly moniker), with more sports stars, including basketballer Lamar Odom, plus footballers Odell Beckham and Johnny Manziel, broadcaster Skip Bayless and basketball players Isaiah Thomas and Metta World Peace. The season also features Mountain Dew Kickstart as a sponsor (another brand Hart is tied to). The brand also joins the series to provide bonus preview content before each episode.
Hart makes the interviews both awkward and hilarious. He’s not afraid to ask tough questions – including asking Odom if he knew how close he was to dying when he was found unconscious in a brothel – and he has a comfortable familiarity with the guests.
“He knows these people well,” said executive producer Michael D. Ratner of OBB pictures, which produces the series, to The Drum. “We did try to diversify as much as we could, with football players, wrestlers, boxers. When Kevin and I go into pre-production meeting, we always ask, ‘what’s the most interesting thing?’ Something off the court. In their personal life.”
Ratner noted how big the first season was, as it outperformed many other online series, with over 80 million views across six episodes. The series premiere was the number two trending video worldwide on YouTube. And across the entire television universe – for broadcast, cable, and streaming programs – Cold As Balls has received more video views per episode on YouTube than powerhouse programs like The Four (8m), Late Night with Seth Meyers (7.7m), Keeping Up with the Kardashians (5.9m), and The Voice (5.5m).