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\n\tCompetition among the original big three networks seems natural, but what happens when you bring that rivalry to life on a playing field with actors? Nearly 50 years ago, ABC<\/a> did just that with Battle of the Network Stars<\/em>. <\/p>\n \n\tThe competition series debuted in November 1976 and featured stars from ABC, CBS and NBC facing off in such sporting events as swimming, kayaking, volleyball, golf and tennis. Howard Cosell, known for leading ABC\u2019s Monday Night Football<\/em>, hosted the celebrity battle, adding cachet to the proceedings. Among the competitors: Lynda Carter<\/a>, Farrah Fawcett, Ron Howard<\/a>, Penny Marshall, Loretta Swit, Jimmie Walker and Robert Conrad, plus actual athletes like Caitlyn Jenner and Reggie Jackson.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe were out at Malibu, and the first day, I started driving home and was so fatigued I couldn\u2019t get my leg off the gas onto the brake,\u201d Adrienne Barbeau, star of CBS\u2019 Maude<\/em>, tells The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> with a laugh. \u201cIt was like, \u2018OK, Adrienne, it\u2019s time to start going to the gym.\u2019 \u201d The show \u201cwasn\u2019t something I volunteered for, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d she adds. But participants didn\u2019t go home empty-handed: By the time later seasons rolled around, each member of the winning team collected upward of $40,000 (about $150,000 today).<\/p>\n \n\tBattle<\/em> producer Vin Di Bona told THR<\/em> in 2013 that the concept had a short shelf life. \u201cAll the stars wanted to do it because there was a rivalry,\u201d he said. \u201cThey really wanted to outdo themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDuring a chat with Jimmy Kimmel in 2017, Billy Crystal \u2014 who competed in 1978 as a castmember on ABC\u2019s Soap<\/em> \u2014 recalled his obstacle-course victory over David Letterman, who was representing CBS as a performer on Mary<\/em>, a variety show hosted by Mary Tyler Moore. After Kimmel played footage of the battle, Crystal addressed the camera with, \u201cLetterman, if you\u2019re watching: Shave the beard, and let\u2019s do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe series ended in 1988, though ABC revived it in 2017 with such stars as Lance Bass, Taye Diggs and Marlee Matlin. As for why viewers enjoyed the show, Barbeau quips, \u201cMaybe just us making fools of ourselves.\u201d <\/p>\n