Get ready for the fluff to fly with 2022’s Puppy Bowl XVIIIl! Begininng at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 13), the three-hour special will air on Animal Planet. For those streamining instead of watching on a TV channel, dog lovers can watch watch it on discovery+, as Team Ruff and Team Tuff face off for the “Lombarky” trophy with the help of hosts and coaches Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.
The lifestyle mogul and rapper are returning for their second year as hosts but will be taking on coaching responsibilities for the first time, with Stewart taking charge of 2021 Puppy Bowl champs Team Ruff and Snoop attempting to lead Team Fluff to a win. Competing in the cutest game of 2022 are more than 115 adoptable puppies from dozens of rescues all over the U.S., according to a January announcement from Animal Planet and discovery+. You can look through the roster here to determine who you’re rooting for on Team Ruff and Team Tuff.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“I’m honored to be co-hosting the only sporting event on the planet guaranteed to raise the ‘woof’ with the magnificent Martha Stewart!” Snoop shared in a statement, as Stewart added, “I’m so excited that Snoop and I are back to kick off Puppy Bowl XVIII and help a bunch of deserving pups find their forever homes!”
Ahead of the big game, Stewart and Snoop will be leading their teams through drills and getting them ready to play hard, but the famous friends will eventually shift to commentating during the game once the fun kicks off. The three-hour event also features a Kitty Halftime Show as well as a celebrity guest appearance by Sesame Street star Elmo and his rescue puppy, Tango.
The Puppy Bowl first aired in 2005 as a much less elaborate event featuring mostly footage of puppies playing. The special was a huge hit, however, with fans tuning in to see the adorable pups and the game’s first-ever Unsportsmanlike Delay of Game penalty, issued to a puppy named Riley for using the field “as his own personal bathroom.”
2022 Puppy Bowl referee Dan Schachner told Mental Floss in 2019 that the game has only gotten more creative and complex as time has gone on. “We’re very open-minded as far as our rules go,” he said, sharing that in Puppy Bowl VIII, “we had a simultaneous touchdown and that had never happened before. Two puppies dragged two chew toys into the end zone at the same exact time. I didn’t know what to do, so I talked to our control room. We did an instant replay and determined that it counted. Each puppy was then awarded one touchdown point.” Tune into the 2022 Puppy Bowl on Feb. 13, at 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. PT on Animal Planet, or stream the three-hour special on discovery+ at the same time.
