The Tony Danza Show

Infobox Television
show_name = The Tony Danza Show


caption = "The Tony Danza Show" title shot.
format = Talk show
runtime = 1 hour
creator =
starring = Tony Danza, Ereka Vetrini, Nadia DiGiallonardo
country = USA
network = Syndication
first_aired = September 13, 2004
last_aired = September 15, 2006
num_episodes = 330

"The Tony Danza Show" was a daytime talk show hosted by Tony Danza. It debuted to mixed reviews in 2004. The workday show, syndicated by Buena Vista Television, was produced live from New York City at 10 a.m. ET. Many East Coast markets carried the live feed.

Tony's sidekick, Ereka Vetrini (from "The Apprentice"), did not have her contract renewed for the show's second season; in addition, two of the show's producers were fired. Tony had an on-air pianist, Nadia DiGiallonardo, with whom he performed a song and/or dance with at the end of each episode. Her contract was renewed for the second season and she took over many of the segment hosting/sidekick duties that belonged to Ms. Vetrini the first season.

On May 9, 2005, during a go-kart race with NASCAR star Rusty Wallace, who was a guest on the show, Danza's kart flipped after Wallace accidentally bumped him. Danza got a concussion; neither he nor Wallace were wearing a helmet.

In March 2006, the show was put on a two-week hiatus with Danza stating he "didn't know" if or when the show would return. However, fears that the show was already canceled were put to rest when the show returned after the scheduled two weeks. However, during the March 24, 2006, broadcast, Tony said that the show was "unlikely" to be picked up for a third season.

The show was often criticized. Fact|date=February 2007 In particular, E!'s "The Soup" would regularly mock it but would soon grow fond of it. "The Soup" host Joel McHale even appeared as a guest on one of the final episodes, the two joking about the mocking; at the end of the show, Danza and surprise guest John McEnroe took turns putting McHale in a dunk tank.

The most viewed episode of the Tony Danza show was the episode where the metal band the Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza was featured in a viewer email. A viewer asked if he was aware of the band because his daughter listened to them. It had the most ratings of any episode on the show. [cite web| author=Kaye, Don |url=http://www.metalinjection.net/tv/view/536/tony-danza-tap-dance-extravaganza-interview-%28sorta%29 |title=Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza Interview|publisher=Metal Injection TV |accessdate=2008-04-29]

The last live broadcast of the program was on May 26, 2006. The show aired in repeats for the remainder of the summer.VH1's The Best Week Ever started an online petition to save the show.

1997 series

"The Tony Danza Show" was previously the name of another short-lived TV program, a 1997 sitcom on NBC starring Danza, Majandra Delfino, Dean Stockwell, Ashley Malinger, Maria Canals, and Shaun Weiss.

Extravadanza

Extravadanza was a game used in a Plinko-style type where the chip would land on a dollar amount he/she played for. Unlike Plinko, even if the chip gets stuck, it still counts once it lands on a dollar amount. Then, the caller would answer a question. He/she had 10 seconds and only one guess. The question-time is similar to Live's Travel Trivia on "Live With Regis and Kelly". If she/he answers the question correctly, she/he wins the dollar amount the chip landed on.

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