ESPN 'E:60' Special Digs Through the Ashes of Paradise in the Wake of Devastating Wildfire ESPN 'E:60' Special Digs Through the Ashes of Paradise Fire

ESPN’s award-winning series “E:60” headed to Paradise, California for a special episode airing Tuesday night.

Titled “Paradise: From the Ashes,” reporter Tom Rinaldi and producer Russell Dinallo witnessed first-hand the devastation reaped by last year’s wildfires that destroyed most of the small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

“E:60” follows the impact of the Camp Fire on the Paradise High School football team, where only three players and two coaches escaped without losing their homes — but their spirit and drive to win survived.

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“We’re displaced all over this nation,” one high school player says in a voiceover for Tuesday’s episode. “I was afraid that things would never be the same again.”

Head coach Rick Prinz explained why after the town had been through such a tragedy that “Paradise is still a football town.”

Eighty-six people died in the November, 2018, Camp Fire; over 10,000 were displaced and 18,804 buildings were destroyed in what has been described as the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.

“My first meeting with the Paradise team was in a food court in Chico, California, about five weeks after the fire. We met there because it was pretty much the only space the team had to gather in at that point,” ESPN producer Dinallo recalled. “Coach Prinz and a handful of his rising seniors were there. The school was holding classes in a conference room next to a Dick’s Sporting Goods in the same mall.

“It became apparent in that moment that the displacement everyone in the town was facing was going to be a big part of the story,” he continued. “But despite all that, when I asked Coach that day what the chances were the team would have a season, he didn’t hesitate: ‘We plan on having one.’ That was the start of what became a 10-month journey following the team as they tried to get back on the field.”

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Read ESPN’s official episode synopsis:

Nestled on a ridge in the Sierra Nevada’s, 170 miles North of San Francisco, is the town of Paradise, CA. It’s where in 1999 Rick Prinz began building a proud high school football tradition. In 20 years under Prinz the team racked up 166 wins, 10 league championships, 6 section titles. As one resident would put it “Paradise is a football town.”

Then, on the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, life in Paradise would change forever. “The Camp Fire” swept through the town, burning 150,000 acres, destroying over 18,000 structures, taking 85 lives. Of the over 100 members of the Paradise football program, all but 5 would lose their homes. Yet among the devastation, there was a silver lining – Paradise High School, and the field the team called home, did not burn.

For the last 10 months, E:60’s cameras have followed the Bobcats on their journey – through the region’s housing crisis, and the community’s monumental task of beginning to rebuild – towards a singular goal – to once again play football in Paradise.

“Paradise: From the Ashes” airs on ESPN as part of Tuesday’s “E:60” at 9/10 7 p.m. ET.

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Also airing during Tuesday’s episode is “Game One: The Legend of the Kentucky Bourbons vs. the Milwaukee Schlitz.” Sports Emmy-winning reporter Jeremy Schaap follows the discovery of lost video tapes of a historic legendary professional slo-pitch softball game and “and in the process unearths a moment of television history not seen since 1979,” according to ESPN.

Watch the trailers below:

Over 18,000 structures in Paradise, CA were destroyed by the Camp Fire. But there’s one that wasn’t. pic.twitter.com/mn8m0VPTL9

— E:60 (@E60) September 9, 2019

Over 3 million video tapes are archived in the @espn library. The very FIRST game we broadcasted is not one of them.

Yep, we lost it. pic.twitter.com/3IRskKm6Yi

— E:60 (@E60) September 5, 2019

Rob Gronkowski, Snoop Dogg, Nikki Bella Fuel ESPYS Week Parties (Photos)

The Oscars of the sports world has expanded into a full week of ESPYS-related parties - with Rob Gronkowski seemingly making it to all of them.
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The former Patriots tight end went to head-to-head with Floyd Mayweather to tip off the week in the Monster Energy $50K Charity Challenge Celebrity Basketball Game at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.
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Team captain Gronk was joined by his biggest cheerleader/girlfriend, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model, Camille Kostek. Rob also recruited big brother Chris Gronkowski onto his team, but still went down fighting to Team Mayweather.
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Snoop Dogg acted as Team Gronk's coach for the celeb-filled game that raised money for Teen Cancer America.
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"Dancing With the Stars" pros Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy forgot to keep their eyes on the ball as the sat courtside.
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MVP of party-rocking and future NFL Hall of Famer Gronk hosted the ESPYS Official Pre-Party at Hotel Figueroa in downtown LA. the night before the 2019 awards.
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If you ever wonder where the three-time Super Bowl champion gets his dance moves from, look no further than Gordy "Papa Gronk" Gronkowski.
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Yep, the apple doesn't fall far from tree as Chris, Dan and Rob Gronkowski prepared to set the dance-floor on fire to tunes by DJ D-Nice.
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Jimmy V Award for Perseverance honoree Rob Mendez, a football coach born without arms or legs, joined in the dance-off with the Gronks, Paralympians and Afghanistan veteran Israel Del Toro.
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Cassidy Hubbarth, Katie Nolan and Dianna Russini walked the red carpet at the pre-ESPYS party before hosting ESPN's "Red Carpet Live" on Twitter the following day.
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2018 U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka proved that golfers can party too.
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Also on Tuesday night, the Players' Tribune founder Derek Jeter welcomed stars such as Cam Newton to the Players’ Night Out party in Hollywood.
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WNBA teammates Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird took advantage of the couch to give their feet a break at the Players’ Night Out party.
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Legends Award honoree Dwyane Wade walked the orange carpet with his kids at the Nickelodeon "Kids' Choice Sports" before getting drowned in gold slime ... (be sure to take that expensive watch off, Wade!)
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It's about to get messy between skateboarding phenomena Nyjah Huston and Gronk at Nickelodeon's "Kids' Choice Sports."
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Snowboarders Chloe Kim and Toby Miller prove they're the cutest couple in extreme sports.
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Cedars-Sinai and Sports Spectacular closed out the festivities with the 34th Annual Gala Celebration on Monday, once again held at Snoop Dogg's (with MMA ring announcer Bruce Buffer) compound in Inglewood.
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First-time attendee WWE Superstar Nikki Bella pledged her support to the Sports Spectacular Diabetes and Obesity Wellness and Research Center. "I am now in for life, I love when you can be at such an amazing event that raises awareness for such a good cause," she told TheWrap. "It is so important as athletes with our platforms to educate people."
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L.A. Rams running back Todd Gurley now has Sports Spectacular's NFL Player of the Year Award -- presented by none other than Snoop Dogg -- to add to his trophy cabinet.
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Former San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, who is now in the fighting business with Lights Out Extreme Fighting, swapped moves with former UFC champion Tyron Woodley at the Sports Spectacular gala.
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The most talented siblings in the WNBA, L.A. Sparks teammates Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike shared health tips at the Sports Spectacular gala before checking out the Beyond Meat-catered cuisine.
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LAFC teammates Walker Zimmerman and Tyler Miller were on hand when the MLS team, now in its second season, won the Community Spirit Award. "From the beginning, they made it a point to get involved with the community, being the first soccer team in downtown L.A.," Zimmerman (left) told TheWrap. "It is a testament to people in the front office but also our supporters, who get involved with every type of charity event."
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Currently out with an ACL injury that she suffered while playing in Europe, Seattle Storm WNBA star Stewart reminded Sports Spectacular guests that "Women Ball Too," before collecting the award for Female Athlete of the Year.
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