Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

"Survivor" winner "Boston Rob" Mariano and monster-truck racing champ Dennis Anderson apparently aren't kidding when they say that in-fighting between the two of them turned out to be the toughest obstacle involved in their Oct. 2-debuting History Channel show, "Around the World in 80 Ways." They can barely make it through a conference call without taking potshots at each other.

"Can you say 'pain in the ass' in print?" asks Rob at one point.

"Go to Hell, Rob," says Dennis at another.

It's not a competition show. They're co-hosts.

Dennis tells of a time when he was in a basket 300 feet above ground, suspended from a crane — and Rob, knowing heights bothered Dennis, convinced the crane operators to go have lunch, leaving him stranded.

"Rob pisses me off throughout the show," he says. "He was constantly setting stakes — 'Let's race' — when I wanted to focus on the ultimate objective. He will bend the rules, and he thinks out of the box. He would find a step so simple, I would feel this internal anger I could barely choke down. But I was able to give him a taste of his own medicine along the way."

"He's talking like this because we're calling from two different cities," says Rob, who's calling from Massachusetts, while Dennis is in North Carolina.

"When you spend 24/7 with someone, you're going to have ups and downs." Rob admits. "I can see how I may have gotten to him at times. He got to me, too. But when we had good times, we really enjoyed it. Dennis had never gone out of the country before this trip. To go around the world on a 10-and-a-half week adventure as your first international trip? I'm proud of him, how far he came from the beginning. Honestly, there were times I didn't know if he would make it through the whole time. I'll give the guy one thing: He can fix anything if it has an engine. We were in a situation in India, I don't know how we would have gotten out of it if it hadn't been for him."

He says their relationship was really love/hate. Dennis agrees and says that sometimes Rob "reminded me of an aggravating little brother."

"Around the World in 80 Ways" is both the title and the directive of this latest series from manly-man TV producer Thom Beers ("Deadliest Catch," "Ice Road Truckers," etc.).

The duo had to circumnavigate the globe using a fantastic array of different forms of transportation, each only once. Rob and Dennis certainly had more than enough challenges without their infighting.

They did zip lines through mountainous passes in Peru, got down from the roof of a Sao Paulo skyscraper on a window washer's rig. They sailed rickety dugout boats of ancient style, rode camels and drove a Model T. They were nearly charged by hippos in Africa as their camera/production team looked on helplessly from a different boat. "Dennis got our boat going just in time," says Rob. Rob water-skied — towed by a helicopter. That was Dennis' idea. "It was supposed to be payback for something he did to me," says Dennis. But as it turned out, Rob loved it.

FOLLOW-UP: Donnie Wahlberg fans may recall that the "Blue Bloods" lead and New Kids on the Block music idol lent his star power to something extraordinary early this year — telling his massive Twitter following about a fan named Bobbette Miller and her urgent need to find a kidney donor.

The drive to help Bobbette, spearheaded by her good friend Abbie Vicknair, wound up yielding dozens of volunteers willing to be tested as possible donors. And in June, Miller did indeed undergo transplant surgery. Now, we get word from Vicknair, despite a setback that sent her back to the hospital for a week, Bobbette is doing well. In fact, she's planning to go back to work soon.

ACCENT ON YOUTH: Producers planning what's being described as a half-hour comedy-variety show — "like a 'Daily Show' for kids" — are meeting with prospective stars. The kids who land the choice gigs on "Scoops!" will range in age from 8 to 14 years old and be of various ethnicities — and they'll all be funny. At least, that's the plan.

The Disney Channel's planned "Dog With a Blog" comedy — it's about a talking dog named Stu whose family keeps his unique ability a secret — is skipping toward production with Neal Israel set to direct. Casting forces are looking for a 15- to 17-year-old actor for the role of Tyler, a handsome jock who can be a manipulator, but has a good heart and sincerely cares about a dog in jeopardy.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM