Reality TV recruits ex-Maccabi hoopster
Derrick Sharp is back in Israel on ‘Hayehida,’ a show about celebs training to be an IDF entertainment troupe
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Former Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball player Derrick Sharp is back in town for the filming of “Hayehida” (The Unit), a new docu-reality show about 10 celebrities being trained as an army entertainment troupe.
The performers-in-training include actors Ilanit Levy, Meir Suissa, Julia Levy-Boeken and reality star Kuti Sabag from “Big Brother,” as well as singers Regev Hod, Eti Bitton and entertainer Maya Bezalel.
The celeb recruits donned uniforms and went through basic training for the show, learning how to shoot M-16s, throw grenades and navigate their way around the country. They also worked together as a band, and over the course of the show, were sent to perform for soldiers at army bases around the country.
The show, created by the HOT cable company, is loosely based on Israeli director Avi Nesher’s 1977 movie, “The Troupe,” a comedy about an entertainment troupe in the army.
Sharp, who played basketball with the championship-winning Maccabi Tel Aviv team for 15 years and then served as the team’s assistant coach for two years, is the only professional athlete on the show. He is a naturalized Israeli citizen who served in the army, according to “Good Evening with Guy Pines.”
The basketball player left Maccabi after serving as team captain and then assisted former coach David Blatt. He returned to Florida, his home state, with his wife and family in 2013, after reportedly having disputes over his salary with the team owners.
“Hayehida” will air on HOT 3 and HOT VOD on September 14.
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