AJ Benza Dropped From High Stakes Poker Season 6
October 13, 2009 8:35 amIt was announced back in September that ‘High Stakes Poker’ would soon be recording a sixth season for release by early 2010. However fans will now have to get used to a new co-host appearing along side Gabe Kaplan as A.J. Benza has been dropped from the new season.
‘High Stakes Poker’ has been the most popular poker show on television since it first aired in January 2006, not only because of its high stakes cash game action but also because of the unique chemistry between the show’s hosts A.J. Benza and Gabe Kaplan.The constant banter and comical bickering between the two hosts have endeared them towards an army of fans of the show and not suprisingly A.J. Benza is not too enamoured with GSN’s decision to replace him with, as rumour has it, Vanessa Rousso.
In his online blog Benza comments: “I flat out told the guys who will remain unnamed – oh screw it was Bary Nugent and David Shiff – that if you got the best pizza in town for 5 seasons, why try and add licorice to it. I also told them I am the guy who does my own publicity for the show because GSN has NEVER set up not even as much as a radio interview for me. So I scour internet poker sites and make myself available and – voila! – instant publicity.”
Benza mentioned that he tried almost everything to appeal to the GSN executives to keep his job from offering to take a pay cut to a bit of emotional blackmail, all to no avail. “If I don’t get my gig back” he told them, “your basically putting a man and his family on the street. Is that what you want on your conscience?”
Despite his disappointment A.J. Benza ended his blog on a slightly up beat note and bowed out saying: “So no more High Stakes Poker without the kid. I hope you like the female they toss in front of you. And I hope the repartee between she and Gabe works likes ours did. And look on the bright side: If she stinks…..I might be back for HSP 7.”