‘Pickled’ First Look: Emma Watson, Daniel Dae Kim, Stephen Colbert & More Get Their Game Face On (PHOTO)

This charity special is kind of a big dill.

Pickled on CBS will see 16 celebrities, including Will Ferrell and Emma Watson, join forces for a tournament of pickleball — the fast-growing sport played with paddles on a small tennis court — to benefit Comic Relief US. And TV Insider has your exclusive first look at the star-studded key art below!

CBS

Hosted by late night’s Stephen Colbert, the two-hour Funny or Die production was filmed in September at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. “We laid down the Thunderdome of pickleball and made the biggest deal of the smallest sport we could find,” says exec producer K.P. Anderson. Colbert sings the national anthem with Kenny Loggins (they rehearsed harmonies at a cantina the night before), then eight teams of two battle it out for the Colbert Cup. Viewers can donate here.

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Anderson prefers not to spoil the unexpected pairings. But he confirms the stars, who had access to a coach, came in with different experience levels. Country singer Dierks Bentley had perfected his game on the road; actor Luis Guzmán was up for trying something new. When Anderson saw teams utilizing the practice courts between matches (surface temp: 110 degrees!), he realized the silly sport was more serious than he thought. “I was like, ‘These people want to win this thing!’”

Pickled, Special Premiere, Thursday, November 17, 9/8c, CBS