Finding the ultimate Polynesian warrior

The TV show Game of Bros.

Television's new reality show aimed at finding the ultimate "Polynesian Warrior".

Hosted by comedians Pani and Pani, Game of Bros launches on Thursday night, with contestants taking on a host of physical challenges in the seven-part series.

Filming was completed in the Auckland region late last year.

Contenders to the throne include 40-year-old Paul Ah Kuoi - an Aucklander of Samoan and Chinese descent - who a decade ago weighed 147.5kg.

Being classified as morbidly obese was the wake-up call the father-of-three needed to change lifetime eating habits.

Game of Bros contestant Paul Ah Kuoi.

In a mere eight months he lost 50kg and has since taken up body-building.

Entering the show was Mr Ah Kuoi's way of passing on the lessons he'd learnt about the importance of keeping in good shape. "I was thinking that recently we've had a lot of Pacific men pass away, much too soon in life," he said.

He hoped sharing his tale of transformation with others would help the Pacific community understand the importance of their dietary and physical habits.

Mr Ah Kuoi said key issues for Pacific Islanders were the way they ate and lived.

"There is no quick fix, you really have to dig deep into your habits ... it's a change of lifestyle."

Despite being a strong body builder, Mr Ah Kuoi said competing on Game of Bros - which airs at 8pm - had been a test of his physical strength, especially when he was competing against guys who were half his age.

"I got knocked around a few times by the youngsters."

But despite the tough competition Mr Ah Kuoi said there was a great sense of camaraderie among his fellow competitors.

Contestants on the TV show for Game of Bros.

Game of Bros

was embroiled in a spat with Warner Bros last week relating to its tongue-in-cheek "Lover Boy vs Lavalava Boy" advertising campaign.

Warner Bros issued Maori TV with a cease-and- desist order after the network posted adverts for Game of Bros adjacent to billboards and online stories about The Bachelor NZ reality TV dating show.