Holey Moley
Holey Moley is an American sports reality competition television series created for ABC by Chris Culvenor. The series is produced by Eureka Productions and Unanimous Media, with Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Wesley Dening, Stephen Curry, Jeron Smith, Erick Peyton, Charles Wachter, and Michael O'Sullivan serving as executive producers. The series features contestants competing against each other in a series of head-to-head, sudden-death matchups on a supersized miniature golf obstacle course. Curry stars as the resident golf pro, with play-by-play commentator Joe Tessitore, color commentator Rob Riggle, and sideline correspondent Jeannie Mai. In October 2018 , ABC announced they were developing a miniature golf game show. The series was officially announced in April 2019, along with Curry's involvement. Filming of the series takes place at Sable Ranch in Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California. "Holey Moley" premiered on June 20, 2019, and its first season consisted of 10 episodes. In October 2019, ABC renewed the series for a second season, titled "Holey Moley II: The Sequel", and premiered on May 21, 2020. In February 2021, it was announced that the series was renewed for a third and fourth season. The third season, titled "Holey Moley 3D  in 2D", premiered on June 17, 2021. The fourth season, titled "Holey Moley Fore-Ever", and featuring the Muppets, is set to premiere on May 3, 2022. Production. Development. In October 2018, ABC released a casting call for a new game show called "Mega Miniature Golf" looking for miniature golfers to compete against each other for a grand prize. ABC officially announced the series in April 2019, with the title "Holey Moley". Professional basketball player Stephen Curry serves as executive producer and resident golf pro on the series, with ABC Sports and ESPN sportscaster Joe Tessitore calls all the play -by-play commentary, comedian and actor Rob Riggle provides color commentary, and television personality Jeannie Mai as a sideline reporter (with Tessitore and Riggle wearing the same jackets that were worn by ABC Sports commentators in the 1970s). The series is produced by Eureka Productions and Unanimous Media, and created by Chris Culvenor, who is executive producing alongside Curry, Paul Franklin, Wesley Dening, Charles Wachter, Michael O'Sullivan, Jeron Smith, and Erick Peyton. Culvenor explained that producers saw that other television competition series were dominated by fitness enthusiasts and wanted to create a show that most people could partake in. He  called the series "a serious competition put in a really silly world." Filming. Filming for the series takes place at Sable Ranch in Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California, which was previously used for the obstacle course game show "Wipeout". Filming lasts several weeks and occurs late at night. The production films as many competitions as possible at each course on a given night, rather than simply filming the contents of a single episode each night. The golf course and obstacles were built on the ranch by The ATS Team, which creates obstacle courses and large-scale fanciful environments for shows  such as "American Ninja Warrior", "The Titan Games", and "Big Brother", in association with Eureka Productions. Tessitore indicated that some holes, such as Double Dutch Courage, remain standing because it is "a signature hole", but others are "shut down after three or four days". Filming for the first season took place on April 3–5 and 8–11, 2019. The second season was filmed in February and March 2020. The third and fourth seasons filmed back-to-back in March 2021, with a small number of recurring spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic; additional footage of unmasked spectators filmed during previous seasons  has been edited into these seasons. Gameplay. In the first season, each episode consisted of 12 mini-golfers that compete in a series of head-to-head, sudden-death matchups on a supersized miniature golf obstacle course. Winners move on to round two and from there, only three will make it to the third and final round, where they compete on the "Mt. Holey Moley" hole in a three-way contest. The winner earns "The Golden Putter" trophy, a "Holey Moley" plaid jacket and a $25,000 grand prize. In the second season, it was changed to 8 mini-golfers  each episode with a new miniature golf obstacle course. Round one and two remains the same head-to-head, sudden-death matchups with winners of each matchups moving on. Round three was changed to a head-to-head matchup. The winner still earns "The Golden Putter" trophy and a "Holey Moley" plaid jacket, but instead of the $25,000 cash prize, the winner earns a spot in the finale where they may have a chance to putt to win the $250,000 prize. Course. Season 1. The larger-than-life mini-golf course for the first season features 10 supersized  themed holes: Season 2. The course for the second season features 17 supersized themed holes (although it was originally reported to feature 18, like a traditional golf course. This fact was made fun of in the season finale, with Rob Riggle asking "Did we run out of money?"): Season 3. The course for the third season features 15 supersized themed holes: Episodes. Color key: Season 1 (2019). Episode 3: "Leave the Golf to the Robots" (July 11, 2019). Note: Michael Glauser is the brother of Episode 1 contestant Scott Glauser. Episode 5: "An Outbreak of Ginger Fever" (July 25, 2019 ). Note: Dianne Cullen is the mother of Episode 4 winner Mick Cullen, meaning a mother/son duo won consecutive episodes of the show. Episode 7: "It's Like Playing Golf in Space" (August 8, 2019). Note: Jeffrey Barber fell into the pool trying to zipline to the landing pad, but he was not given a stroke penalty due to equipment failure resulting in a broken handle on the zipline. Episode 8: "Everyone can be Terrible!" (August 15, 2019). Note: Chris Pomaski accidentally tapped the ball and was given one stroke. Season 2 (2020). Episode 12: "That's One for the  Scrapbooks!" (May 28, 2020). Note: Jennifer Weitz sank a hole in one on Putter Ducky. Episode 14: "I Think We Just Made History on Uranus" (June 11, 2020). Notes: Skyler Nick and Spencer Nick are the first twins on Holey Moley. Mei Brennan sank a hole in one on Uranus. Episode 15: "Where the Herd At?!" (June 18, 2020). Notes: Gerritt Beatty left the competition after Round 2, Tanner Beard would win the putt-off against Karl Barth to play against Clay Myers. Episode 17: "Love at First Stroke" (July 9, 2020). Note: The ball from Andrew Baumann's tee  shot was stuck in the channel on Uranus. Episode 19: "Porta Party" (July 30, 2020). Notes: Brad Livermore accidentally touched the bottom on Buns & Wieners and was given a stroke penalty. Misa Tanaka is the sister of Episode 4 contestant Maiya Tanaka. Episode 20: "It's Apple Sauce Time!" (August 6, 2020). Notes: The bun on Buns & Wieners was unable to rotate. Uzo Utti jumped over the wiener on Buns & Wieners. Episode 21: "You Just Got a Free Bath" (August 13, 2020). Notes: Micah Lee Dettmar surpassed all three gophers on Gopher It. Leisha-Mae Telles is the sister of  Episode 7 contestant Seshia-lei Telles. Episode 22: "Double Dutch Riggle" (September 3, 2020). Notes: Donald Alford's tee shot on Polcano snuck over the bumpers and landed in the hazard zone. In Double Dutch Courage, Alford got hit from one of the blades on the first windmill, but managed to pull himself back up to avoid the penalty while Ashley Lewis scored a hole in one. Season 3 (2021). Episode 25: "Silent Night, Holey Night" (June 17, 2021). Notes: The reindeer in Ho Ho Hole fell off the edge of the zipline. In Holey Matrimony, Adrian Sneed proposed to  his girlfriend and opponent Katie Stabile, in which Stabile accepted. Episode 29: "Another One Bites the Donut" (July 22, 2021). Note: Jack Bennett, the father of episode one contestant Chad Bennett, sank a hole in one on Dutch Courage En Fuego. Episode 30: "These Boots Are Made For Putting" (August 12, 2021). Note: Course Marshal Colin and Taylor were married on Holey Matrimony. Release. The first season premiered on June 20, 2019, and consisted of 10 episodes. Global acquired the broadcast rights for Canada, and began simulcasting the series alongside the US broadcast on June 27, 2019. The series moved  to CTV in Canada starting with season three. Reception. Critical response. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 90% approval rating with an average score of 6/10, based on 10 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "A fun, family-friendly show that benefits greatly from its hyperbolic hosts, "Holey Moley" is a delightful summer diversion." International versions. In October 2019, Australia's Seven Network announced it would be adapting the series for Australian audiences, produced by Eureka Productions. Initially slated for an August 2020 broadcast, the show started filming using an expanded version of the US course in California , but abandoned production in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show later restarted filming on a set built in Australia in October 2020, with a new broadcast date set for early 2021. Greg Norman stars as the resident golf pro, alongside commentators Rob Riggle (reprising his role from the US version) and Matt Shirvington, along with host and sideline correspondent Sonia Kruger. The show premiered on 1 February 2021. The Australian "Holey Moley" set is intended to be reused for potential international adaptations from Germany, the UK and France.