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27 EAST
Where Are They Now? Mike O’Sullivan’s Career Has Traced Reality Television’s Rise
Few things have left a large mark on American society in the 21st century as the sprawling array of ostensibly unscripted television shows commonly known as “reality television.”
UPROXX
‘Holey Moley’ Is The Nation’s Finest Television Program
Holey Moley is a lot of things.
It’s a summer competition series that ABC recently rolled out for a second season. It’s an extreme mini-golf challenge that features very large, very elaborate holes that make your local mini-golf course look like the saddest little rinky-dink operation you’ve ever seen. It’s a spectacle to the ridiculous, featuring Wipeout-style physical challenges on every hole and people in costume and just the dumbest collection of ideas and commentary and human bodies flailing through the air that you’ve ever seen. It is also, for my money, the nation’s finest television program.
REALITY BLURRED
Holey Moley season 3 questions, answered: Steph Curry’s role, new and returning holes, and much more
While showrunner Charles Wachter oversees all creative on the show, “our executive producer who lives and breathes hole development and challenge design is Mike O’Sullivan,” Dening said. “Mike is tasked with essentially creating all the new holes for every season. Mike and his crack team, they think a lot about challenge first. What’s the world? What’s the challenge that we can lean into? We always like to draw from some sort of miniature golf nostalgia in some way, so there’s some sort of reference to classic miniature golf or things that we love from our childhood. But then also they look at crazy ideas for challenges and stunts, and potential obstacles that we could build a hole around.”
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Photos: Inside the making of ABC’s epic new surfing competition with Kelly Slater
The new competition series, from 11-time World Surf League champion Kelly Slater, premieres Monday. The Times has exclusive behind-the-scenes photos.
LAUGHING PLACE
TV Review: ABC’s “The Ultimate Surfer”
Let’s get one thing straight before we start: surfers are inherently hot. The ugliest surfer still looks like a Greecian statue standing next to me, famed bridge troll Marshal Knight. Watching the contestants being introduced on ABC’s new competition program The Ultimate Surfer felt like a personal attack against my body and self esteem. On top of that, they’re brilliant athletes, so I’d like to officially announce today that I have given up.
TALENTRECAP
"Hell’s Kitchen" Celebrates Top 8 with Annual Blind Tasting Challenge
Gordon Ramsay’s landmark Hell’s Kitchen Season 20 is officially down to the Top 8. This season has been fiercely competitive as it flaunts a new theme: Young Guns. All chefs competing this season are 24 years old or younger making for a highly competitive, highly Gen-Z season.
SCREENRANT
Hell's Kitchen: The Worst Challenges The Contestants Had To Face
Gordon Ramsay has set some pretty tough challenges for Hell's Kitchen contestants, but these stand out as the absolute worst. Regardless if we're rooting for a contestant to win or lose on Hell's Kitchen, all that matters is how well they do handle Gordon Ramsay's challenges. Some of their trials are more straight forward - the Service Challenge, in particular, is just like any other day at work for most chefs.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Rock-n-Roll (a.k.a. The Boulder Dash) from Survivor: Africa makes Entertainment Weekly’s list of best Survivor challenges ever
Roll a giant rebar and fiberglass boulder across the African savannah? Sounds like a rockin’ good time…
NHL Shooting Stars could provide most unique moments of All-Star Skills
Mitchell Marner said the strangest shooting drill he's ever done involved shooting pucks from a dock into a net set on a raft floating on a lake. Until Friday, that is. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward will be part of a new event at 2020 NHL All-Star Skills presented by New Amsterdam Vodka (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS) called the Gatorade NHL Shooting Stars, which will feature players standing on a platform in the stands 30 feet above the ice, shooting at various targets at Enterprise Center.
NHL NEWS