The Big Break
Encyclopedia
The Big Break is the Golf Channel's reality television
program. The show's premise is to award an aspiring professional golfer
exemptions into selected events on certain tours. The series debuted on October 6, 2003, and has become very popular. As of November 2011, Big Break ("The" is no longer used in the title) is in its 16th edition.
Currently, the show airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time/6 p.m. Pacific time every Monday or Tuesday. Tom Abbott
replaced Vince Cellini
as the male host at Big Break Sandals Resorts in the spring of 2010. Stephanie Sparks
stayed on as female host.
Each episode is an hour long, though each season finale is two hours long. The show's chief signature is a giant rock that bears its logo. Until the 11th edition, there was a side rock with the Roman numeral identifying the edition. Now, each show is referred to only by its location.
s who aspire to play golf professionally.
The contestants engage in a series of golfing challenges, with the weakest performer eliminated after each challenge. At the end of the competition, the winner receives prizes including one or more exemptions into a top professional golf tournament.
The rules of the glass-breaking challenge changed from The Big Break I to The Big Break II. In The Big Break I, the ten players took aim at their own pane of glass, and all of them stood at a driving range, and fired shots at once. The first one to break his glass was the winner.
In The Big Break II and The Big Break III: Ladies Only, as well as The Big Break All-Star Challenge, players took turns, and had to call out whose glass they intended to break. If successful, the player whose glass pane was broken was eliminated for the rest of the challenge, and the last player whose glass pane remained unbroken was the winner. In "The Big Break II", tensions arose when "Team Bald" went after Don Donatello. Sean Daly (won the glass breaking competition), Shelby Chrest, and John Turke were the ones responsible for eliminating Don. In The Big Break III: Ladies Only, the winner of the challenge got first choice of the room in which they would stay during their tenure on the show (this, too, is explained below).
In The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe, the format was tweaked again. The challenge became a relay. The first team to have all six of its members break their own glass won. For this edition, the challenge was used as a Mulligan Challenge.
For The Big Break V: Hawaii, the challenge was returned to its call-out format, but with a twist: when a player broke someone else's glass, they would keep shooting until they missed.
Past "Mulligan Challenges" have ranged from shooting golf balls into a large bucket sitting on a pickup truck as the truck moved back and forth to hitting balls through holes in a giant plywood wall for points. The holes ranged in size depending on point total, with the biggest hole being worth one point, and the smallest being worth five points. The winning individual or team in a "Mulligan Challenge" is awarded a mulligan to use in the "Skills Challenge".
Mulligan challenges were quite sparse in The Big Break V: Hawaii.
Past "Skills Challenges" have ranged from players hitting drives for points to players attempting to score points by hitting balls into three large boxes, the largest being worth 5 points, the middle-sized box being worth 10 points, and the smallest box being worth 20 points. Another "Skills Challenge" involved players playing a game called "B-R-E-A-K", similar to the basketball
game of "H-O-R-S-E". "Skills Challenges" usually take place in rounds, and the winner (or winners) of the "Mulligan Challenge" could use their mulligan at any point in the challenge if they are to make a mistake. The winner of the "Skills Challenge" is awarded immunity
from the "Elimination Challenge."
In The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe, the Immunity Challenge (as it became known during the show), was a team event. The team that won the Immunity Challenge would have all its members spared from elimination.
The "Skills Challenge" winner is exempt from the "Elimination Challenge," so they can watch without taking part. The players not exempt from the "Elimination Challenge" participate in challenges such as hitting shots to the green for points. The closer to the pin, the more points one is awarded. The contestant who finishes last in any "Elimination Challenge" is eliminated from the show.
Eliminated players in the first three editions of the show were handled differently. In The Big Break I and The Big Break II, eliminated players were immediately sent home. In The Big Break III: Ladies Only, eliminated players were allowed to stay (some say required) with the remaining contestants until the show got down to its final two contestants, but at a different location from the one the remaining players were staying at.
In The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe, the losing team in the Immunity
Challenge had all of its members pitted against each other to stay alive.
. The winner would receive exemptions into four selected events on the Canadian Tour in 2004 (all of which were broadcast by The Golf Channel).
The ten hopefuls for the first season were:
The show was hosted by Phil Mickelson
's swing coach, Rick Smith, and Katherine Roberts
. In the end, Peters defeated Sorentino 3 & 1 in the matchplay final. Peters, though, failed to make the cut in any of the four Canadian Professional Golf Tour
events he played in.
. The winner would receive four exemptions into Nationwide Tour
events during the 2005 season.
The ten contestants were:
(In Order of Elimination)
The Big Break II was the Golf Channel's highest rated show in its history of all programming. The show featured not only good golf but also some tension between roommates Sean Daly and Donny Donatello.
The winner Kip Henley failed to make any cuts on the Nationwide Tour
, and shortly after his attempt to play his way on Tour, he went back to caddying on the PGA Tour
for Brian Gay
. Henley, who turned 50 in 2011, qualified for the FedEx St. Jude Classic
through winning a Tennessee PGA Section event that included an automatic entry into the event, and has eligibility for the Champions Tour.
. The winner of this edition would receive exemptions into two LPGA
events and a celebrity tournament (the American Century Championship) in 2005, not all of which aired on The Golf Channel. Also, a leading golf retailer, Golf Galaxy
, was offering $5,000 so that the winning player could purchase whatever they need for the LPGA events, such as new clubs or other accessories. The first of those three tournaments was the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill
, held at the golf resort where the show was filmed. The Michelob ULTRA Open is commonly referred to as the LPGA's "fifth major," much like The Players Championship
is for the PGA Tour
.
The ten hopefuls for the third season were:
Vince Cellini
and Stephanie Sparks
, who once briefly played on the LPGA Tour herself, became the show's new hosts. The matchplay final was stellar. Crikelair and Amiee faced off, with Crikelair going 2 up after just three holes. Amiee came all the way back, and, at 1 up on the par 3 17th, sank a birdie to go 2 up, and clinch the The Big Break III title 2 & 1. In addition to her exemptions and $5,000 gift card from Golf Galaxy, Amiee also won a new Chrysler Crossfire
, which she gave to a friend who had helped her financially. Amiee also donated her Golf Galaxy certificate to a charity for underprivileged children.
Also for the first time, professional golfers from the tour handing out the exemptions made cameos
. In the first episode of the season in which a contestant was eliminated (whom, by the way, would end up being Browner), LPGA winners Kelli Kuehne
and Lorie Kane
dropped by to participate in the season's first "Mulligan Challenge."
Amiee's first tournament, the Michelob ULTRA Open, did not go well as far as trying to make the cut was concerned. She had plenty of fans following her. In her first round, Amiee shot 79 on the par-71 course. The second round was pushed back a day due to rain, where Amiee shot 77, missing the cut in her first LPGA event. Her second event, the Corning Classic, never materialized, as she withdrew before the first round, citing a back injury, throwing her second exemption away. However, it is believed that Amiee withdrew because of media pressure over an alleged topless photo of her that was circulating around the Internet
. There has been a great deal of discussion over the validity of the photo.
Meanwhile, Miller, who actually played on the LPGA Tour from 1979 to 1981, when she married former PGA Tour player Allen Miller
(the couple are still married, and have three children), competed in the LPGA Championship
, having earned a spot by winning the 2004 LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals national championship. She shot an 84 in the first round, and an 88 in the second round, missing the cut.
It was then Dowling's turn to play in an LPGA event. She took part in the BMO Canadian Women's Open, where she shot a 77 in round one, and a 74 in round two to take a respectable 7-over for the tournament, though she still missed the cut. Dowling won the Canadian Women's Amateur Championship in 2000, helping her earn the Female Canadian Amateur Golfer of the Year Award; she was also individual champion of the Mid-American Conference
in 1999 and 2000 while a student at Kent State University
, and in her senior year at Kent State in 2002, she was given the Janet Bachna Award for Kent State Female Senior Athlete of the Year. While at Kent State, Dowling became friends with the winner of the 2003 The Open Championship
, Ben Curtis
. Dowling says her golfing hero is the great Canadian professional, Moe Norman
, who died on September 4, 2004, over a month before the show began taping.
.
The Big Break IV was filmed in June 2005, and premiered on September 13 of the same year. The twelve hopefuls (including The Big Break II contestant Bart Lower) were taken to Scotland
's Carnoustie
, and the Old Course
in St Andrews
to compete for exemptions into two European Tour events (the Algarve Open de Portugal and the Celtic Manor Wales Open
), an endorsement deal with Bridgestone Golf
, a two-year lease on a Ford Explorer
, and a $15,000 gift card from Dick's Sporting Goods
. The Golf Channel made this a competition between players from the United States
and Europe, much like the Ryder Cup
. Cellini and Sparks returned as hosts.
Lower was the first contestant eliminated, surprising, considering the fact that he finished third on The Big Break II. Gillot, who won a Challenge Tour
event in 2000, was the next to go, followed by Carnell, then Gardino. The USA-Europe elimination trade-off continued with Gainey getting the boot. It finally stopped with Hunt being eliminated in a two-part episode (the Immunity Challenge took a full hour, while Elimination took another). With just two members left, Team USA was given two episodes off so that the European team could be whittled down to its last two. In the first episode of this, ex-Amateur Championship winner Bladon was out, with Wilde to follow the next week. The final two were determined in a double-elimination episode, in which Woodman defeated Blankvoort and Holtby manhandled Valentine in separate 9-hole matchplay challenges. Holtby went on to defeat Woodman in the matchplay final, 1 Up. Unlike the previous editions, all the eliminated contestants stayed, followed the match and even took group photos with the winner.
In the Algarve Open, Holtby shot 1-over for two rounds, missing the cut by one shot.
Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey finished high enough in the December, 2007 PGA Tour 'Q-School' to become a member of the PGA for 2008.
Each team had one member with a claim to fame. European team player Wilde is the son of British singer Marty Wilde
and the brother of Kim Wilde
, who sang the 1981 hit, "Kids in America." Team USA member Valentine is the son of former professional bowler Jeffrey Valentine. Another European team member, Gardino, has caddied in two Ryder Cups (1999 and 2002), carrying bags for players like Sergio García
, Miguel Ángel Jiménez
, and José María Olazábal
. Gardino also caddied for Ángel Cabrera
in the 2005 Presidents Cup
and the 2007 U.S. Open
During the show's run, a new behind-the-scenes show called The Big Break IV: All Access debuted and aired on "Top Shelf Wednesday," a weekly primetime block of programming hosted by Cellini. Big Break III alumnus Ochoa worked as a reporter for the All Access show.
Promotional ads leading up to the show's premiere were set to Bon Jovi
's 1987 hit "Livin' On a Prayer
."
The Big Break V: Hawaii The Big Break V: Hawaii was another "ladies only" edition, and was filmed from October 16 to the 30, 2005, in Hawaii
on the North Shore
of Oahu
at the Turtle Bay Resort
, site of the LPGA's SBS Open at Turtle Bay
, and premiered on February 7, 2006, a day short of the first anniversary of the premiere of The Big Break III. Cellini and Sparks returned for their third stint as hosts. All Access also returned, with Wilde as the reporter this time around.
This Big Break contained the show's largest prize package yet: the lone LPGA exemption will be into the 2006 Safeway Classic
. Other prizes were a Bridgestone Golf equipment contract, a $10,000 prize package from Golfsmith
, and a 2006 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster. The winner also got a developmental package prior to their LPGA start, something viewers have been suggesting for quite a while now. The package contained exemptions into all remaining 2006 FUTURES Tour
events, golfing instruction from Dean Reinmuth, fitness training from former show host Roberts, and mental coaching from Dr. Gio Valiante.
11 golfers arrived in the Aloha State, but one was to be sent home before she could even unpack her bags. These 11 golfers were:
In the matchplay final, which aired on May 9, Prange defeated Cho 5 & 4 in the show's most lopsided matchplay final victory to date.
Since Big Break V, Prange has won twice on the FUTURES Tour (The Greater Tampa FUTURES Golf Classic and the Horseshoe Casino FUTURES Golf Classic) and has three other top ten finishes.
in Los Angeles
. The show premiered on September 26, 2006, with the finale taking place on December 19, 2006, and is a co-ed edition, with eight men and eight women competing for exemptions on the LPGA Tour and Champions Tour
s. On the ladies' side, Briana Vega defeated Bridget Dwyer
by a score of 3 and 1, while Denny Hepler needed a 19th hole to finally clinch a win over Jeff Mitchell.
. Since then, there have been many more editions of the show, featuring NASCAR
drivers, as well as members of the Green Bay Packers
, the Chicago White Sox
, the Tampa Bay Lightning
, the cast of Scrubs
", and the band Hootie & The Blowfish
. There have been many various hosts of the All-Star edition, and not once have Cellini and Sparks co-hosted an episode together. Other Golf Channel personalities who have hosted the All-Star edition include Brian Hammons and Steve Sands, and some co-hosts have included former NASCAR star Benny Parsons
and two-time Champions Tour
major
winner Peter Jacobsen
.
Jay Kossoff, the senior producer of The Big Break, told The Charlotte Observer
at the taping of the first NASCAR edition, "We had a lot of celebrities apply for spots in the original shows, so we figured it was a neat idea to do something like this — let's take the next step."
" as its top prize.
Premiering October 2, 2007, this season returned to the original format of 12 men competing for the title: Rick Schwartz and Stephanie Sparks were the hosts.
. New hosts were Stina Sternberg and Andrew Magee
. The winner received an exemption into the 2008 Navistar LPGA Classic
, entry fees to all 2009 Futures Tour
tournaments waived, an Adams Golf
endorsement deal, and a BMW
Z4 Coupe.
were the hosts.
Haymes Snedeker is the brother of PGA Tour player Brandt Snedeker
.
Amber is the sister of The Big Break V: Hawaii winner Ashley Prange
.
The Big Break XI: Prince Edward Island
The 11th season aired in Summer 2009. Six women and six men competed for a grand prize of $100,000 in cash. Contestants included a former Marine Captain who had served in Afghanistan
in 2003, and a model. The show ended with a finale of Blair O'Neal vs. Derek Gillespie
, with Gillespe winning by a three-stroke margin. Charlie Rymer and Stina Sternberg were the hosts.
. Vince Cellini and Stephanie Sparks returned as hosts.
Contestants:
Won immunity before play began
" and will receive the prizes.
The teams, both composed of past Big Break contestants, are divided into men (blue shirts) and women (red shirts). If a male player is MVP, he will win an exemption to the PGA Tour
Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, Nevada
. If the MVP is female, she will win an exemption to the LPGA Tour Kia Classic in Industry, California
. Blair O'Neal was the winner.
The show is taped at the Teeth of the Dog course at the Casa de Campo Resort. The course was designed by Pete Dye
.
The winner of the Big Break Dominican Republic was Blair O'Neal and the women's team came out victorious.
's son is one of the contestants.
Big Break Ireland
Big Break Ireland is contested in the K Club in Straffan
, County Kildare
, Ireland
. It premiered on September 20, 2011. Mark Murphy won the season finale against Julien Trudeau.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
program. The show's premise is to award an aspiring professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
exemptions into selected events on certain tours. The series debuted on October 6, 2003, and has become very popular. As of November 2011, Big Break ("The" is no longer used in the title) is in its 16th edition.
Currently, the show airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time/6 p.m. Pacific time every Monday or Tuesday. Tom Abbott
Tom Abbott
Tom Abbott is a broadcaster and sports commentator, best known for his work with The Golf Channel. He currently presents and commentates the network's European and LPGA Tour coverage, as well as anchoring Golf Central and reporting for Live From...
replaced Vince Cellini
Vince Cellini
Vincent Robert Cellini is a long-time sports broadcaster for radio and television. Most recently, he was an anchor and program host for The Golf Channel. It was reported that his contract was not renewed for 2010.-Early life and career:...
as the male host at Big Break Sandals Resorts in the spring of 2010. Stephanie Sparks
Stephanie Sparks
Stephanie Sparks is an on-air personality at The Golf Channel and a former golfer, whose best years in golf came as an amateur.-Golfer:...
stayed on as female host.
Each episode is an hour long, though each season finale is two hours long. The show's chief signature is a giant rock that bears its logo. Until the 11th edition, there was a side rock with the Roman numeral identifying the edition. Now, each show is referred to only by its location.
Format of the show
Contestants on each season of The Big Break include professionals on mini-tours as well as amateurAmateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
s who aspire to play golf professionally.
The contestants engage in a series of golfing challenges, with the weakest performer eliminated after each challenge. At the end of the competition, the winner receives prizes including one or more exemptions into a top professional golf tournament.
The glass-breaking challenge
The show's signature challenge involves players breaking panes of glass, each containing a contestant's name (in The Big Break All-Star Challenge NASCAR Edition, it was changed to the contestant's last name on top and the stylised car number dominating the pane). This challenge usually takes place in the premiere episode of each edition, although in The Big Break II, it took place in the second episode, used in this case as the "Mulligan Challenge" (which is explained below).The rules of the glass-breaking challenge changed from The Big Break I to The Big Break II. In The Big Break I, the ten players took aim at their own pane of glass, and all of them stood at a driving range, and fired shots at once. The first one to break his glass was the winner.
In The Big Break II and The Big Break III: Ladies Only, as well as The Big Break All-Star Challenge, players took turns, and had to call out whose glass they intended to break. If successful, the player whose glass pane was broken was eliminated for the rest of the challenge, and the last player whose glass pane remained unbroken was the winner. In "The Big Break II", tensions arose when "Team Bald" went after Don Donatello. Sean Daly (won the glass breaking competition), Shelby Chrest, and John Turke were the ones responsible for eliminating Don. In The Big Break III: Ladies Only, the winner of the challenge got first choice of the room in which they would stay during their tenure on the show (this, too, is explained below).
In The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe, the format was tweaked again. The challenge became a relay. The first team to have all six of its members break their own glass won. For this edition, the challenge was used as a Mulligan Challenge.
For The Big Break V: Hawaii, the challenge was returned to its call-out format, but with a twist: when a player broke someone else's glass, they would keep shooting until they missed.
Mulligan Challenges
The "Mulligan Challenge" was the first challenge contested in each hour-long episode, though in The Big Break II, it was the second challenge contested.Past "Mulligan Challenges" have ranged from shooting golf balls into a large bucket sitting on a pickup truck as the truck moved back and forth to hitting balls through holes in a giant plywood wall for points. The holes ranged in size depending on point total, with the biggest hole being worth one point, and the smallest being worth five points. The winning individual or team in a "Mulligan Challenge" is awarded a mulligan to use in the "Skills Challenge".
Mulligan challenges were quite sparse in The Big Break V: Hawaii.
Skills Challenge (a.k.a. "Immunity Challenge")
The "Skills Challenge" is the second challenge contested in each hour-long episode, though in The Big Break II, it was the first challenge contested. The Big Break II is also where the "Skills Challenge" was first used.Past "Skills Challenges" have ranged from players hitting drives for points to players attempting to score points by hitting balls into three large boxes, the largest being worth 5 points, the middle-sized box being worth 10 points, and the smallest box being worth 20 points. Another "Skills Challenge" involved players playing a game called "B-R-E-A-K", similar to the basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
game of "H-O-R-S-E". "Skills Challenges" usually take place in rounds, and the winner (or winners) of the "Mulligan Challenge" could use their mulligan at any point in the challenge if they are to make a mistake. The winner of the "Skills Challenge" is awarded immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
from the "Elimination Challenge."
In The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe, the Immunity Challenge (as it became known during the show), was a team event. The team that won the Immunity Challenge would have all its members spared from elimination.
Elimination Challenges
Each Big Break takes place in tournament-style form, as one player is eliminated from the show each week until there are two players left. So, the last challenge of each hour-long episode is the "Elimination Challenge."The "Skills Challenge" winner is exempt from the "Elimination Challenge," so they can watch without taking part. The players not exempt from the "Elimination Challenge" participate in challenges such as hitting shots to the green for points. The closer to the pin, the more points one is awarded. The contestant who finishes last in any "Elimination Challenge" is eliminated from the show.
Eliminated players in the first three editions of the show were handled differently. In The Big Break I and The Big Break II, eliminated players were immediately sent home. In The Big Break III: Ladies Only, eliminated players were allowed to stay (some say required) with the remaining contestants until the show got down to its final two contestants, but at a different location from the one the remaining players were staying at.
In The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe, the losing team in the Immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
Challenge had all of its members pitted against each other to stay alive.
Matchplay final
The last two players remaining on The Big Break play against one another in a matchplay final, which takes place in each season's two-hour finale. The winner of the matchplay final picks up the exemptions into the selected events on the tour those events are sanctioned by, as well as additional prizes.The Big Break I
The Big Break I first aired, as said in the introduction, on October 6, 2003. The contest was filmed over ten days at the TreeTops Resort in Gaylord, MichiganGaylord, Michigan
Gaylord is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,681. It is the county seat of Otsego County. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord; it is by far the smallest settlement serving as the location of an active Roman...
. The winner would receive exemptions into four selected events on the Canadian Tour in 2004 (all of which were broadcast by The Golf Channel).
The ten hopefuls for the first season were:
| Contestant | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Randy Block | San Antonio, Texas |
| Garrett Garland | Northridge, California |
| Charles Calhoun | Marietta, Ohio Marietta, Ohio Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth... |
| Justin Peters Justin Peters Justin Peters is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League... (Winner) |
Plantation, Florida Plantation, Florida Plantation is the name of the following places in the U.S. state of Florida:*Plantation, Florida, a city in Broward County; the largest of the places named "Plantation" in Florida*Plantation, Sarasota County, Florida, a census-designated place... |
| Steve Duemig Steve Duemig Steve Duemig is an American sports media personality and has had a daily local sports talk show on AM 620 WDAE in Tampa since the mid-1990s. The on air name given to himself is The Big Dog.-Golf career:... |
Clearwater, Florida Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of... |
| Anthony Sorentino (Runner-up) | Rochester Hills, Michigan Rochester Hills, Michigan Rochester Hills is an affluent city in northeast Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 70,995. The city of Rochester is bounded on the north, south, and west by Rochester Hills... |
| Mark Farnham | Port Jefferson, New York Port Jefferson, New York The Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson is located in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2000 United States Census, the village population was 7,837... |
| Craig Pawling | Sunrise, Florida Sunrise, Florida -Overview:Sunrise is a city in southwestern Broward County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated in 1961 by Norman Johnson – a developer whose World Famous Upside-Down House attracted buyers to what was then a remote area... |
| Jeff Brown | Hampton, Georgia Hampton, Georgia Hampton is a city in southwestern Henry County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,987. Census Estimates for 2005 show a population of 4,743. Hampton mailing addresses also dip into eastern Clayton County and northern Spalding County.The Atlanta Motor... |
| Jon Roddy | Orlando, Florida Orlando, Florida Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States... |
The show was hosted by Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
's swing coach, Rick Smith, and Katherine Roberts
Katherine Roberts (TV personality)
Katherine Roberts is a golf fitness instructor to the pros. She made her TV debut with Rick Smith, famous swing coach of PGA touring pro Phil Mickelson on the reality series The Big Break, as a co-host for Season 1 of the show....
. In the end, Peters defeated Sorentino 3 & 1 in the matchplay final. Peters, though, failed to make the cut in any of the four Canadian Professional Golf Tour
Canadian Professional Golf Tour
The Canadian Professional Golf Tour is a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Oakville, Ontario. It was formally started in 1970 and was initially known as the Peter Jackson Tour....
events he played in.
The Big Break II; Las Vegas
The Big Break II first aired in September 2004. The contest was filmed in Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The winner would receive four exemptions into Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
events during the 2005 season.
The ten contestants were:
(In Order of Elimination)
| Contestant | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Jay Mcnair | Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
| Shelby Chrest | Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
| Scotty Yancey | Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... |
| Sean Daly | Visalia, California Visalia, California Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles... |
| Mike Foster | Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... |
| David Gunas | Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately... |
| John Turke | Clearwater, Florida Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of... |
| Bart Lower | Ionia, Michigan Ionia, Michigan Ionia is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Ionia County, Michigan, United States. The population was 11,394 at the 2010 census. Every late July it hosts what may be the world's largest free-admission fair... |
| Donny Donatello | Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
| Kip Henley (Winner) | Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... |
The Big Break II was the Golf Channel's highest rated show in its history of all programming. The show featured not only good golf but also some tension between roommates Sean Daly and Donny Donatello.
The winner Kip Henley failed to make any cuts on the Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
, and shortly after his attempt to play his way on Tour, he went back to caddying on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
for Brian Gay
Brian Gay
Joseph Brian Gay is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.- Early years :A military brat, Gay was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but was raised primarily at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where his father was a U.S. Army noncomissioned officer involved in flight operations...
. Henley, who turned 50 in 2011, qualified for the FedEx St. Jude Classic
FedEx St. Jude Classic
The FedEx St. Jude Classic is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It has been played annually in Memphis, Tennessee since 1958. It is currently played at TPC at Southwind.In 2011, the total purse was $5,600,000, with $1,008,000 going to the winner....
through winning a Tennessee PGA Section event that included an automatic entry into the event, and has eligibility for the Champions Tour.
The Big Break III: Ladies Only
The Big Break III: Ladies Only first aired on February 8, 2005. The show was filmed in October 2004 at the Kingsmill Resort and Spa just outside Williamsburg, VirginiaWilliamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
. The winner of this edition would receive exemptions into two LPGA
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
events and a celebrity tournament (the American Century Championship) in 2005, not all of which aired on The Golf Channel. Also, a leading golf retailer, Golf Galaxy
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
, was offering $5,000 so that the winning player could purchase whatever they need for the LPGA events, such as new clubs or other accessories. The first of those three tournaments was the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill
Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill
The Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill was a women's professional golf tournament, played from 2003 through 2009 on the LPGA Tour. It took place annually in Virginia in May, with the final round traditionally played on Mother's Day since 2004...
, held at the golf resort where the show was filmed. The Michelob ULTRA Open is commonly referred to as the LPGA's "fifth major," much like The Players Championship
The Players Championship
The Players Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour.Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, the inaugural event in 1974 was played at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia before moving to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas in 1975 and Inverrary...
is for the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
.
The ten hopefuls for the third season were:
| Contestant | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Tasha Browner | Tarzana, California |
| Danielle Amiee | Newport Beach, California Newport Beach, California Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings... |
| Pamela Crikelair | Westchester County, New York Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities... |
| Valeria Ochoa | Miramar, Florida Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city was named after the Miramar district of Havana, Cuba. As of the 2010 census, the population was 122,041... |
| Debbie Dahmer | Escondido, California Escondido, California Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating... |
| Jan Dowling Jan Dowling Jan Dowling is a Canadian-born American college golf coach and former amateur golfer. Dowling is the current head coach of the Florida Gators women's golf team of the University of Florida.- Early life and education :... |
Dallas, Texas |
| Cindy Miller | Silver Creek, New York Silver Creek, New York - Demographics :At the 2010 census there were 2,656 people, 1,048 households and 718 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,213.3 people per square mile . There were 1,174 housing units, with an average density of 978.3 per square mile... ; |
| Sarah Sasse | Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... |
| Liz Uthoff | St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St... |
| Felicia Brown | Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of... |
Vince Cellini
Vince Cellini
Vincent Robert Cellini is a long-time sports broadcaster for radio and television. Most recently, he was an anchor and program host for The Golf Channel. It was reported that his contract was not renewed for 2010.-Early life and career:...
and Stephanie Sparks
Stephanie Sparks
Stephanie Sparks is an on-air personality at The Golf Channel and a former golfer, whose best years in golf came as an amateur.-Golfer:...
, who once briefly played on the LPGA Tour herself, became the show's new hosts. The matchplay final was stellar. Crikelair and Amiee faced off, with Crikelair going 2 up after just three holes. Amiee came all the way back, and, at 1 up on the par 3 17th, sank a birdie to go 2 up, and clinch the The Big Break III title 2 & 1. In addition to her exemptions and $5,000 gift card from Golf Galaxy, Amiee also won a new Chrysler Crossfire
Chrysler Crossfire
The Chrysler Crossfire is a rear-wheel drive sports car marketed by Chrysler as both coupé and roadster and was built for Chrysler by Karmann of Germany.-Design:...
, which she gave to a friend who had helped her financially. Amiee also donated her Golf Galaxy certificate to a charity for underprivileged children.
Also for the first time, professional golfers from the tour handing out the exemptions made cameos
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
. In the first episode of the season in which a contestant was eliminated (whom, by the way, would end up being Browner), LPGA winners Kelli Kuehne
Kelli Kuehne
-Amateur career:Kuehne was born in Dallas, Texas. In 1994 she won the U.S. Girls' Junior. The following year she won the U.S. Women's Amateur and in 1996 repeated as the U.S. Women's Amateur champion while also winning the British Ladies Amateur. She played college golf at the University of Texas...
and Lorie Kane
Lorie Kane
Lorie Kane, CM is a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. She began her career on the LPGA Tour in 1996 and has four career victories on the tour...
dropped by to participate in the season's first "Mulligan Challenge."
Amiee's first tournament, the Michelob ULTRA Open, did not go well as far as trying to make the cut was concerned. She had plenty of fans following her. In her first round, Amiee shot 79 on the par-71 course. The second round was pushed back a day due to rain, where Amiee shot 77, missing the cut in her first LPGA event. Her second event, the Corning Classic, never materialized, as she withdrew before the first round, citing a back injury, throwing her second exemption away. However, it is believed that Amiee withdrew because of media pressure over an alleged topless photo of her that was circulating around the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. There has been a great deal of discussion over the validity of the photo.
Meanwhile, Miller, who actually played on the LPGA Tour from 1979 to 1981, when she married former PGA Tour player Allen Miller
Allen Miller (golfer)
Allen Lane Miller III is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s.Miller was born in San Diego, California. He had a distinguished amateur career. He attended the University of Georgia, and was a member of the golf team...
(the couple are still married, and have three children), competed in the LPGA Championship
LPGA Championship
The LPGA Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Wegmans LPGA Championship, is the second-longest running tournament in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association surpassed only by the U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four majors on the LPGA tour...
, having earned a spot by winning the 2004 LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals national championship. She shot an 84 in the first round, and an 88 in the second round, missing the cut.
It was then Dowling's turn to play in an LPGA event. She took part in the BMO Canadian Women's Open, where she shot a 77 in round one, and a 74 in round two to take a respectable 7-over for the tournament, though she still missed the cut. Dowling won the Canadian Women's Amateur Championship in 2000, helping her earn the Female Canadian Amateur Golfer of the Year Award; she was also individual champion of the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
in 1999 and 2000 while a student at Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
, and in her senior year at Kent State in 2002, she was given the Janet Bachna Award for Kent State Female Senior Athlete of the Year. While at Kent State, Dowling became friends with the winner of the 2003 The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
, Ben Curtis
Ben Curtis (golfer)
Ben Clifford Curtis is an American professional golfer best known for winning the 2003 Open Championship.-Early career:Curtis was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Ostrander, Ohio. His family runs the , also in Ostrander...
. Dowling says her golfing hero is the great Canadian professional, Moe Norman
Moe Norman
Murray Irwin "Moe" Norman was a Canadian professional golfer. He was widely considered the best ball striker who ever lived among the best players in the world...
, who died on September 4, 2004, over a month before the show began taping.
The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe
See the main article: The Big Break IV: USA vs. EuropeThe Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe
The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe was filmed in June 2005, and premiered on September 13 of the same year. The twelve hopefuls were taken to Scotland's Carnoustie, and the Old Course in St Andrews to compete for exemptions into two European Tour events , an endorsement deal with Bridgestone Golf, a...
.
The Big Break IV was filmed in June 2005, and premiered on September 13 of the same year. The twelve hopefuls (including The Big Break II contestant Bart Lower) were taken to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's Carnoustie
Carnoustie Golf Links
The Carnoustie Golf Links are in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Its historic championship golf course is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation.-History:...
, and the Old Course
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
in St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
to compete for exemptions into two European Tour events (the Algarve Open de Portugal and the Celtic Manor Wales Open
Celtic Manor Wales Open
The Saab Wales Open, previously the Celtic Manor Wales Open, is a European Tour golf tournament which was founded in 2000 and is played each June. The event is hosted at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, South Wales, also the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup...
), an endorsement deal with Bridgestone Golf
Bridgestone Golf
Bridgestone Golf is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Sports Ltd, and is based in Covington, Georgia, United States. The company is primarily known for their golf balls, and claim to be the number one golf ball producer in Japan...
, a two-year lease on a Ford Explorer
Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a sport-utility vehicle sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990, as a replacement for the smaller but related Ford Bronco II. It is manufactured in Chicago, Illinois...
, and a $15,000 gift card from Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
. The Golf Channel made this a competition between players from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe, much like the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
. Cellini and Sparks returned as hosts.
Team USA
| Contestant | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Randall Hunt | Arlington, Texas Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex... |
| Tommy Gainey Tommy Gainey Tommy Gainey , also known as "Two Gloves", is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour.-Early pro career:Gainey was born in Darlington, South Carolina. He attended the Central Carolina Technical College just outside of Darlington... 'aka' Two Gloves |
Bishopville, South Carolina Bishopville, South Carolina Bishopville is a city in Lee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,670 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lee County.-Geography:Bishopville is located at .... |
| T.J. Valentine | Plymouth, Massachusetts |
| David Carnell | Miami, Florida |
| Paul Holtby | Simi Valley, California Simi Valley, California -2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile... |
| Bart Lower | Ionia, Michigan Ionia, Michigan Ionia is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Ionia County, Michigan, United States. The population was 11,394 at the 2010 census. Every late July it hosts what may be the world's largest free-admission fair... |
Team Europe
| Contestant | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Warren Bladon | Leamington Spa Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
| Guy Woodman | Old Windsor Old Windsor Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.-Location:... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
| Edoardo Gardino | Crans-Montana Crans-Montana Crans-Montana is a ski resort in western Switzerland, in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais. It is located on a plateau above Sierre at an elevation of about 1500 m above sea level, allowing good view over the Valais Alps and Weisshorn in particular... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
| Marty Wilde Jr. | Tewin Tewin Tewin is a village in the English county of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Welwyn and the county town Hertford, it is within commuting distance of London... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
| Richard Gillot | Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
| Thomas Blankvoort | Wassenaar Wassenaar Wassenaar is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A fairly affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies 10 km north of that city on the N44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region... , Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
Lower was the first contestant eliminated, surprising, considering the fact that he finished third on The Big Break II. Gillot, who won a Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
event in 2000, was the next to go, followed by Carnell, then Gardino. The USA-Europe elimination trade-off continued with Gainey getting the boot. It finally stopped with Hunt being eliminated in a two-part episode (the Immunity Challenge took a full hour, while Elimination took another). With just two members left, Team USA was given two episodes off so that the European team could be whittled down to its last two. In the first episode of this, ex-Amateur Championship winner Bladon was out, with Wilde to follow the next week. The final two were determined in a double-elimination episode, in which Woodman defeated Blankvoort and Holtby manhandled Valentine in separate 9-hole matchplay challenges. Holtby went on to defeat Woodman in the matchplay final, 1 Up. Unlike the previous editions, all the eliminated contestants stayed, followed the match and even took group photos with the winner.
In the Algarve Open, Holtby shot 1-over for two rounds, missing the cut by one shot.
Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey finished high enough in the December, 2007 PGA Tour 'Q-School' to become a member of the PGA for 2008.
Each team had one member with a claim to fame. European team player Wilde is the son of British singer Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, and is the father of pop singers Ricky Wilde, Kim Wilde and Roxanne Wilde.-Career:Wilde was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in...
and the brother of Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
, who sang the 1981 hit, "Kids in America." Team USA member Valentine is the son of former professional bowler Jeffrey Valentine. Another European team member, Gardino, has caddied in two Ryder Cups (1999 and 2002), carrying bags for players like Sergio García
Sergio García
Sergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
, Miguel Ángel Jiménez
Miguel Angel Jiménez
Miguel Ángel Jiménez Rodríguez is a Spanish professional golfer. He has won 18 times on the European Tour.-Early years:...
, and José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships.-Career outline:...
. Gardino also caddied for Ángel Cabrera
Angel Cabrera
Ángel Cabrera is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as "El Pato" in Spanish or in English as "The duck" for his waddling gait. He is a former U.S. Open champion and Masters champion. He is the first Argentine to win either...
in the 2005 Presidents Cup
Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world less Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup. The Presidents Cup is held biennially...
and the 2007 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
During the show's run, a new behind-the-scenes show called The Big Break IV: All Access debuted and aired on "Top Shelf Wednesday," a weekly primetime block of programming hosted by Cellini. Big Break III alumnus Ochoa worked as a reporter for the All Access show.
Promotional ads leading up to the show's premiere were set to Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
's 1987 hit "Livin' On a Prayer
Livin' on a Prayer
"Livin' on a Prayer" is Bon Jovi's second single from their Slippery When Wet album. Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, was well-received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band...
."
The Big Break V: Hawaii The Big Break V: Hawaii was another "ladies only" edition, and was filmed from October 16 to the 30, 2005, in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
on the North Shore
North Shore (Oahu)
The North Shore, in the context of geography of the Island of Oahu, refers to the north-facing coastal area of Oahu between Kaena Point and Kahuku Point...
of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
at the Turtle Bay Resort
Turtle Bay Resort
The Turtle Bay Resort is the major hotel on the North Shore of Oahu island in Hawaii.-Description:The resort is about a 50 minute drive from Honolulu, between Kahuku, Hawaii to the east and Kawela Bay, Hawaii to the west....
, site of the LPGA's SBS Open at Turtle Bay
SBS Open at Turtle Bay
The SBS Open at Turtle Bay was a golf tournament for professional female golfers, played on the LPGA Tour that took place between 2005 and 2009 on the Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii, USA....
, and premiered on February 7, 2006, a day short of the first anniversary of the premiere of The Big Break III. Cellini and Sparks returned for their third stint as hosts. All Access also returned, with Wilde as the reporter this time around.
This Big Break contained the show's largest prize package yet: the lone LPGA exemption will be into the 2006 Safeway Classic
Safeway Classic
The Safeway Classic is an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour. Founded in 1972, the 54-hole event takes place every year in the Portland, Oregon area and is the oldest continuous event on the LPGA Tour. Tournament Golf Foundation has managed the tournament since...
. Other prizes were a Bridgestone Golf equipment contract, a $10,000 prize package from Golfsmith
Golfsmith
Golfsmith International Holdings Inc. is a golf and tennis specialty retailer based in Austin, Texas. The retailer distributes golf and tennis equipment, as well as other related services. CEO Marty Hanaka has stated, “Our purpose is to inspire golfers to play better and love life more.”Founded by...
, and a 2006 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster. The winner also got a developmental package prior to their LPGA start, something viewers have been suggesting for quite a while now. The package contained exemptions into all remaining 2006 FUTURES Tour
FUTURES Tour
The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour...
events, golfing instruction from Dean Reinmuth, fitness training from former show host Roberts, and mental coaching from Dr. Gio Valiante.
11 golfers arrived in the Aloha State, but one was to be sent home before she could even unpack her bags. These 11 golfers were:
| Contestant | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Jeanne Cho (Runner-up) | Orlando, Florida Orlando, Florida Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States... |
| Becky Lucidi | Poway, California Poway, California Poway is a city in San Diego County, California. Originally an unincorporated community in San Diego County, Poway officially became a city in December 1980. Even though Poway lies geographically in the middle of San Diego County, most consider its relative location as north county inland... |
| Dana Lacey | North Beach, Western Australia North Beach, Western Australia North Beach is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is located from Perth's central business district via Mitchell Freeway and Reid Highway. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.-History:... |
| Nikki DiSanto | Los Angeles, California Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
| Katie Ruhe | Wesley Chapel, Florida Wesley Chapel, Florida Wesley Chapel is a census-designated place in Pasco County, Florida, United States. Wesley Chapel is considered part of the Tampa Bay Area metro. The population was 44,092 at the 2010 census. In 2003, some residents of Wesley Chapel started a movement to incorporate the community... |
| Ashley Prange Ashley Prange Ashley Prange is a professional golfer and winner of the reality television program The Big Break V: Hawaii.-College and amateur career:... (Winner) |
Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007... |
| Kristina Tucker | Pageland, South Carolina Pageland, South Carolina Pageland is a town in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,521 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pageland is located at .... |
| Divina Delasin | San Francisco |
| Kim Lewellen | Greenville, North Carolina Greenville, North Carolina Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina... |
| Jo D. Duncan | St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St... |
| Julie Wells | Wilsonville Wilsonville, Oregon Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County. Originally founded as Boones Landing due to the Boones Ferry which crossed the Willamette River at the location, the community became Wilsonville in... , Oregon Oregon Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern... |
In the matchplay final, which aired on May 9, Prange defeated Cho 5 & 4 in the show's most lopsided matchplay final victory to date.
Since Big Break V, Prange has won twice on the FUTURES Tour (The Greater Tampa FUTURES Golf Classic and the Horseshoe Casino FUTURES Golf Classic) and has three other top ten finishes.
The Big Break VI: Trump National
The sixth edition The Big Break taped in late June and early July 2006 at the Trump National Golf ClubTrump National Golf Club (Los Angeles)
Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles is a public golf club in Palos Verdes, California featuring a course designed by Pete Dye and Donald J. Trump Signature Design....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The show premiered on September 26, 2006, with the finale taking place on December 19, 2006, and is a co-ed edition, with eight men and eight women competing for exemptions on the LPGA Tour and Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
s. On the ladies' side, Briana Vega defeated Bridget Dwyer
Bridget Dwyer
Bridget Dwyer is an American professional golfer, best known for her appearance on The Big Break, the Golf Channel's reality television series.Dwyer was born in Oahu, Hawaii, and is the youngest of six children....
by a score of 3 and 1, while Denny Hepler needed a 19th hole to finally clinch a win over Jeff Mitchell.
The Big Break All-Star Challenge
When The Big Break was first announced, a lot of celebrities applied for the show in addition to aspiring pros. The Golf Channel soon created a celebrity edition of the show, this one to benefit charities. On March 22, 2005, The Big Break All-Star Challenge debuted, featuring four members of the Boston Red SoxBoston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. Since then, there have been many more editions of the show, featuring NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
drivers, as well as members of the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
, the cast of Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
", and the band Hootie & The Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
. There have been many various hosts of the All-Star edition, and not once have Cellini and Sparks co-hosted an episode together. Other Golf Channel personalities who have hosted the All-Star edition include Brian Hammons and Steve Sands, and some co-hosts have included former NASCAR star Benny Parsons
Benny Parsons
Benjamin Stewart Parsons was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst on TBS, ESPN, NBC and TNT...
and two-time Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
major
Senior major golf championships
Men's professional senior golf is for players aged 50 and above. Golf differs from all other sports in having lucrative competitions for this age group. The leading senior tour is the U.S. based Champions Tour, which was established in 1980 . It has established a roster of five major championships...
winner Peter Jacobsen
Peter Jacobsen
Peter Erling Jacobsen is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He has won seven events on the PGA Tour and two events on the Champions Tour, both majors.-Early years:...
.
Jay Kossoff, the senior producer of The Big Break, told The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer, serving Charlotte, North Carolina and its metro area, is the largest newspaper, in terms of circulation, in North Carolina and South Carolina...
at the taping of the first NASCAR edition, "We had a lot of celebrities apply for spots in the original shows, so we figured it was a neat idea to do something like this — let's take the next step."
The Big Break: Mesquite
For the first time on any edition of The Big Break, the eighth season offered "at least one exemption on the PGA TourPGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
" as its top prize.
Premiering October 2, 2007, this season returned to the original format of 12 men competing for the title: Rick Schwartz and Stephanie Sparks were the hosts.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Nickname | Episode Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Kontak | 37 | Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385... |
"The Troublemaker" | Winner |
| Joshua Warthen | 27 | Arroyo Grande, California Arroyo Grande, California Arroyo Grande is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 17,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Arroyo Grande is a small coastal town with historic, suburban, and rural elements located at... |
"The Dude" | Runner-up, Episode 12 |
| Hiroshi Matsuo | 38 | Jupiter, Florida Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is a town located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 39,328. The estimate population for 2009 is 50,606. As of 2006, the population had grown to 50,028, according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research.... |
"The Veteran" | Episode 11 |
| Gerry James | 47 | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Ponte Vedra Beach is an unincorporated seaside community in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located eighteen miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine, it is part of the Jacksonville Beaches area. It is an upmarket tourist resort area best known for its... |
"The Giant" | Episode 10 |
| Kevin Taylor | 35 | Mocksville, North Carolina Mocksville, North Carolina Mocksville is a town in Davie County, North Carolina, USA. The population was 4,178 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Davie County.-Geography:Mocksville is located at .... |
"The Black Sheep" | Episode 9 |
| Benoit Beisser | 25 | Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385... |
"The Original" | Episode 8 |
| James Nitties James Nitties James Evangelo Nitties is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Nitties was born in Melbourne, Australia. He suffered from juvenile arthritis as a child and young adult, which restricted his flexibility. This caused him to have to take pain killers to restrict... |
25 | Newcastle Newcastle, New South Wales The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas... , New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
"The Aussie" | Episode 7 |
| Matt Vick | 29 | Franklin, Tennessee Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:... |
"The All-American" | Episode 6 |
| Mark Farrell | 42 | Westport, Connecticut Westport, Connecticut -Neighborhoods:* Saugatuck – around the Westport railroad station near the southwestern corner of the town – a built-up area with some restaurants, stores and offices.... |
"The Suit" | Episode 5 |
| Anthony Rodriguez | 35 | San Antonio, Texas | "The Star" | Episode 4, 2nd part of 2 part special |
| Matt Every Matt Every Matthew King Every is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour.- Early years :... |
24 | Gainesville, Florida Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth... |
"The Natural" | Episode 2 |
| Roger Fonnest Jr. | 28 | Mineola, New York Mineola, New York Mineola is a village in Nassau County, New York, USA. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a Native American word meaning a "pleasant place".... |
"The Underdog" | Episode 1 |
The Big Break: Ka'anapali
The ninth season premiered on April 15, 2008. It featured an all-female cast and was again filmed in Hawaii, this time at Ka'anapali Resort in MauiMaui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. New hosts were Stina Sternberg and Andrew Magee
Andrew Magee
Andrew Donald Magee is an American professional golfer who played for more than 20 years on the PGA Tour.Magee was born in Paris, France, where his father, a Texas oil man, was working at the time. He grew up in Dallas, Texas. Magee attended the University of Oklahoma from 1981–1984...
. The winner received an exemption into the 2008 Navistar LPGA Classic
Navistar LPGA Classic
The Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by Monaco RV is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. The 72-hole event made its debut in September 2007 at the Capitol Hill location on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Prattville, Alabama. Maria Hjorth won the inaugural event on the...
, entry fees to all 2009 Futures Tour
FUTURES Tour
The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour...
tournaments waived, an Adams Golf
Adams Golf
Adams Golf Inc. is a NASDAQ listed golf club manufacturer based in Plano, Texas.In 1983 Barney Adams joined Dave Pelz Golf in Abilene, Texas. When Pelz's Preceptor Golf went bankrupt in 1988, Adams bought the assets and started Adams Golf...
endorsement deal, and a BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
Z4 Coupe.
Contestants
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Status | Week Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Welch | 25 | Sacramento, California Sacramento, California Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,... |
FUTURES Tour FUTURES Tour The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour... player |
Winner |
| Sophie Sandolo Sophie Sandolo Sophie Sandolo is an Italian professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:Sandolo was born Nice, France. She began playing golf at 14 and made the Italian national team by the age of 16. She was Regional All-American while playing for the University of California, Los... |
31 | Nice Nice Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Ladies European Tour player | Runner-up |
| Lori Atsedes Lori Atsedes Lori Atsedes is an American golfer, currently playing on the Futures Tour. She is the all-time career money leader on the Futures Tour.Atsedes was born in Rochester, New York and raised in Ithaca, New York... |
44 | Orlando, Florida Orlando, Florida Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States... |
FUTURES Tour FUTURES Tour The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour... player |
Week 11 |
| Christina Lecuyer | 27 | Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Cactus Tour player | Week 10 |
| Susan Choi | 23 | Natick, Massachusetts Natick, Massachusetts Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area... |
Newly Turned Professional | Week 9 |
| Samantha Head | 35 | Orlando, Florida Orlando, Florida Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States... |
Ladies European Tour player | Week 8 |
| Courtney Erdman | 25 | Altadena, California Altadena, California Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California... |
FUTURES Tour FUTURES Tour The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour... player |
Week 7 |
| Tina Miller | 25 | Miami, Florida | Former FUTURES Tour FUTURES Tour The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour... player |
Week 6 |
| Dana Bates | 44 | La Quinta, California La Quinta, California La Quinta is a resort city in Riverside County, California, USA, specifically in the Coachella Valley between Indian Wells and Indio. The population was 37,467 at the 2010 census, up from 23,694 at the 2000 census. The Robb Report credits La Quinta as the nation's leading golf destination... |
Teaching pro | Week 5 |
| Adrienne Gautreaux | 26 | Dallas, Texas | FUTURES Tour FUTURES Tour The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour... player |
Week 4 |
| Elizabeth Stuart | 26 | Tampa, Florida Tampa, Florida Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709.... |
FUTURES Tour FUTURES Tour The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour... player |
Week 4 |
| Cirbie Sheppard | 24 | Auburn, California Auburn, California Auburn is the county seat of Placer County, California. Its population at the 2010 census was 13,330. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history.Auburn is part of the Greater Sacramento area.- History :... |
Mini Tour player | Week 3 |
The Big Break X: Michigan
The 10th season premiered on October 7, 2008. Eight two-person teams composed of a male and female competed at Boyne Highlands Resort. Stina Sternberg and Billy Ray BrownBilly Ray Brown
Billy Ray Brown is a former American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1980s and 1990s, and a current sportscaster for ESPN on ABC....
were the hosts.
Contestants
| Male Contestant | Hometown | Female Contestant | Hometown | Week Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haymes Snedeker | Fairhope, Alabama Fairhope, Alabama Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 16,176.... |
Bernadette "Bernie" Luse | Naples, Florida Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007... |
Winners |
| Hugo Leon | Jupiter, Florida Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is a town located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 39,328. The estimate population for 2009 is 50,606. As of 2006, the population had grown to 50,028, according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research.... |
Camila Mori | Miami, Florida | Runners-up |
| Robby Shaw | Louisville, Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096... |
Amber Prange | Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007... |
Week 10 |
| David Mobley | Huntersville, North Carolina Huntersville, North Carolina Huntersville is a large town in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 46,773 at the 2010 census, which makes Huntersville the 19th largest city in North Carolina. It is located about 12 miles north of uptown Charlotte. It is thought that the town... |
Sally Dee | Tampa, Florida Tampa, Florida Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709.... |
Week 8 |
| Casey Lubahn | Lansing, Michigan Lansing, Michigan Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan... |
Rachel Lubahn | Lansing, Michigan Lansing, Michigan Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan... |
Week 7 |
| Michael Michaelides | East Elmhurst, New York | Sherri McDonald | Lambertville, New Jersey Lambertville, New Jersey Lambertville is a city in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 3,906.Lambertville was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1849, from portions of West Amwell Township... |
Week 6 |
| Otis Smith | Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. It is an outer suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.-Geography:... |
Rachel Melendez | Atlanta, Georgia | Week 4 |
| James Vargas | Miami, Florida | Andrea VanderLende | Longwood, Florida Longwood, Florida Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 13,745 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 13,491. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area.... |
Week 3 |
Haymes Snedeker is the brother of PGA Tour player Brandt Snedeker
Brandt Snedeker
Brandt Snedeker is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.-Early years through College:Snedeker was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He was introduced to golf by his maternal grandmother, who managed a golf course in Missouri...
.
Amber is the sister of The Big Break V: Hawaii winner Ashley Prange
Ashley Prange
Ashley Prange is a professional golfer and winner of the reality television program The Big Break V: Hawaii.-College and amateur career:...
.
The Big Break XI: Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
The 11th season aired in Summer 2009. Six women and six men competed for a grand prize of $100,000 in cash. Contestants included a former Marine Captain who had served in AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in 2003, and a model. The show ended with a finale of Blair O'Neal vs. Derek Gillespie
Derek Gillespie
Derek Gillespie is a Canadian professional golfer currently playing on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, where he has won twice.-Early life:...
, with Gillespe winning by a three-stroke margin. Charlie Rymer and Stina Sternberg were the hosts.
Big Break Disney Golf
This twelfth season, Big Break Disney Golf premiered on October 13, 2009. Challenges took place at courses and off-course locations in and around Walt Disney World in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Vince Cellini and Stephanie Sparks returned as hosts.
Contestants:
- Mike Perez (Scottsdale, Arizona) – Nationwide Tour member and brother of PGA Tour player Pat PerezPat PerezPatrick P. Perez is an American professional golfer.Perez was born in Phoenix, Arizona and is of Mexican American descent. He experienced his first PGA Tour victory in 2009 at the Bob Hope Classic...
. WINNER, Defeated Tony Finau in extra holes after Tony hit it in the water on the 17th hole to tie the score and won on the 19th hole to win Big Break Disney Golf. - Tony Finau (Lehi, Utah) – Brother of contestant Gipper Finau. Turned professional at age 17 and made a cut on the PGA Tour the same year
- Kevin Erdman (Arcadia, California) – Husband of Big Break Ka'anapali contestant Courtney Erdman.
- Gipper Finau (Lehi, Utah) – Brother of contestant Tony Finau. Turned professional at age 16: ELIMINATED WEEK NINE
- Andrew Giuliani (New York, New York) – Son of former New York City mayor Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiRudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
: ELIMINATED WEEK EIGHT - Blake Moore (Monrovia, California) – Friend of former Big Break competitor and PGA Tour player James Nitties: ELIMINATED WEEK SEVEN
- Vincent Johnson (Portland, Oregon) – Received the Charlie Sifford exemption to play in the 2009 Northern Trust Open: ELIMINATED WEEK SIX
- J.R. Reyes (Omaha, Nebraska) - Former NJCAA All-America. Waits tables at a diner to support his golf dream: ELIMINATED WEEK FIVE
- Sean Kalin (Delray Beach, Florida) – Former junior star golfer who gave up the game for 20 years after being kidnapped: ELIMINATED WEEK FOUR
- Kevan Maxwell (Charleston, South Carolina) – Pizza delivery man: ELIMINATED WEEK THREE
- Andreas Huber (Scottsdale, Arizona) – A former Wall Street broker and the son of actress Susan LucciSusan LucciSusan Victoria Lucci is an American actress and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the daytime drama All My Children. The character is considered an icon, and Lucci has been called "Daytime's Leading Lady" by TV Guide, with New York Times and Los Angeles Times citing her as the...
: ELIMINATED WEEK TWO - Ed MosesEd Moses (swimmer)Glenn Edward Moses, Jr. is an Olympic and former World Record holding breaststroke swimmer from the United States. He swam for the USA at the 2000 Olympics, where he won a gold and silver medal....
(Hollywood, California) – A gold and silver medal winner as a member of the United States swim team at the 2000 Olympic Games: ELIMINATED WEEK ONE
Contestants
| Contestant | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Sara Brown | 24 | Tucson, Arizona Tucson, Arizona Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200... |
| Elena Robles | 26 | Torrance, California Torrance, California Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring... |
| Lili Alvarez | 26 | Durango Durango, Durango -Climate:The city of Durango has a semi-arid climate, classified as Bsk in the Koppen system. The climate is temperate in the western portion , with the average annual temperature being 15 °C and consisting of an average annual rainfall of 1,600 millimeters. In the eastern region, the average... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... |
| Chris Brady | 25 | Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009... |
| Maiya Tanaka | 24 | San Diego, California |
| Ryann O'Toole Ryann O'Toole Ryann Ashley O'Toole is an American female professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour and the Futures Tour.-Amateur career:... |
23 | San Clemente, California San Clemente, California San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish... |
| Kelly Sheehan | 32 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Seema Sadekar | 24 | Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous... |
| Taryn Durham | 24 | Glasgow, Kentucky Glasgow, Kentucky Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Barren County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,200 at the 2000 census. The city is well-known for its annual Scottish Highland Games. In 2007, Barren County was named the number one rural place to live by Progressive Farmer magazine... |
| Stacey Bieber | 25 | Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
| Carling Coffing | 24 | Middletown, Ohio Middletown, Ohio Middletown is an All-America City located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Formerly in Lemon, Turtlecreek, and Franklin townships, Middletown was incorporated by the Ohio General Assembly on February 11, 1833, and became a city in 1886... |
Elimination Chart
| Contestant | Ep. 1 | Ep. 2 | Ep. 3 | Ep. 4 | Ep. 5 | Ep. 6 | Ep. 7 | Ep. 8 | Ep. 9 | Ep. 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carling | WIN | WIN | WIN | LOW | LOW | CHAMPION | ||||
| Lili | LOW | WIN | WIN | LOW | WIN | WIN | RUNNER-UP | |||
| Sara | WIN | LOW | LOW | OUT | ||||||
| Taryn | SAVE | LOW | LOW | SAVE | OUT | |||||
| Seema | LOW | SAVE | SAVE | WIN | OUT | |||||
| Chris | LOW | WIN | LOW | SAVE | OUT | |||||
| Ryann | SAVE | LOW | OUT | |||||||
| Stacey | WIN | OUT | ||||||||
| Maiya | LOW | SAVE | OUT | |||||||
| Kelly | SAVE | OUT | ||||||||
| Elena | OUT |
Won immunity before play began
Big Break Dominican Republic
This season, which debuted on September 28, 2010, saw some significant format changes. For one thing, it became a pure team competition. The object of this season was to be the first team to remove all members of the other team in a double elimination format. A contestant losing the individual challenge at the end of the show was "benched" for the next program. A second loss by a "benched" contestant constitutes elimination. Individual prizes - cash, shopping sprees and tour exemptions - are awarded by way of a points system. The contestant on the winning team with the most points will be declared the "most valuable playerMost Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
" and will receive the prizes.
The teams, both composed of past Big Break contestants, are divided into men (blue shirts) and women (red shirts). If a male player is MVP, he will win an exemption to the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. If the MVP is female, she will win an exemption to the LPGA Tour Kia Classic in Industry, California
Industry, California
Industry is an industrial suburb of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County. Home to over 2,500 businesses and 80,000 jobs, but only 219 residents at the 2010 census - down from 777 residents as of the 2000 United States census - the city is almost entirely industrial...
. Blair O'Neal was the winner.
The show is taped at the Teeth of the Dog course at the Casa de Campo Resort. The course was designed by Pete Dye
Pete Dye
Paul B. "Pete" Dye is a world-renowned golf course designer and a member of a famous family of course designers. He is married to fellow designer and former amateur champion Alice Dye.-Early life:Pete Dye was born in Urbana, Ohio...
.
The winner of the Big Break Dominican Republic was Blair O'Neal and the women's team came out victorious.
Big Break Indian Wells
A quick portion of the next season of the big break was shown on the Golf Channel on December 2, 2010. According to the preview, Raymond FloydRaymond Floyd
Raymond Loran "Ray" Floyd is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour....
's son is one of the contestants.
Contestants
| Contestant | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Will Lowery | 26 | Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009... |
| Kent Eger Kent Eger Kent Eger is a Canadian professional golfer who plays on the Canadian Tour and Gateway Tour. Eger was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.-Junior and amateur golf:... |
30 | Regina, Saskatchewan Regina, Saskatchewan Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
| Carl Whyte | 32 | Salisbury, Maryland Salisbury, Maryland -Demographics:Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Salisbury metropolitan area and the Ocean Pines micropolitan area , which had a combined population of 176,657 at the 2010 census.As of the census of 2000, there were... |
| Piri "Petey" Borja | 25 | Coral Springs, Florida Coral Springs, Florida Coral Springs, officially chartered July 10, 1963, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 121,096... |
| John Lepak | 30 | La Habra Heights, California La Habra Heights, California La Habra Heights is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2010 census, down from 5,712 at the 2000 census. La Habra Heights is a rural canyon community located on the border of Orange and Los Angeles County. The zoning is lots with a variety of... |
| Oren Geri | 37 | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| David Byrne | 23 | Essex, Ontario Essex, Ontario Essex is a town with a population of 20,032 in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, whose municipal borders extend to Lake Erie. Essex is also the name of the largest community within the municipality. The present mayor is Ron McDermott... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
| Robbie "Shank" Biershenk | 34 | Greenville, South Carolina Greenville, South Carolina -Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families... |
| Russell Normandin | 36 | Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border.... |
| Justin Payne | 30 | Floydada, Texas Floydada, Texas Floydada is a city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,038 at the 2010 census.-History:According to the Texas State Historical Association, the community of Floydada, originally named Floyd City, was established on 640 acres of land donated by James B.... |
| Robert Floyd | 35 | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Palm Beach Gardens is a city in Palm Beach County in the U.S. state of Florida. The city is in the center of a rapidly-developing area north of West Palm Beach in the northern part of the county and the South Florida metropolitan area. , the population was 48,452... |
Elimination Chart
| Contestant | Ep. 1 | Ep. 2 | Ep. 3 | Ep. 4 | Ep. 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will | $6100 | ||||
| Kent | $5650 | ||||
| Carl | $4950 | ||||
| John | $5200 | ||||
| Oren | $4200 | ||||
| David | $5550 | ||||
| Robbie | $5900 | ||||
| Piri | $ 0 | IN | |||
| Russell | $4850 | $ 0 | |||
| Justin | $4750 | $ 0 | |||
| Robert | $5600 | $ 0 | |||
- Contestant was Eliminated
- Contestant participated in the Elimination Challenge
- Contestant is the current Money Leader
- Contestant is Safe from Elimination
Big Break IrelandBig Break IrelandBig Break Ireland was the 16th edition of the Golf Channel reality show, The Big Break. It was contested in the K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland. It premiered on September 20, 2011...
Big Break Ireland is contested in the K Club in StraffanStraffan
Sruthán was mistakenly cited by Thomas O'Connor in the Ordnance Survey Letters in 1837, and adopted as the Irish form of Straffan. Seosamh Laoide used it in his list of Irish names of post-offices published in Post-Sheanchas . An Sruthán gained currency among those involved in the Irish revival...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It premiered on September 20, 2011. Mark Murphy won the season finale against Julien Trudeau.
Team Liffey
| Contestant | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Mallory Blackwelder | 24 | Versailles, Kentucky Versailles, Kentucky As of the census of 2000, there were 7,511 people, 3,160 households, and 2,110 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,330 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 8.67% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.35%... |
| Annie Brophy | 24 | Spokane, Washington Spokane, Washington Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region... |
| Kelly Jacques | 25 | Thornton, Colorado Thornton, Colorado The city of Thornton is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado and a suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thornton is northeast of the state's capital, Denver. The United States Census Bureau that the city population... |
| Matt Melrose | 27 | Mulanje Mulanje Mulanje is a town in the Southern Region of Malawi close to the border of Mozambique. It is near the Mulanje Massif.Mulanje is the headquarters of the conservation group, the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust.... , Malawi Malawi The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size... |
| Mark Murphy | 34 | Waterville Waterville Waterville is the name of several places.In Russia* Waterville, St.-Petersburg, a water park attached to the Park Inn Pribaltiyskaya HotelIn the United States:* Waterville, Iowa* Waterville, Kansas* Waterville, Maine* Waterville, Minnesota... , Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... (Winner) |
| Andy Walker | 36 | Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data... |
Team Straffan
| Contestant | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Campbell | 23 | Cheltenham Cheltenham Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
| Bennett Maik | 26 | Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... |
| Nina Rodriguez | 27 | San Jose, California San Jose, California San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay... |
| Nicole Smith | 24 | Riverside, California Riverside, California Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California... |
| Whitney Wright | 26 | Greenville, South Carolina Greenville, South Carolina -Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families... |
| Julien Trudeau | 30 | Montréal, Canada |