ABC Announces the Cast of "The Ultimate Surfer"
Get stoked for the two-night premiere of ABC's new summer series "The Ultimate Surfer" airing Monday, Aug. 23, and Tuesday, Aug. 24 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), following all-new episodes of "Bachelor in Paradise." Former NFL quarterback Jesse Palmer is set to host the surf competition series with sports anchor Erin Coscarelli and the iconic voice of professional surfing Joe Turpel to serve as commentators. Eleven-time surfing world champion Kelly Slater is the lead consultant and also serves as a special correspondent.
The surfers competing for the title of The Ultimate Surfer this season include the following:
Anastasia Ashley – 33, Miami Beach, Fla.
Kai Barger – 30, Haiku, Hawaii
Mason Barnes – 26, Venice, Calif.
Tia Blanco – 23, Oceanside, Calif.
Austin Clouse – 26, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
Brianna Cope – 25, Koloa, Hawaii
Luke Davis – 27, Los Angeles, Calif.
Kayla Durden – 27, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
Juli Hernandez – 22, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Zeke Lau – 26, Honolulu, Hawaii
Alejandro Moreda – 34, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Koa Smith – 25, Kilauea, Kauai
Malia Ward – 22, San Clemente, Calif.
Bruna Zaun – 30, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
"The Ultimate Surfer" will gather some of the world's greatest up-and-coming surfers to train and live together as they battle it out at the World Surf League's (WSL) state-of-the-art Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California, powered by Kelly Slater's human-made wave technology, in the hope of competing amongst the best athletes in the world's fastest-growing sport.
Alliances and rivalries will be front and center in "The Ultimate Surfer" as men and women compete in individual and team challenges focused on specific surfing disciplines. Weekly eliminations will leave two men and two women as finalists who will vie for the male and female titles of the The Ultimate Surfer and the opportunity to compete on the elite WSL Championship Tour, the pinnacle of professional surfing. Slater's remarkable, one-of-a-kind, human-made wave—the most even playing field for measuring surf mastery—is at the heart of the series.
"The Ultimate Surfer" is produced by Lionsgate's Pilgrim Media Group and WSL Studios. President of Lionsgate Nonfiction Television and Pilgrim CEO and Chair Craig Piligian, WSL CEO Erik Logan, UFC President Dana White and Faye Stapleton serve as executive producers.