'The Ultimate Surfer' Was Filmed at This State-of-the-Art Surf Ranch
Where is 'The Ultimate Surfer' filmed? ABC's latest reality TV show was filmed in a city located far away from the sandy beaches of California.
Aug. 23 2021, Published 5:55 p.m. ET
ABC's latest reality TV show, The Ultimate Surfer, challenges 14 extreme athletes to demonstrate how well they can ride the waves, elbow out the kooks, and pour all their might into winning the prestigious competition and the $100,000 cash prize. Hosted by Jesse Palmer, The Ultimate Surfer promises hours worth of unparalleled entertainment — and a healthy dose of intrigue. So, where was the show filmed?
'The Ultimate Surfer' was filmed in a city, two hours away from the beach.
Like other reality television shows, The Ultimate Surfer requires contestants to move in and attend training sessions together, form alliances, and engage in the heated group dynamics. The Ultimate Surfer was filmed at The World Surf League's Surf Ranch in Lemoore, Calif.
Renowned for its unparalleled facilities and state-of-the-art design, The World Surf League's Surf Ranch boasts a 2,000-foot long, 500-foot-wide basin generating some of the best and most challenging waves in the world. The brainchild of Kelly Slater and the Kelly Slater Wave Company, it served as the location of the 2018 Championship Tour contest.
Kelly Slater, the most decorated surfer of all time and the creator of The World Surf League's Surf Ranch, will also serve as a special correspondent on The Ultimate Surfer. Other cast members include Erin Coscarelli, a sportscaster many will recognize from NFL: Top 10, Fantasy and Friends, and Joe Turpel, a WSL commentator often hailed as the modern voice of surfing.
Alejandro Moreda, Mason Barnes, and Kayla Durden are some of the surfers vying for first place in the competition.
In addition to the $100,000 cash prize, the 14 contestants appearing on The Ultimate Surfer are competing for the chance to partake in the WSL Championship Tour. As one of the stars, Kayla Durden, told First Coast News, she treated The Ultimate Surfer like a golden ticket into the world of pro surfing.
"The way surfing works is there are multiple levels to becoming a pro. There's the world tour and then a qualifying tour, which I've been on for a couple of years. It's really difficult. As an East Coast surfer, it's nearly impossible to qualify," she explained. "I usually come home and have to work to kind of pay for the next event. So, for me, it was kind of like this golden ticket."
"There are seven girls. When I'm competing on the qualifiers, there are 500 girls," she added. "I like my odds."
Kayla will be competing against six mightily talented female surfers: Anastasia Ashley, Tia Blanco, Brianna Cope, Malia Ward, Bruna Zaun, and Juli Hernandez. Kai Barger, Austin Clouse, Luke Davis, Ezekiel Lau, Koa Smith, Alejandro Moreda, and Mason Barnes make up the male contingent.
When was Season 1 of 'The Ultimate Surfer' filmed?
The shooting of Season 1 of The Ultimate Surfer was set to begin in April 2020, with May 2020 as the proposed end date. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed until August 2020, per Deadline.
New episodes of The Ultimate Surfer air Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.
