WEEK 1

Lori Atsedes

Imagine 12 ladies playing golf in Hawaii for two weeks with all expenses paid and competing in “Big Break” on GOLF CHANNEL – it just doesn’t get much better than that if you love golf!

While flying to Maui, my mind was racing thinking about the 11 other competitors. Would I know any of them? Would I like them and would we get along? Fear of the unknown, however, changed into a pleasant sigh of relief when I recognized five of the other contestants from competing against them on the Duramed Futures Tour.

There were also concerns about the show and if it would be like “Survivor.” After orientation, that too was answered as it became clear to me who would bond, who the strong players were, who the rookies were, and who my main competition would be. Uncertainty turned to confidence, and I immediately planned my strategy. Similar to “Survivor,” strong alliances were formed, one of which was the Duramed Futures Tour players.

During our time together I learned that it’s OK to remove the mask, to be vulnerable, and to open up and reveal the real Lori. I decided to branch out and attempt to befriend the others outside my group. The result was making new friends!

This type of show will bring out the best and worst in us. Some are happy-go-lucky, some cutthroat, and some just good ole’ American Pie girls. All in all, it is still a competition with golf being the common thread that holds us together – or tears us apart. Keep watching, you may see someone you will love to hate.

Brendan Havens, Producer

December 6, 2007
5:06 a.m.
Lahaina, Maui

I am awakened by the sound of a driving rain. I’ve been in Hawaii for seven days, and the sound has become surprisingly commonplace. The only reason I’ve been stirred awake by this noise today is because it’s the first shoot day at ‘Big Break: Ka’anapali.’

Upon my arrival at the Maui International airport a week prior, I had been informed by one of the locals that they were bracing themselves for some “Kona weather.” My immediate thought was “What the hell is Kona weather?,” followed by “I’m not sure I like the way that sounds.” I’m in Hawaii, though. It was a beautiful breezy evening, and I had been standing in this exact spot not more than two months prior after spending four sun-filled days scouting the course/resort in preparation for the shoot. Nothing I had previously experienced would lead me to believe that there would be nothing but beautiful weather, and lots of it for the next three weeks. I would heavily regret that thought about 12 hours later.

Kona weather is caused when the trade winds (which come from the northeast) switch to Kona winds (which come from the southwest). When the trade winds blow, the northwestern section of Maui (which is where Ka’anapali is located) is just absolute paradise, as all the rain and nasty weather is blocked by the west Maui mountains. When the Kona winds come, there’s nothing to protect that section of the island from inclement weather, so whatever storms brew out in the Pacific slam directly into the west side of the island. I had been in Maui for not even a full day, and what followed for the next seven days was some of the worst weather Maui had seen in 20 or 30 years, and some of the heaviest downpours I’ve ever experienced in person. This is coming from someone who lived thru the Central Florida hurricanes in the summer of 2004.

The week before shooting a Big Break is usually spent nailing down all the small details on site by various members of the production crew. In my case, there were two major details to contend with: the final logistics for the competitors race to the golf course and the two golf challenges in the first episode. For the five months prior to arriving in Maui, all challenges for every episode are conceptualized, tweaked several times, and eventually finalized. All that time, I was envisioning brilliant blue skies, a soft cool breeze, and a perfectly manicured golf course. I mean, it’s Hawaii, what else should be expected? So, when you’re less than a week away from the first golf shot being hit on ‘Big Break: Ka’anapali’ and there’s nothing but torrential downpours, tropical storm strength winds, and a golf course completely underwater, panic slowly starts to set in.

The day after all the competitors arrived (one day before the first shot is hit) the plan was to shoot all of the show open elements with the ladies out on a boat just off the shoreline at Ka’anapali. This would not happen as scheduled. (The shots you see in the open of all the ladies on the boat was shot on the one off-day halfway through the shoot) In fact, on this day, the day we’re supposed to be out in the middle of the ocean on a catamaran, the worst storm to hit western Maui in 30 years decided to make its way on shore. Luckily, we had put a contingency plan into effect two days prior, anticipating the worst. There’s an aquarium about 10 minutes from Ka’anapali and we managed to get clearance to film all the girls close up shots inside this aquarium. So, all those cool shots you’ve been seeing in promos for the series… that was a contingency plan. Not bad, huh?

That’s not to say plan B went off without a hitch. While we were filming inside the aquarium, the weather outside got so bad that the roof of the aquarium started leaking…like, get-a-giant-garbage-can-to-catch-all-this-water type leaks. We ended up getting stranded there for most of the afternoon because the only road back to Ka’anapali had flooded completely over. And, we still were not sure if the course would be anywhere near playable in less than 24 hours.

It’s now around 5:30 a.m., the morning of December 6. I get out of bed and draw the shade back from the sliding glass door in my hotel room to see what we have in store. As expected, the rain is still coming down and our first shoot day is in serious jeopardy. I get dressed and head to the hotel restaurant to get some breakfast, and discuss our options. Over our eggs, French toast, and Kona blend coffee we weigh every possible scenario. Can we shoot today? If we can’t, how can we make up the time? Is it even possible to push the entire shoot back one day (which it wasn’t), etc.? We were mere minutes from declaring the day a complete wash (no pun intended) when we hear the rain begin to let up. We emerge from the hotel to see a break in the clouds. There was no sunshine, but it was as much of a break as we’d seen in days, so right then and there we decided to go full speed ahead and see if we could actually pull off this race. But we were in for yet another surprise.

We arrive at the section of beach that we’d scouted to start the race. Mind you, we were standing on this very spot just six days ago and there was this beautiful wide, flat, pristine piece of shoreline. What we were now looking at was barely recognizable. Driftwood and random debris coated every inch of the beach. And to make matters even worse, the shoreline had been knocked back almost 20 ft by the unusually surging swells that had bombarded the beach for the past six days turning the normally crystal clear blue waters to a murky brown. There was also a battered, shipwrecked sail boat that washed ashore right where we had planned on starting the race, which just added to the incredibly eerie feeling of that morning. However, luck finally started turning in our favor. A state commissioned beach cleanup crew arrived just when we did and they volunteered to help clear off the section of beach that we needed to use. For the first time all week, I actually got the sense that we may get this done.

After a couple of heavy, but short downpours, we were actually ready to run this race. All the waiting, planning, and stressing would all be worth it… as long as Mother Nature would cooperate with us for just a little bit… and for 20 minutes she did. Team Pink and Team Orange finished neck and neck and then right before Team Purple came driving up to the tee, as you could see in the show, another downpour hits. I kid you not, the second we stopped rolling cameras, the rain immediately stopped, and the sun came out for the first time in seven days.

Now, I attribute this entire weather fiasco to one of two occurrences. The first would be an incident back in October while we were scouting the course at Ka’anapali. The general manager of the Ka’anapali golf courses, Ed Kageyama, was prompted with the following question, “What’s the weather like the time of year we’re shooting?” His response was, “The winter is the rainy season, but we only get like seven inches of rain a year, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.” The official rain total for that first week was 14 inches. That’s right…double the annual rainfall in one week.

The second incident would be when we conceptualized and executed the start of the race. We took a Hawaiian tiki god, shoved a clue in it, and buried it in the sand. Hmm… or maybe it was just the Kona weather.

WEEK 2

Personality Struggles

Lori Atsedes

I am the nicest bully you would ever want to know! Keep that in mind as you watch the excitement unfold!

I’m sure everyone is wondering why the golf reality show started out on the beach. Well, after 12 inches of rain and severe storms, the island all but shut down. With roads closed and power out all that was left was the beach. Thank goodness I’m better on the golf course! It was a different beginning, but for us die hard “Survivor” fans, it was cool.

This show was tough because going into the challenge, the weakest player was protected from elimination.

The first week also revealed some strong personality struggles. I’m stubborn and headstrong and drew the same type of person as my roommate. In this instance it worked out best for me, though. Our room may be intense, but I like to look at it as iron sharpening iron!

Well, down to business. The challenge was crazy! If we had to play in the team format, I’m glad Christina was my teammate. When we decided what spot we wanted, we wanted it! Unfortunately, it came down to a shoving match, but in the heat of the battle sometimes it gets dirty. In the end we had to concede and pick a new spot. We looked like the bad guys, but we can handle it. For me, it simply comes down to golf. The best and strongest survive.

The challenge didn’t go our way and we headed to elimination. Honestly, it stinks! I really can't believe that the shortest hitter connects with the grid! Can you believe that? As I have realized, there is no justice in golf.

The Big Break so far has been unusual, sometimes predictable, but all in all, a great watch! And by the way, this Sponge Bob could kick your a** on the golf course!

Brendan Havens, Producer

A Day in the Life

As I’m sure you could tell from last week’s blog and episode, show 1 was not your typical Big Break experience. With that in mind, I figured this week would be a good opportunity to take you through a typical day in the life of a producer on a Big Break shoot, using episode 2 as a backdrop. So, all you aspiring producers, directors, etc., start taking notes. This TV thing ain’t as glamorous as you may think it is.

My day begins at about 6:15 a.m. I roll out of bed and head down to the main restaurant at the Sheraton for a buffet-style breakfast. At the breakfast table, me and a few of the other producers will discuss what was said during the interviews the night before, and what interactions we should be paying close attention to during the day’s shoot. Even though we really have no control over what the girls say or do (contrary to popular belief, we do not script any of that) we can at least focus in on certain storylines that have come up within the natural progression of the challenges, living situations, individual personalities, etc. Essentially, everything we set up before hand (teams, roommates, challenges, the cast of the series, etc.) should set up all our preconceived storylines. Sometimes they work just the way we figured, other times they fail miserably. That is when we have to keep a close eye on every interaction before, during, and after challenges in order to follow the stories that unexpectedly crop up. At this early point in the shoot, though, there’s not a ton of stuff to report on, but we can definitely see some things starting to bubble up from underneath the surface.

After a quick, but delicious breakfast (thank you Sheraton Maui!) we’re off to the course at around 7:30 a.m. Upon arrival at the course, two producers along with two camera/audio teams head straight for the range to do some short interviews and shoot b-roll of the girls who have just started warming up. Another producer, along with the hosts, and eight more camera crews make their way out to the first challenge of the day. Already at the challenge are the director, props team, and an assortment of production coordinators, production assistants, legal representation, sales/marketing people and a few assorted course personnel. This process is repeated between every challenge during the day. I would describe the process of creating this type of TV as controlled chaos. Much more can go wrong than can go right.

Around 9:00 a.m. we’re ready to bring the girls out to the challenge. In the instance of show 2, we will shoot the challenge intro, they will choose their distance to hit from, and we will start the golf immediately after that. Well, the first two parts of that equation were executed without incident…until we see an argument brewing between the teams of Christina/Lori and Dana/Susan. As you saw in the show, there was a dispute about who got to the distance marker first and to make matters more complicated, there was also the issue of the “shove” by Christina on Susan, which ticked off Dana more than any of the four involved.

While all this was getting sorted out, we could see a huge storm front moving right toward us (yup, the weather pattern had not quite gotten better yet). We knew it would be ugly since the entire island of Lanai (which we could see from the fairway) completely disappeared behind a deluge of rain. Five minutes later, everyone was huddled under umbrellas and carts in complete duck-and-cover mode. After about 15 minutes of intense wind and rain, the front passed. But, now we have a bigger problem on our hands. All the distance markers and the circle on the green had washed away completely (we use environmentally friendly marble dust for that, which is the same stuff used to “paint” the foul lines at baseball stadiums). So, our props team has to redo all those now, and we can see another front moving in. We get all the necessary distance markers painted again and almost immediately after that’s accomplished, the next front hits. In order to save these lines from another complete washout, me and other assorted production staff get down on the ground with umbrellas to shield them from the rain. It was somewhere during this time when I was pretty sure I would have a complete nervous breakdown. It was now after 11:00 a.m., and not a single golf shot had been hit. According to the original schedule, we should be starting the second challenge of the day. Just as I was about to fall completely off the edge of sanity and rational thought, the rain stopped and our window of opportunity had opened. The circle on the green was repainted and the first shot of the challenge was hit at just after 11:30 a.m. The challenge itself takes no more than 20 minutes to complete and as the crew breaks for lunch, yup, you guessed it, the sun comes out.

Fearing that our opportunity for sunlight will be small, lunch is short. Me, the director, and the props team actually work through lunch in order to set up the next challenge. The swift work of the crew has not gotten us back on schedule, but as long as the weather holds off, we should be able to shoot the rest of the show before we lose all daylight.

Now, a funny thing happened on the way to starting the driving portion of the second challenge. When setting it up, the hole was playing uphill, but downwind, as the Kona Winds were still blowing. Well, at some point between 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m., the Kona Winds completely switched back to the Trade Winds. The good news was that the awful weather patterns we had experienced for the last week would now be over. The bad news was that the challenge we just set up was now playing dead into the wind, and it was too late for us to move up the tee. What was a 180-yard carry to the front of the driving grid was now playing a good 220-230 yards. Oops. My sincere apologies to the girls and to the viewers on that one.

It was now 3:30 p.m., time for the final challenge of the day. Although we were still about one hour behind the original schedule, it didn’t matter. With two hours of daylight left, we would have no problem finishing the challenge before it got dark. I was very excited to see how this turned out. The first ever “performance based” elimination. I absolutely loved this concept (as I hope you all did as well) and finally, a challenge went off without a hitch (except for Susan almost telling Tina that Courtney was safe when she finished her second hole, but thankfully, Tina never heard what she said). The sun came out and bathed us all in a beautiful rich late afternoon sunlight. We were also witness to some extremely compelling golf under the most pressure packed of circumstances. The performances by Courtney and Tina under that intense pressure actually got Andrew Magee a little choked up. Hopefully he won’t hurt me for revealing that, but it’s true, it happened.

Right around 5:00 p.m. it was a wrap at the course. However, for me and the other producers, our day will not be over for another five-six hours. We have just enough time to get back to our rooms, shower, and eat dinner before starting our nightly interviews. At this point in the shoot, there are four producers conducting these interviews, with each of us conducting three interviews a piece. Each interview takes about one hour and let me tell you, by the end of the last one, I am completely spent. It’s around 10:30 p.m. and I’ve got my wakeup call set for 6:15 a.m. the next morning. This process will basically repeat itself for the next 10 days. It’s totally exhausting, but when the whole shoot is over and done with, it’s definitely bittersweet. Being in such close proximity with each other for 14 hours/day, the entire crew becomes a very close knit group (for better or worse) during the filming of this series. Even with the exhaustion factor, it’s still tough when it comes to an end (I’m sure leaving Hawaii contributes to that feeling too). I guess shooting a Big Break is kind of like summer camp…without the kickball and campfires.

WEEK 3

Time to Learn

Lori Atsedes

Cirbie, Cirbie, Cirbie! We love you lots, but that was a little ridiculous. On the LPGA that could have cost you friends, certainly strokes and a bunch of money. Not to mention a reputation for being unbearably slow. Trust me, you do not want that. Forty seconds is a long time to take on a golf shot while fourteen minutes is unthinkable. You could watch half an episode of The Office in that time. Hopefully, it was a lesson learned for you. Thankfully for us, no one got hurt!

It was a different, but delightful feeling to not be in golf mode all day. Making it through the challenge early got me a day relaxing in the BMW zone. I love playing golf and competing but I was glad to get to relax and enjoy the Hawaii sun while the other girls fought it out.

People have been asking me when someone is going to get “kicked off the island.” I don't want to see anyone go, but I'm ready to get on with the eliminations. (Remember, I got to hang out in the BMW zone all day.) Someone needs to go home. Well, as you can tell by this week's show, the Big Break has finally begun. The first walk of shame was taken. The show gets tougher as it gets narrowed down to the finals. I know there are certain people I'm sure you would like to see go. Well, be careful what you wish for because you just might become a fan if you give it some time.

I hope you are looking forward to the best drama on Tuesday nights. See you then!

Brendan Havens, Producer

Hello, Goodbye

Big Break: Garrett Garland
Big Break Vegas: Jay McNair
Big Break Ladies Only: Tasha Browner
Big Break Carnoustie: Bart Lower
Big Break Hawaii: Jo D. Duncan
Big Break Trump National: Karyn Stordahl-Utecht
Big Break Reunion: Cindy Miller, Gary Ostrega
Big Break Mesquite: Roger Fonnest Jr.
Big Break Ka’anapali: Cirbie Sheppard

It’s inevitable. Nobody ever wants to be the first to leave the party, but someone has to and Cirbie Sheppard is now the latest to be pinned with that dubious distinction. To me, it’s really interesting that there’s so much stigma associated with being the first eliminated. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter whether you’re first or last to go. Either way, you didn’t win. Although, when I really think about it, I guess the biggest problem with being the first eliminated is the assumed notion that if you go first, you suck (let’s keep it real here folks, that's what many of you think). Maybe that’s why every first goodbye that I’ve been witness to always seems to have an air of tragedy. However, if you get to the end and lose, isn’t that more tragic? So, is it really worse to lose first and not even have a chance, or get all the way to the end and fail…but I digress.

The first goodbye that I witnessed in person was that of Jay McNair. At that point in my Big Break career, I was in charge of measuring distances to the hole in closest to the pin challenges, shagging golf balls during challenges, and trying not to pass out in the 110-degree heat. This series, I guess you could say, was my big break (pun intended). The most tragic part of Jay’s goodbye was the fact that he was the viewers’ choice to compete in the series (this began the “Curse of the Viewer’s Choice” as Bart was eliminated first in the next series). Not sure how many of you remember that whole thing, but we actually had a live vote-in show right before we shot the series to see who would be our 10th competitor. It was between Jay McNair (the school teacher from Tampa), TJ Cosgrove (the teaching pro at Isleworth CC), Culley Howard (the former flight attendant), and Miles Kirkpatrick (the college student). Jay won by an extraordinarily slim margin, and off he went to Vegas…and then came back as soon as he left. That was another tragedy of being the first eliminated. For Big Breaks 1, 2 and 3, all eliminated competitors were literally sent home the next morning (and sometimes the same evening). It was actually pretty harsh. Not until Carnoustie did we start keeping everyone around for the entire shoot.

My next first elimination I was a part of was perhaps one of the most shocking in the history of the series: Jo D. She came within one shot of being immune during the first challenge of the show, and was subsequently eliminated by…Nikki. That was one of those where the entire crew looked around at each other after it was over and had that look of “what the hell just happened?!” My first show as one of the co-producers, and this is what happens. I was so excited! Felt bad for Jo D., of course, but what a shocker to start my series! I distinctly remember the feeling as that day wore on. Keep in mind, this was the first time that someone would be eliminated in the first episode, and as an added “bonus,” they were all told that whoever was eliminated that day would also be leaving Hawaii. We actually lied about that. We kept Jo D. hidden from all the competitors until her reveal during the playback show. Sometimes you have to do that for dramatic effect. Am I proud of that fact? Not really, but it sure makes some interesting TV.

Reunion’s first elimination was an extremely interesting one from an emotional standpoint. First off, everyone who participated in the series had already been eliminated at one point (except Bri). So, not only had they tasted elimination before, they may now taste it again. This was the dilemma facing the first to be eliminated from Big Break Reunion: Cindy Miller, who everyone loves, and Gary Ostrega, who was not loved by many of the competitors. Cindy, while disappointed, was extraordinarily gracious upon her departure. Gary, on the other hand, was not. What made this so tough to take for Gary was not just being eliminated first, but he was beaten by Mark Farnham who was not exactly the most skilled of competitors (it’s OK; Mark knows it, too). Gary’s reaction to his elimination did not happen on the course; it happened when he got back to pack his bags to move into the eliminated competitors house. According to Mark, and a few of the other competitors, Gary proceeded to trash Mark’s bathroom. I believe there was also a rather unsavory worded note left for Mark as well, but that I cannot totally confirm. Ask Mark on the discussion boards about it.

And that brings us to our most recent departure: Cirbie. She fought hard, and was very gracious in defeat, but I could almost sense a bit of relief out of her when she was eliminated. She knew she was overmatched, and now that it was over, she could relax and not have to worry about how she could compete with all of these girls day in and day out.

So really, I guess with everything, it comes down to perspective. To be eliminated first, you never get the chance to even make it to the end. Never have the possibility of winning the whole thing. On the other hand, Cirbie did get a free Hawaiian vacation out of it. So, she’s got that going for her…which is nice.

WEEK 4

Lori Atsedes

Once again we see that the most talented player doesn't always win at the game of golf. Even the best in the world don't win week in and week out. Golf certainly has a way of humbling us just when we think we have it all figured out.

The Big Break is a whole new challenge because often we go to the course and only hit one or two shots. But, those couple of shots need to be perfect. On any other day, you have eighteen holes. So, if you mess up the first hole, no worries, you can get it back. Out here, you get one shot. That can cause quite the emotional roller coaster.

Now, one of the strongest players and one of the weakest players is enjoying a paid vacation in Hawaii after taking the walk of shame. Young players new to the game generally don't have any fear and that can make them dangerous. On the other hand, over the long haul, players with experience usually prevail (just not this week!). Really though, it's the not knowing who may prevail on any given day that makes golf and sport in general exciting and worth watching. Add all the drama happening on this island and you've got quite a show!

Once again, I find myself thankful for my talent and all it has provided me. And, I'm glad I learned to be tough when I was younger. That makes handling all this drama a walk in the park! Until next week…Enjoy!

Brendan Havens, Producer

Staple it Together

600 hours of video tape. That’s how much we have to work with. That, in turn, needs to be boiled down into 12 episodes, which comes out to be about 9 hours of television. No, that’s not a typo. Each episode is really only 44 minutes and 56 minutes of programming. Yup, you get 15 minutes of commercials every time you tune into an episode of Big Break Ka’anapali. I know, it sucks. So, with all this footage and so little show time to fit it into, how the heck does any of this get accomplished? Well, I suppose I’ll have to tell you now that it’s been so built up.

First off, when putting the series together in post production, I’m not the only Producer putting this show together. There are actually 2 Producer/Editor teams and we split the shows down the middle. In case you were wondering, I have the odd # shows in the series and this is how they all make it to your television sets.

Phase 1: Outline
This is where I’ll break up all the challenge sections, ranges, montages, etc into 7 segments. I will then take into account what our series long storylines, and our episode storylines will be for this particular episode and how they will relate to each challenge. Basically, I create the perfect imaginary episode, and hopefully we have all the parts in place to make it happen.

Phase 2: Conceptualize
For every episode, all interviews are logged word for word. This is a crucial point of preparation as the interviews, when teamed up with Andrew, Stina, and what the girls say on the golf course during the challenges, will tell the story of each episode. After reading thru a couple hundred pages of these transcribed interviews and pick out the music tracks for each challenge, I’m ready to sit with my editor and make some TV.

Phase 3: Create
This is my favorite part of the process. The actual construction of the show. What we’ll do, and I say “we” because Trish Stephens (my editor) is one of the most important parts of the creation process. I’m mainly responsible for telling the story of each episode thru sound bites and music. Trish is the one who makes sure the story is being told from a visual perspective, and also is another set of eyes and ears to make sure the storylines I’ve planned out continue to make sense throughout the entire episode. Our 1st step is to put down our music track, and pace out the sound bites and action over the piece of music. Once that is completed, we will go thru section by section, shot by shot and put in all our video. How do we sort thru all that footage you may ask? Well, in the edit room, we have a computer screen split into 9 different screens so we can actually see all 9 cameras rolling during each challenge at once. It’s from there that we can see all the action happening from different angles. It takes about week and a half to 2 weeks to complete the 1st cut of an episode.

Phase 4: Approvals
This is where I pass off the 1st cut of the episode to the Director, Executive Producer, the President of The Golf Channel and a couple assorted VP’s. Once each of them watch the show, they will inevitably have a list of things that they’d like to have changed, removed, or added. Where the creation phase is my favorite, the approval phase is my least favorite. It’s always difficult changing something you’ve worked so hard on, but hey, that’s part of my job and although I hate to admit it…I’m not always right.

Phase 5: Completion
Once we make all our changes, it’s time for all the small little details that go into completing an episode. We’ll time out the show to exactly 44 minutes and 56 seconds, another editor will color correct each video clip (which is a fancy way of saying “make look pretty”), our audio engineer will mix all the audio, and we will insert all the graphics. Once all this is completed, the show is dubbed to a tape and broadcast to over 70-million homes worldwide. The entire process from phase 1 - phase 5, takes roughly 3-4 weeks.

So there you have it. All 2,696 seconds of it. It’s a ton of work and dedication, but as long as the majority of you continue to enjoy every one of those seconds, then I’ve done my job. And yes, I say majority because I’ve learned after 4 seasons of producing this show, I can never make everyone happy…but I can sure try.

WEEK 5

Lori Atsedes

My favorite challenge, the glass break. This is the challenge I was looking forward to as soon as I heard I got to be on the show. Trying to actually break something was a thrill. When we did, the sound of all that glass breaking was amazing.

Honestly, I was glad I was not the last one picked. I know Christina wasn't too happy about being picked last, but who would? Remember in grade school when everyone was picking teams for a game of kickball? That poor kid who got picked last. No one likes that feeling of not being wanted first. But Christina is tough and she'll get over it.

Once the challenge was over I think everyone was once again very surprised about Susan's good play. I cannot figure her out! I'm not the only one shocked by how great she is playing. I think it comes back to fear and the fact she doesn't have any. Susan is young to the game and maybe hasn't played long enough to experience what it's like to have to make a cut, make a putt, finish in the top-10 so you can make a car payment, pay your health insurance or have enough money to play the next week. It's different when you have to make birdies for a living. Until you do it, it may be harder to understand. It adds a different kind of pressure. I spoke with Susan after she missed the cut in the last Duramed FUTURES Tour event. Her only comment about the tournament was that she learned a lot. Soon, she will find out there is much more to being a professional golfer than just hitting the ball.

It doesn't matter if you are 44 years old or 22, golf will always teach you something about yourself and about life. Keep watching and I'm sure you will learn something, too! Until next week…Enjoy!

Brendan Havens, Producer

Seen and Not Seen

Last week I explained how each show is put together and eventually makes it on the air. A painstaking process in which there is inevitably going to be a lot of footage that never sees the light of day. In the spirit of that, this week I will clue you all into a few behind-the-scenes moments which did not make it into the show, or even on camera, for that matter.

While shooting each challenge, we are, for the most part, completely isolated from the rest of the world. The entire golf course we’re on is shut down for the day, and more often than not, we’re shooting on a hole that is far removed from any public onlookers. Any people seen on camera, other than the competitors of course, are normally supposed to be there. Occasionally though, we have no choice but to shoot near areas where an average Joe can happen to walk by and see an elimination challenge in full swing. Thinking back to “Big Break V,” I will always be haunted by the image of a lone jogger that happened upon a putting challenge about midway through the shoot. Just the fact that he stopped to watch isn’t what haunts me. The fact that he made the unfortunate wardrobe choice of red, white and blue Richard Simmons-style shorts with a matching tank top to boot, and continued to jog in place…directly in Ashley Prange’s line of sight was enough to give me nightmares for months thereafter. But, I digress…

In this week’s show, we shot the elimination challenge on the 18th hole of Ka’anapali’s Royal Course. Normally, we would stay away from such a publically populated area, but this was one of the only holes (on either the Royal or Kai golf courses) where water comes into play on the approach shot. Following the simple equation of “water + elimination challenge = awesome drama,” it was a logistical nightmare that we couldn’t pass up. So the consequence we had to face was the fact that about 30 or so people would see someone get eliminated. Legally we can get around this by having each and every one of them sign a release form that basically states that “if any info is leaked pertaining to the show’s confidentiality, we can sue the crap out of you.” So, what we ended up having for this elimination challenge was a small gallery of about 30 people cheering on Kim, Susan and Dana from the balcony of the clubhouse which skirts the 18th green.

At one point during this elimination challenge, I was standing next to the BMW Zone, and I see a few of the girls smiling and waving to someone up in the clubhouse. Of course, the first thing that passes through my head is the very thoughtful and profound “HUH???”. So, of course, I must see who the heck they’re waving at. So I shade my eyes, scan the crowd perched on the balcony, and who do I see? Cirbie, Adrienne, and Liz. Yup. Our 3 eliminated competitors apparently decided to stop in and get some lunch between snorkeling and sunbathing. Oh well, I thought. I guess of all the people up there, the three of them have the most right to see who gets eliminated. If you look real carefully (this is for all you out there with TIVO) there’s one shot of Kim walking on the green during the elimination where for a split second you can see the three of them watching from the balcony.

Another interesting occurrence during the elimination has to do with Susan. As we all witnessed, in complete shock I would imagine, Susan chips in, and then comes a few feet from holing out her next shot from 140 yards. I think Christina summed up the entire crews feelings perfectly when she said “I’m just in shock, I mean, I think we’ve totally underestimated her.” I mean, here’s this girl who turned professional the day before the series began shooting; she’s put into a situation where we’ve seen some extremely seasoned and extraordinarily talented golfers completely crumble under the pressure, and she completely destroys the first two locations of the elimination challenge. In her own words, she played “fearless golf.” So, what made this situation even more bizarre (and kinda funny, too) is something that you didn’t see. Once Susan finished the third location, and was safe and onto the next show, she joined the rest of the group in the BMW Zone. She stands up on the bench to watch the playoff between Kim and Dana, and promptly begins to shriek in terror, jumping off the bench and running around in circles flailing her hands and arms. The reason…a bee was buzzing a little too close to her. OK. Now, this was the same girl that no more than 15 minutes earlier faced one of the most frightening scenarios that any golfer will face in their entire career (outside of competing for a major championship, from what I’ve been told by a number of competitors on this show). Not only did she stare down elimination, she fearlessly stomped on it. And now, the mere sight of a little bee sends her into freak-out mode. But, I guess that’s Susan. You never can quite figure her out.

WEEK 6

Lori Atsedes

The Brittanys. What a hoot! The tour players got to lead the challenge. I think they realized: it's not as easy as it looks. The words of encouragement Brittany Lincicome had for us were spot on. She reminded us when you're on the first tee and nervous, be confident and stick to your game plan. Even with those words, Miss Lincicome missed the green with her first shot. The cameras didn't show it and she confessed she got really nervous. Even for multiple winners on the LPGA, the Big Break can bring out a different kind of pressure. It makes the best of us nervous! Even the Brittanys!

Now on to the good stuff…I cannot believe she said, "Choke!" I don't care how much you hate someone or want them to miss a shot, it is imperative that you still have class and grace. Christina failed to have either of these qualities. I felt embarrassed for her. Who yells, "Choke?" Even if you really, really want someone to miss a shot or a putt, you keep it to yourself. I can't imagine Christina would want someone to say that to her during a Duramed FUTURES Tour event. (Although, maybe someone should give it a go at the next event!) Christina's actions show a lot of immaturity. The women's golf world is small and it makes life easier if you maintain the respect of your peers. You don't have to like them or hang out with them, but respect is a must!

As for now, Christina has lost my respect and that of many other players. She is going to have to work hard to get it back. Her game is solid and I expect to see her competing at a high level for years to come. Unfortunately, this is going to follow her like a black cloud. Hopefully, she learns from it and becomes a better person in the end.

This is the tip of the iceberg of the drama to come! Hang on, storms are comin'!

Brendan Havens, Producer

Say What!

As we all saw this week, the competition has taken its first ugly turn. (Disclaimer: it gets uglier).

I will begin by giving you the rundown of how the whole “choke” controversy went down out in Hawaii during the shooting of this week’s episode. As you all saw, Christina said that Tina “needs to choke” before hitting her shot in the Immunity Challenge. At the time, the only people in the entire crew that actually heard her say that were Christina, Susan, and probably Christina’s audio guy. But, that was it. Now, Tina did hear Christina say “yes!” after she missed her first shot, but by all accounts, she never actually heard Christina say “choke.” The only reason any of the other girls found out what Christina said was because of the time honored game called ‘Telephone.’

Susan told one of the girls, she told a couple of the others, and before you know it, Christina has been accused of repeatedly wishing horrible things upon Tina. That’s the problem with the game of ‘Telephone.’ The original message usually gets distorted by the time it reaches the end of the line. The first I heard about the incident was from Kim. We had just begun our nightly interview, and she asked me about it. Not having any idea what she was talking about, I asked her to explain to me what happened. She did, and I became another link in the telephone chain.

Now, here’s my take on the whole situation. First off, it’s not like Christina was up in Tina’s face telling her that she’s going to choke. Secondly, we have heard “choke” at another previous point during the course of this series. Liz said it twice in Episode 1 (referring to what the other teams needed to do during the second Immunity Challenge). She was not slammed for it. Why? She said it during an interview, where none of the other girls could hear it.

For all of you weekend golfers out there, let me draw up a scenario for you. You and your buddies have been playing a game of skins, and you’ve reached the 14th hole and you’re down a few bucks. There’s been a six-hole carryover, you’re in for par, and your buddy has a makeable birdie putt for all the skins. You cannot tell me that you’re not thinking of doing anything short of yelling “NOONAN!!!!” to make sure that putt doesn’t find the bottom of the cup. But, do you say anything? No, of course not. That wouldn’t exactly be sportsmanlike…which brings me to my main point.

These girls are competing under a type of pressure that nobody can even begin to understand until they’ve experienced it for themselves. This is not normal golf. In a normal round of golf, you aren’t necessarily in direct competition with anyone, unless you’re playing match play. On the Big Break, these girls are, in fact, in direct competition with each other. Each shot they hit is basically like sudden death match play. They aren’t competing for $20, either. They’re competing for over $70,000 worth of prizing, and a break of a lifetime. So, put yourself in Christina’s shoes. You are not going to be rooting for Tina to beat you, and as we’ve heard during this series, and series past, nobody has ever rooted for someone to beat them. The only problem with this whole scenario is that Christina vocalized what she was thinking, the moment she was thinking of it, in a place where your competitors will either hear it, or get wind of it. And that is a cardinal sin in this type of environment.

WEEK 7

Lori Atsedes

Yeah! We are past the half way point! This show has been quite the roller coaster ride. The pressure, the emotions, the drama...are you sure we are only half way?! The remaining six have worked hard and sometimes gotten lucky. But, here we are and we should be proud! During the show, everyone seemed to take on a nickname. Here's a nickname guide to your final six.....

"Kim Kitty Welch" - Kim is like a cat to me. She stalks her prey while prancing around quietly. When it's time, she strikes! Kim has shown us she has lots of game, but weaknesses too. She has had booming drives followed by a shaky flat stick and a firey attitude to boot. You have to watch out for this one, just like the black cat trying to go under your ladder.

"The Cocky Kanuke" - Cristina nickname says it all. She is proud, fiesty, angry, ready to kick anyone's butt that gets in her way. With golf, she's harder to figure out. Her game seems to be all over the board. Sometimes it is LPGA tour good, other times it is not good at all. Her game is unpredictable and that makes her a threat. I hope Christina learns to soften her demeanor a little. Life doesn't have to be so intense, especially when it comes to the silly old game of golf.

"Sexy Sophie" - Sophie. Hmmm? Well, she flies so far under the radar that sometimes I forget she is on the show. I have been impressed with her game as the days have gone by. She is able to hit that clutch shot at the perfect time. With that ability, she will have a successful career. Sophie is fun! This show has helped her become a better more confident golfer. That quality makes her hard to beat!

"Dippin Dots" - Susan, we love ya, girl! Susan is young, flighty and a little out there. Her golf has stepped up to every challenge out here. She has succeeded in challenges and surprised us all. But, for right now, this kid needs to live a little, enjoy life, and grow up. A few life trials, which golf has a knack for exposing, will help her do just that. With time, I'm confident that Susan will develop into a fine golf professional, but it's going to be a while and that's ok. I believe she is a long shot to win, but we have been surprised by her before!

"The Quiet One" - Sam is by far the sweetest person on the show (maybe too sweet!). She has shown the world that she has a solid, mature game and performed well. I think Sam is a force to be reckoned with! With her European style of golf and solid mental game, we will see her competing on the LPGA someday. This girl is tough and strong even if you never hear her speak!

My good friend Courtney was eliminated, but she also had a nickname, "Bashful." Courtney is a wonderful person and player. Although she is quiet and would never say a cross word, she wants to win badly! I believe this show has made her a better player and we will see much more of her in the future. Now, she will have to get the job done another way! Until next time......Enjoy!

Brendan Havens, Producer

Storm Front

One week after Christina uttered the now infamous “choke”, we have begun to see the repercussions. Keep in mind, too, that in TV time it has been a week since the comment, but in reality, this week’s show was filmed two days after the rumors began circulating within the group. The day in between last week’s and this week’s show was spent on a catamaran shooting all of the boat footage with the girls. So, this bit of gossip was still new to all the girls.

In watching this situation develop on site, and in the edit room, I really could see some very exact personality traits from a few of the key players in this week’s episode. It really turned into Psychology 101. It’s amazing how your most basic and raw personality traits come out when a line is drawn in the sand.

Let’s start with Christina. I really don’t think at this point she ever understood completely what was going on amongst the group. I think she may have known a little more than what she was admitting, but she really had no idea as to the extent of damage she had done with her actions (fist pumping, being outwardly excited when opponents messed up, and, of course her “choke” comment). This, to me, is exactly how her inner workings function when entering “competition mode.” She is, self admittedly, extremely competitive to a fault. That has clearly come out in lieu of recent events.

Lori found out something she didn’t like and as we witnessed this week, she is in the early stages of mounting a charge at Christina. This is in her nature as she is, self admittedly, the instigator.

Courtney had some choice comments of her own, but this does not make her the instigator that Lori is. Courtney was very close with Tina. Christina’s comment was directed toward Tina. This illustrates how faithful and committed Courtney is toward those she cares about. Obviously, over the last couple months, we have learned about how connected her and her husband Kevin are, but her actions this week further feature her main personality trait. Loyalty.

And we now come back around to Susan, who spread the word to the others about Christina’s “choke” comment. To me, it’s really interesting that the one girl who is really the least likely to cause this type of stir, technically has now become the central cause. Of course, Christina is the one who made the comment, but none of the other girls would have even known she said anything unless Susan hadn’t said anything. Am I saying that Susan should never have said anything? Absolutely not. She was part of something that she felt she had to react upon, so she did. And that is Susan. Susan is reactionary. On the golf course, when performing at her best, she doesn’t think about what her next shot will mean in the long run. As we saw in the first challenge of the day, once Susan started thinking about what she could win, she couldn’t pull off the shot. At her very core, she just reacts to what situation is put in front of her and moves on. And that’s all Susan did with the Christina situation. She reacted to a particular situation and moved on.

WEEK 8

Lori Atsedes

Let me point out a few things about women's golf.

First, it's a very small world. The sheer number of professional women golfers in the world is quite small. Therefore, everyone knows everyone else and often times your reputation precedes you. It's important to have a good reputation. Even though an individual doesn't have complete control over what others think, she should at least make an effort to be kind and respectful to their fellow pros.

Second, I always like to assume that adults will behave like adults. I'm aware this is rather risky, but I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt.

Finally, professional things need to stay professional. Personal things need to stay personal. I can dislike being around someone socially, but still have respect for them in a professional setting. I find it's best to mix my personal life and professional life as little as possible. This is difficult since the golf world is small and you end up becoming friends with your fellow competitors. But, at the end of the day, events that happen on the golf course are just business.

Lately, these truths have really been challenged on the Big Break. Christina tells another player to, "Choke!" Guess what? That's going to follow you around for a while. Then, you see me giving Christina the super cold shoulder after she beat Sam. Maybe adults really don't act like adults. Off air, no one talks to Christina (even me, her lovely roommate). I guess not everyone leaves the business of golf at the course.

On the other hand, there is gamesmanship in golf. This is an intense golf competition with no guarantees. We all want to win. There is not a woman on the show who wouldn't do what they thought necessary to win. I know I reverted to my third-grade years at times. Sharing a room with Christina made it hard not to mix personal and professional.

But, I want to win. I need to win. I'm 44 years old. I'm at the end of my playing career, not the beginning. Sure, I wish I would have said some things differently or better yet, just kept my mouth shut. Unfortunately, that's not me. I stick up for people who deserve it and I'm highly competitive. Did I engage in some gamesmanship, some mind games? You bet! And may the best woman win. I wish I was the nice, sweet one on the show that everyone liked. But, that's not me. When it comes right down to it, we can only be who we are while trying to get better. There is nothing wrong with wanting to win. No rules were broken. The strong survive on this show. There is no time to make friends. After all, this is just business, right?

Brendan Havens, Producer

Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, time is not necessarily on our side when editing each episode. This was especially evident in this week’s Elimination Challenge. What you saw was Christina eliminating Sam on the second playoff hole. And yes, in reality, Christina did eliminate Sam. That result did not change. However, in reality, Sam was eliminated on the fourth playoff hole. Believe me, we would’ve liked to have shown you all the holes of that marathon elimination, but we only have so much program time. So, here’s how it really went…

1st playoff hole: You watched this one and yes, Sam’s chip was even more impressive in person. I’m still not sure how that stayed out of the hole.

2nd playoff hole: Both hit perfect drives down the left center of the fairway. I remember being quite impressed with the consistency of the drives during the playoff thus far. I mean, this is sudden death. I expected a drive or two to be in a bit of trouble, but Christina had 100 yards, Sam had 96 yards, both in perfect position. Christina put her approach to about 25 feet left of the pin (in almost the exact same position as the first playoff hole) and Sam put it inside 20 feet. Christina came within inches of making her putt, and Sam missed hers, so we went back to the tee.

3rd playoff hole: Once again, Christina and Sam both hit perfect drives. I joked with one of the crew members that they were probably sitting in their divots from the previous go around. Christina had 97 yards, Sam had 108 yards. Sam then proceeded to hit an approach shot that I figured would be the end of Christina. She flew it right over the pin to about 10 feet, where as Christina was sitting in the fringe about 18 feet from the pin. Christina left her birdie attempt about 2 feet short, which cleared the stage for Sam, but just like many of her other shots during the course of the series, it was close, but not close enough. Matching pars sent us back to the tee once again.

4th playoff hole: This was the final hole you saw in this week’s show. By the time the girls had reached the green, we all figured that we’d be playing this hole until the sun went down. Neither of them were breaking, but neither were exactly taking the upper hand. I figured this would be more of a “who can mess up first” kind of scenario. And just like that, Christina holes a bomb and Sam was eliminated.

This was quite possibly one of the most emotional goodbyes I’ve ever been a part of. Sam was completely crushed. She had not only fought on through eight episodes, but the emotion of losing to a spectacular birdie, after she was so close to closing out the match on a couple occasions during the four sudden-death playoff holes was just too much for her to take. To top it all off, Sam had finally gotten to the point where she believed in herself enough that she actually started to think that she had a legitimate chance of winning the whole thing.

What made this scene even more difficult, and somewhat intriguing, was the fact that Christina instantly felt terrible for not only eliminating Sam, but also letting out a fist pump as she eliminated Sam. Sure, she let out a fist pump when her birdie putt fell, but can you blame her? Every one of these girls wants to win. You’re going to be excited when you survive an elimination challenge such as this. And last time I checked, Tiger Woods has never apologized to anyone for his fist pumps.

However, with her already heavily damaged image with the rest of the girls, not much sympathy was being tossed her way. But, that’s how it goes. Just about every competitor who has participated in any one of the nine incarnations of the Big Break series has had to eliminate someone they liked. It’s all part of this game and Ye who eliminates, continues to play for the championship. So, sympathy is normally and rightfully reserved for the eliminated. What made this different, though, was the vibe I was getting from the group. This wasn’t just an “oh my, I feel so bad for Sam” kind of feeling, there was an icy vibe floating through the air and I wouldn’t find out exactly how icy it was until the next morning.

WEEK 9

Lori Atsedes

Some of you are probably wondering what Susan and Sophie are really like. They have been pretty quiet on the show. They have not been in the center of controversy or involved in much drama. One would expect much more from a nude model and a girl who keeps chipping in!

When I realized that Sophie, the nude golf model, would be on the show, I was intimidated. I'm confident on the golf course, but not in front of the camera. As the days went on, though, I realized she is much more than a sexy body. Sophie is a great golfer and really down to earth. I thought someone so confident in their body would be outspoken, but on camera it has not come off that way. That just tells you what a little editing can do. On the European Tour her fellow competitors think she is one of the most quiet women out there. How could this be? Well, Sophie may be quiet on the course and on camera, but when the camera is turned off, watch out! She is very animated, opinionated and hilarious. There were many times, when she would just break out into dance. It wasn't great dancing, but super fun to watch her try.

Just in case you were wondering, the fact Sophie made that nude calendar probably helped her get on this show, but it's not what has kept her on the show. This girl can play. She has a lot of game and will be really successful in her golf career. Of the people left on the show, I'm most worried about trying to beat her. Sophie's game is sophisticated and she has the smarts to use it. She is much more then just a pretty face.

Susan, Susan, Susan......I have spent much time trying to figure this girl out. She can chip in yet miss the green from 100 yards. She can knock in a long putt, but hit a mid-iron 30 yards off line into the woods. I am so confused by her game!

Fortunately for her, she has kept pretty quiet on the show and not caused any controversy. (She did call me a bully, but honestly, she had a point.) Susan's temper is mild and not much bothers her. You have already seen on the show the worst word she let's fly is, "Sugar!" Her calm demeanor will help as her golf career progresses. But, quiet, calm Susan may someday need to find that passion, drive and intensity that will pull her through rough patches. Being sweet will only get you so far.

I think the elimination challenge shocked all of us, including Susan. We could not believe she kept missing the green! Maybe Susan got scared or maybe the pressure finally got to her or maybe her focus got left in the hotel room. In any case, the whole crew was in disbelief. Up to this point, Susan had never hit that many bad shots in a row. She may make one bad shot, but always follows it up with something spectacular. This is what really puzzles me about Susan. Her golf game is feast or famine. The Big Break is teaching her a lot about golf and about herself. Keep your eyes and ears open in the future for Susan. Her future is bright!

Brendan Havens, Producer

Pressure

OK. The Lori/Christina storyline has officially reached its proverbial breaking point. But, rather than comment further on all of what happened in this week’s episode (I think it all pretty much speaks for itself) I figured I’d go in a slightly different direction. Coming off of a U.S. Open weekend of just absolutely spectacular theatre, it got me thinking about the how similar competing in a major championship can be to competing in an elimination challenge in the Big Break.

First off, I’m not saying that competing in a Big Break is more difficult than a U.S. Open. That would be silly. The U.S. Open is the most difficult, demanding and grueling test of golf one could ever face. But when it comes down to the wire, like it did on Sunday, with immense pressure on every single shot for Tiger, Rocco, and even Westwood, the second half of that back nine had much of the same components of an elimination challenge. That, to me, is what makes some of the clutch performances we’ve seen during the course of each series of the Big Break, so impressive. When you’re in a major championship, each shot holds significance, but not every single shot has the possibility to be do-or-die. As we saw with Tiger on Sunday, you can hit some wicked squirrelly shots during the course of a round, and still manage to pull it together and give yourself a chance to win the championship. Now, if Tiger had hit a sideways shot on the 72nd hole, he would have, in Big Break terms, been “eliminated.” Now, with that being said, that “elimination” feeling hits these guys for really only a handful of shots during the course of a round. Once again, don’t get me wrong, all these guys feel some serious pressure for four days straight, but it is a different pressure than “elimination” pressure…which brings me to this week’s episode.

We are nine episodes into this season which, in reality, means that the remaining five competitors have been faced with “elimination” pressure every day for a week and a half straight. Not only have they continually been faced with this intense pressure, they have had to deal with lack of sleep, jet lag, disjointed warm-up schedules, outright exhaustion, and for one girl specifically (you know who I’m talking about), total mental warfare. As all of us avid golfers know, in order to be successful, your mind has to be totally invested in every shot you hit during the course of a round of golf. If your mind wanders over the ball, you’re toast. This is what makes this week’s elimination challenge most impressive to me. There were a ton of quality golf shots hit during the course of those three locations. So, take into account that we have more or less reached the height of the “outside of golf” drama, which that in itself is extraordinarily mentally taxing. Team that up with all the aforementioned factors, the fact that the championship match is inching ever so close, bringing along with that a break of a lifetime for these girls, and you have some pretty heavy stuff to deal with. That’s a lot of B.S. to contend with every time you take the club back to hit that little white ball…and the world watching every move.

Sure, there’s more on the line in a U.S. Open, and the skill level is, more often than not, far superior to that of any series of the Big Break. However, Big Break throws so many other factors at the competitors that you’ll never get in a professional golf tournament. Does that make it harder? No, it just makes it different. But I have surely noticed that the one constant that remains in all facets of the game is that “elimination” pressure. It’ll always be difficult to deal with, but as we’ve seen time and time again, in majors and in elimination challenges, the great players somehow find a way to rise above it.

WEEK 10

Lori Atsedes

In golf there is one winner. There are no ties. Someone has to win. Honestly, I'm glad I was that someone this week. Finally, Christina and I got to shut our mouths and play golf to see who would come out on top. We both played great until she struggled out of the rough. I'm glad we both hit great shots. I'm glad that is was close. And, I'm thrilled I won!

Rivalries are an interesting thing. You either love the Yankees or love the Red Sox, not both. If you went to The Ohio State University, you never wear blue and gold together. And, if you are in Chicago, you should probably not wear a St. Louis Cardinals hat unless you're ready to get razzed.

At this point in the show, you either love me or love Christina. Our rivalry is under way! (I imagine it would be hard to find enough compassion in one's heart to have enough love for both obstinate children.) Rivalries can divide families, but they make sports great. When your team is playing, you have to watch, cheer, and pray for their victory. You find yourself filling your closet with your team's colors and shunning the opponents. When your rival is praised, you are the first one on the soap box pointing out their faults and weaknesses. Rivalries make sports exciting. But, it's the true sports fans who can set aside differences and employ sportsmanship when the contest is over. That is what made the rivalry in this Big Break different. The differences have not been set aside, and the battle between Christina and I continues, unfortunately.

It's too bad things escalated between Christina and I on and off the golf course. In a way, I wish we all would have gotten along like the Brady Bunch. But, honestly, how realistic is that? Putting that many competitive, independent women together is bound to cause friction. I didn't know Christina before the show and at the beginning we got along great. As the weeks went on, though, our competitive natures came out and the result is a whole lot of tension and immaturity.

Of course, Christina and I both wanted to win the match. I felt totally comfortable going into the challenge. I was glad we got to play each other and just let our clubs do the talking. I'm not sure how Christina felt. How would I? We haven't spoken in quite a while. I was a little disappointed that my handshake was rebuffed as she left the show. There comes a point when you just have to let things go. If I had lost, I would have been really upset, but I can guarantee I would have shaken hands with my competitor. At some point, sportsmanship has to enter in and the rivalry has to end.

I would be remiss, though, if didn't point out that Christina is an excellent golfer. She qualified for the final stage of Q-school last year and has had much golf success in Canada. Her short game and putting are solid. One day, she will play at the highest professional level. We all know, she has the passion and drive for it and that's half the battle. Christina and I still have our differences, but I applaud her golf game. She was not an easy one to beat. I suspect she will continue to be that way.

Brendan Havens, Producer

Jagged Little Pill

So finally, after 2-and-a-half months of waiting and anticipation, we got what we were all waiting for. Lori vs. Christina, mano-a-mano. Dare I say that this was as anticipated a matchup as Danielle vs. Pam in ‘Big Break III?’ Well, let me tell ya, there was certainly a buzz in the air after that random draw revealed that we were in fact going to get the exact matchup we were looking for. Unfortunately, the way in which Lori vs. Christina played out, it ended up being more like a highly anticipated, heavily hyped big budget sequel that fell well short of expectations. As tough as Christina is, she just couldn’t continue to fight the fight any longer. After coming away tied with Lori after the first location in the immunity challenge, instead of having, at worst, a one-shot lead, I believe that her mind and body finally gave way, and there was no recovering from that point on.

Before I get into that, though, I do not want to forget about the first matchup of the day. Kim vs. Sophie. This was easily the most impressive display of talent that was showcased all series and left all crew members picking their jaws up from the turf. It would be tough to really say what the best shot of this matchup was, but the one that continues to stick out in my mind to this day (remember we shot this series back in December), is that laser of a 4-wood that Kim put on the green in the final location.

When Kim hit this shot I was standing directly in back of the tee box, and this is what I was looking at: The green was totally blind, you could barely see the top of the flag, which really had no bearing as to how much green there was between the front bunker and the flagstick, and there was OB running all the way up the right side of the hole. The measured distance was 227 yards, but factoring in how uphill the shot was playing, it was more like 240 yards, and there was really only a 15-20-yard sliver of fringe to run the ball up to the green. So, when Kim hit this shot, she actually started it at the right bunker and I remember thinking to myself “unless that gets left there’s no way this clears the lip of that bunker.” Just as that thought crossed my mind, her ball started working back to the left. Lo and behold, perfect distance, perfect result, game over. If Kim felt the sting of ending up in an elimination challenge she really didn’t deserve to be in back in show 5, Sophie felt the same sting on this day. She played every location just about as well as one could; Kim just played them perfectly. So, naturally, after watching this amazing display, anticipation couldn’t have been higher for the second half of this immunity challenge.

Being at the range while Kim and Sophie put on a clinic, Lori and Christina had no idea the caliber of golf they had to live up to, but that really didn’t matter. These two were focused on one thing, and only one thing. Beating each other. Right off the bat, it seemed as though Christina was about to take an early lead on Lori. But, as mentioned before, when that putt didn’t drop, and Lori made that clutch 4-foot putt, the day was over for Christina. After all the mental warfare she endured over the past three days, she just couldn’t hold onto that steely-eyed focus that got her through the episode prior.

This loss of focus was supremely evident throughout the second location. Not just on the topped first shot, but up on the green. Christina had a sound bite saying that she could “feel Lori’s eyes” basically burning a hole right through her. The way the second production team edited it into the show (I did not produce this episode) it sounded like it was strictly about the putt. But really, what Christina referenced was that she was scared to death that Lori would call another penalty on her. Christina was so worried that her ball would wobble in the gusty wind while addressing it, Lori would see that, and would call another penalty on her. That showed, to me, that Christina had completely lost focus on what she was doing. She was worried about what Lori was doing, which she hadn’t even thought about all series.

In the end, Lori was right. Christina ended up beating herself, but it wasn’t because of her attitude. Christina had been so emotionally beat down by all the gamesmanship directed her way over the course of the three days prior that I’m really not sure if anyone on this planet could have stayed focused through it all. So, yes, Lori was right…and she did everything possible to make sure that she was.

WEEK 11

Lori Atsedes

My ride on Big Break has come to an end. I know many fans of Big Break will be thrilled, but those who know me I'm sure are disappointed. Regardless, I'm done, didn't win the BMW and don't get the chance to play in an LPGA event this year. Even though I didn't pull off the win, I wouldn't trade my experience on the show for anything.

I was glad to meet and get to know the other girls on the show. I came away from the show with new friends and better relationships. I also realized that there are just going to be some people in the world who don't like you. That's unfortunate, but the way the world works.

As we were filming the show, I believed my game was really solid and in general it was. But, as I watched the show from home, it was easy to see where my swing needed to improve and my short game sharpened. That was eye opening for me. At times it was tough to see the silly mistakes or missing simple putts (That 3-footer a couple weeks ago wasn't even close!). Watching those things was hard, but I stand by my game. I made it to the final three and I'm proud of that.

This show does have the ability to put an extreme amount of pressure on you. It's amazing! I had just gotten done with LPGA Q-school when I left for the show. I was more nervous for Big Break than any shot at Q-school. So, hopefully I can take that experience and use it the rest of the year on tour. When you only get to hit one shot for the day, you learn to hit it really well!

Probably the toughest thing for me through this whole experience has been the negative fan response. I was absolutely shocked! Every show has to have the good guy and the bad guy. Many times I was the bad guy. I know my mouth can get me in trouble. I say things without putting much thought into them, but never expected the backlash. I never considered people would make judgements on such little evidence. It was very surprising! Luckily, I have a great group of friends and supporters. Those people who take the time to get to know me usually come away as friends. To all those people who identified with my bio, hang in there! If I can make it, so can you!

I appreciate the opportunity to get to be a part of Big Break. I'm glad I made it as far as I did and won a little money along the way. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm grateful. Good luck to Sophie and Kim! Either one of you will make a classy champion!

To all my friends in different parts of the country (especially Kansas!): thanks for supporting me through this. You have supported me and helped me and stood up for me when no one else would. Thanks for being there!

Brendan Havens, Producer

Three Times a Lady

We have officially reached the championship match of “Big Break Ka’anapali” and it’s certainly set up to be an intriguing match-up. But before I get into the 6-hole match that got us to this position, I’ll fill everyone in on a couple of inside insights while filming this semi-final match.

First off, this match was filmed on the same day as Christina’s elimination episode. Due to time constraints in the production schedule, we were forced to shoot episode 10 in the morning, and episode 11 after lunch. One factor (of many) that comes into play when planning out a shoot schedule is the availability of hotel rooms. After all, there’s a crew of over 60 people involved with a shoot like this, and they all need a hotel room. Since we shot this series so close to Christmas, we literally had to have all crew packed up and out of both the Westin and Sheraton on December 19th. On that day, both hotels jumped up to 100% occupancy. Because of this, we had a hard deadline of the 18th to complete all filming. So, within the window that we had, shooting two episodes in one day was a necessity. To give the illusion that an entire day had passed between episodes, the girls changed clothes after lunch and changed into two different outfits for their nightly interviews.

Another problem with shooting two episodes in one day is the sheer time it takes. The daylight only sticks around until maybe 5:45 p.m. in Maui in late December. We had been finishing between 3 and 4 p.m. every other day over the course of the shoot …when shooting only one episode each day. So, this day meant an earlier call time, and a second episode that could be shot quickly. Traditionally, straight up golf can be shot rather quickly because there’s really no setup time needed. It’s really just a matter of keeping up with the pace of play set forth by the competitors. For challenges like the glass break and flop wall, significant time must be set aside just to set up the props. So, the way that shows 10 and 11 were set up, as long as everything went smoothly, we should be able to get them both shot before the sun set into the Pacific Ocean.

Getting everything setup for the first tee welcome was somewhat interesting. We had just finished episode 10, Christina was sent packing, and the three remaining girls were laughing and joking with each other as we were getting cameras set up. Laughing and joking was not an uncommon thing during the course of the series, but I found it quite interesting that we were minutes away from starting the semi-final match, the match that would determine who would compete for the championship of “Big Break Ka’anapali,” and Lori, Sophie, and Kim were doing a kick-line (ala “A Chorus Line”). Was it their way of shaking off nerves? Were they happy that Christina got eliminated? Were they genuinely not aware of the gravity of the situation they were about to engage in? I’m not sure if any of these are the definitive answer, but I have a feeling there was a little bit of everything going on there. Kim even said in her interview that it took a couple of holes for her to really grasp the concept that one of them was going to be eliminated and that the two remaining would play for the whole shebang. After competing the way they had been for two straight weeks, day in and day out, I can see how it would be tough to fully comprehend that the end was truly near.

As we all witnessed, the match itself was a complete bust. Unfortunately, golf is a completely unpredictable game, and no matter how much we think we can control what happens during the course of an episode, we really can’t. The match wasn’t completely unforgettable, though. The lasting memory I have from this match was one specific moment behind the par-3 11th. Lori was in the middle of her third 3-putt in a row and I was cussing up a storm under my breath somewhere between the 11th green and 12th tee. Directly in the middle of my somewhat quiet, yet very crass personal tirade, one of our sales VP’s took this prime opportunity to bring the regional VP of BMW over to where I was and introduce him to me. I’ve never had to pull myself out of a string of F-bombs as quickly as I did at that very moment. I actually impressed myself as to how smoothly I transitioned from “this show is so f’d,” to “Hey! So glad to meet you! Beautiful vehicle you’ve given us! Should be one heck of a finale tomorrow!” All I could think about after that exchange was “never do I ever want to experience that again for as long as I live.” I’m guessing that’s the same sentiment Lori had after her fourth consecutive 3-putt.