There will be no season two of The Ultimate Surfer. Surprised? Image: ABC
In August 2021, the first season of The Ultimate Surfer premiered on ABC. It’s likely you heard about it, but according to the numbers, it’s not all that likely you watched it. If you missed it, you missed your shot, because season two of The Ultimate Surfer has been canned.
The show featured a handful of surfers like Mason Barnes, Koa Smith, Ezekiel Lau, and Anastasia Ashley, all vying for a cash prize and a wildcard into three CT events. Zeke Lau won after a series of sometimes-odd challenges that vaguely revolved around surfing, but despite being backed by the UFC’s Dana White, Kelly Slater, and the WSL, it brought in ratings numbers that can accurately be described as “dismal.” According to reports, “It was one of the least-watched original series on ABC’s Summer 2021 schedule.”
The ratings for the show were… not good. Image: TV Series Finale
It was a good shot, though; a valiant attempt at attracting the attention of the mainstream audience by pairing surfing with a reality television format. Held at the Surf Ranch, a place that is inherently interesting even to a non-surfer, former NFL quarterback Jesse Palmer hosted alongside sports anchor Erin Coscarelli. Kelly Slater even showed up a handful of times. The names were there. The venue was interesting. Reality television is generally a sure-fire way to draw attention. But still, The Ultimate Surfer just didn’t take.
