By now, you’ve heard about ABC’s The Ultimate Surfer. Ratings-wise, apparently, it’s not doing so hot. Business-wise, it’s a stroke of genius. If you judge reactions purely on social media comment boards, the show is getting mixed reviews. But for the surfers involved, it’s got to be a blessing. Expedia and Michelob are shelling out to the surfers involved for IG promo spots, the winner cops a cool $100,000 and a wildcard berth on the CT, and they’re now squarely in the eye of an audience that likely had no idea who they were before.
We’re going to hazard a guess that Zeke Lau wins. It would makes sense — Lau is a CT surfer through and through, although he missed his spot by one position at Sunset. Of anyone on the show, he’s the most dedicated to making it back on tour. We don’t know for sure, of course — and Zeke doesn’t drop any spoilers in his most recent vlog installment — but we’d put at least a buck on it.
Now that The Ultimate Surfer is finished filming, all the contestants are back home (or on a trip somewhere), we get to see a bit of what it’s like for them to watch themselves on reality television. After Zeke surfs a giant south swell in “Town” (the same swell that sent 30-foot waves to Tahiti) he joins his family and friends to see what he looks like when an ABC editing team gets their hands on The Ultimate Surfer footage.
Watch The Ultimate Surfer Monday and Tuesday nights, and learn more on WorldSurfLeague.com.
