Is "Holey Moley" a game show where you whack a mole? Get dipped in Mexican chocolate sauce? Play a round of extreme obstacle-course mini-golf?
It's that last one _ and, really, is "extreme obstacle-course mini-golf" any more likely for a prime-time show than the other possibilities? And that sense of the absurd is exactly what creator Chris Culvenor and fellow executive producer Jeron Smith were going for in the satiric competition premiering Thursday at 8 p.m./7 p.m. Central on ABC, with comedian Rob Riggle and veteran sportscaster Joe Tessitore giving straight-faced, dryly humorous play-by-play and TV personality Jeannie Mai as sideline commentator.
"The inspiration really came from two avenues," says Culvenor, 36, co-founder of the show's production company, Eureka." We looked around at these big physical competitions" like "American Ninja Warrior" and "Ultimate Beastmaster," he says, "and one thing that became really apparent are the people on these shows are aspirational but not relatable _ super-fit gym junkies. We wanted to explore a sport that the Everyman can play. And miniature golf seemed this untapped sport for that. Everyone has a fond memory about miniature golf. So we loved that idea of taking that nostalgia and amping it up to the next level."
