Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Alphabet games
Ever since their inception — which closely followed the birth of television — game shows have had a lot to offer TV viewers. From cost estimates and budgeting practices in “The Price Is Right” to predictions of the collective conscience in “Family Feud” or the expansion of one’s pool of general knowledge with shows such as “Jeopardy!” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” unscripted game shows have always had a way of bringing people together.
This week, ABC welcomes two returning game shows — Americanized trivia series “The Chase” and smash golf sensation “Holey Moley” — before initiating a new kind of unscripted game called “Who Do You Believe?” It all begins Tuesday, May 3, in a three-hour prime-time block on ABC.
First on the docket that day is the Season 4 premiere of the extreme mini-golf competition series “Holey Moley.” Featuring color commentary by co-hosts Rob Riggle (“Step Brothers,” 2008) and ESPN’s Joe Tessitore, both veterans of the show, Season 4 also sees the return of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry. Curry, a massive fan of all things sports, acts as a resident golf pro in the series and serves as an executive producer.
Joining Riggle, Tessitore and Curry is Emmy-winning TV host Jeannie Mai, who returns to provide sideline correspondence throughout the upcoming season. Her job may be made more difficult, however, by the presence of some notoriously wild new additions to the cast.
The Muppets are joining the action for Season 4 of “Holey Moley” in an on-screen collaboration unlike any other. ABC announced the joint forces in a March 15 news release, saying, “Muppets favorites unite with on-camera commentating duo Rob Riggle and Joe Tessitore, making for some un-fore-gettable hijinks” during the fourth season.
Existing fans of the show can expect to see some returning favorite holes, while fans old and new are sure to be delighted by the new hole designs, “special guest appearances and other surprises along the way.”
Following “Holey Moley” is the Season 3 premiere of “The Chase.” Made famous stateside for its “Jeopardy!” champion Chasers, this series is an American adaptation of a British favorite.
Since its debut in January 2021, “The Chase” has been home to “Jeopardy!” GOATs Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter alongside the British version’s “Beast,” Mark Labbett.
Some changes are in the works this year, however, as three new Chasers — Brandon Blackwell (“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”), Buzzy Cohen and Victoria Groce (both of “Jeopardy!”) — join the team in Jennings’ absence. Holzhauer, in teasing co-star Jennings about his upcoming departure from the show tweeted, “By popular demand, The Chase is now 100% @KenJennings-free.”