Sonia Kruger is quickly becoming the busiest woman on Australian Television with confirmation today she will now host three primetime series on Seven in 2021.
News Corp has today confirmed Sonia Kruger will host the crazy mini-golf format Holey Moley for the network.
The new gig means we will be seeing plenty of Kruger on our screens in 2021 with the popular presenter also hosting Big Brother, and the recently poached music format The Voice.
Filming for the ambitious series will commence tonight on a new custom-built course created by production company Eureka on a Cleveland property in the south-east of Brisbane. The production has been moved to Australia after US filming was cancelled earlier this year.
Also joining the Holey Moley cast is Sydney based sports presenter Matt Shirvington who is replacing AFL commentator, Brian Taylor on the project. Shirvington will take on the central commentary role alongside US comedian Rob Riggles.
Taylor opted not to be involved with the production due to the clash with the AFL Finals series.
Kruger replaces actress Olympia Valance in the cast. Valance was recruited by Seven earlier this year for roles on Holey Moley and Australia’s Got Talent.
Filming on AGT was delayed due to COVID travel restrictions, and with the network now securing rights to The Voice, there is increased speculation Seven will now not be proceeding with Australia’s Got Talent in 2021.
Kruger, Shirvington and Riggle have spent the past two weeks in Queensland hotel quarantine in preparation for the commencement of Holey Moley filming today.
Australian golf legend Greg Norman will have a cameo role in the series via segments filmed in the US.
Along with the regular series, TV Blackbox understands the network is also looking to produce some Holey Moley specials featuring junior competitors playing in combination with an adult partner.
Confirming the new gig, Sonia Kruger told News Corp;
“Holey Moley is refreshingly new, utterly unique and completely bonkers, which I’m pretty sure is why they thought I’d be a natural fit,”
“The golf is taken seriously, but the course is seriously kooky. It’s either going to be the funniest sports show in the world, or the sportiest comedy, either way it’s a crime that I get to call this work.”
Seven had previously attempted to film Holey Moley in the US in March. However, as TV Blackbox exclusively revealed at the time, a mix of torrential rain followed by the spread of the COVID-19 virus caused the network to abandon production without a single episode completed.
The shutdown was a significant financial headache for Seven and producers Eureka. The US production involved a production team of over 500 people, including 60 contestants, many of whom had to be quickly flown back to Australia and put into isolation.
Holey Moley is a format created by Australian production house Eureka and was a huge ratings success when it first premiered in the US last year.
Building the new custom course in Australia was a significant expensive for the production company, but the potential to produce multiple versions of the format for television markets around the world could be a massive boon for the local industry.
With US travel restrictions likely to remain in place for a significant period of time, filming in the safer environment of Australia is anticipated to be appealing for some international productions.
I’m not sure Rob Riggle’s mindless humour will be successful with the Australian audience.