The Big Break "Indian Wells"

[saltman]

I find it highly unlikely that BB "changed" the rules midway through the show.  I suspect each player (perhaps unknowingly) upon signing whatever contract agreed to this type of producer's discretion.  At the end of the day the show is NOT for the produced for the competitors it is for viewers.  They were given a tremendous opportunity, to be griping about fairness was pretty weak.

[newtogolf]

The "rules" for most reality shows is the producers will and are allowed to do anything they feel is required to get the highest ratings possible.  My guess is the producers were hoping Justin would win and create some drama inside the house since the remaining guys all seem to get along pretty well (too well for reality tv).

They probably figured Justin was the best golfer of the eliminated group and created a challange against the house that would make it easy for him to return.  The fact they split points even if no one made a shot inside the ring indicates their desire to have someone return to the house.

Carl is a very bright guy, he has calculated the appropriate strategy every time, too bad they didn't listen to him.  He was right to suggest front loading the challenge with their best players since the distances went shortest to longest and from the shorter distances it was more likely Petey would hit the circle.  If they split or shut him out early on he'd have to play from behind on the longer distances making it tougher to win.

[Ultrastick]

I'm enjoying the show, except for one niggle:  the announcer guy tends to look at Stephanie and lecture her on what's about to happen when of course she already knows. He should just be glancing at her from time to time while lecturing us and the contestants.  I have to admit he has done a bit better lately.

That being said, good show with interesting folks.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by saltman

Carl continues to show incredible mental toughness despite "amateurish" technique and I don't mean this is a backhanded compliment.  He is an incredible athlete and defies all odd against him.  I would never bet against this man.

I think the best aspect of Carl's personality is his self-awareness.  It's rare that you find somebody in competition that will freely admit he is not as skilled as the rest of the competitors, yet still fully believes in his ability to compete with them.  He goes to great lengths to be mentally prepared so as to give himself every opportunity to be successful.  That's very professional of him.

Originally Posted by KillaK

Oren made a really good point about Piri though - he said that by him being eliminated and coming back he didn't have to compete on the days he wasnt on the show.  Who knows what would have happened if he had to do those 4 days of competition.  But now he gets to be back on the show and in good standing (though with less money) than the rest of the guys.

That was a good point, until you realize that every player that was eliminated ended up coming back.  So even if he competed those 4 days and got the boot later, he would have gotten another opportunity.

The people who really get screwed by that change-up are guys who get eliminated from this point forward, like Oren.  The first time he doesn't come through, it's permanent.  The other guys got a 2nd chance.

Brandon

[x129]

The rules are whatever the BB produces say they are. I doubt the competitors got a complete outline of what was going to happen (every challenge, the value of money,...) before the show began so it is hard to accuse them of changing something that may not exist.

I am not sure if avoiding the competitions had any benefit. There might be a bit of mental fatigue but physically, I don't think so. The added chances to make money is probably a bigger deal. it is a bit unfair for a guy like Oren (and the next couple of guys) who will not get a second chance. But BB isn't remotely fair and isn't exactly the greatest test of golf skills. I hate to judge these guys off the short clips but can you honestly imagine half of these guys in a pga tour event? There is a fine line between characters and golf skills and right now they seem to be focusing mainly on characters.

Originally Posted by KillaK

I think making up the whatever rules they want is not the issue - I think the issue they had with Piri coming back was that BB was changing the rules midway through the show.  So everything was laid out and everyone understood the parameters of the show and how you can "eliminated" but halfway through you find out that person wasn't really truly "eliminated" as now he has a path back onto the show.  These guys play in tournaments and you know golf is a sport of strict rule adherence so I could see why it would really bother them.  They have to realize though that this show is more reality show that golf competition so you have to expect gimmicks.

Oren made a really good point about Piri though - he said that by him being eliminated and coming back he didn't have to compete on the days he wasnt on the show.  Who knows what would have happened if he had to do those 4 days of competition.  But now he gets to be back on the show and in good standing (though with less money) than the rest of the guys.

[capcom1701]

Or they planned it in advance of the series and those 4 guys happened to be the first 4 eliminated:

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/big-break-indian-wells/you-never-get-a-second-chance-to-make-a-first-impression/

Originally Posted by newtogolf

The "rules" for most reality shows is the producers will and are allowed to do anything they feel is required to get the highest ratings possible.  My guess is the producers were hoping Justin would win and create some drama inside the house since the remaining guys all seem to get along pretty well (too well for reality tv).

They probably figured Justin was the best golfer of the eliminated group and created a challange against the house that would make it easy for him to return.  The fact they split points even if no one made a shot inside the ring indicates their desire to have someone return to the house.

[Swampy79]

Originally Posted by capcom1701

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/big-break-indian-wells/you-never-get-a-second-chance-to-make-a-first-impression/

On a side note, I went to this link, read the blog, and then went searching for this video that supposedly showed the "other" side of Justin....

What a crock of s**t, the title is "the softer side of Justin" or something to that effect, but its the same old garbage spewing from his mouth.

Why is it so hard for a guy to just say "they played better than me"?  I hope I never see or hear anything about this self proclaimed "legendary ball striker" for the rest of my life.

[bplewis24]

I'd like to see an 18-hole match play with Justin from BBIW and Brian from one of the prior seasons.  Winner is proclaimed "Best Golfer of ALL TIMES" (in caps) and loser is proclaimed "Best Golfer of ALL OTHER TIMES."

Brandon

[GolfBear]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

I'd like to see an 18-hole match play with Justin from BBIW and Brian from one of the prior seasons.  Winner is proclaimed "Best Golfer of ALL TIMES" (in caps) and loser is proclaimed "Best Golfer of ALL OTHER TIMES."

Brandon

That would be AWESOME

They could call the match the "Delusional Open"!

[JoelCochran]

I think the idea of Playback was great. In a way it's like golf itself: you don't always know what to expect, you have to be ready to handle whatever comes your way, and it isn't over until it's over (or was that Baseball?)

Anyway, I do agree that the format was too weak: while Petey did have to hit well enough to at least tie every hole, that is NOT the same as beating all the competition.  I think he should have required a clear margin, like 5-6 points.

I'm sorry to see Oren go as well but not surprised.  I know swing mechanics aren't everything but his has some serious flaws that I think will make it break down under pressure in the long run.  And just because you *can* hit a putter 35 yards doesn't make it a smart choice.

I also don't like the idea of the 1/2 shot advantage, and I *really* don't like the opportunity to buy another 1/2 shot.  You can never buy an advantage on the golf course.  IMHO, if they both played poorly enough to end up in the elimination round then it should be straight up play: survival of the fittest, not richest.  And, IIRC, buying an advantage has not changed the outcome of an elimination round yet, has it?  So it's also been a waste of money (although I don't know what psychological advantages have been gained).

'Nuff said - this is my first Big Break, I admit I'm enjoying it.

[KillaK]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

That was a good point, until you realize that every player that was eliminated ended up coming back.  So even if he competed those 4 days and got the boot later, he would have gotten another opportunity.

The people who really get screwed by that change-up are guys who get eliminated from this point forward, like Oren.  The first time he doesn't come through, it's permanent.  The other guys got a 2nd chance.

Brand

I'm not a fan of bringing people back who have already been "eliminated" - I think this is a byproduct from a previous season where they had teams and people could be sent to the "bench" but no one was actually eliminated.  Then the contestants where able to bring people back onto the show by eageling a whole or something like that.  Seems like they wanted to have a version of that here.

Really I wish they would allow the players to actually play 9 holes of golf against each other and see where everybody stacks up instead of these skills competitions.

[KillaK]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

I'd like to see an 18-hole match play with Justin from BBIW and Brian from one of the prior seasons.  Winner is proclaimed "Best Golfer of ALL TIMES" (in caps) and loser is proclaimed "Best Golfer of ALL OTHER TIMES."

Brandon

Oh man I would LOVE to see that - Justin actually reminded me of Brian - he spent so much time talking about how good he was but he never once showed it on the course.  I remember that line where Brian was saying how he was accustomed to regularly pitching the all in from 50 yards.

[Chilli Dipper]

And that's where the money starts to matter again.

[hjimzaf]

They should've kept playing golf instead of going to the putt off. Let them play!

[deronsizemore]

Do these guys just have the worst looking swings on earth, or what? Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I love to see the golfer swing the club if I'm watching golf. I won't want to see a close up shot of their face, ball at impact, hands while they're addressing the ball, etc. That seems the be all that The Golf Channel is showing with their editing. They will throw in a random full swing here and there, but it's few and far between.

[Kieran123]

Sucks to see Petey go. I thought he had serious game compared to the other guys.

His attitude was good too. Confident, and battled pretty hard there.

[roobatooba]

I know . First elimination that bummed me out . Petey left with a lot of good shots in the confidence bank that he can bring up during a tough round.

[Chilli Dipper]

Originally Posted by roobatooba

I know . First elimination that bummed me out . Petey left with a lot of good shots in the confidence bank that he can bring up during a tough round.

We've reached the point in these competitions where good players start to be eliminated. I thought John would be one of the last few guys standing, but he was gone within the first ten minutes. Then Petey went out, and now only five players remain.