Curling Night in America is an American television program broadcasting a made-for-television curling tournament called the U.S. Curling Grand Prix. The first season aired originally on Universal Sports, starting on January 22, 2015. It has since run for five additional seasons, from 2016 to 2020, on NBCSN.
Format Each season covers a made-for-television tournament, called the U.S. Curling Grand Prix, where the United States and three other countries compete for the American Cup. The Grand Prix tournament is a double round-robin tournament, with each team playing every other team in their division twice. The country with the best overall record at the end of the tournament wins the American Cup. In the first season there were two divisions, men's and women's, with one team from each country in each division. In following seasons mixed doubles was added as a third division, thus three teams from each country for a total of twelve teams across all countries and divisions. Each episode shows one game including a team from the United States, along with highlights and score updates from the other games that occurred at the same time.
Production The show is recorded in front of a live audience but broadcast at a later date. Originally the United States Curling Association published the results of the tournament in real-time but changed to keeping them secret until broadcast due to feedback. The first three seasons were filmed at curling clubs in Minnesota. The fourth season was the first to take place out of Minnesota and the first to take place out of a curling club; it was held at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska. This is the same venue that held the 2017 United States Olympic Curling Trials only a few months later. The fifth season returned to Minnesota, held at Chaska Curling Center. The sixth season was the first to take place out of the Midwest, held at an arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. In the fall of 2019 it was announced the seventh season would be filmed at the Great Park Ice arena in Irvine, California, in August 2020. The arena is also scheduled to serve as the venue for the 2021 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Olympic Trials.
All curlers competing in the televised game have microphones, allowing the audience to listen in on strategy discussions and player reactions to shots.
Series overview
Season 1 The inaugural U.S. Curling Grand Prix, filmed December 4 to 6, 2014 at Fours Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, Minnesota. Was aired on Universal Sports Network and NBCSN. Commentary provided by Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Tracy Wilson. At the end of the tournament China won the inaugural American Cup, finishing first in both the men's and women's divisions.
Teams Men Country Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Heath McCormick Chris Plys Joe Polo Ryan Brunt Colin Hufman Zang Jialiang Zou Dejia Ba Dexin Zou Qiang Yusuke Morozumi Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi Tetsuro Shimizu Kosuke Morozumi Hans Frauenlob Dan Mustapic Scott Becker Warren Dobson Women Country Skip Third Second Lead Nina Roth Jamie Sinclair Becca Hamilton Tabitha Peterson Liu Sijia Liu Jinli Yu Xinna Wang Rui Ayumi Ogasawara Sayaka Yoshimura Kaho Onodera Anna Ohmiya Chelsea Farley Thivya Jeyaranjan Tessa Farley Eleanor Adviento
Episodes
Season 2 Filmed December 3 to 5, 2015 at Curl Mesabi in Eveleth, Minnesota. Commentary provided by Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Tanith White. At the end of the tournament China and the United States were tied for first in the overall standings with eleven points each, with Scotland finishing third and Japan fourth. A draw to the button tiebreaker was conducted to determine the overall winner, with the men's skips from China and the United States, Zang Jialiang and John Shuster, each throwing one stone. Zang won the tiebreaker, earning the American Cup for Team China for the second consecutive year. In the individual discipline standings Scotland won in men's, United States won in mixed doubles, and China won in women's.
Teams Men Country Skip Third Second Lead John Shuster Tyler George Matt Hamilton John Landsteiner Zang Jialiang Zou Dejia Ba Dexin Zou Qiang Yusuke Morozumi Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi Tetsuro Shimizu Kosuke Morozumi Tom Brewster Glen Muirhead Ross Paterson Hammy McMillan Jr. Women Country Skip Third Second Lead Jamie Sinclair Tabitha Peterson Becca Hamilton Jenna Haag Mei Jie Yu Xinna Liu Jinli Wang Rui Satsuki Fujisawa Chinami Yoshida Yumi Suzuki Yurika Yoshida Hannah Fleming Sophie Jackson Laura Ritchie Karina Aitken Mixed doubles Country Female Male Sarah Anderson Korey Dropkin Gao Xuesong Ma Xiuyue Michiko Tomabechi Kenji Tomabechi Jennifer Dodds Alasdair Schreiber
Episodes
Season 3 Filmed December 1 to 3, 2016 at Duluth Curling Club in Duluth, Minnesota. Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Tanith White provided commentary. The United States won the overall tournament, earning the American Cup for the first time.
Teams Men Country Skip Third Second Lead John Shuster Tyler George Matt Hamilton John Landsteiner Liu Rui Xu Xiaoming Ba Dexin Zang Jialiang Yusuke Morozumi Tetsuro Shimizu Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi Kosuke Morozumi Ally Fraser Ruairidh Greenwood Calum Greenwood Angus Dowell Women Country Skip Third Second Lead Nina Roth Tabitha Peterson Aileen Geving Becca Hamilton Wang Bingyu Zhou Yan Liu Jinli Yang Ying Junko Nishimuro (fourth) Tori Koana (skip) Yuna Kotani Mao Ishigaki Sarah Reid (fourth) Claire Hamilton Katie Murray Hazel Smith (skip) Mixed doubles Country Female Male Tabitha Peterson Joe Polo Wang Rui Ba Dexin Eri Araki Takuma Makanae Judith McCleary Lee McCleary
Episodes
Season 4 Filmed August 24 to 26, 2017 at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska; a precursor to the arena holding the Olympic trials. Commentary provided by Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Trenni Kusnierek. The United States won the overall tournament for the second year in a row. In the individual discipline standings Japan won the men's with a draw to the button tiebreaker over the United States, the United States won the women's with a tiebreaker over China, and the United States won in mixed doubles.
Teams Men Country Skip Third Second Lead Heath McCormick Chris Plys Korey Dropkin Thomas Howell Zou Dejia Zou Qiang Xu Jingtao Shao Zhilin Yusuke Morozumi Tetsuro Shimizu Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi Kosuke Morozumi Cameron Bryce Ross Whyte Robin Brydone Euan Kyle Women Country Skip Third Second Lead Jamie Sinclair Alex Carlson Vicky Persinger Monica Walker Jiang Yilun Jiang Xindi Yao Mingyue Yan Hui Junko Nishimuro (fourth) Tori Koana (skip) Yuna Kotani Mao Ishigaki Sophie Jackson Naomi Brown Mili Smith Sophie Sinclair Mixed doubles Country Female Male Becca Hamilton Matt Hamilton Mei Jie Shao Zhilin Michiko Tomabechi Kenji Tomabechi Laura Barr Gavin Barr
Episodes
Season 5 Filmed August 27 to 29, 2018 at Chaska Curling Center in Chaska, Minnesota. Commentary provided by Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Tanith White. United States represented by three out of five men's Olympic team members, four out of five women's Olympic team members, and the Olympic mixed doubles team of the Hamilton siblings. The United States won the American Cup for a third year in a row, only losing one game across the overall tournament.
Teams Men Country Skip Third Second Lead Alternate John Shuster Chris Plys Matt Hamilton John Landsteiner Kroy Nernberger Zou Qiang Zhang Zhipeng Xu Jingtao Shao Zhilin Go Aoki (fourth) Masaki Iwai (skip) Ryotaro Shukuya Kouki Ogiwara Amos Mosaner (fourth) Joël Retornaz (skip) Sebastiano Arman Alberto Pimpini Women Country Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Nina Roth Tabitha Peterson Becca Hamilton Aileen Geving Tara Peterson Wang Rui (fourth) Mei Jie (skip) Yao Mingyue Ma Jingyi Tori Koana Yuna Kotani Mao Ishigaki Arisa Kotani Stefania Constantini Angela Romei Valeria Girardi Federica Ghedina Mixed doubles Country Female Male Becca Hamilton Matt Hamilton Yang Ying Jiang Dongxu Ikue Kitazawa Kohsuke Hirata Veronica Zappone Simone Gonin
Episodes
Season 6 Filmed August 22 to 24, 2019 at Polar Iceplex in Raleigh, North Carolina. Commentary provided by Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Tanith White. The United States won their fourth American Cup in a row, with Italy finishing second overall, Japan third, and Scotland fourth.
Teams Men Country Skip Third Second Lead John Shuster Chris Plys Matt Hamilton John Landsteiner Luke Carlson Stuart Taylor Mark Taylor Alasdair Schreiber Yuta Matsumura Tetsuro Shimizu Yasumasa Tanida Shinya Abe Joël Retornaz Amos Mosaner Sebastiano Arman Simone Gonin Women Country Skip Third Second Lead Jamie Sinclair Cory Christensen Vicky Persinger Taylor Anderson Rebecca Morrison Maggie Wilson Jennifer Marshall Eilidh Yeats Satsuki Fujisawa Chinami Yoshida Yumi Suzuki Yurika Yoshida Veronica Zappone Stefania Constantini Angela Romei Federica Ghedina Mixed doubles Country Female Male Sarah Anderson Korey Dropkin Amy MacDonald Robin Brydone Shiori Fujisawa Kota Onodera Stefania Constantini Amos Mosaner
Episodes
Season 7 To be filmed August 25 to 27, 2021 at the Great Park Ice Arena in Irvine, California.
Teams Men Country Skip Third Second Lead Alternate John Shuster Chris Plys Matt Hamilton John Landsteiner Colin Hufman Tyler Tardi Alex Horvath Sterling Middleton Jason Ginter Felix Messenzehl Benjamin Kapp Magnus Sutor Johannes Scheuerl Tobias Thune Kasper Wiksten Daniel Poulsen Oliver Rosenkrands Søe Women Country Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Tabitha Peterson Nina Roth Tara Peterson Becca Hamilton Aileen Geving Kaitlyn Lawes Jocelyn Peterman Selena Njegovan Lisa Weagle Daniela Jentsch Emira Abbes Mia Höhne Analena Jentsch Madeleine Dupont Denise Dupont Mathilde Halse My Larsen Mixed doubles Country Female Male Vicky Persinger Chris Plys Bobbie Sauder Brendan Bottcher Lena Kapp Klaudius Harsch Jasmin Lander Henrik Holtermann
References