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BattleFrog College Championship was a sports competition television series directed by Ron Luscinski and written by Luscinski, Tom Davis, and Danny Llewelyn.

Hosted by Ron Pitts, sportscaster and former NFL cornerback, and Evan Dollard, from American Ninja Warrior and American Gladiators, BattleFrog College Championship showcases 16 co-ed rival college teams competing for a national championship and academic scholarships on the ultimate sprint track obstacle course built by Navy Seals; this single-elimination competition was a 350-meter, four-person relay with over 20 obstacles testing the competitors' strength, speed, and endurance.

The competing colleges for season one included: Syracuse, Texas A&M, Penn State, the N.C. State Triathlon Club, Army, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Miami (FL), Michigan, Ole Miss, USC, Virginia, Wisconsin and Virginia Tech.

The three-episode series premiered on June 9, 2015, in the United States on ESPN2. Following its U.S. release, the series aired in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Latin America.

As of August 2016, BattleFrog announced that they were closing their business.

Production

Casting for 64 athletes from 16 U.S. colleges began in September 2014. Competitors were selected based on their GPA and athletic performance. Filming commenced in Spring 2015 in Orlando, Florida, at Rock on Adventures Ranch alongside the BattleFrog obstacle race series Central Florida festival. Acclaimed sportscaster Ron Pitts and two-time American Ninja Warrior finalist Evan Dollard hosted the three-day single-elimination competition with sideline reporters, Emily Reppert from Fox Sports Southwest and Shawn Ramirez, two-time crossfit winner.

The series was produced by '51 Dons Film, LLC, and BattleFrog Obstacle Race series, and distributed by ESPN networks.

Season One Obstacles (2015)

Season One (2015)

Season One Championship (2015)

The Army team won the coveted trident cup and academic scholarships.

Season One Stats (2015)

Reception

BattleFrog College Championship premiered episode one, First Round on ESPN2, Tuesday, June 9, 2015, in primetime to a critically receptive audience. Episodes two and three subsequently aired in primetime on June 10 and 11, 2015. Following its premiere, season one aired 9 times nationally in the U.S. on ESPN Networks and internationally in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Latin America. BattleFrog College Championship season one drew over two million viewers in the first week and garnered a strong fan-base making season two a highly anticipated program for 2016.

On December 4, 2015, BattleFrog Obstacle Race Series was announced as the new title sponsor of college football's Fiesta Bowl, beginning with the January 2016 game.

References

1. BattleFrog College Championship to Air on ESPN Networks, June 5, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Dan Curran
2. "BattleFrog College Championships: A Look Into the Competition, June 17, 2015, Retrieved September 2015". Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
3. Ole Miss Finishes Second in BattleFrog College Championship, June 12, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Callie Daniels
4. UM Students to Compete in National BattleFrog Collegiate Championship, February 4, 2014, Retrieved September 2015, Michael Piacentino
5. Wisconsin Students Compete in BattleFrog College Championship on ESPN2, June 8, 2015, Retrieved September 2015 Archived September 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
6. "Triathlon Club featured in Inaugural Collegiate Obstacle Race, May 29, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Adam Sardinha". Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
7. "Spring Break? Not for Students Headed to BattleFrog, February 4, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Mike Piacentino". Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
8. Scudds to appear on ESPN broadcast, June 9, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Bellefontaine Examiner
9. Direct TV, June 2015, Retrieved September 2015
10. Afana, Dana (August 23, 2016). "BattleFrog cancels Michigan obstacle race four days before run". MLive.com. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
11. Davis, Matt (August 23, 2016). "BattleFrog cancels all races". obstacleracingmedia.com. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
12. BattleFrog on ESPN: Welcome to the Sport of Obstacle Racing, June 10, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Margaret Schlachter
13. TV Palace, June 7, 2015, Retrieved September 2015
14. Obstacle Racing Media, June 10, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Matt B. Davis
15. Obstacle Racing Media, June 11, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Matt B. Davis
16. Obstacle Course Race Championship, June 2015, Retrieved September 2015
17. BattleFrog® Announces U.S. West Coast & Canadian Expansion, August 21, 2015, Retrieved September 2015
18. BattleFrog on TV...Here We Go Again, June 10, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, John Wall
19. "BattleFrog College Championship: 6 Ways the Short Form Race Will Change OCR, June 22, 2015, Retrieved September 2015". Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
20. "BattleFrog Announced as Title Sponsor of 45th Annual Fiesta Bowl" (Press release). Fiesta Bowl. December 4, 2015. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.

External links

• BattleFrog College Championship at IMDb
• BattleFrog College Championship Trailer
• BattleFrog College Championship Season 2
• BattleFrog Obstacle Race Series
• BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl

• 2015 American television series debuts
• 2010s American game shows
• 2010s American sports television series
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPN media outlets
• ESPN original programming
• Obstacle racing television game shows
• 2015 American television series endings