''Summer House'' is a reality series that aired on

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the Hears ...

and was hosted by Chris Spielman. The show debuted on July 25, 2006 and ran for eight episodes.

Premise

The show takes six of the nation's top

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

incoming freshmen and put them in a house in Chicago for one week. ''Summer House'' gives viewers an inside look at the future college football stars. The players compete against each other to be named "The King of the House". The competitors earn points for each challenge they compete in, leading up to the final day and the crowning of the "King". Between competitions and their day-to-day interactions with each other and sports celebrities, the players learn what it takes to succeed on the field and off the field.

Production

The ESPN production was produced by Intersport, a Chicago-based production company, with head producers Michael Kolodny and Jim Gorman planning each day. ESPN also had producers Adam Briles and Paul Gordon assist in its productions. Special guests on the first season included

Jennie Finch Jennie Lynn Finch Daigle (born September 3, 1980) is an American former softball player. She played for the Arizona Wildcats softball team from 1999 to 2002, where she won the 2001 Women's College World Series and was named collegiate All-Americ ...

(USA Olympic gold medalist), Trent Green and Larry Johnson ( Kansas City Chiefs), Todd Heap and

Derrick Mason Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the ...

( Baltimore Ravens), Greg Lewis ( Philadelphia Eagles), Gale Sayers (

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Hall of Famer) and Ken Williams ( Chicago White Sox GM). Mike Hall (

's signature anchor) and Bob Davie ( ESPN college football analyst) also appeared. The contestants included

Terrence Austin Terrence La'Mar Austin (born August 25, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He was selected by Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of California, Los Angeles (UC ...

(four star wide receiver, UCLA), Jarred Fayson (four star wide receiver/quarterback, Florida), Cart Kelly (two star wide receiver/cornerback, Princeton), London Crawford (three star wide receiver, Arkansas),

Cody Hawkins Cody Norman Hawkins (born March 24, 1988) is an American college football coach and a former professional and college football player. He is the head football coach at Idaho State University. Hawkins played as a quarterback for the Colorad ...

(three star quarterback, Colorado) and Taylor Potts (three star quarterback,

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

).Star ratings range from 2-5 and are gleaned fro
rivals.com
The show's main sponsors are Under Armour, Direct TV and

Dick's Sporting Goods Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (stylized as "DICK'S Sporting Goods") is an American sporting goods retail company, based in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The company was established by Richard "Dick" Stack in 1948, and has approximately 854 stores an ...

References

Press Release: NEW REALITY SERIES: ESPNU SUMMER HOUSE

External links

ESPN.tv show pageESPNU.com show page
ESPNU original programming 2000s American reality television series 2010s American reality television series 2006 American television series debuts American sports television series Television shows filmed in Illinois Television shows set in Chicago {{US-reality-tv-stub