| Curling Night in America | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sports |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBCSN Universal Sports |
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.
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. [1] In following seasons mixed doubles was added as a third division, [2] 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.
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. [3] 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. [3] The fifth season returned to Minnesota, held at Chaska Curling Center. [4] 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. [5] 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. [6]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Average viewership (in thousands) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | ||||
| 1 | 6 | January 22, 2015 | March 13, 2015 [1] | Universal Sports | 79 [7] | |
| 2 | 9 | January 8, 2016 | March 4, 2016 [8] | NBCSN | 101 [7] | |
| 3 | 9 | January 19, 2017 | March 17, 2017 [7] | TBA | ||
| 4 | 8 | October 10, 2017 | December 5, 2017 [9] | TBA | ||
| 5 | 9 | October 12, 2018 | December 14, 2018 [10] | TBA | ||
| 6 | 9 | January 3, 2020 | March 6, 2020 [11] | TBA | ||
The inaugural U.S. Curling Grand Prix, filmed December 4 to 6, 2014 at Fours Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, Minnesota. [1] 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. [12]
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| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "USA vs China – Women" | January 22, 2015 [1] | |
The Chinese women defeated the United States, 5–3. [13] | |||
| 2 | "New Zealand vs USA – Men" | January 30, 2015 | |
The American men defeated New Zealand, 6–3. [14] | |||
| 3 | "Japan vs USA – Women" | February 6, 2015 | |
The American women defeated Japan, 7–4. [15] | |||
| 4 | "USA vs China – Men" | February 15, 2015 | |
The American men defeated China, 6–2. Colin Hufman played second for the United States instead of Joe Polo. [16] | |||
| 5 | "USA vs New Zealand – Women" | February 27, 2015 | |
The American women defeated New Zealand, 7–3. [17] | |||
| 6 | "Japan vs USA – Men" | March 13, 2015 | |
The Japanese men defeated the United States, 10–6. Colin Hufman played lead for the United States instead of Ryan Brunt. [12] | |||
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. [18]
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| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "USA vs Japan – Men" | January 8, 2016 [8] | |
The American men tied Japan, 5–5, and then won the draw to the button tiebreaker. [20] | |||
| 2 | "USA vs Japan – Mixed doubles" | January 15, 2016 | |
The American team defeated Japan, 11–4. [21] | |||
| 3 | "USA vs China – Women" | January 29, 2016 | |
The American women tied China 5–5 in regulation, then won the draw to the button tiebreaker. [22] | |||
| 4 | "USA vs Scotland – Men" | February 5, 2016 | |
The American men defeated Scotland, 5–4. [20] | |||
| 5 | "USA vs China – Mixed doubles" | February 5, 2016 | |
The American team defeated China. [21] | |||
| 6 | "USA vs Japan – Women" | February 12, 2016 | |
The Japanese women defeated the United States, 5–3. [23] | |||
| 7 | "USA vs China – Men" | February 19, 2016 | |
The Chinese men defeated United States, 5–3. [20] | |||
| 8 | "USA vs Scotland – Mixed doubles" | February 26, 2016 | |
The American team defeated Scotland, 10–2. [21] | |||
| 9 | "USA vs Scotland – Women" | March 4, 2016 | |
The American women defeated Scotland, 7–1. [18] | |||
Filmed December 1 to 3, 2016 at Duluth Curling Club in Duluth, Minnesota. [24] Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Tanith White provided commentary. [7] The United States won the overall tournament, earning the American Cup for the first time. [25]
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| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "USA vs China – Men" | January 19, 2017 [7] | |
The Chinese men defeated the United States, 9–6. [28] | |||
| 2 | "USA vs China – Mixed doubles" | January 27, 2017 | |
The Chinese team defeated the United States, 10–4. [29] | |||
| 3 | "USA vs Japan – Women" | February 3, 2017 | |
The Japanese women defeated the United States, 6–3. [30] | |||
| 4 | "USA vs Scotland – Women" | February 10, 2017 | |
The American women defeated Scotland, 7–3. [31] | |||
| 5 | "USA vs Japan – Mixed doubles" | February 17, 2017 | |
The Japanese team defeated the United States, 7–4. [32] | |||
| 6 | "USA vs Japan – Men" | February 24, 2017 | |
The American men defeated Japan, 7–4. [33] | |||
| 7 | "USA vs China – Women" | March 2, 2017 | |
The American women defeated China, 8–1. [34] | |||
| 8 | "USA vs Scotland – Mixed doubles" | March 11, 2017 | |
The American team defeated Scotland, 9–3. [35] | |||
| 9 | "USA vs Scotland – Men" | March 17, 2017 | |
The Scottish men tied the United States 6–6, but then won the draw to the button tiebreaker. [25] | |||
Filmed August 24 to 26, 2017 at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska; a precursor to the arena holding the Olympic trials. [36] Commentary provided by Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Trenni Kusnierek. [9] 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. [37]
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|
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "USA vs Scotland – Men" | October 10, 2017 [9] | |
The Scottish men tied the United States 5–5, but then won the draw to the button tiebreaker. [40] | |||
| 2 | "USA vs Scotland – Women" | October 17, 2017 | |
The Scottish women tied the United States 3–3, but then won the draw to the button tiebreaker. [41] | |||
| 3 | "USA vs China – Men" | October 24, 2017 | |
The American men defeated China, 7–3. [42] | |||
| 4 | "USA vs Japan – Women" | October 31, 2017 | |
The American women tied Japan 6–6, but then won the draw to the button tiebreaker. [43] | |||
| 5 | "USA vs Japan – Men" | November 7, 2017 | |
The American men defeated Japan, 6–3. [44] | |||
| 6 | "USA vs China – Women, USA vs China – Mixed doubles" | November 21, 2017 | |
The American mixed doubles team defeated China 6–5 and the Chinese women defeated the United States 5–3. [45] | |||
| 7 | "USA vs Japan – Mixed doubles" | November 28, 2017 | |
The American team defeated Japan, 8–5. [46] | |||
| 8 | "USA vs Scotland – Mixed doubles" | December 5, 2017 | |
The American team defeated Scotland, 9–2. [37] | |||
Filmed August 27 to 29, 2018 at Chaska Curling Center in Chaska, Minnesota. [47] Commentary provided by Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Tanith White. [10] 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. [48]
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| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "USA vs Italy – Men" | October 12, 2018 [10] | |
The American men defeated Italy, 8–3. [50] | |||
| 2 | "USA vs China – Mixed doubles" | October 19, 2018 | |
The American team defeated China, 7–4. [51] | |||
| 3 | "USA vs China – Women" | October 26, 2018 | |
The American women defeated China, 7–6. [52] | |||
| 4 | "USA vs Japan – Women" | November 2, 2018 | |
The American women defeated Japan, 9–2. [52] | |||
| 5 | "USA vs Italy – Mixed doubles" | November 9, 2018 | |
The Italian team defeated the United States, 5–4. [51] | |||
| 6 | "USA vs Japan – Men" | November 23, 2018 | |
The American men defeated Japan, 9–2. [50] | |||
| 7 | "USA vs Italy – Women" | November 30, 2018 | |
The American women defeated Italy, 10–1. [52] | |||
| 8 | "USA vs Japan – Mixed doubles" | December 14, 2018 | |
The American team defeated Japan, 10–5. [51] | |||
| 9 | "USA vs China – Men" | December 14, 2018 | |
The American men defeated China, 5–3. [50] | |||
Filmed August 22 to 24, 2019 at Polar Iceplex in Raleigh, North Carolina. [53] Commentary provided by Jason Knapp, Pete Fenson, and Tanith White. [54] The United States won their fourth American Cup in a row, with Italy finishing second overall, Japan third, and Scotland fourth. [55]
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| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "USA vs Scotland – Men" | January 3, 2020 [11] | |
The American men defeated Scotland, 10–4. [59] | |||
| 2 | "USA vs Japan – Mixed doubles" | January 10, 2020 | |
The American team defeated Japan, 10–5. [60] | |||
| 3 | "USA vs Scotland – Women" | January 17, 2020 | |
The American women defeated Scotland, 7–2. [61] | |||
| 4 | "USA vs Italy – Women" | January 31, 2020 | |
The American women defeated Scotland, 7–6. [61] | |||
| 5 | "USA vs Italy – Mixed doubles" | February 14, 2020 | |
The American team defeated Italy, 6–3. [60] | |||
| 6 | "USA vs Japan – Men" | February 21, 2020 | |
The American men defeated Japan, 7–6. [59] | |||
| 7 | "USA vs Japan – Women" | February 21, 2020 | |
The American women defeated Scotland, 6–4. [61] | |||
| 8 | "USA vs Scotland – Mixed doubles" | February 28, 2020 | |
The American team defeated Scotland, 8–5. [62] | |||
| 9 | "USA vs Italy – Men" | March 6, 2020 | |
The American men tied Italy 4–4, but then won the draw to the button tiebreaker. [55] | |||
To be filmed August 25 to 27, 2021 at the Great Park Ice Arena in Irvine, California. [63]
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Joseph Polo is an American curler who is best known for winning a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics and being the alternate on the gold-medal winning United States men's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Polo was raised in Floodwood, Minnesota before moving to Cass Lake. He learned to curl in nearby Bemidji at the age of 10 in the Bemidji Curling Club's Sunday Night Junior League.
John Shuster is an American curler who lives in Superior, Wisconsin. He led Team USA to gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the first American team to ever win gold in curling. He also won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He has played in five straight Winter Olympics and eleven World Curling Championships.
The United States Curling Association is the national governing body of the sport of curling in the United States. The goal of the USCA is to grow the sport of curling in the United States and win medals in competitions both domestic and abroad. Curling's recent popularity has swelled the USCA to 185 curling clubs and approximately 23,500 curlers in the United States. The United States Olympic men's curling teams have seen success in recent years, most notably winning the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, led by skip John Shuster.
Brett Philip Gallant is a Canadian curler from Chestermere, Alberta. He currently plays second on Team Brad Jacobs.
Tyler George is an American curler from Duluth, Minnesota. He is a three-time U.S. Champion, 2016 World bronze medalist, and 2018 Olympic gold medalist. Since the 2018 Olympics, he has taken a break from playing competitive curling, instead spending time as an ambassador and coach for the sport.
The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and mixed doubles championships, as well as men's and women's versions of junior and senior championships. There is also a world championship for wheelchair curling. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's started in 1979. The mixed doubles championship was started in 2008. Since 2005, the men's and women's championships have been held in different venues, with Canada hosting one of the two championships every year: the men's championship in odd years, and the women's championship in even years. Canada has dominated both the men's and women's championships since their inception, although Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Scotland, the United States, Norway and China have all won at least one championship.
Jamie Ann Sinclair is an American-Canadian curler from Osgoode, Ontario and is a three-time U.S. National Champion. Her United States Curling Association membership is through the Charlotte Curling Association in Charlotte, North Carolina where she has a number of personal connections. She grew up in Manotick, Ontario, a suburb of Ottawa.
Satsuki Fujisawa is a Japanese curler from Kitami, Hokkaido. As a skip, she has won the Japanese national championship six times. Fujisawa skipped the bronze medal-winning Japanese team at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and the silver medal-winning team at the 2022 Winter Olympics. She is currently the skip of the Loco Solare curling team.
Rebecca Lynn Hamilton is an American curler from McFarland, Wisconsin. She is a five-time national women's champion, three-time national mixed doubles champion, two-time national junior champion, and a two-time Olympian. At the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, she competed in mixed doubles curling with her brother, Matt, along with playing with the women's curling team. She was again on the women's curling team during the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Cory Thiesse is an American curler from Duluth, Minnesota. She currently plays third on Team Tabitha Peterson. She is a three-time defending U.S. women's champion, winning titles in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Thiesse was one of the top junior women's curlers in the United States, playing in six national junior championships and winning four of them. She was the alternate on Nina Roth's 2018 United States Olympic team.
Tabitha Skelly Peterson is an American curler from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was a bronze medalist at the 2010 World Junior Championships and is a three-time women's national champion. She currently is skip of her own team, having traded positions with Nina Roth during the 2020 off-season.
Chiaki Matsumura is a Japanese curler from Nagano. She was a longtime member of the Chubu Electric Power curling team from 2012 to 2023. With the team, she won five Japan Curling Championships in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019. At the international level, she has represented Japan three times at the World Women's Curling Championship and three times at the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, winning a silver medal in both 2012 and 2019.
The 2019–20 curling season began in June 2019 and was scheduled to end in May 2020. However, the coronavirus pandemic declared in March 2020 resulted in the cancellation of events and the premature ending of the season.
The 2020–21 curling season began in August 2020 and ended in May 2021.
Almida Winquist de Val is a Swedish curler from Sundbyberg. She currently plays third and is vice skip on Team Isabella Wranå, also known as Team Panthera. With this team, she won a gold medal at the 2017 World Junior Curling Championships. de Val has studied engineering at the Swedish Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, where she received her Master's degree in 2021.
Mark Fenner is an American curler from Bemidji, Minnesota. He currently plays second on Team Korey Dropkin. He is a two-time junior national champion and won his first United States Men's National Championship in 2021.
The 2021–22 curling season began in June 2021 and ended in May 2022.
Sydney Mullaney is an American curler from Concord, Massachusetts. She currently plays second on Team Delaney Strouse. She is a two-time champion of the United States Junior Curling Championships, going on to win the bronze medal at the 2022 World Junior Curling Championships and the 2023 Winter World University Games. She also won the 2019 United States Mixed Curling Championship.
Rebecca Rodgers is an American curler originally from Leyden, Massachusetts, now living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She currently plays lead on Team Christine McMakin. She won the 2020 United States Junior Curling Championships and represented the U.S. at the 2023 Winter World University Games.
Daniel "Danny" Casper is an American curler from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He currently skips his own team out of Chaska. He is a former U.S. junior champion, going on to win the silver medal at the 2023 Winter World University Games.
