Boarding House, Episode 1: Sunny Days

Based on the first episode of the WB's new reality series, Boarding House, there are two things you need to know. First, don't mess with Sunny, ‘cause he'll beat you up. Second, Holly is focused. And focused. And by the way, did I mention she's focused?

Sunny and Holly are just two of the seven surfers who've taken up residence on the Hawaiian island of Oahu to compete in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Boarding House will chronicle their journey as they try to live together peacefully while competing for the best waves.

The show opens with the usual Real World-style arriving of the houseguests to their slick new beach-front digs on Oahu's North Shore. First to arrive is 32-year-old Sunny Garcia, a living legend with a very big chip on his shoulder. Garcia, the oldest of the group, has a reputation for getting violent when things don't go his way. We see him enter the house, set up camp in a posh bedroom, and call to brag to his wife Raina - yes, that's right, “Sunny” and “Raina” - that you can “hear the waves from the tub.”

Next, we meet Veronica Kay, or “V.K.,” who apparently used to date one of Sunny’s friends. Veronica has been sponsored by sports clothier and surfing sponsor Roxy since she was 15 and is currently a Roxy Model.

Chipper Aussie Chelsea Georgeson is next to arrive. She lets us know she's the least known and youngest of the bunch and she might “give the girls a scare.”

Danny Fuller, a tan and tattooed chick magnet with a slight overbite, is next on the scene. He says he's just “livin’ the dream” and not looking for a girlfriend because he “can't really handle the lockdown right now.”

Next to arrive: the very, very good Damien Hobgood. Damien immediately lets us know he is a faithful Christian with a firm belief in God. He's got a beautiful girlfriend, he says, and won't have to worry about her getting pregnant because he's not going to sleep with her. Also, Veronica used to date someone he knows. Am I sensing a trend here?

Goal-oriented Holly Beck comes in next. She's got stuff to do, so get out of her way! She lets us know she's “focused” and when she has a competition, she likes to go to bed early and get up early.

We learn through the magic of voiceover that Veronica and Holly have been competitors for years, but they have very different priorities. While Holly has been going to school and working to improve her surfing, Veronica has been riding the waves around the world.

Finally, we meet Myles, the defending champion of the Vans Triple Crown. Myles is expecting a child by his fiancée, Chaney, and says that the baby has only made him more determined to win. His biggest competition is Sunny, he says. He likes to feel mentally prepared before any competition and is worried that having all these people in the house might affect his concentration.

All the surfers tour the house and talk about its plush features. Then they get busy unpacking - V.K., Chelsea, and Holly take separate bedrooms upstairs, while Danny, Myles, and Damien choose spaces in the basement. Sunny's wife Raina comes over and walks around, exclaiming, “I want a house like this!”

When the packing is done, it's time to party. Danny and the boys go to town, and Chelsea and Veronica slip off on their own for a bit of drinking and dancing. Holly decides to stay home and “focus.” A split screen juxtaposes her stretching on the bedroom floor with Veronica dancing and having fun as we hear Holly talk about Veronica's lack of goals.

At 6:00 the next morning, Holly is up focusing on a cup of coffee and waiting to call the surf line to see if the competition is on for the day. Bad news, though: the competition has been cancelled due to a lack of suitable waves. Holly finishes her coffee and the surfers get ready to go out surfing on V-Land Beach. Veronica has to forego the day of surfing as she must go to town for a Roxy photo shoot.

V-Land Beach, we're told, has two major dangers: the reef and the crowd. We're told that it's very disrespectful for a novice surfer to get in the way of a pro – like Sunny, for example. We see Sunny become angry at a neophyte who dares to “drop in” on his wave. Sunny orders the young man out of the ocean, as if it were his very own practice arena. But respect for (or fear of) the legendary surfer apparently runs deep: the newbie gets out of the water and sheepishly says he'd never intentionally drop in on Sunny Garcia.

To perfectly illustrate why the crowds are a big danger, we see a male surfer run directly into a novice female surfer as she attempts to duck dive a wave. Myles helps her out of the water and yells for someone to call an ambulance. While they wait for help to arrive, Sunny and Myles stand around shaking their heads and talking about how the gash in her leg was “big enough to put [a] hand in.”

Meanwhile, we see Veronica surfing and paddling on tiny waves with the other Roxy models during the photo shoot and learn that she must work about 80 days a year for her sponsor. Holly, in voiceover, talks scornfully about the giggling Roxy girls wearing their surf gear - like the hat we see perched on V.K.'s head. Meow!

Later that night, Sunny, Raina, and a few others head to Taste of Paradise to hear the band Slightly Stoopid. They're having a great time until a tipsy man begins talking to Raina every time Sunny leaves the table. This greatly offends Sunny, and he walks over to the man's table to make his displeasure known. The restaurant’s frazzled owner follows him and Sunny and the owner talk over one another. Sunny points his finger at the man and tells him, "This is my f**king place!” The owner declares that she'll have no fighting in her joint, but aims her ire directly at the offending gentleman.

The man stutters out what sounds like an apology, but ends by saying that if Garcia comes over again, he'll kick his ass. Garcia looks very angry; there's also a hint of amusement in his gruff face. He dares the man to stand up as the owner reiterates that there will be no fighting. Garcia waits for the man outside, but the cops show up and put an end to any chance of confrontation. Garcia heads for home, where we hear Raina saying that it should have been no big deal that the man talked to her. Garcia counters that where he's from, if a man even looks at your woman it's grounds for a butt-kicking.

The next morning, the competition is on; the elimination rounds begin at 8 a.m. In the first heat, Sunny surfs beautifully, but Myles isn't getting the waves he needs. He's in fourth place when he catches a final wave. It's his last chance to win the heat. He's looking good and the spectators are cheering him on, but he makes a wrong move and wipes out. His fiancée looks on as he comes out of the water to face defeat.

Sunny emerges victorious but in pain. He begins nursing his knee, which we learn is a chronic injury that's caused a lot of trouble in his past. As he moves into the semifinals, we're left to wonder if his knee will hold out and if Myles can come back from his poor performance to win the Triple Crown.

In the next episode, V.K. and Holly's rivalry heats up as the girls head into the water, and Sunny looks to get in trouble again as we see him smack another surfer in the head. Why doesn't this surprise me?

Beth Blakely is a professional writer and editor. She can be reached at bb4rno@yahoo.com.

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