- The Big Break
infobox television
show_name = The Big Break
caption =
format = Reality,Golf ,Game Show
runtime = 60 minutes
starring =Vince Cellini Stephanie Sparks
country = USA
network =The Golf Channel
first_aired =October 6 ,2003
last_aired = Present
num_episodes =
imdb_id = 0805809:"For the BBC snooker game show, see "Big Break ".":"For the Soviet TV miniseries, see "Big School-Break ""The Big Break" is
The Golf Channel 'sreality television program. The show's premise is to award an aspiringprofessional golfer exemptions into selected events on certain tours. The series debuted onOctober 6 ,2003 , and has become very popular, spawning nine subsequent editions ("The Big Break II", "The Big Break III: Ladies Only", "The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe", "The Big Break V: Hawaii" and "The Big Break VI: Trump National", "The Big Break VII: Reunion at Reunion", "The Big Break: Mesquite", "The Big Break: Ka'anapali", "The Big Break X: Michigan") and celebrity versions ("The Big Break All-Star Challenge").Each episode is an hour long, though each season finale is two hours long. The show's chief signature is a giant rock that bears its logo, and a side rock that bears the edition number.
Format of the show
Ten players compete in one season of "The Big Break". Those ten players are found through a nationwide talent search, in which producers look for players with low handicaps, good swings, and good camera presence. Some players are professionals on mini-tours, or
commoner s who aspire to play golf professionally.When those ten golfers are found, they are then sent to a
hotel to meet each other for the first time, although some show contestants probably already knew each through playing in past tournaments. After spending time getting to know each other (or catching up, if they already knew each other), the players are then sent to the place where they will be staying for the next ten days as the show is taped.how challenges
The glass-breaking challenge
The show's signature challenge involves players breaking panes of glass, each containing a contestant's name (in "The Big Break All-Star Challenge NASCAR Edition", it was changed to the contestant's last name on top and the stylised car number dominating the pane). This challenge usually takes place in the premiere episode of each edition, although in "The Big Break II", it took place in the second episode, used in this case as the "Mulligan Challenge" (which is explained below).
The rules of the glass-breaking challenge changed from "The Big Break I" to "The Big Break II". In "The Big Break I", the ten players took aim at their own pane of glass, and all of them stood at a driving range, and fired shots at once. The first one to break his glass was the winner.
In "The Big Break II" and "The Big Break III: Ladies Only", as well as "The Big Break All-Star Challenge", players took turns, and had to call out whose glass they intended to break. If successful, the player whose glass pane was broken was eliminated for the rest of the challenge, and the last player whose glass pane remained unbroken was the winner. In "The Big Break II", tensions arose when "Team Bald" went after Don Donatello. Sean Daly (won the glass breaking competition), Shelby Chrest, and John Turke were the ones responsible for eliminating Don. In "The Big Break III: Ladies Only", the winner of the challenge got first choice of the room in which they would stay during their tenure on the show (this, too, is explained below).
In "The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe", the format was tweaked again. The challenge became a relay. The first team to have all six of its members break their own glass won. For this edition, the challenge was used as a Mulligan Challenge.
For "The Big Break V: Hawaii", the challenge was returned to its call-out format, but with a twist: when a player broke someone else's glass, they would keep shooting until they missed.
Mulligan Challenges
The "Mulligan Challenge" was the first challenge contested in each hour-long episode, though in "The Big Break II", it was the second challenge contested.
Past "Mulligan Challenges" have ranged from shooting golf balls into a large bucket sitting on a pickup truck as the truck moved back and forth to hitting balls through holes in a giant plywood wall for points. The holes ranged in size depending on point total, with the biggest hole being worth one point, and the smallest being worth five points. The winning individual or team in a "Mulligan Challenge" is awarded a mulligan to use in the "Skills Challenge".
Mulligan challenges were quite sparse in "The Big Break V: Hawaii".
kills Challenge (a.k.a. "Immunity Challenge")
The "Skills Challenge" is the second challenge contested in each hour-long episode, though in "The Big Break II", it was the first challenge contested. "The Big Break II" is also where the "Skills Challenge" was first used.
Past "Skills Challenges" have ranged from players hitting drives for points to players attempting to score points by hitting balls into three large boxes, the largest being worth 5 points, the middle-sized box being worth 10 points, and the smallest box being worth 20 points. Another "Skills Challenge" involved players playing a game called "B-R-E-A-K", similar to the
basketball game of "H-O-R-S-E". "Skills Challenges" usually take place in rounds, and the winner (or winners) of the "Mulligan Challenge" could use their mulligan at any point in the challenge if they are to make a mistake. The winner of the "Skills Challenge" is awarded immunity from the "Elimination Challenge."In "The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe", the Immunity Challenge (as it became known during the show), was a team event. The team that won the Immunity Challenge would have all its members spared from elimination.
Elimination Challenges
Each "Big Break" takes place in tournament-style form, as one player is eliminated from the show each week until there are two players left. So, the last challenge of each hour-long episode is the "Elimination Challenge."
The "Skills Challenge" winner is exempt from the "Elimination Challenge," so they can watch without taking part. The players not exempt from the "Elimination Challenge" participate in challenges such as hitting shots to the green for points. The closer to the pin, the more points one is awarded. The contestant who finishes last in any "Elimination Challenge" is eliminated from the show.
Eliminated players in the first three editions of the show were handled differently. In "The Big Break I" and "The Big Break II", eliminated players were immediately sent home. In "The Big Break III: Ladies Only", eliminated players were allowed to stay (some say required) with the remaining contestants until the show got down to its final two contestants, but at a different location from the one the remaining players were staying at.
In "The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe", the losing team in the Immunity Challenge had all of its members pitted against each other to stay alive.
Matchplay final
The last two players remaining on "The Big Break" play against one another in a
matchplay final, which takes place in each season's two-hour finale. The winner of the matchplay final picks up the exemptions into the selected events on the tour those events are sanctioned by, as well as additional prizes.Editions of "The Big Break"
"The Big Break I"
"See the main article:
The Big Break I "."The Big Break I" first aired, as said in the introduction, on October 6, 2003. The contest was filmed over ten days at the
TreeTops Resort inGaylord, Michigan . The winner would receive exemptions into four selected events on theCanadian Tour in2004 (all of which were broadcast by The Golf Channel).The ten hopefuls for the first season were
Randy Block ofSan Antonio ;Garrett Garland ofNorthridge, California ; Charles Calhoun ofMarietta, Ohio ;Justin Peters ofPlantation, Florida ;Steve Duemig ofClearwater, Florida ;Anthony Sorentino ofRochester Hills, Michigan ;Mark Farnham ofPort Jefferson, New York ;Craig Pawling ofSunrise, Florida ; Jeff Brown ofHampton, Georgia ; andJon Roddy ofOrlando, Florida . The show was hosted byPhil Mickelson 's swing coach, Rick Smith, and Katherine Roberts, who was dismissed aseye candy . In the end, Peters defeated Sorentino 3 & 1 in the matchplay final. Peters, though, failed to make the cut in any of the four Canadian Tour events he played in.The first season's webpage is still viewable [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=23232 here] .
"The Big Break II; Las Vegas
"See the main article:
The Big Break II "."The Big Break II" first aired in September 2004. The contest was filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada. The winner would receive four exemptions into
Nationwide Tour events during the 2005 season.The ten contestants were (in order of elimation) Jay Mcnair of Florida; Shelby Chrest of Canada; Scotty Yancey of Illinois; Sean Daly of Visalia, California; Mike Foster of Georgia; David Gunas of Connecticut; John Turke of Clearwater, Florida; Bart Lower of Ionia, Michigan; Donny Donatello of Florida; and the winner Kip Henley from Tennessee.
The Big Break II was the Golf Channel's highest rated show in its history of all programming. The show featured not only good golf but also some tension between roommates Sean Daly and Donny Donatello.
The winner Kip Henley failed to make any cuts on the Nationwide Tour and shortly after his attempt to play his way on Tour, he went back to caddying on the
PGA Tour ."The Big Break III: Ladies Only"
"See the main article: ".
"The Big Break III: Ladies Only" first aired on
February 8 , 2005. The show was filmed in October 2004 at theKingsmill Resort and Spa just outsideWilliamsburg, Virginia . The winner of this edition would receive exemptions into twoLPGA events and a celebrity tournament (theAmerican Century Championship ) in 2005, "not" all of which aired on The Golf Channel. Also, a leading golf retailer,Golf Galaxy , was offering $5,000 so that the winning player could purchase whatever they need for the LPGA events, such as new clubs or other accessories. The first of those three tournaments was theMichelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill , held at the golf resort where the show was filmed. The Michelob ULTRA Open is commonly referred to as the LPGA's "fifth major," much likeThe Players Championship is for thePGA Tour .The ten hopefuls for the third season were
Tasha Browner ofTarzana, California ;Danielle Amiee ofNewport Beach, California ;Pamela Crikelair ofWestchester County, New York ;Valeria Ochoa , originally fromMedellín ,Colombia , but who has since moved toMiramar, Florida ;Debbie Dahmer ofEscondido, California ;Jan Dowling originally fromBradford, Ontario , but who has since moved toDallas ;Cindy Miller ofSilver Creek, New York ;Sarah Sasse ofLincoln, Nebraska ;Liz Uthoff of St. Louis; andFelicia Brown ofRedondo Beach, California .Vince Cellini andStephanie Sparks , who once played in the LPGA herself, albeit briefly, became the show's new hosts. The matchplay final was stellar. Crikelair and Amiee faced off, with Crikelair going 2 up after just three holes. Amiee came all the way back, and, at 1 up on the par 3 17th, sank a birdie to go 2 up, and clinch the "The Big Break III" title 2 & 1. In addition to her exemptions and $5,000 gift card from Golf Galaxy, Amiee also won a newChrysler Crossfire , which she gave to a friend who had helped her financially. Amiee also donated her Golf Galaxy certificate to a charity for underprivileged children.Also for the first time, professional golfers from the tour handing out the exemptions made cameos. In the first episode of the season in which a contestant was eliminated (whom, by the way, would end up being Browner), LPGA winners
Kelli Kuehne andLorie Kane dropped by to participate in the season's first "Mulligan Challenge."Amiee's first tournament, the Michelob ULTRA Open, did not go well as far as trying to make the cut was concerned. She had plenty of fans following her. In her first round, Amiee shot 79 on the par 71 course. The second round was pushed back a day due to rain, where Amiee shot 77, missing the cut in her first LPGA event. Her second event, the
Corning Classic , never materialized, as she withdrew before the first round, citing a back injury, throwing her second exemption away. However, it is believed that Amiee withdrew because of media pressure over an alleged [http://sportsbybrooks.com/danielleamiee.jpgtopless photo] of her that was circulating around theInternet . There has been a great deal of discussion over the validity of the photo.Meanwhile, Miller, who actually played on the LPGA Tour from
1979 to1981 , when she married former PGA Tour player Allen Miller (the couple are still married, and have three children), competed in theLPGA Championship , having earned a spot by winning the 2004 LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals national championship. She shot an 84 in the first round, and an 88 in the second round, missing the cut.It was then Dowling's turn to play in an LPGA event. She's took part in the
BMO Canadian Women's Open , where she shot a 77 in round one, and a 74 in round two to take a respectable 7-over for the tournament, though she still missed the cut. Dowling won theCanadian Women's Amateur Championship in2000 , helping her earn the Female Canadian Amateur Golfer of the Year Award; she was also individual champion of theMid-American Conference in1999 and 2000 while a student atKent State University , and in her senior year at Kent State in2002 , she was given theJanet Bachna Award for Kent State Female Senior Athlete of the Year. While at Kent State, Dowling became friends with the winner of the2003 The Open Championship , Ben Curtis. Dowling says her golfing hero is the great Canadian professional,Moe Norman , who died onSeptember 4 , 2004, over a month before the show began taping.The season's website can be viewed [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/23239/3644 here] . Flash is required to view this, though. [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=26035&select=3&select2=3&select3=108&select4=1&select5=0&s= This link] contains two pages of video from this season. The series preview video, which is on the second page, contains a portion of
No Doubt 's hit, "Just a Girl ."Like "The Big Break II", this edition has been made available on DVD: [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=5005&select=221]
"The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe"
"See the main article: ".
"The Big Break IV" was filmed in the June 2005, and premiered on
September 13 of the same year. The twelve hopefuls (including "The Big Break II" contestant Bart Lower) were taken toScotland 's Carnoustie, and the Old Course inSt Andrews to compete for exemptions into twoEuropean Tour events (theAlgarve Open de Portugal and theCeltic Manor Wales Open ), an endorsement deal withBridgestone Golf , a two-year lease on aFord Explorer , and a $15,000 gift card fromDick's Sporting Goods . The Golf Channel made this a competition between players from theUnited States and Europe, much like theRyder Cup . Cellini and Sparks returned as hosts.The six hopefuls representing Team USA were Lower;
Randall Hunt fromLos Angeles , who currently lives inArlington, Texas ;Tommy Gainey , known as "Two Gloves," who hails fromBishopville, South Carolina ;T.J. Valentine fromPlymouth, Massachusetts ;David Carnell , aMiami resident who is originally fromPark Forest, Illinois ; andPaul Holtby fromSimi Valley, California . Team Europe's six hopefuls were former British Amateur winnerWarren Bladon ofLeamington Spa ,England ;Guy Woodman fromOld Windsor , England;Edoardo Gardino , aCrans-Montana ,Switzerland resident who is originally fromAzti ,Italy ;Marty Wilde Jr. fromTewin , England;Richard Gillot fromParis ; andThomas Blankvoort fromWassenaar ,Netherlands .Lower was the first contestant eliminated, surprising, considering the fact that he finished third on "The Big Break II". Gillot, who won a
Challenge Tour event in2000 , was the next to go, followed by Carnell, then Gardino. The USA-Europe elimination trade-off continued with Gainey getting the boot. It finally stopped with Hunt being eliminated in a two-part episode (the Immunity Challenge took a full hour, while Elimination took another). With just two members left, Team USA was given two episodes off so that the European team could be whittled down to its last two. In the first episode of this, ex-Amateur Championship winner Bladon was out, with Wilde to follow the next week. The final two were determined in a double-elimination episode, in which Woodman defeated Blankvoort and Holtby manhandled Valentine in separate 9-hole matchplay challenges. Holtby went on to defeat Woodman in the matchplay final, 1 Up. Unlike the previous editions, all the eliminated contestants stayed, followed the match and even took group photos with the winner.In the Algarve Open, Holtby shot 1-over for two rounds, missing the cut by one shot.
Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey finished high enough in the December, 2007 PGA Tour 'Q-School' to become a member of the PGA for 2008.
Each team had one member with a claim to fame. European team player Wilde is the son of British singer
Marty Wilde and the brother ofKim Wilde , who sang the1981 hit, "Kids in America." Team USA member Valentine is the son of former professional bowlerJeffrey Valentine . Another European team member, Gardino, has caddied in two Ryder Cups (1999 and2002 ), carrying bags for players likeSergio García ,Miguel Ángel Jiménez , andJosé María Olazábal . Gardino also caddied forÁngel Cabrera in the 2005Presidents Cup and the 2007 U.S. OpenDuring the show's run, a new behind-the-scenes show called "The Big Break IV: All Access" debuted and aired on "Top Shelf Wednesday," a weekly primetime block of programming hosted by Cellini. "Big Break III" alumnus Ochoa worked as a reporter for the "All Access" show.
Promotional ads leading up to the show's premiere were set to
Bon Jovi 's1987 hit "Livin' On a Prayer ."The show's website can be found here: [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/20096] It, too, is available on DVD: [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=5005&select=240]
"The Big Break V: Hawaii"
"See the main article: ".
"The Big Break V: Hawaii" was another "ladies only" edition, and was filmed from
October 16 to the 30, 2005, inHawaii on the North Shore ofOahu at theTurtle Bay Resort , site of the LPGA'sSBS Open at Turtle Bay Resort , and premiered onFebruary 7 ,2006 , a day short of the first anniversary of the premiere of "The Big Break III". Cellini and Sparks returned for their third stint as hosts. "All Access" also returned, with Wilde as the reporter this time around.This "Big Break" contained the show's largest prize package yet: the lone LPGA exemption will be into the 2006
Safeway Classic . Other prizes were a Bridgestone Golf equipment contract, a $10,000 prize package fromGolfsmith , and a 2006Chrysler Crossfire Roadster . The winner also got a developmental package prior to their LPGA start, something viewers have been suggesting for quite a while now. The package contained exemptions into all remaining 2006FUTURES Tour events, golfing instruction fromDean Reinmuth , fitness training from former show host Roberts, and mental coaching fromDr. Gio Valiante .11 golfers arrived in the Aloha State, but one was to be sent home before she could even unpack her bags. These 11 golfers were
Jeanne Cho , who lives inOrlando, Florida , but was born inFrance ;2002 U.S. Women's Amateur championBecky Lucidi ofPoway, California ;Dana Lacey ofNorth Beach, Western Australia ;Nikki DiSanto ofLos Angeles ;Katie Ruhe , who is originally fromMontpelier, Ohio , but now lives inWesley Chapel, Florida ;Ashley Prange ofNoblesville, Indiana ;Kristina Tucker (maiden name Engstrom), who is originally fromStockholm , but now lives inPageland, South Carolina ;Divina Delasin , sister of LPGA playerDorothy Delasin , ofSan Francisco ;Kim Lewellen ofRaleigh, North Carolina now lives in Greenville, North Carolina, where she is the head coach of the East Carolina University women's golf team;Jo D. Duncan of St. Louis; andJulie Wells , who is originally fromEugene, Oregon , but now lives in Wilsonville with her husband.In the matchplay final, which aired on
May 9 , Prange defeated Cho 5 & 4 in the show's most lopsided matchplay final victory to date.Since Big Break V, Prange has won twice on the FUTURES Tour (The Greater Tampa FUTURES Golf Classic and the Horseshoe Casino FUTURES Golf Classic) and has three other top ten finishes.
The show's website can be found here: [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/bbv/f8/default.aspx?m=721] There is also a swimsuit calendar featuring the 11 women on sale: [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=5005&select=219] And "All Access" producer
James Ponti kept a blog about each "All Access" episode: [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/bbv/f8/behindthescenes/allaccessshow.aspx]"The Big Break VI: Trump National"
"See the main article: ".
The sixth edition "The Big Break" taped in late June and early July 2006 at the
Trump National Golf Club inLos Angeles . The show premiered on September 26, 2006, with the finale taking place on December 19, 2006, and is aco-ed edition, with eight men and eight women competing for exemptions on the LPGA Tour andChampions Tour s. On the ladies' side, Briana Vega defeatedBridget Dwyer by a score of 3 and 1, while Denny Hepler needed a 19th hole to finally clinch a win over Jeff Mitchell."The Big Break All-Star Challenge"
When "The Big Break" was first announced, a lot of celebrities applied for the show in addition to aspiring pros. The Golf Channel soon created a celebrity edition of the show, this one to benefit charities. On
March 22 , 2005, "The Big Break All-Star Challenge" debuted, featuring four members of theBoston Red Sox . Since then, there have been many more editions of the show, featuringNASCAR drivers, as well as members of theGreen Bay Packers , theChicago White Sox , theTampa Bay Lightning , and the bandHootie & The Blowfish . There have been many various hosts of the All-Star edition, and not once have Cellini and Sparks co-hosted an episode together. Other Golf Channel personalities who have hosted the All-Star edition includeBrian Hammons andSteve Sands , and some co-hosts have included former NASCAR starBenny Parsons and two-timeChampions Tour major winnerPeter Jacobsen .Jay Kossoff, the senior producer of "The Big Break", told "
The Charlotte Observer " at the taping of the first NASCAR edition, "We had a lot of celebrities apply for spots in the original shows, so we figured it was a neat idea to do something like this — let's take the next step.""The Big Break: Mesquite"
For the first time on any edition of "The Big Break", the eighth season offered "at least one exemption on the
PGA Tour " as its top prize. [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/20209/ The Big Break Mesquite Contestant Application, retrieved February 1, 2007]Premiering October 2nd, 2007, this season returned to the original format of 12 men competing for the title:
*Brian Kontak, 37, Scottsdale, Arizona, "The Troublemaker."---WINNER
*Joshua Warthen, 27, Arroyo Grande, California, "The Dude."---RUNNER UP Episode 12*Hiroshi Matsuo, 38, Jupiter, Florida, "The Veteran.""---ELIMINATED Episode 11
*Gerry James, 47, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, "The Giant."---ELIMINATED Episode 10
*Kevin Taylor, 35, Mocksville, N.C, "The Black Sheep."---ELIMINATED Episode 9
*Benoit Beisser, 25, Scottsdale, Arizona, "The Original." ---ELIMINATED Episode 8
*James Nitties, 25, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, "The Aussie." ---ELIMINATED Episode 7
*Matt Vick, 29, Franklin, Tennessee, "The All-American." ---ELIMINATED Episode 6
*Mark Farrell, 42, Westport, Connecticut, "The Suit." ---ELIMINATED Episode 5
*Anthony Rodriguez, 35, San Antonio, Texas, "The Star." ---ELIMINATED Episode 4, Second part of two part special.
*Matt Every, 24, Gainesville, Florida, "The Natural." ---ELIMINATED Episode 2
*Roger Fonnest, Jr., 28, Mineola, New York, "The Underdog." ---ELIMINATED Episode 1"The Big Break: Ka'anapali"
The ninth season premiered on
April 15 ,2008 . It featured an all-female cast and was again filmed in Hawaii, this time at Ka'anapali Resort inMaui . New hosts wereStina Sternberg andAndrew Magee . The winner received an exemption into the 2008Navistar LPGA Classic , entry fees to all 2009Futures Tour tournaments waived, anAdams Golf endorsement deal, and aBMW Z4 Coupe.Contestants:
*Kim Welch, 25, Sacramento, California - Futures Tour player --- CHAMPION
*Sophie Sandolo, 31, Nice, France - Ladies European Tour player --- RUNNER UP
*Lori Atsedes , 44, Orlando, Florida - Futures Tour player --- ELIMINATED Week 11
*Christina Lecuyer, 27, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - Cactus Tour player --- ELIMINATED Week 10
*Susan Choi, 23, Natick, Massachusetts - Newly Turned Professional --- ELIMINATED Week 9
*Samantha Head, 35, Orlando, Florida - Ladies European Tour player --- ELIMINATED Week 8
*Courtney Erdman, 25, Altadena, California - Futures Tour player --- ELIMINATED Week 7
*Tina Miller, 25, Miami, Florida - former Futures Tour player ---ELIMINATED Week 6
*Dana Bates, 44, La Quinta, California - Teaching pro --- ELIMINATED Week 5
*Adrienne Gautreaux, 26, Dallas, Texas - Futures Tour player --- ELIMINATED Week 4
*Elizabeth Stuart, 26, Tampa, Florida - Futures Tour player --- ELIMINATED Week 4
*Cirbie Sheppard, 24, Auburn, California - Mini Tour player --- ELIMINATED Week 3"The Big Break X: Michigan"
The 10th season will premiere on
October 7 ,2008 . Eight two-person teams comprised of a male and female compete at Boyne Highlands Resort.Contestants:
* Haymes Snedeker (Fairhope, AL) and Bernadette “Bernie” Luse (Naples, FL)
* James Vargas (Miami) and Andrea VanderLende (Longwood, FL)
* Sally Dee (Tampa, FL) and David Mobley (Huntersville, NC)
* Amber Prange (Noblesville, IN) and Robby Shaw (Louisville, KY)NOTE: Amber isAshley Prange 's sister. Ashley won "The Big Break V: Hawaii"Haynes Snedeker isBrandt Snedeker 's brother
* Hugo Leon (Jupiter, FL) and Camila Mori (Miami)
* Casey and Rachel Lubahn (Lansing, MI)
* Sherri McDonald (Lambertville, NJ) and Michael Michaelides (East Elmhurst, NY)
* Rachel Melendez (Atlanta) and Otis Smith (Stone Mountain, GA)References
Golf Channel Announcement of Big Break X: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=15100&select=26816
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