America's Top Dog
| America's Top Dog | |
|---|---|
 Intertitle since Season 2 | |
| Genre | Reality Dog show[1] |
| Directed by | Alex Van Wagner |
| Presented by | David Koechner Curt Menefee |
| Starring | Rachel Bonnetta |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 27 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Dan Cesareo Lucilla D’Agostino Jordana Starr Holly Wofford Elaine Frontain Bryant Shelly Tatro Sean Gottlieb Brad Holcman |
| Production locations | Santa Clarita (Season 1) Simi Valley (Season 2 & 3) |
| Cinematography | Marc Carter |
| Editors |
|
| Production company | Big Fish Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | A&E |
| Release | January 8, 2020 – present |
| Related | |
| Live PD[1] | |
America's Top Dog is a television series that premiered on A&E in January 2020.[2] The show is hosted by actor David Koechner and sportscaster Curt Menefee, while Rachel Bonnetta serves as the sideline reporter for the show.[3] The first season was filmed at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita.[4] The second and third seasons were filmed back-to-back in Simi Valley.[5]
Format[edit]
Season 1[edit]
In the show, five dogs and their handlers—usually four police K-9 teams and one civilian team—compete in a three-phase competition. The first phase, the Canine Combine, is an obstacle course that includes the car slalom (where the dogs jump in and out of cars), the fire escape (where the dogs pull down the doors to get to the next level), the high jump (where the dogs jump over walls, or in some cases, crawl under them), the rope bridge (where the dogs run across an unstable rope bridge), and the splashdown (where the dogs swim across a small pool to the finish). The fastest four dogs through the Combine advance to the next phase. The next phase is the Boneyard, a scent detection test, where the dogs try to find as many scented objects as possible (out of five), and alert their handlers to the find, in a maze of rooms in five minutes or less. For each dog's run, the scent used is whatever the dog is most familiar with. The two dogs that find the most objects (or that find them the fastest, in case of a tie) advance to the final phase. In the last phase, the Doghouse, the dogs and handlers make their way through a "house," including knocking down the door, climbing through the window into a spider-web of bungees, low-crawling, climbing boxes, running through a duct-work tunnel, breaching two doors (with the dog pulling the door open), and finally apprehending a "suspect," including taking him down and then releasing on command and returning to the handler. The dog that completes the phase the fastest wins the title of "America's Top Dog," $10,000, an additional $5,000 donated to the animal charity of their choice, and the opportunity to compete in the grand finale, which has a $25,000 prize.
Season 2[edit]
Season Two features a new format, with dogs facing against each other in head-to-head matches across classes of working dogs, police K-9 dogs and "underdogs". The winners of the three classes then face off against each other, with the final winner receiving a $10,000 cash prize and a choice to donate $5,000 to an animal charity of their choice. The final contest features winners of the previous weeks going head-to-head for a cash prize of $25,000.[6]
Contestants and winners by episode[edit]
Season 1[edit]
| Episode Number | Episode Name | Air Date | Dog Name | Handler Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raising the Woof | January 8, 2020 | Falco (winner) | Dave Cochran |
| Dax | John Forlenza | |||
| Maker | John Kuendig | |||
| Duco | Nathaniel Anderson | |||
| Maverick | Casey Skelton | |||
| 2 | The Fast and the Furriest | January 15, 2020 | Bear (winner) | Dan Rhoades |
| Kato | Charles Duvall | |||
| Bonito | Dawn Jauernik | |||
| Rocko | Stan Smith II | |||
| Duke | Ed Soares | |||
| 3 | Small Dog, Big Bite | January 22, 2020 | Minion (winner) | Amanda Caldron |
| Murphy | Patrick Newbill | |||
| Blitz | Randy Stein | |||
| Skoot | Alexander Lindsay | |||
| Demi | Jared Backey | |||
| 4 | Double Down on the Underdog | January 29, 2020 | Mattis (winner) | Mark Tappan |
| Fuze | Sarah Cole | |||
| Riddick | Amy Leishman | |||
| Wolverine | Otto Sturm | |||
| Moto | Jill Viggiani | |||
| 5 | Young Dog, Old Tricks | February 5, 2020 | Django (winner) | Heather Vanhemmert |
| Rico | Tim Bradley | |||
| Capo | Juan Rivera III | |||
| Leonittis | Alex Chavarin | |||
| Tango | Jordan Jones | |||
| 6 | Country Boys and Rescue Dogs | February 12, 2020 | Eddy (winner) | Todd Thompson |
| Cam | Justin Wilmot | |||
| Kuma | Michael Victorino | |||
| Jago | Mark Grube | |||
| Scrappy | Kristi Kummer | |||
| 7 | Are You Not Entertained? | February 19, 2020 | Bowie (winner) | Bob Schwarting |
| Pele | T.J. San Miguel | |||
| Crixus | John Shahor | |||
| Tater | Chuck Mehr | |||
| Bala | Daniel Salander | |||
| 8 | The Battle of the Garden State | February 26, 2020 | Kai (winner) | Mike McMahon |
| Hunter (Top Overall Boneyard Time) | Stan Balmer | |||
| Rogue | April Vaillancourt | |||
| Blizzard | Aaron Peterman | |||
| Mesa | Joseph Benke | |||
| 9 | Young Pups and Silver Foxes | March 4, 2020 | Bane (winner) | Jesse Matthews |
| Kobe | Candice Snyder | |||
| Kyra | Brian de los Santos | |||
| Macie | Megan Devoe | |||
| Bullet | Lance Montee | |||
| 10 | Gaga for Doggles | March 11, 2020 | Rony (winner) | Brad Larsen |
| Simon | Michael Garber | |||
| Casus Belli | Todd Mona | |||
| Bruce | Sandy Reeves | |||
| Garry | Aaron Steere | |||
| 11 | It Ain't Over Until There's a Top Dog | March 18, 2020 | Kai (winner) | Mike McMahon |
| Mattis | Mark Tappan | |||
| Rony | Brad Larsen | |||
| Eddy | Todd Thompson | |||
| Django | Heather Vanhemmert | |||
| Falco | Dave Cochran | |||
| Minion | Amanda Caldron |
Season 2[edit]
| Episode Number | Episode Name | Air Date | Dog Name | Handler Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Premiere Pooches | June 29, 2021 | Theo (winner) | Dayna Winter-Nolte |
| Krueger | Shea-La Gatz | |||
| Scar | Chris Don | |||
| Vader | Edgar Valencia | |||
| Monkey | Omar von Muller | |||
| Sue | Sara Chisnell | |||
| 2 | Cute But Means Business | June 29, 2021 | Chase (winner) | Mike Elezovic |
| Saint | Aolanis Fonseca | |||
| Frank | Alexa White | |||
| Rex | Chad Miller | |||
| Emit | Dana Rochat | |||
| Envy | Patricia Howell | |||
| 3 | Pulling A Fast One | July 6, 2021 | Capone (winner) | Danny Casson |
| Rebel | Andrea Fergerson | |||
| Mac | Allison Bilinski | |||
| Quelle | Madison Sperry | |||
| Creasy | Gary Pigott | |||
| Magnus Ares | Sinead Mbaro | |||
| 4 | Beauty, Brains, and Bark | July 13, 2021 | Chase (winner) | Joey Burns |
| Varro | Lisa Berry | |||
| Murph | Chrissy Garzon | |||
| Bonny | Kristine Hunter | |||
| Envy | Sophia Kalfayan | |||
| Kane | Whitney Ostrom | |||
| 5 | Tricks, Trials, and Takedowns | July 20, 2021 | Greymane (winner) | Cheyanne Green |
| Knots | Andrea Reid | |||
| Mattis | Adam Laprade | |||
| Banner | Gary Herrero | |||
| Niko | Allison Case | |||
| Riot | Lauren Cabanaw | |||
| 6 | The Tall, the Brave, and the Engaged | July 27, 2021 | Chewy (winner) | Rachel Clark |
| Mina | Otto Sturm | |||
| JJ | Kristi Kummer | |||
| Puma | Ben Gatton | |||
| Mogan | Joseph Garcia | |||
| Demo | Chris Collier | |||
| 7 | The Comeback Dogs | August 3, 2021 | Creasy (winner) | Gary Pigott |
| Saint | Aolanis Fonseca | |||
| JJ | Kristi Kummer | |||
| Niko | Allison Case | |||
| Krueger | Shea-La Gatz | |||
| Kane | Whitney Ostrom | |||
| 8 | Title Match to Top Them All | August 3, 2021 | Chase (winner) | Joey Burns |
| Chase | Mike Elezovic | |||
| Chewy | Rachel Clark | |||
| Greymane | Cheyanne Green | |||
| Capone | Danny Casson | |||
| Creasy | Gary Pigott | |||
| Theo | Dayna Winter-Nolte |
Ratings[edit]
Season 1 (2020)[edit]
| No. | Title | Original air date[7] | Rating (18-49) |
Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Raising the Woof" | January 8, 2020 | 0.3[8] | 1.18[8] |
| 2 | "The Fast and the Furriest" | January 15, 2020 | 0.3[9] | 1.16[9] |
| 3 | "Small Dog, Big Bite" | January 22, 2020 | 0.3[10] | 0.86[10] |
| 4 | "Double Down on the Underdog" | January 29, 2020 | 0.2[11] | 0.87[11] |
| 5 | "Young Dog, Old Tricks" | February 5, 2020 | 0.2[12] | 0.87[12] |
| 6 | "Country Boys and Rescue Dogs" | February 12, 2020 | 0.2[13] | 0.63[13] |
| 7 | "Are You Not Entertained?" | February 19, 2020 | 0.2[14] | 0.62[14] |
| 8 | "The Battle of the Garden State" | February 26, 2020 | 0.2[15] | 0.63[15] |
| 9 | "Young Pups and Silver Foxes" | March 4, 2020 | 0.2[16] | 0.68[16] |
| 10 | "Gaga for Doggles" | March 11, 2020 | 0.2[17] | 0.57[17] |
| 11 | "It Ain't Over Until There's a Top Dog" | March 18, 2020 | 0.3[18] | 0.84[18] |
Season 2 (2021)[edit]
| No. | Title | Original air date[7] | Rating (18-49) |
Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Premiere Pooches" | June 29, 2021 | 0.1[19] | 0.39[19] |
| 2 | "Hometown Favorites" | June 29, 2021 | 0.1[19] | 0.41[19] |
| 3 | "Pulling a Fast One" | July 6, 2021 | 0.1[20] | 0.36[20] |
| 4 | "Beauty, Brains and Bark" | July 13, 2021 | — | — |
| 5 | "Tricks, Trials and Takedowns" | July 20, 2021 | 0.1[21] | 0.31[21] |
| 6 | "The Tall, the Brave and the Engaged" | July 27, 2021 | 0.1[22] | 0.36[22] |
| 7 | "The Comeback Dogs" | August 3, 2021 | 0.1[23] | 0.30[23] |
| 8 | "Title Match to Top Them All" | August 3, 2021 | 0.1[23] | 0.27[23] |
Season 3 (2021)[edit]
| No. | Title | Original air date[7] | Rating (18-49) |
Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "New Season, New Dogs" | September 18, 2021 | 0.0[24] | 0.20[24] |
| 2 | "Can't Keep a Good Dog Down" | September 18, 2021 | 0.1[24] | 0.24[24] |
| 3 | "Off Course Canines" | September 18, 2021 | 0.0[24] | 0.21[24] |
| 4 | "Super Dogs" | September 18, 2021 | — | — |
| 5 | "Super Mutts and Super Sniffers" | September 25, 2021 | 0.0[25] | 0.19[25] |
| 6 | "Pound Pups to Top Dogs" | September 25, 2021 | — | — |
| 7 | "Redemption on the Line" | September 25, 2021 | — | — |
| 8 | "One Top Dog Left Standing" | September 25, 2021 | — | — |
Remake[edit]
The German TV channel RTL acquired rights from A&E for remaking the show into a six-episode series titled Top Dog Germany (German: Der Beste Hund Deutschlands).[26] It premiered on July 23, 2021.[27]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Sangalang, Jennifer (January 14, 2020). "'America's Top Dog' reality show features K-9s, Cocoa police officers". Florida Today. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "A&E's K9 Competition Series "America's Top Dog" Premieres Wednesday, January 8 at 9pm ET/PT". The Futon Critic. November 20, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ Hussey, Megan (July 21, 2020). "Representing Brooksville on America's Top Dog". Hernando Sun. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ Alvarenga, Emily (January 2, 2020). "The underdog goes nose-to-nose". The Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Rob, Owens (July 22, 2020). "Fresh off Kansas City Big Slick, David Koechner goes to the dogs — and 'Dating Game'". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ "A&E Network's Canine Competition Series "America's Top Dog" Returns for Two New Back-to-Back Seasons Premiering Tuesday, June 29 at 8PM ET/PT" (Press release). May 6, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ a b c "America's Top Dog (A&E)". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 9, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.8.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 16, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.15.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 23, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.22.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (January 30, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.29.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 6, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.5.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Salem, Mitch (February 13, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.12.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Salem, Mitch (February 20, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Salem, Mitch (February 27, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.26.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 5, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.4.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 12, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.11.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 12, 2020). "Updated: ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.11.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Metcalf, Mitch (June 30, 2021). "ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.29.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (July 7, 2021). "ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.6.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Berman, Marc (July 21, 2021). "Tuesday Ratings: The Milwaukee Bucks First NBA Title Since 1971 Ignites ABC". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (July 28, 2021). "ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.27.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Metcalf, Mitch (August 4, 2021). "ShowbuzzDaily's 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.3.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Metcalf, Mitch (September 21, 2021). "ShowbuzzDaily's Saturday 9.18.2021 Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (September 28, 2021). "ShowbuzzDaily's Saturday 9.25.2021 Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Jake Kanter (July 19, 2021). "A+E Networks Competition Series 'America's Top Dog' Remade By RTL In Germany". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Sebastian Reichert (July 30, 2021). "'Top Dog' (RTL): 'Ninja Warrior' Gary Hines greift mit seinem Hund Gizmo im Parcours an". Fuldaer Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2022.