Good as gold! // photo: Bryan Soderlind

Good as gold! // photo: Bryan Soderlind

The full Real Wake – Driven by MasterCraft show aired this weekend and it was insane. Seriously, if you haven’t watched it yet, or somehow totally blew it and forgot to set your DVR, you need to find your closest friend who didn’t blow it and go watch it now.

In what was one of the toughest decisions in a wake contest, the judges – Tom Fooshee, Chase Heavener, Brian Grubb, and Gregg Necrason – dissected each rider’s part and cast their votes. Ultimately the deciding factors were legit, progressive riding, high quality filming and editing, and an overall “wow” factor. The rider who seemingly had that factor, no matter who you asked after watching all the sections, was Brenton Priestley. BP took his all-around skill set to new levels for his Real Wake part and it showed. From stylish, tech boat hits, to creative park lines, to jaw-dropping winch missions, Brenton and filmmaker Spencer Norris had it all.

Rounding out the podium were Dom Hernler and Russell Spencer in 2nd, with reigning champs Chris Abadie and Andrew Adams in 3rd. These two parts spoke to the continued evolution and power of winching and creative park riding. Both Dom and Chris hit more incredible urban spots that really showcased just how unique wakeboarding can be when riders have access to a winch and the dedication/fortitude to finding and hitting new locations.

Congrats to Brenton and Spencer, along with all the other teams for another incredible year of Real Wake. All the guys killed it and took wakeboarding to the next level!