DALLAS, TX – We’ve made it to the championship, and it has been a riveting journey for the final two teams. 

The episode opens with some team bonding footage featuring both the Peoria Pythons and the Scottsdale Scorchers.

What makes the Pythons unique is that they’re one of the few teams that maintained its original roster from the beginning of the season, which is a testament to their chemistry, camaraderie, and friendship.

Meanwhile, the Scorchers made some switches, recruited players, and barely squeaked into the finals, but the squad remains confident in its potential to cause a major upset and make history. 

As soon as the match begins, the tension is palpable. 

In the first quarter, the Pythons substituted both of their mixed doubles players to help shift momentum after the Scorchers came out hot. There’s stacking, there’s targeting, and the music builds to a tense crescendo that leads to an intense second half.

Once play resumes, the Scorchers keep the momentum rolling and take the victory 63-53 to claim the inaugural Orchard Championship Cup. 

I think what makes this documentary successful is the Scorchers' upset. If the Tornadoes simply ran away with the title, the finale wouldn’t have felt as rewarding. It would have been far too predictable.

The Scorchers are the classic underdog story, and who doesn’t love a good underdog win?  

“The term ‘practice makes perfect’ is wrong, but 'perfect practice makes progress' is absolutely right. It’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish,” said Caden Nemoff in a post-match interview with the Orchard Security Guy. 

“We became a team, and we ended the season as the team,” said Monica Piekarski. 

The "real" grand finale, though, was a surprise ending credits dance party featuring all the familiar faces in the Arizona Pickleball League jamming out to a pickleball lyric remix of “I love it (feat. Charli XCX)” by Icona Pop.

Just an utter delight to watch.

Every single person involved in the production of this documentary was deeply passionate at creating an exciting and high-quality series. Every little detail was superb. The filmmakers captured the heart, friendship, and competition of the sport. 

I couldn’t recommend this series enough, and I look forward to seeing if and where it will land on a streaming platform. Wishing them the best of luck and a rubber chicken or two!

If you want to watch the series before the filmmakers remove it off YouTube, you better get to binging. Sign up through this link on Jigsaw Heath and watch before April 21.