Rounders Series one premiered

Rounders

Series one premiered in July 2006, followed by series two in September rounders Series three first aired in the United Kingdom in October 2009, with the Australian premiere occurring in May 20 Emma Gilbert, Cleo Sertori and Rikki Chadwick are three sixteen-year-old Australian teenage girls rounders find themselves stranded on the mysterious Mako Island. They eventually find themselves in a pool under a dormant volcano just as a full moon appears overhead, bathing the pool in light. The girls are rescued and return to normal life, but soon discover their lives have become anything but normal: ten seconds after contact with water, they transform into mermaids with supernatural powers over water. The trio enlist the help of Cleos friend Lewis McCartney, who attempts to discover the secret behind their transformations. Everyday situations, such as bathing and rain, become tricky as the girls struggle to cope with their newfound abilities, which have many advantages and disadvantages, while also trying to keep them a secret from everyone else. Series two introduces Charlotte Watsford, who eventually gains mermaid powers as well. Series three sees the arrival of Bella Hartley, who has been a mermaid since the age of nine. Claire Holt as Emma Gilbert, who has a confident and responsible, if somewhat controlling, personality. She has the ability to freeze water, and later develops the ability to manipulate clouds, ice and snow. Holt appears in series one and two, but left the show to film Messengers 2: The Scarecrow. Phoebe Tonkin as Cleo Sertori, who at first is shy and a little awkward, but eventually becomes outgoing and personable. She is able to manipulate and mould the form of water, as well as increase or decrease the amount of water present. She is later able to control the wind. Tonkin appears in all series of the show. Cariba Heine as Rikki Chadwick, the new girl in rounders at the start of the show, who tends to be aloof and rebellious. Her power is the ability to manipulate heat in water, ranging from warming to boiling, which eventually grows to allow control over fire and lightning. Heine appears in all series of the show. Angus McLaren as Lewis McCartney, Cleos childhood friend who is academically gifted and thinks of himself as a scientist. The girls tell him of their secret and he works to understand why the transformations occur. After appearing in both series one and two, McLaren left the show during the third series to begin filming Packed to the Rafters. Brittany Byrnes as Charlotte Watsford, the main antagonist of series two who enjoys the arts and sciences, but is controlling and manipulative. She causes conflict amongst the girls and steals Cleos boyfriend. Upon transforming into a mermaid, she obtains all of the girls collective powers, but permanently loses her abilities after a confrontation with the trio. Indiana Evans as Isabella Bella Hartley, the new girl in series three. She is a singer and performs at the juice bar. She became a mermaid in the sea caves of Ireland when she was nine, and has the power to change water into gelatine and a crystalline substance. Burgess Abernethy as Zane Bennett, who is the vain and arrogant local bad boy. In series one, he becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the mermaids after catching a glimpse of one. Later, he develops an on-again, off-again relationship with Rikki that is permanently broken in series three. Luke Mitchell as Will Benjamin, a skilled swimmer and free-diver who is introduced in series three. While exploring Mako Island, he finds the moon pool and is attacked by the water, causing him to hunt for the cause of the strange event. He is Bellas love interest, becomes closer to the girls once he discovers they are mermaids. Craig Horner as Ash Dove, a keen equestrian and riding coach who appears during series two. He forms a relationship with Emma, but does not learn of her being a mermaid until the series finale. Horner does not appear in series three due to filming Legend of the Seeker. There are three different types of mermaid tails used on the show: custom-fitted tails that the girls swim in, a floppy tail used for stationary shots, and a hard tail for stunts. The custom costumes took six months to build, with the tails and tops made from body casts and comprising individually hand-crafted scales. The finished product weighs between 12 and 15 kilograms 26 and 33 lb. Inside the tail are leg straps where the girls are strapped up and then zipped up. Once in costume, the girls have to be lifted into the water. Attempts were made to minimise the on-screen visibility of the zips on the tails, such as adding extra scales and crafting a ridge of material around the length of the zip. The tail fin itself was designed with a foot pedal to assist the actresses with swimming.