SHOW: Building the Coconuts
NETWORK: YouTube
PREMIERE DATE: April 29
GENRE: Reality Docuseries / Sports / Business Building
Forget the polished, multi-million-dollar spring training facilities. If you want to see what it really takes to build an elite sports franchise from the dirt up, you need to head to the jungle.
Premiering April 29 on YouTube, Building the Coconuts is an all-access, 24/7 reality docuseries that follows international baseball veteran Coach Merv and his wife, Lerma, as they attempt the impossible: engineering a world-class youth baseball and softball academy on the tropical island of Bohol, Philippines.
This isn’t just a sports show. It’s a marriage survival guide, a masterclass in international logistics, and a raw look at awakening the sleeping giant of Asian baseball.
🎬 The Cast
Coach Merv: The visionary and baseball lifer who refused to settle for the U.S. coaching status quo, taking his championship pedigree overseas. Now, he’s the man with the master plan.
Lerma: The co-founder and the glue holding the operation together. When the tropical heat rises and the blueprints get complicated, she is the one making sure the Coconuts actually become a reality.
Hali & SJ (The College Kids): Merv and Lerma’s kids are currently studying in Manila. Expect frequent FaceTime cameos as they check in on their parents’ wild jungle venture, providing the perfect mix of long-distance support and comic relief.
🌴 What to Expect This Season
With cameras rolling 24/7, viewers will get an unfiltered look at both the boardroom and the baseline. Here is what is on the docket for Season 1:
The War Room (The Daily Staff Meetings): This is the beating heart of the show. Watch the raw, unfiltered reality of daily staff meetings where blueprints are debated, budgets are squeezed, and logistics are mapped out.
Red Tape in Paradise: It takes a village to build an academy. The cameras will follow Merv and Lerma into the offices of local government officials as they navigate the complexities of international zoning, permits, and partnerships.
Between the Lines: At its core, this is about baseball. Watch Coach Merv in his element, running intense training sessions and bringing his decades of international championship experience to the local Bohol athletes.
The Scouting Road Trips: Jump in the passenger seat as the crew takes the show on the road, traveling to the far corners of Bohol to recruit the untapped teenage prospects that will make up the Coconuts’ roster.
More Than a Game: The Coconuts compound is an educational ecosystem. The series will feature deep dives into the lives of club members, intense academic competitions, educational field trips, and community social events.
Night School: Grab a notebook and sit in on the “Friends of Bohol Coconuts” seminars and night classes, showcasing exactly how this academy is elevating the entire community, not just the athletes.
Life Behind Closed Doors: When the clipboards are put away, the cameras keep rolling. Catch intimate, behind-the-scenes clips of Merv and Lerma’s home life as they balance building a legacy with being a family.
⚾️ The Verdict
If you love the team-building tension of Hard Knocks, the real estate hustle of Million Dollar Listing, and the raw heart of a true underdog sports story, Building the Coconuts is your new binge-watch.
The master plan goes live on April 29.
Join the Founders Club — A collective of visionaries driving the future of elite teenage baseball prospects on Bohol Island.
