“Modern Family” is about to start its sixth season, and it’s
anybody’s guess where the Pritchett-Dunphy clan will land. Last season, the Emmy winning ABC comedy
headed to Australia for a family vaca, and producers called the trek the show’s
“most ambitious” on-location shoot yet.
“We
promise to feature a kangaroo, a koala and a boomerang,” executive producer
Steve Levitan said
in a statement. “I’m
sure there will be lots more, but so far that’s all we know about Australia –
our American school system is a disaster…. Plus it’ll be nice to go to a place
where everyone looks like Hugh Jackman and Miranda Kerr.”
Of course, that wasn’t the first time fans of the hit sitcom
went along for the ride on one of this funny family’s vacations. Check out five
of the most memorable “Modern Family” vacations.
Hawaii
The Bradys have nothing on the Dunphys! “Modern Family’s”
first season ended with a family trip to Hawaii to celebrate Jay’s (Ed O’Neill)
birthday. And while there was no surfboard accidents or cursed tiki statues,
there was a vow renewal (Claire and Phil!) and a trip to a banana plantation. In an interview with
Emmy TV Legends, co-creator Christopher Lloyd explained that while he initially
had concerns about filming an on-location vacation (the original premise was to show just the
family’s airport mishaps), producers later concurred, “Audiences love to see
the characters in new, exciting, exotic
locations, so [the network] was very much in favor of it.”
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Season 3 kicked off with the vacation-themed episode “Dude
Ranch.” Set in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, The rustic ranch setting featured a campfire proposal, which had mom Claire
(Julie Bowen) answering for her daughter Haley (That’d be a big fat “no”) while
Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) kept busy mastering Cowboy 101: “I’ve been I've been practicing all the core
cowboy skills: shootin', ropin', pancake eatin',” he said. Lloyd told TV Line that the
rugged dude ranch setting was also the perfect place for Mitchell and Cameron (Jesse
Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet) to decide if they could actually raise a son.
(At the time they had a baby boy adoption in the works.) “They figure, ‘A dude ranch sounds like a
good way for us to rediscover our macho side,’” Lloyd dished.
Check out the
making of “Dude Ranch" here:
Disneyland
Yep, they’re going’ (OK, went) to Disneyland! Season 3
marked the sitcom’s obligatory trip to Disneyland, which had Phil feeling
queasy after a roller coaster ride and Gloria (Sofia Vergara) attempting to
walk the park in sexy high heels. Speaking of shoes, Mitch and Cam had trouble
keeping track of daughter Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) at the massive theme
park (yeah, they lost her a couple of times), so when a leash garnered them
disapproving stares from strangers, they “trapped” her with the next best
thing: Kiddie high heels, which made it
difficult for the tot to run off. Fun
fact: Past sitcom family’s like the Conners (“Roseanne”) and the Tanners (“Full
House”) have also gone on Disney theme park vacations.
Palm Springs
Nothing like New Year’s Eve in the Golf Capital of the
World. Especially when you stumble upon a nudist New Year’s celebration and an
impromptu poker game with actor Billy Dee Williams. Jay Pritchett spearheaded
the adults-only family trip featured in the Season 4 episode “New Year’s Eve,”
but the hotel he once raved about didn’t exactly improve with age.
Las Vegas
Another adults-only trip (hey, is this becoming a theme?)
took place in Season 5, when the grownups took a weekend jaunt to Sin City. For
Claire it was all about gambling (she wanted to win back the cash she lost in
Vegas years earlier), while her hubby Phil was determined to attend an
underground magic society meeting (guest star Patton Oswalt played magician
group leader Ducky). Meanwhile, Mitch ran into his ex (played by Fred Armisen).
After a series of misunderstanding that involved a misplaced room key, a naked
Gloria, and a magic trick gone awry, it’s safe to say that what happened to the
“Modern Family” gang in Vegas should definitely stay in Vegas.
“Modern Family” airs
on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
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