FYI’s Kiss Bang Love will start with blindfolded kisses, while VH1 is bringing back Hip Hop Squares, a version of the classic game show Hollywood Squares.
future shows
Meet crazy stunt competition Super Combat Teams, coming to the U.S.
Watch China’s Super Combat Teams—think Fear Factor + Minute to Win It—which may soon be on American TV. Viewers guess the results of live stunts to win cash.
Four new intriguing, upcoming reality series
Over the past few weeks, TV networks have announced several new unscripted shows, many of which were announced at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour.
Of those announcements, four new reality shows caught my eye as ones that sound intriguing—in both good and bad ways. They range from a network series that’s knocking off an MTV series, to a show with challenges hosted by a genius theoretical physicist.
LEGO “master builder” reality TV competition being planned
In addition to producing a documentary about LEGO that will be released next year, the company is currently “exploring” a reality competition related to becoming a LEGO “master builder.” That’s a reference to a kind of character in The LEGO Movie and to actual people, those who LEGO defines as “highly-trained and super-creative builders who design all of the official LEGO sets” and… continue reading
Slow TV coming to U.S.: What slow-moving things will we watch for hundreds of hours?
Norway’s Slow TV has been a hit since 2011: NRK’s program has shown hours of slow-moving live things via fixed cameras, such as a cruise ship navigating the coast (134 hours) or a fireplace burning (12 hours). Friday, 1.3 million people watched knitting for 12 hours. Now, LMNO Productions has acquired the format for the… continue reading
Crew members quit Senior Prom, a Debbie Reynolds-hosted with dancing seniors
The director of photography for Senior Prom, a dance competition featuring old people over the age of 70, has quit the production along with other crew members, saying they haven’t been paid. The show was in production in Naples, the formerly sleepy city in southwest Florida, where I grew up (and then fled). Executive Producer… continue reading
Richard Hatch, Rachel Reilly’s “marine adventure” series: watch and be amazed
CBS reality competition winners Richard Hatch and Rachel Reilly are co-hosting a new “marine adventure” reality series that they’re pitching to networks. And yes, it is just as bad as that sounds, at least if we judge based on its “sizzle reel,” in which the Survivor and Big Brother winners attempt to act. A press… continue reading
Boy Scout competition, musical chairs, weather, more gypsies all coming to reality TV
Several networks announced new reality shows over the past few days, and several of those caught my attention, either because they seem fascinating or horrifying or both. First, the best/worst-titled series ever: The CW’s Oh Sit!, which is actually musical chairs. Apparently, there will be an obstacle course as part of that, so it could… continue reading
Sober Model House: Janice Dickinson’s newest series
Celebrity Rehab cast member Janice Dickinson will soon begin production on a new show called Sober Model House that helps models get sober in a house. Produced by the company that created her previous series, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (the show on which a Survivor cast member came out), Stuart Krasnow Productions, the show… continue reading
Televangelist, megachurch pastor Joel Osteen will take people on missions for a show produced by his friend Mark Burnett
Houston-based televangelist and megachurch pastor Joel Osteen will star in a reality series produced by Survivor producer Mark Burnett. The evangelical church he presides over is the largest church in the United States, and he’ll take hundreds of members of his congregations on missions for the show. Burnett and his Touched by an Angel star… continue reading
Danielle Staub, Jake Pavelka, Heidi Montag filming a reality show together (really)
Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Danielle Staub, Bachelor jerk Jake Pavelka, and The Hills villain Heidi Montag are filming a new reality show, one that is is perhaps about hated and reviled reality TV show cast members. The Daily Mail has photos and reports that they “have all united for a new reality… continue reading
Why a reality show with no network, producer, format, and/or footage is not a reality show
About 11 years in to the modern era of reality TV, there are a lot of reality shows on the air. There are also many, many more shows being developed at networks and production companies. And there are a lot of series that are no more than an idea in search of actualization and attention–attention… continue reading
New Endemol show is like Big Brother, except social media popularity decides winner
Reality producer Endemol is pitching a new reality format at Mipcom this week that combines Big Brother with social media. As part of its slate of multiplatform, hybrid series, Endemol has the oddly titled Zoom, which C21 Media reports “aims to fuse social media and traditional television. Five contestants are made to stay at home… continue reading
Real World DC cast involved in Abusers reality series, which won’t show physical violence
The Real World DC cast member Joshuah Colon and his girlfriend Ashley Marconi are members of the “creative team” of a show that’s being pitched to networks called Abusers, which is similar to A&E’s Intervention in that it is “a one-hour intervention show designed to arrest the cycle of violence in the lives of women,… continue reading
Levi Johnston running for mayor of Wasilla as part of his own reality show
After appearing on a rather entertaining episode of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, never mind appearing naked in Playgirl, Levi Johnston will run for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, in 2012, and that will be chronicled on a reality series called Loving Levi: The Road to the Mayor’s Office. It’s being produced and pitched… continue reading