Variety reports that Fox has snapped up the rights to three reality TV formats, including a talent boot camp series that's a logical successor to summer smash "American Idol." The trio are from Dutch production powerhouse Endemol, which already has successful shows in place at CBS ("Big Brother 3") and NBC ("Fear Factor," "Spy TV").
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"Star Chamber" is easily the biggest gun in the arsenal. Fox has agreed to air up to 15 hours of the tentatively titled series, which will be ready for broadcast as early as summer 2003. "It's basically a musical performance show that picks up where 'American Idol' leaves off," Endemol USA president David Goldberg said. "The show is about the process of someone going from being a regular person to a performer." In what sounds like a cross between 'Pop Stars' and 'Making The Band,' the finalists will live together, with coaches training them in everything from singing and choreography to public relations. It's expected one contestant will be eliminated each week via a formula that combines the opinions of viewers and the coaches. The format has already proven successful in other countries.
Additionally, Endemol will supply Fox with two one-hour episodes of the relationship format "All You Need Is Love" and an hourlong episode of "Exhausted." Both are being developed as backdoor pilots, with Fox reserving an option to turn either project into a weekly series. They are expected to bow sometime during the 2002-03 season.
The tentatively titled "All You Need Is Love" is a Dutch format Goldberg describes as "a mondo relationship series." It will essentially combine elements of "every kind of relationship reality show you can think of," according to one production insider. "One segment might be like 'Temptation Island while others could be about surprise proposals or reunions of long-lost loves," Goldberg said.
"Exhausted," meanwhile, is best described as a sort-of "Fear Factor" meets a college cram session. It will take a group of contestants and "pre-exhaust" them, as one insider puts it. After staying awake for a predetermined amount of time -- perhaps 24 or 48 hours -- players will then be pitted against each other in various competitions, performing tasks that are far more difficult for a sleep-deprived individual. "The show will come down to two people looking at a huge pot of money," Goldberg said.