Would you trade all of your possessions for 15 minutes of reality television fame and one spin of a roulette wheel on live TV to double your wealth ... or lose it all? If so, NBC is looking for you.
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The Peacock Network announced that it is launching a nationwide casting search for an American version of the British reality-documentary show Double or Nothing. In the British show, which aired as a three-episode special in April, one contestant -- a young man named Ashley Revell -- sold or auctioned all of his worldly possessions, raising about $135,000 in the process, He was then flown to Las Vegas, where he was required to bet all of his money on either "red" or "black" on one spin of the roulette wheel.
In Ashley's case, as documented on the Double or Nothing website, technical problems almost derailed the bet, when the Hard Rock Casino decided at the last minute that it didn't want to be associated with the live gamble. However, a replacement casino (the Plaza) was found, Ashley put it all on "red" -- and, when the roulette ball nestled in "red 7," he walked away with about $270,000 and celebratory shouts from much more of the U.K. audience than Sky One (a sister station to Fox) usually attracts.
Said Double or Nothing executive producer Eric Schotz, "Imagine the pressure of finding out what your total net worth is and then risking it all on one bet." To be certain that a losing contestant doesn't plead insanity and demand his/her "nest egg" back (as in Albert Brooks' Lost In America), the show will have the contestant meet with a psychologist, who will opine that the contestant is of sound mind before the bet takes place. Although we tend to doubt that anyone of sound mind would do this, we are quite sure that a qualified contestant will be found.
Interested possible contestants should log on to NBC.com or call the Double or Nothing Hotline, (888) 751-8088, to apply. The format is represented by Target Entertainment and produced by LMNO Productions for NBC. Schotz and Bill Paolantonio serve as executive producers and Tracy Green is co-executive producer.