NBC programming chief Ben Silverman apparently loves celebrity reality shows.
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NBC is developing Celebrity Come Dine with Me, a reality series that sees a celebrity host a dinner party for four of his or her famous friends, The Hollywood Reporter reported Thursday.
Each episode will conclude with the guests judging the party based on presentation, food and entertainment value. At the end of the series' broadcast run, the celebrity whose soiree receives the highest score wins $20,000 for the charity of his or her choice.
The tentatively-titled show's concept is based on a format owned by Granada Media, according to The Reporter, which added NBC is developing the show's stateside version with the production company's American arm.
The show has aired versions in at least 16 countries, although most have featured non-celebrity contestants, according to The Reporter.
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NBC is currently casting for a five-episode run of the series, which is slated to debut in December, according to The Reporter. Similar to other reality shows starring celebrities, NBC ordering the series is contingent on casting.
Silverman's Reveille production company -- which he sold earlier this year after joining NBC in May 2007 -- produced Celebrity Cooking Showdown, a reality competition series that was intended to air over the course of five consecutive nights in April 2006.
However it premiered to mediocre ratings on Monday, bombed against American Idol on Tuesday, and remained flat-lined on Wednesday -- causing NBC to pull the series. The last two episodes subsequently aired back-to-back in the Saturday night programming wasteland of 8PM ET/PT.
Donald Trump has also previously stated that the then-newly hired Silverman was the one responsible for the decision to revive The Apprentice as a celebrity series after NBC had initially left the show off its 2007-2008 midseason programming schedule and Trump said he was "moving on" and quitting.
"When Ben Silverman came in, he loved the idea of Celebrity Apprentice. He loved it right from the beginning. So I would say it was a combination of Ben and [producer] Mark Burnett and myself, as an idea," said Trump at the time. "It was going to be a regular and Ben loved the idea of Celebrity as opposed to the regular."
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Most recently, NBC aired Celebrity Circus and Celebrity Family Feud as part of its summer programming schedule.
In addition to Celebrity Come Dine with Me NBC is also reportedly casting for Who Do You Think You Are?, a British reality series that will show celebrities the details of their ancestral lineage. NBC ordered Who Do You Think You Are? in March.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio