Oxygen has announced plans to turn Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance and Fight Girls, two of the cable network's 2006 reality projects, into new full-fledged reality series that will premiere later this summer.
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"We love that Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance and Fight Girls speak to women who aren't often catered to on television," said Debby Beece, president of programming and marketing for Oxygen. "Our audience has been so supportive of both shows, turning them into series was a no-brainer."
Last summer, Oxygen broadcast its second F.A.T. Chance two-hour reality special that saw "full-figured" women compete in a beauty competition hosted by former The Parkers star Mo'Nique Imes. Tanisha Malone, a 27-year-old forensic morgue technician from Newark, NJ, beat out nine other plus-size women to win the competition in 2006, while 26-year-old Joanne Borgella won it in 2005.
Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance will now turned into seven one-hour episodes that will follow 10 new women as they vie for the "Miss F.A.T" title and a $50,000 cash prize while competing in Paris, France. Winning is the goal for all the women, but they also aim to "change [Paris'] idea of beauty" as well as "usher in a new era of models."
In August of 2006, Oxygen premiered the network's first reality movie, Fight Girls, which followed seven female fighters as they trained with Muay Thai guru Master Toddy. Three of the women then traveled to Thailand to compete against some of the best female fighters from across the globe in a battle for the World Muay Thai Championship.
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That premise will now serve as the basis for an eight-episode one-hour series in which a new set of competitors will once again train and live together in Las Vegas "under the tutelage" of Toddy. The winner of the reality competition will then travel to Thailand to do battle with the top female Muay Thai fighters in the world.
Mo'Nique serves as creator, executive producer and host of F.A.T. Chance. Also executive producing the series is Don Weiner of Don Weiner Enterprises, and Jeff Kopp serves as co-executive producer. Fight Girls is executive produced by Mess Media's Scott Messick and Tom Weber.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio