Reality TV News (Page 19)

Forget business school: Donald Trump is apparently ready send some ladies to charm school.

The Donald and Fox are developing Lady or a Tramp, a new reality competition series that would take a group of girls out of their wild and crazy lifestyles and send them to charm school where they'll attempt to become proper women. Sound like Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School?

For good reason, probably. It basically is.

Reportedly, The Apprentice star will serve as Lady or a Tramp's executive producer and could possibly come on air to check on the progress being made by the girls.

Lady or a Tramp is based on Ladette to Lady, a British reailty show in which a group of women are sent to Britain's Eggleston Hall charm school, according to Variety. Trump's American edition will reportedly follow a similar format and test its contestants on how to live like a debutante through a series of challenges, with one girl being "expelled" from the school at the end of each episode.

The show would also show viewers the validity of its contestants' wild and crazy ways by broadcasting "ample footage" of their partying, according to Variety.

MTV is casting for a new series that sounds a lot like Laguna Beach, except it will feature black teenagers who are living or working on Martha's Vineyard this summer.

The notice says that it's MTV's "News & Docs" division that's casting, which might suggest this is not necessarily a full reality series, and could be for something like an episode of True Life. Then again, it does want people who are "hanging with your sorority sisters or frat brothers" or "your prep school friends."

Casting has been going on for about a year now, and MTV casting director Claresa Mandola tells The Martha's Vineyard Times that "as far as I know, the show is still in development and no one knows for sure yet if it will be filming."

The Bluffs "has traditionally been a summer vacation resort for wealthy, successful African Americans, among them politicians, artists, entertainers, and writers," the paper reports. But the casting call doesn't say that it wants artists or writers; it's after frat boys and sorority girls:

Are you a young African-American planning to summer on Martha's Vineyard? MTV News & Docs is casting for a new pilot documentary called "The Bluffs," which gives an up-close and personal glimpse of African-American young adult life on Martha's Vineyard.

Maybe this is your first time to summer on the Vineyard with your prep school friends. Maybe you'll be working on the Island while hanging with your soroity sisters or frat brothers. Maybe you live there. Maybe you're a summer regular.

Whatever the situation or story, MTV wants to hear from you! Any interested persons should contact: Claresa Mandola, Casting Director, at (212) 654-7345 or claresa.mandola@mtvstaff.com.

Returning reality shows continue to rule this summer: Tuesday night's second-season premiere of NBC's America's Got Talent drew the network's top 18-49 rating this summer.

The show averaged a 4.3 rating for its two-hour premiere starting at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, making it by far the night's top-rated show.

It was also the best rating thus far for any summer show debut, though Fox's So You Think You Can Dance also averaged a 4.3 for its third outing last week.

Talent peaked with a 4.5 average from 9:30 to 10:30, then fell slightly in its last half hour.

The reality TV show's debut was up 23 percent from last summer's season finale, which averaged a 3.5 in mid August. It also rose in total viewers compared with the season one finale, up 9 percent from 11.8 million to 12.9 million.

It was the show's best-ever performance in total viewers and the top premiere of the summer.

When Ghost Hunters returns to SCI FI on June 6th at 9 pm (ET/PT), America's favorite paranormal plumbers will be looking for a new Ghost Hunter who will appear in an upcoming episode of the show.

On Wednesday, May 30th from 7 to 10 pm (ET/PT) a special marathon of Jason and Grant's all time favorite episodes will kick off promotion for the Hunt for the Hunter, a national search for the newest member of the Ghost Hunters team.

We have heard that Spencer Pratt is in need of more attention, maybe he'll try out.

Beginning June 6, Ghost Hunter-wannabees can visit www.scifi.com to enter to win the Hunt for the Hunter. Haunted hopefuls are asked to submit an audition video for consideration, similar to the concept behind I Love New York 2 auditions.

Viewers and online users are also encouraged to participate in the hunt by rating the videos. Jason and Grant will choose three finalists from among the top ten highest-rated audition videos.

Three lucky finalists, who will be announced in first fall episode, will prove their mettle when they compete during the most hair-raising of episodes, the annual Ghost Hunters Live telecast on Halloween night. Viewers will be invited to vote for their favorite contender via text and online, but the veteran Ghost Hunters have the final word.

Consider them the Jeff Probst of the show.

Just imagine. Kim Kardashian, and her lovely extended family of nine other kids, living all together on TV. Is there any better formula for ratings success?

Besides releasing a sex tape of yourself and your ex-boyfriend?

In any case, that's the premise (the first part, not the sex tape) of an upcoming reality TV show that will focus on the life and times of Hollywood's infamous Kardashian clan.

Kim, seen here with sisters Kourtney and Klohe, is the former pal of The Simple Life star Paris Hilton. As such, she's never one to shy away from the spotlight.

Sources report that E! is in the running to produce a show about the Kardashians, parented by step-father Bruce Jenner (the father of reality show veteran Brody Jenner) and mother Kris Kardashian.

Both are former divorcees who merged into a mega-family (with kids ranging in age from 9 to 28) that wants to open up to cameras.

No doubt Spencer Pratt will find a way to weasel onto the show.

The network has no comment, but Brody, who starred on both The Princes of Malibu and The Hills, as well as in the love life of former Laguna Beach queen Kristin Cavallari, is surely pumped.

"It's the modern-day Brady Bunch," says an insider. "The show will reveal the crazy dynamics of all of them and their dramas."

So it's like The Real World: Kardashian. Or something.

Too bad the cameras weren't rolling when Kim found out her ex, Ray J, leaked a sex tape featuring the pair. Now that would've been some drama.

NBC may be saying goodbye to The Apprentice - but it's saying hello to some serious dancing.

Record producer and American Idol judge Randy Jackson is executive producing and hosting a new Hip-Hop dance competition reality show titled World Moves, which will premiere on NBC during the upcoming fall season.

During the unscripted series, Jackson and the creators of the World Hip Hop Championship dance competition audition thousands of dance crews from around the world, for a chance to come to Los Angeles to compete for the global championship and to win an international touring contract.

Yes, we're basically talking about a real life You Got Served.

The live television series features five to seven members demonstrating their creativity, athleticism and ability to dance, while capturing the personal drama that unfolds within each of the teams.

World Moves is part of NBC's new 2007-08 primetime line up, which was announced yesterday, as the network hopes to capture a younger demographic with this year's programming lineup.

"Last year we promised a return to the NBC legacy of quality, and in terms of awards, buzz and critical acclaim, that's just what we delivered," said NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly. "We've got the class and next season we're ready to add some mass, with new shows that build on the creative accomplishments of last season and are as broad as they are good.

Combine the energy of these new programs with the bulked-up strength of our existing NBC hits and you've got a lineup that's poised to take us to the next level."

Who wants to dance when you can rap instead?

MTV is following ABC's Dancing with the Stars lead by developing a series called Rapping With the Stars.

As Variety reports, the program is exactly what it sounds like: "A reality competition show that will pair celebs with hip-hop pros."

The "teams [square] off in range of rap-oriented musical challenges" and "[a] hip-hop world panel will judge." The show does not yet have a debut date, the Hollywood news publication states - but "MTV is close to a development deal" for it.

Kevin Federline is psyched.

Meanwhile, the CW is planning a dating reality show from the producers of American Idol called Farmer Wants a Wife

The show "will recruit 10 women fed up with big city dating and introduce them to a country-fried bachelor who offers the promise of the simple life," and they ""will compete for his attention via a series of challenges designed to test their adeptness at farm living."

It's like The Bachelor, only if Andy Baldwin milked cows instead of trained in the navy.

The CW's Dawn Ostroff says: "It's got a lot of humor in it. And I think it's the right time to do another dating show with a spin on it. Beauty and the Geek has a lot of humor in it, and this is in the same vein."

She also admits that airing reality shows such as this one "are a way for us to get a lot of attention, make a little noise and hopefully get some viewers."

If you thought reality programming already had taken over TV, there's even more in store.

An article in USA Today talks about the combination of earlier success, cost pressures and the threat of strikes by Hollywood writers and actors as having sparked the biggest appetite yet among networks for new "unscripted" series.

But will viewers remain hungry?

ABC has nine reality shows due this summer, starting with Bingo Night in America May 18. CBS is filming five game-show pilots this month, part of its busiest reality push yet, and Pirate Master from Survivor producer Mark Burnett is due May 31.

CW's limited success rests largely with series such as America's Next Top Model, so look for Crowned, a mother-daughter beauty pageant. NBC plans series about former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and another in which teenage couples care for borrowed babies.

Grey's Anatomy notwithstanding, recent history shows reality series have better odds than sitcoms or dramas of becoming breakout hits, and they appeal to families and young adults, who command higher ad rates.

"Some of the biggest game-changers tend to be on the alternative side," says Ghen Maynard, reality chief at CBS and CW.

"Reality programming is doing so well at the networks," says Carolyn Finger, vice president at TV Tracker, which monitors trends. "The No. 1 and No. 2 shows this season are American Idol and Dancing With the Stars," while struggling NBC's top show is Deal or No Deal. "It's just simple economics."

TV Tracker says 56 network reality series will air this season, up from 51 last year, and pilot orders are up 50%. Entire cable networks, including MTV and Bravo, build their original lineups exclusively with the genre. "We're looking for shows that can be expanded that night if need be or the next day with a results show," NBC's Craig Plestis says.

Games are the flavor of the moment, thanks to the success of Deal and the low upfront cost. Though they tend to burn out more quickly, even with lower ratings they remain enormously profitable. "Other than clip shows, it's pretty much the least expensive thing you can do," Fox reality chief Mike Darnell says.

But overall, networks seem more willing to make reality a permanent fixture.

"In the past, a lot of reality shows have been fillers or replacements" for failed series or summer months, Darnell says. "Now they're such a staple, networks are saying, 'This is part of our schedule now, so we might as well plan three or four each season because we're going to have them, anyway.' "

That 70's Show star and ever-present occupant of hot Hollywood ladies' pants, Wilmer Valderamma, is looking to add another slash to his title.

That being reality TV show star.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the busy actor is forging a partnership with Fremantle Media, the producers of American Idol, to develop and possibly star in both a scripted and a reality TV series.

While Wilmer, 27, has tried his hand at production before, with the MTV series Yo Mamma, this "first-look" deal with Fremantle gives his company, WV Enterprises, a firm hold in the television world.

Mark Burnett, he's not.

But Wilmer sure is busy - when he's not scheming up the latest thing for your tube, he'll will be working on the feature film version of CHiPs, playing the role originated by Erik Estrada, Ponch.

Fez is really moving up in the world. His pal Ashton Kutcher, a TV mogul himself, still has the edge, though: Valderamma chases tail with the best of them, but he's yet to marry a cougar 20 years his senior.

Anyway. While a reality show starring Valderamma doesn't sound gripping to us, we're not teenage girls here at the Scoop. And you never know, it might present a nice break from watching DVDs of Work Out and Who Wants to Be a Superhero.

The reality TV ratings for network television don't come as any surprise: American Idol and Dancing with the Stars dominated last week's viewer numbers.

For the week that ended on April 13, however, there was an unexpected winner on cable: Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School provided VH-1 with its highest-rated series premiere ever. That may be a sign of the apocalypse.

At least people also tuned in to Deadliest Catch, one of the more exciting, underrated programs on TV.