Beating a Reality Show to Death?

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here is a very successful UK reality show that had one failed attempt at migration across the pond in 2003 on ABC.

NBC has now bravely taken on the reins, hoping the horse doesn't die beneath them.

The show is largely unchanged except for the fact that NBC will show it every evening, Monday-Thursday, for three weeks in June starting on the 1st.

The show will have recorded highlights and live sections as well. Celebrities will have to learn to survive in the jungle, and get "luxuries" by winning mini-competitions. And, of course, they will steadily be voted off until a winner emerges.

Despite it's success in the UK the show has had it's critics, mainly about how the contestants aren't actually celebrities and, well, how stupid it is.

I's only a bit of fun, and using semi-celebrities means viewers have at least heard of them, or can look them up if they haven't.

The danger for NBC, in my opinion, is using what are, effectively, professional reality contestants. The one's that have no experience in this line of work are Lou Diamond Phillips (what's he doing here??), John Salley, Frangela (are they competing as one or two contestants?) and Patti Blagojevich. The others are just leveraging their past reality glories, or not as the case may be. (By the way I'm counting professional wrestling as a reality show, or perhaps "un-reality" might be a better expression). This may turn it into another reality show that people have seen before.

The show is being hosted by Myleene Klass, a former UK contestant famous for her white bikini, and Damien Fahey the MTV guy.

Here is the full list of contestants.

Janice Dickerson - Ex-model and Reality Star
Lou Diamond Phillips - Actor
John Salley - Sports Host
Patti Blagojevich - Ex-First Lady
Torrie Wilson - WWE Diva and Model
Heidi Montag - Reality TV Star
Spencer Pratt - Reality TV Star
Sanjaya Malakar - Over-achieving Singer
Stephen Baldwin - Ex-actor
Frangela - Comedy Duo