NBC orders space-travel series from ‘The Voice,’ ‘Survivor’ creator; excited?
First, Mark Burnett sent ordinary Americans to a tropical location in an effort to see how they could survive together while playing a heavily strategic game in “Survivor”. Then, he helped to revitalize the talent competition with a show that brought with it a fun gimmick and entertaining artists. He’s also covered “The Bible,” and helped entrepreneurs on “Shark Tank” make their dreams come true.
So what is next for this man? Think along the lines of traveling to space. NBC has ordered “Space Race,” a dramatic new series that is all about contestants vying to win an opportunity to fly on SpaceShipTwo, the commercial spacecraft run by Virgin Galactic and its founder Sir Richard Branson. So far, the majority of the people booked to take this trip (valued at a quarter million dollars) are either extremely rich or extremely famous; this at least opens the field up to someone new, and someone who could potentially make all of their childhood dreams come true with this.
In a statement confirming the news about the network’s order, the network’s president of alternative and late-night programming in Paul Telegdy (also responsible for “The Voice“) had the following to say:
“The scope of this endeavor is so staggering, that it took these two titans to even imagine it. The term ‘trip of a lifetime’ has for once been delivered on! This will be a remarkable experience for anyone who has looked at the night’s sky and dared to dream of Space Flight.”
In our mind, this show has the potential to be extremely cool, but it also has the potential to have all sorts of problems. Will the space theme be both present and fun enough or will it end up being dry? Watching the training alone to go to space may not do the trick. It will all depend likely on the format and the personalities on-screen, but the best news that we can share about the project is the prospect that it provides to revitalize that spirit of fun and nostalgia that once existed with reaching beyond our planet. Since the shuttle program ended, that spirit has somewhat dissipated.
Would you take part in this reality show if you knew you had a chance to win a trip to space or does it sound like a disaster waiting to happen? Let us know what you think!
Photo: NBC