April 05--Forget about survival or singing. A new network reality TV show was announced Tuesday featuring the ultimate cutthroat competition -- entrepreneurs vying for seed funding.
Hosted by Steve Harvey and produced by Mark Burnett, the as-yet-untitled series is slated for 13 episodes on ABC this year, with a name and an airdate to come.
The business reality show will feature rival entrepreneurs pitching their ideas head-to-head in front of a live studio audience, which will vote to decide who receives funding. Harvey will serve as the "funder of dreams," providing his own business acumen and comedic timing as host. Harvey's money, however, will stay in his pocket, producers said.
"My dream has been to work with Steve, and this is the perfect project for us to do together," Burnett said in a statement Tuesday. "He is an amazing talent and has an enormous heart for entrepreneurs, some of whom will get their business jump-started because of him."
Burnett is the undisputed king of reality of TV, producing a roster of long-running network shows including "Survivor," "The Voice" and "Celebrity Apprentice."
While seed funding may seem a decidedly unsexy theme for a reality show, it has proved successful for the Burnett-produced "Shark Tank," which was recently renewed for its eighth season on ABC. That show features entrepreneurs pitching the likes of billionaire Mark Cuban and QVC queen Lori Greiner to back their business ideas.
"I'm thrilled to have another passion project on the ABC schedule," Harvey said of the new collaboration with Burnett. "This is just the type of show that gives folks a vehicle to breathe life into their dreams."
The ubiquitous Harvey also hosts "Little Big Shots," "Family Feud" and his eponymous syndicated daytime talk show, which has been taped at the NBC 5 studios in Chicago since 2012.
"Little Big Shots," a talent show featuring young musicians, singers and dancers, has been a prime-time ratings hit for NBC since debuting last month and has already been renewed for a second season.
Harvey's epic fail as host of the Miss Universe pageant on live TV in December hasn't dented his brand. At the climax of the broadcast, Harvey misread a card, mistakenly crowning Miss Colombia instead of the actual winner, Miss Philippines.
Two very awkward minutes later, Harvey uttered the infamous words that have become part of TV history.
"OK folks, uh, there's ... I have to apologize," Harvey announced meekly to the stunned crowd. "Runner-up is Colombia ... Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines."
Harvey poked fun at his gaffe in a Super Bowl spot for T-Mobile in February and keeps adding hosting gigs, apparently proving it never hurts to apologize.
rchannick@tribpub.com
