|
Lifetime Creates Friday Night Reality Programming Block and Orders Eight Episodes of 'America's Psychic Challenge,' a New Reality Competition Series From Bunim-Murray Productions ('The Real World')
Series to Follow Second Season Premiere of Hit Reality Series 'Lisa
Williams: Life Among the Dead'
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 12 -- Creating a new primetime
Friday night reality programming block, Lifetime Television has ordered
eight episodes of the competition series, "America's Psychic Challenge," in
which amateur psychics compete against each other to be "America's #1
Psychic," it was announced today at Lifetime's TCA Press Tour by Susanne
Daniels, President, Entertainment, Lifetime Networks.
Do you believe in psychic powers or are you a skeptic? "America's
Psychic Challenge" puts the unique skills of psychics to the test, where
they compete in a series of challenges to ultimately see whose clairvoyant
abilities are the greatest. The series will premiere on Friday, October 12
at 10:00 PM (ET/PT), following the second season premiere of the hit
reality series "Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead," starring medium
clairvoyant Lisa Williams at 9:00 PM.
"The success of 'Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead' proves that our
audience is keenly interested in this genre of programming," said Daniels.
Adding, "My talented reality programming team worked hard to develop a
compelling companion to 'Lisa' - and that show is 'America's Psychic
Challenge.' We're also extremely happy to be working with the legendary Jon
Murray, who has a long tradition of producing hit reality series."
In each hour-long episode of "America's Psychic Challenge," four
psychics, a mix of both men and women who either earn their living in the
profession or have other careers and believe they have psychic abilities,
compete against each other in a series of tests designed to exhibit their
clairvoyance. A host guides the contestants, one by one, through a variety
of activities, awarding points along the way for correct answers to factual
questions. At the conclusion of each episode, the two psychics with the
least points are eliminated and the two with the most points return the
following week to battle two new competitors, all leading to the season
finale -- where the winner will be declared.
In the premiere episode, contestants include Karyn, from Buffalo, NY;
Silvana, from Beverly Hills, CA; Joseph, from Staten Island, NY; and
Jackie, from Manhattan. Individually, each are challenged to prove their
claims in carefully designed experiments, including: searching for a man
hidden in the trunk of one of 50 cars lined up at auto dealership, picking
out a person's soul mate by correctly matching up five brides and five
grooms, and precisely identifying a series of specific details of a police
investigation at a brutal murder scene. Can these psychics make believers
out of cynics? Do they know who will win "America's Psychic Challenge?"
"America's Psychic Challenge" is produced by Bunim-Murray Productions
("The Real World") for Lifetime Television. Jon Murray ("The Real World,"
"The Simple Life") is the executive producer.
Bunim-Murray Productions is the leading independent producer of
innovative entertainment content. The company is widely credited with
creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World
(just completed its 18th season on MTV). Bunim-Murray's other current
programming includes Real World Road Rules Challenge (MTV), The Simple Life
(now in its fifth season on E!), Bad Girls Road Trip (now airing on Oxygen)
and The Bad Girls Club (renewed for its second season on Oxygen). Launched
in 2006 to better reach the Digital Generation, Bunim-Murray's M Theory
Entertainment is a spin- off entity focusing on new media initiatives.
Bunim-Murray also recently launched BMP Films, a documentary film division,
which premiered its first documentary, Autism: The Musical, at the 2007
Tribeca Film Festival. Bunim- Murray Productions is based in Van Nuys, CA.
It was founded in 1987 by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim.
Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime
is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. Lifetime Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime
Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online (http://www.lifetimetv.com) are part of
Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst
Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.
SOURCE Lifetime
http://www.lifetimetv.com
|
