While Ashton Kutcher came to fame by playing the clueless Michael Kelso on That 70's Show, he's obviously a lot savvier in real life. He developed and starred in Punk'd, which both updated the always-popular Candid Camera concept for today and capitalized on the fevered level of celebrity obsession in our current culture. He and his team also saw that reality was a strong business to be in, and developed Beauty and the Geek, which is about to enter its fifth season with a premiere on March 11.

As we've already announced, Ashton also has plans to produce Game Show in My Head, and he's also starring himself in a few new film roles. But it's being reported that he's also finding time to team up with another celebrity-turned-reality-mogul, America's Next Top Model's Tyra Banks, to produce yet another new reality show for ABC.

The two are reported to have signed on with ABC to helm the production of eight episodes of an unscripted show. The details have not been provided – in fact, it's being kept “top-secret,” apparently, until filming starts – but it's supposed to be related to competing in a beauty pageant.

If this is accurate, this is a pretty interesting decision for both the Beauty and the Geek producer Kutcher and Tyra Banks. Both of their successful shows – Beauty and the Geek and America's Next Top Model – have a home on the CW Network. The CW Network is also the home to its own beauty pageant competition reality show, Crowned. One can't help but wonder if the decision by Kutcher and Banks to take a similarly-themed program to another network caused any friction with the current home of their two successful shows.

As additional details become available on the new Kutcher-Banks production, we at BuddyTV will keep you updated!

- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Star
(Image courtesy of HollywoodDaily.com)