ABC has decided to pass on the chance to acquire
The Golden Cage, the controversial U.K. successor to
Big Brother. According to the
Hollywood Reporter, the network has been discouraged by the high production cost of the reality series.
Broadcast in the Netherlands by RTL,
The Golden Cage follows a similar format to
Big Brother as both features a group of contestants living together in a luxurious house. On the other hand,
The Golden Cage has one goal: to irritate the other inhabitants into submission until the last one standing gets the house.
Because contestants get to live a lush life, they could end up staying in the house for months, if not years. The only way players are released from the game is if they choose to leave, or if every other member of the house agrees to vote them off during twice-monthly "firings."
The acquisition of
The Golden Cage has been in the works since last year. When unscripted mogul John de Mol, creator of
Fear Factor and
Big Brother, decided to jump back into the U.S. reality TV circuit, many have been anticipating for the deal with ABC to materialize.
"I compare it to a Broadway musical: It's an open-ended reality show where nobody knows how long it's going to last," John de Mol said at the time. "The format is so bloody simple, you wonder why we haven't thought of it before."
"It's all on a much higher level. It feels like a drama," he added.
Reality historians will recognize
The Golden Cage as the original working title for
Big Brother, which de Mol first developed nearly a decade ago in Holland. The
Cage title was considered unsuitable for
Big Brother, but de Mol eventually resurrected it in 2006 while designing the format for the new show.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
(Image courtesy of Variety)