Bell-Phillip Television Productions, the production company behind the world’s most-watched daily serial, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” is developing a new reality TV-based competition series in which contestants compete to win a recurring role on the half-hour soap opera.
According to Variety, which first reported the news, the company has partnered with Jeff Jenkins Productions, headed by “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” executive producer Jeff Jenkins, on “The Bold and the Unscripted” (working title), one of many projects Jenkins has in active development for his nearly eight-year-old company.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
“‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ has been doing what they do for 40 years; they just launched their app, with 3,900 episodes available to watch. So we’ve partnered with [executive producer and head writer] Brad Bell on this format that we’re taking out,” said Jenkins in an interview with the outlet,” Jenkins said, “I think it’s going to be such a fun show, very unexpected. I’ve never seen anything like it. And frankly, that’s also what gets me out of bed, taking buyers’ opportunities that they haven’t heard before. I don’t want to bring you the 300th version of ‘Real Housewives.'”
According to a logline: “Jeff Jenkins Productions has partnered with Bell-Phillip Television Productions, producer of legendary soap opera ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ to develop a new reality-competition format, anchored to the long-running series. ‘The Bold and the Unscripted’ (wt) will bring together a group of reality TV stars, all with thespian aspirations, on the iconic soap opera’s actual studio lot and soundstages to compete for weekly opportunities to secure speaking roles and guest spots on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful.’”
No additional details on the series were announced at press time.
The project marks the first time in two decades that a daytime drama series has gone with a reality TV-based approach to casting a role.
Disney/ABC Television Group
From 2004-2007, the defunct cable network SOAPnet aired four seasons of “I Wanna Be a Soap Star,” a reality competition series hosted by veteran soap star Cameron Mathison (“General Hospital,” “All My Children”). That series saw contestants initially competing to win a recurring role on “General Hospital” during its first season, with follow-up seasons promising a contract role on the likes of “All My Children” (Season 2), “One Life to Live” (Season 3), and finally “Days of our Lives” (Season 4).
Judges included soap stars Debbi Morgan (“All My Children”) and Mary Beth Evans (“Days of our Lives”), casting directors Mark Teschner (“General Hospital”) and Judy Blye Wilson (“All My Children”), plus the late head writer of “As The World Turns” and “Days of our Lives,” Hogan Sheffer, and mega soap manager Michael Bruno, though not all of them appeared together during the same season.
As for Jenkins, who was previously an executive producer on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” he is also working on a new reality series that will star Tori Spelling (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) and her brother, Randy (“Sunset Beach”), with the working title “Reunited: Tory & Randy Spelling,” that reunites the estranged siblings as they go on a cross-country road trip in an attempt to recapture their family bond.
The logline reads as follows: “Jeff Jenkins Productions has partnered with actress Tori Spelling and her brother, actor-turned-life coach Randy Spelling, for a new series that will reunite the siblings. “Reunited: Tori & Randy Spelling” (wt) brings Tori and Randy back together to mend their fractured relationship via an epic cross-country road trip. Throughout their trek, they’ll participate in various once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will test their self-imposed boundaries, all in an effort to accelerate personal growth and reestablish their sibling bond.”
Another unscripted series Jenkins has in development will star and be produced by Cedric the Entertainer (“The Neighborhood”), part of a first-look deal with producer Shondrella Avery and her Glass Slipper Pictures. Jeff Jenkins Productions and Glass Slipper Pictures most recently worked together on “Tiffany Haddish Goes Off,” starring Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip”), which was released on Peacock last November.
