ABC orders "Queen For A Day"-type show

from variety

ABC fast-tracking Fleiss project
Network realizes a 'Dream'
By JOSEF ADALIAN

Reality mogul-turned-feature producer Mike Fleiss -- whose credits
include both "The Bachelor" and "Hostel" -- is jumping back into the
unscripted game, snagging a series order for ABC project "The Great
American Dream Vote."

ABC is fast-tracking "Dream Vote," ordering five episodes for
broadcast as soon as next month. Basic concept is a twist on the old
"Queen for a Day" format, in which regular people see their dreams
come true.

In "Dream Vote," a group of six to eight people will state their case
to a studio audience, with each explaining his dream and why he
deserves to have it fulfilled. Contestants will square off in
head-to-head heats, with the studio aud eliminating the first few
rounds of players.

Obveeus...

Somehow, I'm guessing that the 'dreams' will be limited in cost. After all,
ABC wouldn't want someone with a dream of 'I want to visit the International
Space Station' winning the vote.

At the end of each show, two or three finalists will be presented to
viewers at home, who'll be given a chance to vote on which person most
deserves to have their dream realized. Results will be disclosed the
following week.

"Mike came in and pitched the idea, and we responded to it
immediately," said ABC exec veep of alternative/latenight Andrea Wong.
"As we began to shape the idea, we realized it fit in perfectly with
our (unscripted) brand, which is about changing lives."

Fleiss said he doesn't want the show to be just a sobfest.

"If it gets maudlin, it doesn't work," he said. "It can't be, 'Who Has
the Biggest Tumor?' "

Instead, Fleiss said, contestants could "be a mother of quintuplets
who dreams of having a proper back yard to a 22-year-old bald guy who
dreams of a life with hair."

Unique...

Ah, so it's all about begging for petty desires instead of real needs.

Obveeus...

Ah, so the cost limit will be $10,000. Pretty sad if that is all they can
fork out. That is barely enough money to get Linda Evangelista out of bed,

record hunter...

Is that what a washer and dryer costs on the reservation these days?

much less into it.

Fleiss said "Dream Vote" will be unique among reality shows because
there's "no barrier to entry. Anyone with or without talent can pursue

Obveeus...

Washboards are still under $50. A good clothes line costs a bit more (with
4x4 end posts, a strong wire/cable, and quality wire tensioning screws), but
the whole thing is only about $200. Of course, to fulfill the dream you

David...

Too good to beat your clothes against rocks down by the river, huh?
Your snobbery makes me sick.

Obveeus...

I'd be fine with using the rocks if that moss wasn't always growing back on
them. It takes longer to clean the moss off the rocks than it does to clean
the clothes. Much easier to just do it the modern way with a washboard.

record hunter...

But the whole point of Queen for a Day was to give the winner an
electric washer and dryer. Pure product placement.

Obveeus...

Oh, so it is basically a 'reality tv' version of 30 Rock.

have to be able to hire some guards for each end of the roadway so pickups
don't drive by and kick up dirt while your clothes are drying.

their dream."

Obveeus...

Cool, just like America.

"Dream Vote" will be exec produced with Lisa Levenson via Fleiss'
Warner Horizon-based Next Entertainment.

Fleiss and the Alphabet have a long history together. "The Bachelor"
is one of the most-copied formats in reality, and the net recently
greenlit another installment in the franchise, likely for broadcast
later this season.

On the feature front, CAA-repped Fleiss is in post-production on
"Hostel 2," which he is producing with helmer Eli Roth and Chris
Briggs. Same team is attached to upcoming Stephen King feature "The
Cell."

Other Fleiss feature credits include the recent reincarnations of "The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poseidon."