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Reality television shows such as American Idol, Survivor and Big Brother have drawn millions of viewers from places drama and series-producers couldn't manage. Ratings reached record numbers and even non-believers who clung to the argument that DVD sales would suffer were proven wrong with Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, The Amazing Race, Project Runway, and America's Next Top Model all ranked in a list of top DVDs sold on Amazon.com.
It's a craze which has taken the world by storm and according to research by the Learning and Skills Council last year, one in seven UK teenagers hope to find fame by appearing on reality television. And as everything that's gone before, reality television has found a niche in the UAE and tabloid! looks at the locally produced reality television shows set to hit your screens this year.
Ton of Cash
Ton of Cash couldn't have been bigger. How do we know? Because the Abu Dhabi Media Company, the parent company of Abu Dhabi TV, joined forces with Endemol Middle East, a branch of the company which produces Big Brother in the UK.
And because the critics and audience said so. Aired from October to December, Ton of Cash proved a huge hit and viewer ratings (which have yet to be released) have already indicated to producers it would certainly be worth repeating.
Rights to the reality series were agreed with Endemol, the global leader in scripted and unscripted TV shows, whose successes include Big Brother and Deal or No Deal.
Billed as the largest scale reality TV show in the Arab world, Ton of Cash was shot on location in the UAE and Oman over 60 days.
Adding a unique twist to the standard game show format, Ton of Cash awarded contestants a prize of Dh1.5 billion ($408,000) in the first show which hit television screens in October last year.
More than 13 episodes followed two teams of seven players who competed to keep a giant wad of cash safe amid various challenges. The contestants then had the chance to vote on which contestants remained in the game.
Presented by Aiman Al Qaissooni, the popular host of Super Star, the show's combination of action and adventure appealed to viewers of all ages across the Arab world.
Bailey eyes the ladies of Dubai
The brainchild of world-renowned television producer Fenton Bailey, a new reality show will document the trials and tribulations of the common expat woman in Dubai.
Bailey, who works for World of Wonder, a large, independent production company with offices in Hollywood and London, says the show is certain to attract viewers the world over as Dubai is the hotspot of high society life.
The company, which cannot reveal the name of the show or any information about the contestants, confirmed staff had just finished casting the show which is due to be aired in the US and UK initially, early this year.
Bailey said the most amazing thing about reality television is how much you learn.
"People can teach you so much about life. To have had the opportunity to get such an education and make a living at the same time is overwhelming and humbling.
"Growing up, the last thing I thought I would ever want to do was make documentaries, but then I realised people have more drama inside them than Shakespeare's entire works."
The show is about expatriate women living in Dubai, and follows their lives, juggling work, family and a busy social calendar.
"I'm truly not familiar with the ‘Jumeirah Jane' stereotype; it's an expression more than it's been explained to me. But we are looking for real people and what we have found so far is an incredible diversity of characters and stories."
Dubai-based producer Nehme Fadlallah says Dubai offered plenty of both.
"We're very excited about showing US and UK audiences the kind of wonderful people who live in Dubai because for all the stats and so forth, what really makes a city isn't just the architecture, it's the people," he added.
Make Me a Model
It debuts on City 7 TV next month, and does exactly what it says on the tin. Especially if you've grown up watching daytime television in the UK where every mid-morning programming slot is filled with someone trying to change something in exactly 60 minutes.
A pretty classic makeover show — the sort where a seemingly dull receptionist who hates her job, her hair and pretty much everything in her life, has her life happily hijacked by fashion experts who take a week to make her realise how much of a princess she actually is — make me a model is not far off but with a heart.
The show's two creators and executive producers, Stephanie Smedley (aka Geordie Bird from 92fm's breakfast show) and Sacha Plumbridge, say the show has been fun to film although hard work from the outset.
With 13 candidates (or guinea pigs —whichever you prefer) selected, from butch rugby players with no teeth to mums trying to lose the post-baby weight, the show is due to air in the coming weeks after a mountain of editing.
"It has been so much fun filming the show and we are all very excited about it hitting the small screen," said Plumbridge with almost a sigh of relief.
"It is very raw and real and shows the good, bad and the ugly," she continued. "We tried to pick people who needed a transformation because they had a story to tell. One guy left South Africa with just Dh500 and ended up in Dubai. He was a great candidate because he had no preconceptions about anything."
In each episode of Make Me a Model, an ordinary Dubai expatriate is preened, groomed, reassured and transformed for a week before heading into a studio to face their worst fear — the camera.
But it gets worst as the photos are splashed across the pages of a glossy magazine before the candidate even catches a sneaky glimpse. The final cuts of the show witness the reaction of the candidate as they see the spread for the first time. Priceless.
Prince of poets
When bosses at Abu Dhabi TV announced plans to launch a reality television show about poets and poetry there were many sceptics who questioned its popularity.
But the Prince of Poets, produced by international production company Pyramedia, has proved a huge success as one of the most-popular TV shows in the Arab region.
With the dynamic sister team Nashwa and Mona Al Ruwaini at the helm, the multi-million dollar hit reality TV show is now into its third season and the show's popularity is gaining momentum among both young and old.
Prince of Poets is a classical Arabic poet, knockout TV competition which aims to merge modern media concepts with a form of poetry popular for centuries to the masses in order to revive this age-old art among the youth of the Arab world.
A slightly eerie atmosphere surrounds the Al Raha Theatre in Abu Dhabi as the poets from around the world battle it out before a panel of judges looking for enunciation and expression.
As the producer of Prince of Poets, 24-year-old Mona's job is never quite done.
A live show airs every Thursday night followed by two 30-minute recaps each Sunday and Tuesday.
"I love the energy and constant buzz of production," said Mona. "Some people may consider it chaotic but what I love about it is that you get to see the end result straight away when the show is on air.
"You see the 2,000-plus audience turn up in the theatre each week, you see how people tune in to the show and the feedback of the media in the papers and it all pays off in the end and you feel like all the hard work is worth it."
The weekly show is aired live on Abu Dhabi TV and the Poetry Channel and all performances are open to the public from 10.30pm every Thursday with last entrance at 9.30pm. The Poetry Channel can be viewed on Arabsat.
Style Arabia: Presented by Derek Khan
The expertise of Derek Khan has helped shaped the look for Carlos Santana, Pink and Queen Latifah to name but a few.
America's Next Top Model's guest judge, Khan was one of the chief architects of a look known as ghetto fabulous - the marriage of street-savvy stars with luxury European fashion labels.
With big rocks at the forefront it all started in the mid-90s when he convinced rappers to shed their Timberlands and baggy jeans in exchange for Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
So when the Trinidad-born stylist-to-the-stars made a move to Dubai (due to a stint in an American prison which stripped him of his green card), television bosses grabbed the opportunity to produce a fashion-led reality television show to rival the likes of America's Top Model and Style Arabia: Presented by Derek Khan.
Produced in conjunction with MBC, Khan said the best way to describe the new show is America's Top Model mixed with American Idol, topped with a helping of Survivor.
"We will cast people who think they have got what it takes to style something. People can have style and good fashion sense but it doesn't necessarily make them a stylist."
"We plan to get the contestants styling everything from clothes to apartment interiors and it will be hot, hot, hot.
"The stakes are high with the top prize being a scholarship to a renowned Paris fashion school for six months and the winning apartment actually being produced and sold."
Khan is working with some of the biggest names in fashion across Dubai including Boutique 1, in Emirates Towers, just one of the stores Khan will encourage his contestants to visit.
Filming is due to start in the next few months and Khan said viewers should not expect scantily-clad women in bikinis.
"The show is being produced with the region in mind and will be used to do good as well as entertain.
"One of the assignments will be to style an entire charity gala event where all the money made will be donated to good causes around Dubai."
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