TCA Press Tour 2011: Oprah will give someone ‘Your Own Show’
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Oprah Winfrey is known for giving stuff. But soon, she will give someone their own show. And no, we’re not talking about her pals, Gayle King or Dr. Phil. We’re talking about regular folks who are on the brink of a big break.
‘Your OWN Show: ‘Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star,’ a reality competition in which the winner winds up with a six-episode show commitment from OWN, premieres on Jan. 7. The series is produced by Mark Burnett (‘Survivor’), who also will produce the winner’s show.
The new network (which launched Jan. 1 on the channel formerly occupied by Discovery Health) made its debut at TCA on Thursday. The first panel introduced the reality show’s 10 contestants, co-hosts Nancy O’Dell and Carson Kressley, and Burnett. During the series, the contestants compete in challenges such as booking interviews, researching story ideas and completing a pilot presentation.
Asked to explain what shows they wanted to produce, the contestants had some colorful answers. Listen for yourself:
Katrina Mincy, also known as ‘Aunt Flora.’
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Her OWN show: ‘Mine is about cooking. And that’s basically it.’
Leigh Koechner
Hometown: Valley Village, CA
Her OWN show: ‘Mine is a backyard talk show about empowering women to be raised and then grabbing their hands and going exactly where they are and going on a moxie march with gaps in your heart to become the person they were created to be.’
Elizabeth Espinosa
Hometown: Lawndale, CA
Her OWN show: ‘I speak five languages. My brother doesn’t speak one. He was born severely brain damaged. From day one, I decided a long time ago, that I wanted to continue to be a voice for people who don’t have one.’
Eric Warren
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
His OWN show: ‘My own show is about the fact that I’m coming out. I’m coming out of the pantry. I’m coming out of the cabinets. I’m obese and guess what? 34 percent of adult Americans are obese also. 17% of American youth. And I’m going to be the first chef on television that’s going to cook, exercise and eat my way to a picture of health.’
Kristina Kuzmic-Crocco
Hometown: Alhambra, CA
Her OWN show: ‘My cooking show wants to redefine what cooking shows out there look like. I’m going to drag everybody’s butts out of drive-thrus and I want to kill all their excuses and I want to get everybody absolutely having the time of their life in their kitchen.
Dr. Tony Roach
Hometown: Abilene, Texas
His OWN show: ‘We all know there are a trillion types of reality shows. How many shows do we have spiritually based reality talk game shows? Mine would be called ‘The New Approach with Dr. Roach.’ I’m going to combine spirituality with real-life reality situations and challenge each other not to compete against each other but to compete against themselves to live their best life in new self-love.’
Ryan O’Connor
Hometown: West Hollywood, CA
His OWN show: ‘ Mine is a talk show-variety show baby. It’s essentially if Ellen DeGeneres met Carol Burnett Show with a splash of Glee. I want to be America’s best gay friend.’
Terey Summers
Hometown: Goodyear, Ariz.
Her OWN show: ‘Mine is a traditional talk show with an entertainment variety format. For the past three years, I’ve transformed my life in many ways. One, as I’ve lost 170 pounds and I’ve really stepped into my own shoes. So I would like to step into the shoes of others and look at their lives that way.’
Alicia Taylor
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.
Her OWN show: ‘My show is a money and finance show. I’m going to teach America how to get back on track one transaction at a time. We’re going to put the bang back on the budget, the fun back in finance. I love to say, if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.’
Zach Anner
Hometown: Austin, Texas
His OWN show: ‘My show is called ‘Roll Around the World with Zach Anner’ because of the [wheelchair].’ Whether you have a physical disability or you don’t have the money to travel, it’s going to show you everything that can possibly go wrong and prove to people that the adventure is really in your attitude.’
--Maria Elena Fernandez
twitter.com/writerchica