TV
The nine contestants participating in ITV's new celebrity reality series Reborn in the USA are on the brink of quitting before the show has even started, according to The Sun today.
The programme follows ten 'has-been' musical stars as they travel on a tourbus around the States in the hope of returning to stardom. Each week American audiences will select their favourites -- the two least popular will be subject to a phone vote back home to determine who goes.
Yesterday it emerged that contestant Mark Shaw, former member of the group 'Then Jerico', had quit after clashes with members of the production crew. Now the other nine look set to follow in his footsteps, the newspaper reports, over several issues with Granada, the makers of the show.
The contestants -- each of whom are being paid £50,000 to take part -- were promised that there would be no undercover filming during the course of the show, but then found hidden cameras at a New Orleans hotel where they were staying.
They are also "angry" that Shaw's replacement, Go West frontman Peter Cox, is already known in the US, giving him an unfair advantage over the others.
"The contestants are on the verge of rebelling and saying, ‘Stuff your show’," an insider said. "The only things stopping them are contractual obligations and a big pay packet. But if they all agree to walk, there’s little the TV bosses will be able to do.
"The contestants were told Reborn was a serious programme, designed to relaunch their careers. Now they feel totally betrayed. It’s turning into a Big Brother for has-beens and the contestants are genuinely scared they will look stupid. They are furious that Peter Cox will have a head start on them — the original cast are pretty much unknown in America. Producers are panicking now and trying their best to smooth things over, but they’ve got their work cut out."
Presented by Davina McCall, Reborn in the USA begins this Saturday at 21.35 on ITV1.
The programme follows ten 'has-been' musical stars as they travel on a tourbus around the States in the hope of returning to stardom. Each week American audiences will select their favourites -- the two least popular will be subject to a phone vote back home to determine who goes.
Yesterday it emerged that contestant Mark Shaw, former member of the group 'Then Jerico', had quit after clashes with members of the production crew. Now the other nine look set to follow in his footsteps, the newspaper reports, over several issues with Granada, the makers of the show.
The contestants -- each of whom are being paid £50,000 to take part -- were promised that there would be no undercover filming during the course of the show, but then found hidden cameras at a New Orleans hotel where they were staying.
They are also "angry" that Shaw's replacement, Go West frontman Peter Cox, is already known in the US, giving him an unfair advantage over the others.
"The contestants are on the verge of rebelling and saying, ‘Stuff your show’," an insider said. "The only things stopping them are contractual obligations and a big pay packet. But if they all agree to walk, there’s little the TV bosses will be able to do.
"The contestants were told Reborn was a serious programme, designed to relaunch their careers. Now they feel totally betrayed. It’s turning into a Big Brother for has-beens and the contestants are genuinely scared they will look stupid. They are furious that Peter Cox will have a head start on them — the original cast are pretty much unknown in America. Producers are panicking now and trying their best to smooth things over, but they’ve got their work cut out."
Presented by Davina McCall, Reborn in the USA begins this Saturday at 21.35 on ITV1.
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