HBO Max has given an eight-episode series order to a new “The Apprentice”-style business competition series hosted by “Real Housewives of New York” alum and one-time “Apprentice” contestant Bethenny Frankel.
Produced by “The Apprentice” creator Mark Burnett, “The Big Shot With Bethenny” will pit “business moguls” against one another for a chance to be second-in-command to Frankel and win a coveted position working on her executive team. Per HBO Max, contestants will face a series of real-life tasks and challenges that will test “how far they can push their creativity and determination to rise to the top.”
“I first met Bethenny when I put her on the first season of ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ and she’s always both impressed and entertained me,” said Jennifer O’Connell, executive vice president of original non-fiction and kids programming, HBO Max. “It’s incredible to see her empire continue to grow and I know that candidates will be clamoring to work for her.”
The project stems from an unscripted TV production deal Frankel signed with MGM Television last year, and marks just the latest collaboration between her and Burnett. The “Real Housewives” alum and Skinnygirl founder has appeared as a guest shark on two seasons of ABC’s “Shark Tank” and finished in second place on “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” in 2005.
“Bethenny is that rare talent whose creative instincts are equal to her business acumen and working with her to create this series has been an amazing collaboration,” said Barry Poznick, MGM’s President of Unscripted & Alternative Television and Orion Television. “We’re giving fans what they want, access inside Bethenny’s businesses so they can see how she runs her empire, all while offering one fan the chance of a lifetime to join her executive team. We’ve found the perfect home in HBO Max to bring this exclusive opportunity to viewers.”
Added Frankel, “Aside from motherhood, what truly defines me as a person is being a driven, passionate and hard-working woman determined to make the impossible possible. My mantra is to come from a place of ‘yes’ and to find and create the solution. I am an executor of visions, and I share and impart that information to those who work with me. MGM has been neck-in-neck with me with ideas and their execution. I couldn’t be more thrilled to continue my longstanding relationship with Mark Burnett on this series and pay this American Dream story forward.”
“The Big Shot with Bethenny” will be produced by MGM Television, Frankel’s B Real Productions and Big Fish Entertainment. Executive producers are Mark Burnett, Barry Poznick, Bethenny Frankel and Dan Cesareo.