Telemundo’s new reality competition series “Los 50” will bring drama among familiar faces.
“For the first time, you’re gonna see 50 celebrities, influencers, singers or famous people in one place fighting for the big prize; they can win up to $350,000,” Telemundo Entertainment and Content Strategy President Ronald Day told TheWrap. “You’re going to have some challenges that are going to be in a group or individual, so there is going to be elimination every night… it’s a lot of drama — it’s a combination between game and reality.”
Based on the French series “The Fifty,” “Los 50” features 50 well-known personalities, including Telemundo royalty Isabella Sierra, who played the daughter of Teresa Mendoza in “La Reina del Sur,” and “La Casa de Los Famosos” alum Manelyk González, as well as Mexican actor Juan Vidal and Mexican American singer Lorenzo Méndez, among many others. Living together in a hacienda disconnected from the outside world, the contestants compete in unpredictable challenges at the direction of the mysterious marked game master, El León.
To select the celebrity contestants, the casting department started off with a list of 350 potential cast members, before narrowing it down to 200 celebrities who were approached with the possibility of the show.
“We’re very, very happy, and you’re gonna see the energy in the final result of the show,” Day said.
The competition will show off different sides of the celebrities that even Telemundo viewers haven’t seen before, as Day teased that Miss Brazil and a former contestant from “La Casa de Los Famosos” compete as a couple while a fashionable, buttoned-up actress finds herself full of mud during one particularly messy challenge.
Although the most shocking moments are centered around the adventurous challenges ordered by El León — and the subsequent eliminations — drama begins to erupt on the first night as the 50 contestants quickly start to bump heads staying in one house, and two contestants clash over waiting in line for the bathroom.
“Those kinds of challenges — they weren’t expecting to have that in the show,” Day said. “The competitive part is, ‘I don’t want to be eliminated’ — that’s number one — ‘I want to win the big prize, and I want to show myself as a leader of the group.’”
While “Los 50” draws from the French format, Day says the series will bring the flavor and stories Telemundo viewers love to see, with an added twist of viewer engagement. Beginning on the show’s premiere night on Tuesday, July 18, viewers tuning in to “Los 50” can select their favorite contestant online who they believe will win it all. Fans who correctly select the winner will be entered to win a prize of $50,000 by the end of the season.
“The show is big — you’re gonna see a beautiful, nice hacienda and the challenges — every night you’ll see a big, big production,” Day said.
“Los 50” premieres Tuesday, July 18, at 7 p.m./6 p.m. CT on Telemundo.
