ABC has amassed 100 TV stars from 14 different network and cable companies, promising a nostalgic throwback. Original BOTNS participants from CHiPs (Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada), Dallas (Charlene Tilton) and The Incredible Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) will battle it out against cast members from Scandal (Cornelius Smith Jr. and Joshua Malina), Modern Family (Nolan Gould, pictured at top) and How to Get Away with Murder (Matt McGorry), to name just a few.
So exactly how will this new take on the classic format look? MediaVillage.com got an exclusive sneak peak at an episode in production (a full report will follow closer to airdate) and an opportunity to ask show-runner and executive producer Andrew Glassman, a devote of the original series, just what to expect.
Steve Gidlow: What was it like walking onto those hallowed Pepperdine University grounds where the original took place?
Andrew Glassman: I don’t like to take myself, or my job, too seriously, so I spent time walking around the track and pool thinking about everything the team who did the original series did right to capture our imaginations. I was a big Howard Cosell fan, so I tried to listen and hear the echoes of that. I really feel a sense of responsibility to put on a positive show that captures the sensibility and spirit of the original.
Steve: Was there a challenge in getting 100 stars to participate?
Andrew: The stars signed up in a very positive and willing fashion. I was completely and pleasantly surprised that the show’s title evoked so many positive memories for people who were either participants, three decades ago, or had seen it growing up. Some of the contestants said, “I grew up watching the show and dreaming that one day I’d be a star and be invited to participate.” Everyone is really enthusiastic.
Steve: Was there a list of dream participants?
Andrew: I just went through my favorite shows that I grew up with and if I saw someone in the supermarket, I’d be excited. It was the dream scenario of a bunch of us in an office throwing out L.A. Law, The Facts of Life ... taking a trip down memory lane. (In this preview from the set, Lisa Whelchel from The Facts of Life is pictured below in the current BOTNS competition.) Everything from primetime soaps that had the world stopping to watch to sitcoms people would rush home from dinner to see. That was really the privilege of putting this whole thing together.