The Hot Ones — Formats: Yacht Sellers, Mexican Loteria & Shaolin Masters Get Mipcom Berths

The Deadline Team
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Welcome to Deadline’s The Hot Ones, our guide to some of the best television being sold at Mipcom next week. Our editorial team has done extensive research in the run-up to the 2023 market and handpicked what we think are sure to be the shows that will be big talking points at this year’s event in Cannes. In between meetings and cocktail parties, you’re sure to hear whispers about the next potential global hit and The Hot Ones is here to guide you. Here’s several big new formats for your perusal.

Hot Yachts

Distributor: Fifth Season
Length: 8×60’
Producer: Curve Media

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The modern viewer is of course partial to a binge watch and there is something about watching elite sellers of niche products go about their business that really gets people going.

Fifth Season has identified exactly this penchant with recent additions to its unscripted catalog including Hot Yachts, Paramount+ U.K.’s latest big entertainment bet that sees the streamer take a deep dive into the center of the luxury boating world in South Florida.

Many wouldn’t know this but, between them, Miami and Fort Lauderdale are home to the largest yacht brokerage in the world and the biggest number of luxury yachts in the world. In Hot Yachts, which launched in August, an elite group of super-competitive, good looking, party-loving, yacht brokers compete ruthlessly to sell everything from $1 million motor launches to $100 million super yachts. Viewers are given a sneak peak into this glamorous, exclusive and gated world amidst the high-volume lifestyle show, which features big characters, huge deals and a taste of the Instagram lifestyle.

Liz Tang, Fifth Season’s Executive Director, Acquisitions, is shopping Hot Yachts outside the U.K. and brands the “personal favorite” a cross between Netflix smash hit Selling Sunsets and Bravo’s Below Deck, both of which have dominated streamer unscripted charts over the past few years and take a somewhat ‘upstairs- downstairs’ approach to reality. Last year Fifth Season’s Hot One was Blowing LA, which similarly dove deep into the cut-throat world of celebrity hairdressing.

Tang says viewers simply cannot get enough of high-volume upmarket reality and therefore Fifth Season identified Hot Yachts, which is produced by U.K. indie Curve Media, from early on in its development.

“This is so on brand because it’s premium and reveals a mysterious world,” she says. “It’s that blue-sky long-running reality that we know buyers are looking for right now. Even though it’s not relatable in the sense that most of us don’t own $100 million yachts, this is a concept that people remain aware of.”

Tang stresses the “escapist” nature of the show several times and says the trend has continued well beyond the pandemic, when viewers demanded this manner of blue-sky fare to forgot about their everyday woes.

Paramount+ has also taken rights in Canada and a number of finished tape deals are incoming for the series, with Tang revealing format rights are also up for grabs.

She also believes Hot Yachts can work as a bingeable streamer show or on linear. “It’s nice to have the binge option but there is enough drama in each episode to keep you coming back,” Tang says.

Now, we wait with bated breath for which new world Fifth Season will ask us to dive into next year. —Max Goldbart

Lotería Loca

Distributor: Warner Bros. International Television Production
Length: 12×30′
Producer: Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon and Apploff Entertainment

Those in the Spanish-speaking world will be familiar with the uber-popular card game Lotería, and those in the English-speaking world are about to discover it.

CBS’s Lotería Loca is the first ever dual-language gameshow to play on primetime U.S. TV and Warner Bros. International TV Production (WBITVP) is tasked with selling it at Mipcom Cannes.

Lotería is the Latin game of Chance. In each episode of the gameshow, two players go head-to-head and take turns picking cards to get four-in-a-row, which is Lotería. Each time a card appears on their unique Bingo-style card, they bank big money. Landing on one of the Loca Cards creates a twist in the game and gives players the opportunity to bank even more cash by competing in interactive challenges, and the player who gets the most Loterías moves on to the dramatic final round for a chance to win the prize.

“Go into any Mexican family’s house and they will have a Lotería set,” says Ed Levan, WBITVP’s VP of Creative, Format, Development & Production. “And bingo is played all over the world. So, what you have within this show is a universal game turned into crazy bingo.”

Levan says the series is the first time a dual-language gameshow has aired on U.S. primetime and CBS has secured a top presenter to deliver on the historic moment. Jane the Virgin star Jaime Camil is both hosting and exec producing, bringing a “theatrical spectacle to proceedings,” according to Levan.

“For diversity, equity and inclusion this is so important,” he says. “It serves an underserved American TV audience and does so in a way that is celebratory.”

Levan’s team is selling both format and finished tape but is prioritizing the former. While some territories, both Spanish and English language, may embrace the original iteration, Levan imagines buyers will ponder the ways in which they can adapt the idea to fit their culture.

“At the end of the day this show is about celebrating your country and culture so a British version, for example, might want to celebrate Buckingham Palace or Beefeaters,” he says.

Levan says Lotería Loca is the “most scalable show” he’s ever been involved with, and budgets can therefore be brought up and down with ease in line with how much any given territory is willing to spend. Plans are afoot to build a European production hub, from which multiple versions could be made. —MG

Shaolin Heroes

Distributor: Banijay Rights
Length: 8×60’
Producer: Metronome

Banijay is hitting the Croisette this year with Shaolin Heroes, an unscripted adventure series from Danish label Metronome.

Set within a 1,000-year-old temple, where time seems to be standing still, the series features a celebrity cast who immerse themselves in an intense training program under the guidance of two Shaolin masters.

“By surrendering to the ancient and respected traditions of the legendary Shaolin Warrior Monks, the celebrities will find unexplored facets of themselves they never knew existed,” James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development at Banijay, says of the series.

Townley hails Shaolin’s “unique concept with high-production values” that will “educate, inspire, and inform audiences” about the ancient practices of the masters, which could generate big audiences.

“There are, of course, multiple layers to this format with great talent participating in the challenges, to test them both physically and intellectually,” Townley says. “The experience was life-changing for the celebrities, as they truly learned about the Shaolin culture and how these practices can influence life positively. It will be a journey for viewers as they learn more about the celebrities, and even reflect on their own life.” He adds Shaolin Heroes “perfectly captures our strategy to create innovative TV that is unique, bold, offers new perspectives, and entertains.”

Henrik Rasmussen, Head of Programmes at Metronome, and Peter Hansen, Chief Creative Officer at Banijay Nordic, created the original format, which draws directly from the history of Shaolin monasteries and East Asian culture.

Authenticity was therefore key, Townley says “With a show of this nature, it is extremely important it is respectfully created and produced, and great care has been taken to ensure the Shaolin culture is authentically represented.”

Of the show’s sellability, Townley says the format has “all the makings of a traveling success” due to “responsible story making at its heart, relatable celebrities, and authentic representation of the Shaolin community, paired with stunning visual effects and the production know-how of our teams.”

Banijay partnered with Denmark’s TV2 on the project. Metronome is behind Banijay’s dating format, Alone Together, as well as relationship series, Fabulous Dads. The Danish outfit also produces a range of long-running non-scripted series including The Island, MasterChef, Taskmaster, The Block and Ex on the Beach. —Zac Ntim

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

Distributor: NBC Universal Formats
Length: 8×60’
Producers: Paper Kite Productions, Scout Productions, Universal Television Alternative Studio

Shows about cleaning, clutter and hoarding have been all the rave in the recent past and Peacock wanted to take this a step further.

This is where Swedish writer Margareta Magnusson’s bestselling book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, which provided the perfect platform for the U.S. streamer to make a fact-entertainment show with heart about the practicalities and philosophies behind de-cluttering.

The show follows the genuine practice of Swedish death cleaning, as an organizer, designer and psychologist help individuals at a crossroads to declutter their homes and minds, thinking about how best to enjoy life in the here and now. Narrated by Amy Poehler, each episode takes on a different and difficult challenge, delving deeper into themes of transformation and growth as people’s lives are reordered.

Gentle Art follows in a recent tradition of cleaning and hoarding hits such as Netflix’s Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and the BBC’s Sort Your Life Out, but Ana Langenberg, who is tasked with selling the format for NBCUniversal Format Rights, says it stands out from the crowd with real purpose.

The show made Langenberg wish she had had these conversations with her father before he passed away.

“The reason I like it so much is because it’s based on such an interesting, different approach,” she says. “We are so used to just gathering stuff and then thinking, ‘Well someone will just have to deal with it when I’m gone.’ Having done that with my dad’s stuff I know how difficult it is when you haven’t had those conversations about why they kept certain things, why they were important and who they would like to have them once they are gone.”

The psychologist is key to setting the show apart, adds Langenberg, who sees it standing out in the streamer factual entertainment sphere. “It’s life-affirming, positive and informative about both the organizational side of things as well as the psychology of our relationships with people, memories and object,” she adds.

Although Gentle Art airs on a global steamer, the majority of territories are up for grabs, while Langenberg’s NBCUniversal compatriots are also shopping the finished tape.

She talks up the scalability and relatively low budget of the format, which could travel well “especially in European territories such as France, Germany and the Nordics that have lots of primetime fact-entertainment slots and are keen to buy these formats.”

NBCUniversal is also selling Peacock reality format Queen’s Court and CTV Drama Transplant at Mipcom. —MG

The Underdog

Distributor: All3Media International
Length: 10×60’
Producers: Primal Media, Motion Content Group

Since the success of The Traitors, there’s been a spate of reality formats that put subterfuge, trickery and deduction at their core. None, though, have taken the approach of The Underdog, which All3Media International is launching in Cannes. The U.K. series, commissioned for youth channel E4, sets out to turn an Average Joe (or Alan in this case) into a reality show winner.

The concept, developed in the U.K. under the working title Alan Must Win, sees The Underdog placed in a Big Brother-style reality TV house with a group of contestants you’d much more readily associate with the genre—think whitened teeth, models and thousands of social media followers—who all believe they are on a show called The Favourite.

What none of them, including Alan, know is directly next door a group of veteran reality show stars are pulling the strings, manipulating the games and votes every step of the way to try to make the normal guy the winner.

“There is a gaping chasm from the first minute minute the Underdog goes in,” says Primal Media managing director Adam Wood. “They are not the type of person who would usually get a look in and thrive in that environment. The job of the celebrities is to make this person have a presence in the house.”

“There is a slight Truman Show element,” adds Primal founder Mat Steiner. “In a sense, Alan is their baby. The celebrities feel responsible and that makes them incredibly emotionally invested.”

This manifests in the celebrities acting as the voice of the producer in the game’s ‘diary room’ (known as The Snug), entering the house in disguise and occasionally as themselves, and also sending other celebrities into the house to shape the outcome of tasks and challenges.

However, the other contestants aren’t shown in a bad light and instead have been picked for their likeability and popularity. They believe they’re competing for £10,000 ($12,500) but if Alan is crowned the champion the prize money increases ten-fold so that every contestant takes home that amount, regardless of when they were voted off.

“We are massively excited about this show,” Steiner says. “You aspire to move a genre on from time to time, and this does that.” He says that the show straddles the line between reality and entertainment and is in the “mid-range” price point, making it an option for many networks. —Jesse Whittock

Unexpected Business In California

Distributor: CJ ENM
Length: TBC
Producer: CJ ENM

Korean media giant CJ ENM is taking its Unexpected Business franchise for streamer tVn to the States and is hoping to make a noise about it at Mipcom Cannes.

Unexpected Business follows two Korean stars, Cha Tae-hyun (My Sassy Girl) and Jo In-sung (It’s Okay, That’s Love), who unexpectedly become the bosses of a countryside grocery store for 10 days. Cue hilarity, as they take over the store’s operations and manage the inventory, while overseeing the kitchen and dining area for local residents to peruse, eat and socialize.

But never content with being too local, CJ ENM has pivoted Stateside for Season 3. The latest run has been renamed Unexpected Business in California and sees the celebrated Korean pair relocate to California to successfully run a U.S. grocery store.

Cha and Jo therefore become temporary owners of a local Asian Market shop in San Francisco, close to a large and diverse Korean immigrant community. As hosts, they engage with diverse local customers, listening to their captivating “American Dream” stories and forming connections with them.

“We believe the immigrants can resonate with the stories that the guests will share with the hosts during the show,” says Sebastian Kim, CJ ENM’s Director of Content Sales. “With the current boom of K-content and K-pop, we are strongly positive that this show will sell worldwide. But, most importantly, we believe the title will resonate with U.S. audiences, as the background of the title is set in the U.S. and the cast is popular throughout Asia.”

Unexpected Business follows the “humanist reality” format that has been so successful for the Korean producer-seller in the past, says Kim, who flags the “chemistry of the two hosts” as one of its key selling points.

With Unexpected Business, CJ is focusing on finished tape sales rather than format and Kim reveals multi-territory deals in SEA, Europe and the U.S. are in the offing.

CJ will be taking a nine-strong team to Mipcom Cannes and will giving a big push to Unexpected Business and other formats including similar offering Bro & Marble in Dubai and couple survival program Wedding Fighters. The company is also bringing a representative from its FAST/AVoD team, and will be speaking to clients extensively about expansion in this space. —MG

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