Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Talk of the bay
Finale of HSN reality to be a cliffhanger
By MARK ALBRIGHT
Published June 13, 2005
The show doesn't debut until fall, but Made in the USA, the reality TV series wrapped around the never-ending hunt for new products at St. Petersburg's HSN, is just about in the can.
Producers filmed five of the show's six episodes for editing this summer. The winning team won't be chosen until the final episode, a show that won't be taped until the first five episodes have aired.
"That's because there's a viewer vote," said Kim Reed, spokesman for USA Networks. The network owns the series, which follows a contest among amateur inventors learning how to produce and market products using HSN as a vehicle. One of the episodes was filmed mostly at HSN studios in St. Petersburg, but the rest were done in Los Angeles.
Hosted by Todd Newton, best known for his work on E! Entertainment Network, some of the guests and judges have distinct HSN links, too.
The judges are Nolan Bushnell, creator of the first video game, Pong, Atari and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater; home decor/industrial designer Karim Rashid; and Joy Mangano, the Long Island, N.Y., woman who brought the Miracle Mop, Huggable Hangers and guitar recording artist Esteban to HSN.
Experts who offer tips to the contestants include Lonnie Johnson, the rocket scientist who invented the Supersoaker; Robert Verdi, host of E! television's Fashion Police; and Patti LaBelle, the singer who sells her jewelry and apparel line through HSN.
[Last modified June 10, 2005, 19:27:02]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
