Tuesday July 03 01:07 AM EDT

ABC preheating 'Diet' plate; CBS training for 2nd 'Race'

By Cynthia Littleton

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- ABC is thinking about going on "The Big Diet," and CBS is eyeing a second installment of "The Amazing Race."


ABC is in negotiations with Endemol Entertainment USA to pick up "Diet," a reality show in which contestants compete to lose the most weight during a set period of time.


The contestants are holed up in a luxury spa with trainers, but there are booby traps in place as chocolate cakes and other fattening goodies pop up in unusual places. The winner is awarded the weight they lost in gold.


ABC confirmed that "Diet" is in development but declined to elaborate, as did Endemol. Sources said Endemol and ABC are negotiating a 10-episode commitment for the project.


"Diet" airs on RTL 2 in Germany, where it has not matched the success that Endemol's "Big Brother" format found in that nation last year (HR 6/13).


On this side of the Atlantic, "Diet" was eyed as a possible syndicated series by Fox's Twentieth Television before migrating to ABC.


Meanwhile, CBS put out the call Monday for contestants for a possible follow-up series to "Race," a round-the-world contest set to premiere in the fall in the Wednesday 9 p.m. slot.


A CBS spokesman said the network has not formally given the green light to a second installment of "Race" but wants to get a jump-start on the casting process in order to be able to move quickly on a follow-up if the show performs well out of the gate.


The Touchstone Television series, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Bertram van Munster, sends 11 pairs of contestants on a trek through 11 cities in 40 days. At each stop, the couples are confronted with tasks and challenges that must be completed before they are told where to go next.


"Race" was developed as a summer series, but CBS brass were so impressed with the final product that it landed a slot in the fall schedule.

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