NBC is teaming up with Sir Richard Branson and Mark Burnett for a new reality show that will give contestants a chance to win a ticket on a Virgin Galactic flight to space.
While the network didn’t exactly say how the everyday people will compete for the tickets, NBC said that the show will give viewers an intimate look at Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport America in New Mexico, where the historic flights to space will take off on the commercial spaceline’s SpaceShipTwo.
The series will be produced by Burnett’s One Three Media, which also produces NBC’s Emmy-winning singing competition The Voice and CBS’ long-running series Survivor.
“The scope of this endeavor is so staggering, that it took these two titans to even imagine it,” Paul Telegdy, President of Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. “The term 'trip of a lifetime' has for once been delivered on! This will be a remarkable experience for anyone who has looked at the night's sky and dared to dream of Space Flight.”
Branson said that Virgin Galactic’s ultimate goal is to make space travel affordable for the average person and Space Race is the perfect way to start giving people the opportunity. “All of us at Virgin Galactic and our partner aabar Investments are delighted to be collaborating with NBC and Mark, who is a true pioneer and creative force in television programming,” he said.
Burnett said that he got the idea for the show after visiting New Mexico and meeting with Branson. “I am thrilled to be part of a series that will give the everyday person a chance to see space and that NBC has come on board too so that viewers at home will have a first class seat,” the reality TV mogul said.
Currently, tickets for Virgin Galactic flights have gone to big celebrities who can afford it. Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher have all reportedly bought tickets.
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