Facebook agreed to fund a reality show “Last State Standing” that was created by Arthur Smith, i.e. his company A. Smith & Co. Smith is best known for his work as an executive producer of the American Ninja Warrior, another reality show centered around sports competition that’s currently in its ninth season, with Last State Standing reportedly being similar to that programming in terms of focusing on the competitive aspect of reality TV. The production of the series already started in Los Angeles, California, industry sources said, without clarifying on how long is the process expected to take. Likewise, the exact phase that the production is currently in is unclear, though if Facebook only founded it this month, it’s likely that principal photography has yet to take place and the production of the first season won’t be concluded until much later this year.
The format of the reality series itself is said to include 50 contestants, with each one representing one state, hence the name of the show. Participants are expected to compete in a broad range of unique and bizarre games with the goal of winning the grand prize – $500,000 in cash. In that regard, Last State Standing will likely be extremely similar to the American Ninja Warrior, save for the actual games in which its contestants will be competing. The episode count of the first season is currently unknown and the same goes for its premiere date as both are yet to be determined by Facebook, industry sources said on Tuesday. The Menlo Park, California-based social media giant has yet to comment on the matter in any official capacity but it’s understood that Facebook only ordered a single season of the show and will decide on its future based on the reception it receives, which is to be expected considering that the firm had a rather conservative approach to funding original video programming so far.
Regardless, the latest turn of events indicates that Facebook is adamant to continue its online video push in an effort to promote its social media service and turn it into a viable competitor to YouTube and similar platforms. An update on the company’s efforts to do so is expected to follow in the coming months.