Julie Pizzi: Last News

EXCLUSIVE: Tonight marks a significant first for Bunim/Murray Productions: its long-running hit The Challenge, which launched 25 years ago on MTV, will debut for the first time on broadcast TV. CBS will follow its summer hit Big Brother with the debut of The Challenge: USA, a spinoff from B/M and MTV Entertainment Studios that features players from CBS’ unscripted lineup of BB, Survivor, Love Island and The Amazing Race. (For an exclusive first look of the series, watch the video above).

EXCLUSIVE: Bunim/Murray Productions, the Emmy-winning reality production company which recently launched Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Girrrls on Amazon Prime, Don’t Forget The Lyrics on Fox and is bringing its hit franchise The Challenge to CBS this summer, is bolstering its development and current programming teams, promoting three and adding four new staffers.

Emily Longeretta For the first time ever, “The Challenge” universe will be explored in a docuseries on MTV.“The Challenge: Untold History,” a six-part series, will feature more than 30 legendary competitors as well as many famous fans including Kim Kardashian, Vernon Davis and Lindsey Jacobellis.More than 30 competitors and “Challenge” icons will participate in the docuseries including Wes Begmann, Johnny “Bananas” Devenazio, Aneesa Ferreria, Mark Long, CT Tamburello, Darrell Taylor, Laurel Stuckey and Kam Williams. Those returning will share behind-the-scenes stories.The series, set to premiere later this summer, will explore the conception and evolution of the reality show and includes commentary from competitors, producers, media analysts and famous fans.

CBS will pair its long-running franchise Big Brother this summer with The Challenge: USA, a spinoff of MTV’s hugely successful IP.

Emily Longeretta “The Challenge: All Stars” Season 3 is about to be bigger than ever — and that’s coming from someone who’s been part of the franchise from the start.“The Challenge” has had such staying power that it’s expanded internationally, with the recent announcement of seasons in Argentina, Australia and U.K. and for the first time ever, a season on CBS, set for this summer — and Bunim-Murray Productions president Julie Pizzi, who has worked on “The Challenge” as a producer since 2000, knows just how much work goes into creating it.The winners from all four shows will come together to compete on “The Challenge: Global Championship” (working title, previously “War of the Worlds”) — something that’s never been done before.

Emily Longeretta The third season of “The Real World Homecoming” is coming to Paramount Plus next month. The cast of 2001’s “The Real World: New Orleans,” including David “Tokyo” Broom, Melissa Beck, Jamie Murray, Danny Roberts, Matt Smith, Julie Stoffer and Kelley Wolf, will move back to the Big Easy for the new season, launching on the streaming service April 20.Executive producers include MTV Entertainment Studios’ Sitarah Pendelton-Eaglin, Candida Boyette-Clemons and Nadim Amiry and Bunim/Murray Productions‘ Jonathan Murray, Julie Pizzi, Erica Ross, Kevin Lee and James Knox.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorReality TV pioneer Bunim-Murray Productions is throwing its hat into the NFT ring.The production company teamed with tech startup Virtual Arts to form Wonderfuel, an entertainment company that intends to develop a slate of unscripted TV shows funded by sales of nonfungible tokens (NFTs).Wonderfuel (wonderfuel.co) plans to shop its shows to traditional TV networks and streaming platforms, and the shows are also expected to be available on Web3 platforms to NFT owners. The companies said that new NFTs — which verify the ownership of unique pieces of digital content using distributed blockchain technology — will be minted and released alongside the shows, giving fans the opportunity to access “unique rewards, from involvement in creative decisions to sharing in prizes and unique fan experiences.” Wonderfuel’s sale of NFTs will enable both partial and full funding of future shows, the companies said.

Anna Sorokin, the convicted swindler whose criminal adventures formed the basis of the hit Netflix 2022 series Inventing Anna, will soon be deported to Germany – if she hasn’t already been sent packing.

Wilson Chapman editor“WWE Evil,” the first WWE original series for Peacock, will premiere March 24, the streaming service announced Thursday.Created and hosted by WWE wrestler and actor John Cena, the eight-part docuseries examines the stories of notable “heels,” or villains, in the WWE’s history. Each episode dives into the career of a different heel, including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sasha Banks and Roman Reigns.The trailer previews all of the episodes of the series, showcasing both archival footage of notable events in the various performers’ WWE history, as well as interviews that dive into the psychology behind the people playing the heels.“I’m not playing the character, I am the character,” Roman Reigns says during a talking head interview included in the trailer.

Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls which will premiere next month on Prime Video. This eight-episode unscripted show is Lizzo’s first project as part of her first-look deal with Amazon Studios.According to a news release, the new series follows “global superstar and icon Lizzo, who is on the hunt for confident, bad-ass women to join the elite ranks of the Big Grrrls and join her world tour.

Ellise Shafer All the rumors are true: Lizzo’s dance competition series, titled “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” is premiering on Amazon Prime Video next month.The eight-episode unscripted show, which is Lizzo’s first project as part of her first-look deal with Amazon Studios, will premiere on the streaming service March 25.According to the series’ official logline, it follows “global superstar and icon Lizzo, who is on the hunt for confident, bad-ass women to join the elite ranks of the Big Grrrls and join her world tour. With 10 hopeful women moving into the Big Grrrls House, they must prove they have what it takes to make it to the end and join Lizzo in front of a global audience on the center stage.” “Girls like me don’t get representation,” Lizzo says in the trailer.

Fake heiress Anna Sorokin, otherwise known as Anna Delvey, is working with Surviving R. Kelly producer Bunim/Murray Productions on a limited documentary series.

EXCLUSIVE: Real World: Homecoming producer Bunim/Murray has promoted Morgan Thompson to Vice President of Branded Entertainment.

EXCLUSIVE: Bunim/Murray Productions, the company behind series including The Real World: Homecoming and The Challenge: All Stars, has finalized its senior team with a series of executive promotions.

“It was one of the most intense seasons that we’ve ever created,” said Emer Harkin, executive producer of MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions’ long-running reality competition series The Challenge.

Bunim-Murray is having a “full-circle” moment, according to new boss Julie Pizzi, following the launch of The Real World Homecoming: New York on Paramount+.

Julie Pizzi has returned to Bunim/Murray Productions as President.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeBunim-Murray Prods. has a new boss: Julie Pizzi has been named president of the Banijay-owned studio.