When you think about it, the strange thing is that they didn’t already have a reality TV show.
Joel Osteen announced Tuesday that he has partnered with Survivor producer Mark Burnett to create a reality TV show that would follow him and his wife, Victoria, and Lakewood Church members on mission trips across the country.
Osteen signed an agreement with Burnett to work on a series to be pitched for prime-time play as early as next year. The details of the program are still being worked out, so they’ve yet to secure a deal with a network. The news of their partnership was reported early by TMZ.
Osteen likened their program to Extreme Home Makeover, saying, “It’s another way to take our message of hope and inspiring others to another venue … We didn’t just want to do a reality show, we wanted to do something that inspires people and makes them better.”
As co-pastors of Lakewood Church, the largest church in America, the Osteens already have 10 million viewers watching their broadcasts each week. They’ve repeatedly turned down reality show pitches, but then Burnett – a fellow Christian who has visited Lakewood multiple times in the year that they’ve known him – came up with a concept that would focus more on Christian mission than their own lives.
Here’s the TMZ report. I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t happen and if it’s not a success. Hair Balls has more.