"The Complex: Malibu" coming to Fox on August 30
"THE COMPLEX: MALIBU" TO PREMIERE WITH TWO-HOUR EPISODE MONDAY, AUGUST 30, ON FOX
Sears is Sponsor of Competitive Home-Improvement Series Based on Australia's Most Successful Show Ever
From the creators of AMERICAN IDOL comes a new kind of makeover show. THE COMPLEX: MALIBU moves real-life couples into a cliffside apartment building in Southern California's coastal enclave of the rich and famous, and puts their construction, interior design and, most importantly, their relationship skills to the test with the chance to win a large cash prize. Home renovation under normal circumstances can be stressful enough to tear a relationship apart, but when couples are forced to keep within a tight budget and faced with strict deadlines and competitive neighbors, the stakes are even higher. Following a special two-hour premiere on Monday, August 30 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, the series will air in its regular timeslot on Mondays (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) beginning Monday, September 6.
Nationwide retailer Sears, a sponsor of THE COMPLEX: MALIBU, has partnered with FOX and FremantleMedia in this unscripted series that gives contestants a budget to renovate their unit by a specified date.
Eight couples will compete for the opportunity to restore and redecorate one of four units. Under tight deadlines, the couples will battle each other for control of the units, while trying to add the most value to each of the rooms. A panel of real estate professionals - an interior designer, a real estate agent and an architect - will rank the rooms from best to worst and help decide the couples' fate: who stays and who goes. The renovated units will be sold at public auction, and the couple whose unit nets the highest-percentage profit will receive the profits from ALL of the units.
The eight couples participating in the competition are:
Barney (67) and Rose (64) from Hauppauge, NY
Brad (37) and Lew (39) from Phoenix, AZ
Carl (30) and Kim (30) from Las Vegas, NV
Dave (26) and Ana (27) from New York, NY
Erik (31) and Jayna (28) from Dallas, TX
Steve (28) and Nicole (27) from Chicago, IL
Sanyika (24) and Monique (26) from Washington, DC
Scott (32) and Sam (31) from Canton, GA
THE COMPLEX: MALIBU is based on the hit Australian show, "The Block," now in its second season for Channel Nine in Australia. The first season finale last August drew the highest rating of any show in that country in 15 years.
Sears, FOX and FremantleMedia will support the show through a multi-faceted marketing program, including advertising, point-of-sale and on-line promotions, public relations and product integration. The partnership provides Sears with an opportunity to reinforce that Sears is a fun place to shop and to showcase relevant and innovative merchandise. Terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
THE COMPLEX: MALIBU is produced by FremantleMedia North America, Inc. Ted Haimes ("Married By America," "Temptation Island," "The History of Rock 'n' Roll") is executive producer.
FremantleMedia North America
Based in Santa Monica and with offices in New York, FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is one of America's foremost producers of reality-based entertainment programming for television. In 2004, FMNA will launch THE COMPLEX: MALIBU and the second season of THE SWAN on FOX. Additional credits include AMERICAN IDOL (FOX), which received five 2003 Emmy nominations and scored the highest-rated season or series debut on any network in the 2003/2004 season; "The Price is Right" (CBS); "Family Feud" (syndication); "Oliver's Twist" (Food Network); "Date Patrol" (TLC); "American Juniors" (FOX); and "Cupid" (CBS). FMNA is a division of award-winning international television production company FremantleMedia, which creates drama, entertainment and factual entertainment programming in more than 40 countries and territories. FremantleMedia is a wholly owned subsidiary and the content business arm of the publicly traded RTL Group, one of Europe's largest television and radio broadcast companies. The RTL Group owns 23 television and 22 radio stations in eight countries, and is a division of leading integrated media and entertainment company Bertelsmann AG.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. With revenues in 2003 of $41.1 billion, the company offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the U.S. and Canada, which includes approximately 870 full-line and 1,100 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears is the only retailer where consumers can find the Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End brands together - among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. The company is the largest provider of product repair services with more than 14 million service calls made annually.
