Reality Rumors

Christopher Knight will be seen lighting himself on fire for his second week act on the new U.S. competition series “Celebrity Circus,” NBC said.
Knight is best known for playing Peter Brady on the iconic 1970s sit-com “The Brady Bunch.” He has also starred in the reality shows “The Surreal Life” and “My Fair Brady.”

NBC said Knight will perform an “act of fire clowning” on Wednesday’s edition of “Celebrity Circus.”

Also slated to compete during the six-week series are model Rachel Hunter, actors Antonio Sabato Jr. and Stacey Dash, professional skateboarder Jason “Wee Man” Acuna, R&B singer Blu Cantrell and Olympic gold-medal swimmer Janet Evans.

The June 11 premiere episode of the show was watched by 6.5 million viewers overall and scored NBC’s highest non-sports rating on any night of the week for the month of June to date in the adults 18-49 category, the network said.

U.S. singer Joey Fatone is to act as host of the upcoming television competition series “Celebrity Circus.”

USA Today said the show, which is to debut Wednesday on NBC, follows a similar format to the “Circus of the Stars” specials that ran from 1977 to 1994.

Slated to compete during the six-week series are model Rachel Hunter; actors Christopher Knight, Antonio Sabato Jr. and Stacey Dash; professional skateboarder Jason “Wee Man” Acuna; R&B singer Blu Cantrell and Olympic gold-medal swimmer Janet Evans.

“I was asked to do celebrity boxing, and I was able to dodge that bullet. I said no to celebrity bull riding. But when ‘Circus’ came up, there was no hesitation,” Knight, former star of “The Brady Bunch,” told USA Today. “Not many 50-year-olds get to run away and join the circus. This is a life-affirming opportunity.”

The newspaper said several of the stars suffered injuries during the course of the show.

Knight, for instance, broke a bone in his arm shortly after training began, while Dash cracked a rib and other competitors sustained muscle pulls and bruises.

“We’ve had more hospital visits on this show than I had in 150 episodes of ‘Fear Factor,’” executive producer Matt Kunitz told USA Today.

NBC is planning a U.S. version of the international hit series “Celebrity Circus,” a show that challenges stars to perform with professional circus troupes.

“This show will draw our favorite celebrities out of their comfort zone and into a stunning and magical circus environment that allows them to showcase their unseen skills,” NBC’s Craig Plestis said in a statement. “It’s a fresh concept from our friends at Endemol and is unlike anything else currently in the TV landscape.”

“We are extremely excited to be bringing this show to American audiences,” said David Goldberg, president of Endemol USA, which also produces NBC’s smash hit game show “Deal or No Deal.”

“Every week (’Celebrity Circus’) will bring big thrills and bigger entertainment to our audience who can look forward to some very adventurous television,” Goldberg said.

The competition reality series is currently being sold around the world and has had successful launches in Portugal and Argentina, NBC said.