Trish to Star in New CBS Reality Series
MUNCIE -- As Muncie Central High School last week passed on hosting a basketball-based reality show, another production company was courting the city's police department.
An undetermined cast of celebrities will become Muncie police officers this winter for a CBS reality show, Mayor Dan Canan confirmed Tuesday.
"It's kind of ironic that Muncie gets zeroed in on for two entirely different reality TV shows," Canan said.
The celebrities will carry guns but will not answer emergency calls on their own, Muncie Police Chief Joe Winkle said.
They must first pass the same standards as any other reserve officer, Winkle said. Those standards include psychological and physical examinations and 40 hours of basic training in firearms and defensive tactics and other subjects, Winkle said.
Each star will be paired with a training officer during the entirety of filming, which is expected to begin in the next few weeks and last about a month, Winkle said.
Sources have said former television cop Erik Estrada, Jack Osbourne (son of rock star Ozzy Osbourne), former pro-wrestler Trish Stratus, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and Jackass dwarf star Jason "Wee Man" Acuña are in the running for spots.
Canan and Winkle both said they were not at liberty to identify any celebrities that might be involved.
News of the police show comes a week after Central High School administrators announced they were no longer interested in participating in a program for MTV that would follow the Bearcats basketball program through this season.
The CBS show is better-suited for the city, Canan said, because it does not exploit the lives of teenagers.
Producers have also agreed not to paint Muncie as a backwater town, Canan said.
The mayor agreed to the show mostly on the chance that future investors might get to know the city through its police department, he said.
"When you do economic development, it's all about name recognition," Canan said.
The show will be produced by Tom Forman, Winkle said, who was involved in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Producers also approached the Delaware County Sheriff's Office about three months ago but ultimately passed on that agency, Sheriff George Sheridan said.
The sheriff and television crews are working on terms detailing how much access cameras will have in the jail should a celebrity make an arrest.
"If done right, and they maintain the integrity of the profession, this is a good thing," Sheridan said.
Delaware County Prosecutor-elect Mark McKinney, however, was not as optimistic.
"I sincerely hope they have enough protections in place so that we never would be in a position of relying on one of these individuals for testimony (in court)," McKinney said. "The possibility for bad things loom very large."
The reality show will provide internships for about 10 Ball State University telecommunications students who will provide behind-the scenes labor for production, according to Nancy Carlson, head of the BSU T-Comm department.
"It is in my interest to get students as much experience as possible," Carlson said. "So we gladly cooperated."
The students, who will work for free, have been told to prepare for filming this Thanksgiving weekend, Carlson said.
Neither Forman Productions nor CBS spokesman Phil Gonzales returned phone calls Tuesday.
A casting crew was apparently in town Thursday and Friday interviewing police officers, according to a flyer distributed throughout city hall.
The source of the flyer was unclear. It ended with "Please Keep Confidential."
The companies have been very tight-lipped about the project, Carlson said, because they are concerned that once news leaks, paparazzi might make it difficult to film the stars in real-life law-enforcement situations.
by nick werner
source: thestarpress.com
An undetermined cast of celebrities will become Muncie police officers this winter for a CBS reality show, Mayor Dan Canan confirmed Tuesday.
"It's kind of ironic that Muncie gets zeroed in on for two entirely different reality TV shows," Canan said.
The celebrities will carry guns but will not answer emergency calls on their own, Muncie Police Chief Joe Winkle said.
They must first pass the same standards as any other reserve officer, Winkle said. Those standards include psychological and physical examinations and 40 hours of basic training in firearms and defensive tactics and other subjects, Winkle said.
Each star will be paired with a training officer during the entirety of filming, which is expected to begin in the next few weeks and last about a month, Winkle said.
Sources have said former television cop Erik Estrada, Jack Osbourne (son of rock star Ozzy Osbourne), former pro-wrestler Trish Stratus, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and Jackass dwarf star Jason "Wee Man" Acuña are in the running for spots.
Canan and Winkle both said they were not at liberty to identify any celebrities that might be involved.
News of the police show comes a week after Central High School administrators announced they were no longer interested in participating in a program for MTV that would follow the Bearcats basketball program through this season.
The CBS show is better-suited for the city, Canan said, because it does not exploit the lives of teenagers.
Producers have also agreed not to paint Muncie as a backwater town, Canan said.
The mayor agreed to the show mostly on the chance that future investors might get to know the city through its police department, he said.
"When you do economic development, it's all about name recognition," Canan said.
The show will be produced by Tom Forman, Winkle said, who was involved in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Producers also approached the Delaware County Sheriff's Office about three months ago but ultimately passed on that agency, Sheriff George Sheridan said.
The sheriff and television crews are working on terms detailing how much access cameras will have in the jail should a celebrity make an arrest.
"If done right, and they maintain the integrity of the profession, this is a good thing," Sheridan said.
Delaware County Prosecutor-elect Mark McKinney, however, was not as optimistic.
"I sincerely hope they have enough protections in place so that we never would be in a position of relying on one of these individuals for testimony (in court)," McKinney said. "The possibility for bad things loom very large."
The reality show will provide internships for about 10 Ball State University telecommunications students who will provide behind-the scenes labor for production, according to Nancy Carlson, head of the BSU T-Comm department.
"It is in my interest to get students as much experience as possible," Carlson said. "So we gladly cooperated."
The students, who will work for free, have been told to prepare for filming this Thanksgiving weekend, Carlson said.
Neither Forman Productions nor CBS spokesman Phil Gonzales returned phone calls Tuesday.
A casting crew was apparently in town Thursday and Friday interviewing police officers, according to a flyer distributed throughout city hall.
The source of the flyer was unclear. It ended with "Please Keep Confidential."
The companies have been very tight-lipped about the project, Carlson said, because they are concerned that once news leaks, paparazzi might make it difficult to film the stars in real-life law-enforcement situations.
by nick werner
source: thestarpress.com
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