Nigel Lythgoe, creator of ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ joins forces with Snoop Dogg and Ryan Kavanagh at Triller to bring the new series to life
Triller Fight Club has brought reality show kingpin Nigel Lythgoe on board as a “creative partner, visionary and executive producer,” according to Variety.
Lythgoe’s first project at bat is a weekly, hourlong series called, So You Think You Can Fight? Like Lythgoe’s other shows, it will involve audience participation and voting. Instead of having judges, the show will “pair a celebrity action star with a pro fighter, each who will select an amateur boxer through a global talent search and competition.”
The contestants will come from three categories, “lightweight, heavyweight, and MMA,” and be put through “rigorous mental and physical training,” which brings up echoes of the torture porn that was The Biggest Loser, only the contestants will already be fit.
After being coached into mental strength by a celebrity action star, the fighters will square off, working toward the ultimate prize of fighting on a Triller Fight Club undercard in a pro bout that will, hopefully, launch their professional career.
Lythgoe said in a statement, “Triller has built something extraordinary, and they truly have their finger on the pulse of where live event entertainment is headed. As a lifelong fan of music and boxing, I am thrilled to be getting into the ring with Ryan (Kavanagh), Snoop and the whole Triller team to join their disruptive and innovative journey. Everyone is fighting for something in this world, and I’m excited to tell the many fascinating stories behind the raised gloves.”
While Lythgoe came to television as a dancer-turned-choreographer-turned-producer, he did bring us the magic that was American Gladiators, so who’s to say the man doesn’t understand reality show combat.
Snoop Dogg, who is part owner of Triller Fight Club, said in a press release that really captured Snoop’s voice, “Boxing and dancing share the same movements and the same rhythm, and who better to take Fight Club to the next level that the person who brought the world ‘American Idol’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ the iconic talent discovery platforms where music, competition, movement and showmanship all count towards the victory, which in our case is hopefully by a knockout.”
Triller Fight Club entering into the reality show world does make perfect sense in light of their approach to the fight world so far. Between bringing old legends such as Mike Tyson and Oscar De la Hoya back to the ring, making hay with the Paul brothers, and the general circus-like atmosphere of the show they put on, So You Think You Can Fight? is a natural progression.
The show is expected to launch later this year on Triller’s new live streaming platform Triller Verzuz TV, which was formed through TrillerNet’s recent acquisitions of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s live-streaming channel Verzuz and global live-event streaming platform FITE (FITE.tv).