Started on Road Rules, now he’s here. Mark Long, best known for his time on MTV reality shows, made his name in the producing world when he pitched an “old school” version on MTV’s The Challenge in 2020.
Eventually, he partnered with Bunim/Murray for The Challenge: All Stars, which debuted in April on Paramount + and is now airing its second season. In turn, he launched Mark Long Productions.
Now, he’s ready to expand. During the Wednesday, December 8, episode of the “Watch With Us” podcast, Long, 50, revealed exclusively to Us Weekly that he has teamed up with Objective Media Group America, the company behind Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America, for a new TV show that will feature reality stars from all over the nation competing in the kitchen.
“I’ve really wanted to follow up with the success of All Stars,” he explained to Us on Wednesday. “I wanted to think of something that kind of encompasses more than just an MTV crowd or an MTV cast. … I have met hundreds of reality stars over the years. Everyone from the top, top, top winners to the people who got voted off first on American Idol, you name it, my black book is just filled with reality stars, still to this day.”
So, what better way to show a new side of reality TV personalities than to see what they can cook up in the kitchen as they’re judged by experts in the food industry?
Long hinted at some of the names he already has in mind, telling Us, “Who wouldn’t want to see Bianca Del Rio from [RuPaul’s] Drag Race head-to-head against Karamo [Brown] or Boston Rob from Survivor head-to-head against Lisa Rinna from Housewives or Omarosa [Manigault] head-to-head against C.T. [Tamburello] from The Challenge? One of the things that I think that makes reality fandom so special is the support that we get from the fans.”
Objective Media Group America is also excited to partner with Mark Long Productions for the pitch.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with Mark to build a new twist on cooking competitions that harnesses his deep roots in the reality community,” Michael Beilinson, Objective Media’s vice president of development, tells Us.
While the details will be ironed out once the show is officially picked up by a network — there are many targets with Food Network at the top of the list — right now the idea is that Long will serve as host alongside a food personality. Each reality star will be partnered with a chef who “knows their way around the kitchen,” so that it becomes a team competition.
For more from the two-time Challenge winner — including whether he’d eventually compete — listen to the full podcast above.