Thai Remakes for Real Housewives, Top Chef 

LONDON: NBCUniversal International Formats has inked two separate deals in Thailand for local versions of the popular Top Chef and The Real Housewives franchises.

GMM ONE TV commissioned a 13×90-minute local version of Top Chef, which will be produced by The One Enterprise Company. Now approaching its 14th season in the U.S., the series has been produced in 21 territories around the world, including Vietnam, France, Spain, Italy, Mexico and Canada.

Yvonne Pilkington, the senior VP of format sales and production at NBCUniversal International Formats, said: “Top Chef combines a dramatic and gripping reality competition with a fascinating insight into the hidden world of world-class cookery. Having proven successful in Indonesia and Vietnam, we are glad to have GMM ONE TV on board to extend the format to the Thai population.”

Thai producer Kantana Group signed up for a 13×60-minute treatment of The Real Housewives, marking the 11th international deal for the franchise and the first Asian version of the format. The series will air as The Real Housewives of Bangkok.

Pilkington commented: “The Real Housewives is a reality TV phenomenon which has proven compelling viewing for audiences across the U.S. and around the globe. The deal with Kantana Group brings the franchise to Asia for the first time and it will be fascinating to see the culturally contrasting nature of the production and the Bangkok-based wives.”

Piyarat Kaljareuk, the VP of Kantana Group, added: “We are thrilled to be able to finally work with NBCUniversal International Formats on this fabulous format, The Real Housewives, which has been highly successful in many countries. We are confident that with our experience in producing reality programs, and with the help of NBCUniversal International Formats, we will be able to produce a fantastic and successful show for our Thai fans as well. So stay tuned for The Real Housewives of Bangkok!”

Meanwhile, NBCUniversal International Formats signed a new deal for the reality makeover show How Do I Look? with E! Entertainment Television in Mexico. Titled Cambiame El Look, the 13-part series marks the first Latin American version of the format. NBCUniversal International Formats inked its first international sale for the new NBC reality game show Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge. Discovery’s Kanal 5 commissioned a 7×60-minute local version that will air early next year. The show will be produced by Nordisk Denmark.