The Mother of All...

Beauty Pageants...That's the sub-title of the latest fall reality show project brought to you by friends at CW called, "Crowned".

This new eight episode reality competition (Created Produced by fellow producer, Laurie Girion for Fox Television) features mother and daughter teams working together to win a beauty pageant.

According to friends at CW:

The competition will feature mothers and daughters from all walks of life. The teams and their relationships will be put to the test as they face challenges that focus on preparing them for the pageant show finale, including expressing a 'style' for the mother-daughter via clothing and swimwear, creative ways of expressing a point of view about issues in the world, and participating in the big pageant show dance number.

Wait, Wait, Wait a Minute...
Reading that again, we can easily surmise the likelihood of looming 'danger' and pending drama, proceed with caution.

The part that was inadvertently left out of the above, is that the teams will be living together in a mansion (complete with bedroom bunk beds).

A-ha! As you may recall the lessons in our reality show cookbook, a key ingredient in creating reality show melodrama is forcing people (from various backgrounds) to live together (preferably in a mansion, of course) as this circumstance creates inherent opportunities for 'unlikely' chicanery, snarky personalities, and precarious high jinks; in other words, "Let The Games Begin".

Little Miss Sunshine

In more recent years, we have seen first-hand results of "Stage Mom-itis". For some reason, mothers insist upon thrusting their offspring into the limelight. What is it about show business that creates the parental need to live vicariously through their children?

I mean really, besides my own parents - do you ever see parents enthusiastically and relentlessly pushing their children to become Accountants or a Real Estate Tax Attorney?

Some years prior when I mentioned to my mother that I was going to be in television, rather than jumping for joy at the possibility, she just gave me a blank stare. To this day, I still receive that same blank stare upon my annual visits during the holidays (-gotta' love it!).

Ah, but wait this is not going to be that kind of show or is it?

In this competition, mother and daughter will be working side by side together....Against the other mother and daughter teams. Right, initial pleasantries are going to be abandoned-which means: The scene is going to get real bad, real fast. Or, as I prefer to affectionately call the escalation, "Double Jeopardy".

Meet The Beauty Panel

Each week, three celebrity judges will oversee the competition, Carson Kressley ("Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"), former Miss U.S.A. Shanna Moakler ("Dancing with the Stars," "Meet the Barkers"), and veteran TV personality Cynthia Garrett ("Life & Style").

Even better, there will be also be celebrity mother-daughter guest judges. How about Naomi and Wynonna Judd, or perhaps Candy and Tori Spelling, LiLo and Dina...Although this sounds like a good idea, I am beginning to get nervous.

The Crowning Glory
In the end, one mother-daughter team will be "crowned" the winner and will receive a valuable prize package, including a $100,000 cash award (which incidentally, amounts to roughly $66,000 after taxes), representation to appear at charity events across the country, and, of course, a 'fabulous' pair of tiaras.

I am considering suggesting one more bonus 'treat' - You Get To Star In Your Very Own Reality Show...Hey, why not?