Fox Announces New Reality Series 'Deal or Die'

Terminal Patients under Public Option Compete to Win Treatment or Cash

January 17, 2010 (Pasadena, California) The Fox Network kicked off its Winter Press Tour session at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California today with the announcement of its new reality series, “Deal or Die,” an eight-episode competition that features multiple terminal patients and their surviving families working together as teams to win medical treatments excluded by the National Treatment Review Board (NTRB).

Network Reality Programming V.P. Chip Saperstein explained, “Our new series ‘Deal or Die’ takes a close look at one of the most complex and volatile of all relationships — between the Federal Government, terminally ill patients, and their families — in a highly competitive and stressful situation.”

In round one, each team advocates for their terminal loved one before a panel of celebrity judges. The expense of the treatment will then be weighed against a number of objective measures, including the contestant’s age, chances of recovery, and value to society as well as more subjective factors. According to Saperstein, judges will be able to consider factors such as the patient’s positive attitude, creativity and sense of humor “as well as that special little indefinable something I like to refer to as ‘spunk.'”

Round Two commences once the judges have chosen a winning team. The family is offered a variety of prizes or a cash settlement equal to half the cost of the course of treatment. In the pilot presentation, for instance, the patient, Fern Beaumont, suffering from inoperable lung cancer, won a course of erlotinib, which could extend her life up to six years. At $4,000 a month, the value of her treatment was $288,000. She was then offered cash and/or prizes worth $144,000 to forgo the hard-won medical treatment.

Saperstein opined, “This is where we see some real drama. Is the patient going to continue care at the expense of their family, or are they going to take the money and run? Things get very heated and we find out how everybody really feels about each other — if there are any past slights or buried resentment, believe me, this is where they bubble to the surface. It’s unbelievable, completely unpredictable and incredibly entertaining while thought-provoking!”

In the case of the Beaumonts, after some debate, Fern selflessly opts to pass on her cancer treatment in order to pay for a Farewell Greek Island Cruise for her extended family.

Celebrity judges in the pilot included Kim Kardashian, Carrot Top, and Dr. Drew Pinsky. “Deal or Die” is a production of Fox Television Studios. Series is created by and executive produced by Leonard Bellows (“Who Wants to Be the President,” “Last Convict Standing”).