On the heels of its successful debut last night, it was announced today that eight additional installments of the unscripted special MOBBED, hosted and executive-produced by Howie Mandel, will air on FOX.
“MOBBED exceeded our expectations in every way last night,” said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “The show clearly connected with viewers, and we look forward to working with Howie and his team as they travel across the country to capture more of the shocking surprises, grand-scale performances and extraordinarily heartfelt moments featured in the first episode.”
“Doing this project was a huge undertaking – it was like doing television without a net,” said Mandel. “And I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that FOX is giving us an opportunity to keep pushing the envelope.”
The debut episode of MOBBED was the most-watched unscripted telecast to follow an AMERICAN IDOL episode in over two years in Total Viewers and outperformed FOX’s prior season average so far in the Thursday 9:00 PM hour by +36% among Adults 18-49.
In MOBBED, Mandel and thousands of strangers will help individuals across the country plan extraordinary surprises for friends, family members, loved ones or co-workers. These unknowing participants will be shocked and stunned by surprise performances that lead up to fantastic reveals that include a husband learning that his wife is pregnant, an applicant finding out that she got the job and a soldier returning home from war, among others.
Throughout each hour, the individuals will be shown prepping for the event – rehearsing their routines and refining their announcements – all while receiving guidance from host Mandel. Then, on the day of the big event – with the hidden cameras rolling – the detailed plan comes to fruition and suddenly explodes into a song-and-dance spectacle they are sure never to forget. What begins as a few dancers evolves into a grand-scale performance that wraps up with a life-changing announcement for the participants like nothing ever seen on TV.
Shine International will distribute the MOBBED format and finished episodes internationally.
MOBBED is produced by Alevy Productions and Angel City Factory. Howie Mandel, Chris Cowan, Jean-Michel Michenaud, Mike Marks, Darryl Trell, Howard Kitrosser and Michael Rotenberg serve as executive producers. It is based on a format created by Mandel, Trell and Kitrosser.
