Facebook orders reality competition series from American Ninja Warrior producers

Facebook has signed a deal to revive reality competition show Last State Standing, according to The Hollywood Reporter. American Ninja Warrior producer A. Smith and Co.’s Arthur Smith is behind the series, which will feature one contestant from each of the 50 states competing in games for a chance to win $500,000. A premiere date, episode count, and rollout plan are still undetermined, but production on the show has reportedly begun in Los Angeles.

Back in February, Facebook announced it hired MTV executive vice president Mina Lefevre to head development of the site’s scripted and unscripted content. Since then, contracts have been signed with outlets like BuzzFeed and Vox to create shortform series (shows 5- to 30-minutes in length).

Last State Standing’s deal comes on the heels of Facebook also reportedly closing in on a deal to revive Nicole Byer’s comedy series Loosely Exactly Nicole. The latter is a reunion for Lefevre and Byer: Lefevre originally helped develop Loosely Exactly Nicole during her tenure at MTV, where it ran for one season in October 2016.

Facebook’s original video content is expected to arrive close to the end of summer, and is part of the company’s concerted efforts, along with Facebook Live and rumors of an app for set-top TV boxes, to bring video to the forefront of user experience.