HOLLYWOOD - How do you top "Survivor"? How about sending a group of castaways to the moon?
Well, maybe that's still impossible, but the maker of the top-rated CBS reality series is so determined to one-up himself that his newest offering is almost that outlandish.
"Destination Mir," a new show from producer Mark Burnett, will launch an everyday American Joe into orbit to board Russia's Mir Space Station.
How's that for an encore?
According to a report from The Associated Press, NBC is paying $40 million for the show -- about $20 million of which will go to MirCorp., the agency that rents the space station out for filming.
"Destination Mir" will follow a group of contestants vying to become cosmonauts over a 13 to 15 episode period, as they go through the rigors of Russian space camp, flight simulators, the whole nine yards.
The Russian officials will eliminate one contestant each week, and only one person will make the cut. In the final episode, the winner will be announced on the launchpad and immediately board a space capsule for the 10-day round trip.
The show is tentatively slated to debut in fall 2001, with the launch taking place in early 2002.