Renewals round-up: “Weirdest Restaurants,” “Made in Chelsea”

August 10, 2012 by Kelly Anderson

Copied from Playback - BobBlumer

This week’s renewals round-up covers topics including weird restaurants, relic hunters, gator boys and socialites, with orders from Food Network Canada, Spike TV and Animal Planet in the U.S., and Channel 4 in the UK.

Paperny Entertainment has got the green light from Food Network Canada for a second season of World’s Weirdest Restaurants and a fourth cycle of Eat St.

The specialty channel ordered another 14 half hours of World’s Weirdest Restaurants, hosted by Bob Blumer (pictured above), and 26 half hours of Eat St., which is anchored by James Cunningham. Both new seasons will be produced starting this summer, with a 2013 air-date on Food Network Canada.

“Paperny Entertainment is proud to have created two programs that have whetted their audiences’ appetite for audacious, out-there dining,” David Paperny, president of Paperny Entertainment, said in a statement.

Elsewhere, U.S. network Spike TV has ordered a fourth season of Auction Hunters and a second season of American Digger, both Gurney Productions series.

The 26-episode order of Auction Hunters will again follow Allen Haff and Ton Jones as they bid on abandoned storage units, while Spike TV also ordered 13 episodes of American Digger, which will follow a team of relic hunters, led by former professional wrestler Ric Savage, as they dig up properties looking for historical artifacts.

Both Auction Hunters and American Digger will go into production this fall and new seasons will air in 2013. “We are thrilled to bring back new episodes of two of our most popular shows that speak to the network’s mission of delivering bold, non-scripted entertainment with real stakes,” said Sharon Levy, Spike TV’s executive VP of original series.

Also in the U.S., Animal Planet has ordered a second season of Gator Boys. The Mike Mathis Productions series will follow the exploits of alligator wrestlers Paul Bedard and Jimmy Riffle as they leave Florida to tackle gators in Mississippi. Season two of the one-hour reality series will air in 2013.

Across the pond, the UK’s Channel 4 has recommissioned Made in Chelsea for a fourth season, set to broadcast this fall. The reality series following socialites in Chelsea will add four new cast members, Andy Jordan, Sam Cussins, Stevie Johnson and Ianthe Rose Cochrane-Stack, to the mix.

“Expect lots of champagne, immaculate dressing and more fabulous destinations,” the network promised.

With files from Etan Vlessing, Playback Daily.

Tags: American Digger, Animal Planet, Auction Hunters, Channel 4, Eat St., Food Network Canada, Gator Boys, Gurney Productions, Made in Chelsea, Mike Mathis Productions, Monkey, Paperny Entertainment, Spike TV, World's Weirdest Restaurants