Think you’ve got what it takes to be the next Magic Mike? Well, the men on HBO’s sexy new reality TV competition Finding Magic Men do.
Fifty men from across the US all travel to Las Vegas with hopes of becoming as big as Channing Tatum, aka the star in the franchise films.
After a gruelling two-day audition process, the series – which premieres on BINGE this Saturday, December 2 – sees only 10 “Mikes” chosen to compete for an opportunity to perform on the Magic Mike Live stage show in Las Vegas.
Sweetening the deal is the cool $100,000 waiting for the “Mike” who takes the title.
The top 10 contestants are put through a rigorous dance bootcamp by the creative team who tests their skills in weekly challenges where they must show off their lap-dancing abilities and special talents.
Stream Finding Magic Mike on BINGE. New BINGE customers get a 14-day free trial. Sign up at binge.com.au
Perhaps what will surprise viewers is that the competition has heart and is designed to help men who feel they’ve lost their magic. So not only are the contestants stripping off their clothes, but they are all stripping down the facade and showing the most vulnerable version of themselves.
The surprise emotional elements are heartwarming as the contestants refreshingly do not plot to take each other down, but instead support each other. There’s a strong sense of brotherhood in the series and the men become a tight-knit group.
The producers behind the Magic Mike movie franchise and the live shows are also the masterminds of the competition.
The series is executive produced by Tatum and Steven Soderbergh, with choreographers Alison Faulk and Luke Broadlick, and Magic Mike Live executive producer Vincent Marini all on deck.
The series is also hosted by actor Adam Rodriguez, who plays Tito in the movies.
“The opportunity to really take the experience I had and help guide these guys who were courageous enough to show up excited me,” Rodriguez, who also acts as mentor, told People magazine.
“You say Magic Mike, you have people at ‘Hello’ because they correctly assume they’re going to get eye candy and sex appeal. Which, you do, but I just don’t think people see the heart that’s coming with it, and that’s the beauty of it. That’s the surprise that I can’t wait for people to see.”
Finding Magic Mike premieres on BINGE on December 2