Women rule new Fox show

Rocket Science producing reality project

By JOSEF ADALIAN

Darnell

Fox has pacted with the producers of "Joe Millionaire" and "Temptation Island" for a reality skein that might best be described as "Desperate Housewives: The Revenge."

Lensing has just begun on the 11-episode skein, whose working title is, "When Women Rule the World." Rocket Science Laboratories is producing, with Jean Michel-Michenaud, Chris Cowan and Charles Duncombe serving as exec producers.

Fox reality guru Mike Darnell, who's overseeing the project for the net, said the premise behind the show is simple:

"You take 12 attractive women who feel like it's still a man's world and who think they've hit a glass ceiling, and you give them their own society to run. Then you take 12 macho, chauvinistic guys who also think men rule the world and see how they survive in a world where they're literally manservants. ... They'll have to obey every command from the women."

Last manservant standing will win a quarter of a million dollars.

The women will eliminate one manservant each week, trading him for supplies needed to build their island society.

Unlike skeins such as "Paradise Hotel," the accommodations inhabited by the men and women won't be complete when the contestants arrive. The men will have to help build it up, as well as find water and heat.

The women will elect a queen who'll be in charge of several key decisions. Barring an undisclosed twist, they won't get a chance at major prize money.

However, the women selected for the show all share a sense that, despite how far women have come in society, men still have an unfair advantage --and perhaps need to be taught a lesson. Desire to turn the tables might be a motivating factor in their decision to appear on the show, even without the promise of big money.

"Payback can be a bitch," Darnell said.

Fox Entertainment prexy Peter Liguori said he sees "When Women Rule" as an opportunity to tackle themes not being explored in the current reality TV landscape.

"What it's doing, in a very Fox-like fashion, is testing social mores," he said. "This is a social experiment and not a sexual experiment. We decided, why not create this Petri dish of a society and see what happens."

Game will also turn political after a few of the men have been voted off. That's because while the pool of men will shrink, the number of women on the island will stay constant. Tensions could rise as some women end up with no manservant.

"The other part of the show becomes, what will the women do," Darnell said. "Will they be able to create a great society or will they fight with each other?"

Exec also said he believes that "When Women Rule" harkens back to some of Fox's most significant unscripted success stories.

"The biggest reality shows we've done, other than 'Idol,' have been social ideas," he said.

"When Women Rule" will be ready for broadcast this spring, though no decisions regarding an airdate have been made.

Rocket Science is repped by ICM.