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| Television mega producer and creative visionary Nigel Lythgoe officially joins Triller Fight Club as its new creative partner and executive producer and is set to create a new reality series dubbed "So You Think You Can Fight" with a format similar to "So You Think You Can Dance". (Image Source: Variety.com) |
Nigel Lythgoe, the television mega producer and creative force behind powerhouse global television franchises "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance", is joining forces with the disruptive technology platform Triller Fight Club to create a new weekly hour-long series entitled "So You Think You Can Fight", where Lythgoe will bring his celebrated skills and expertise as an executive producer and entertainment impresario to Triller Fight Club events as the platform's Visionary, Creative Partner and Executive Producer.
Jointly announced by Lythgoe and TrillerNet co-owner Ryan Kavanaugh which owns Triller Fight Club in partnership with Snoop Dogg, "So You Think You Can Fight" will follow in a similar format to "So You Think You Can Dance" but in a unique twist. The series will pair a celebrity action star with a professional fighter, each who will select an amateur boxer through a global talent search and competition along with audience voting and participation. The selected contestants will each undergo serious mental and physical training, squaring off against each other with one winner in the lightweight, heavyweight and mixed martial arts (MMA) categories who will then go on to a Triller Fight Club main event pro bout which would eventually launch their professional boxing careers.
As part of their overall relationship, Lythgoe will be responsible for blending the intense competition of world-class boxing with edge-of-your-seat entertainment by global music stars and celebrities to create the four-quadrant entertainment experience that defines Triller Fight Club as its new creative partner and executive producer. "Nigel Lythgoe is a giant among giants, and his new role at Triller is a total game changer for us," said Ryan Kavanaugh. "Nigel has changed the face of competition-based television around the world, and there is no one better to help us bring the excitement of Triller Fight Club to our global audiences, both through our exciting new streaming series and by adding his visionary storytelling abilities to our Fight Club events. We could not be more excited to welcome Nigel to the Triller team." Snoop Dogg, partner in Triller Fight Club, noted, "Boxing and dancing share the same movements and the same rhythm, and who better to take Fight Club to the next level that the person who brought the world ‘American Idol' and ‘So You Think You Can Dance,' the iconic talent discovery platforms where music, competition, movement and showmanship all count towards the victory, which in our case is hopefully by a knockout." Lythgoe commented, "Triller has built something extraordinary, and they truly have their finger on the pulse of where live event entertainment is headed. As a lifelong fan of music and boxing, I am thrilled to be getting into the ring with Ryan, Snoop and the whole Triller team to join their disruptive and innovative journey. Everyone is fighting for something in this world, and I'm excited to tell the many fascinating stories behind the raised gloves."
Inspired by the growing popularity of boxing among millennials and Gen Z and Triller's successful expansion into boxing with the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. fight and music spectacle that shattered digital PPV records in November 2020 and the April 17, 2021 Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren PPV fight which became one of the most talked-about and even the most pirated sporting events of 2021, "So You Think You Can Fight" is expected to launch later this year on Triller's new live streaming service Triller Verzuz TV following TrillerNet's recent acquisitions of Swiss Beats and Timbaland's groundbreaking live streaming channel Verzuz and global combat sports and entertainment streaming platform FITE TV.
Nigel Lythgoe is the co-creator, executive producer and head judge of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" which launched in 2005. Lythgoe produced "Pop Idol" in the UK and its U.S. edition, "American Idol," which helped change the face of American reality television. Nigel began his career as a dancer and later as a choreographer, eventually choreographing over 500 TV shows. He segued into producing television as Head of Entertainment and Comedy at London Weekend Television, where he commissioned and produced legendary TV shows including "Gladiators" (produced as "American Gladiators" in the US) and "Blind Date."
