OXYGEN LEAVES VIEWERS HUNGRY FOR MORE! WOMEN�S NETWORK TO AIR MO�NIQUE�S FAT CHANCE BEHIND-THE-SCENES SPECIAL
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Bloopers, Outtakes And Candid Interviews Give The Inside Scoop On Oxygen�s Highest Rated Original Program
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NEW YORK, AUGUST 16, 2005 -- Oxygen goes behind the stage of network cable�s only plus-size reality pageant and its highest rated original program in Mo�Nique�s Fat Chance: A Second Helping, a 30-minute special airing Sunday, August 21 at 10p.m ET/PT. The special follows an 8p.m. encore presentation of Mo�Nique�s Fat Chance. This behind-the-scenes program features exclusive outtakes including off-camera clips of Fat Chance judge and NBA superstar Shaquille O�Neal; Boot Camp challenges gone awry; and in-depth interviews with the competition�s nine transformed contestants and Joanne Borgella, the competition winner and first Ms. F.A.T. (Fabulous and Thick).
�We knew we were doing something special when we first joined with Mo�Nique to put this competition on-air, but we could only dream of the widespread affect its had on our audience and on Mo�Nique�s fans,� said Debby Beece, Oxygen�s President of Programming. �This special is our thanks to our audience for their outpouring of support � we�re giving them a peak behind the scenes at a program that�s proving to be the beginning of a movement.�
Mo�Nique�s Fat Chance is network cable�s first full-figured reality competition and Oxygen�s highest rated original program in the network�s history. The two-hour August 6 premiere received a 1.1 HH rating and had 3.8 million total viewers tuned in for the premiere and the weekend�s encore airings. The special was created and executive produced by plus-size icon and comedienne-actress Mo�Nique, a recipient of four NAACP Image Awards� for her work on the hit UPN sitcom, The Parkers and the first female host of the acclaimed Saturday night series, It�s Showtime at the Apollo.
Both Don Weiner and Steven Imes serve as executive producers for the special. Weiner served as the executive producer for both UPN�s The Player and Fox Television�s The Swan. Imes is currently the associate producer for It�s Showtime at the Apollo. He has executive produced Mo'Nique�s One-Night Stand for DVD, the motion picture Hair Show and the upcoming feature film Phat Girlz.
Kristen Connolly Vadas is the executive in charge for Oxygen Media. At Oxygen, Vadas has also supervised Nadine in Date Land, Girls Behaving Badly, Good Girls Don't, Naked Josh, and Oxygen�s comedy/reality series Mr. Romance.
After multi-city casting calls in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta where over 2,000 women auditioned in person and receiving over 5,000 tape submissions, 10 women were selected and flown to LA to participate in Mo�Nique�s Beauty Boot Camp, a series of mind and body training exercises focusing on attainable beauty and confidence building.
The contestants competed in front of a panel of expert judges that included NBA star Shaquille O�Neal and plus-size supermodel Mia Tyler, who evaluated them on beauty, style, poise and personality and how those qualities are reflected in each woman�s overall transformation. The winner�s grand prize includes a $50,000 cash prize, a new wardrobe from full-figure clothing brand Just My Size and a modeling appearance in an upcoming Just My Size catalog or print ad.
About Oxygen Media
Oxygen, the only cable network owned and operated by women, is currently available in 55 million homes. The network was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape -- creating a network targeted to younger women. The fastest growing independent network, Oxygen became profitable in 2004. Oxygen is rewriting the rulebook for women's television, with the most original programming of all the women's networks including Oprah After the Show, Talk Sex with Sue Johanson and Girls Behaving Badly. Geraldine Laybourne, the network's founder, Chairman and CEO, has led the company to be a strong advocate for women. Through programs like The Mentor's Walk, Oxygen's national program for bringing along the next generation, and "Who Cares About Girls," Oxygen's new documentary series -- Oxygen is creating The New Girls Network.
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