'The Sims Spark'd' Reality Show Will Have 12 Players Compete For $100,000

A reality show featuring 12 gamers playing “The Sims 4” for $100,000 could not possibly be real, could it?

Oh, it’s definitely real, and it’s called “The Sims Spark’d.” The reality show on TBS debuts next week and will have a dozen contestants tackling several timed creative tasks on “The Sims 4,” with the aim of forging “the most unique characters, worlds, and stories.”

Engadget reports that a few of the contestants are celebrities in the streaming world, including the likes of Doctor Ashley and Xmiramira. Both are active “The Sims” streamers, and TBS hopes their internet popularity translates into TV ratings.

The judges are “The Sims” voice actor and singer-songwriter Tayla Parx, creator and BuzzFeed producer Kelsey Impicciche, and Dave Miotke (aka SimGuruNinja) from franchise developer Maxis. “The Sims” fan and former American Idol finalist Rayvon Owen serves as the host.

Like its predecessors, “The Sims 4” is a life simulation game where players create a Sim character and control their life to explore different personalities which change the way the game plays out. Developed by the Redwood Studios studio of Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, “The Sims 4” was released in 2014 with nine subsequent expansion packs and seven game packs released.

Electronic Arts worked on “The Sims Spark’d” with Turner's esports arm Eleague and BuzzFeed’s gaming division. The four-part first season of “The Sims Spark’d” premieres on Friday, July 17 on TBS at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Episodes will air weekly, and the following Monday, you’ll be able to stream them on the BuzzFeed Multiplayer YouTube channel.

Beginning on the same day as the show’s debut, “The Sims 4” players can tackle in-game tasks as part of the Spark’d Challenge Program. The top creators could possibly win themselves an invitation to a future season of “The Sims Spark’d” says Engadget.

This is definitely not “Survivor,” “American Idol,” “MasterChef,” or “The Voice,” but instead, shines a light on gaming culture in a competitive reality TV show setting. This isn’t exactly esports with all of its bells and whistles in an arena setting either.

Instead, “The Sims Spark’d” promises to be a unique take on a reality show concept, mixing with it elements of “The Sims 4” video game while bringing out the personalities of the contestants.