We've had The Apprentice, Big Brother and a host of nations that have all "Got Talent". Now reality TV is delving into the money markets with a new Arabic offering.
It is not the obvious formula of must-see TV, but local fund managers have become the latest to come under the microscope in a show that aired for the first time last night on CNBC Arabia.
The network has teamed up with the UAE's Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) to produce Al Mahfaza, or The Portfolio.
It features 13 candidates who are each allocated Dh100,000 (US$27,224) of virtual money to trade stocks and compete to get the best return while complying with new regulations introduced by the regulator in every episode.
The candidate who holds the lowest value in his or her portfolio in each episode is disqualified from the show, with that person's stocks or cash shared equally among the remaining contestants.
The winner at the end of the season gets to take home a Dh100,000 cheque.
"The aim of the show is to educate youths about the stock markets, saving and investing," said Mohammed Burhan, the acting chief executive at CNBC Arabia. "The candidates will be trading local shares on the UAE bourses as company filings and news reports are released as earnings season gets under way. Investment decisions will be made based on market and company fundamentals," Mr Burhan said.
The show debuted last night, with an episode to run every Saturday at 9pm for 12 weeks.
The programme seeks to emphasise the importance of sound trading and regulations and to attract regional investors, the SCA said.
"We want to showcase the UAE stock exchanges and the companies listed in the market to attract the segment of investors from the geographic region covered by CNBC Arabia," said Abdullah Al Turifi, the regulator's chief executive.
The show launches as local markets have slumped, liquidity has declined and investor confidence has waned. The Dubai Financial Market has lost more than 80 per cent of its value since 2005, and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange has declined almost 60 per cent in the same period.
"It's exciting to produce a reality show in the field of trading," said Mohammed Ali Yasin, the chief investment officer at CAPM Investment in Abu Dhabi. "Day traders exist all over the world. Why not produce a show and illustrate how people here in the UAE from different nationalities achieve their returns and why they do it?
"The downside is the timing, as UAE markets are lacking volatility, which will prove challenging for the participants to make decent returns. The market needs some volatility to provide some action for the show."
Mr Yasin is one of three judges on the show who will be assessing traders by total return, technical trades and compliance.
Mr Yasin is joined by Khaled Al Mahmood, the director of enforcement at SCA, and Hosam Al Husseini, a former head of brokerage at Emaar Financial Services, as the technical judge on the panel.