LOS ANGELES , Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Hollywood reality TV mastermind Mike Darnell has decided to stay on at Fox, instead of accepting one of several other job offers.
Darnell has signed a multi-year deal with the News Corp.-owned network that will make him president of alternative entertainment and the first reality programming executive at a major network to earn such a high-ranking title, Variety.com reported Monday.
During his decade at Fox, Darnell has been involved in some of the biggest reality success stories in television, including "American Idol," "Temptation Island," "Hell's Kitchen," "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?," "Joe Millionaire," "The Simple Life," "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" and "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance."
While Darnell frequently gets offers from other outlets, the competition heated up recently when new NBC chief Ben Silverman offered Darnell a lucrative deal to set up a company at Universal Media Studios.
Darnell, who has been operating without a contract since the beginning of July, also was approached by Endemol USA and RDF USA.
"The other offers were fabulous and really beyond my wildest dreams," Darnell said. "I needed Fox to step up, and they did in a lot of ways."
