The Real World Featuring Hilfiger

Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger has become the latest business tycoon to cash in on the reality TV phenomenon. Hilfiger will star in a contest series based on property mogul Donald Trump's reality TV hit, The Apprentice. The CBS network has unveiled the new show, tentatively titled The Cut, which sets out to discover the country's hottest fashion trendsetter. Hilfiger will host the program.

The Cut will feature 16 style-savvy contestants vying for the chance to design a fashion collection under the Tommy Hilfiger label. Viewers are expected to see high drama unfold in a New York loft where the wannabe designers will have their business and fashion skills put to the test.

The cut-throat world of fashion will be revealed each week over 13 episodes, when a "style council" cuts one from the group until a winner is chosen. Hilfiger, who launched his first menswear collection in 1984, joins a list of US celebrities who have used their high profile to launch reality shows.

The success of The Apprentice - series two is scheduled to air to US audiences in September - has spawned a new style of reality program in America. These include America's Next Top Model, featuring supermodel Tyra Banks, while Virgin boss Richard Branson's The Billionaire: Branson's Quest For The Best, is set to air on the Fox Network in November.