Disturbing family game show Bet On Your Baby has received an eight-episode second-season order from ABC. The show features parents who wager thousands of dollars (ostensibly for the child’s college fund) on whether or not their toddler will pick up a train in favor of an airplane, or be able to hold onto a beach ball for a full minute when faced with a motorized racecar carrying a cupcake. (So apparently you can bet against your baby as well.) The parents, hostess Melissa Peterman, and the studio audience then watch the child on a Jumbotron-like screen to see if the parents’ predictions pay off. Chris Grant, CEO of the show’s production company Electus, says that Bet On Your Baby’s increased momentum is “proof that Electus is achieving its mission to create engaging television;” the show has gained such a following, format rights have been picked up in other markets such as Australia, Ukraine, and Brazil. Hopefully the program will not also create lasting resentment from parents toward their boy who picked that moment to be a good listener and hold the ball for a full minute, thereby blowing $5,000 for his college fund.
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