• by Daniel Frankel , May 1, 2009

On Bravo's FLIPPINGOUT, OCD-suffering real-estate speculator Jeff Lewis has turned his focus to interior design, choosing to flip off his aggressive buy-sell impulses, at least until the real estate business perks up a bit.
Likewise on The Learning Channel, Flip That House has given way to the more buyer-leveraged Deals on the Bus. "We've done a bit of a shift to reflect what's happening in the market," says Nancy Daniels, senior vice president of production and development for TLC.

And over on MTV, where ratings cratered last year amid a schedule filled with bling-laden nonfiction series' like Pimp My Ride and Cribs, there is a new, more earthy development ethos that, in the words of MTV Networks programming president Brian Graden, "is less based on loud hooks and more about proving yourself."

Oh, yes, the recession has hit the broad spectrum of lifestyle-themed reality programming. Of course, gawdy, ostentatious displays of wealth can still be found - VHH1, for example, is about to launch a show built around Aspen snow bunnies.

But among the broader Hollywood community of nonfiction creatives, there is a palpable sense that "less" is less annoying.

"I don't feel it's time for the next MTV Cribs," says J.D. Roth, executive producer of The Biggest Loser and a number of other reality shows. "Everybody has seen a 40 percent whack on their bank account, no matter who they are. And with a wound that fresh, those kind of shows are on the back burner."

On The Fashion Show, the new Project Runway replacement Roth is producing for Bravo, he says that in some cases, challenges that could have involved creating expensive, flashy clothes have evolved into who can design the best garb on a dime.

"Anything that's topical is going to make a better TV show, and a good story right now is that people want to buy clothes for less," Roth explains.