It’s no ordinary show, either. In fact, I see it as being rather controversial until the pilot finally airs, which is a long way off since filming doesn’t even begin until after the shooting of Survivor 18 wraps in January. I’d love to get your take on it. The premise of the show is as follows (from Ew.com):

The show, Live Like You’re Dying, will feature a person who has been given a terminal diagnosis with a finite amount of time to live and “take them on the last adventure of their life,” according to Probst. That adventure will include reunions with lost friends or formerly feuding family members, a “legacy moment” that will ensure their name carries on forever, and living out a personal dream. “It could be playing guitar with Eric Clapton or jumping out of a plane into a volcano,” Probst explained to EW.com. “Whatever it is that you’re still desiring to do in your life — we want to make it happen.” (A new subject will be profiled for every episode should the show get picked up and go to series.)

Of course, a program profiling people with terminal diseases runs the risk of being just a tad morbid, but Probst insists the show will be inspirational rather than depressing. “The focus of the show is not death,” says Probst. “The story we’re going tell is about living. This is a show that is intended to inspire everybody to get the most out of their lives every day.”

Joining Probst on the project is his Survivor boss Mark Burnett, who will also be executive producing, and Denise Cramsey of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Trading Spaces, who will act as showrunner. Production on the Live Like You’re Dying pilot will begin in January. No air date has been set should the show make it to series.

So what do you think? If you read the comments on the EW.com page, you’ll see a very definite difference in opinion at both ends of the spectrum. I think I fall somewhere closer to the “this is exploiting dying people” side, but I may change my mind once I see the show. They may handle it extremely tastefully and it could turn out to be very heartwarming. I don’t know, though …. it could turn out to be just too sad. What are your thoughts?

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