The Activist: reality TV show to be ‘reimagined’ as documentary after backlash

A reality TV show that planned to pit activists against each other in an X-Factor style contest judged by celebrities is to be drastically “reimagined” after it sparked a backlash from campaigners.

The Activist, which had been due to air in the US in late October, prompted incredulity among many campaigners and elsewhere when its format was revealed last week, with many labelling it a “tone-deaf” distortion of true activists’ values.

Related: The Activist: ‘tone-deaf’ new TV show has activists compete to lobby G20 leaders

Now, after one of the stars lined up to judge the contest joined the criticism and admitted she was “not qualified” for the role, producers have bowed to pressure and gone back to the drawing board.

Global Citizen, the international advocacy organisation that is co-producing the show, said: “Global activism centres on collaboration and cooperation, not competition. We apologise to the activists, hosts and the larger activist community – we got it wrong.”

Instead of making six activists compete against each other, with their efforts judged by the singer Usher, actor Priyanka Chopra and dancer Julianne Hough, the show will now be a documentary showcasing their “tireless work”, it said.

“The Activist was designed to show a wide audience the passion, long hours and ingenuity that activists put into changing the world, hopefully inspiring others to do the same,” said a joint statement from the CBS network and its production partners Global Citizen and Live Nation.

“However, it has become apparent the format of the show as announced distracts from the vital work these incredible activists do in their communities every day. The push for global change is not a competition and requires a global effort.

“As a result, we are changing the format to remove the competitive element and reimagining the concept into a primetime documentary special (air date to be announced). It will showcase the tireless work of six activists and the impact they have advocating for causes they deeply believe in. Each activist will be awarded a cash grant for the organisation of their choice, as was planned for the original show.”

On Tuesday, Hough issued a lengthy statement on Instagram acknowledging people’s objections to the show, including that it “felt like the Oppression Olympics, and totally missed and disrespected the many activists who have been killed, assaulted and faced various abuses fighting for their causes”.

She added: “I do not claim to be an activist and wholeheartedly agree that the judging aspect of the show missed the mark, and furthermore, that I am not qualified to act as a judge.”