Even reality shows were part of the HBO Max chaos. Craftopia and Baketopia were both canceled last week, Bloomberg reports. The two shows were even removed from the streaming service. Gordita Chronicles was also canceled as Warner Bros. Discovery moves away from making live-action family programming.
Craftopia launched in May 2020 and ran for two seasons. The first season featured only contestants between 9 and 15 years old, who were challenged to create different items before the clock ran out. Each contestant had to fill up their carts with materials before learning what they were supposed to create and could only use what they had in their carts. The judges then decided what was the best craft, and the winner would receive $5,000. The show was hosted by YouTuber Lauren Riihimaki and produced by B17 Entertainment.
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HBO Max picked up the show for a second season in October 2020 and the new episodes debuted in October and November 2021. The second season was titled Craftopia: Holiday Showdown and added adult contestants.
Baketopia was also produced by B17 Entertainment and featured YouTuber Rosanna Pansino as host, with Irish food writer Donal Skehan, and Timbo Sullivan as judges. In each episode, Pansino gave bakers challenges to complete. The winner of the first challenge won a $1,000 cash prize and a chance to win a $10,000 main challenge. All 12 episodes of Season 1 were released on March 25, 2021. The show was never renewed for a second season.
The cancelation of these HBO Max reality shows comes as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav shifts the company’s priorities. He’s already announced plans to bring more Discovery content to HBO Max before it merges with Discovery+ in the summer of 2023. This fall, Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network content will appear on HBO Max. The streamer’s unscripted team is expected to be cut completely, since Discovery’s bread and butter is reality TV.
Warner Bros. Discovery is also moving away from live-action kids and family programming, and Gordita Chronicles was the first casualty of that decision. The series starred Olivia Goncales as Carlota Castelli, who is growing up in 1980s Miami. Eva Longoria and Zoe Saldana were among the executive producers of the series, which was produced for HBO Max. The streamer canceled the show on July 29.
Zaslav’s biggest move last week was canceling Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, two HBO Max movies almost complete. The company preferred to take a tax write-off than put more money into turning both into films ready for theatrical release. Fans have also noticed several HBO and HBO Max programs are missing, including six movies Warner Bros. produced for the platform.
