Spike Pins Unscripted Pair

Spike TV has picked up a pair on unscripted half-hour series, one checking out little people wrestling, the other examining scrap metal workers in Brooklyn.

MTVN's male-targeted service has ordered a half-dozen installments of Half Pint Brawlers, led by Puppet "The Psycho Dwarf, with the grappling group entertaining crowds across America. The series also focuses on the performers wild lifestyles outside the ring, replete with crazy parties and groupies.

For its part, Scrappers, which begins shooting in March, is a 10-episode comedic reality show set in Brooklyn, where this crew of real-life competitors and friends hunt for the best scrap in town. In a twist on what one man's trash is another's treasure, this group looks for twisted metal, paper, or rubber, recycling everything from old cars to building materials, with their findings converted into cash.

"The driving forces behind these new shows are the tremendous personalities of these very distinctive characters," Sharon Levy, Spike TV senior vice president of original series, said in announcing the shows. "We believe their authenticity and honesty will resonate with our young male audience."

Spike, meanwhile, also is working with top executive producer Thom Beers' Original Productions to create a new late-night show, sister magazine B&C reports.

Rather than focus on celebrities hawking their latest project, the program will have guests from all walks of life, like a convenience store clerk that fends of a robber, or a stockbroker who quits his job to join the military, Levy told B&C. It will also have your more typical late-night comedy bits, as well as "manformation," like you would find on fellow Spike late night show Manswers.