Adrián Santucho of Telemundo: “We’re Focused on Reality Shows That Are Relevant, Entertaining, Challenging, and Encourage Interaction”

For many of those producing Operación Triunfo EE. UU. at Telemundo, the format is a dream project, Adrián Santucho, Telemundo’s Senior VP of Unscripted Content, told PRODU.

“Many of us have been involved with previous editions of Operación Triunfo. In my case, I worked on what I believe was the second edition ever produced, in Argentina for Telefe. At the time I was with Endemol, and we were part of that experience. Ever since then, it has been a format we’ve always loved. This is also the first time the format will include an academy with contestants living together 24 hours a day, in addition to the shiny-floor live performance show,” Santucho said.

He noted that despite the innovations, this version of Operación Triunfo remains faithful to the format’s iconic look and core elements.

“The stage will be there, the bridge will be there, and viewers will see that journey of the contestants going from complete amateurs to becoming stars,” he explained.

Santucho revealed that around 5,000 aspiring contestants registered for the auditions, with more than 2,000 attending the casting sessions. A callback round was later held at Telemundo Studios in Miami, and those preparations will be featured at the beginning of the show, which premiered Tuesday the July 7th on Telemundo.

He also emphasized that the format is making its U.S. television debut and will run for approximately eight weeks. “It’s a short-format competition,” he said.

According to Santucho, one of the ways Telemundo hopes to innovate with its adaptation of Operación Triunfo is by giving contestants access to every available digital tool within the academy, allowing them to practice, learn, develop, and produce their own music—or recreate songs by some of Latin music’s biggest artists.

THE DIGITAL CHALLENGE

Santucho believes one of the biggest challenges for Operación Triunfo EE. UU. is reaching younger audiences who primarily consume content on digital screens—whether in vertical format, via streaming platforms, or on social media—and getting them to discover the show on television.

“They need to understand it, find us, and discover us on television. That’s certainly a challenge, but it’s also a natural evolution. I think consuming TV and understanding what’s happening on television through social media is one of the biggest challenges we face today. We believe this will also help strengthen the connection between those second screens and digital viewing habits with linear television.”

A STRONG REALITY TV LEGACY

Although Santucho has only been at Telemundo for a few months, he highlighted the network’s long and successful history in reality programming.

“I think viewing habits have changed, and at this point it’s no longer a new habit—it’s the habit Telemundo offers viewers: entertaining them with unscripted formats. Beyond our primetime lineup of scripted productions, telenovelas, and super series, we continue to strengthen that offering by producing live television and reality formats that are relevant, entertaining, challenging, and encourage viewers to interact with the screen, the contestants, the hosts, and the judges. It’s about continuing to seek out the franchises that have changed—and continue to change—the rules of television around the world,” the executive said.

He added that Telemundo’s biggest programming bet for the second half of the year is Operación Triunfo, followed later in the year by Juegos de Villanos, based on NBCUniversal’s House of Villains .

“It’s already a hit in the countries where it has launched, and we’re giving it a personal touch for our market. It’s a format that focuses on the interaction among our celebrities, but in a much more creative and interactive way. We’re discovering the best way to produce it, and even at this early stage, it’s giving us great satisfaction on paper. We’re leaning more into humor, while also embracing confrontation and sarcasm, and rediscovering our celebrities through their villain personas. It’s a wonderful challenge. We’re not talking about putting bad people in a house just to fight; we’re talking about putting smart people together and challenging one another through their personalities, ideas, debating style, arguments, and confrontations.”

THE ENDURING APPEAL OF THE REALITY FORMAT

For Santucho, reality television remains one of the most resilient and innovative genres.

“Reality formats have always stayed at the forefront because they constantly reinvent themselves. We have to reflect certain aspects of society, depending on the type of reality show we’re producing, as faithfully as possible. We can’t pretend that if society is polarized—if everything is about ‘I like it’ or ‘I don’t like it’—then a show like La Casa de los Famosos shouldn’t have polarization or confrontation. Nobody would watch it because it’s also a reflection of society. I say this because people often criticize the conflicts, but it’s a global phenomenon. People argue in Argentina, Brazil, Spain—everywhere. It has to do with people becoming less tolerant. Twenty-five years ago, Big Brother -style formats worked differently because the experiment was about placing people in social isolation. Today, people are also exposed to digital isolation. Just think about the amount of information we’re exposed to every day and the level of interaction we all have through social media. To tell an unscripted story about someone, we have to be extremely curious, perceptive, and understand in great detail what’s happening and what society expects from that narrative. We have to be as intuitive and receptive as possible in order to tell those stories,” he concluded.