CINCINNATI, OH -- This is the true story of 40 baseball players, picked to play in an Ohio club and have their lives secretly taped, and find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.

At least that's the word from an anonymous source close to the project. According to the source, the Fox Network and the Cincinnati Reds entered into an agreement before the 2005 season to covertly collect footage for a reality show to air this fall. The program was to be called The Making of a Winner and the producers were hopeful that it would be a natural segue program to premiere immediately after the World Series.

However, when the high hopes of spring training failed to translate to a winning season, the Reds looked elsewhere for the provacative interactions typical of reality television, and struck programming gold.

The new format, working title The New Biggest Loser, will feature secret footage taken of highly charged interpersonal situations orchestrated by the Reds management. Highlights include the heart-wrenching separation and jubilant reunion of Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns, the awkward interaction of D'Angelo Jimenez and Ryan Freel at AA Chattanooga, and the jettisoning and eventual decent into madness of Danny Graves.

The program will also feature Scooter, Fox Sports' animated baseball character, as the narrator.

The New Biggest Loser will premiere next month and will air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m.