'Our Little Genius' Becomes FOX's Big Debacle

In a shocking move, FOX has yanked the premiere of 'Our Little Genius,' a quiz show that was set to premiere next week after the premiere of 'American Idol,' because it was discovered some contestants were provided "information" ahead of time.

In a statement to the media, Mark Burnett, the show's creator and executive producer, said he asked the network to pull the episodes -- eight total -- because he is "not comfortable" with the end product.

Burnett said: "I recently discovered that there was an issue with how some information was relayed to contestants during the preproduction of 'Our Little Genius.' As a result, I am not comfortable delivering the episodes without reshooting them. I believe my series must always be beyond reproach, so I have requested that Fox not air these episodes."

It's believed "information" does not refer to actual answers being given to contestants of the show, which revolves around asking smart kids aged 6-12 brain-crunching questions with the chance to win thousands of dollars.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Burnett's production company will pay for reshooting the series and has agreed to pay out all the winnings of contestants in the never-to-be aired episodes. It's unclear if the same contestants will be used.

FOX respects the decision and provided a show of confidence that it will be back when Burnett gets things in order.

"Even though we were incredibly pleased with the quality of 'Our Little Genius,' we respect and appreciate his due diligence and the decision to pull these episodes," the network said in a statement. "We agree there can be no question about the integrity of our shows."

Still, losing out on premiering after highly rated 'American Idol' must surely sting for Burnett. If so, he hasn't commented.

A new premiere date has not been scheduled. Instead of premiering a new show after the 'Idol,' Fox will instead air a repeat of the 450th episode of 'The Simpsons.'

Burnett has quite the track record for creating hit shows, including 'The Apprentice' and 'Survivor,' but he has had his bumps in the road, most notably with projects involving children. In 2004, he convinced CBS to pick up 'Recovery,' a six-episode reality documentary that starred former CIA and military officials searching for kidnapped children and their abductors.

Child Welfare groups were critical of the idea, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Child Quest International, which accused Burnett of trying to exploit already exploited children. "The idea for ['Recovery'] sickens me," Quest's Lindsey Brooks said at the time. It appears 'Recovery' never aired.

His current hit 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?' weathered a very minor dust-up in 2007 with a classified ad posting for the show that asked for "attractive" kids to audition.