Mavs owner Cuban to host reality television show

DALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will give away $1 million of his own money this summer as host of a reality TV show called The Benefactor.

About 30 contestants will compete on the six-episode series for the billionaire's cash on ABC-TV.

"Everyone has dreamed of getting rich, and I want to help one lucky person get there," Cuban said Tuesday.

He said the show won't be a traditional contest.

"You don't need special talents," he said. "I'm not looking to find out who is the grossest, funniest, prettiest, smartest or able to go without food or water the longest.

"The right person is going to get on my good side at the right time, and whoever that is, is going to walk away with a check from me for $1 million."

Cuban has grown accustomed to giving away his money in recent years: He has been fined repeatedly by the NBA since buying the Mavericks in January 2000, mostly for criticizing referees. The penalties totaled more than $1 million.

The largest fine was $500,000 for saying he wouldn't hire the NBA's head of officials to manage a Dairy Queen. Cuban later poked fun at himself by working behind the counter of an ice cream shop, serving cones.

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