Parker Posey Is Glamorous, ‘Quirky’ Host in First Look at Celebrity Competition Series “The Mob” (Exclusive)

The new Hulu reality competition series pits Bruno Tonioli, Harry Jowsey, ‘The Sopranos’ star Aida Turturro and more against one another for up to $250,000

NEED TO KNOW

• Parker Posey is making her reality TV hosting debut with Hulu’s ‘The Mob’
• PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the first-look photos from the new reality competition series
• Bruno Tonioli, Harry Jowsey and ‘The Sopranos’ star Aida Turturro are among the celebrities competing for up to $250,000

Parker Posey is heading to Italy to put celebrities to the test.

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal first-look photos and a release date for The Mob, Hulu’s latest reality competition series featuring power dynamics, mob movie-inspired tasks and, apparently, plenty of explosions.

Hosted by Posey, 57, the show is described as a “high-stakes reality competition series that sends a group of celebrities to a lavish Italian villa where they will shake down, hustle and whack their way to win up to $250,000 in cash prizes,” per a logline.

“Every episode, they will tackle mob movie-inspired jobs to survive. But every mob family needs a don, and whoever they choose will have absolute power — deciding who makes money, who stays, and who ultimately gets whacked,” the description continues. “In a game where power demands absolute loyalty, can the don stay in control, or will the family rise up and overthrow them?”

The Mob features a cast consisting of reality TV stars, musicians, actors and a few other familiar faces.

Among those participating are Willam Belli (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Demi Engemann (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives), Maria Georgas (The Bachelor), Joe Gorga (The Real Housewives of New Jersey), Harry Jowsey (Let’s Marry Harry), Chelsea Lazkani (Selling Sunset), Debi Mazar (Younger), Bella Palk (Love Overboard), Shane Parton (The Bachelorette), musician Romeo, Bruno Tonioli (Dancing with the Stars) and Aida Turturro (The Sopranos).

Beyond the newly released cast photo, other first-look photos from set show the cast walking away from an explosion and other on-set hijinks. Adam Wood and Mat Steiner of Primal Media, who conceived the format, tell PEOPLE they had long wanted to bring their love of the mafia genre into the reality TV world.

“As lifelong fans of the mafia genre (The Sopranos being the greatest show of all time — obviously!) we have always been keen to find a way of opening that world up but in the unscripted space,” they say.

The producers explain that they were particularly drawn to creating a reality competition centered around one person — the Don — attempting to maintain absolute power while simultaneously relying on the loyalty of everyone around them.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“This creates a perfect hotbed for a paranoia as, whilst omnipotent, they nevertheless must rely on the eyes and ears and above all the loyalty of all those very much beneath them,” they say. “Does power always corrupt and if so how?”

After developing the concept, Wood and Steiner say they found a partner in Hulu executive Rob Mills and his team, who “shared our love of this world — the humor, the color, the decades of instantly understood visual, linguistic and musical references.” The pair ultimately joined forces with Studio Lambert USA to bring the concept to life with a celebrity cast.

“To have such a varied cast from everything from Dancing With The Stars to The Sopranos via Mormon Wives is very exciting and again a testament to how this genre has a fan base in every corner,” Wood and Steiner say.

And, they add, finding their host completed the project: “The icing on the cake was getting Parker Posey to host, who brings glamour, quirky humor and gravitas.”

Studio Lambert similarly saw an immediate connection between the worlds of mob movies and reality television. “Mob movies and reality competitions are actually very similar — full of larger than life characters, backstabbing and big power plays — so this felt like a natural fit as soon as we heard the idea,” Studio Lambert tells PEOPLE.

“Set against the stunning Tuscan landscape and with the incomparable Parker Posey pulling the strings, The Mob was so much fun to make,” the production company adds. “The team brought this rich world to life in an exciting way that I hope the audience will instantly recognize from their favorite TV shows and movies.”

Produced by Studio Lambert (The Traitors) and Primal Media, The Mob features Posey as one of its executive producers. Susan House serves as showrunner.

The Mob premieres Monday, Oct. 26 on Hulu, with new episodes dropping weekly.

Read the full article here