PREMIERE

WHO WILL PASS HIS TEST FOR SUCCESS? BILLIONAIRE MARK CUBAN INVITES 16 FINALISTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO A DALLAS MANSION AND BEGINS HIS QUEST TO FIND THE ONE PERSON WORTHY OF WINNING A MILLION DOLLARS, ON THE PREMIERE OF ABC'S "THE BENEFACTOR"

How far are you willing to go for one million dollars? This is the question posed to 16 finalists as billionaire businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban gets ready to give away one million bucks to a complete stranger, on the premiere of "The Benefactor," MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Everyone has dreamed of getting rich, and Cuban will help one lucky person attain that goal. "The Benefactor" isn't a traditional contest. Cuban will make his choice by putting the 16 contestants through a series of tests, based on his life experiences, to determine who has what it takes to be successful. All the tests are designed to show the values and characteristics that Cuban feels are important - creativity, competitiveness and a fearless spirit. Cuban knows exactly what he's looking for. Which one of the 16 contestants has it? Who will pass his test for success?

The game, like Mark Cuban's life, is unpredictable, and there will be many surprises for contestants along the way. Unlike other reality shows, Cuban will not wait until the end of each telecast to eliminate contestants who don't live up to his expectations. Contestants will find that at any time during the game, if Cuban doesn't like something, he may tell them, "Sorry, your million-dollar dream just ended."

Auditions for "The Benefactor" were held in Atlanta, Boise, Boston, Dallas and Las Vegas in early April. In addition, those who couldn't make the auditions in person were able to download an application from abc.com and submit a one to three-minute videotape of themselves answering four questions about why they felt worthy to receive a million bucks from Cuban.

Following is a list of the 16 finalists:

* Tiffaney, McAllen, TX -- Unemployed
* Mario, Glendale, CA - Career Counselor
* Shawn, Hemet, CA - Teacher
* William, Portland, OR -- Histologist
* Christine, Boise, ID - Project Coordinator
* Kathy, Rochester, NY - Medical Student
* Chris, Atlanta, GA - Sales and Marketing Director
* Dominic, Las Vegas, NV - Waiter/Model
* Femia, Las Vegas, NV - Disease Intervention Specialist
* Grayson, Portland, OR - MBA Student
* Linda, North Hampton, NH - Women's Pro Football Player
* Kevin, Dallas, TX - Nanny
* Spencer, Atlanta, GA - Computer Programmer
* Latani, San Diego, CA - Owner, Sport & Social Club
* Laurel, Santa Monica, CA - Marketing Director
* Rich, Alpharetta, GA - Florist

In the premiere episode, the 16 finalists are brought into the Dallas mansion and are left to their own devices while they wait to meet Mark Cuban. But unbeknownst to the 16, Cuban has been secretly watching their every move on a monitor and is ready to make his first cut. Meanwhile first impressions turn out to be a deciding factor for Cuban, and a game of Jenga will spell the end of one of the finalists' dreams of winning a million bucks.

"The Benefactor" was created by and is executive-produced by David Young for 12 Yard Productions. Clay Newbill (executive producer, "The Mole," "Celebrity Mole" and "The Bachelorette") of Dog-Fight Industries, and Todd Wagner, CEO of 2929 Productions, are also executive producers.

"The Benefactor" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound.

This program carries a TV-PG,L parental guideline.