Kirk Cameron on a ‘Growing Pains’ reboot: 'We've talked about it'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nearly four decades in show business and actor Kirk Cameron is still coming up with fresh ideas.
Known best for playing Mike Seaver on "Growing Pains," Cameron is now hosting a talk show that puts a unique spin on the genre.
Each episode of "One on One with Kirk Cameron" features the 49-year-old actor and a guest engaging in some form of competition before sitting down to chat.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We do everything from rock climbing to an 'American Ninja Warrior' course, to catfish catching in the Louisiana bayou to go-kart racing, an escape room, a cooking contest -- all kind of things," Cameron told Fox News.
After the competition, regardless of the winner, Cameron and his guest sit down for a conversation about "the deeper, more important things" the guests are experiencing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT 'GROWING PAINS'
The conversations have just as wide a range as the competitions do, focusing on everything from performance-enhancing drugs to growing up in Hollywood with a religious background, to eating disorders.
So how did the idea for a talk show-competition hybrid come about?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"...I don’t want to just whine and complain about the darkness, I’d like to shine a little light and I’m joining with all these people who are doing the same."
"I’ve always found talk shows fascinating," Cameron said. "I like to be on them, but even more, I like to host them and some of the fun shows have had different formats like "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," or Kevin Hart and James Corden have had some interesting formats."
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"I’ve found that a more active format adds to the interest for the viewer, so rather than just sitting on the couch, I thought it would be great to just be hanging out in my backyard... and then take everybody out to do something just completely out of the ordinary," Cameron said, noting that the competitions have even revealed some of his guests' hidden talents.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chances are, you'll recognize Cameron's guests.
Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, "Duck Dynasty" alum Phil Robertson and "Full House" star Candace Cameron Bure -- who also happens to be his sister -- are among the famous faces featured on the show; all people Cameron has met through various projects and who share a similar goal of bringing light into the world.
"There are people who believe that God is in Heaven and that the world is a beautiful place, and they have faith that if they live out what they believe in their heart, they can help make the world a better place, and so I’m giving them examples of people who are doing that," Cameron explained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"These are people whose faith in God and love for people drive what they do," he continued. "I share that passion and desire with them -- I don’t want to just whine and complain about the darkness, I’d like to shine a little light, and I’m joining with all these people who are doing the same."
"We've heard rumors and we've talked about it and batted it around a bit."
Just because he's hosting a talk show doesn't mean Cameron's done with acting, however.
Cameron reunited with his "Growing Pains" cast in 2004 for a television movie called "Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers," but he believes a reboot may still be in the cards. (The original sitcom ran from 1985 to 1992 on ABC.)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kirk Cameron and sister Candace Cameron in November 1989. (Photo by Getty)
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"We've heard rumors and we've talked about it and batted it around a bit," Cameron teased, saying he's still buddy-buddy with several of the cast members. "Nothing yet. I know my sister just finished up 'Fuller House,' and 'Growing Pains' would be interesting, although we wouldn't have our dad, Alan Thicke, he passed away a couple of years ago."
Cameron did have the opportunity to experience a reboot, though, when Bure and the "Fuller House" team welcomed him to the cast for its final season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CIRCA 1990: GROWING PAINS - cast gallery - Season Five - Kirk Cameron (Mike), Tracey Gold (Carol), Alan Thicke (Jason), Ashley Johnson (Chrissy), Joanna Kerns (Maggie), Jeremy Miller (Ben). (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
"I had an opportunity to help Candace out. She had an episode where she hit a snag and I was able to step in for one of the actors and we had a great time," he said. "I actually play myself in this episode. It kind of pokes fun at teen actors, so it's kind of fun for Candace and I to be poking fun at that in this episode."
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Cameron also appeared in a 1988 episode of "Full House" as Cousin Steve, so reuniting on screen with his sister was a special experience for him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was thrilled that [Bure] asked me to come on the show and help out, and it was so fun because it was like stepping right back into a pair of very comfortable tennis shoes after a long time from being on a sitcom set," Cameron said. "So it was the most comfortable thing in the world, and it was lots of fun and I was so proud of my sister because she directed that episode."
Forthright Christians, Cameron and his family are now looking ahead to the holidays.
"All of our kids are coming home this Christmas and we're going to be laying low, decorating the Christmas tree and having the friends and family over," he said. "We often go duck hunting [with Robertson] in Louisiana, so we may end up doing that, but mostly just hanging out and having a nice Christmas at home."
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The first season of "One on One with Kirk Cameron" is available to stream online via the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN).