An aspiring filmmaker is one step closer to his goal of producing and editing television shows when he graduates.

Senior communication major Dave Della Terza’s “The Amazing Race,” NIU’s first campus-wide reality television show, premieres this Sunday. The show is his senior capstone for the honors program and the communication department.

“When you can produce a television show for your senior thesis rather than write a 50-page paper, it’s a pretty good trade-off,” Della Terza said.

“The Amazing Race” is the 10th reality television show that Della Terza has worked on.

“I have seen other projects he has done and they are very professionally done,” said Gretchen Bisplinghoff, an assistant professor in the department of communication. “I think Dave [Della Terza] has certainly got a bright future ahead of him.”

“The Amazing Race” was chosen as the framework because it’s a show that relies on team dynamics and usually has a heightened sense of drama and tension, Della Terza said.

Eight teams of students participated in a weekend full of puzzles and activities they had to solve to get to the next round.

“My teammate and I know the school so well, it was very easy for us,” said Batuhan Acar, senior communication major.

Students will enjoy the show whether they know people in it or not, Della Terza said.

He said the film also includes a female team that flashes the camera and one that ends up in a cadaver lab.

What: “The Amazing Race”

When: 4 p.m. Sunday

Where: Carl Sandburg Auditorium, Holmes Student Center