Starlite Diner & Coney Island in Burton to Star in Pilot for TLC Reality Show [UPDATE]

[UPDATED 10/6/15) Move over Honey Boo Boo child, the Starlite Diner & Coney Island in Burton might score its own reality TV show on TLC, the pilot for which will be filmed this week during the historic restaurant's third shift.

Starlite is one of the most beloved, long-running businesses in Flint. Even years after the General Motors plants less than half a mile away closed their gates, the diner continues to do well through reasonable prices, reliable service and damn good grub.

As one of the few remaining restaurants in the Flint-area that is open 24/7, the restaurant creates the perfect backdrop for a reality TV show. Anyone who's ever eaten there after a night on the town (a tradition in which we are well-versed) knows that things can get pretty interesting in there during the third shift. Hell, once someone even tried to create their own personal drive-thru by crashing their car into the building!

The folks at TLC reached out to the owners of Starlite regarding the potential series, which will begin filming tomorrow (October 31) according to the staff. Filming will continue through Saturday, after which the crew will pack up and shoot pilot episodes for a few other potential shows -- one at a laundromat and another at a tanning salon. The staff seemed excited in regards to the potential series, with the consensus among them being, "it's gonna be crazy!"

Update (11/2/12): According to an interview with Starlite owner Kosta Popoff, the footage will be used in the pilot for an upcoming series that spotlights third-shift businesses. Starlite is one of several that will be featured, but you never know. If the Starlite portion is interesting enough, they're likely to get own show. At least that's how it usually works.

Update (10/6/2015): Due to the extremely random renewed interest in this 3-year-old article -- seriously, we've seen it shared a ton the last few days -- we followed up with the folks at Starlite to see why this article was the last we ever heard about the reality show. When we asked what happened to the show, their reply was "nothing at all." Apparently, the network didn't move forward with production on the project and the footage never aired. However, the Starlite burger is still, and forever will be, amazing.