'Glee Project' payoff in doubt?

By MICHELLE WEISS
The winner of “The Glee Project” will receive a guest starring role in the Fox mothership show.

Or maybe not.

According to exec producer Michael Davies, “Glee” chieftan Ryan Murphy “wouldn’t keep someone that he couldn’t write for.”

Clearly that would be bad news for the folks at the NBCUniversal cabler who have heavily promoted that the winner could become the next Chris Colfer or Lea Michele.

Davies then backtraced a bit, adding, “This isn’t a reality TV show for Ryan, this is a project to cast for ‘Glee.’”

Casting director Robert Ulrich, who acts as a mentor for the group, presented a glimmer of hope for all the contestants, even those who don’t land the big prize: “I will keep them in mind for everything else I do.”

Davies said he has received no official word from Oxygen if “The Glee Project” will return for a second season, but casting and budgeting talks have already begun.