ABC’s “The Benefactor,” the Monday night reality competition starring billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, is losing two of its originally scheduled episodes. The show, which was scheduled to run for eight episodes, will conclude Oct. 25, for a total run of six episodes.

ABC said in a Thursday press release the series would run for only six episodes due to this week’s “20/20” pre-emption, which featured a tribute to the late actor Christopher Reeve, and “upcoming election coverage.”

“The Benefactor” premiered Sept. 13 with a 2.3 rating and 7 share in the adults 18 to 49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. That gave the reality series a fourth-place finish in the 8 p.m. (ET) time period in the demo. By Oct. 4 “The Benefactor” garnered a 1.4/4 in the demo, down 39 percent from its premiere. In contrast, this week’s special airing of “20/20” scored a 2.0/6 in adults 18 to 49.