The Return of Star Search

Star Search, the CBS entry into the wacky world of reality/talent, returns on Saturday, January 17 at 8PM (ET). The show, which is hosted once again by Arsenio Hall, is into its fourth go-round, the third having concluded in May 2003.

Star Search differs from other shows of its genre in that it is set up as a tournament. After each performance, celebrity judges and viewers vote by Internet to determine the winner. $100,000 is awarded to the winner of each category at the end of the nine-episode series. The Comic category has been eliminated, leaving three categories – Adult Singer, Junior Singer, and Young Dancer.

This season, the show is introducing a new twist—the “Winner’s Circle.” The first week of the show, three performers from past seasons will return and stand in the “winner’s circle” for each category. The winner of the first round in each category will then select one person to challenge. The winner of the challenge will go to the “Winner’s Circle” the next week.

This process continues week by week until the finale when the three contestants in each of the three “Winner’s Circles” compete with each other for the grand prize. This will actually enable viewers to watch the contestants each week and have a chance to become familiar with them and root for them when they are challenged. This is certainly an attempt by Star Search to grab viewers early on and keep them coming back for more.

It is conceivable that a contestant could make it all the way through the eight rounds without having been challenged and still win the ultimate prize. There are actually many ways that this could play out and it is an interesting change-up for this show.

The first people in the “Winners’ Circles” will be:

Adult Singers: Freedom Bremner, Jake Simpson, and Vickie Natale

Junior Singers: David Archuleta, Molly Bouchard, and Mark Mejia

Young Dancers: Tempo & Legend, Candace & Brandon, and Jon Cruz. It is possible that one of these contestants from last year could go on and win this season’s show.

Star Search was one of the first reality/talent shows, airing from 1983 to 1995. A number of notable performers were discovered on the show, including Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Sinbad, Martin Lawrence, Christina Aguilera, and Ray Romano.

Look for my weekly recaps right here on RealityNewsOnline.

Donna Reynolds is a freelance writer and technical writer from Syracuse, NY. You can e-mail her at dlrturtle@earthlink.net.

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