News on American Idol Judges, Star Search, and The Show

There is quite a bit of news today in the area of finding the country’s newest talent. We have American Idol 2, the return of Star Search, and a new show called, well, The Show.

American Idol 2

First, of course, is American Idol 2, for which Variety has said the original three judges will indeed return (we had known about Simon for a while, but the other two were up in the air). Plus, there will be a fourth judge who has not yet been revealed, and who Fox says will “add a different and unique perspective.” Hmmm. One new perspective would be that of somebody who has already been through the judging – could they be adding one of the finalists from the first American Idol? I have no idea, that would just be Idol speculation. Frankly, I hope it’s not, because it’s just too soon for them to move from the judged to the judge.

As discussed in a previous article, Brian Dunkleman will not be returning for AI2. Speculation appears to be that Ryan Seacrest will have a female cohost. But does anybody really care who will say, “And we’re live”?

Star Search

In competing news, CBS is reviving the old Star Search show after the success of American Idol. Zap2it.com reports that it will be a nine-episode, tournament-style series. There will be four categories for competitors – adult singer, junior singer, comic, and supermodel. The winners will apparently be determined by a combination of viewer vote and celebrity judges, and will take home $100,000 each. Mere pennies compared to American Idol, but those who don’t fit squarely into the small age bracket allowed by AI may find more luck here.

The Show

In a similar vein, but for baseball players rather than singing, The Hollywood Reporter reports that an eight-episode reality series called The Show is under development (“The Show” is apparently what baseball folks call the major leagues). According to the report, the show is looking for 25 potential players, who will then be narrowed down to a team of 12. This team will then play against an opposing team from the major leagues. Yeah, like that won’t be a total rout… Anyway, then a couple of the finalists will get minor league contracts at the end. No word on how much viewer participation – if any – will be included.

With all these shows searching for the newest “stars,” you have to wonder just how much undiscovered talent is out there – and if all of them can sustain viewer interest. It was one thing for Fox to have a hit with American Idol in the summer. It’s another to have it up against the regular TV lineup and have to compete with other similar shows. While The Show won’t be on for a while, Star Search is being lined up as a mid-season replacement, which could put it on at the very same time as American Idol 2. AI2 definitely has a head start, though Star Search obviously still has name recognition from when it originally aired. It will be interesting to see which pulls a bigger audience and more viewer interest.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline, and can be reached at rno@pobox.com.

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