British singer-actress Rita Ora is set to host ABC’s summer singing competition series Boy Band, ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said at the network’s upfront today in Manhattan. Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter and Spice Girls veteran Emma Bunton will serve on the show as “architects” — experts who will guide contestants throughout their journey to potential stardom.
In the series, undiscovered young talent from around the country battle it out for a spot in America’s next great boy band . The 10-episode series will chronicle the journey of young male vocalists who will compete for a chance to show the world that they have what it takes to join the group, which receive a recording contract with Hollywood Records.
Each episode will feature a different theme, and the architects will shuffle contestants to find the best combination of voices to perform, live. Architects will critique each band’s performance and collectively determine two contestants who are up for elimination. After the guys perform solo “survival” songs, viewers at home will vote for their favorite to remain in the competition. Winners will be announced during the finale, and they will perform their brand-new single together for the first time.
Boy Band is produced by Matador Content, with. Todd Lubin, Jay Peterson, Jane Mun and Joel Relampagos serving as executive producers.
ABC has been searching for a singing franchise for several years, with Duets and Rising Stars among the unsuccessful attempts. Of course, it hopes to have solved that problem with the revival of American Idol, which will launch next season. ABC also used its upfront presentation today to announce tweaks to the Idol format for the relaunch.
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