The MTV reality series Making the Band is currently wrapping up the third season of Making the Band 3. What many people don’t know is that Making the Band originated on ABC in 1999. The original series was the brainchild of Lou Pearlman, the billionaire responsible for the formation of The Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. Pearlman auditioned for young male performers in eight cities across the United States and ultimately held more than 1,800 auditions to find a semifinalist group of 25. The eight finalists were to compete on the ABC program for the five open spots in the newest by Pearlman. performing as a boy band, and eventually signing with the Transcontinental Records label. The first season on ABC was set in a typical reality show format, filming the competition and the process through which the young males would train for the competition in dancing and singing. Midway through the first season, three of the eight men were eliminated, leaving Ashley Angel, Jacob Underwood, Erik Estrada, Trevor Penick and Ikaika Kahoano. These five were scheduled to become O-Town and the series would contain more episodes showing the process of becoming the band, including the formation and creation of their first CD.
Making the Band 1 derived its primary audience from female viewers from teenagers; therefore, the decision was made to leave ABC and run the series in its new home on MTV. This kicked off the MTV version of Making the Band 1, which enjoyed two more seasons on the cable network. Both seasons followed the five-member boy band as they recorded their second CD, they went on tour, signed to Clive Davis’ record label, and went through the struggle to stay viable in a market that was tired of the band formula. of boys.
The series was revitalized by former rap artist and current entrepreneur Sean “P Diddy” Combs, who transitioned from the show to finding a rap group. The show followed the same formula of auditions, eliminations and selections until the five finalists were left, calling themselves Da Band. However, the road was not going to be easy for Da Band, even as they entered their second season of filming on MTV. The group’s tensions and lack of responsibility among the members threatened to derail the group’s success, even though the show had a consistent audience. In the end, P. Diddy disbanded the group on television, letting go of several of the members and choosing to stay with three artists (Babs, Ness and Chopper) for future negotiations on Bad Boy. However, none of these artists have released material since the end of the season.
The third installment in the series has been by far the most successful. In Making the Band 3, P Diddy opted to create a girl band, modeling them after groups of female superstars like Destiny’s Child and The Spice Girls. Making the Band 3 Season 1 started with auditions and selections, but Season 2 and Season 3 have focused on the 5 selected members (Aubrey O’Day, Aundrea Fimbres, Shannon Bex, Dawn Richards, and D. Woods). This group released their first video, “Showstopper”, in July 2006 and is set for a first record release on August 22, 2006.