The Next Star

The Next Star
Presented by	Adamo Ruggiero (2008-Present)
Judges	Suzie McNeil Christopher Ward Steve Cranwell
Country of origin	Canada
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	13 total
Production
Running time	Varies
Original release
Network	YTV
Release	July 18, 2008 – Present

The Next Star is a reality television show on YTV hosted by Adamo Ruggiero. The show is a competition to find the most talented singer in Canada who is under 15 years of age. The winner of the first season is Dunnery Bond. The second season currently runs on Fridays at 7:00 P.M O'clock atlantic time.

Overview

Young singers (15 and under) from across Canada showed up for the open call in the thousands to audition in front of the judges: Suzie McNeil, Christopher Ward, and Steve Cranwell. Only a certain number of finalists are selected to proceed to Toronto, where they then perform another song of their choice, and the top six are chosen. The final six contestants are then put through multiple tasks from creating a single to choosing their look. By mid-season, the voting process begins by online or text messaging, and continues until the live finale where the finalist with the most votes will be declared as: "The Next Star".

Season 1

Season one premiered on YTV, on July 18, 2008. During the first two episodes, there was a coast-to-coast search for the next big hit. The judges traveled to Halifax, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, and Vancouver. Out of thousands that auditioned, only twelve contestants were selected and proceeded to the semi-finals. In Toronto, the judges then decided which six of the twelve would continue.

Top 6

These were the top six contestants of season one. The other five who didn't make the cut were Chloe Lloyd, 16 (now 17); Kieran Jacobs, 10 (now 11); Moises Duot, 14 (now 15); Savannah Boyko, 14 (now 15); and Andrea Macasaet, 14 (now 15). It was soon announced that 11 (now 12) year old Charlotte Kosc had been diagnosed with viral meningitis and pneumonia in her right lung and therefore couldn't continue in the competition (she had be chosen to carry on as one of the top six). Amanda Rowland was selected as a replacement.

• Alyssa Reid, then aged 15 (now 16)
• Amanda Rowland, then aged 14 (now 15)
• Briar Gillis, then aged 14 (now 15
• Christina LeClair, then aged 13, 14 at the finale (now 15)
• Dunnery Bond, then aged 14 (now 15)
• Maranda Thomas, then aged 11 (now 12)

#	Contestants	Eliminations
		1	2
1	Dunnery Bond	TOP 6	WIN
2	Alyssa Reid	TOP 6	OUT
3	Amanda Rowland	OUT	OUT
4	Maranda Thomas	TOP 6	OUT
5	Christina LeClair	TOP 6	OUT
6	Briar Gillis	TOP 6	OUT
7	Charlotte Kosc	TOP 6	QUIT
8	Andrea Macasaet	OUT
9	Chloe Lloyd	OUT
10	Moises Duot	OUT
11	Kieran Jacobs	OUT
12	Savannah Boyko	OUT

• Charlotte had to drop out due to medical issues from the competition and Amanda was brought back.
• Blue determines that the contestant was male, and pink for a female.

Singles

Each of the six finalists also got to record a single, available on iTunes or on the show's season one compilation EP.

#	Song	Artist	Length
1.	"Gonna Make You Dance"	Alyssa Reid	3:26
2.	"Stuck In My World"	Maranda Thomas	3:11
3.	"Shy"	Dunnery Bond	3:02
4.	"From the Heart"	Amanda Rowland	3:19
5.	"The Last Word"	Briar Gillis	3:15
6.	"Everyday Crazy"	Christina LeClair	3:36

7. "Changing" Charlotte Kosc 3:17

Changing is not available on iTunes, but can be found on Youtube.

Episodes

The first three episodes consisted of auditions and narrowing the top 12 down to 6 finalists.

Episode	Theme	Info
4	Musical Medical	The Top Six are interviewed and evaluated by the judges on their star qualities. They use the information to partner them up with a musical producer. The six producers are Gavin Brown, Karen Kosowski, Tyson Kuteyi, Rob Wells, Major Maker, and the team of Oliver Johnson/Marcus Kane.
5	Own a Song	The Top Six each create their own singles; which are scheduled to be released by Universal Music. Amanda is introduced as a replacement for Charlotte who became ill after Episode 3.
6	The Next You	The Top Six find and create their own unique looks.
7	Meet the Press	The Top Six are interviewed on The Zone and record their own infomercial.
8	The Duet	The Top Six partner up to perform a duet: Alyssa & Amanda, Briar & Christina, and Dunnery & Maranda.
9	Giving Back	The Top Six give back to local charities.
10	The Buzz	The Top Six travel across Toronto to attend to some superstar duties and meet Nikki Yanofsky.
11	The Single	The Top Six unveil the finished result of their singles.
12	The Look Back	A recap of the entire season.
13	Live Finale	Dunnery Bond is crowned the winner at Canada's Wonderland on September 28, 2008.

Season 2

The second season of The Next Star premiered on July 17,2009. Suzie McNeil, Steve Cranwell and Christopher Ward all returned as judges, and Adamo Ruggiero returned as host.

Format

This season's format is very similar to the previous one, with the judges and host traveling to 6 different locations throughout Canada to find their top contestants. But, unlike last year, the judges chose 16 contestants to move on to the semi-finals, as apposed to last year's Top 12. The winner will receive a grand prize package valued at over $35 000 Canadian dollars including studio time at Metalworks Studios to write and record two additional songs (not including the one performed on the show). These songs will be produced by Universal Canada and released in spring 2010. They will also have their own showcase at the premier annual Canadian Music Week Showcase, where they will debut their songs; as well as receiving a J-45 Standard Acoustic Guitar and an Epiphone Valve Jr. Combo Amp courtesy of Gibson Guitars. The season's compilation EP will be released in October 2009.

Top 16

These are the Top 16 contestants of Season Two.

• Wren Kelly, age 14
• David Marino, age 10
• Jordan Bergeron, age 13
• Rayandra Hudson, age 14
• Lizz Kellermann, age 15
• Jonathan Lewis, age 14
• Adriana Lombardo, age 14
• Cheyenne Duff, age 14
• Brady Chyzyk, age 14
• Carlyn Graff, age 14
• Darrelyne Bickel, age 15
• Lauren Adamoski, age 11
• Tianda Flegel, age 15
• Kimberly Truong, age 15
• Sabrina Duda, age 13
• Brock Zanrosso, age 15

Top 6

The Top 6 was revealed to Canada on August 7, 2009.

• Wren Kelly, age 14
• Tianda Flegel, age 15
• Lizz Kellermann, age 15
• Darrelyne Bickel, age 15
• Rayandra Hudson, age 14
• Brock Zanrosso, age 15

#	Contestants	Eliminations
		1	2	3
1	Brock Zanrosso	TOP 6
2	Wren Kelly	TOP 6
3	Rayandra Hudson	TOP 6
4	Darrelyne Bickel	TOP 6
5	Lizz Kellermann	TOP 6
6	Tianda Flegel	TOP 6
7	David Marino	OUT
8	Jordan Bergeron	OUT
9	Jonathan Lewis	OUT
10	Adriana Lambaro	OUT
11	Cheyenne Duff	OUT
12	Brady Chyzyk	OUT
13	Carlyn Graff	OUT
14	Lauren Adamoski	OUT
15	Kimberly Truong	OUT
16	Sabrina Duda	OUT

• Rayandra's performance with her new look was voted the best by the studio audience that week.

Singles

Each of the six finalists also got to record a single, which is available on iTunes or on the show's season two compilation EP.

#	Song	Artist	Producer
1.	"One More First Chance"	Brock Zanrosso	Shawn Desman
2.	"Without You Here"	Tianda Flegel	Ron Lopata
3.	"What We Need is Love"	Rayandra Hudson	Chin Injeti
4.	"More Perfect than a Doll"	Lizz Kellermann	Simon Wilcox
5.	"Solitude of Sunday"	Darrelyne Bickel	Dave Thompson
6.	"If I Fall"	Wren Kelly	Davor Vulama

External links

• Official site