Ke$ha, Ludacris and Brad Paisley have signed on as judges of ABC’s summer reality series Rising Star, with Josh Groban set to host.
Based on the successful Israeli format from Keshet and Dick Clark Productions partnership Keshet DCP, Rising Star is ABC’s second attempt at a singing competition in recent years. The show, which will tape in L.A. and air live on the East Coast, relies solely on real-time audience voting via an app to determine the fortunes of its contestants. Unknown singers perform in front of a giant video wall, with viewers voting on the performance in real time as the performance progresses. The results pop up on the video wall, and if the performer gets high marks from the viewers, the video wall rises and the singer gets a glimpse of the studio audience. It seems Kesha, Ludacris and Paisley will offer feedback and advice rather than serve as typical judges.
ABC will hope that their novel take on a singing competition will mark it out as a success, as such shows have largely failed in recent years. Simon Cowell’s The X Factor was canceled after three seasons in January, and American Idol‘s ratings decline has prompted a smaller order for Fox’s 2014-15 season. NBC’s The Voice is still enjoying its second year as the Big Four’s reality gold standard, but even that show has hit series lows in recent weeks.
Rising Star will premiere on June 22 in an unconventional Sunday night time slot. You can check out a promo video for the upcoming series here.