Making the Band
| Making the Band | |
|---|---|
| Created by |
Lou Pearlman Mary-Ellis Bunim Jonathan Murray Andrew Marek |
| No. of seasons | 12 (four iterations with three seasons each) |
| No. of episodes | 142 total 43 (Making the Band) 33 (Making the Band 2) 28 (Making the Band 3) 38 (Making the Band 4) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lou Pearlman (ABC version) Sean Combs (MTV version) Jonathan Murray Mary-Ellis Bunim |
| Running time | 60 min |
| Production company(s) | Bunim/Murray Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ABC (2000-2001) MTV (2002-present) |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Original release | March 24, 2000 – October 10, 2009 |
Making the Band was an ABC/MTV reality television series that exists in separate iterations, each iteration focusing on a specific music act. It spawned musical acts O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. Except for the first iteration of the series featuring O-Town, all seasons of Making the Band have been overseen by Diddy, acting as the man of the house who makes the final decision on who will be in the band.
The first iteration of Making the Band started on March 24, 2000, and aired for three seasons, finishing on March 30, 2002. It centered around the musical group O-Town.
The first season aired on ABC. Making the Band was the last new series, and the only series that was not a sitcom, to air during the original run of the TGIF block. The block ended its run upon the end of the series' first season in 2000. Making the Band was then relocated to cable television network MTV, where two additional seasons aired. Future iterations of the show also aired on MTV. O-Town's return for additional seasons marked the first time the main cast of a reality show returned for a second season.
In 1999, Lou Pearlman, the man responsible for the formation of the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, embarked on a nationwide talent search, cutting auditions in eight cities down to 25 young men, and eventually eight finalists. These eight young men would compete for five spots in Pearlman's newest boy band creation, to be signed to his record label, Transcontinental Records.
The season chronicled the competition between the men in typical reality-show fashion. It featured on screen choreography by Ramon Del Barrio. Midway through the first season, three of the eight men (Paul Martin, Mike Miller and Bryan Chan) were eliminated, leaving Ashley Parker Angel, Jacob Underwood, Erik-Michael Estrada (not to be confused with American actor Erik Estrada), Trevor Penick, and Ikaika Kahoano. These five were set to become O-Town and the process of producing their first CD began. Several episodes later, however, Kahoano left for reasons that weren't exactly clear. Kahoano later stated that he "did not respect the other members on a musical or personal level" and described the experience as "Wack". He later joined Making the Band Semi-Finalist Mike Miller and Bryan Chan to form the boy-band LMNT. Selecting from the original group of 25 semi-finalists, the remaining four members of the band chose Dan Miller to be Kahoano's replacement. With the final member of O-Town in place, the remainder of the first season tracked the development and struggles with the new band.
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