The hit variety/talent series "Star Search" returns Saturday, Jan. 17, with an all-new tournament featuring a surprise twist.

From CBS
Reality Reel Media
01.07.04

CBS's hit variety/talent series Star Search, hosted by Arsenio Hall, returns live Saturday, Jan. 17 (8:00-9:00 PM) with an all-new tournament featuring a surprising twist that involves last season’s memorable winners.

The one-hour series features live, tournament-style competitions in three categories -- adult singer, junior singer and young dancer. Voting will be done by a panel of celebrity judges along with viewers at home, via the Internet, who will determine the winners and ultimately the $100,000 grand prize winner in each category.

The kicker for this new tournament is the "Winners’ Circle," which will include three memorable Star Search performers in each category from last season, specifically, adult singers Freedom Bremner, Vickie Natale, and Jake Simpson; junior singers David Archuleta, Molly Bouchard and Mark Mejia, and young dancers Jon Cruz, Candace & Brandon and Tempo & Legend. In every show the winner of round one will be able to "call out" a member of the "Winners’ Circle," and the winner of that challenge will go on to be in the "Winners’ Circle" in the next episode.

Viewers will get to know the "Winners’ Circle" performers each week as cameras follow their activities when they meet influentials in the entertainment industry and participate in various opportunities as they hone their skills on the path to becoming a star.

Ultimately, in the ninth and final episode, the three remaining performers in each of the three "Winners’ Circles" will compete head-to-head for the $100,000 prize in each category.

The one-hour variety/talent series was inspired by the original "Star Search" television program, which aired from 1983 to 1995 and helped launch the careers of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Ray Romano, Sinbad and Martin Lawrence, among others.

Multi-talented actor/comedian Arsenio Hall is perhaps best known to television audiences for his successful six-year run as host and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning "The Arsenio Hall Show." He began his career in Chicago as a standup comedian, eventually touring with more than 25 headliners. His additional television credits include "Martial Law," on the Network, and hosting the "MTV Video Music Awards" for four consecutive years (1988-91). He also co-starred in the hit motion pictures "Coming to America" and "Harlem Nights."