| Secret Talents of the Stars | |
|---|---|
| Format | Interactive reality Game Show |
| Directed by | Don Weiner |
| Presented by | John O'Hurley |
| Judges | Debbie Reynolds, Brian McKnight, Gavin Polone |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 1 (7 originally planned) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Robyn Nash Don Weiner |
| Running time | 60 mins. (including commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original airing | April 8, 2008 |
Secret Talents of the Stars was an extremely short-lived CBS reality/game show, where celebrities competed against each other in a tournament-like format in areas that differed from their normal professions, like singing, dancing, and acrobatics. Viewers were to vote on the most talented celebrity. The show premiered on April 8, 2008, but was canceled the following day due to low ratings, making it one of the few series to be canceled after one episode[1].
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While the contestants' performances were critiqued by the show's judging panel of Debbie Reynolds, Brian McKnight, and Gavin Polone, home viewers were to vote online during each episode to determine which two celebrities stayed in the competition and which two were sent home. Voting was open only during the initial live broadcast to the Eastern and Central time zones as the results were to be announced at the end of each episode.
Secret Talents of the Stars was to follow a seven-week, tournament-style broadcast format.
Four acts were to each perform during both the show's live broadcasts on April 8 and 15, with home viewer votes determining two semifinalists from each of those episodes. Those four semifinalists would then have performed during a live boadcast on April 22, after which home viewer votes would determine the show's first two finalists.
Four more acts would then each have performed during both the show's live broadcasts on April 29 and May 6, with home viewer votes determining two semifinalists from each of those episodes. Those four semifinalists would then perform during a live broadcast on May 13, after which home viewer votes would determine the show's second two finalists.
The live finale broadcast would have aired on May 22, with all sixteen contestants appearing together, and the four finalists competing one last time for home viewers—who would have been able to vote during the broadcast. The winner would be revealed at the finale's conclusion and then perform the winning entry one last time. But because of the show's cancellation, there were, of course, no results or winner.
CBS ordered Secret Talents of the Stars in January. The show was produced by Magic Molehill Productions, Inc., in association with Robyn Nash Productions and Don Weiner Productions. Robyn Nash and Don Weiner served as executive producers.
Participants in the show, as well as the "secret talents" they would be performing, include[2]:
During the April 8, 2008, episode, the only one that managed to air, the judges uniformly expressed their preference for the performances of Mya and Clint Black. However, the audience votes advanced Sasha Cohen and Clint Black while sending Mya and George Takei home.
After Takei performed, Polone joked that he looked like one of the main characters in Brokeback Mountain, the Oscar-nominated film about two gay cowboys. Takei mustered a smile during the live broadcast, but in a later interview with Entertainment Tonight, he admitted to being offended. Polone did not apologize for his words.[3]
| # | Air Date | Rating | Share | 18-49 | Viewers (m) | Weekly Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 8, 2008 | 3.2 | 5 | 1.5/4 | 4.61 | 71 |
In comparison, the notorious flop quarterlife, which had also been canceled after one episode by NBC several weeks earlier, had a 3.1 rating in the 10 p.m. time slot, where fewer networks broadcast. CBS then decided not to make the remaining six episodes.