The alphabet network’s been churning out a lot of “alternative” programming this summer. The latest offering is a Friday night game show called >Karaoke Battle USA. Is this one a winner that’s on a fast-track for renewal or will it be cancelled like so many others?
Karaoke Battle USA seeks to find the best karaoke singer from across the country by taking the best male and female performers from various regional competitions and pitting them against one another. At the end, the King and Queen of Karaoke are crowned. In addition to the title, the winners also win a trip to compete at the Karaoke World Championships in Ireland and have a recording released through Hollywood Records. The show is hosted by *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and is judged by karaoke champion Brian Scott, singer/songwriter/comic Carnie Wilson, and music journalist Joey Levy.
The TV series debuted with a two-hour installment on August 12th. It garnered a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 3.74 million viewers. It tied for second place with a repeat of CSI: New York at 9pm and beat a Blue Bloods rerun at 10pm. Both hours were beaten by NBC’s Dateline.
The second episode of Karaoke Battle USA dropped 11% in the demo to a 0.8 rating and 2.92 million viewers. Last week’s installment rose 25% in the demo to a season high with a 1.0 in the demo and 3.68 million.
The show airs on Friday nights so the ratings are understandably lower but these still are terrible. Of the dozen summer series that ABC’s been airing this season, Karaoke Battle USA is in last place. Reruns of lead-in Shark Tank perform better, as do installments of lead-out 20/20.
There’s simply no good reason why ABC should renew Karaoke Battle USA for a second season and the series will probably be cancelled after the remaining two episodes have aired.
But what do you think? Is this a compelling singing competition? Would you like to see it return for a second season or just be cancelled?
Image courtesy NBC.
THIS SHOW IS A DEFINITE KEEPER. I PUT THIS SHOW IN THE CATEGORY AS THE VOICE.THIS SHOW IS A KEEPER
I attended all seasons of Ai and attended Hollywood taping of this show and I truly believe it has potential.. Showcasing singersaside from age and appearance was amazing. I do agree with previous post the editing team should go back to the drawing board and grab the highlights or true talent.. Takes behind the scene etc… We had so much fun prior to filming which was true Reality TV…. SECOND SEASON!!!!!
In the finals last night the two best singers went home. Get a new set of judges or cancel. I thought it was a singing competition, not a beauty contest. I probably won’t watch next year unless some dramatic changes are made.
The shows fatal flaw ,,, no viewer participation via a vote system ,,, judges decisions are confusing,,, obvious crowd favorites were eliminated and the finale was a joke. CANCEL this show!!!
Keep the show you are finding treasures under rocks. Don’t discriminate against big persons or the ‘ugly ones perceptions.
Let’s make a pact right now: No more “reality” tv shows. Ever. Let them die now.
i LOVE this show! where’s the place where you can find ordinary people with incredible voices? the concept is terrific. normal people, not American Idol types. it’s about how anybody with a great voice can make it and that’s a great message.
please bring it back!
Love the show and love the talent. The talent is so far better than any other singing competition. Carnie is a great judge. Joey Fatone I could do without.
there isn’t much worth watching on Friday night. There hasn’t been for several years. At least this is entertaining and worth watching week after week. What better option does ABC have to show in this time slot ?
I was an East Regional (NYC) contestant on this show and can tell you from that experience that it is a worthwhile show but one that deserves a better treatment from the network than it has received. The time slot and date selected, the format of the show, and the amount of time dedicated by the network to promoting the program do not reflect the dedication of the people who made up the field or that help to create the contest that it is supposed to capture. If ABC was to re-tool this show as suggested above and dedicate someone… Read more »
I think ABC should do a second season. However, they made alot of amazing talent look really bad and led contestants to believe they had a fair shot at winning when they obviously did not. That is not to say the people who have won do not deserve it. They are all fabulous but there were much more talented singers who maybe didnt look a certain way or didnt have a good background story. Fact is its a singing show so audiences want to see people who can SING!
I LOVE this show. Please don’t cancel it!! I echo what the other reviewer said: in my area (Metro DC area), only two of the four regional finals aired. The other two got unexpectedly knocked off by football. The first 2 hour show in Vegas was the best one, and Meredith and Sammy were amazing (Meredith is head and shoulders the best of all competitors to me so far). I love Carnie Wilson, she is so funny. The show wasn’t advertised enough, which I believe led to the poor viewing results. It really is a fun show. Please show the… Read more »
I’m torn to be totally honest. I wish ABC wasn’t looking to make a big joke out of it. Bewteen not showing a lot of the singers……going more for looks (and size) than true vocal quatily. Karaoke is not about looks….its about singing and the proformance too. ABC dropped the ball early on with starting with a 2 hour show and then only showing 1 hour from the finals. Taping background stories and not showing them…telling a singer we won’t show your fall and then airing it….NOT cool at all Cutting songs so quickly that it makes a great singer… Read more »
Keep it but retool the process.
I had the privilege of seeing the East Regional show (the one that aired 9/2/11) and many good singers were made to look bad by quick edits and showing only a couple of seconds of a song. Or the woman who had her entire song cut but they did show her fall while climbing the steps to the stage. It looks like they’re editing more for shock value than to showcase good singers. If they don’t revamp their process I don’t see them getting many contestants for another season.
Since this show is in its first season, I would love to see it improve. I think one hour is not enough to showcase the talent and that is the problem with the quick edits. Some of the shows have showcased too many of the so called bad singers and not enough of the talent. How do we know these people are really bad singers, because the edit only shows that. The songs they sang may have been wonderful except for the few moments that were shown. Showing all these bad parts is turning people off. Also, the so called… Read more »
agree 100%
fix the show not the concept and show more of the contantests who can really entertain that’s what Karaoke is all about
thank you
Angela Warner finalist on karaoke battle usa