Fergie Signs as Host of 'American Idol' Replacement 'The Four' on FOX
Fergie in, Seacrest out. This seems to be the case for FOX as it prepares to launch its newest singing competition series to replace "American Idol."
The Black Eyed Peas vocalist signed on as host of "The Four: Battle for Stardom." Fergie will be in the company of four big-named music artists and VIPs -- Sean "Diddy" Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor and music executive Charlie Walk -- who will sit as judges in the latest TV talent show.
"I am looking forward to being by the contestants' sides during what could be the most important performances of their lives," the Grammy-winning singer stated about her hosting gig. "Along with these amazing panelists whom I know and love, I hope my experiences as a solo artist and as a member of The Black Eyed Peas can help guide them in their quest to make it in the music industry."
FOX ordered "The Four" from ITV Entertainment in August after the network lost its bid to bring back "American Idol" against ABC. FOX used to be the home of the popular singing show from 2001 to 2015.
Meanwhile, the new singing competition has an entirely different format that should set it apart from the rest of the talent shows on the air.
"The Four" won't begin with the usual audition rounds on television. Instead, four singers who have been selected prior to broadcast will open the singing competition.
One of them, however, will be eliminated in the first week and a new challenger will come in to fill one of the four slots. At the end of the show's run, the last singer standing gets the shot at becoming a recording star.
There will be six episodes to "The Four" in its initial season. It won't directly compete with "American Idol" or "The Voice" on NBC though since FOX scheduled the show's debut on Thursday, Jan. 4, at 8:00 p.m, while the other singing shows will begin in March.
