"Choirs" clash at Christmas for NBC

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC is putting a new twist on the reality singing-competition genre with "Clash of the Choirs," in which five celebrity singers go back to their hometowns to assemble an amateur choir of everyday people.

ADVERTISEMENT

NBC has ordered a holiday-themed four-episode installment of "Choirs" to air in the week leading up to Christmas. The show could be picked up for additional cycles.

The show will follow the choirs as they compete in live performance shows in music genres ranging from pop hits to holiday classics. Groups will be eliminated by viewers, who will vote via phone, text message or at NBC.com until a winner is selected. It hasn't been decided yet if there will be a judging panel critiquing the performances.

In the holiday spirit, the winning choir, along with the celebrity who selected them, will pick a prize that will help their hometown and give back to their community -- anything from renovating a school gym to creating a neighborhood park.

"Choirs" will kick off with a two-hour premiere episode at 9 p.m. December 17, followed by a one-hour at 9 p.m. December 18 , a two-hour show at 9 p.m. December 19 and a one-hour finale at 8 p.m. December 20. Airing the show on four consecutive nights follows the launch pattern of other NBC reality series, including the hit game show "Deal or No Deal."

"Clash of the Choirs" is based on a Scandinavian format. It will be produced for ABC by "Dancing With the Stars" producer BBC Worldwide Prods.

Paul Telegdy, exec vp content and production at BBC Worldwide Americas, said he initially got the same bewildered reaction to his pitch for "Choirs" as the one he got for "Dancing," which was turned down by ABC three times before the network committed to it.

"But I think that a primetime show about choirs will work in primetime for the same reason a show about ballroom dancing does: We think it will be compelling and bold," said Telegdy.